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Q&A: Barlow Girl

2009-09-14T22:30:06Z

They've sold a million records and are 10-time Dove Award nominees. So what were the sisters best known as Barlow Girl doing the week before the release of their new album, Love & War? Babysitting. That's right, as they prepped for an appearance at Universal Studios' Rock the Universe and a fall tour with longtime friends Superchick, they spent a week looking after their brother's four children while he and his wife enjoyed a Hawaiian getaway. Fortunately, Rebecca, Lauren and Alyssa Barlow were able to take time out from their young charges long enough to talk to Rhapsody about the new record. And be sure to browse our Christian Music homepage, where you can find, listen, collect and share high-quality audio of all of your favorite Christian artist. Click here for your free trial membership!

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There's something different about Love & War compared to your previous releases. Is this album a departure for you guys?
Rebecca: This album is us, but it's a more mature us.

The album title Love & War can be taken many ways. What does it mean to you?
Alyssa: We've always believed we needed to keep fighting for what God wants us to be. It's a beautiful tension to keep moving forward. It's love and war. Often we just want one of them, but you need both. This is actually the first album where we got the title even before we had written all the songs, and every song that came after that fell under either category.

There were some rough times during the songwriting process. What was going on?
Alyssa: The song "Stay With Me" came during a really hard season as we were writing this album. We had been writing for five months -- sometimes for five hours a day -- and we had, I think, one song. I just got really frustrated. Our deadline was in two or three weeks. I sat in my car and told God, "I love you, but I don't know if I can keep doing this if it's going to be this hard." Then I felt him telling me, "You Christians are always asking me to take you out of difficult situations."

We're guilty of sacrificing our callings for comfort so often. We have in our minds that if we're going to serve God, it should be this easy ride, but the most beautiful diamonds are made under the most intense pressure.

We have to learn to embrace the hard times as well as the good. "Stay With Me" is a song about how we just made up our minds to keep pressing on. And in the next three weeks we wrote 10 more songs.

What's the story behind the new single, "Beautiful Ending"?
Alyssa: It's a deep look into what us girls have felt and dealt with for years. When God called us to ministry, I was like, "No, anything but full-time ministry!" One of our biggest concerns was that in working for God all the time, we'd forget about him. It's a common tale. When you're serving God and your ministry is going well, your pride comes in and you think you don't need him as much. We were wondering, will we have a beautiful ending? It's about our desire to not forget him in this process.

What was your approach as you headed into the recording studio this time around?
Rebecca: We never want to become stagnant. We always want to be challenging ourselves. For this album we definitely combed over every song, changing keys, changing time signature.

As an all-girl group, you've been labeled an act aimed at girls. Do you see that as your target audience?
Rebecca: It's our desire that people don't say, "You're just great for girls." We're a band, and we're working hard at what we're doing. We want to encourage women and men to embrace their calling.

Many of your fans seem to look to you for advice. What types of issues do you hear about most?
Rebecca: The issues that constantly come up for us in our signing line are a lot of people struggling with depression and eating disorders and a lot of people dealing with death. It's interesting to hear these people's stories and for them to hear a song on the radio and find encouragement. It's awesome to hear that they have been encouraged through a song.

Is there one song from the album that's become a favorite?
Lauren: "Come Alive" is so fun to play, and we're gonna start incorporating it in our fall set. We're all called to change this world. I think it's the cry of this generation to be all you're meant to be.

Where do the songs come from? Are they from your own lives or issues you think listeners are facing?
Lauren: Where we're at personally always comes through in the record and our lyrics. We can only really write where were at. This season, I feel like we saw the light at the end of the tunnel and that definitely came through on this album.

You're kicking off the release of this album with a concert at Universal Studios' Rock the Universe event. How did that come about?
Rebecca: We bumped up the album release two weeks so it could tie in with Rock the Universe, and it's our first time playing there, so we're so excited!

Q & A: mewithoutYou

2009-06-08T05:03:23Z

With a new record and a national tour ahead of them, Philadelphia experimental rockers mewithoutYou are geared up to take the college indie scene by storm this summer. Their fourth release, It’s All Crazy! It’s All False! It’s All a Dream! It’s Alright, showcases lyricist Aaron Weiss’ softer side. The choral chants and Dylan-esque acoustic rhythms present an ideal backdrop for Weiss to channel God’s messages through his lyrics. Weiss stepped away from prepping the band’s eco-friendly tour bus and shared some words with me regarding his deep connection to God and what exactly defines his deeply spiritual lifestyle.

]]> You guys getting ready for tour?
Yah.

When do you start? Monday?
Right.

I heard that you tour in an old 40-foot bus that runs on vegetable oil. Is this true?
Yeah. I think it came from a high school in Altus, Okla. I’m reading the back of it right now. It says Altus Bulldogs. It's got a mascot of a big ol’ bulldog, and it looks like it’s from a high school. But we got it in Arkansas a few years ago and converted it. We added a bigger fuel tank and made the necessary adjustments so it could run on veggie oil, too.

Can you tell me a little about how you guys first got together and started playing as mewithoutYou?
A few of us were playing in another band together. We’ve played in a lot of bands over the years. This was just another one, but it happened to get a break and sign to a record label, which helped us to start touring and go into the studio. You know, nothing too out of the ordinary.

