his story needs no introduction but here is one anyway. Unless you’ve been living in a cave for the past six months then you’ve no doubt caught Adam Young’s Owl City on your radio, or on MTV, or at Barnes and Noble, or just about anywhere you go. His iTunes giant “Fireflies”, off the album Ocean Eyes (since been certified Gold), was written as an attempt to fight off insomnia in his parent’s basement in Owatonna, Minnesota and is a catchy sun drenched tune that perfectly encapsulates the world that Adam Young seems to live in, if only in his own head. What I’m trying to say is that this stuff is happy as happy comes. Young never intended most of his work to be heard by anyone but the walls of his parent’s home. Young himself is slender, smiley, admittedly painfully shy and he confesses that his own reflection can terrify him. Well Adam, that is a fear that you will quickly need to remedy.
You have been playing music for several years now, I want to talk about your recent climb to the top in a bit, but first fill us in on your start, most only know Owl City the #1 download on iTunes, but you began in your parent’s basement right?
Adam Young: I’m a really shy person and thus, not a very social person, so I started writing music for something to do on weekends when everyone I knew was out and about. It’s been funny watching Fireflies go to number 1 on Billboard because everything about the way the song was envisioned, conceived, created and even recorded was anything but glamorous.
You said you’re a shy person. So what is it like to be having to do interviews constantly and
connecting face to face with your new legion of fans? Is that something you’re still working on or do you feel pretty confident now?
AY: I can’t even handle catching my own reflection in the mirror. I’m terrified.
(Laughs) Things can probably get pretty hectic these days, what was your typical day like before Owl City became your full time job?
AY: I woke up everyday at 3 PM, put on my dirty jeans and drove to work where I loaded semi trucks with cans and bottles of Coca-Cola for 6 hours a day. I hated it. I didn’t say a word to anyone. It was brutal.
This Spring you started to get some serious notice. How crazy has it been to see yourself as #1 download on iTunes, hear yourself on popular radio, sell out shows, and all in a matter of months?
AY: It’s been surreal, needless to say.
How has it changed your life?
AY: Well, I don’t work in a warehouse anymore. Other than that, nothing has changed and I want to keep it that way. While music and creating art is my passion and I couldn’t dream of doing anything else with my life, Owl City is a job, not who I am. My identity doesn’t lie in a band.
What has been the most surreal moment so far? The moment that made you think, “How did all this happen to me?”
AY: Yesterday when I flew from NYC to Houston and had to throw away all my shampoo, body wash, cologne and aftershave.
Talk to us about making the transition from the basement to the stage? What were some goals you have with your live performance?
AY: I initially didn’t want to tour. Ever. Now I’m playing all over the world. Isn’t life funny?
It has been noted that the “wisest people often find joy in the simplest of everyday experiences” (-Anonymous), what in this life has shaped you as a person and/or has influenced you to make the music you do?
AY: My relationship with Jesus Christ. He is my life, my strength, my all. He is the reason I create and all I want out of this life is to be a shimmering reflection of His boundless love, grace and mercy for all mankind.
Do you feel like the stage should be used as a “pulpit” to share your thoughts on that subject? Or would you rather it be something that is reflected in your life?
AY: The stage should be ironically be nothing more than a “stage” in the beautiful cinematic way that lifestyle reflects one’s beliefs and faith.
What do you think it is about your music that has so many kids connecting with it?
AY: The songs (laughs).
Your sound has seemed to become a trend over the last couple years. Was the style of Owl City something that came about naturally through the songwriting process or was it something you were aiming for specifically?
AY: I knew I wanted to write pop music, because I’d experimented quite a bit with math-rock, post-rock, and ambient music. It was kind of a challenge, writing in pop “format” so to speak, because that isn’t my natural taste. It’s a fun challenge and I’ve really grown to appreciate it for what it is.
Who are some of your favorite bands or artists right now?
AY: Hammock, Stars of the Lid, Telefon Tel Aviv, Boards of Canada, Unwed Sailor.
Your songs are all super positive, is that something you do on purpose or would you write a more sad song if you could?
AY: I’ve got an endless amount of sad songs in the can. Who knows when they’ll surface.
