The Way Home

Mon., May 24, 1999

Jamie Martin St. Maries

We begin our look at Inland Northwest teen bands with a collection of four Christian groups. More bands will be featured throughout the summer. If you know of a teen band that should be featured contact us at the numbers or addresses at the bottom of the page.

The Christian rock band The Way Home is one of the most well-known bands in St. Maries. It consists of three members: Nate Schierman of Coeur d’Alene, Charlie Skinner, a sophomore at St. Maries and Ryan Cordle, a freshman.

Schierman formed The Way Home in April 1998, inviting Skinner to join him. Cordle came on board soon after.

The name for the band sprang into Schierman’s mind during practice one day.

“It was awesome,” Cordle said. “We all knew right away that it was perfect for a Christian rock band.”

Schierman writes the songs for the group as well as performing lead vocals and playing the keyboard. Skinner plays guitar and bass and Cordle is the drummer.

The band practiced every night early on until their first break, which Skinner said was a “gig at a small church up in Sandpoint. It wasn’t much.

“But it sure meant a lot to all of us.”

Since then, the trio has performed at church camps, picnics and last year’s Battle of the Band competition sponsored by the Chase Youth Commission.

“We all did better than ever at the Battle of the Bands, but we weren’t the winning group,” Skinner said.

It is more difficult for members to meet and practice now that Schierman has moved to Coeur d’Alene, but they say they’re sticking with it.

“We’re still gonna keep it going,” Cordle said.

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.