Kevin Young's week begins and ends in church, but in between he'll be at the bar.

The Christian rocker and lead singer of metal band Disciple travels to Augusta on Wednesday for a concert at 1102 Downtown Bar & Grill.

Admittedly, he says, it's an unusual venue for a band awarded Rock Album of the Year at the 2008 Dove Awards. It's a top honor for Christian and gospel musicians.

"We play a lot of churches, but we'll play a bar, too. We've always said from the beginning we're going to be who we are where ever we are," Mr. Young said in a telephone interview from his home in Kentucky.

Although the performance will be at a bar, the concert will be alcohol-free, organizers said.

"If a bar wants us to come play, we're there. If a church wants us to come play, we're there," Mr. Young said.

Either way, the band's message is shared, he said.

"We want everybody. Whoever. Bring 'em on," he said.

Heavy metal also has its critics, Mr. Young said.

"I had a youth pastor give me a heavy metal Christian album," Mr. Young said. He was a teen in Knoxville, Tenn., at the time. "It was groundbreaking. A lot of Christians aren't as open minded about it, about sharing faith through metal."

Since the early 1990s, Mr. Young had played in a band with high school friends.

"It wasn't about the faith at first," Mr. Young said. "It was about the music. But as I kept with it, it had an impact. It made me think. When I decided to give my life to Christ and give him my talents and abilities, it was a no-brainer to use music to seek him."

Seven albums later, Mr. Young said, the band is still just as committed to its early roots.

"Here in this new millennium there are so many people who like rock music," Mr. Young said. "We're always going to be a rock band."

But, he said, that doesn't mean Disciple's music is stagnated with the same heavy metal guitars and screams he was introduced to as a teen.

After all, Disciple's biggest hit of 2007 was After the World , a ballad that climbed to No. 8 on the Christian Hit Radio stations charts.

The group is working on new material influenced by Southern rock. Fans should look for a new release come November.

"We've been hitting it hard all year long. It's been one of the busiest years," Mr. Young said.

The year also has brought a lot of change.

Longtime members Joey Fife and Brad Noah announced they were leaving the band.

At that point, Mr. Young said, he also thought of calling it quits. But, first, he prayed for direction.

Fans soon began coming forward with testimonies of how the band's music had changed their lives.

"I saw that Christ is a life changer, and when you introduce him to people that's what happens," he said.

Mr. Young and original drummer Tim Barrett joined with three new musicians -- Michal Sannan, of Falling Up; Andrew Welch from After Eight; and Israel Beachy from Staple -- and decided to continue their 2008 tour.

"Knowing that this is his desire is what keeps us going," Mr. Young said. "We know that this is what God has called us to do. This is why we were put on earth."