You’re heading out to the UK in the New Year. Are you nervous? What kind of response have you seen thus far from overseas?
AY: I’m nervous about sitting next to someone I don’t know on the airplane. I just got back from China and Japan and was blown away at how well Owl City was received there. Couldn’t be more excited about Europe!
Is Owl City something that you see yourself doing long term?
AY: I prefer not to think about it. It’s a lot of fun, but I’ve accepted that it could all end tomorrow. And if it does, I’ll be just as grateful for having had the chance to do things I never thought I’d get to do.
If this were to be your last day doing Owl City, what do you think you would do?
AY: I’d put on my pajamas and go bowling.
If you are the previously noted “kid in the cave” and have not been on iTunes in the last six-months (or any other form of electronic medium) or haven’t left the house (or used any of your five senses) and subsequently do not know the music of Owl City then be sure to grab his new release and get to know him. We received the answers to our questions in true Owl City style. A kid that is really not too worried about keeping up with trends or fads. A kid who is trying to bring some positivity and light-heartedness to music and seems to be truly enjoying himself. His dreamland portrayed in his music has spilled over into his life and we are grateful to get a chance to share a moment with him.
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Secret And Whisper | Youth In Revolt
ecret and Whisper-Born out of desire to keep moving forward after a stint in the majors with a different band, Jordan Chase and his band Secret and Whisper exploded onto the scene with the underrated Tooth N’ Nail release Great White Whale in early 2008. Since then, the boys from the North have been touring nonstop and working meticulously on their new record, Teenage Fantasy, due out this coming February. Drawing comparisons to major acts such as Saosin, Secret and Whisper seem to have their feet on solid ground as they gracefully embrace an approach to music that is often said but rarely lived out: “Lets write whatever we want.” Guitarist Jordan Chase spoke with us last month to give us some insight on the band itself as well as why living the “teenage fantasy” may not be all its cracked up to be.
When you started Secret and Whisper, you all had come from some other major label acts. Tell us a bit about how Secret and Whisper came to be?
Jordan Chase: Yeah. Me, Jason, Bradyn, and Ryan were all in a band called Stutterfly and we were on Maverick records and we got dropped because of poor record sales. Our singer left and it was seriously bad news. We lost everybody, our manager, our lawyers, everybody dropped our band and it was like well what the heck do we do now? I had been friends with Charles, our singer, for at least eight years and he had just left his band, The Bleeding Alarm. He was looking for a band to play with and we were looking for a singer so he just kind of fell into our laps. At first we were like “I don’t know if you fit our band” but as soon as we did a demo with him, it was old news.
Why did you think he might not fit the band? How did he prove he belonged?
JC: Our old singer had a soft kind of whispery voice. I guess our minds were all kind of set on that and we weren’t expecting Charles to sound like he does. But as soon as he sang over the music it was beyond perfect so we were stoked.
Your sound has been described as “post-screamo”. I honestly don’t know what these labels mean anymore. How would you describe your sound?
JC: I would just say we’re alternative rock. Post screamo? (Laughs). We don’t really scream and I don’t want to be one of those bands that’s like “oh we’re just rock n’ roll dude” (laughs) but we’re just alternative rock, kind of heavy kind of light, whatever.
What was missing from those other projects that you now find solace in within SAW?
JC: I like SAW because when we set out to start the band we were like “Let’s write whatever we want”. In Stutterfly we were always trying to write something heavy and always trying to be like screamo like we were always trying to follow a trend, which boxed us in. But with SAW I feel like we’re able to write whatever we want. We’re want to bring it back to bands like Smashing Pumpkins stuff who can write the heaviest song ever and the lightest song ever. That’s what we set out to do and there is definitely comfort in that.
You made some pretty big waves with your first release Great White Whale. What did you want people to see in that album as it was your debut?
JC: I guess we just wanted to put out a great record front to back like every band does. I don’t really know if it’s been accomplished but from what we hear it has been. We’re really proud of that record and the how it came out. Just like any other band we feel like there are things about it we wish we could change but I don’t know if I can say everything has been accomplished but we are definitely very proud of that release.
