france.

Hi Stephen, thank you for taking some of your time to answer my questions. How are you, a few weeks after the release of the new album? How has been the reception so far?

so far it has been the best reception that we have ever had. it has been amazing. both critics and fans have seem to be unanimous that this has been our best record. as for me i really enjoyed putting this record together, it was a rather exciting experience.

Let's talk a bit about the making process of the record. First, how different was your situation when writing this one, compared to "New Surrender"?

new producer, new city, and whole different vibe. we walked into this record feeling absolutely confident in the songs that we had written. mentally we are no where near the chaos that new surrender imposed on us. this record was mentally the best record we have ever done.


You seem to regret a few things about "New Surrender", why and how did that happen?

i can't, and i won't regret anything from that record, sure it was difficult and was the most painful process i have ever faced, but i would not be writing this interview for you without that record. new surrender brought us to where we are today and for that i am grateful.

it came down to pressure and the fact that there was so much turbulent change around me that i could not focus or find inspiration. new label, new guitarist, new music, new personal life, new producer, new city... a new surrender and just letting go of the expectations i had set so high for myself. i needed to return to the joy of creating music, something i did not discover till 'dark'.


Tell us about your experience with Brendan O'Brien. What did he bring to the table? Would you say he's the one who made Anberlin's sound "bigger"?

confidence, he brought a sense of confidence to the band. by putting his seal of approval, loving the songs, and standing behind the music we loved it gave us a new found sense of enjoyment for the creative process of writing. brendan has a way of making minimalism EPIC, and that is just what he did on this record.

What did you focus the most on this record: the feeling of the songs, the songwriting, the musicianship?

feeling. we wanted everything from the songs to the artwork to the lyrics to the title of the record to amalgamate to the same feeling, and i think we accomplished our goal.

It sounds like you looked less for immediate catchiness to focus on a more cohesive sound, do you agree?

yes, but i think with a few listens to the record you will find that the songs still stay with you, hopefully for the rest of your life.

"To The Wolves" made me think of the "Never Take Friendship Personal"-era, while some darker tracks like "We Owe This To Ourselves" or "Closer" remind the atmosphere of "Cities", did you intentionally want to go back to those moods?

no, we just found a sense of 'home' there, we all felt like that was the best direction for us, not to return to what we were but to use moments like 'cities' as a launching pad to evolve into something greater.

Did you, as a songwriter and as a singer, try new things on "Dark Is The Way, Light Is A Place"?

yes, i tried to write less stories and more poetry. i tried to use my voice rhythmically and more as an instrument instead of always being the focal point of the song. i tried new 'tactics' on this record that i had learned through neal avron and then really listened to brendan to make sure my new found instincts were correct.

"Depraved" seems to be influenced by your work with Faceless, do you see any link between your work with the organization and your art with Anberlin?

yes, there is always a link between who i am and the songs i write. i cannot detach myself from my family, friends, or experiences i have had in this life, and faceless has given me some of the most epic and heart wrenching experiences of my life.

The album title comes from Dylan Thomas, why did you choose it?

the beautiful contradiction that dylan encases. he had so many struggles in his life that i can't help but believe he was writing some of his poetry for me in a psuedo-foreshadowing of my life in its current form.

You read a lot, which other authors inspired you for the new songs?

on this record the only other authors that really spoke into the project were sun tsu (art of war) and Gabriel Garcia Marquez (El amor en los tiempos del cólera) for the song 'you belong here'.

You started writing a new book. Could you tell us a bit about it?

it is called 'the loneliest patient' its about an older man that is so detached from society that he fulfills his need of human interaction through the purchase of 'Davis’s Comprehensive Handbook of Laboratory and Diagnostic Tests with Nursing Implications, 3rd Edition.

You've been a band for almost a decade now, how do you look at Anberlin's career today?

it was a success the day we got into our van left our family, friends, jobs, and school and hit the road. since then it has just been a life none of us could have ever imagined.

Do you still have any unmet expectations?

yes, i want a normal life someday... but this one isn't too bad.

You're now going on a big headlining tour in the US. Are you excited, nervous?

excited! this looks to be the best tour we have ever gone on. the other bands (civil twilight, and the crash kings) are incredible! i watch them every other night when i want to get excited to play a show. they are unbelievable!

Is Kyle going to play with you again?

yes, he just sold his show to fox which is EPIC, but after he is done filming the first season he going to be back out on the road with us, hopefully no later than january!

I read you were going to be creative on the setlists, playing different songs every night, including some "Blueprints For The Black Market" and some b-sides.

yes, we have been playing a few b-sides, this is for sure a fans tour, if you don't know our bands back catalog this might be a disorienting tour for you to watch anberlin on.

You'll be in the UK this winter, but the rest of Europe is still waiting to see Anberlin. Stephen, don't you dream of playing in Paris?
i do dream of paris, i was actually hanging out in paris less than 3 weeks ago! it was beautiful! my favorite part was the food, the museums, and le prescription.

Is the Anchor & Braille vinyl going to be released soon? I think we all want to hear that "Empires" song.

im ready for it to be released NOW! i am not sure what the hold up is but ill check into it today!


Alright, that's all. Thank you very much Stephen, we hope to see you in France soon!

- Show quoted text -

interview.

Tell us something odd/unique about you.
i actually embrace my own ADHD. where others attempt to medicate or use a psychologist to rid themselves of this 'disorder' i actually enjoy the fact that my mind can 'multi-task' (as i would like to call it).

As a Christian who is the lead singer of a successful band, how do you deal with pride?

i am in constant fear of integrating the duality of my life. i like nice neat compartmentalized boxes. stephen the entertainer 'rock star' needs to be JUST the entertainer and no more. stephen the human needs to be human. if they were ever to meet the results would be catastrophic. (pride, feeling entitled, being 'better' than the next person, self indulgent, addictions etc.).
the number one way to rid yourself of pride is a firm foundation planted in the word of God (i.e. humble thyself in the sight of the lord, think of others better than yourself, etc.). the other the secret is constant and confrontational accountability. find someone that will speak life into your bones, while exposing every skeleton in your closet. every person of position/power will come face to face with pride, its inevitable, it’s the results of this battle that will determine the outcome of the war.

Do you think people are born leaders or develop into leaders?
though i firmly believe that it is both nature and nurture that make up who we are i believe when it comes to leadership one is developed, i am a living example. in high school i was a very introverted individual, after i became a christian at age 18 i proverbially 'came out of my shell', i became the head and not the tail. now i help run a non-profit organization that i co-founded (faceless international), i have started an llc, and even a record label (woodwater records). i could have done NOTHING without the holy spirit awakening my true potential.

