Dan and I got a chance to talk to Stephen and Christian from Anberlin when they came through town with Warped Tour 08. We talked about tattoos, life, and New Surrender. Check out what they had to say.

Wes: First off, Christian, I love the Hebrew on your arm. What does it mean?

Christian: Basically it says, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ ; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

W: Love God, Love People. That pretty much sums it all up.

C: People make Christianity out to be some huge complex thing. But its not. If you do those two things, everything else will pretty much fall into place, which I fail at miserably pretty often.

W: Don’t we all though, but He loves us just the same. Thats the awesome part about grace.

So we are all really looking forward to hearing New Surrender. On the DVD for Cities, you talked about how each album had a theme, all of them being Man vs. another element. What do you feel like the theme of New Surrender is?

Stephen: I feel like this album is really about getting outside of yourself. All of those “Man vs.”, I found out that was really quite selfish. Its kind of like the Buddist theory of enlightenment, where I may spend my whole life and I may never get enlightenment, its all about me. This album is more about “Stop talking about myself”. There are alot of issues addressed on this album like homelessness, the moments before you die, the end of time, and most of all standing up for what you believe. There is also a song about a story that I read out of Nevada about a 12 year-old that actually hung herself because her father had been sexually abusing her since age 5. That story just killed me. All of the songs are like that, very issue focused.

    And as far as the album goes, one of the things that does make this album better is Christian. I tell him all of the time that he has the right hand, the rhythm side of Anberlin. It’s finally like Joey has a match.

C: Obviously I’m coming from an outside perspective, but all of the previous albums were just Stephen and Joey(songwriting and music), so I think it was the perfect timing to get someone else involved. Most of the stuff I would write, I would throw to Joey and he would make it so much better. And if one of us was going through a writers block, the other was still writing.

W: How was this album different recording with a new producer? Especially since all of the other albums were recorded with Aaron, How was Neal Avron different?

S: I loved it! Since we were on an indie label before, the recording process was so rushed. Blueprints took 3 and a half weeks(to record), Friendship took 4, and Cities took 4 and a half weeks. With New Surrender, we spent 3 and a half months in the studio. And that was non-stop recording!

C: Like 12 hours a day!

S: And I know that I have never worked that hard on a project. And Neal was a stickler. He would listen to something and be like “That one note is off key”. And no one else could hear it. And then we would listen to it again and were like “It was!” And he wouldn’t let me get away with recording harmonies and melodies and then reusing them through a song. Every vocal of each song was individualy recorded. And I had never done that before either, mostly because we had such a short time in the studio before.

W: I also really enjoyed the fan interaction aspect of the studio webcam. It was really neat being able to peek in on you guys while you were at work recording.

I know that you guys get the “Christian band” question alot, and I know the reponses that I have read. And your music speaks on very deep spiritual levels. How hard is it sometimes to live out your faith “under the microscope”?

S: My Dad taught us growing up that you have an audience of one. So really, I don’t care if I have an audience of 10 billion or 10. All I have to care about is that ONE when my head hits the pillow. So I really don’t care about the microscope. I mean, there was a microscope on Jesus Christ, and he did everything absolutley perfect. And I am the worst person alive at this moment, so why should I expect anything less. It says that “the prophet will not be welcomed into his own hometown”, and I would say that most, infact 99% of the harshest letters we have ever recieved are from Christians. If anything, I thought that Christians were to “go out into the world and preach the gospel”, not hang out in these 4 walls in Bob’s youth group and give each other a “Jesus Pep Rally”. And thats not what its about.


W: Thats awesome to hear you say that, because alot of people are too afraid to say it.

Thanks so much for your time guys and we are really looking forward to New Surrender, releasing on September 30th, 2008.

S&C: No worries!

Ashley got a chance to ask Jenny Simmons, lead singer of Addison Road, some questions about life, lasagna, and their new self-titled album that is releasing to stores March 18th. Check it out!

A:How did you all end up together?
J:We started playing music together in college. My husband and I were studying different subjects, not intending to start a band. We had started dating and realized that we loved playing music together. We started writing some songs together and actually got a chance to led a DiscipleNow early on(we were totally broke). A local youth pastor saw us playing at a coffee shop and told us that we could come play for his youth group and that they would pay us. He said to just bring our band out. Well, we didn’t have a band at that point, so we had to make a band really fast and it all really went from there.