You guys spent a good amount of time in between Great White Whale and recording this new one. Why the long absence?
JC: Truthfully, we just take a really long time writing. We’re really picky and we want everything to be absolutely perfect. We think about every little note on every song and every time signature on everything, we just go into great detail. We don’t like pushing it, or like forcing ourselves to be write or be creative. It just comes at the weirdest times, I’ll be eating a donut or something then run downstairs to write. I woke up my wife one night when I was writing and I just like jumped out of bed ‘cause I had a good idea and I started recording it. My wife was like “What are you doing?! It’s 3 in the morning!” We just didn’t want to push it too much.
So do you guys not do much studio writing?
JC: No, we usually have pretty much everything ready to go when we go into the studio. I have a really small studio at my house, it’s pretty crappy but it does the job. We usually demo out everything a couple times before we even decide to hit the studio. Then we send it off to our producer.
You guys have definitely gone through some intense turmoil as a band. What keeps you guys motivated?
JC: Definitely just the music you know? Any time we’re feeling down or anything we practice and get pretty motivated right away. Playing music is really fun, it can be bad but it can be really really fun. Seeing the end product for any band is the best feeling. We’re stoked for people to hear our stuff.
After reading some info on your MySpace about your new album Teenage Fantasy, it seems like this album might be a bit more lighthearted. What can you tell us about Teenage Fantasy? Do you feel like its lighter than Great White Whale?
JC: It’s actually probably a lot more serious. Teenage Fantasy kind of came around, Charles thought it up. Every kid’s dream is to be in a band, that was our dream and its pretty tough. You don’t make millions of dollars, you don’t have 13 cars and go to cocktail parties. We’re just normal guys, we have to work day jobs and it’s keeping the band together for the music and nothing else. Dune is a pretty inspiring movie for me and Charles, we’ve watched it a bunch together and we always end up writing something because it’s so moody. We love it, we’ve probably watched it over a hundred times.
How do you feel your sound has progressed from the last album?
JC: We didn’t want to re-invent the wheel with the band. I feel like so many bands put out a great record then completely change their sound to progress but it doesn’t keep those fans there. We didn’t want to scare anybody away, it’s the same but better.
The album comes out in February. What can we expect from Secret and Whisper after that?
JC: We’ll probably be on the road as usual. That’s why it took us so long to write the album. We’ll hit up the states then maybe Europe.
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Queens Club | From Breakdown To Breakdancing
rom tearing up the stage to tearing up the dance floor, former member of The Chariot Jake Ryan is not stopping. For those that caught Queens Club opening on the Dance Rawr Dance Tour, you will know what I am talking about, and for those that have yet to hear of them this is where you come in. With a first quarter 2010 release Queens Club plans on hitting the new year running. Get to know these guys, pick up their full-length in the next few months and be sure to get out and dance with them on tour! Queens Club, welcome to the scene.
This is a totally different sound from The Chariot (laughs), talk to us about the switch, is this something you’ve been wanting to do for a while?
Jake Ryan: Well, I can’t really say that this is something that I was planning all along or anything. But at some point Dan and I had talked about making a band like what Queens Club kind of is. Obviously, it has taken on an entity of its own and we all love what we are doing with it and the direction it is taking us. Dan and I had always played music together before and while we were in The Chariot, so after we bowed out, this was just sort of a natural progression of what we wanted to do, and what all of us feel like we are compelled to write musically.
Tell to us about your debut record. Will any songs off the EP make it on?
JR: It’s actually kind of crazy because we recorded the whole thing basically months after we started Queens Club in 2008. I call the songs our “baby songs” because a lot of them are like some of the very first songs we wrote together. It’s cool to be able to put out the record as is and I think we are all a little anxious to get the record out already ‘cause we have enough material for another record as we speak that we are really pumped about as well. And yeah, if you picked up the Nightmarer EP then you will hear a few songs off that, which will be on the full length.
You guys have a sweet sound, what are some of your musical influences?
JR: Personally for me, what influences me the most is all of my experience playing music. I have all of this knowledge of what I can do and what I haven’t tried yet and what I want to stretch myself to do musically. Or I could list off every band I’ve ever listened to growing up. (laughs)
What would you say sets you apart from other dancy bands on the market right now?