How can people put themselves into a position to influence culture?

be in the world, not of it. we as christians have a unique way of recluse into a bubble so that we can not interact or influence anyone in the world. God gave us the shield of faith not to hide and retract but to advance and take this world for him. instead i see to many 'christian soldiers' dig a hole and use their shield (their faith) as a roof.

if we really honestly believe God is the creative force in this universe than why are we becoming the imitators of the world? if something is 'cool' in the world it seems us christians are a year behind. if they have a boy band, then we create one to imitate. if they have a catchy logo like 'got milk' we have to follow it up with a cheesy unoriginal 'got God' shirt. i think it’s embarrassing and goes against the very nature of our creature.

christians have attached stigmas onto the arts. we have labeled it 'secular' and in some cases homosexual. we as followers of Christ need to be on the forefront of dance (even david danced), art (have you seen what God can do with a mountain scape?), photography, painting, design, fashion, etc...

embrace the culture, learn, grow, then evangelize through whatever means God has given you talent in. don't allow yourself to be buried under the weight of the unknown or 'bury your talents.'

Why are you a follower of Jesus Christ?
'and this is pure religion to love the widows and the orphans and keep oneself unspoiled from the world.' no other religion compares to the LOVE, grace, mercy, and hope that my Lord and savior Jesus Christ emanates.

What do you do personally to fuel your spiritual life?

since i do not have a home church (because i usually tour 9 months a year) i listen to podcasts, some of them being mars hill, seattle; mosaic, LA; & village chapel, nashville. reading the word, keeping up with my accountability partner, and prayer fuel my spiritual life as well.

What is your hope for the future of the Church in America?

my hope is that we become the first church in history to truly 'judge not' ( lest we be judge) and love others as Christ loved the church. we would revolutionize the world.

please take a second to daydream of a church where you do not have to look like us, act like us, or even talk like us. you can just be what or who you are (a buddhist, lesbian, atheist, or even yes... a democrat) and we would open up are arms wide with an embrace like the father did to the prodigal son. we could welcome them into our inner circle, love on them, and care for their needs. and show them to the feet of Jesus Christ.

REVOLUTION! unlike mankind would have ever seen.

Should we abandon the use of the word "Christian" for a better term? If so, what?

i believe i read that over 68% of america believes they are 'christian', the term has become the most flippant expression ever used in american politics. i am not here to discuss whether we should coin a new trendy term, but ask those that use the term truly live up to what it means 'a follower of Christ'.

What blogs/websites do you regularly check?
cnn.com, gmail, relevant online magazine, idealist.org, & dosomething.com

Which books have shaped your thinking?
what’s so amazing about grace –yancey
orthodoxy- gk chesterton
fire in the belly- keen
knowledge of the holy- tozer
the alchemist- coelho
desiring God- piper
knowing God- packer

What music moves you?
mogwai, the rachels, bon iver, fleet foxes, bloc party, and a few others. but if you want to hear music that will be played as you walk into heavens gates listen to sigur ros.

Any other thoughts or advice? never stop growing and learning. study to show thyself approved. working out your salvation requires both fear and trembling. consider all above yourself. to be heard you must first listen. don’t just pray, take the time to listen. ‘the enemy of best is just fine.’

punkdisasters

1. the Space between 'Cities' and 'New Surrender' wasn't too long, did you have a lot of songs you'd originally written for Cities which ended up on New Surrender?

no, actually it is rather funny that people keep bringing this up. records used to come out all the time, several a year by the same artist. elvis Costello put out 15 records in 14 years. it is only since we have begun to mass market and bands have begun to extensively tour has the album been known to wait a certain amount of time (exactly 2 years, no more no less).

if you look at it from our point of view though we actually spent more time writing this record than any other record. when we recorded cities we wrote in the van and our last stop was seattle, so we got out of the van and walked right into the studio and pushed record. with cities we had almost 3 months off before we even started pre production! so honestly though it appeared like less time to the fans it was actually a LOT longer for us.

blueprints took us 3 weeks to record, ntfp was 4 weeks, cities was 4 ½ weeks, and new surrender took us 3 months! so we had so much more liberty to work as hard as we can for 6 months on a record! that’s a massive amount of time. so just because new surrender came out 1 ½ years after cities we spent a huge amount of time (a LOT more than any other record) it just appears “rushed’. which still makes me laugh when people use that word.

2) What would you be doing if you weren't involved in music?

humanitarian work, i would love to be working for the non-profit i am involved with, faceless international, full time.

3) "Feel Good Drag" has become one of your biggest hits, but is it your favorite song that you've made? Are there any other songs you've written that you wish received that much attention?

no it is not my favorite but i always knew it could have been a massive radio hit. my favorite songs are christa paffgen, fin, dismantle, & blame me. but as far as songs i wish had got attention i would really have liked hello alone to have been the ‘single’ instead of godspeed on our last album.

4) What was the first concert you ever went to? (As a fan)
when i was a kid we had this little place called friar tucks right around the corner from my house in winter haven, florida. a sell out show would consist of 50 people. bands i saw there and around town were ‘i’m not sure’, ‘syrup’, delivery boy, atomsmashers named suzie, upperoom, discontent, and many more.

5) Stephen, your side project Anchor & Braile's debut album is scheduled for a release on June 30th, any plans to release a single from this or announce the title of the album anytime soon?

i don’t think that i am ever going to have a ‘single’ off a&b its not that kind of album/record. though i am working with a director named Stephen Macgee from Detroit to shoot two videos.

6) What is your favorite high school memory? i HATED high school, it was so bad, honestly going home from school every day was my highlight. also pizza fridays in the cafeteria weren’t all that bad. and my best friend jen childs and wendi whited made it a decent day.

7) What song are you the most proud of?
the whole a&b record. it feels like they are my own. my little creations. not that i don’t like anberlin stuff, it just feels good to oversee and create all by yourself.

8) Your projected release date for another album isn't for quite a while. Does that mean you're taking some time off to really write, or will you be touring more in between?


no time off. that’s not in my vocabulary apparently. i leave may 8th and won’t see Nashville (where i am living for the time being) until august 1. anberlin and anchor & braille tours! im always writing, whether if its for my bands or with other people i LOVE writing.

9) When can we expect a music video for "Breaking?"

well when i saw this question i emailed my manager and asked him the same question. SOOOO he is getting people to start writing treatments. thanks for the reminder. we’ll keep you updated for sure.

10) What do you think has contributed the most to your success?

well besides my faith, family, and friends i have to say it is because i stopped fearing what other people thought. i just went out there and tried, i wrote a book, i started a non profit, i have a blog, two bands, and more but its NOT BECAUSE IM TALENTED! its because i just go out there and try. the sooner that you realize that it doesn’t matter what other people think the sooner you are able to explore the realm of possibilities that this world has to offer. screw people. do.

11) If you could collaborate with any artist, who you most want to work with?
Johnny marr.

12) What's an Anberlin?

a noun i guess.

13) Where and when was the first show you ever played? How old were you guys, and did you rock/suck big time?

suck,16 and we played in front of all our friends at a rotary center that we rented out. did i say suck? yeah. making sure.

14) How much of a change was it switching from Tooth & Nail to Universal?

HUGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! we LOVE tooth but i think one of the best decisions of my life was deciding to sign with universal. they have given us more than what we asked for, and allowed us to accomplish things far beyond my wildest dreams.

15) Even though you love all your work; if you had to choose, which one of your albums is your favorite?

the guys are going to hate me but NTFP. the time around and in seattle during that recording process was probably some of the best times of my life, and that album could be basically the greatest hits record off tooth and nail.

wrecked for the ordinary

Anberlin has been well-associated in the past with Jamie Tworkowski's grassroots initiative To Write Love On Her Arms. Now you have started Faceless International as your own humanitarian foundation. Can you tell us a little about this effort?

