abel them weird. Label them pioneers. Label them versatile. Just don’t label Showbread as a genre. Showbread is over ten years into their career and show no signs of either slowing down or conforming to any trends or styles. A lot of artists would claim this same statement with every last breath, but in reality, Showbread is the only one who has, time and time again, proved that they truly don’t care what people think. Through dashed expectations and multiple member changes, the guys rallied to release a new record this past month. Touring behind their newest release, The Fear of God, these good old Georgian boys took a break from their current trip to remind us that they are no strangers to controversy and, once again, they are here to stay.
What year did you guys start Showbread and how old were you? Give us a little background on the band.
Josh Dies: We started Showbread in 1997 as a church worship band. When the southern Baptist church we grew up in thought we were evil, we decided to keep playing and got into punk rock.
Having spent so many years touring non-stop, what keeps you going? What drives you to get up every morning and, well, drive?
JD: If we weren’t a band with a mission statement (telling people what we believe), there’d be no reason for us to continue to play. It is the only reason we started the band and the only reason we continue.
We know that Showbread took a lot of heat for the Age Of Reptiles album, how did this affect
the band? And how did it affect the direction of the writing? Do you find yourself trying to write music that you feel everyone will enjoy?
JD: Not in the least. Every band should be able to say that their own band is their favorite band, why wouldn’t you write exactly what you wanted to hear the most? For better or for worse we have never taken into consideration any factor other than what WE want to do artistically, if no one in the entire world likes our music we can still go to bed at night knowing we did what we believed in. We figured that Age Of Reptiles would reveal that we had no interest in being a “scene” band (we hate hardcore, indie, emo, screamo, etc.), and that the folks who had mistaken our Refused influence for an interest in scene music would lose interest in our band at that point. It never mattered to us because existing in that world never mattered to us. It seems that because we’re on Tooth and Nail and can’t easily be wedged into a specific genre, people tend to categorize us with a lot of our peers who play screamo music, and then when we betray that formula they hate us for it. We think it’s hilarious.
I read recently that you consider this upcoming album to be “the definition of Showbread”. Can you explain this a bit further?
JD: To me the definition of Showbread has to do with purposely alienating ourselves from the world of music to do what we want to do, and this record epitomizes that ideal. That’s not to say that it’s a bizarre, abstract record that no one will get, it’s actually pretty accessible. But we write our records as if in a cave alone in the world and it will be all we’ll have to listen to. We never think of what anyone else will think and we infuse that stance with our message of hope in Jesus. I think the people who love Showbread love us for that reason that we do not compromise even if it means no one will like us.
You guys have gone through numerous lineup changes in the last few years but have seemed to maintain the Raw Rock sound that you guys invented. Do you find it hard going from seven members to four?
JD: Well we’re back at six members now, but we’ve never changed songwriters and the members we’ve changed didn’t play a big role in the writing process. In that sense, the lineup changes weren’t a big issue. It is, however, extremely tedious replacing members and dealing with people who are upset about the changes. We have a pretty strict agenda for our members and its tough finding the right people to meet the requirements, but we’re always provided for and right now we have our strongest lineup yet.
Your new album art looks like a collection of controversial symbols and topics. Can you explain a little bit about why you chose this design?
JD: I told the designer about the themes on the record and let him run with it. I didn’t realize we even had Catholic fans, let alone that they’d be so offended by the red dot over the pope’s face. The album cover is a statement about various symbols that we as people associate with God, good or bad. It’s just about how we as human beings reconcile the idea of a higher power and the ramifications of choosing to believe or not to believe. I think the pope is a very recognizable religious icon and that’s probably why the designer chose him as the centerpiece, it isn’t a personal attack on the man.
On The Side
w/ Joshua S. “Dies” Porter
Showbread frontman Josh Dies knows a thing or two about unlabel-able music, fashion, make-up and putting on a killer show. But did you know that he is also an author? The Spinal Cord Perception is Dies’ first novel that promises a spooky but hopeful premise. With more novels on the horizon, Dies spoke with us candidly about what one can expect from Josh Dies the author as well as the book itself.
How has your book been received thus far?
Joshua S. Porter: Really well. I was worried when it first came out that people would have a hard time with it because it’s very dark through the bulk of the story. I was amazed to see how many people were inspired by the message of hope in the book. Of course it isn’t for everyone, there were people who wrote me to say “You can’t write, you suck” but that kind of thing never bothers me. I just wrote the book I wanted to write. For the most part it seems a lot of people really love the story and the characters and analyzing the weirdness of it all.