JR: We are pretty guitar driven. I feel like we could be considered the “punk band” of dance bands if you wanted to lump us into that category. We are pretty aggressive but when we want to do something totally different we just do it and don’t really care if it fits what people think we should sound like. We also don’t feel like we have to always obey the verse/chorus/verse mold.
Life has a funny way of inspiring us, is there a standout moment in your life that has directed you towards playing music, or the type of music that you play?
JR: I knew I wanted to be a “rocker” (laughs) when I saw this band Johnny Q Public at Worlds Of Fun (a local theme park in KC) when I was like in maybe like 5th or 6th grade? Basically their guitar player had climbed up on his guitar cab and jumped off of it and I was like, “Whoa, I wanna do that.” As far as being inspired to do Queens Club; Dan and I were in Germany on tour with The Chariot and the club we played turned into a dance club after the show, loads of people were in there dancing so we all went in there too and were just having fun dancing and this new Bloc Party single at the time came on and we both kind of looked at each other like... “Man we gotta do something so people can dance to our music in one of these places.” err, that wasn’t like the exact words I’m sure but you get the idea. (laughs)
You did the Dance Rawr Dance Tour a few months back, talk to us about that experience as it seemed you guys were the odd men out.
JR: Oh man, it was a great tour. So much fun! There were some really awesome bands on that tour. It was really great for us to get to play in front of a demographic that we didn’t really realize would “get” our music. We never have really felt like we were much of a “pop” band, but we received the love from the crowd each night as they warmed up to what we are. It was really cool to hear the response from people telling us that it was their first time to hear us and that they were gonna tell all their friends. (laughs) So all in all, I feel like it was a really positive experience for us.
It seems that a lot of people are jumping from the label ships lately. Why did you decide to go with Tooth N’ Nail rather than go it alone?
JR: Oh man, this conversation could take awhile. I for sure have opinions on both options; but the reason we went for label support was simply to have the funding and distribution. There are a couple of other important key elements as well, marketing as well as the acclaimed respect that may or may not come along with being backed by a particular label. The reason for choosing Tooth & Nail was simply because they are like family to us. Having been on the subsidiary, SolidState with The Chariot, it was just sort of an automatic thing to send over our record to see what they thought.
What is the plan after the January 1st release for Queens Club?
JR: Well, the record isn’t coming out on the first... it will be out in the first quarter of the year though. But our plans for 2010’s start are to shoot a video for the first single, and then head out on tour with Breathe Carolina.
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Onward To Olympas | Welcome To The Scene
t has been a long time since I have said that I am stoked about a new Metal-core band. When a new band pops up with a sound that is a toned-down version of the influences listed on their Myspace you know that they will soon burn out, if they even create any sort of fire to begin with for that matter. That isn’t the case however in the world of Onward To Olympus. With a style that is way too eclectic to be traced back to one band, these hardworking guys from the mid-west take this thing way too seriously to create a bad version of their favorite band. Though melodic at times, Onward never goes without that brutal ingredient making their music fresh and not stale by the end of track two. Not to make their load too heavy but I feel that if they continue down this road Onward To Olympus has the potential to revive metal-core for a lot of us that are about to give it up. Onward To Olympas, welcome to the scene.
First things first, explain the name so people can stop asking if you can’t spell (laughs).
Andrew Higginbotham: (Laughs) Yeah, we do get a lot of questions about this one. Here is where it comes from: Olympas, which means “Heavenly,” was the name of a Roman Christian that Paul salutes in Romans 16:15. Taking from the word’s meaning, “Heavenly” or “Heaven,” we chose this name to tell of our life’s purpose as Christians to be moving “Onward To Heaven.”
How long had you guys been playing music before you were signed in October by Facedown? Tell us how that came about...