That was Tooth & Nail that signed you, right?
Yah -- we did an EP before that, but all of our full-lengths have been on Tooth & Nail.

I’ve read that you are in the process of getting a master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania. How do you balance being in an uber-successful college band while getting degrees and doing epic things for yourselves outside of music?
Well, the music act has been [slowing] down, allowing for more time to pursue other things. For about seven or eight years we weren’t taking classes or working any other jobs. It’s only been recently that we’ve gone in those directions.

So UPenn? I know that is a really prestigious school.
Well, my mom works there so that’s what sealed the deal for me, but I was just taking a few classes this past year. I’m not in any program. I’m not sure if I’ll ever get a degree out of it, but it has been really nice to take classes, and my mom’s work pays for it almost completely. It’s a real blessing to be able to go to such a good school that is right near where I live. It’s just a short bike ride. I haven’t taken classes in almost a decade so it’s been nice to get back into it.

As of last Thursday, It’s All Crazy! It’s All False! It’s All a Dream! It’s Alright reached No. 72 in the Billboard top 200, selling over 8,000 copies in its first week of sales. In the large scope of things, how important are these sort of accomplishments to you?

They are important to us. But in the large scope -- you’re asking about the large scope -- they aren’t important at all. We could end up No. 1 on those charts someday and not feel any peace in our hearts and not be living a good life and not be living in a true way. But of course you can live in a true way and not be recognized for it and not be accepted for it and certainly not be famous or wealthy and not be in the top 200 of a particular chart. So those things don’t matter.

But you do get caught up in it. You do get excited, you know -- if we had been No. 1 or really high up there. Believe me, I’ve been excited, but there are a lot of other bands that have sold more than us. It’s really nothing to brag about. What about the other 71 groups? You put it into perspective. As important as we may seem to ourselves, you look at a lot of the other groups on those charts; you don’t who they are and you’ve never heard their names before but they all have their own lives and their own worlds so in the end we are just another name on that list, you know?

But as far as business is concerned, that’s pretty high up for a band in your genre. You guys are in a chart that features artists like Eminem and other super major acts with millions of dollars backing them.
Yeah, but it hasn’t brought any peace into my heart, or as far as I know any of the other guys. We realize that it is sort of a dead end to pursue that and measure our success by that. It’s exciting for a minute, but then it's back to the same difficulties that you struggle with. However, it is exciting to go on tour, and to be on stage and to have T-shirts and have someone want to interview you. That feels good in a certain way, but on the other hand we aren’t sure that’s what we are really searching for.

We just thank God for it and then we say, "Well, thank you God, but no thank you, God. This isn’t really it. As soon as you want it to be over, let it be over." The grace for me is being content with never doing another record, or if this is the last time anyone calls me wanting to ask any questions that would be just fine with me. Although believe me, I am honored that you called me, and I really do appreciate that you would take the time to talk with me, but I feel a little strange answering questions even though I don’t think I have much to say.

You seem to be content with where you are as a band and like you are ready to go beyond music and chase your own dreams with school and such.
Well, for my life going back to school wasn’t a dream or an aspiration. It was advice given to me by a dear friend. Someone who I respect. He was praying about it and said, "In my prayers, it seems to me that it would be good for you to go to school and to have something else other than music that you are spending your time with and another option for your career." This is the last thing I wanted. I absolutely had no interest in going back to school and investing my time and whatever money it costs into doing this. But he was persistent, this friend of mine. He is an older fellow and has a lot more wisdom and experience than me. I ran it by my parents, and they both said, "Yes, we would like you to go back to school." So I decided it wouldn’t be that bad.

It was really something that came out of prayer. In my life it was done in submission to God, not something I wanted to do. But then my mind got a hold of it, and I started thinking I could get a graduate degree and get a better job and people will respect me and think I’m smart and all kinds of these things that have no value. It is exactly like being No. 72 on a chart. It doesn’t bring me peace, and I know it won’t bring me peace to have a graduate degree or to have a job that pays a certain amount of money. The truth for me is continuing to lay before God in my heart and saying, "Well, God if this is something that you are doing, then may that be so and let me be so with whatever comes."

It’s not what’s happening in our lives, it’s just the spirit of contentment that exists in all of us that we all have access to. We need to figure out whether we are going to be grateful and give praise and thanks for the things that exist or if we are going to focus on things that aren’t the way we want them to be.

Would it be true to assume that religion and spirituality are a pretty big part of your life?
Well, God is my life. During my clearer moments, I realize that I don’t really have anything else except for God. I have a family and a band and friends and ideas and beliefs and religious groups and all these things, but all of those things are going to be gone very, very soon. Even my own body, it’s all passing away. Religion and all my ideas about God, those things don’t give me any life. They don’t have any importance, but God the actual power that created me and gives life to all the world -- that is the life within everyone -- there are no words that I can say about that.

