Praise and Worship

It's a typical Friday night in Largo, Maryland, and over 300 teenagers and young adults are jam packed in a tiny room in an office complex eagerly awaiting Vertical band to take the stage. Slowly, band members step into position, pick up their instruments and play chords to test the volume levels. A tall brown skin man grabs a microphone and stands in the middle of the stage. His stern face peers into the audience as he surveys the crowd. Quiet blankets the room as hundreds of excited faces await the percussion beat that allows them to release the frustrations of their week. "Are you ready to praise the Lord!?" he shouts. In unison the crowds screams a boisterous "Yeah!" "Well let's go!" he responds.