AH: Separately, each member has played in bands between approximately five to seven years. Onward to Olympas as band has been around for about four years, but the music you hear, along with the lineup you see formed in April of 2008. Justin Allman and Matt Burnside are original members of the band, and after the other members that were in the group all left, they started seeking new members to basically start over. Justin Gage and I both joined the band around April, along with our former lead vocalist Chris Davis. He recorded a demo with us, and then chose to leave the band in December of 2008. That is when Kramer Lowe joined the band, and we have been rocking and rolling ever since. It has been a sort of roller coaster ride of ups and downs, but in the end, the five members that now make up the band Onward To Olympas are like a family, and we are ready to get our music out to everyone who will listen.
is commonality represented through it all is our faith. We do not want to shove religion down anyone’s throat, but at that same time, we are NOT ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, and we want people to know up front, even before we take the stage, that we are Christians living for a greater purpose."
You guys started the recording process back in May right? How has being signed changed that process?
AH: We recorded in May with Jamie King (Between the Buried and Me, For Today), laying down all 10 tracks as a full-length album. The plan was to make this CD as professional as possible, both musically, and production-wise, so that we could send it to record labels in hopes of getting noticed. It has been our common goal since the start of this band to gain record label support and tour full time. Once we signed to Facedown Records, nothing really changed with the album recording process itself, because we had recorded the full length CD at a quality worthy of being on the shelves with any other band. We are very excited for the opportunity to represent Facedown Records, and now the focus has shifted to getting our name and our music out there.
So your debut album comes out on the 19th of January, tell us a bit about your direction while writing and recording.
AH: While we were writing this album, we started with the basic guitar/bass/drum formula for coming up with our rhythms. Each one of us brings a whole different style of musical background to the table. In the end, it is sometimes amazing even to us how we are able to cohesively meld each part together. We write things that are fun to play, fun to listen to, and fun to get hyped for. We enjoy it when we see people singing along, or dancing/moshing to our songs in the crowd, because that’s what we wrote it for. We want the songs to get stuck in your head, but in a good way, so that you find yourself humming our tune as you drive, walk down the street or wait in line to get coffee. Kramer worked relentlessly on the lyrics, writing about all kinds of topics. The one thing that is commonality represented through it all is our faith. We do not want to shove religion down anyone’s throat, but at that same time, we are NOT ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, and we want people to know up front, even before we take the stage, that we are Christians living for a greater purpose. Fame and fortune all fade away, but God’s Love is never-ending. That is the message we want people to hear in our music. As for the recording process, we mainly used our own gear to produce the best tone that we could, and we are very proud of what Jamie King was able to do for us in the studio. He has an uncanny mastery of pro-tools and knows just how to get the sound that you want out of the amps, bass, drums and vocals. Our goal, as stated before, was to record and produce an album that was ready for stores, and we believe that we accomplished that goal.
From what I have heard so far, it is fierce, and the production is incredible! What are some bands that you guys pull influence from?
AH: There are so many bands that we draw influence from, both locally and nationally, it would be hard to list them all. A sort of condensed version would be something like this:
Between the Buried and Me, Living Sacrifice, Metallica, Parkway Drive, Bury Your Dead, August Burns Red, For Today, Misery Signals, As I Lay Dying, Stick To Your Guns, and many many more.
What do you hope will separate you from the large metal-core flock on our iPods?
AH: We hope that our message and our mix of all kinds of different genres would help us to stand out from all of those other bands on the click-wheel. We bring several different musical styles to the table that a lot of other bands do not incorporate in an all-in-one package. To go from a Death Metal blast beat, to an 80’s style lead solo, to a metal-core breakdown, to a harmonic-singing chorus is a wild musical journey. To make it all cohesive takes a good amount of work, but it is all worth it to us. We also enjoy the fact that when asked to name a band that we sound exactly like, we can’t ever really come up with just ONE name. We think that this unique style will help us to establish ourselves in the music industry and that it will give listeners something a little different than the norm.
As of right now there are no dates for 2010, what sort of touring can we be looking forward to in the new year?
AH: We have some big announcements that should be coming up in the near future about tours planned for early 2010. We plan on hitting the road hard next year, following in the footsteps of the other Facedown bands who relentlessly tour to get their music heard. We would encourage everyone to check our MySpace, along with facedownrecords.com for up-to-date info about tour announcements, and when we’ll be in YOUR area!