Faceless is an organization i helped co-found with my friend Sarah Freeman. It started a few years ago on a trip we took to Mano, Haiti to work with a small community. We both were greatly affected not just by the people we had the opportunity to help but also by watching the lives change of those that came on the trip with us.

We knew that this trip could not just be a once in a lifetime humanitarian effort, thus began faceless. We do not pretend to fight just one cause, for us we want to go where the need is utilizing the gifts and talents that each individual person brings with them on a faceless trip.

What made you decide to start your own project, and how are you partnering up with existing organizations committed to similar causes?

The ironic part is that we took the first trip excited that we had no ties or affiliations of any kind, that we were just a group of friends excited to help change our world; then faceless started. Honestly I believe we have kept the mentality that we are still just a group of friends that still believe we can make a positive impact on the world and are not constrained by tittles or positions.

Beyond Faceless I am still very active in several causes around the world. The goal of faceless was NEVER to corner the market on non-profit org’s or anything of the sort. We simply wanted people to get involved with the world around them.

We don’t care WHERE people get involved only that they simply GET INVOLVED.

Are there any particular stories that stand out in your mind from your travels, which solidified the need for this kind of work?

Several but i think that one that hits everyone who went to the last trip to India was seeing the aftermath of girls, very young young girls, who were affected by human trafficking. It was tragic and hurt and made me personally feel so overwhelmed.

In the end it only propelled what we already knew: we MUST do something, or nothing will get done. and thus faceless exists.

At Wrecked for the Ordinary, we are always looking for ways that artistic endeavors and social justice can complement each other rather than compete for our energy and resources. As a writer, musician, and social justice advocate, what can you say about this possibility?

Like i mentioned above we don’t care where you go to ‘complement’ each other, its that you attempt. We are very much involved in the whole picture thus we work with many different org’s such as TWLOHA and several others.

In the past few months, you have published your first novel, released Anberlin's newest album, and started promoting Faceless International. Where do you find all that energy? How do you stay focused?


‘The more intensely we feel about an idea or a goal, the more assuredly the idea, buried deep in our subconscious, will direct us along to its fulfillment’.
-Earl Nightingale

I must admit it is getting harder with the more and more demands that arise. PASSION. Passion is the most intense & necessary drug for a motivated soul.

Everything from writing to faceless to side projects all require quite a bit of work but when everything you have been involved in is something you have only dreamt of it is quite easy to pursue all these goals with all your energy.

rock industry magazine

Rock Industry Magazine Q&A for Stephen
How are things going in the Anberlin camp at the moment? I think moral is at an all time high, we just got off an amazing headline tour in October and are now touring the UK with two exceptional bands (data select party, & furthest drive home). we are heading back to the states to begin some extensive radio shows in the US then off to Canada, a country we are quite fond of as of late.
i am sitting in a café’ here in Manchester, England; the home of the smiths and Morrissey, so honestly i am on cloud 9.

How do you feel the reception from the fans has been to your major label debut New Surrender? And the media?
i think that the fans from never take and cities were content with new surrender, i think after cities a lot of people thought that we were turning into a darker sounding band, but that has never really been anberlin. i am not going to object if we go back in that direction but i never want to be obligated to go into any direction.
this was THE BEST album out of our 4 that could have came out on a major label. i feel it has appeals to more than just indie-rock fans without losing the aspects of anberlin that people have fallen in love with. as far as lyrically i was tired of talking about myself, i was becoming a recluse and saw myself as selfish. on this record i tried my hardest to look outside the little world i had created and find the good in mankind.

How much attention do you pay to what is said about you in the media?
i don’t. the only thing i look at to monitor an albums success is how many people are singing along. and so far this has been an epic record for that.
its funny about reviews though, they only compare this anberlin album to previous ones, i believe critics should begin to compare a bands current album to other albums coming out in the genre, or on the shelves during that cycle. if that were the case i think we would be media darlings and not always trying to overcome this or that album.

We do not agree with this statement at all, but how does being branded 'sell outs' make you feel personally? Do you feel you need to argue this case or just brush it aside?
what is a sell-out? i am not sure who came up with the term but i think it is hilarious especially in this current music market; is it because we signed to a major label? do they think that when a band (now days) signs to a major they get tons of money? well they are gravely mistaken. there is NO money in music. i promise you i did NOT buy a new car or house or anything at all because there was NO MONEY!
but are bands a sell out because they want to advance their career? or get ahead in life?
because i would want to meet these people! i would think that everyone in this world with a job or goes to school is a sell out, because are they not in it to advance their education or career? even if you’re a writer for the most artsy magazine ever written one would think that they would eventually want to move up some day and become editor; if someone was working at a café’ would they not want more hours and more money to take home? if they are going to high school or university and they call us sellouts is that not an oxymoron? because why are you going to school? It’s to get a better job to move up the corporate ladder to MAKE MORE MONEY!
that is a sell out.
we did not do this for the money. we did this for opportunity; our indie label could never have afforded us the OPPORTUNITY of working with an amazing producer like neal avron, or helped us get main stage on warped tour. we are in this for the love of music & opportunity, not greed or gain.


What were the thoughts behind the album title? What were the other potential titles that didn't make it?
something disabilities, like a steady thorn to the side. something
glares us in the face even more intensely than we stare in our mirror;
yet we cannot see the reflection because we are scared of what we
know is there. looming.

we know we must change but were to mesmerized in our mundane. we
accept our own apathy. pretend we enjoy the jejune.

it is time to transform too more than this. begin a revolution that
starts with a surrender.
a surrender of failure's, of your past, of what others told you that
you would become,
of a comatose & anesthetic life.
this is the new surrender.
the new surrender.
new surrender.


the other tittles that could have been were
‘haight street’ or ‘you’re love will do for now’.


What was the key inspiration behind the lyrical content on the album?

life itself, and everyone and everything that surrounds it. my friend deon told me the other day that i am socially awkward because i observe people and events way to much and try to read them instead of enjoy them. maybe he is right, but it makes for some damn good lyrics.
With the new album it is a step into the mainstream and an outstanding collection of songs, how many songs had you written that didn't make the final cut?
we wrote 30 songs before we went into the studio, and 15 got cut, the 3 that did not make it on the record went to itunes and imports around the world. my favorite song that got cut was ‘heavier things remain’ that SHOULD have been on the album.


How was the recording process for you compared to previous efforts? What one song means the most to you?

it was unreal. none of liked LA at all, but we adored our new producer neal avron. i believe that we won’t work in Los Angeles again, were hoping that he doesn’t mind living in Seattle for a spell.

How would you describe your aspirations as a band, almost like a mission statement, what you aspire to?

to inspire. anyone and everyone, to anything and everything this world has to offer.