I can’t talk about God; I can’t put it into words. I don’t mean to evade the question, but I do have a sense that there is nothing of any value other than God. Including the religions that people talk about and all my doctrines and beliefs that I’ve associated with; those don’t have any value but only God, who I don’t even begin to understand. It brings me to a wonderful place of being just like a child in some ways, not understanding anything but just sort of in awe of everything and being grateful for everything that comes and waiting for whatever goes and to let it go. But I wouldn’t call it religion.

That’s how my parents raised me. They told me to believe in God, not to believe in this world or even in myself, which is a strange request to make of a young man. However, it’s starting to seem like the truth. God is reality and everything we see is not.

So it’s something you learn more with every passing day?
Well, for my life it’s more like a roller coaster. It’s not a constant progression forward. Sometimes I will forget and spend entire days grumbling about what’s not going right. I forget very often, but there are other days where even just remembering God and praising Him and saying, "Oh God you’re the greatest, you’re the most beautiful one, you’re my only friend, you’re really my only family, you’re the one who is wise, you’re the one who is true, who is merciful, compassionate, loving -- you’re within everyone. You’re everywhere. You’re within those who believe in you and even those who don’t believe in you. You always were and you always will be."

It’s so wonderful remembering Him. It’s like a rock that is higher than all the floodwaters in the world. Anything that happens, no matter how bad it is, you just accept that and say, "That is this world. It comes and goes. But there is a love that doesn’t and it’s in me now." So I don’t really learn more everyday. It’s something that just comes. You just need to realize it.

Over the last few records you’ve released, mewithoutYou’s music has become dramatically less electric, and features less angst in its overall tone in exchange for a sound that is more folk-influenced and acoustic. Is this because you have matured as musicians, individuals, and as a band or because of the events that occurred in your lives while you were composing these songs?
Well, we like the new songs better. We generally like the direction it’s going. Why not make music that you like rather than music that you liked when you were 22? We’ve all changed. Also, we lost a member. Our old guitar player, Chris [Kleinberg], has been going back to school. He plans to be a doctor someday. So we wrote the last record without him.

We were down a guitarist, so I picked up an acoustic guitar and started playing that more. Just playing simple chords and rhythms, but maybe that one factor was enough to shift the overall core of the songs. A lot of them were just written around simple chord progressions rather than these complex electric-guitar riffs we used to write.

Do you write most of the lyrics yourself?
To answer you sincerely, God is truly the one who is conducting my life, so in some ways I just feel like I’m watching it unfold. But that’s something I don’t understand. On the surface level it would appear that way, yes, you know? It’s my hand [that writes the lyrics], and sometimes the guys make suggestions if a lyric comes out that they think can be better. In that case, I will zero in and try to improve it, and of course a lot of it is borrowed or stolen from whatever I’ve read or heard. So it’s not like original stuff, and it has been said before.

So you get some of it from scripture you read?
Well, some of the older songs are from scripture. But lately, I haven’t been reading much of the scripture. While some of the songs have words from scripture, it’s not much.

How did you guys come up with the record’s title, It’s All Crazy! It’s All False! It’s All a Dream! It’s Alright?
There was a holy man named Bawa Muhaiyaddeen that came to Philadelphia in the early 1970s, and he said that.

Can you tell me about your band’s friend Critter?
Yeah. Crittervision.com. How do you know about him?

I read about him online. Is he a friend of yours?
Well, my parents taught me that God is my only friend but I understand what you are asking. I’m sorry, again I’m not real good at doing interviews, but Critter is a very dear brother of ours. We’ve seen him now and again over the years on tour around North Carolina. Sometimes he comes to the shows with a whole bunch of food that he got from a nearby dumpster. Like, just expired food. That kind of thing. He is a very, very precious brother. A sweet brother. If you’re reading this, Critter, you better come when we come through North Carolina! We haven’t seen him in a while.

When is the last time you guys toured?
It’s been over a year now. So I guess it’s not Critter’s fault that we haven’t seen him.

So are you getting anxious or excited for tour? It’s been so long.
No. Not very excited or anxious right now. It’s still a few days away. There is a lot between now and then.

Since it has been so long, you are going to have to re-adjust your day-to-day life. You will be living on a bus and be in a different city every night. Is there a learning curve after not being on the road for over a year?
For me it’s a small adjustment. Whether I’m sleeping in my bed in Philly or a bed on the bus, it doesn’t make that big a difference. But for some of the other guys it’s a bigger deal. They have a hard time being away from home. Maybe they have closer relationships or something like that in Philadelphia. But for me, I don’t really look forward to it or mind it.

You guys live holistic lifestyles. You don’t normally eat at chain restaurants. How does this work on tour?
Well, for a long time I was really into dumpster diving like Critter. You would be amazed that you can find enough food that others have thrown away if you know where to look. But recently, that hasn’t been such a priority in my life. Yesterday, I ate at a big pizza chain restaurant. The point is I used to make a big deal of what I do and don’t do. You know. "I eat out of trash cans and I don’t have a cell phone and I don’t have an automobile because I ride a bicycle. I don’t wear new clothes because I go to the thrift store." It goes on and on; you can say, "This is what I do and this is what I don’t do, and that’s why I’m better than everybody and I’m living right and everyone else is living wrong."