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So Long Forgotten | Welcome To The Scene
nyone else having trouble finding a band to fill the void left by the sudden departure of As Cities Burn? Look no further than So Long Forgotten. Five years into their musical journey, SLF have signed to Come&Live and show no signs of slowing down, perhaps preparing to step into the shoes of acts such as the Tooth N’ Nail giants named above. Or maybe SLF is just out there to make an original name for themselves through hard work and a little bit of luck. Either way, SLF is just here to enjoy the ride. So Long Forgotten, welcome to the scene.
Tell us a bit about the origins of So Long Forgotten?
PJ Pence: So long forgotten has been a group for around 5 years now, starting out as some friends playing music in high school. We started playing local shows at a time when the music scene was really thriving and I believe that we owe quite a bit to everything that was happening in Central Illinois at the time because it gave us the opportunity to play often. From there we have sort of slowly been attempting to rise from the ambiguity that is the endless amount of relatively unknown bands that are touring.
right time."
Walk us through where you guys were at before the opportunity to be on Come & Live came about?
PJP: We had been a touring band for a couple of years at that point, and we had had the opportunity to do some pretty exciting things, but also played our fair amount of shows for only the sound guy and the band we were on tour with. Touring always seems to be an uphill battle, and honestly if we had to do it all over again I couldn’t guarantee we would have the same outcome. Ideally good music is all that a band would need, but the fact of the matter is that it is not just music, but also a lot of hard work and a fair amount of luck that mix together to put you in the right places at the right time.
How did Come & Live discover you?
PJP: Before Come&Live! we had done a few tours with some bands whom Chad (Johnson) had been working with at the time and we really built some good relationships with people through those experiences. We got to know Chad at a couple of music festivals, sitting down, hanging out, and at that time we were curious where that relationship was going to lead. Not too long after being offered and subsequently not offered deals from various other record labels Chad pretty much said to us “if you feel like God is calling you to be patient and have faith, I would encourage you to wait so we can talk about something that has been on my heart”. A lot of phone calls, e-mails, and coffee shop meetings in Nashville later, here we are.
I feel like its rare these days to find a good worship band whose appeal spans genres such as you guys do. What do you contribute that success to?
PJP: Any appeal that we would have I would hope to say is due to a willingness to try anything and the judgment to know when you shouldn’t do that thing you have just tried (laughs). We all listen to very different kinds of music, we certainly have common interests and influences, but I don’t know that any of us would claim to have the same favorite band as another. Being able to blend those different things together is a long, difficult and stressful process.
Where do you get your inspiration during the writing process?
PJP: The writing process for our newest album was unlike anything we had ever done before. It was the first time that we were really able to set aside a place and as much time as we did specifically devoted to writing not just songs, but an album. There was a five day span over a year ago when we literally locked ourselves in a building for ten hours a day in a place where we didn’t really have much distraction. When we left there we had written six songs, four of which made the new album. The rest of the album was written very slowly over the following months when we were able to devote two to four days or nights a week solely to writing. When we are doing something like this, it is inevitable that we will still be listening to music in some form or another that will sneak its way in, but honestly we don’t aim to have our inspiration come from music. Before every session we sat down to start working on the album we would spend as much time as it took to try to get rid of any distractions and look inside of ourselves to guide the music. As kind of crazy as that sounds, I believe and hope that to be the most accurate understanding of what inspired this last album.
What do you want people to walk away with after seeing SLF live?
PJP: Here is a good way to look at our live show: we don’t do it for the fans, plain and simple. We gave up long ago trying to be the most talented, engaging, precise, fun band around, because we just aren’t! Once we stopped playing for the crowd is when things really started to flow. If you can lose touch with the idea that people are staring up at you on a pedestal, or even the idea that you really have something worth being listened to, and just get down to the worship, then I hope we will have accomplished something. To be on stage for us, albeit disheartening at times to have a crowd who doesn’t particularly care for what you are doing, we are trying to let the overflow of ourselves come out, and musically…we just jam with each other. So the short answer, I would hope that people might experience something real.
