Which historical moment in the 1990's sticks with you the most? Why does it
stick with you and where were you when it happened?
musically one of the most amazing thing that happened to me was to discover my fathers gibson guitar in a closet. it was the fall of '94 and my brother and i wanted to do start a band but had no musical instrument training. i started to write basic, well one chord songs. i started to play along with bands that i admired, studying lyrics from amazing poets and lyricists, and by that time basic song writing was birthed. i recently found some old tapes of those first songs and holy sweet horrible batman they are the worst pieces of music (if you can call it that) of all time.

Musically speaking, When you think about the '90s as a decade What comes to
your mind?
the death of hair ‘metal’ and the beginning of grunge/ new school punk. kurt cobain and nirvana, decedents, pearl jam, face to face, alice in chains, screeching weasel, smashing pumpkins, op ivy, etc. it was an amazing era for seattle, but a horrible 10 years for pop music.


What effect did the music from the 90s have on your musical tastes and
career?
everything.
in the 90’s is when i discovered music. one of my friends came and lived with me in 1993 because he was having troubles at home. in exchange he gave me a navy pea coat and a CD from a a man by the name of Morrissey. the CD (vauxhall and i) did not come out of my player for months. from there i learned about the smiths, which got me into new wave.
@ school the older kids who saw i was into decent music gave me these mixed tapes with everything from sicko to lagwagon. but i really got into a particular tape that had the majority of punk in drublic by NOFX on it. from all these bands collectively came my desire to start a band, my town was small and my dreams were rather big. i wanted to get out of my town of winter haven, florida.


Why did you choose the song for Punk Goes '90s?
i admired the band depeche mode for years, and the song personal Jesus resonated with me instantly back in the early 90’s. when we started to tour in 2004 we were looking for a song to cover and decided on enjoy the silence because of its dark texture and how well it flowed with the entire set..
we recorded the song when we did our second record ‘never take friendship personal’ because we felt it could have fit perfect on the CD. at the last minute we decided against it because we didn’t want a cover song on both our first and second records. we finally redid the song to put on the punk goes ‘90s because over the course of time we added our own ‘touch’ to it when performing it live over and over.

What was your favorite TV show on the 1990's? Why?
wonder years was by far the best show that came out of the 90’s. i think the kid was named kevin arnold and i just loved how he had this ongoing crush with winny. the commentary was the best and you always left the show feeling tomorrow was going to be a better day.
the other show that remains my favorite to this day was called kids in the hall, a sketch comedy group from canada.

What was your celebrity crush in the 1990's?
for me it was kate moss because she was dating johnny depp, and he was by far the coolest guy in the 90’s. a close second was wyonna ryder, so hot but no kate moss.

What was the most significant, life changing event that happened to you in
the 1990's?
i had my first experience traveling internationally to help at an orphanage in romania. holding a 2 year old girl no bigger than your forearm as she cries from malnurashment can really set your motivations, and perspective on life, straight

What is the quintessential album, band, and song of the 1990's? How did you
come up with these?
1. jeff buckley-grace * jeff may be the greatest vocalist of my lifetime. his vocal range, song writing abilities and passion have yet to be exceeded.
2 nirvana- nevermind * quite possibly killed the 80’s makeup metal single-handedly. the songs were punk rock and ‘raw’ at its finest, ushered in an entire major label move to sign northwestern bands.
3. greenday-dookie. with every song as catchy as the last, these former lookout records standouts struck it big all over MTV (still today). i was hooked as soon as my parents said that i wasn’t allowed to listen to it.

Parachute Christian music festival is one of the biggest of its kind in the southern hemisphere, and early next year, thousands of punters will converge on Hamilton for another helping. Jehan
Casinader talks to one of the headliners, Florida-produced Anberlin, about the band’s distinctive combination of religion, road trips and rock‘n’roll.

The revival of the international Christian music scene has seen a growing number of religious outfits slipping effortlessly into the mainstream music market; bands that have previously been commercially ostracised because of their religious roots.

According to Anberlin frontman Stephen Christian, a catalyst for the shift has been collective weariness about the growing superficiality of the industry.

“With the rise of independent music and labels, everything is altering. People are tired of the major label cut-out copies who don’t write their own music. Music now seems to be driving back to becoming somewhat intellectual; I love the direction the music business is going in, not so
much where it has been.”

Music Comes First

For Anberlin, religion is not a market selling point. The band is adamant that their spirituality is not
used as a platform for their commercial success; rather, it is simply and naturally reflected in their tracks.

The fine line between faith and music is one that all openly religious musicians must tread, but Anberlin’s sentiment is one that is echoed across the modern-day Christian music spectrum.

“We are Christians, but our music is not ‘Christian music’,” says the band’s aptly-named frontman Stephen Christian.

“I write music from experiences and truths that I have learned, thus my faith is seen at various times on our albums. If someone is touched or changed by something on our record, then that is amazing, but ‘spiritual’ music isn’t limited to those who claim themselves to a religion.

“I am not ashamed of my belief in Jesus Christ, but music is my profession. I am not on that stage to preach; I am there to entertain and ensure every person has the night of their lives.”

Spontaneous and Driven

Endless touring has been fundamental to Anberlin’s success, having played hundreds of tour dates within three years, supporting acts including My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy. Christian’s take on life is a rather ethereal one; he mentions the crusades, terrorism in the name of religion, drug abuse, the workaholic’s child and alcoholism. He truly appreciates everything he’s got.

“I am lucky to have a profession that is much like my personality; spontaneous and driven.”
This is the essence of an emerging band that established itself on identity, prides itself on discarding convention, and invests itself in its own cause; a cause that is not tied down to anything, least religion.

www.anberlin.com

Parachute Is Back: January 2006

• January 27 – 30, Mystery Creek, Hamilton
• Local and international acts including Delirious, Day of Fire, Planetshakers, Reuben Morgan, Magnify, Mum’s Dollar, My Life Story
• Compete to win the chance to record a song with Parachute
• Subject yourself to four days of exhilarating music
• Tickets on sale from October 3 from parachutemusic.com