Ryan - My name is Ryan and I play guitar in the band.
Jeff - I am Jeff and I play drums.
James - I'm James. I also play guitar.
Kutless - And we are .... Kutless!
James - We're missing a couple of fellows right now so we're 3/5th's of Kutless. I hope that's OK.
Kim - That works. The last time I interviewed the band I talked to Jon Micah, so I've actually only missed one of you. You guys have a new CD out. Tell me about it.
Ryan - The new record is actually a worship project. We decided to go back to our roots 'cuz going back to your roots is pretty cool. We actually started out as a worship band. There's some original tunes on there and there's some that you might know really well like "Draw Me Close", "Better is One Day", "Word of God Speak" - the song that MercyMe did a couple of years back. Then there's some that our home church wrote that really inspired us and that we really enjoy singing and worshipping to, so we figured we'd spread it across the nation.
Kim - And so far the response has been.....?
Jeff - So far the fans are liking it. They're responding well to the music live.
Kim - I know this is still kind of early in the tour, but how's it been going so far?
James - It's been going good. Over half of the shows have been sold out. Tonight has been sold out for three weeks or so. We're really excited about the turnout and everything.
Jeff - It's been fun just getting to know everybody. The Stellar Kart guys are awesome and we're having a ball with them. Everything is really coming together and everybody is really a big family on this tour so it's a lot of fun.
Kim - You guys spend so much of your time on the road. With Stellar Kart being a new face in the national scene, what kinds of stuff are they learning from you guys?
James - They've been playing for a few years around the area they grew up in and they've gone on a short tour before but I think what they're realizing being on the road with us is that (and I hope this doesn't sound contrite and prideful) you can be a band that is 100% dedicated to Jesus and do this Christian music thing. Not to name any names, but with their experiences in the past, they were getting kind of discouraged as a new band entering the market, with the way bands were leading their lives. I think they're seeing almost in a way, a band that they can look up to and draw close to. They can call us for advice, be our friends and lean on us. We've had a little more experience. That's another interesting part of our career. You know, we've only been doing this for three years and a lot of people forget that because it seems like we've been around so much longer because of how fast we've grown and how widely we've been accepted. We've become kind of a sweetheart of the industry. It seems like we've been around longer, but we're still kind of fresh too. With our little bit of more experience, I think that they can learn that the best way to do is to just keep Jesus as the focus of your touring life and your individual life in general.
Kim - You know, people look up to you guys. Your faces are the ones we see on the CD covers, your music is what we hear on the radio. In general, fans tend to idolize their entertainment heroes. I have heard that you all have some very specific rules about how to deal with that. How do you stay focused and in study with people admiring you so much?
James - It is a hard aspect of our career, the fact that fame and faith makes such ironic bedfellows. That's a popular saying in the Christian industry. Everyday people are coming up to us saying stuff like, "Man you guys are so awesome. You played so well tonight. I love your CDs. You're my favorite band. You're the best band I've heard". You know, comments like that. I think that one thing that has helped us stay grounded is that back in the very early days, the van and trailer days, we were always saying to ourselves that what these people mean is that they see what the Lord is doing in us and they are appreciative of and in awe of what the Lord is doing through us. We're not really what is capturing their hearts. It's the Lord that's capturing their hearts while using us. Just as far as areas to stay above reproach in, we do have some very strict rules. We just try to adhere to those and know that we're not only protecting ourselves, but we're also protecting the integrity of some of our young female fans.
