Anberlin - Interview, Sept. 2003
So as I sat waiting ever so patiently (well, as patiently as a five year-old needing to take a restroom break after a five-hour car trip) for traffic to creep forward in Austin on Friday night, I wondered if the much anticipated Anberlin, Autopilot Off, Movielife, and Further Seems Forever show had started on time… If it had, by this time I was sure that there was no way humanly possible that I could make it to Emo’s on time to see “my” band perform… The band that is my absolute, without a doubt, can’t get it out of my CD player even if I tried, new favorite.
To my dismay, I had missed the entire Anberlin set. Junk. I was mad, but considering the type of week I had had, it was a miracle I got to the venue in one unharmed piece. After I walked in during the Autopilot Off set, I meandered over to Anberlin’s merch table, where I was cheerfully greeted by Mr. Joey Bruce, Anberlin’s rhythm guitarist. So, after I pleaded for forgiveness from Joey, Stephen, Deon, Joseph M., and Nathan for missing all the action, I sat down and had a few words with the bassist, Deon Rexroat.
(After our introduction and small talk…)
Jessica (me): Well, Deon if you have a few minutes I have some questions for you.
Deon: Sure.
J: This is my first interview so please bear with me…First things first, where did you get the name? How did you guys come up with it?
D: We were all just talking one day and I think Stephen was trying to say “and Berlin” but it came out “anberlin.” We all thought that it would be an awesome name for a girl too. It was about the same time we were trying to come up with a band name, so we used it.
J: How did you guys all meet each other?
D: Well, Joey B., Joe M., Stephen, and I all met in our town [Winter Haven] in Florida. We we’re all playing in other bands and stuff around town, and then we met Nathan in Tampa and we just thought he was an awesome drummer…
J: How old is everyone?
D: Let’s see, Nate is 16.
J: Really? Whoa, I knew he was young, but 16? How cool is that?!
D: Yeah, and he’s home-schooled, so it works… Joe M. is 22. Joey Bruce and I are both 23 and Stephen is 26.
J: What is in your CD player right now?
D: The new Thrice, Sensefield, Piebald
Nick Pollice, their manager: (yells from a few feet away) Year of the Rabbit!
D: oh yeah, and Ours. [pause] No, not our album. There’s a band called Ours, o-u-r-s. No, we don’t really listen to ourselves. (laughs)
J: Ah, okay. Thanks for explaining. So, how is your first big tour going?
D: Actually, this is our second tour...
J: Really?
D: Yeah, we toured with Underoath and Copeland right after we signed with Tooth & Nail. We didn’t have much yet.
J: So it was more of an exposure type of thing?
D: Yeah, exactly.
J: So what’s the coolest venue/city you’ve been to so far on this tour?
D: Well, we were in Houston last night and that was pretty cool. Mostly because so many kids knew our music and knew who Anberlin was. [pause] Oh wait, actually a month ago we played in Chicago at the House of Blues and that was really cool. It was a pretty special moment for us too; it was exactly one year after our first show, and that show was for like ten people at a little bar in our town….and then a year later we were playing at the House of Blues in Chicago?!
J: Wow, that’s awesome. That’s so rad.
D: Yeah, it is…
[I would just like to add a little side note here…While he was answering the last question, I noticed that as he went on he began to speak slower and slower as if he was in complete disbelief of the whole experience. He had a grin on his face resembling one of those kids that got the golden wrapper in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and his eyes were shining brighter than any stadium lights I have ever seen. He was genuinely overjoyed and absolutely amazed at the accomplishment of such a remarkable feat in so short a time period.]
J: Any funny stories? Embarrassing moments with the band you’d like to share?
D: [pause] um… We mess up on our songs a lot, but, uh, other than that…. we are always tripping over something, or each other… I think we have all fallen once. (laughs)
J: So you guys are on the Tooth & Nail Record label. Are all of you guys Christians?
D: Yes, we are. (nods)
J: That’s awesome! Do you have anything else that you would like to add? Anything you want to tell your fans?
D: Uh, I don’t think so…
J: Well, it was great talking to you, Deon. Thank you so much for helping out. Hopefully I’ll see you guys again real soon.
Deon: Yeah, that would be cool. Thanks.
It turned out to be a great night after all, despite missing their show. There are some rather extraordinary facts that I picked up on throughout all of the conversations, aside from the interview, that may be of some interest. Stephen, the lead singer, has earned his degree from the University of Central Florida (UCF). He had a double major in psychology and philosophy, which has probably come in handy for this lyrical genius. Joseph Milligan, the lead guitarist, said that recently he received a phone call from a member of the legendary band, Zao, who asked if he and Stephen would be interested in collaborating for Zao’s new album. Joseph said he is “the biggest Zao fan on the planet” and he is totally “stoked,” even though the details still remain a mystery. Another mystery is how on earth Joey Bruce’s mind works. Joseph M. says he has known the guy for seven or eight years and he hasn’t a clue. Evidently he is very random. When I asked Milligan how long they had been together before signing a record deal with Tooth & Nail, he said, “Well, it was really only a matter of months because we had some of our songs up on mp3.com and that’s how they found us.” He said that the controversial file sharing industry is “a great thing” when you’re first starting out and unsigned.
Nick Pollice, the manager of Anberlin, would like to make a formal apology to all the fans for the current lack of content on their site. He said he “is trying, and it will be up very soon.” Remember, patience is a virtue.
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