It was just so crazy for me to obsess over myself in that way. It didn’t bring me peace, and I was tired of feeling so separated from everybody because of all these things I did and didn’t do. It’s much sweeter to say, "God, this all your responsibility, and we are all your children, and you are the one who’s good. Any goodness is from you." Nothing I ever do or don’t do will make me better than anyone else.

This interview is going to be published in a newspaper that is circulated around the nation’s “No. 1 Party School.” A lot of UF students spend their days in a mindless haze stumbling from a classroom, to a barstool, to passing out, and doing it all over again the next day. People care more about how many friends they have on Facebook than what is happening in the world around them. Can you comment on the indifference of today’s youth?
Well everyone has heard about Jesus and all the prophets, and everyone knows right from wrong. If folks want to ignore that and numb that and go through life trying to have a good time, I know what that’s like, man. I understand that there is a lot of suffering in this world. There is a lot of loneliness and confusion and fear, so if you want to get drunk, I can relate. But pay attention. Watch closely to what happens to your own heart when you do those things. Watch what happens when you take a girl to bed and then break up with her. Watch what happens when you pass all your time just trying to forget about reality. Watch what happens when you don’t forgive others. Watch what happens when you deny the existence of God and say, "There is no God and no need to pray, and if I don’t understand it, it doesn’t exist."
If you make these choices and have these beliefs, see what comes of it; if it doesn’t work or seems like a dead end, then you can still pray and you can still cry out to God for help and you can ask for mercy and ask for God to turn your life around. But you only want to do that if you hit a rock bottom. If there are other things to do and you want to do them, then do them. But pay attention. Learn from it and move forward. Don’t cling to it just because that’s what everyone around you is doing.

What does mewithoutYou have in store for the future?
We don’t really have any plans.

Well thanks for giving me your time.
It’s wonderful to meet you. Much peace to you and the rest of your classmates at school. May God bless you and protect you.

Rhap Session: Underoath

2008-09-12T15:49:12Z

Debuting once again on the top 10 of the Billboard 200 with Lost in the Sound of Separation, Christian metal trailblazers Underoath have expanded upon their foundation and waged a sonic war on the lyrical search for self. With a darker, heavier record, the Adam D./Matt Goldman-produced album is a stylistic shift for the once-dubbed-screamo Florida sextet. Rhapsody checked in with bassist Grant Brandell to learn about what went into the new record, and where these lost twentysomethings find themselves as a band in 2008.

]]> On sonic goals for Lost in the Sound of Separation
We were really happy with our last record [Define the Great Line], but after reviewing it, it [sounded] [pauses], I guess "produced" is the word. Not in a bad way, just as far as editing and sound quality �- a big thing was the mixing, so we went with David Bendeth this time. We wanted to have more of an organic sound, like the live sound we put out. That�s pretty much what we were going for.

On the last record, when Aaron [Gillespie, drums/vocals] sings sometimes, there�s a double track where he sings harmonies on top of himself. When you listen to the vocals on this record, they are way more crystal clear and sharper. No one did anything they can�t do live. If Aaron sang a part, he sang a part �- if there�s a double over that, Spencer [Chamberlain, vocals] sang it. If they both sang a part together and there�s a harmony, Tim [McTague, guitars] sang the harmony, so it was just like you would hear it live. I think that definitely made the biggest difference. And it came out heavier than I think we all expected it to; but that�s not a bad thing, that�s just how it came out.

On more screaming, less singing
We write the music first. We�re not trying to force clean or catchy vocals over parts that it doesn�t fit in; it�s pretty much what�s best for the song. We went to the studio for recording and Aaron had a lot of lyrics and parts that he wanted to put in that just didn�t fit. So, since this record was heavier, it just makes sense that the vocals were going to be heavier too. I think it's cool; it�s not like we�ve done the whole �scream/sing� combo really equally on a lot of our records. Aaron wasn�t going to be singing every chorus of every song or anything, but this one definitely isn�t that way �- it�s grittier. We all love that about it. Like I said, it�s what came out: a heavier, darker record.

On their influences showing through
We definitely all love Botch and Isis and Radiohead, so that�s going to come out in our music. Whatever people interpret and hear it as, that�s cool, but I think, for us, it wasn�t a conscious thought. Some people hear it as our heaviest, darkest record ever, some people hear it as experimental. It�s cool, just like anything else, people have their own opinions. It doesn�t change who we are or what we stand for or anything like that.

On the album's title
The title is actually lyrics from a song, but basically, in a nutshell, it means living your life and making decisions and just trying to figure out through each experience what kind of person you are. In general, everyone feels lost at some point in their life �- at many points probably �- and once you�re given that choice, you�ve got to pick one way or the other. That�s usually what it comes down to. If you�re lost in something, you need to choose, and that kind of defines who you are at the same time.

On track titles and lyrical themes
They all go along with the theme of being lost and growing up and making decisions and accepting who you are and where you are. Spencer writes all the lyrics, and there�s two that definitely streamline �- track four, �Emergency Broadcast: The End Is Near� and the last track �Desolate Earth: The End Is Here.� As far as lyrical content, those two go together. In the last song, the lyrics are how he found hope, and in track four, all the lyrics are basically about how we, humans, are the cause for everything evil in the world. We bring it upon ourselves. You can�t really look around these days and not see how humans have had an impact on the earth in a negative way. And a lot of it for us, being a Christian band, is just the spiritual aspect of it too. How as a baby, you�re completely innocent � you haven�t made any wrong choices, and by the time you�re someone my age [26], you�ve made so many mistakes and screwed up so many ways, but [there�s] still hope. I think, for us, without God you can�t find that hope, you know? That�s kind of what we view it as, and at the end of that [song], he found hope.

