The current lineup of
Critical Mass includes front man and vocalist Dave Wang, guitarist Luke Kupczyk,
bassist Scott McKendrick, keyboardist Lawrence Lam, drummer Paul Kieffer, and
percussionist Tracey Doyle. We are also happy to present Dave Flitton
(keyboards/guitars) and Laurel Pentelow (percussion) who also play at selected
events. We hope to meet you all at our future tour dates. The lineup of Critical Mass that played at World Youth Day 2002 had David Wang, Jodie Wang, Tim Devine, Eric Kubica, Tom Pawelko, Sharon Pawelko, and Matthew Bierschbach. During the first 3 years of the band, the group also included Lorraine Adams.
HISTORY - The initial focus of the group (featuring the Wangs, the Pawelkos, Tim Devine and Eric Kubica) was on leading worship at youth events and Masses. Within a year, Tim's brother Matt joined the band and the group began to write original music, influenced by their Catholic faith. The Devine brothers were already seasoned songwriters, having released two albums, one of which received widespread critical acclaim.
Along with the other members of the band, work began on the demo recording, "Faith Looks Up". Recorded on a shoe-string budget (around $1200), the band members were shocked to have the recording take off in sales and in rave reviews. Radio play soon happened all over Canada and parts of the US. The album has received several honorable mentions at the Canadian Gospel Music Association Awards! Lorraine Adams left the group just prior to September of 2000 when Critical Mass released their second album entitled "Completely".
Produced by Andrew Horrocks of the Canadian rock band, 100 Days, the new album had a tighter, more aggressive sound than "Faith Looks Up". To the band members' surprise, the album immediately garnered the Best Album of the Year at the Canadian Gospel Music Association Awards and the song "Humility" was finalist for Rock Song of the year.
At World Youth Day 2002, the band was given the honor to perform at both the Papal Welcoming Ceremony and at the Papal Vigil, the latter which was seen by the 600,000 in attendance and an unknown number on television. After this historic event, it became clear that the interests of the band members were starting to diverge. Several of the group members formed a Praise and Worship ministry called "Crossmembers" and the Devine Brothers have also released a new album under the moniker "Devine".
David Wang decided to continue the mission of Critical Mass with "Grasping for Hope in the Darkness" released September 11, 2004. The album took a concept album approach and was unique in that it married modern rock with a pro-life storyline. The album won the band its second Canadian Gospel Music Association Covenant Award for Best Rock Album in 2005 and its cover of "Carry On Wayward Son" received an honorable mention for Best Rock Song.
In 2006, the band received International Group of the Year honors' from the United Catholic Music and Video Association. At the same time, Critical Mass released its 4th album entitled "Celebrate", a live praise and worship album that captures their dynamic live show!