Decades down the line, what would you hope to be remembered for?
music, friendship, humility, and humanity.

absolutepunk.net

volcom87: how has Christian McAlhaney impacted the band in the way of writing songs, since this is the first album he has recorded with Anberlin?
well joey appreciates it very much. joey has written 3 records by himself so finally he has someone to bounce ideas off of. i think we all appreciate christian, not only is he an incredible guitarist and singer, he brings our songwriting to a new level, and has a very positive attitude on and off stage. unlike former members of anberlin, christian is the first guitarist to actually record his parts on this record. as far as song writing specifically he has an amazing sense of rhythm and like i have said in a few interviews before joey joey has the right hand and christian has the left. (guitarist's will know what i mean).


scottwh

Of all the songs they've written, which one still gets them totally pumped live?
i think if you asked each and every one of us you will get 5 different answers. for me it is dismantle/repair or unwinding cable car. lyrically i don't sing those two songs, more or less i am talking right to the crowd i want them to process the lyrics not just sing along.


Stephen once said, "The first CD (Blueprints for the Black Market) was childish in the manner that it was Man vs. World in the lyrics. The second (Never Take Friendship Personal) was Man Vs. Man. Cities is more adult in the manner that it's Man Vs. Self." What is the progression for this album in that train of thought?

the progression of this record for me is now to start thinking outside of myself. when looking back at the meanings and topics of the last three records the statement man vs. ________ began to appear very selfish, with this record i wanted to start thinking outside myself. sure there are songs on NS that have a more personal experience but as for the whole of the record i really wanted to get away from being so egocentric.



rsncrcles51
Stephen, whats it like being on a new label? How come Anberlin left toothandnail? Do you feel more pressure when writing music, knowing that you guys are getting more popular?

i really really enjoy being on universal republic, they are all a very tight, hard working, and passionate label. they have given us opportunities (neal avron/warped tour) that we would have never had previously. regardless of what anyone says or any rumor out there we love tooth and nail; i couldnt think of one bad thing to say about them if i tried, but the truth is we felt as a band it was time to move on. they worked right along side of us and we owe a lot to where we are today to some great people (john, chad, derrick, etc.) but to be honest there were a lot of people in power in the EMI system that did not believe in anberlin or our music. after we found that out we knew it was time to progress somewhere else. republic had been wanting us to join since before cities and through their persistence and dedication to anberlin we decided if there was any label to move on to it would be then.
to be honest i dont feel any more pressure on NS than i did on never take friendship personal, i think the most pressure and expectations we end up putting on ourself as a band, and as for getting 'popular' we just don't see it, we have been at this for 5 years, we are no overnight success, we had no one hit wonders to mention as of yet; so no popularity has never been a pressure or something we strived to obtain.


Hogie
Warped highlights?
i think for all of us we were just excited to get back out on the road after taking 6 months off to write and record new surrender. my personal highlights were singing with story of the year when phil had to go home (his wife was having a baby), but THE highlight for me came in chicago when i got to sing with say anything because max (unfortunately) got sick. 7 different singers from keith buckley to matt theisen all got up there and took turns on their songs. it was incredible! (im sure there are youtube videos floating around!)

blindrider529
Most people who know or know of Stephen are of the impression that he is an absolutely wonderful person and a true class-act. How does he feel about how much he is adored and does it put pressure on him to not want to disappoint these people? Does he (and the rest of Anberlin) view this position of role model as a gift or a curse or perhaps a little of both? How much do they love Gifts & Curses by Yellowcard? A lot or a ton?

i think with any platform whether hip-hop or president of the united states comes different, but still a heavy, degree of responsibility. whether musicians like it or not they are being watched, studied, and imitated. from fashion to failure someone is watching. i must admit it is hard, sometimes it doesn't allow for the proverbial 'us' (the people who are trying to be positive role models) to be human and truly expose that we make mistakes and falter, on the other hand some people have taken their role in the opposite direction and used the license that 'fame' gives them to take advantage of people, live 'above the law', and live selfishly with little or no repercussion's.
i view being a positive role model as a gift! hopefully we get up there and inspire people to get involved with a charity we are supporting, or teach musicians that you don't have to get up there and scream at fans to 'mother #@(*$ move' or scream any other adjectives that my mother might find inappropriate. for me i want to teach anyone who will listen about my failures, and how i recovered and learned from them; that is why i started modesty.blogspot.com, an online blog where i interact with 'seekers' like myself.
i love yellowcard, period. i just played basketball with sean in los angeles three days ago, we hang out every time i am back home. that guy has a heart of gold.


nashiscash1324
McCain 06
how are they so awesome and not douche bags at the same time??
i honestly don't understand 'cocky' rockstar thinking, what gives any musician the right to think that they are better than anyone else? honestly that is my biggest pet peeve in the music world. i can get along with ANYONE! i have toured with some amazing bands with fame, noteriety, and respect; bands that could get away with being rockstars but are NOT. the only people in the 5 1/2 years of anberlin that i have avoided or absolutely avoided have been people that are stuck up and arrogant. the 80's are dead! no one wants the hair metal 'rocker' who spits on the crowd and lives a sex, drugs, rock n roll life. its dumb and dead! how can you take advantage and look down on the very people that put you where you are?
eman83
AOTY
What was it like working with someone other than Aaron Sprinkle on the new album?
nerve wrecking, exciting, anxious, thrilled, etc. so many emotions; but we knew we could not just make a cities part II, we needed to progress and grow, enter neal avron. neal pushed me harder than i have ever been pushed. previous to this record we would end a tour right into seattle and begin recording, we would feel absolutely rushed and i was usually writing songs in the studio, while the rest of the guys were tracking. it felt so unorganized, and hurried. i never had time to revamp as much as i would have liked to because the first draft i wrote had to be sang on the next day. on this record we took our time, we had THREE MONTHS of writing on our own before we walked into the studio to record, we came up with close to 30 songs and eventually chopped it in half to record.
i find it so funny when people say online that we 'rushed' this record because honestly blueprints took 3 1/2 weeks to record, cities took 4 1/2 weeks, this one took us over THREE MONTHS to record from start to finish. rush? this was like a vacation compared to the other records. but we honestly used every possible second during this recording process. we were working in 2 different studios at the same time just to complete it on time.
parkerjamison
Where Am I?
favorite song on the new cd?
christians: retrace, deon: disappear, joey:Misearbile Visu (Ex Malo Bonum), nathan: the resistance, and as for me i love 'blame me' because it doesn't sound like anything else we have done.
blindrider529 How do they feel about fans posting live videos of new songs from their shows on Youtube? Their label dislikes it, and has even banned some of them (both from the leak and live recordings). Do they feel like these videos are a positive thing that gets them buzz and promotes their new music and live show to old and new fans or a negative thing that causes fans to watch Youtube instead of going to shows and buying albums?
i was unaware that the label was taking down live videos of new songs live on youtube, i will have to ask them the reasoning as i don't mind at all (unless i go off key or something. joke.). i knew that they have a department a UR that takes care of leaks and tries to take them down anywhere they find it, including youtube. no, i don't think that it is negative to post live music on youtube! i think that (hopefully) a band would want to show that they can pull off their own songs live, and hopefully people would want to see them that much more. but if you used tons of auto tune in the studio & can't sing live or go off like a rooted tree than yeah, i would want my live videos taken down too!
Justin052
Registered User
Is there an Anchor & Braille CD in the works?
the anchor & braille CD is done, only the producer aaron marsh (copeland) and i have the record. we don't want to put it out now because we don't want to interfere with new surrender or copeland's new album (coming this fall!), were goingi to wait till both our records cycle comes to a close and release it. i am not sure on a tittle so if you have any ideas... i have two songs up on A&B's myspace, we even have a 7" vinyl out, but be patient i promise its worth it.