For those people out there who haven’t read the book yet, can you give us a quick snapshot as to what the novel is about?
JP: A guy named David Rivers, who is a 24 year old substitute teacher, has been struggling with violent, dark hallucinations his whole life and he can’t seem to figure out whether or not what he’s seeing is a result of some disease of the brain or if he has a deeper insight into a world no one else does.
Tell us a bit about where the inspiration for this story came from.
JP: I’m not entirely sure actually. The element of David and the monster that haunts him was something that popped into my head and became a short story I penned for fun. Years later I was inspired by a lot of novels I was reading at the time to translate the short story into a novel.
Who are some of your influences as far as authors go?
JP: It’s pretty obvious when you read the book that my main stylistic influences are Bret Easton Ellis and Chuck Palahniuk. But reading Franz Kafka and Sylvia Plath when I was younger was what made me want to write.
Do you see yourself writing more novels in the future?
JP: I actually just finished my second novel which I’m going to self-publish through my website this October or November. It’s called Nevada and it tells the story of a strange discovery of a huge pit in the Mojave Desert that becomes a gateway for certain creatures to enter our world and take control of Washington and Hollywood. It’s an epic, black comedy with a lot of political sociology. It’s very different from my first novel. I’m really excited about it. I can’t wait for people to read it.
For those out there who have never witnessed Showbread live, how would you describe your live show? What are some of your goals each night?
JD: We have lots of flashing lights, TV screens flashing bizarre images and the most reckless, chaotic performance from the band we can muster. It is a very passionate fifty minutes for both the band and the fans, totally full of worship and beauty, nothing like it in the world.
Anorexia/Nervosa was a pretty lofty endeavor. Did you see the response that you had hoped from this release?
JD: Absolutely, ten fold. That album is a simple story that conveys our message as a band in a very special way. It isn’t a record to just jam and enjoy the way you do with a conventional rock record, it’s more of an imaginative journey and I couldn’t be happier with how it came out.
You garner a lot of attention for your “unconventional” looks as a band, i.e. makeup etc. What brought about this look and how do you deal with those who may see it as a bit extreme?
JD: For me as a singer the makeup and funny getups came from being an aesthetic fan of David Bowie and glam era Marilyn Manson. It’s just theatrics and in good fun. For the most part people either enjoy it or don’t care, but occasionally people have questions and even confuse it for sexually sinful cross dressing. I usually just explain that our performance is like a play and our outfits are like costumes. It’s stage makeup, not drag.
You guys as a band are involved in many mission organizations, how does that fit into Showbread?
JD: Our band’s single purpose is to humbly share our belief in Jesus Christ and offer His spirit of service to the world. Often that involves going into foreign countries and working with those less fortunate and often it means just putting on a rock show and showing kids we love them and that we care.
Where do you see Showbread heading in the next few years?
JD: Further into madness.
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here are a lot of misconceptions when it comes to worship music; it’s usually sleepy, unoriginal and boring. Up until last year, I would be riding this bandwagon as well but then I heard The Glorious Unseen. There is something different here, heavenly even. Don’t take my word for it; listen to the likes of Underoath, August Burns Red, The Chariot and many more who are singing the praises of this accidental worship band from Tennessee. We recently had the chance to talk with vocalist Ben Crist about the origins of TGU, the pressures of playing worship and their new album The Hope That Lies in You.
You started out as a worship leader for a small group through your church. Now you’re one of the top worship bands loved by all sorts of musicians of different genres. Back then did you ever think that it would come to this?
Ben Crist: I NEVER REALLY THOUGHT THE WORSHIP STUFF I DO WOULD BE REALLY BIG – ‘CAUSE IT’S SO DIFFERENT THEN MOST MODERN WORSHIP STUFF. NOW, I DON’T NECESSARILY THINK IT’S “REALLY BIG” RIGHT NOW – BUT WE HAVE HAD SOME REASONABLE SUCCESS, AND I FEEL VERY BLESSED AND PRIVELEDGED TO GO AND DO ALL THE STUFF WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO IN THE LAST YEAR OR SO. I GUESS IT JUST COMES DOWN TO DOING MUSIC I HONESTLY LOVE, AND I FEEL IT FILLS A GAP IN MUSIC / WORSHIP TODAY. THERE IS A NEED AND DESIRE AMONGST MANY PEOPLE FOR WORSHIP OF THIS STYLE, SO WE HAVE KINDA PLUGGED INTO THAT GAP.