And �Breathing in a New Mentality,� relates pretty good with where we are as a band now. Spencer went through a lot of problems dealing with drugs, and he�s been clean and just got his life a lot more straight since then, so it�s kind of like starting a new page. It's perfect for the first track on the record.

On having full creative control
We�ve always been that way. I think maybe now it�s more evident. What�s the point of being in a band if you can�t control what you do? If you�re having someone else write your songs and tell you what�s okay to put on the radio and what�s okay to edit and what�s okay not to play, it just takes the joy out of creating music.

I think that after They�re Only Chasing Safety everyone expected us to put out a super screamo/singing/pop record, and we didn�t want to do it. We�re not the biggest band in the world or anything, but we�ve definitely been blessed and had a lot of success and I think that people, especially our record label, understand that we have a good head on our shoulders. We know what we want to do so we�re going to do it and they�re cool; they support us and we work together � we�re not jerks about it. We obviously understand there�s compromises with everything, but for the most part, they�re awesome and they help us out creatively and it works out well.

On the band�s evolution as a solidified line-up since 2003
I think there�s definitely way more comfort now � on a positive side and a negative side. We�re way more open in telling another guy in the band if that part is awesome or if that parts sucks. The more you get in the studio, the more you become comfortable with the whole process, yourself and your own instrument. You want to try and push the boundaries and try new things. We�ve definitely evolved as a band, and hopefully, we show that musically in the record. We try to push ourselves and the more records you do with the same people, the more you know what the other person�s thinking and what you can and can�t do.

There�s always kids coming up to me saying, �Why don�t you play this old song or that old song?� We�re not the same band we were four, six years ago, you know? We want to play what we want to play, just like we want to write what we want to write. Sometimes kids might get bummed out on that, but the record�s there. You can listen to the record and enjoy it, but this is what we want to do, and we�re going to do it. And for the most part, people are cool and supportive of that.

On expectations for the new album
Honestly, I think I�ve already achieved all my expectations. There�s the whole thing with Sound Scan sales and all that crap, but this is a record more than any other record where I don�t really care about that stuff. Our last record was a huge ordeal like that, but for us, we�re genuinely stoked with the record we put out. I think it�s the best record we�ve ever done. I love the songs on it and I�m happy with it and I don�t care if it sells ten copies or 10 million; I�m just stoked on what we did. Regardless of how it does in the business aspect, as far as my expectation level, we�re going to be fine. We�re going to play the songs we�re going to be playing in front of 50 kids or 5000 kids. Either way, it�s going to be awesome.

Rhap Session: Norma Jean

2008-08-20T01:00:00Z

by Jen Guyre

For Christian metalcore mainstays Norma Jean (vocalist Cory Brandan, guitarists Scottie Henry and Chris Day, bassist Jake Schultz and drummer Chris Raines), reinvention is not so much a planned process as it is a spontaneous one -- and some would say the key to survival in a scene currently overrun with mimicry. Their latest effort The Anti-Mother, featuring production by Ross Robinson [Korn, Blood Brothers, At the Drive-In], songwriting by Chino Moreno of the Deftones, guest vocals from Cover Reber of Saosin and a collaboration with Page Hamilton of Helmet, shows the Atlanta-based band moving toward a mature sound and experimental vibe.

"We never really want to set a sound for ourselves [because] we never know what it�s gonna be like until we�re done � it just sort of happens," says Henry. Rhapsody caught up with Henry on the Warped Tour to find out more about what went into the making of the new album.

]]> On The Anti-Mother
It�s kind of a character, or a personality, that�s inside of everybody. We � people in general �- will do stuff that we think is right or good for us at the time, and it's very deceiving, because it ends up hurting us in the long run. It�s just about those decisions we make throughout life that we think we�re doing it because it's good for us. Something that�s beautiful and nurturing or caring on the outside, but inside, it's ultimately bad for you. It�s not really a themed record, but a lot of it is personal experiences that we�ve gone through and just the things that have happened in life where that does come into play.

On meeting and collaborating with Page Hamilton on "The Opposite of Left and Wrong"
He ended up coming to one of our shows a couple years ago in L.A., and we were just freaking out. We came off stage and he was hanging out in our backstage room. He watched the show and hung out and we just hit it off -- he�s a really awesome dude. So, we just kept in touch; we would hang out whenever Helmet was in Atlanta, or we were out in L.A.. When it was time to start writing, we thought it would be amazing to get Page involved.

He flew into Atlanta for two days and we wrote and messed around and played a Helmet song with him; it was great. We spent an hour or two where he was just showing us different voicings and different chords on the guitar � like the chords you hear on Helmet records where you�re just like, "What is that?" So, we were just geeking out doing that, and some of those chords he showed us are all over the record. A lot of us play music just from growing up and listening to Helmet. It was really cool learning from the guy that inspired us.