Cavalier
Registered User
Christian, when is Acceptance getting back together?

(can i get an amen?)
blindrider529
I love music :-D
How often to people ask Stephen if he knows that sometimes he sounds a lot like Cher?
actually never, but one time during recording of cities we were playing around with different effects for fun and we found an "autotune" effect and oh man, i sang 'do you believe in life after love' and we all couldn't stop laughing all day, it was uncanny. being that cher is my cousins sister's aunt maybe our tone just runs in the family. another joke. but i am going in for surgery to get another rib removed right after i cut holes in the butt of my leather chaps.
Killerkid64
Registered User
how do you guys make time for the Bible, God, and all that jazz?
prioritize. i think that on the road there are a lot of distractions, from video games to starbucks, DVD's to hanging out in the front lounge, so there is enough on any given day to distract me from what i want to accomplish. but i don't think that distractions are only on the road, i think for all of us we could fill up our time on the computer, tv, hanging out with friends, etc. i think it takes self-discipline (something i lack!) and concentration for any of us to accomplish our goals for the day. on the road however, i try to find a quiet place with a few books (devotional, etc.) and a journal and get away from the day to day. as far as all that jazz i really enjoy nina simone, john coltrane, sonny stitt, miles davis and french jazz musician serge gainsbourg.
freaking_engel
Registered User
How will you ever decide what your headlining set-list will be? What's that process look like? AND Will you be playing any sweet covers this fall?
acutally we are here in nashville, tenn playing a college show and are sitting down at this moment to write one. its hard because you want to play fan favorites, our own personal favorites, and yet write a cohesive and energetic set. i think this time we are facing a much (better) problem in that we have 4 records to choose from, but i promise that this will be a fans fans show. were playing songs we haven't played in YEARS, and throwing in some off the b-sides record. were all excited about writing the set list for this tour. as far as covers i really love them, it adds something new and differnent for both the musician and the listener, also if people are being introduced to the band it adds a bridge between the two worlds.
as far as covers it’s a debate among the 5 of us, nathan does not like cover songs where as i love them, but i think if we found one we all agreed on we would go at it. any suggestions?
littlebeav
Team Jack
If I promise to name my 1st daughter Anberlin, which I'm currently planning one day, will you come play Time & Confusion acoustic for my wedding one day? Could you just maybe record an acoustic version at least? You can cut the wa-oohhhs and yeah-eahs... but that would be really nice.
thanks.your not the first person to ask us to record time and confusion live, looking back i think we should have done it on our b-sides record (lost songs). as far as playing at your wedding it depends on what kind of cake you are getting. christian loves cake so that’s his demand, joey likes the buffet, deon demands to be a bridesmaid, nathan wants to throw rice not so much in the air as much as he wants to throw it at you. i on the other hand demand that i get to walk on stage with your mom and light your unity candle. so there are our demands (im sure my manager has a couple of his own) but heck it doesn’t hurt to ask.

blindrider529
I love music :-D
Stephen is a man of many talents and passions. Where does he see himself going as an author, a solo artist, and whatever else he wants to be in the future? Obviously Anberlin and music in general is the focus right now, but what other things does he feel very strongly about and plan to focus on as he grows older?
its hard to focus on the future right now when so much of it is contingent on september 30, 2008, i think the subsequent 52 weeks will say volumes as far as my plans for the rest of my life.
author: i had a tremendous time writing the book and the response to “the orphaned anythings,” was beyond comprehension. i would be foolish not to write another. i am currently working on a ‘modesty’ book with editor julia arnold, which include extended elaboration from modesty.blogspot.com post’s, with art integrated. also i have plans and an outline for a book called ‘patient’ about a man who fills his companionship and longing for love by faking disease’s at local hospitals to get sympathy from other patients and staff.
solo: anchor & braille takes a distant 2nd to anberlin, i have to wait until new surrender has run its course, BUT the CD, with producer aaron marsh of copeland is DONE! i am currently looking for a label and a timeframe before i make any more upcoming plans with the project. i would love to tour with A&B but right now anberlin requires my full attention.

faceless: for those who are not familure sarah freeman and i co-founded an organization called faceless international, a humanitarian and justice non-profit who take trips around the world fighting against such attrcities as human trafficking, helping farmers from mano, haiti to fair trade coffee growers in guatamala. if you would like to go with faceless please check out facelessinternational.com as we are going to los angeles, the ukraine, and india this next year.
as far as an immediate focus i have really been challenged by becoming more environmentally involved lately, and i have a whole new outlook on pacifism. i am not sure how my life is going to change because of these two topics but they have been weighing heavy on my conscience lately.

HPinmypants32
This Is For Real
When writing the album did you feel more pressured because you are on a major label now?
How did changing labels impact the outcome of the new album? or Did changing labels impact the outcome of the new album?
i have never felt pressure from labels, including now with universal republic. fortunatlely for us we are an established band and UR knew what they were getting into when they signed us. they never once came to the studio and breathed over our shoulders, they never once asked us to ‘write a single’. they really trusted us more than i thought they would and let us develop our own album the way we sow fit. i think the biggest pressure comes from trying to meet fans and our own expectations. reviews don’t bother me, criticism from labels don’t really hurt, but if a long time fan is let down by a new record it keeps me up well into the night. the pressure is from you and me! not the major.

i think this album would have absolutely been different if we had been on T&N. we could have never afforded the opportunity to work with neal avron, who i believe really made this album come to life. he forced what is best in us all and really made us expose our weaknesses and work on them. anberlin will never be the same after working with neal, i think our songs will be changed for the better from now on.

alert=danger
" Just For The Fun Of It"
Is religion a big factor when writting as a band? and Has it ever had a negative effect on anything you were doing as a band?

Me Question: Big Uk headline tour plans? Stephen Answer: Yes. Very soon.
i think the only ‘big factor’ religion could have on any aspect of any album would be on the lyrics. i don’t think deon sat down to write a God-fearing bass line, or nathan coming up with the perfect praise and worship beat. for me though i have never sat down and tried to write a ‘religious’ lyric in my life. i just write. one’s faith should be like DNA, no matter what they are involved in, no matter what career choice, no matter who they encounter it simply should be engrained and apart of them. my faith is simply a part of me, i can no easier remove my belief in Jesus than remove my cells or heart.
we are not a christian band, and we do not create ‘christian music’. when you really analyze christian anything it really makes no sense. does our CD’s have a soul? can the songs choose right and wrong? but alas, people like to put music into genres and neat little packages and i am now comfortable in whatever people classify us as. as long as they give us a chance.
i think the negative is not in the faith itself but in the narrow minded people that don’t listen to any music where any religion is present, i am convinced that it is absolutely closed minded to refuse to give any band a chance just because one of their members has strong spiritual beliefs. if its good music listen to it! if it sucks than don’t. its as simple as that.
headlining UK! well we are coming there soon, playing a few headlining shows. we crossed the pond, you can take the train to hang out! i think it’s a fair trade!
colorlesscliche
let's break out the shotguns.
What's the meaning behind your song 'Adelaide'?
actually it’s a very bitter song about my own lack of self discipline; for the longest time i was absolutely co-dependent on those i was in a relationship with. (hence lines like shouldn’t need anyone im just scared of being alone). if you notice in the cities promo shot i tried to “half-smile” so that people knew that the song was about me and not someone from the small town in australia. no one picked up on it.
i picked the name ‘adelaide’ because it sounded better than ‘brenda’ or ‘shenana’. even though jason tate hates this song max from say anything said it was one of his favorite songs we have ever done, so i feel like it balances out.