I read in your bio that at first you weren’t too confident in your voice. How did you overcome this?
BC: WELL, I JUST KEPT SINGING EVERY WEEK. I ALWAYS KNEW THAT MY VOICE WASN’T THE BEST, BUT IT DID HAVE A VERY BROKEN FEEL TO IT, AND PEOPLE ALWAYS LIKED THAT – ESPECIALLY WHEN IT WAS USED FOR WORSHIP MUSIC… PEOPLE CONNECT TO THAT BROKENNESS. SO, THOUGH MY VOICE MAYBE WOULDN’T HAVE TRANSLATED IMMEDIATELY INTO OTHER STYLES OF MUSIC – IT WAS PERFECT FOR THAT WORSHIP STYLE. AND I SAW PEOPLE EVERY WEEK BEING DEEPLY AFFECTED BY IT, SO IT GAVE ME CONFIDENCE TO KEEP DOING IT.
there’s more to music here...”
Matt Greiner
(August Burns Red)
“(The Glorious Unseen) are a band that contain sincerity and simplicity that unlocks human hearts to the love of Jesus. They are absolutely a dynamic group within the scene that can center and focus the underground on one true purpose which is to worship Jesus with sincerity.”
Tommy Green
(Sleeping Giant)
“In an industry that’s riddled with cookie cutter music comprised of the same chord progressions and lyrical themes played for years and years, The Glorious Unseen brings a truly disarming honesty that cuts with passion straight to the thirsting soul. I listen to it on the road and it always brings me to a humble and desperate state in front of God. This band is absolutely priceless.”
Micah Kinard
(Oh Sleeper)
You have bands like Underoath, The Chariot, August Burns Red and others singing the praises of your worship. How does that feel?
BC: FEELS GREAT – CAUSE I WILL SING THEIR PRAISES (LAUGHS)!! I’VE LISTENED TO THOSE BANDS FOR YEARS, AND BECOME FRIENDS WITH ALL OF THEM OVER THE YEARS. HONESTLY, THOSE ARE THE BANDS I’M LISTENING TO ON A DAILY BASIS… THEY INSPIRE ME. SO IT’S GREAT TO BE ABLE TO DO SOMETHING THAT INSPIRES THEM AS WELL!!
How did the rest of the guys come to be in the band? Are you still the primary songwriter?
BC: THE REST OF THE GUYS JUST KINDA NATURALLY BECAME A PART OF THE BAND AS THEY CAME TO OUR CHURCH AND BEGAN PLAYING IN THE WORSHIP TEAM. FOR THIS NEW RECORD, WE ALL WROTE THE SONGS TOGETHER. I, OF COURSE, WROTE ALL THE LYRICS, BUT THOSE GUYS MADE GREAT CONTRIBUTIONS TO WRITING THE MUSIC! THE GLORIOUS UNSEEN BAND HAS ALWAYS BEEN MOSTLY BASED OUT OF PEOPLE THAT PLAY WORSHIP AT OUR HOME CHURCH “THE ANCHOR FELLOWSHIP” IN NASHVILLE, TN.
The Hope That Lies In You seems to be a heavier release with a clearer focus. Can you tell us about influences that went into writing this record?
BC: WE ALL CONTRIBUTED TO THE SONGWRITING… I THINK THE MUSIC IN GENERAL COMES FROM US HAVING INFLUENCES OF MANY AMBIENT BANDS – SUCH AS SIGUR ROS, APPLESEED CAST, GET UP KIDS, COPELAND - LOTS OF STUFF IN THAT STYLE. LYRICALLY, HONESTLY I THINK I’M PULLING MUCH OF MY INFLUENCE FROM THE LYRICS OF MANY CHRISTIAN HARDCORE BANDS. WITH MY LYRICS, I’M JUST LOOKING TO WRITE DEEPLY HONEST THINGS – THAT WILL INSPIRE NOT ONLY ME, BUT ALSO THE LISTENER. THERE’S A GREAT SENSE OF COMMUNITY IN DOING WORSHIP STUFF – YOU WANT IT TO BE “CORPORATE” TO SOME DEGREE… WE WANT EVERYONE IN ATTENDANCE TO BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN WORSHIP WITH US… SO LYRICALLY, I’M KEEPING IN MIND SOMETIMES WHAT WILL BE GREAT TO SING TOGETHER WITH EVERYONE.