On meeting and collaborating with Chino Moreno on "Surrender Your Sons"
We never had met him or any of the Deftones dudes, but they had a tour going at the same time we [did]. Our tours were kind of following each other, just interlinking every once in a while. And we thought, since we love the Deftones so much, it would be awesome to just leave them a box of our merch and a letter. We left them a box of stuff at this venue; we never knew if they got it or anything. Later on in that same tour, we were playing in Virginia, and when we got there, these people gave us a box from the Deftones and they left us a bunch of merch. We were so stoked that they actually got it and thought enough to leave something for us, so that was cool. And that�s really all the contact we had with them, but once we got Page involved, we were like, "It would be awesome to see if Chino would want to do it!"

Our manager got in touch with their manager, asked them, and he said he was down. He came out to the studio when we were at [producer] Ross Robinson's. The Deftones were actually recording at the same time; Chino just happened to be in L.A. for a little while, so he came in for two days and it was an awesome, different experience. We had a couple of riffs that we could use, but we really didn�t know what to expect, or what we [were] gonna do about writing this song. He came in and we all just got in a room �- there were four of us with a guitar, and Ross [Robinson] was in there. Chino just tuned his guitar and started messing around and starting playing this riff, and we were like, "Whoa that�s awesome!" And Ross loved it too and flipped out and was like, "That�s it! We�re starting right there."

So, we just started the song out of nothing, out of whatever he was just messing around, and we built the song from that. It all kind of happened very naturally without any kind of plan.

On working with Cove Reber of Saosin
We did a tour with Saosin late last year and just hit it off with those dudes; they�re really cool and we just got to be good friends with Cove. He was working on some stuff in L.A. at the time, and just happened to come and hang out in the studio every once in a while, and Cory [Brandan] thought his voice would really go well with some backups. Cory didn�t want it to be his voice backing up himself, so Cove came in and was stoked to help us out.

He actually helped write a lot of the vocal parts on the song we did with Chino. It just turned out that after a while Chino had to go back up north for the Deftones record, and he hadn�t done vocals yet. It was getting late in the recording process, so we were like, "Okay, how are we gonna do this? Is [Chino] gonna even be able to do it after we wrote the song with him? Is he even gonna be able to be on the record now?" And Cove was around, so him and Cory were like, "We better just do this me and you just to make sure we have it." They sat down and wrote the lyrics and the vocal parts for that song together, and [sang] it together and loved it. We ended up being able to send Chino the song and he put his parts on it, but Cove was also a big part of that song.

On producer Ross Robinson
It was definitely a dream of ours to work with him the first time on Redeemer. We just grew up loving things he had done over the years, everything from the first Korn way back in the day, to At the Drive-in and Glassjaw, stuff like that.

As a band, we always wanted our recordings for our songs to have a very live feel, not a sterile, hooked-up-to-a-tuner feel, and when we started working with him, he was into the exact same thing. He likes digging in deeper about what the song is about and really making it come alive. Everybody that�s in the room playing knows exactly what the song is about, and you play different when you know what you�re playing for. We just loved that vibe that he gets out of us, and we work together really well, so we definitely wanted to work with him again for The Anti-Mother.

On the band's achievements
I feel like we�ve already achieved everything we wanted to. We�re really excited about this record; we got to work with some heroes of ours. It was really hard, but at the same time, I think we really earned it. It was just a long recording process, and we really pushed ourselves musically this time, so the record is a success because of that in our eyes.

Playlist: Jamie Hector from "The Wire"

2008-01-04T23:17:26Z

By Toshitaka Kondo

It takes grindin' to be king in the streets. That and a ruthless demeanor, top-notch instincts and zero qualms about using violence to get the job done. On HBO's "The Wire," Jamie Hector's deadly character Marlo Stanfield, the king of Baltimore's most dangerous drug cartel, possesses all of these traits. And while running the streets usually leads to jail time or an early grave, one gets the feeling this gangsta won't die -- he'll just move to Miami. Hector, a twenty-something Brooklyn native, had small roles in Clockers, Paid in Full and He Got Game before locking down the block as Marlo on "The Wire." He picked a playlist fit for the streets and Sunday service.

]]> The Notorious B.I.G. Featuring 112, "Sky's the Limit"
"Biggie made it clear to the young ones coming up that there is no limit to what you can make happen wherever you are or come from. I definitely respected that. Also, I like the way he put together the track."

The Notorious B.I.G., "One More Chance/Stay With Me"
"I really like that one also because it took me back to being in Bedford Stuyvesant, Crown Heights and East Flatbush."

Rick Ross, "Hustlin'"
It just gives you that frame of mind in the morning to make it happen. That's life. That's progress and moving forward."

Nas, "One Mic"
It made you get in touch with your emotions and open up. It brought it back to lyrics with flash. And at the same time, he was just talking about the world. I think he shot the video in Africa. He spoke the truth about snakes in the grass, and it was poetic."

Nas, "Represent"
�It shows you where he came from and how he progressed. When he wrote that rhyme, it was like I was there. I could actually see it. I can't put it to words, but it was visual. That's how I feel when I read a script. It's like you just hit my arm, because it just jumped off the page."

