The Gun Show | Oprah Was Wrong
Written By: Levi McCallister

toured with The Gun Show last summer, after Cornerstone Festival, and we’d played probably half a dozen dates together previous to that at various shows we both happened to be on. I remember getting a text from Jon, their bassist, asking what I thought about them changing their name to “Currents”. We talked for a while, he explained to me that TGS was a joke name for a joke band that should’ve been changed years ago. But in hindsight, I’m glad they decided against it. With the sporadic nature of music these days, a name-change might have killed their momentum, even if all else stayed the same. Besides, who names their band The Gun Show? Exactly. So it’s memorable, and it’s different, and it’s funny, and it packs heat. They are all of these things (especially the part about packing heat, whatever that means.)

Thanks for taking the time to do this interview with me. The first and potentially the most important question that you will probably ever be asked in your entire career (when all of your interview questions flash before your eyes right before you die violently, which is what I’ve always heard happens when your getting ready to die, especially violently) is: If one of you accidentally turned into a girl, which one of you would be the prettiest, and why? Also, do you think you’d be tempted to make out with whichever one would be the girl, if he actually were a girl, and would it affect your relationship with Christ enough to compel you to kick her out of the band for the sake of “fleeing all sexual immorality?”

Eric Biddle: Wow… Um Well first of Cory would turn into a girl because he is pretty already.. and I am pretty sure Tom would flirt/ want to make out with him.. if he does not already want to do that.. so we would probably have to kick out Cory.. sorry Cory!

You guys are pretty new to the Hopecore.com crew… would you please go through a few of the basics: Who? Why (specifically why the name “The Gun Show”)? What? When? Where? (This doesn’t necessarily have to pertain to your band, I guess, but considering that this is a music magazine, yes, it has to pertain to your band.)

“We are based out of Central Ohio in a town called Mansfield, Ohio.  The band took a serious turn and wanted to be used as an outreach and show people the love of Christ”EB: The Gun Show consists of Tom Hirst (vox), Eric Biddle (guitar), Cory Messer (guitar), Jonathan Bourcier (bass), Bryant Todd (drums). The Gun Show name came about by the original members of the band. The only remaining original member of the band is Jonathan, our bass player.  He said at the time the band was basically a joke and for fun so they gave the band a joke name “The Gun Show.” This name eventually stuck and was unfortunately not changed. Few people know we actually almost changed our name to Currents within the last few years while we became a serious ministry band. We are based out of Central Ohio in a town called Mansfield, Ohio.  The band took a serious turn and wanted to be used as an outreach and show people the love of Christ. This was before we wrote our album Currents. We finally got the line up that was needed to write that album. The band official has been together for about 6 years now, but has “seriously” been together for about 3 years.

You have been touring for quite a while on that independent release Currents, and on that album, you have a song (what I would probably consider a single) called “The Adegan System” – can you please tell me what it’s about? Beause it rages like a frickin’ exorcism.

EB: Well Tom wrote the song lyrically for the most part but I wrote it musically and wrote the singing parts… but it deals with a constant struggle that everyone deals with surrounding lust. It wrestles with how it is such an addiction and how you can overcome all the desires with Christ’s love and brotherly love. The song is filled with emotion over how it burdens us with frustration and unworthiness, but over all how there can be victory through Christ.

When we went out on our run together this last summer, there was much talk and deliberation over what the concept of your upcoming album would be (if, indeed, you went the direction of a concept album). Did you? Is it supposed to be a surprise, or can you give us a little insight as to what to expect – lyrically? Our whole scene is pretty in-your-face right now, which, I think, has proven both beneficial and controversial, depending… do you expect your new album to carry the characteristics of a “confrontational” release? What is worth standing for? Fighting for?

EB: Well our new full length album is going to be called Discontentment it comes out March 22nd 2011.  Lyrically this album covers a vast assortment of ideas and issues. Overall the album is written on the disappointment in the current church, believers, bands, and mostly our personal lives. It is an encouragement to follow scripture and not what a man or a tradition is saying. It urges the necessity of a relationship with God and not a religion. There are many songs that deal with every members personal issues and struggles as well as songs directed at “I think we need to be careful and go back to scripture and build our personal relationships up with God and our knowledge of His scriptures and then take that to people in a loving real way”male and female problems. The thing that really separates this album is lyrically it is more of an accountability album that calls out issues and makes us think about what we are doing. There are also worship and fortifying aspects to the album as well. Musically it is very diverse. I am very excited to see what people think.

What do you think about the seemingly dominating charismatic spirit and/or delivery that became “Christian” or “Spirit-Filled” hardcore’s trademark over the last couple of years?

EB: Well I feel like our whole band has a very similar opinion of it. We are not denying how it has changed some lives and how the Holy Spirit has moved, but we do feel as if some bands local and national are abusing the “spirit-filled movement” whether they know it or not. First off, many local bands are sprouting up trying to mimic these bands with literally no idea theologically or relationally what they are doing. They are preaching from the stage about doctrines or “healings” which they really know nothing about. In some instances it may have done more harm then good, but that is not up to us to decide because we really cannot see intentions or extent of relationship people have with Christ. Second, people are more focused on works of healing and displaying “Gods Power” rather than pursuing a relationship with him or being open and real with people relationally. I think we need to be careful and go back to scripture and build our personal relationships up with God and our knowledge of His scriptures and then take that to people in a loving real way.