It seems like a lot of worship music can come off as generic or sleepy. How do you keep The Glorious Unseen fresh and original?
BC: WELL, THE THING IS – I’M NOT EXACTLY TRYING TO WRITE WORSHIP SONGS… I MEAN, THEY ARE WORSHIP SONGS – ‘CAUSE WE CAN ALL SING THEM TOGETHER AND SING THEM DIRECTLY TO GOD. BUT I THINK A LOT OF WORSHIP STUFF COMES OFF AS REPETITIOUS AND REGURGITATED. I THINK IT’S BECAUSE OF THE STYLE OF THE MUSIC AND THE HONESTY IN THE LYRICS THAT SETS OURS APART TO SOME DEGREE.
Do you feel a pressure when writing a worship record knowing that it’s a way for people to connect with God on such a deep level?
BC: I DID FEEL PRESSURE BEFORE WE REALLY STARTED INTO IT. I THINK I WAS PUTTING TOO MUCH PRESSURE ON MYSELF TO WRITE CORPORATE SONGS. THEN, I JUST THREW OUT ALL THOSE IDEAS OF WRITING CORPORATE STUFF AND JUST WROTE WHAT WAS ON MY HEART – AND ALL THE PRESSURE WENT AWAY.
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calm and quiet Tim Lambesis sits across from me in a nearly empty RV. Our energetic photographer Katie Jayne prepares her camera behind him as we set up for our first interview. The lanky vocalist sits patiently in his chair; hands folded awaiting the start of our chat. The vocalist of As I Lay Dying, as well as the genius mind behind Austrian Death Machine, Lambesis appears less intimidating with every second of anticipated silence. Lambesis has no reason to be antsy however. With four widely successful albums under his belt (as well as one with ADM), a new gig as a developing producer, and a very anticipated double disc entitled Double Brutal, the larger than life front man has a lot to look forward to.
Can you explain a bit about the evolution of sound that you all have gone through over the course of your career?
Tim Lambesis: I would say that the biggest evolution of sound would be just adding more songwriters to the mix. When the band first started I had a handful of ideas I gave to Jordan and those ideas were sort of worked out at that point then the later parts on our first record was Jordan and I working together. The next record was a similar situation and then eventually Nick and Phil joined the band and became a part of the song writing process. And now, with the album we’re currently working on, Josh, our bass player, started adding. We never had a bass player who recorded on an album let alone contributed song writing ideas.
I talked with Leroy from War of Ages yesterday and he just had awesome things to say about recording with you. Is producing something that you think you’ll continue to dive deeper into?
TL: It’s just something I enjoy. As far as being a studio owner I’ve built all this gear and and production stuff. I’ve got engineers that I really trust who can keep all that running all year while I’m on tour so when I’m home its an opportunity for me to pick and choose where I want to get involved. Sometimes I just have to stay at home and relax because we’re gone so much out of the year. I had a good time working on that War of Ages record and the only other one I’ve done is Sworn Enemy. I try to just work with bands I’m friends with because it’s not my source of income.
not my source
of income."
It seems like there is some confusion regarding your role with Metal Blade Records. What is your actual involvement?
TL: Metal Blade has been around for just over 25 years now. It has been around a long time and in the 80’s they did a lot of thrash stuff and I think when we came along we brought a new generation of metal and I think that was about the time the whole metal core genre was really taking off so I was really involved with the guys there. A lot of the bands that were the front runners of the current metal scene were there. I got involved at that level because I wanted the chance to bring in new bands. I do have my own small I guess you’d call it subsidiary of Metal Blade where I’m able to sign bands on my own.
Austrian Death Machine-how did this begin?
TL: That was one of those things that have become a lot bigger deal than I really intended. I had this really whimsical idea to hang out with my friends joking around saying it’d be so funny if I did it. Since I had my own studio and some time between tours I just started creating these albums. Metal Blade heard it and really wanted to release it. Of course I thought it’d be a lot of fun and it took off. September 29th we’ll have the second album coming out. It’s a double disc called Double Brutal so I’m getting pretty serious.
Would you ever consider touring with it?
TL: Yeah, I’m doing some short little stints. I’m doing a six day tour around California surrounding the release then maybe a few out on the East Coast. I can’t do full tours though because of As I Lay Dying.
