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Experience does something wonderful for an artist. And Disciple has come a long way from the eager young musicians I met almost seven years ago in New Orleans for the Cutting Edge Music Conference. HM Magazine had made a deal with this small indie music convention, which gave us a showcase and a slot for one band. Turns out the unorganized staff didn’t hire a reliable sound crew for this club, and we called it a night early with no live performance. That fairly large snafu aside, I was afforded an introduction to a collection of fun-loving guys with deep-rooted Southern hospitality and manners. They offered cigars that were almost bigger than the skinny frontman’s wrists and the night wore on repeating lines from comedies like Fletch and other cult favorites.

The band has matured mightily in the last seven years, affording them a confidence and slight swagger that a critical review can’t knock out from under ‘em. Being on the road a seeming 366 out of 365 days a year has given Disciple an about-their-business spring to their step. They’ve certainly paid their dues and, after a year of negotiating exactly who is going to release it to retail, they’ve got an album that can launch them to another level that they’ve only read about in magazines.

In Nashville recently for the annual GMA Convention, Disciple was a trio again – but not by design. Drummer Tim Barrett had suffered a foot injury on his motorcycle just days before the event, so he did not join the band for the first day of interviews they were doing. “He’s doing fine now,” explains Brad. He’ll lay off the double bass pedal for awhile, so fans might not hear some of the songs they like for awhile, but it’s healing well.”

Anyone who’s seen the band during the past two years has already noticed that vocalist Kevin Young left his spot on bass in favor of new guy, Joey Fife, who infused the group with a youthful enthusiasm and fresh appreciation of all things hardcore. The self-titled album was originally called Rise Up during the initial mailings of the advance copies, so any reference to Rise Up should signify a reference to their brand new self-titled album). It showcases a band that’s developed musically.

Here we pick up on a conversation about Tim's motorcycle accident and injury...

“Tim had a motorcycle accident. At first, it was very surreal. I didn’t really know. Amber (Tim’s wife) just called and her first words were, ‘Hey Kevin!’ I was like, ‘Hey, Amber!’ Literally. She just goes right into it: ‘Tim had an accident.’ But she immediately said he’s okay. Right now we’re just looking at he’s got a lot of swelling in his ankle. We’re just waiting for him to get better. We’re starting a tour next week, so we’re thinking about maybe smuggling a lot of pain-killers in and sneaking it in his food and maybe he’ll never know he’s hurtin’ and he’ll just get up there and play. No,” Kevin pauses, just to make sure no one thinks he’s serious. “He’s fine. Nothing’s broken.”

“Brad called me and twenty minutes into the conversation he’s like, ‘Oh yeah, by the way, Tim laid his bike down..’ I was like, ‘Wow. I’m glad we talked.’ I’m glad I knew that, because when I saw him … He’s okay.” So, I guess you heard about Tim’s accident.”

What did it feel like to sit on this album for a year? Did you know that you had something special? How soon? What tipped you off? Describe the first time that one of you felt the feeling of, ‘This is something special.’
“I think every time we write an album we like it and we’re excited about it. You know, there’s just something about anything you do that you put your valiant effort and heart into. You’re proud of it. But this time it was really different. Every band member had positive things to say about every song. And Travis Wyrick, our producer, he really just felt something special about it and worked his butt off in the studio – with every song. So, we knew that we had something that we were going to like and that other people were going to like.

“Sitting on the songs for a year I didn’t like, because we were ready to … definitely ready to get it out. But obviously we were supposed to sit on the songs for a year, because we wrote four more. About three months ago.”

Which four songs?
“In The Black,” “Falling Over You,” “The Wait Is Over,” “Only,” and “Beautiful” and “All We Have.” Half the album. So, I guess it was better; but we were ready to ahead and sign with somebody. I was afraid that… these songs were written in 2001-ish that, by the time the album was released, somebody else would have done the album – the same riffs that we did and all that. You know how it goes. It’s all downhill from here.”

Did you have any discouraging feelings or feel like you were close to giving up on this album reaching the public?
“No,” answers Kevin. “We had every intention of releasing it on our own. We didn’t really have any intention of getting signed. It was kind of one of those things that we really, honestly weren’t trying to get signed. I don’t know how our stuff kept getting into labels’ hands. I can’t remember how it started…”

“Travis Wyrick and our lawyer,” explains Brad, “sent Back Again out and nobody responded. He sent this one out and three days later ten labels called back…”

“It kept getting passed around,” adds Kevin.

“And then it was like, when we came to GMA last year, we usually walk in here and nobody knows us – doesn’t even look at us or anything. Last year everybody was kind of like, ‘When does your new album come out?’ So, I guess the buzz kinda kept going and going. And then all of a sudden, I was in Terre Haute getting tattooed, and TVU came on and some guy on there said, ‘Word on the street is Disciple’s got a great new album that’s coming out and they’ve got mainstream labels looking at ‘em, so be sure and pray for ‘em.’ Everybody in the tattoo shop turned around and looked at me; and I was like, ‘I didn’t tell anybody in there about the new album.’ It just all started.”
-Brad

“It really wasn’t something that we tried to do. It was just something that snowballed.”
-Kevin

I think the songs evoke that on their own.

“We liked it. Just writing it. And still we like playing the songs. Usually after we make the album you hate playing ‘em. You’re proud of ‘em, but you don’t want to play ‘em anymore because you’ve played ‘em 16 million times.

How calculated or contrived do you feel this new sound for you guys is? Where did this direction come from? How did it develop?

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