B.O.B. - Interview
By Val Sutton
What was the hardest thing to get used to get used to when you moved from Georgia to Anyville? (actually, we prefer not to specify where Billybob used to live. However, he did live in the mountains.)
Billybob: Well, I guess I would have to say that the hardest part of moving to Anyville from the mountains was the wooden porches. See in the mountains they have these great wooden porches that are open. It's where we drink what is called sweet tea. We don't let the young ones drink sweet tea because it makes them bounce off the walls. But, these porches would have these big swings and rocking chairs and you could sit there for hours eating Moon Pies and whittling. In my case, I would polish my snowboard or work on my mountain bike.
And the other aspect was orienteering. We'd pack vegetables and meat in some foil and spend the day walking around the forest and locating different places. Then we'd cook our meals over an open fire and have a real happenin' Bible study. It's amazing how much people open up when they are out in nature. It's spiritually healthy. God is an awesome God and the mountains constantly reminded me of God's control over all things. I tried hang gliding a few times, but my T-shirt would always get caught in the metal frame which made landing painful. I don't miss that about the mountains!
What is it like to be the only girl in B.O.B.?
Roberta: I learned from the best. Missy Baker at KMG has to keep those guys in line. She taught me how to put the boys in place. You know how men get, thinking they are all bad and stuff. These seven are pretty good though. We get along well. I have this look that I give them whey they are stepping on my turf and they understand it.
We have lots of fun together. We laugh a lot. I think laughter is something that is missing in the church today. We talk about redemption and stuff, but the natural reaction should be one of joy, you know, after all, it is a fruit of the Spirit. I think that is one of the reasons that Roberto is such a valuable friend to all of us in the band. He always causes us to laugh and not to be sourpusses.
These guys are my brothers in Christ and I have a lot of respect for them. I know that I get pretty cocky sometimes with my ‘tude and stuff, but they keep in check and I sure keep them in check.
It's all good.
What are some of your favorite Scriptures personally and as a band? Is there any one Scripture that really has become a motto for you guys?
Bob Bash: Wow, that's a lot of questions for little old me. I love Steve Taylor. I was too young to really have appreciated his older music, but the song "Bannerman" really expresses one of my all time favorite Bible verses, John 3:16. It's flashed across our TV screens at baseball games, and the verse is so simple. God loves us, and provided Jesus as the answer for our sin problem. When one believes in Jesus, they escape eternal damnation.
As a band, I think our favorite verse is Galatians 5:1, where Paul is exhorting the Galatians to not let themselves be trapped by legalism. It says simply in the NIV, which I think is the only way to go, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us f free. Stand firm then and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Simply put, as B.O.B. we want to make sure that people first of all, find eternal freedom in Christ, and then live out that freedom on a day to day basis.
There are so many Christians who live as if they have no life. Cheer up and enjoy life. Christ has overcome the world for us, not to mention death and sin.
We also are very concerned about other kids our age. In Ephesians 5, Paul commands us as believers to "be imitators of God." This is a struggle we all have. That is why so many of our songs deal with Christian living.
By the way, my own personal favorite verse is not really a verse, but a story. In Acts, Paul was speaking to a group of people and one of the people fell out of the window and died. I don't know that I would fall asleep if Paul was speaking. Sometimes when our youth pastor, Dave Stewart speaks, I fall asleep... Sorry Dave!
Tell me about the musical influences on the band, and how you guys developed your current sound?
Bobby: Well, we try to stay hip musically and be happening and stuff. We were all Mighty Mighty Bosstones fans and of course, we all love the Insyderz, The Supertones and Five Iron Frenzy as our song, "It's a Ska, Ska, Ska, Ska World" mentions. Reese, Keith and Micah from Five Iron used to have a band called Exhumator and when I first heard those monster guitar riffs from Mr. Micah, I knew that I wanted to play that style. So when Exhumator became Five Iron, I know that I wanted to play ska. I loved the way it sounded, and meeting Reese from Five Iron and Joe from The Insyderz made me realize how much fun a human being could have and so ska was it. The band got together and we started jamming, but our songwriting needed a lot of work, so we asked our good friend, Bob Sled, who runs a hot dog stand shaped like Elvis, to write some ska tunes for us and he wrote all the songs on It's a Ska, Ska, Ska, Ska World. And then KMG heard us and those wacks Frank Chimento, Chris Callaway and Kent Songer entertained us, and the whole label befriended us, and we signed a long term contract.
Tell me about balancing school, such clubs, your jobs, etc. with having a big time band like B.O.B.
Robbie Williams: Ain't no thang! School's a breeze. I do my homework. My dog doesn't eat it. The Bible club includes the band members and some others. We just meet to go through a book of the Bible. We were using a study guide, but we like open discussions better. In the evenings and on weekends, I mow lawns for people. B.O.B. takes up time, but not too much. My parents make sure of that. They want to make sure I work hard at school.
My pants... they just fall down. I can't figure it out. Everyone says "Wear a belt!" but I feel like the belt is strangling my intestines or something. The belt squeezes me like a tube of toothpaste. Oh, ask Roberto about toothpaste! He was a poster kid. Shine those pearly whites, Roberto my man!
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