You guys are one of the biggest metal acts today, how do you stay humble as far as your faith goes and remember why you’re out here doing what you’re doing?
TL: I would say just looking at history of metal bands that we were fans of. There were these bands that had gold records at one point now they go out and can’t even fill a bar sized club. Just seeing what happens over time to those bands and knowing it can all go as fast as it came. Nothing last forever and it doesn’t change who we are as people you know? It’s just an opportunity to do what we love. I think we’ll always be able to make a living doing this but a lot of bands aren’t smart about that and they let it go to their heads and you see where they are now.
Was faith something that was there from the beginning?
TL: When Jordan and I started the band we had the same core beliefs so it just made sense. Especially as a lyricist, I want to write what I’m passionate about. My belief in redemption is something that I’m most passionate about so that is naturally going to come across in our music. When we had new members trying to get their spots, that was something that had to be there.
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Blessed By A Broken Heart | Seriously? ...No
okingly(?) claiming Journey, Cher and Boys II Men as their major influences, the dudes in Blessed By A Broken Heart maintain that they just stumbled into this 80’s metal-core-esc sound, “Basically, we were just like a metal-core band. On our first album there are a few little hints of 80’s stuff but we never woke up one morning and were like ‘Lets write an 80’s album.’ Every song we wrote just kind of had a more 80’s influence.” “For me,” says Tony Gambino, Blessed’s front man, “I was born in ’81 and I had two older sisters and I grew up listening to all that stuff. After playing hardcore for a long time you kind of get sick of it and just kind of play stuff that you like and that’s fun and that’s basically how it came out.”
If you have never seen Blessed in concert, stumbled past their Myspace, or heard A Day To Remember repping them hard from their time slot on the Van’s Warped Tour this summer then you have been missing out for quite a while now. Their unique ‘80’s guitar and keyboard solo’s, electronic drums and anthem-like lyrics blend perfectly with brutal breakdowns and screamed verses to set Blessed By A Broken Heart apart from the pack of constant metal-core repetition.
It is never too late to jump on board though as it looks like the sextet is heading into the studio to lay down some fresh 80’s Metal-core for us very soon. “We’re actually writing the record now so we’re in pre-production” Gambino tells us, “It’s going to kick the ass of Pedal to the Medal. You can bleep that out if you need to but there’s no other way to describe it.”
As we sat and talked behind their crowded booth at a Northwest festival we joked about their reactions to Goose dying at the end of the movie Top Gun. Tony laughed saying “…I usually just run outside and do donuts in my corvette.” Bassist Tyler Hoare, (who, completely unphased, and wearing no pants at the time because they were being mended) added “It makes me want do the punch dance from Flashdance.” Our conversation was brief but you could tell that Blessed By A Broken Heart is out to have a good time with the music they make and the time that they have been given to do it in this life.
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Abandon Kansas | Dance Your Socks Off
f you’re looking for the next band to follow, to get in on the ground floor with, I have something for you. If you’re looking for the band to love so you can one day say to your friends “I listened to ‘em first!” Then the following interview will be some ammo in your arsenal. Ready? Abandon Kansas! If you haven’t already heard of these guys (or let them sleep on your floor), then here’s your chance to get an inside look on the five guys that are ready to dance your socks off and then hang out for some tea. Recently signed to Gotee Records after a long awaited decision, vocalist Jeremy Spring sat down to tell us about the new record filled with their signature dance tunes and a few surprises as well.
You guys have done national tours unsigned for many years, is this a challenge? What tips would you give to smaller bands trying to DIY?
Jeremy Spring: Of course it’s a challenge. “Livin’ the dream” ain’t so dreamy, ya know? Don’t get me wrong, we have SUCH a radical job, I love it. But I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t challenging. Young bands have to keep perspective. Blowing up over night is rare and isn’t anything to count on. Having a successful career in ANY of the arts takes pure dedication in the face of all opposition, bumps, and change of plans along the way. Your vision has to be broad and you can’t get lost in the roller coaster of victory and defeat that you’re dealing with on the road. Here’s my advice in nice easy to swallow chunks: Offer bands show trades, go play for free in towns close by, talk to everyone, give away merch, stay with people, write good songs, don’t stay in hotels, eat cheap, write good songs, drive slow, route smart, put on a memorable show, stay single, write good songs, and don’t suck. Enjoy the ride, this band thing will probably never become what you want it to become, so don’t forget to enjoy it while you have it.
