ome people just always do their own thing no matter what other people may tell them. Some people just seemed specifically created to do what they do. One of the best examples of these observations has to be Anberlin frontman Stephen Christian. Whether it’s fronting the widely successful indie alternative act, Anberlin, turning down the volume to bring us his long awaited side project Anchor and Braille, or running his own non-profit organization, Stephen Christian lets his cool demeanor and passion for life shine through everything he chooses to put his hands in.

Making the transition to a major label in 2007 and releasing the band’s fourth record, New Surrender, the newly married frontman and activist seems ready more than ever to take the next big step, whatever he chooses that step to be. Both Stephen and Faceless International co-founder, Sarah Freeman, were able to answer a few of our questions.

First off, let me say congratulations on all the success Anberlin has been experiencing with New Surrender. What’s new in your life?

Stephen Christian: Everything feels new, I feel like with the push that Universal gave us, Anberlin has been still steadily rising which is always a great feeling. Anchor & Braille comes out at the end of June, something I have been working on for years now, & Faceless is taking their first trip to the Ukraine this year which is really near to my heart.

How did it feel to have “Feel Good Drag” claim the number one spot on The Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart after 29 weeks of climbing?

SC: Sometimes I think the exhilaration of a challenge is much more intoxicating then the sigh of relief when the goal is reached. I didn’t jump up and down like I thought, it was more a weight was lifted off that I felt that we had accomplished our goal and the fans & label had given this moment to me. It’s something I will have with me for the rest of my life, something I will never forget!

What made you want to re-record “The Feel Good Drag” for this new album?

SC: The fact is I knew I had an amazing radio song sitting on the end of an album that very few people bought. Why not? I guess my hunch was correct.

How was the transition from Tooth N’ Nail to Universal Republic? Is there anything you miss about being on a smaller label?

SC: I miss the family atmosphere that Tooth and Nail gave us. I was friends with everyone I worked with there; which turns out positive and negative. At Universal they are all professionals, they know exactly what it takes and how to get you there. They just don’t really know you very well at all, which, again, is positive and negative. I am just elated that I had the opportunity to do both. If I could combine the two into one label it would be ideal. ‘Toothrepublic’ has a ring to it right?

Aaron Sprinkle recorded your first three albums. How was it working with new producer Neal Avron?

SC: Incredible. It was the hardest I have EVER worked on a record, he pushed me far beyond what I am used to and challenged me to be better. I think I will never go into a record the same again. I wish we would have started with Neal and ended with Sprinkle.They are both incredible in their own way. Both of them are genius’s for sure.

What is the current status of your side project Anchor & Braille? Is Aaron Marsh of Copeland still on board?

SC: Aaron Marsh has always been on board as producer, but never anything more. He is an incredible musician and producer and I can’t WAIT to get started on the next album. I have material coming out of my pores!

Where would you like to see it go in the future?

SC: I would love Anchor & Braille to begin touring in Anberlin’s off time. I want to put out at LEAST two records with it, hopefully three. I would love to start songwriting with people, it’s a craft that I have had the opportunity to hone after these few years. Working on other people’s songs and making them the best they can be is a rather exhilarating feeling. One I hope to experience more and more as time goes on.

Something that a lot of people don’t know about you is that you started a non-profit called Faceless International with your long time friend Sarah Freeman. How was Faceless International started and what are some of its main goals?

Sarah Freeman: Faceless was started in 2006 in Haiti with Stephen and I, along with another dear friend of ours, Seth. While in Haiti, we saw how the group we had with us came back changed, and ready to make changes in their life, after learning about life in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Because of this first group, we knew this experience had to be repeated through other trips. Our goal with Faceless is to use music and the arts to encourage young adults to make a difference in the world-specifically fighting against Human Trafficking and modern day slavery.

SC: Exactly what Sarah said, but to add I don’t think we knew right away that human trafficking was going to be our goal; but when we looked around the world at all the various hurt we realized that nothing else in this world caused us as much pain or sorrow as the little girls who are trafficked around the world. I think we both saw the deeper we dove into the trips and causes that human trafficking was going to be our primary task to abolish.

What are some of the organization’s current goals?

SF: One short term goal is to create a regional program in various cities around the country that would best enable young adults to make changes right in their own communities. We believe change in the world, starts by making change right in our own cities! Additionally, we have many more exciting trips planned for winter of 2009 and spring/summer of 2010. We have several goals for the future including building a school in India and a safe house for trafficking victims in Tennessee.

SC: Wow, I don’t even need to answer! Sarah is brilliant! I would love for more and more people of all ages to come along side Faceless and help. I would like to expand our reach into Africa where it’s not just human trafficking they fight but a huge AIDS crisis. I can NOT wait for this year’s trip to India, we are going to go into Mother Theresa’s Nimal Hriday (pure heart) home for the dying destitute, something I have always wanted to do.

With such a busy touring schedule, how do you juggle both endeavors?

SC: Sarah. Without Sarah this would crumble. She keeps me up to date and we work together through email, and meet in Nashville whenever I am home. Seth and Lori provide some much needed backbone to help see these trips through. She understands my schedule but knows my heart is in this. God could not have worked this out any better.

Sarah, is this kind of work something that you were always interested in?

SF: I always saw the power that youth and young adults hold and I always truly believed that music is a great catalyst to encourage this power. But I never dreamed I would be able to help with a company like Faceless. I was a youth leader for some great youth and then a teacher for some great students in Florida. Working closely with them, really showed me the potential that the next generation holds. They need our generation to enable them, to guide them, and then to give them the opportunity to lead and make a difference. I never dreamed that I would be doing this, but honestly, I can’t see myself doing anything else!

What kind of support for this cause have you seen come from the entertainment industry?

SC: Well Faceless is a new company so even though we have several bands involved it is no where near huge organizations. But honestly, it doesn’t matter, because I do not care if people get involved with Faceless, I just care that people GET INVOLVED! I would love it if everyone in the entertainment industry just picked a cause of their choice then fought for it! But its not just entertainers, each and everyone of us can make a difference in our world if we simply put our mind to it. You don’t have to go around the world to create change! It can be in your own state, city, school, or neighborhood! GET INVOLVED!

You were recently up for the Myspace Impact Awards. What was the plan if you had won the prize money?

SF: We are not giving up on this! We hope to get nominated again! With the money, we really want to get our school built in southern India. In all of southern India, there are only 2 free schools. Schooling in India cost approximately 200 rupees or $4 a week to attend. Most people in India do not make 200 rupees a year. We want to build as many free schools as we can in India to give the children the education they need to escape the chains of poverty that lead to modern day slavery. We fully believe that with more education for children in impoverished countries, modern day slavery can end.

Tell us a little about your connection with the Dream Center in L.A.

SF: We are dear friends with many of the organizations that come out of the Dream Center. Currently, the dream center has over 200 ministries to Los Angeles. One of their newest endeavors, and one that we are really excited about, is a new shelter for trafficking victims in Los Angeles. Currently there are only around 30 beds for victims of human trafficking in the United States. Each year, there are an estimated 50,000 girls trafficked into the United States. Simply put, we need more beds and the Dream Center is making this happen. Because of their hard work, their will be over 100 more beds available for victims.

Where do you see yourselves and Faceless in about ten years?

SC: God willing, I would love to be doing Faceless full time with my dear friends Lori, Sarah, & Seth. I would love to continue to song write here and there, play with my (future) kids, then go work on Faceless stuff in the basement of my house which I will convert into a Starbucks.