Two Five Nine Is . . .
Two Five Nine (also known as 2 5 9) is a seven-man music group from Mesa, AZ. The members of Two Five Nine performed for the first time at a high-school talent show in 1995. Since that time the group has churned out five albums - two pop albums, two religious albums, and a pop-religious hybrid Christmas album, selling about 30,000 CDs in all. You can buy the albums here. The seven group members - Greg Adams, Jeff Andersen, Drex Davis, McKane Davis, Rob Gardner, Porter Shumway, and Jeff Trapnell - all served missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, during which time the group was on hiatus.
Albums (Click on the links below for more information and to listen to clips):
Harmony (1995 - out of print)
Amen (1995)
Maximum Capacity (1999)
Witness (1999)
Christmas (2001)
The members of Two Five Nine have also done other musical projects which you can learn about here.
In Depth Biography:
The singing group Two Five Nine formed in October 1994. Originally, seven high school seniors from Mesa, Arizona made up the group: Porter Shumway, Greg Adams, Rob Gardner, Jeff Andersen, Jackson Wright, McKane Davis and Jeff Trapnell. In early 1995, the group performed for the first time under the name Two Five Nine for Westwood High School's talent show. The band's original intent was to perform only at the talent show; however, the overwhelming reception they received encouraged them to continue singing together. Requests for group performances poured in, so they continued.
As Two Five Nine's popularity grew and listeners requested a recording of their songs Two Five Nine decided to record their songs for family and friends. They called the eleven-song CD entitled Harmony, and released a small number of albums. Word spread quickly about Harmony, and soon demand for the CD exceeded the quantity available. Eventually, Two Five Nine produced Harmony in mass quantity and released the album to the general public. All of Harmony's songs were arranged by group member Rob Gardner (aided by Two Five Nine), and the songs "Two Five Nine," "Highwire" and "Change" were written by group member McKane Davis, with other group members aiding in the songwriting process.
After one year, the group recorded a religious CD they dubbed Amen. The CD is a compilation of religious songs the group either wrote or arranged, or performed for church functions and meetings. Rob Gardner wrote the songs "Peace I Leave with You," "There are Angels" and "Press Forward" (co-written with Greg Adams). McKane Davis wrote "Two Little Boys." The members recorded the album to raise funds so that they could serve missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The album was recorded live at Orangewood Studio by Mike Coleman in just two days. Two Five Nine has never used overdubs or voice doubling for any of their music. They stand in a circle around a group of microphones, start singing, and keep singing until they get a take they like. All songs are live takes, and have not been "doctored."
In 1995, Deseret Bookstores in Arizona began to carry "Amen" and "Harmony." Between December 1995 and October 1996, all seven group members left to serve two-year missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As they had hoped, the sales from "Amen" funded their missions. While they were gone, CD sales increased and group popularity grew. When the last member of the group returned home in October 1998, Two Five Nine reunited. Group member Jackson Wright married in January 1999 and family priorities did not permit him to travel with the group, so Drex Davis, also from Mesa, was added as a replacement.
The group members attended Brigham Young University in Provo, UT for winter semester 1999. During that time they worked on material for a third album, "Maximum Capacity," and then returned to Arizona for the summer to record and distribute the CD. Deseret Bookstores in Arizona, Utah, and other states nationwide now distribute Two Five Nine CDs. The group still performs regularly in Arizona. They then recorded a new religious CD, entitled "Witness," which was released around Thanksgiving '99. In 2001 they recorded a hybrid pop-religious album of Christmas music entitled, simply, Christmas.
Two Five Nine's music has been described as alternative a cappella; however, the group does not categorize itself as a cappella because they incorporate acoustic guitars and other instruments into their songs. The group attributes their success to their unwillingness to be categorized as any single musical style. Behind the original arranging of Rob Gardner and the talented songwriting of both Gardner and McKane Davis, Two Five Nine has created a unique sound to accompany their original songs. This originality sets Two Five Nine apart from standard a cappella type groups. The new albums "Maximum Capacity" and "Witness" contain many new original songs. Look for them in Deseret Bookstores and other Christian bookstores nationwide.