After extensive traveling around the U.S., what do you think are some of the best markets and what do you feel makes them that way?
JS: The Northwest is a gorgeous part of the country, not to mention the awesome fans we have in Olympia, Seattle, Portland, and Boise. Some other states that are good to us are Michigan, Florida, California, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and of course Kansas. Good people and good food make them good markets.
Since you guys were that band for so long, touring with little money and doing the DIY thing, can you give us a story or example where you really saw God move?
JS: After Cornerstone last summer we had an overnight drive to a show in Kentucky. About an hour from the show we blew a trailer tire causing the whole rig to fishtail and crash into a guard rail at 60mph. A driver behind us said we nearly rolled. God moved. We were towed to the repair center and after seemingly despairing news we were back on the road within an hour. The mechanic waved the labor fees and all we owed was $175. God moved. We finally made it to the show and the other bands and people were waiting outside only to tell us the show had been cancelled. I ended up playing an acoustic set at a petting zoo in the country that night to ten people. We slept in a Wal-Mart parking lot that night and used all but $38 of our money on gas getting to the show in Virginia the next day. That night we did over $800 in merch and were able to continue on the tour because of it. God moved. This is just one of the many stories of God moving in OUR lives not to mention the hundreds of emails we get and all the stories we’ll never hear from listeners that God has spoken to through our music.
So you’ve made the major label leap. How does it feel?
JS: It’s really hard to find ways to spend all of this money we are making now, but seriously, so far so good. Gotee is more of a family than a label. We know the entire staff, they know us. They really get what we are trying to do musically and in ministry and they’ve been very supportive of all of our ideas. It’s been such a blessing to have a team of people behind what we’re doing, working just as hard as we are, to get Abandon Kansas songs out there.
What are some future plans now that you’re on Gotee Records?
of more people."
JS: A lot of the tours we have done in the past have been with other hardworking unsigned bands, which has been great. Now with Gotee behind us, we’re trying to team up with a few bigger bands so we can gain some new fans and play in front of more people. The idea behind signing with this label is to get the music in more hands than we could on our own, so that’s the plan. Gotee is also opening doors for us to get our songs on the radio, make music videos, and work with talented producers. We would love to tour internationally within the next year as well.
One thing that continues to impress me about Abandon Kansas is your strong connection with your fans. Has this always been a priority or did it just kind of happen organically?
JS: I can’t imagine spending five hours in a room jam packed full of people and not meeting anyone face to face. I mean, I guess people do it every day at the mall, or at church, but I can’t see myself doing that. I love people, I love communicating, and that’s why I want to play music. Playing on stage takes up very little time on tour, the rest of the time we’re hanging out with each other or people that come out to the shows. I really don’t think we have many fans, but we have a couple thousand friends, which is such an humbling thing to have. I really think our friends would go out of there way to do just about anything for us, even if we weren’t in Abandon Kansas. That’s a priceless connection that goes way beyond music. It makes the tough days a little easier and the good days that much sweeter.
Tell us about this new record.
JS: It’s called “We’re All Going Somewhere”. We couldn’t be happier with the way this new record turned out. To have Mark Townsend produce our first label effort was incredible, and then when we actually sat down to work with him we were just blown away with the final product. He produced bands we grew up listening to like Relient K and has been making new records that we love like Deas Vail.
The new record has six songs that cover a wide range of subject matter. We were on the road when we were writing these songs so the lyrics are very inspired by life on tour dealing with pride, desperation, direction, and love. There aren’t any cheesy breakup songs on this record, which is fine by me! I hope people will get into the lyrics of this EP, I put a lot of work into them.
Musically this record is pretty much all fast paced with some groovy dance jams and some straight up indie rock tunes. There are some really radical gang vocal parts and some beautiful breakdowns with live strings. We kept the production pretty simple, and there isn’t a ton of extra instrumentation on any of the songs. JR McNeely did an incredible job mixing this record and it’s our first release that we feel like really sounds like us.
Did you feel any kind of new pressure knowing it was going to be getting out there more than your previous releases?
JS: No one has put any pressure on us to do anything, at least not as far as I can tell. I think we all understood that by bringing Gotee, Mark, and the rest of the team on board that we needed to make something good, but once we hit the studio we just let the creative juices flow. We have always been ourselves when it comes to writing, performing, and hanging with people. Everything we did on this EP was very natural for us, and I think you’ll hear how we’ve grown as musicians and men since our last record.