mattplayscheap
Registered User
hey stephen! I'm not sure if you remember this or not but at 2008 Warped Tour New York stop in Long Island I yelled 'I love you Stephen!'. It was so cool of you to yell it back. So I just wanted to thank you for that. –Matt
i still love you matt.

DANberlin
Registered User
favorite songs to play live?
my favorite song to play live is anything that people are singing their lungs out to. on warped it was daylate and dismantle/repair, so for now its those two songs. in a year from now it will probably be younglife and retrace. who knows.

ParkwayDrive
McCain 08! Country first!
what are your top three favorite states to do shows in.
three favorite states. oh that’s hard because there are so many good cities out there that its hard to narrow it done. but since you have forced me i think it would have to be 1. California (san diego is crazy! sacramento always puts on a good show, la is home for now…) 2. New York (buffalo is intense and there are always tons of people in the city) 3. florida (- Jacksonville) its where were from!

micahistheballs
Best Case Scenario 4-8?
What is happening with Anchor and Braille?
see blindrider’s question.

HelloMcFly1787
Registered User
1. What does your song writing process look like?

2. What kind of questions/dilemmas/themes have been on your mind lately that you've chosen to explore on the new album lyrically?
the writing process looks like this.
1. christian, joey, or i write the basic outlines of a song. usually joey ‘cleans it up’, adding basic beats and rhythm lines to the music.
2. next i will take it and start writing lyrics/melody lines to the music and send it back to shorten/lengthen parts to fit the music around the melodies.
3. at the same time deon and nathan are working on their own parts to fit with the music
4. we come together in a practice space and play out the songs. for us the live show is just as important as the album, we want to be able to ‘feel’ the song before we put it on the record.
a short explaination.

1. The Resistance
standing up for what they believe in

3. Blame Me! Blame Me!
taking responsibility for ones actions
4. Retrace
coming home
5. Feel Good Drag
cheating
6. Disappear
homelessness
7. Breathe
a return to pacifism
8. Burn Out Brighter (Northern Lights)
seconds before you die the thoughts that go through your head
9. Younglife
memories
10. Haight St
boys night out.
11. Soft Skeletons
abuse
12. Miserabile visu (ex malo bonum)
end of the age

Sigismund
Registered User
1. Stephen, are you gonna vote for McCain or Obama ( i prefer answer 1, even if i'm french!!!)

2. When do you come in France?

3. Is Depeche Mode one of your main influences?

1. this is a huge and overwhelming topic. there are positives and negatives to each candidate and i am reserving my decision till after i watch the debates. obabma leans to socialism in his ‘tax reform’, mccain is alarmingly ‘pro-war’ which scares me. obabma has little experience, mccain says he is a maverick but then votes 90% of the time with george w. bush.
i want a third party so bad! where is nader when you need him? no joke, the other day i went to sign up for my voter registration (since i just moved to cali). i knew that the primaries were over so when it asked me what party i was affiliated with i checked the other box, then wrote ‘THE AXL ROSE PARTY”. i really hope they write that on my voter registration card, i figure if that dude is having a party i want to show him that i am going all out for it.
that is odd that you are from france and still like mccain, i thought the rest of the world would have a bad taste in their mouth for the republican party after W.

2.. we are trying to make it into the interior of Europe next spring. i have only been to france once and loved every minute of it. i hope to come back asap.
3. i really like the album ‘violater’ by dépêche mode., but other than a few other of their singles i don’t listen to them all that much. i really like the 80’s new wave as a whole, and i think a few of those songs are quintessential on any good 80’s (early 90’s) soundtrack.

NationalProduct
The National Product - Danny
1. When are we finally touring together? Hawaii was awesome but lets do some US stuff.

2. Are coming to India with us in Dec/Jan for Faceless?

- Danny National Product xoxo
dearest danny. your in a great band, its inevitable someday we need to play some shows together. you guys were rad to hang out with in Hawaii. as far as India i really do want to go but we are going to be on tour in Canada in January and can’t make this trip. i am, however, trying to make it to the Ukraine with faceless international next spring. a few family members are going to India this fall so take care of them for me!
laucish
Registered User
Why are you supporting Elliot Minor?
im not sure is that a good thing or a bad thing? the elliot minor guys were really nice to all of us and that is all i know. our booking agents over there said that they were good venues and that it was a good move on our behalf. i am not sure if there is a negative or positive stigma with EM but as for now we just wanted to play the UK with a band that did not appear stuck up in our interactions. i am not familiar with their ‘stigma’ if they have one because they have not toured the US as far as i know. i guess i will leave all judgment until i meet them, im sure they are great guys.

xjamesax
xJAMESAx
Stephen is a philosopher /deep thinker and I wanted to know what books have inspired him or made him think lately. What are some of his all time favorite books. How much does his reading /thinking effect his writing musically?
i am no philospher, TRUST ME! a person with a BA in philosophy could debate me under the table. anyone can buy a quote book and spout off a few memorized quotes from men with hard last names to spell. i do enjoy to read though, and a few books i have read lately are
‘guns, germs, and steel’ is a pultzer prize winning book by Jerrod diamond. it is about the history of culture and how we developed as individual races throughout the centuries. (don’t be intimidated by the size of the book it’s a really easy read!)
‘jesus for president’’ by shand Claiborne has kicked my &!@ these last few days. i read it on the plane ride to boston this last week and i can NOT stop thinking about it. it is challenging my belief on st. Thomas “just war” theory. my manager kyle gave it to me, and we have been both stuck at how mind changing this book is.
the next book i am reading is called ‘mountains beyond mountains’. i can’t give you a book review on it but my friend phillip who works for charity water gave it to me, and i trust his judgement.
books DO effect my writing. there are SO many books scattered throughout my music. eleven minutes/ brave new world/ catcher in the rye/ dennis Johnson/ scott f. fitzgerald/ pearl s. buck have all appeared in my songs. books open you up to worlds you will never experience. they can give you new prospective and open you up to new thoughts and ideas, they can fill in the gaps when you lack the words or ideas to finish a song. writers should be readers.

ohitisjess
Registered User
What are each of the member's favorite bands?
joey’s is: Sunny Day Real Estate, The Smiths, The Cure, Roy Orbison, Metallica
deons is: ryan adams, radiohead, the smiths, beach boys, beatles, white stripes, tom petty and the heartbreakers
nathan said: the beatles
and christian was not available for comment.
heavyd
Registered User
What were the main differences between working with Aaron Sprinkle and working with Neal Avron?

i think aaron is a musician first and a producer second, and neal is a producer first and a musician second. both are genius in their own right, and create amazing albums each in their own unique way. aaron and joey are very much alike, they have the complete song in mind and don’t mind taking the time to let the song write itself, i think they are both left brained. neal and i are very much alike; we both don’t mind working long hours and making sure that everything is in its right place, i think we are more right brained.
as far as friendship they are both wonderful people. we had the unique opportunity to live with aaron sprinkle and his family (because we could not afford otherwise) during blueprints. he has a wonderful son named elliot and his wife is an absolute sweetheart who take care of us.
neal has an incredible family as well, he even invited us to his end of summer party at his house. both men are wonderful friends who took us in and treated us like family.
taylerx0
We all need a reason to believe.
Do you have plans to write another novel?
please see blindrider.