Jay-Z feat. Eminem, "Renegade"
�The Blueprint is sick! Em killed it. Goodness gracious! And Jay shook it with the lyrics, too."

Jay-Z, "Moment of Clarity"
"First and foremost, I respect the fact that he's thanking God. When you posted up and you just watching people and you see the way they move, and you're just like, 'Damn, do I move like this cat?' Whether they be good or bad. But he ain't even say he move like the guy. He moves like the rims. They don't even stop moving. Even when you're resting, you're mind is still moving. It's like you got to download. And I dug that. I listen to all kinds of music and when you listen to songs, hopefully they'll be inspiration. You think your mind is moving like the dude that's sitting in the Bentley. But nah, your mind isn't moving like them cats 'cause they stopped moving. Your mind is moving like the rims. You stop at the light and they still spinning."

Phil Collins, "In the Air Tonight"
�It just gives you that feel of being in a drop-top in Miami or L.A .or New York and you're driving with a shorty in the passenger seat relaxing. The thing with me and music is I associate it with a time. And when that came out I was watching Miami Vice, and it's that vibe that you want to get when the city lights is on and you just cruising through the metro."

Phil Collins, "True Colors"
�Phil Collins put that down even though they made it a Kodak commercial. That was one of those songs that made you analyze yourself. You might be walking around and hiding your true colors, but that right there is deep because that actually made me realize that a lot of people are walking around with a mask on. And they have to find out their true colors, as well as mine. And I felt that 'cause it was like one of those days that you just kick back. And there's nobody to blame anybody for it. And you can just lay back, relax, play it, and think."

Kem, "Find Your Way"
�I just saw him perform it the other day. I went to one of his shows. He isn't gospel, but Jesus is first and foremost in his life, and he made it certain at the show. He just goes hard 'cause he came from a long way. He was addicted to alcohol, I think. He made it through so he just took 10 minutes and dropped it about where he came from and how he came from the underground and made it up. He didn't do it by himself and he started his song and I was like, 'Wow, ok. Now I see where the music comes from.'"

Al Green, "Love and Happiness"
�When he wrote the song, I think it might have been in the '70s, people were actually like that with true love, in the backyard, relaxing outside, with everybody barbequing, and no hate. Not too many people can write about love and happiness and make it stick. Mary J. Blige is probably one of the only ones that can do that. She's basically found true love in God, and then in her husband."

Mary J. Blige, "Can't Hide From Luv"
�Mary J. got a way of calling people out on the low, but at the same time making them feel good. She's like, 'Yo, step it up and be a man!' She's basically telling everybody, 'Listen, this is what I'm looking for and this is what I want. A real man who's about his business and that's going to take care of the home.' It's one of those tracks that get in your heart and makes it beat fast."

Mary Mary, "In the Morning"
�I think that was around the time of 9/11, and I realized that even with all the drama that people got in life, the sun is going to shine in the morning. You know when you can speak to people and let them know that you're going through the same drama that they're going through. Some people think that you're in the sky and that you can't relate to them because you're so famous. They laid it down like, 'Listen, when you look at the sun, you see the same sun I see. Any troubles you have, I may have also, but I'm going to let you know it's going to be alright.'The name of the game is keep your cool."

Mary Mary, "Little Girl"
�She's talking to my 10-year-old niece. I see little girls trying to grow up so fast and quick. The little dudes, they just running and wanna play with themselves, and it's the little girls that's really trying to get their attention at a younger age. It's like, 'Listen, slow down before something breaks. Don't speed.'"

Eric B. and Rakim, "Paid in Full"
�Rakim had the demeanor of a leader. He wrote that in like the '80s when cats was basically trying to make it out cause that was right when crack hit the fan. So that was when they were about to knock off a couple generations of humans whether black, white, Asian and everyone. He came from there, but now he doesn't want to go there anymore. He's basically trying to go from point A to point B to point C. So now, it was like you thinking of a master plan, but you don't want to go left. And he's basically thinking about how to make some money, and there's a possibility he might end up going to the pistol, but he chooses to go get a job. I dug that 'cause that was the time that you could shape the minds of young dudes, too. He was just painting a picture for you like, 'This is what I used to do and what I came from, and I still gotta get it, but you know what? I'm no longer doing it this way. If I do it this way, I'm going to be around for a while. If not, I'm going to get killed or go to jail.' But the way he put it together was artistic."

Best of 2007: Christian/Gospel

2007-12-26T18:05:17Z

Rhapsody's 2007: The Year in Christian Music playlist headlined that CCM had grown three sizes this year. Now we bring you the rest of that story: an American "Idol"'s gospel debut, Christian acts rocking "Grey's Anatomy" and the House of Blues, plus heaps more. Read on for the top 10 moments in Christian/gospel music of 2007.

]]> 1. As Seen (or Heard) on TV

Now you can TiVo your favorite CCM artists. Caedmon's Call aren't the first of the genre to land a track on "Grey's Anatomy," but they'll be the last this season. On January 3, 2008, Caedmon's Call's "Ten Thousand Angels" will play during the season finale's who-knows-what's-gonna-happen tumultuous last scene. Crossover sensation Mat Kearney graced season three's soundtrack with "Breathe in and Breathe Out." Switch channels and you'll find power-tenor David Phelps on the January 13 episode of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."