What can you tell us about your recently shot music video?
JS: This week we shot a music video in Atlanta with Nathan Corrona for a new song called “Close Your Eyes”. We shot the bulk of the video in a really old apartment building from the 1800’s with no air conditioning in August. It was a long sweaty day but I think the final product is going to be sick. There were also a couple scenes with me on the public transit in Atlanta. Seeing a white kid on a train full of black people lip syncing to a song no one else could hear had to be a funny sight.
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Call It Captivate | w/ Bryce Avary
he Rocket Summer’s Bryce Avary is here to give you another reason to smile. When he’s not spreading his contagious happiness through song to the masses, he’s at the helm of Call It Captivate, a clothing company that provides a charity of the buyer’s choice with its proceeds. Mr. Avary was kind enough to take a break from amping up to release a new record this fall to fill us in a bit on his current endeavor.
Give us a little bit of a background on how Call It Captivate came to be?
Bryce Avary: It all happened the same day - the spark, the idea, the name, and the vision. I’ve always loved fashion but I’ve always been kind of grossed out by rock stars starting clothing lines for purely capitalistic reasons. One day I was brainstorming on ways to inspire people to get involved in issues they believe need more attention. And as random as it is, I thought a great way to do achieve this was through fashion. Fashion impacts culture. I had been overwhelmed with how many issues there are in this world, how many hurting people there are and how badly I wanted to do something yet there are just so many issues. These realities are what sparked “Call It Captivate”. It took a long time, but after many calls, we are now working with many charities from poverty aid to disease research to an orphanage.
We strive to make really great clothes with great designs. We’re 100% a clothing company that just happens to have an awesome underlying reason for doing this.
What do you think of this recent wave of musicians getting more involved with non profit work in the hopes that kids will follow their example?
BA: I think it’s great that it’s becoming a pretty hip thing to be involved, even if it is a popular thing to do and not done for the right reasons, there are plenty of other fads that this obviously is better than. Hopefully if and when the popularity of some bands decreases, the idea of being involved for the right reasons sticks with them and their fans.
What is your involvement as you are obviously extremely busy with music?
BA: While I am the creator and captain of the team, I do have quite a full time job with my band The Rocket Summer. Up until now I’ve handled the majority of all things CIC but we’re actually in the process of bringing on other people to help out to make this a bigger, more effective company.
Where do the proceeds from the sales of Call It Captivate go?
BA: When you come to our site and check out our clothes you also have the opportunity to read about these charities. When you check out, you get to decide which charity you want 25% of your purchase to go to. Right now a few of the organizations we have partnered with are Blood Water Mission, Holt International Adoption, These Numbers Have Faces, The Miracle League of El Paso and The LA Dream Center.
How did you decide on those particular charities?
BA: Basically, over the years, I have come across certain charities that I really feel connected to and have a big heart for. The charities that you get to choose from at CIC have changed a few times and that is because we want to spotlight on different charities to get others to see what they are doing.
In your opinion, how does fashion engage culture?
BA: Fashion has a huge impact on our society. After touring for many years I have been able to see how much fashion influences people. Why not use fashion in a positive way and help others through it!
Do you have any stories that stick out to you of CIC impacting or influencing someone?
BA: About 30 people at Long Beach Poly High School created a club with the name Call It Captivate Club, and thus far they have raised $1,000 which they donated to Blood:Water Mission which is so amazing! I also know their have been several people who have heard about certain charities through CIC and have gone on to volunteer with them and have really had their hearts pulled towards serving others.
What inspires your designs?
BA: I love creating designs and have a lot floating around in my head. It started as me just telling artists in detail what I was wanting, and through the process I met several extremely talented guys that brought some great ideas to the table.
We saw on your site that Mike Hererra also supports CIC. Do these kind of partnerships just happen or are they something that you guys seek out?
BA: I have been friends with Mike for awhile now and it is basically just friends helping friends.
We see that you most recently added The Dream Center in LA to your list of charities. I had a chance to work there for a few days and I was blown away by this place. Can you tell us a bit about what you experienced there and why you thought it was a good choice for CIC?