FueledBySushi
Registered User
Stephen said in his blog that he wrote some of the new album here in New Orleans.
Why is it then that Anberlin isn't coming here on the tour?
It almost seems like a conflict of interest.
I love the band, and was so excited for this album; but honestly, I'm disappointed that they can use the city for inspiration and not even come here.
Maybe I'm being pretentious, but I'm still curious.
Anberlin has been to New Orleans many times and has had some pretty intimate and amazing shows.
Their fan base here is huge.
So why is New Orleans being left out?

lets be honest. i have no clue. the band themselves does not decide on what cities they go to, its done with logistics and discussed between the booking agent, manager, and venues themselves.
this next ‘headlining tour’ is only 6 weeks long, we are not playing a lot of big markets such as Nashville, new Orleans, and even our home town of TAMPA! we leave three days after our headlining to go to the UK so we did not have time to add all the shows we wanted.
we love new orleans, especially me. i was really inspired by frenchman street and over half the songs were written or inspired by the city. on touro street there was a great little dark lit café (café royal), it was a haven for me, my solitude, and the writing process.

bigbangmachine
Registered User
was it hard to feed those fish and those loves to all those people when you know you didn't have enough?

weak shit.

well chris peters, i am not sure what your referring to. are you saying that the miracle that Jesus performed was weak shit? or are you saying that i am Jesus and my faith is weak shit? please clarify next time you insult (??) or whatever it is you thought you were doing.
judging from your posts (http://www.absolutepunk.net/search.php?searchid=7128151) you seem like a negative and very judgmental person. maybe finding God might not be such a bad idea.

djsclaus
Most Awesome Person Ever.
Stephen, what inspired you to write a book?


I always tell people how awesome it is, i read it twice in a row

i think that writing a book is something i have always wanted to do, and being on tour affords me a lot of time to work on different projects… including the book. thank you so much for reading it that means a lot! and twice wow! i hope you got something out of it!
now its your turn! go and write, or draw, or paint, or create! INSPIRE SOMEONE!
themadsilentist
Is your soul for sale, dear?
Feel like playing "The Haunting" in San Francisco in October? Thanks in advance...

Okay, serious question:
Was there any specific inspiration behind "Misearbile Visu"...and if so, details?

deon really wants to play the haunting, if we do it might be an encore song, you should just come out to the show and find out… cause honestly i don’t know.
how did you hear ‘misearbile visu’?

singlexsorrow
In all this chaos we found safety..
Why are you guys so awesome?
thank you very much.

animalfriend
Registered User
Did the guys from UNFORGIVABLE really split up?
who?

Mibabalou
Bone Palace Ballet: Grand Coda
how do you decide what to name you songs / albums?

how do you decide what the set list is gonna be?

love the music you guys are making !!!

books, lyrics in the songs, random thoughts, etc. for new surrender i came up with it after i wrote a song called ‘new surrender’ that didn’t make the initial cut. i really liked the title and the meaning behind the song. much like lyrics the words of a song or title have to flow. people want something that is memorable and meaningful. you can see how over time i began using a lot less syllables than i used to, blue prints for the never take friendship market personal, and now… cities. new surrender.

emkvetwin
is it basketball season yet? 1-1.
if the end of (*Fin) is improvised (as it's been said), was there an inspiration or prior experience behind what you sang?

and, has it gotten harder to keep faith and spirituality in your songs when you're expected to appeal to a major label, mainstream audience?

finally, do you feel the new version of "Feel Good Drag" is an improvement, and/or does it at least accomplish what you guys were going for?


i honestly just went with it, it was a rather spiritual experience for me; i have not a clue what i was saying. the great thing is to google it and see what other people think it said. its hilarious.
i answered the next question previously.
i really like the new version of feel good drag. i think that the guitars are very much improved, people are upset about the lack of a ‘scream’ there but we have not ‘screamed’ live in years. i wanted to sing it like i do live.

wlh06c
Registered User
i got a question! i have always wondered what they are talking about in the song Fin. if you could ask anberlin what that song means that would be great. thanks!

fin is by far the most personal song in the arsenal; it is about being raised around suffocating religion and questioning the people who say they come in the name of ‘faith’ but are wolves in sheep’s clothing.

warriorsam
I remember reading a few months ago that Stephen's laptop was stolen from his car, along with all of the lyrics for the new album.

How was the process of re-writing those lyrics? Did many of the lyrics remain the same, or are some of the songs completely different as a result?
well to clarify all my lyics were technically stolen, but the positive thing is that we had a couple songs already tracked and the fact is that i remembered the majority of the melody lines and the topics and some of the lyrics i had already memorized.
the songs that really affected were the resistance, burn out brighter, said and done, and soft skeletons. those 4 turned out to be the hardest songs on the album to write both before and after the theft. the lyrics did not remain the same at all but the themes for the most point remained the same. re writing sucks. it feels like no matter what you write it was probably better before. but no one will ever know, except for that *$&@# who smashed my windows in. oh well, i just counted it as a ‘tax’ for living in LA.

mybreakingpoint
I'm Lonely As A Leper
i want fucking anchor & braille noooooooooooow
you and me both.

Xe1881
You're All I Ever Dream About
Stephen,

1. when is the anchor and braille cd coming out?
2. If you have time, can i take you out for dinner after the show on November 5th in Charlotte NC?
3. Please reply to my letter i gave you at charlotte warped?

Chris "Hello Alone Tattoo"
1. soon
2. yes
3. ok

also send that photo to me (through the manager) i want to put it up on our myspace tattoo page.

B.G.
Registered User
a lot of my questions have been asked already so hee a few random ones:

1. when is the FEEL GOOD DRAG video being released?
2. Will the newbury comics vinyl or he smartpunk vinyl be available at your shows??

kinda lame but the best i can do

1. well we just postponed the video due to the fact we realize that now most bands videos go straight to youtube, we want to devote more time to other types of getting our music out right now, but its coming. promise.
2. no the newbury comics will only be available at newbury comics or their website. sorry.