A:Who are some of your influences?
J:As a band, we are so diverse and all over the place. The guys really like Death Cab for Cutie, Iron and Wine, The Beatles and a lot of older stuff. I grew up on Christian Music like Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, mostly old school stuff. Right now, its probably Damien Rice, The Fray. So really, the music that we are inspired by is really all over the place, very broad.
A:I grew up on Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith also….
J:Yeah, now that we’ve signed the record deal we’ve been meeting a lot of them and the first time I met them I was kind of star-struck like “Oh My Gosh, I’ve sung your songs in church”. I try to be cool about it. I grew up going to every DC Talk concert, Steven Curtis Chapman concert…. they were all just a big part of my life growing up
A:Yeah, I crowd surfed at an Audio Adrenaline concert
J:So did I!

A:What do you find the most challenging about being the female front of a band in a primarily male fronted industry?
J:Good question! There really aren’t a lot of female bands, especially female worship leaders. We do a lot of worship leadership. I think the hardest part for me is off-stage. On stage, we get a really good reception leading worship. We never have had a lot of issues there. For me personally, I am all girl. And the guys are definitely all guy. So, for me being on the road so much, and being with boys in the car all the time, going to work with boys, going back to the hotel with them, I really miss having girlfriends. For me, I get emotional and tired a lot faster than they do. I just miss that community of being home and everything. Right now I am really ready to have a baby. Most bands don’t have to deal with that, because its all guys. For me, its at a place where I’m having to choose career and where God has called us to be right now. There are a lot of sacrifices in starting a family and God is preparing us for that. I’ve gotten the guys into good shape though. They make sure to remember that I am a girl and give me compliments, and when its raining, I spent the first three years walking in the rain in parking lots, carrying all of my luggage and finally one day I said “I am still a girl, so drop me off at the front door, just do enough to make me still feel like a female(open doors, carry my bags, etc.).

A:What was the most exciting part about recording for you all? Least exciting part?
J: My least favorite part in recording…. we spent a really long time on this album. We wrote songs for about a year and a half and came into the studio with about 120 songs. So when you go in with a song that you spent time on, and feel like its been inspired by God. Its hard having that song picked apart and put on the shelf automatically. Its hard to look over lyrics time and time again and say “Is this exactly the way I want it”
    The best part is that it pays off! We got there and started laying these songs down and knew that it was exactly right. We got to the end of that process and we’re like, this is exactly what God wants us to say. These are the ten songs that we love and are passionate about. Its very exciting for us. Its fun to be in the studio and be creative and see the results of a year and a half of working really really hard. Its almost like God’s gift to you like “Here is the fruit of your hard work”.

A:I love “This Could Be Our Day”! How did you guys come about writing that one?
J:Well, for each one of us, we grew up really grounded in the church. And we have grown to see the temptation of that, in staying inside the 4 walls of the church, in our little Christian hub. My heart is missions and people. There is so much hurting and suffering in the world right now. So above music and what we do on-stage, I would say that my calling is to minister to God’s people. The song was birthed out of that. Its a song of action about how God called us to be his hands and feet. We are made to heal the broken and touch those whose lives are falling apart. And its not really optional. Its not when we feel like it, or when we want to. The words of Jesus were “Go to the corners of the world” and “When you touch the least of these you are really touching me”. And we wanted a song that really called people to action, so that’s were that song came from.

A:I have heard that Lasagna is a very popular meal on the road…. what is the one thing that you have to eat while touring? One thing that you could really do without?
J:Lasagna… you know… have you been reading our rider? We have never been specific in our rider until about two years ago and I was like “Please, no more Lasagna! I can’t eat anymore!” You get there and its just like that big pan of stuff from Sam’s. But here’s the thing. When we got to Pennsylvania, there is a lady there that makes homemade lasagna. I could eat that every meal, every day! But if its just the stuff coming from the grocery store, I could live the rest of my life without eating that. We get that everywhere, that and Coke.
    When we are on the road, I NEED Mexican food! I am a die-hard Texan. I am a Cowboys fan, and I am a Mexican food fanatic. I have cravings for it, like 2-3 times a week if I haven’t had it. I just try to get some rice and beans in at some point in the week and I am usually good

A:What do you do if you have a show coming up and have completely lost your voice?
J:That’s a good question actually! I just got back from the voice doctor yesterday and they had to stick a tube up my nose and down my throat to look and see all the damage I’ve done I guess. We are on tour right now and it gets pretty exhausting because we play all night Friday and all day long Saturday. We do about 30 songs during a day. So when my voice is gone, I don’t have a lot of options. If I’m in Dallas, I can call my doctor and get prednisone, its a steroid, and that will make it better real fast. But normally, I try to limit my talking during the week. When we are home, I try to stay quiet. I drink a bunch of tea with lemon and honey, and all that good stuff. I’ve never ever had to just not go on-stage because I’ve been sick. There have been times where I’ve literally been sick 2 minutes before we go on and then go on and do the whole show. I’ve found that you really run off adrenaline on stage. If you have to be up there, you have to be up there and you just make it work some how.