BA: While I was in the studio making my upcoming new album, “Of Men and Angels” my wife Tara had some much needed time off. She wanted to get involved in a place during this time that fed the homeless. She would go twice a week and bring lunch to the homeless with the Dream Center and through this we got connected. They’re good people!
RETURN TO FEATURE | MAGAZINE ARCHIVE
hen I read the Bible, I get it stuck in my head that somehow the writers wrote it as if they were addressing or going to be addressing a million people... like a bulletin on myspace, or a blog, or a twit.
Like, “I’m going to write this! It’s going to be written and addressed to a large audience and so I have to write for the audience that’s going to read it!” Maybe the best way to describe my thought process is selling advertisements. When you’re working on ad sales and you write a “personal” email to the artist that says “Hey guys! How are you?” and you make it sound as personal as possible while still reaching everyone.
I don’t know why I seem to get it stuck in my head that the Bible is written like that. I didn’t even realize it until recently. All these pastors and people talk about how deeply personal the book is, and I believe that, practically. I mean, I talk about it is all the time.
I guess what I mean is that the dudes who wrote it, wrote it because they had a deep passion and burden for what they were saying, and because they loved the persons (I use “persons” as opposed to “people” for a reason) that they wrote to in a profound way.
I realized this because of the first couple of words in the book of Proverbs. David writes the words “my son” - and then he goes on to say words like “listen” and “do” and “do not” and it’s not because David is a jerk with a power trip that “wants to tell a whole bunch of people that will probably read his wonderful, Godly book someday” - it’s because he loves Solomon, his son, and his other sons, and he wants what’s best for them.
The coolest thing about this, for me, is that it brings a sense of personal relationship that has nothing to do with me, but everything to do with a dad loving his kid, and telling him how to live practically. It feels like a conversation that my dad would have with me while we stand in the garage and talk about why I started smoking cigarettes. He tells me that it’s good to do certain things and not good to do certain things and he tells me that stuff because he loves me, not because he has an audience. He tells me because he has a deep desire to see me grow up in wisdom and godliness, and because there is a burden on his heart, as a father, as someone that loves someone; not because I just happen to be standing there and so I might hear him and I might not.
It wasn’t written for the audience, like this blog is written for an audience, no matter how much I’d like to believe it’s just written for me. Instead, it’s written firstly out of a very personal love, and the audience came secondarily.
I guess that’s something that’s cool to me, too. That no one pulled any punches when they wrote that stuff. Why would they? If it’s so deeply personal, then it would have to be real, right? I pull punches when I write because if I were to say every single thing that I’m thinking and feeling I would be scrutinized and questioned and that’s something I’m not comfortable with. But that’s what people do. They pull punches in front of audiences because there might be someone that won’t like what they have to say, but if it’s a one on one between a father and his kid, why would Pops censor himself or neglect to share everything that’s on his heart?
Maybe that’s why I have so much respect for artists like Eminem. I may not believe in or agree with what the dude believes in or agrees with, but the fact is that the dude believes in and agrees with a lot of stuff and he says it, right? What’s the infamous motto? “I just don’t give a f**k!” It may not be right or justified, but I think that I believe him when he says it. A lot of people may or may not like Eminem because his music may or may not be good and he may or may not have a whiney voice and he may or may not complain constantly and blah blah blah, but the guy is honest, he believes in what he does, he says what he says, he loves his daughter, he’s gone through trial and error of reconciling with his wife, ex wife, wife, ex wife, and he raps about personal life things that transcend the whole “sex, drugs, violence” rap thing. And there are plenty of other artists that do the same.
I think it clicked that the Bible is that kind of personal. The kind of thing that says what it says regardless of what people think about it. And while Eminem’s lyrics may not be the best example I could have given... The point I’m trying to make is that censorship bugs me, and when I think of censorship, one of the things I think of is writing or saying things to massive amounts of people and holding back what’s really on your heart, or what you really want to say most, because somebody might not like it.
And the Bible doesn’t do that. It has all the elements of what rappers rap about. It has violence and sex and drugs and passion and love and relationships and fear and trust and instruction and poems and cussing and pleasure and futility and anger and death and life. It has life in that book. And yeah it has the “Eternal Life” but I’m talking about the “living-kind-of-what-we’re-doing-now-life”.
And it’s not written to me like a blogger would write to me, it’s written to me like my dad would talk to me.
Levi McCallister is a spoken word poet out of Albuquerque, New Mexico. You can check out his work at www.myspace.com/levithepoet