Off The Record - Q&A in 2002

Off The Record Q&A:Back On Track
By Doug Van Pelt

-What was the experience like for you of being signed and putting out your first album?

There was great excitement when we first signed to T&N. At the time we thought that it was the best option we had and felt that we would have a good future with them. Although things didn't work out with them it provided many good times, like recording at the Blasting Room with Bill and Stephen and also touring with Ghoti Hook. We also experienced a bit of frustration. It's hard being a small band on a roster of 30 bands, naturally you don't get attention. We were excited about 'Remember When', we thought it was a record that had something new to offer to the Christian Market but it was never really pushed.

-Please give us a brief history of the band and the highlights or notable events from the beginning until now.

Four guys started a band in their garage, after 2 years of playing they got signed, then droped, then signed again! I think the highlights have been the tours we've been on. It's great to roll into a town and meet new people. For me,personally, my highlight was touring with Calibretto and Ghoti Hook. I became good friends with the Ghoti guys and really appreciate them a lot.

-Why did you leave T&N Records?

We didn't actually leave T&N but got dropped. It was a weird situation. I respect Brandon and the staff so I would hate to give a one sided slant on what went on. Basically it didn't work. It was a bit dissapointing but oh well, we got over it.

-How did you hook up with New School Records?

We were looking for a small independent label who would be able to put time and energy into us. I saw that New School had put out a couple of good comps. and decided to give them a try. Jeremy (owner) was pretty stoked to hear from us. It was pretty much a go from the start. We're blessed to be with New School. Although it's nowhere near the size of T&N it's a great place for us to be.

-Tell me about the recording of the new album...

We recorded at Orange Crush Studios with Scott Silletta. It was a fun experience. He's definately a cool, interesting guy. I loved his honesty. If something sucked he would say it. He has a studio out of his house so it was a pretty cool, relaxed atmosphere. We recorded 12 songs but only put 11 on the album. It was nice to be able to take our time and experiment with some different sounds. The album is pretty diverse. We all wrote songs and we all have different tastes so pretty much each song has its own individual sound.

-What impact (if any) has Sept 11 had on you or your band? Why?

Sept. 11 was pretty crazy. It didn't have to much of an impact on our band but more individually for us. I work at my church (college and junior high) and that night I was speaking at the college group. It was kind of weird because what can you say? I thought that no one would show up but I was suprised to see quite a few people there. People were crying and naturally questions were being asked. Two nights later was our junior high group and it was the same atmosphere. Sept. 11 though tragic was a positive step for our church. There were a lot of people who started coming to church and by the grace of God we were able to capitalize on that. I think that there's a yearning/longing in everyones heart and Sept. 11, for a lot of people, brought those longings to the surface. God is able to use the worst of tragidies for his glory. Peoples lives have been forever changed, some for the good, some for the bad.

-What are your plans for the next several months? (details, please)

We would love to go out and hit the road. Touring is tough, we want to go but lack the connections to go out with anyone. Right now our plan is to tour in September, nationwide.

-Your thoughts on the widening gap between ministry bands and their fans/camp AND the "art for art's sake" artists and fans?

Ah, the music scene. At times I rejoice at times I'm frazzled. I understand that bands get busy and tired after the shows, that there is outside circumstances and all that but I think bands could do a way better job at reaching out to their fans, or at least make themselves available to their fans. I'm not calling for bands to all become evangelists but interactive. I'm big on relational ministry. For us it's important to make ourselves available to our audiance. We're not rockstars, we're 5 guys. I would like to see christian bands become a bit more unified and less cliquey (check spelling). The christian market has got further form the christian aspect and more into the music/art aspect. I could care less if someone sings about God, I want to know that the "christian" musicians are really seeking to glorify God in what they're doing. "Without holiness no one will see the Lord". Sing about chicks, sing about pricks, sing about Jesus...but please, please, please! live a holy life. I'm not calling for anything too radical, I just want to see people who are truely seeking Jesus. The same goes for me and my band.

-Anything else you'd like to say?

Sorry for the rant. It's something that we struggled with for a while, we became too caught up into the music scene and lost focused on what really mattered. For a while we gained a negative image of being to stand offish. It's something that God has made clear to us and has challenged us to do: live the life.

If anyone has any further questions feel free to email us.
You can go to our website to get all our email addresses,
www.otrmusic.com.
Also check out New School Records,
http://www.newschoolrecords.com.

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