Oprah Winfrey said, “The best of times is now.” Do you think that she’s a liar? What kind of music scene did you guys grow up in? I feel like there’s a bunch of nostalgia all over the place longing for “the good old days” of tight knit underground community – do you share the same sentiment? Do you even care about questions like this anymore, or think that the scene will return to what it was, or is it more of an “adapt and move on” mentality?

EB: Sadly I think we are definitely seeing a decline in the music scene wherever we go. We all grew up in the scene. I have always gone to shows locally and it has epically changed. There is an overall lack of passion for music. For some reason at many shows there are people paying to dress up in their fashions and talk. This may be a part of the music scene but where did the love for the music go? Even in places of the country that people still go to shows many of them seem bored and tired of the whole thing. They just show up to “chill out” and smoke some cigs – or the opposite, kill people for smoking cigs – while wearing fashions with XXX across them.  It is confusing and somewhat humorous at shows to watch these things happen. Could the scene be declining because there is just a younger, less mature crowd? Could we all just be getting pumped too full of media and bored? Whatever it is it is always amazing to have those few shows a tour that the people love music, dance, jump, look like idiots, and, imagine this: have fun at a show. Fun seems to be a thing that is thought of as “uncool” so shows and the scene are going downhill. We all just need to get a life, un-mature a little, and have fun! (Laughs).

You know that feeling when you’re so angry at someone, and then they say something to make you laugh, and then you’re raging because you’re mad and you don’t want to laugh but it’s funny so eventually you start crying because instead of laughing you should be punching the dude in the face? Who, in your band, is the best at that? Elaborate. If your van exploded and the world got caught on fire and all six billion people came after you for ruining their lives, would you risk telling them a joke to try to make them laugh?

EB: I would say Bryant our drummer is the best at that. In fact, he often just does that to our vocalist Tom for laughs. He will just do something that he knows annoys Tom or says something that will get him going and keeps it going until Tom snaps. Though we all pride ourselves in our band about being jerks to one another. Many people would think we hate each other and could not make it on tour with us because we are relentlessly brutal in our verbal abuses (laughs). But we all love one another and care deeply for one another.  I think we all get bored and just want to do something so we poke fun of one another until someone explodes and then everyone laughs. Of course we would tell a joke to an angry mob of people… that’s what we already do to get out of things… either tell a joke or change the subject.. that’s how we try and get out of tickets all the time (laughs).

I think you do well at creating a unique sound for yourselves. Once again, referencing “The Adegan System” – that song is a perfect example: opens with this super-tech, super-metal riff thing, and then shifts into the high-pitch hardcore screaming deal, and then the chant didly-doo, and then the breakdown, and then a weird drum thing, and then a frickin’ no-effect, clean-vox jam, all in one song… Who writes like that? Is it a collective thing or just a couple of you or what? How do you feel like your upcoming Static Age Records debut compares to Currents, musically?

EB: Thank you so much! Basically when it comes to writing I write most of the musical stuff… Especially for Currents… Now that we have Cory on guitar as well he helped me write this album Discontentment. I usually write the singing parts with Jonathan our bassists help and Tom writes all of his lyrics for his screaming. As far as comparing Discontentment to Currents there is quite a difference. We experimented with genre, technicality, heaviness, and lyrical content. I think this album far surpasses Currents in lyrical content, guitar and musical technicality, screaming technicality, our new album is heavier, there is a lot of hardcore influence in the new album as well as nu-metal influences, there are clean vocal parts, girl singing parts, and everything in between. Overall we are proud of what our first full-length sounds like. We are also going to be releasing a short EP that will be kind of a continuation of our new full-length with a song that has rap on it and there will be some dub step remixes and probably a new single or two. That EP should come out around summer sometime.

Where do you go when your world is falling to pieces? What I mean is that one day, I think your van will break, and the world will break, too, and so amidst all that is fleeting, where is your contentment. Where does your purpose lie, and why?

EB: Well our van has definitely fallen apart many times in one tour we actually had to total/scrap 2 vans then buy a new 3rd van on that tour. That tour we gave it to God. Honestly all there was to do was laugh and then pray and see where God wanted us because obviously it happened for a reason. So we just hung out prayed gathered our funds and found a new van and finished out the tour, which was so blessed. Our purpose is solely in Christ and our ministry. We are just messed up guys that God has for some reason chosen to use and change some peoples lives by introducing them to Christ. We constantly have to keep each other accountable and be in the word and prayer to even make it. Even then we are not in the word and prayer as much as needed God is good and continues to amaze us by how he uses us and is present in our endeavors.

Any other thoughts? Or maybe secret confessions of love that you’d like to make via Hopecore.com Magazine?

EB: Well the whole band has a secret/public crush on Taylor Swift… so if that shows you anything about us… (Laughs) we listen to everything from Taylor Swift to gangster rap to classical to pop to folk… to anything.  We are some diverse guys who have jr. high crushes on pop stars.

Thanks for the opportunity and interest in us for the interview.

Love you Levi!