Today we’d like to introduce you to Philip and Loren Pappas.
Mountain Natives is an indie folk duo from Dallas, TX. Overcoming cancer has given Philip Pappas and his wife Loren a new vision for life.
Following Philip Pappas’ victory over cancer, he and his wife Loren started the band M O U N T A I N N A T I V E S to sing about the “Essentials” of overcoming mountains and living a life with hope, laughter, fulfilled dreams, and copious amounts of coffee.
Upon graduating with a Bachelor’s in Physics, Philip Pappas hit a wall of sadness when he realized that he was doing it for monetary reasons and had never asked the Lord what HE wanted him to pursue. Deep down he had known the answer all along, but never felt worthy to pursue what his heart truly desired. So he stepped out in faith.
Philip had just turned 27, met the woman who was to become his wife, was pursuing his craft of music, and then he got CANCER.
His soon to be fiancé pointed out a mole on his shoulder and asked him to go to the dermatologist. The mole was more than twice the size it needed to be to metastasize and spread malignant melanoma throughout his body. It was biopsied. And it was cancerous. He was then referred to an oncologist for surgery to find where the cancer had spread. After a rally of prayer from loved ones, a surprised doctor sent Philip home from surgery with a 5 inch scar on his shoulder. The cancer was gone.
The music that was produced by Philip and Loren was not from a place of wallowing in the doubt of life or death. These songs on “Essential” and “We Call Each Other Home” were born from a place of hope and gratitude. That hope is impressed on not just the ears but the heart of the listener. Hope for the miraculous. Philip and Loren want you to believe in the hope that the impossible is possible. Mountains of adversity can be thrown into the sea.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Two big things: Believing that we were allowed to follow our dreams was a daily struggle for a while, and adding value to and for ourselves. Sometimes in music, people ask you to devote your time, energy, and resources for free. Saying no to a few free shows and saying yes to people who value you makes us want to work harder to make it worth their investment in us.
Please tell us about Mountain Natives.
We’ve written songs that speak to peoples yearning for satisfaction in work and in relationship. These things take up the majority of our time and are some of the most important to invest in. I love the songs that Loren and I write together. There is something special to happen when we play and sing together in the harmonics. We also work our day job at a Recording studio, Drive35. Loren works at the studio and I work at Synchoney a music licensing company. We’re beginning to learn a lot about licensing for film, TV, etc. So it’s an exciting time for us.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I f I had to start over we would have connected more with people! It’s the people of Dallas and the music community here that is so special and it took us a while to learn that community makes life better.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://themountainnatives.com
- Email: Mountain.Natives@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mountainnatives/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mountainnatives
- Other: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/we-call-each-other-home-ep/1372524582?ign-mpt=uo%3D4
Image Credit:
The Picture in the Mountains with the blue and on the church steps credit Brad Ballinger. The rest are credited to Charissa Joy Photography
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