A:What is your advice to someone that feels like that God’s calling for them is to be involved in music?
J:I would say to seek our your relationship with God above anything else. And I know that might sound cliche or churchy, but I’m pretty convinced that this is a lot harder than most people think it is. Its a calling and a blessing and a gift to get to do what we do. But its exhausting on a lot of different levels. It takes a lot out of you. A lot of people are a part of your life. The really cool thing is that had I spend years through college doing my own thing, going to church, but not having anything to be passionate about in my relationship with Christ, I’d be prettydried up right now. So, I feel like that if that’s where God is calling you, then continue to deepen your roots in him and grow closer to him. Take time and listen for his voice because it keeps you grounded. I think that God gives us passion and talent for a reason, so if you feel like that the thing you love to do most is to get on stage and lead worship or sing your heart out, God will open doors for you. He makes it clear as he guides you where he wants you. You won’t know where he is leading you if you aren’t totally in a right relationship with him.That’s my advice to teenagers because if there is something that is lacking right now in our church in teens and even adults is that real intimate relationship with Christ. So I encourage them to seek that out, because its the foundation of what we do on stage. It can’t be shaken, it can’t be imitated, it has to come from Christ.

A:What do you feel is your biggest calling as a band in all of this? I know you said that your heart is for people and reaching out and missions, but what do you feel your calling as a band?
J:I think as a band that we have realized over the years what a huge influence we can have. God has actually given us a voice to speak. On these Planet Wisdom weekends and the tour that we are a part of, we have two to three thousand kids per weekend who we get to stand on stage before and speak wholesomely words of truth to them. Part of what we do is encourage them in their faith and that it can be fun and notstifling . God give us passion, joy, and excitement and we love being creative and being artists and working on that because we believe that he is the ultimate Artist and he gives us passions and joys. So that’s part of our calling. But also to use the voice that God has given us to encourage people to have something real and intimate! We canencourage them to be involved in missions or tell them how to make it in music, but it all comes back to if there is something real inside of you. There has to be the connection with God that truly brings you to life.That’s what we want to convey to people, no matter where we are playing. Whether its a club or a church, or a college campus, we believe God is real and he is alive. We want the people who we encounter to leave know they’ve heard good music but also question in their heart their faith and what they believe.
A:So if that was the only thing that someone got out of seeing you, that’s what you would want?
J:Yes, absolutely! There are just too many “good” people and too many “religious” people who are missing the point. They are so lonely and helpless though, so of course their faith feels boring. We are about truth and connecting people with the realness of our faith.

A:What has been your favorite concert ever? That can mean one that you have played or seen. Also, what is your dream concert?
J:Favorite concert I’ve ever been to is a tie between U2-Elevation tour and I’ve got to go old school with the DC Talk Jesus Freak tour with Jennifer Knapp. That was amazing, I thought that it was the coolest thing I’ve seen in my entire life.
    Favorite concert that we’ve played…. wow, I have no idea. That’s kind of a stumper. I think probably the first time we went on tour with Planet Wisdom, which is the tour we are currently on. It was a pretty cool thing for us. Our first concert was in Chicago and we played in front of about 3000 kids. And we had never played before 800 kids before that. That was probably was our favorite cause we were like “Hey, we might make it..”. That one stands out pretty vividly to me.
    Dream concert…I’ve been on an Eagles kick lately. I kinda wanna see them before they all die.

A:What do you like to do when you aren’t touring?
J:NOTHING! That is the perfect thing! And I struggled with that for a long time because I used to work as a nanny. Once we signed the record deal, our schedules have been so crazy that we are only home for a few days, so when I come home, I really struggle because I don’t have anything do to. But I am OK that with now because we are so busy when we are gone, we can come home and rest. I’m a Starbucks junkie and I love to read. I love history. I don’t want to read anything fiction. I just want to read history books. My mom and dad and I read current affairs and political magazines. I’m kind of a dork! I like reading and doing research on the Internet and blogging and just kinda bumming around. We love to go work out!

Thanks so much for chatting with us! We really enjoyed getting to know you, your heart and hearing about the album.