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Shapes Stars Make | Welcome To The Scene
et’s face it, we all need that wind down music. We all need those beautiful melodies to pierce our hardened ears after a long day of whatever rat race you so choose. We’ve all had those days where metal just ain’t cuttin’ it and we need to escape to a place where no breakdown dares try to infiltrate. Shapes Stars Make are Dreamt Music’s newest addition that so elegantly fits this mold. Sometimes strictly instrumental and sometimes employing the haunting pipes of vocalist Michael Gooden, SSM is set to release their full length debut These Mountains are Safe on January 19th. Shapes Stars Make, welcome to the scene.
How long has Shapes Stars Make been doing their thing?
Jon Cook: Michael and I had played in various bands for many years and formed Shapes Stars Make in the fall of 2007, focusing on creating our own, hopefully unique sound. Zach joined the band in the summer of 2008 rounding out the line up.
To me your music is thoughtful, full of emotion. When I listen to it, it takes me somewhere. What does your music mean to you? What do you hope to convey to people with it?
JC: Our music means a lot to us. In some places it corresponds with who we are, and in more places, it resembles who we want to be as people. Hopefully our music will carry hope and draw people to a sense of wonder.
Walk us through the thought process of deciding to sign with Dreamt Music. How has that experience been so far?
Michael Gooden: Dreamt approached us in the spring of 2009. We weren’t really actively looking for a label at the time, nor were we purposely writing a new album. Jason Dunn (owner of Facedown/Dreamt) called me one day out of the blue and we began the process of discussing what SSMs future with Dreamt could look like. In one word, I would describe our experience with DM as ‘refreshing.’ Jason and Co. has allowed us the opportunity to be artists and not puppets…which is sadly not the industry norm.
You guys have been compared to amazing acts such as Explosions in the Sky. Does hearing that put any kind of pressure on you guys?
JC: As far as I know, nobody has referred to us as Explosions in the Sky Pt. II. There is, therefore, no pressure to be as such. If we were an Explosions cover band, then we would have some big shoes to fill and could certainly then be plagued by comparisons. But we are not trying to be anybody else. We listen to and love a lot of bands - some you could probably guess and some you couldn’t - but as artists we are only concerned with being Shapes Stars Make.
You guys got a chance to work with Producer John Congleton (Appleseed Cast, Explosion in the Sky) on your debut release, did you get that same opportunity with the new record?
MG: Yes, in fact, we did. We thoroughly enjoy working with John.
What can we expect from your upcoming release These Mountains are Safe? There are vocals on a few of the older tracks, will we hear more of that or will it be more strictly instrumental?
MG: We’ve always had a mixture of both songs with vocals and all instrumentals. The EP was slightly heavier on vocals, while These Mountains are Safe is a bit more instrumental.
There are a lot of elements that go into your music, live shows must be crazy. Will we be able to catch you on tour in the new year?
MG: Crazy? Maybe. We try to do a lot for a 3 piece. I think that our live show describes who we are as a band. In 2010, we are making plans for quite a bit of regional touring as well as a West coast tour or two. We shall see….
RETURN TO FEATURE | MAGAZINE ARCHIVE
ast Christmas day I was sitting at home enjoying the comfort of my parent’s home, surrounded by my family and the spirit that is exclusive to the most important holiday of the year. I remember looking around my living room, the carpet covered with the remains of wrapping paper, people listening and laughing, sipping coffee and talking. I remember thinking to myself, “What must be it like for God to observe a holiday set aside for Himself?” A holiday (originally) intended to reminisce about God’s selflessness in sending His own son to face the enemy we should have faced. I thought about how busy our schedules become far before Christmas day even comes along and how easily our plans change to accommodate the ‘most wonderful time of the year.’
Later on that night I was out to eat with a few friends. Though it was nothing new to me, something that night bothered me about the way everyone at my table had their phone in hand. I was amazed that my friends would rather occupy themselves by texting others rather then talk with those seated with them. Seconds later it hit me, sitting in the Chilis lounge staring down at my baby back ribs and mashed potatoes; where was God in all of this? Here you have a holiday intended to honor the gift that only God could give. The ultimate gift of life everlasting, life with a purpose, life given to lives that would rather stay busy then stop for a mere second and spend time talking to true life and love Himself.