2. "Idol" Goes Gospel

Mandisa stepped off the "American Idol" stage after being voted off the show and onto the gospel charts with multiple offerings: her debut True Beauty, the Christmas Joy EP, and slots on three other projects including Toby Mac's Portable Sounds where she jams with Mac and Kirk Franklin, Beth Moore's Songs of Deliverance, and the soundtrack to the newest Veggie Tale flick, The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything. She even joined Rhapsody for an exclusive interview.

3. House of � Worship?

Christian rockers brought down the house this year at the House of Blues. Jeremy Camp, David Crowder, Phil Wickham and the Myriad (see # 9) let their praise loose on a national HOB tour. Jeremy Camp shared the tour bus and stage with wife Adrienne Liesching, former frontwoman for Benjamin Gate. David Crowder, whose endearing, improvisational spirit was tailor-made for HOB's intimate setting, enlisted the help of homemade instruments, including a souped-up Guitar Hero guitar you have to see/hear to believe.

4. "Cross"overs

The irresistible Jonas Brothers bebopped into even more hearts at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Casting Crowns periodically beat Madonna, Matchbox Twenty, Usher, Shakira and Ashley Tisdale on the general pop charts. Switchfoot continued their reign, and Relient K joined them not only in rank but on tour. Plus, heard at P.F. Chang's: Chris Rice's "Lemonade." When CCM-ers make it onto canned playlists at popular restaurant chains, they've pretty much conquered the final mainstream frontier.

5. Hello and Goodbye

Jump 5 jumped ship. This bubble-gummy dance-pop outfit will be sorely missed by Radio Disney listeners worldwide. They picked a fine time to leave, after this year's Hello and Goodbye made top lists. (Perhaps the title was a clue, but singles like "Still Got Me" were an unfair tease.) One last Christmas LP and they were outtie, playing their last show at Nashville's (and Michael W. Smith's) beloved Rocketown venue. With members as young as 19, they've got plenty of time for other successes, but teens are lamenting all over MySpace. I blame the Jonas Brothers.

6. Charitable Doughnation

This year, charity got creative: Switchfoot partnered with Habitat for Humanity twice, headlining an Evan Almighty-sponsored "Rock the Boat" concert, and later donating $1 per ticket sold from their Appetite for Construction tour. Compassionart, a charitable movement created by Delirious frontman Martin Smith, announced that it will gather Michael W. Smith, Steven Curtis Chapman, Chris Tomlin, Darlene Zschech, Matt and Beth Redman, Tim Hughes, Paul Baloche, Israel Houghton, Graham Kendrick, Andy Park and Stu Garrard for a songwriting retreat in Scotland in January, and donate 100 percent of the proceeds derived from the songs written to carefully chosen charities. As a group, these musicians account for 42 million albums sold, 82 number one hits, nine Grammys, 110 Dove Awards, two Stellars, two AMAs and 98 songs on CCLI's Top 500. Can you feel the love?

7. Rocking the Vote

Sonicflood joined ONE Vote �08 to "rally faith communities" and "challenge presidential candidates on the issues of poverty, hunger and global disease" according to frontman Rick Heil. ONE Vote is a non-partisan initiative co-chaired by former U.S. senators Tom Daschle and Bill Frist, and supported by politicians including former Chief of Staff to President Clinton John Podesta, celebrities like Christian musician Michael W. Smith, and religious voices such as The Purpose Driven Life author Pastor Rick Warren.

8. Crowning Achievements

Casting Crowns' head-scratching formula for unparalleled success has lead to loads of genre accolades for the band in 2007: they had the number one top-selling album (SoundScan), a seventh number one hit and the highest-grossing tour in Christian music; they were the most-played artist of the year (Radio & Retail Weekly) and earned the most Grammy nods; and all three of their main releases made it into the top 25 � the only Christian artist to do so. This soft-spoken group of youth ministers has made headlines with the "Today Show," USA Today, the Associated Press, Billboard, L.A. Times, The Hollywood Reporter and more asking, "How do you do it?!" Even they don't know.

9. Myriad's Big Break (Out)
It's official: The Myriad are MTV2's 2007 Dew Circuit Breakout winners. After the DCB finale, live from MTV's TRL studio, footage from the finale was turned into a music video for "A Clean Shot," which enjoyed rotation on MTV, MTV2 and mtvU. Previous Dew Circuit Breakout winners include Taking Back Sunday, Yellowcard, Hellogoodbye, Halifax and Thursday. In response, their label, KOCH Records, rush-released Prelude to Arrows, a digital EP precluding the album With Arrows, With Poise.

10. Tube Tie

Modeled after YouTube, CEO Chris Wyatt created GodTube in January 2007 as the Christian community's topically streamlined platform for gathering together in video. It doesn't have talking cats, but it does have nearly 40,000 other clips and saw 1.6 million unique visitors monthly in its first year. Its impact and sense of community were so great, IslamicTube and JewTube followed suit.

Further Listening:

Rhapsody's Year in Christian/Gospel Playlist