It’s not uncommon to hear the remark, “I’m bored!” I was raised in a home where saying such things could potentially get you in trouble though I never questioned why. It wasn’t until recently that I realized why this common phrase is more so an evil concept. You see, it’s human nature to take pride in staying busy, to preoccupy ourselves so we don’t have to actually stop and be silent. Society has convinced us that when (and certainly WHEN) one source of entertainment no longer entertains us, to throw it away and occupy ourselves with something new, a consumerist generation. The problem with this mentality, aside from being an endless, vicious cycle, is that it distorts our way of thinking; it skews our approach to living the selfless life God called us to live. Instead of living a life in worship to God, we pursue (and ultimately worship) our selfish demands, “How can you benefit me, what can you offer me? What can I do that will keep me from having to be still and acknowledge the silence?”
I can’t help but think God feels much the same way I felt at dinner that Christmas evening, my friends keeping busy with their respective SMS recipients rather then spending time with each other (in person). Though I make this comparison, oh how much more detrimental it is that we spend time exclusively with God. How ridiculous is that we’d rather surf Facebook fiften minutes longer because we aren’t tired and certainly don’t want to lay in bed staring at the ceiling? How silly is it that we’ll stay up until 3am playing some video game and compromise spending time with other Christians the next day because we’re so exhausted from the previous day’s ‘endeavors?” It’s ridiculous, absolutely absurd, and we should feel like fools making excuses for our poor use of time.
Psalm 46:10 says “Be still, and know that I am God.” I know if you’re anything like me you’re rationalizing YOUR situation because it’s absolutely different from everyone else’s. You might be saying things like, “I talk to God when I’m driving to work,” when you are honestly preoccupied with the phone in your hand or the news on the radio. Or, “I try to set aside time reading my bible everyday but my workload this semester allows no time to do so,” when you make it a point to get your morning coffee fix even though it’s 10 minutes out of your way en route to school. Bottom line: we all have aspects of our daily schedules that could be cut out in order to make time for God. It’s a matter of priority, that which we decide can’t be cut out of our schedules may be the god of our lives.
Unfortunately it’s human nature to pat ourselves on the back when we DO things in the name of Jesus Christ. Let me paint this picture for you. I used to skateboard all the time. It got to the point that it’s all I ever wanted to do and any free time in my somewhat liberal school schedule was devoted to skateboarding. One Sunday morning my pastor was talking about things in our life that we spent more time doing or thinking about then God was an idol in our lives. I couldn’t stare anyone square in the eyes say I spent more time with God then I did my skateboard. Even at 16 it occurred to me that God had to be the most important ‘thing’ in my life. In order for that to happen either the skateboard had to go or I just had to spend more time at church. It goes without saying any teenager would pick more time with God then less time with his favorite hobby. Suffice it to say I tried to justify my time skateboarding by my time spent at church. I would tell myself that I spent half of MY Sunday at church, MY Wednesday night at youth group, and most notably MY Friday night at home group. Note the use of the possessive word ‘my’ in the context of this example. Somehow I had this twisted perception that life was mine for the taking, that I could choose exactly where and when and how I was going to spend my time. If I spent my Saturday afternoon with homeless people in the city I was surely on the ‘great philanthropists of the 21st century’ charts. Meanwhile I was missing the whole point. It was never about me spending an extra hour per week at church then on my skateboard. What was important in my case was that I was setting time aside every day to sit in the silence of my room and wait on God.
Though this example is very cut and dry I hope it gets through to the very heart of things. It’s absolutely fundamental that we make time to be quiet and acknowledge God in our lives, even if that means cutting out ‘important’ parts of our everyday schedules. In Matthew 7:7, Jesus says, “Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you.” James 4:8 states, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” Successful relationships are only as such if both parties are contributing to the affair. God is only really able to speak to us when we decide we want to listen. It’s our obligation as followers of Christ to silence ourselves; to turn off our mind, emotions, aspirations, and to be still and know that God is God in our lives. Ask God today to show you areas of your life that might be more important to you then what they should be. Be still, let love in, God is life abundant.