Only In Uranus
Registered User
Are there any b-sides for the upcoming album and if so which stores will have them? also, how much longer do you feel anberlin as a band and you yourself plan to make music?
we kind of used up all the b-sides we had on ‘lost songs’ but we are talking about doing some sort of remix record for fans only, we only have 3 b-sides off new surrender and have distributed them through pre-releases like newbury comics and foreign releases.
as far as how long i feel anberlin will be around i think it is completely up to the fans. if records don’t sell we don’t tour. if we don’t tour we have to look for jobs, if we get jobs we don’t record. so it is up to you.

Nigel Tufnel
Registered User
Originally Posted by Underoath_08
Yeah. He definitely holds his own without it.

you guys are absolutely insane. I love the guys music, but he needs work live. If John C. Riley and Cher had a handicapped son that sang for a band, he would sound like Stephen live. Its not because the guy cant sing, its just because he compromises singing well live for putting on a great show. He runs out of breath within the first 2 songs. Seen them 3 times within the last 2 years.

i love it. and he is right, well not the handicapped son but that i compromise singing well for the live show. if you youtube an acoustic set and listen to how i sing a song it is going to sound like i have a lot of control, range, and a much better tone as opposed to on stage at a live show. but lets be honest, people go to a show to see a show. if they wanted perfection they should sit at home and listen to their CD and save their money. but people want energy, interaction, and excitement. my vocal ‘clarity’ is compromised. but im not going to change and im not going to ‘work on it’, sorry, but its too fun up there to stand still.
-stephen c. riley.
(i get cher, i don’t see the john c riley).

TMA_Chase
Chase of The Mile After
I have one and only question..

1. How does it feel to actually be Kermit the frog?

(before anyone gets mad at me, I love Anberlin and his voice; the resemblance is just undeniable.)

wow. thank God i don’t get my self-esteem or identity in my occupation. these last two comments would be killer! ha. thanks, i think?

charlie brown
Registered User
do you plan on writing any more books?
see above, way above…

Bostancic25
Registered User


Ok, my question: What is the chorus at the end of *Fin? "Patron saint, are we all lost like you?" or "They just saved all of the lost like you."


patron saint, aren’t we all lost like you.

volklaero
Registered User
Has the new label changed influenced how you write your music? Was there a lot of pressure to produce radio friendly music? Im thinking Uni might soften you guys up a little and what i loved about your albums, even cities, was that edge that you had. keep that, if at all possible, and please dont blend into the depths of radio replay!
thanks!
branden
UREPUBLIC has not changed how we write the music, we were writing music/lyrics well before we signed with them. they never listened over our shoulder, ever! i had heard horror stories of labels stepping in and asking them to write a single even after the record was recorded. that never happened, we handed them the record and everyone at uni was really amazed (from what they say).
we have never been on top 40 radio so we didn’t write for top 40 radio. we wrote for our fans and ourselves. i don’t know if i could sleep at night knowing i wrote a record for financial gain or to please a couple of suits. i don’t care about critics, i read what the fans say.
i understand what you are saying about ‘edge’ in cities but we couldn’t record cities part II. here is what i want to tell each and every fan.
all career artists are: damned if you do damned if you don’t.
if you write a record that is full of experimentation and you go in a new direction with the majority of your songs on your new record the critics/fans will say that you have changed too much and claim that your previous records were better.
but if you keep the same formula then critics/fans say that the album sounds the same as the earlier stuff… which was inevitably better.
here is the major difference between new surrender and all the other albums:
the other records at first is instant elation. and i get it! and we could have made new surrender like that! the songs previously have had slick production, fast, accessible, and easy to digest.
but with new surrender it takes more than one listen to tear into you. it takes a few listens to really grasp the music and lyrical content. there is so so so many more intricate layers on new surrender. when you listen to it on earphones you are going to get a unique and completely different experience then when you listen to it with your friends in the car. i know that people are going to hold on to NTFP and cities as their favorite anberlin record for the time being; but when you are showing your grandchildren your favorite records that you listened to when you were growing up you are going to show them new surrender. i promise! i am not saying NS is a timeless records, im saying NS is the most timeless record that anberlin has ever made.
wow that was really long and quite the tangent. sorry.

HPinmypants32
This Is For Real
Originally Posted by TMA_Chase
I have one and only question..

1. How does it feel to actually be Kermit the frog?

(before anyone gets mad at me, I love Anberlin and his voice; the resemblance is just undeniable.)
i am going to give you a huge hug next time i see you for saying this.

yes, though i can’t see you saying this because i don’t know what you look like, it too want to hug you. i have heard the same thing said of Morrissey, one of my favorite singers of all time so, its rather a compliment in a weird, awkward, not a compliment sort of way.

johnnylcd
Registered User
Do you (Stephen) plan on spending more time (like you did in Haiti) in third world countries helping people who suffer from starvation and disease? You, along with Chris Martin (Coldplay) and a handful of other musicians have really drawn me in because of the service you've done, and I always wonder what it's like to struggle between doing that and being a full time musician.

yes. i plan on spending the rest of my life (post-anberlin) working with humanitarian organizations full time. i would love to work with unicef, world vision, or some other non-profit as a career post-music. as for now i try to work not just across the world but here in the united states to help where i can, anberlin obviously takes up the majority of my time but i still find time to help faceless international, charity water, twloha, etc. i would love to go to the Ukraine this next spring, but again it depends on touring.
thank you so much for allowing me to inspire you, now its your turn. go help others to sign up and get involved with the local and international fight against poverty. check idealist.org or dosomething.org for local places to volunteer your time. save your money… PLEASE DONATE YOUR TIME!

Imperfektion
Registered User
What is your favorite song to sing live?
What are your biggest influences as a musician?
What song are you most proud to have written? And explain the meaning behind it.
How did you feel when New Surrender leaked over a month before the release?

as far as vocally i love to sing unwinding. but like i said previously in this interview i really love anything that the crowd is singing along with. regardless the song.
biggest influences are incredible singers: (john bunch, Morrissey, jimmy gnecco, jeff buckley, anthony green, and a few others), books, life, faith, friends & family.
most proud of writing: dance dance lyrically, musically i love what i came up with on miserablie visu i felt it was really dark and fitting to the lyrics. timing and rhythm i really enjoy blame me!. dance dance was about a singer i was in love with named nico. blame me is about someone blaming you for their wrong decisions, and miserablie visu is about Ἀποκάλυψις Apokálypsis
as far as the leak is concerned i am not sure how it feels to have battery acid injected into your veins with a large spinal tap needle but the caring people at the television show ‘EXTRA’ has helped me out with that.

Boomhauer12
Registered User
Question: Please shine some light on New Surrender leaking and what your thoughts were. We already saw a blog of you getting upset, but are you necessarily mad at people who just wanted the CD earlier, rather than waiting till release day to buy it?
i am not sure what blog you are referring to. if it is the one where ‘stephenc’ wrote something about trying to persuade people to burn CD’s well i must say, i enjoyed that they took the time to try and imitate my writing style in that i never use caps. that was not me, sorry. my manager showed me that and i requested that i have a ‘band member’ account made so that these fake ‘stephen’ could not happen again.
as far as how it feels please see question above. it is hard to explain to be honest. i am not naïve to the fact that records leak every single one of anberlin’s has; however one main frustratrations was due to the fact that it was illegally posted/stolen over 1 ½ months before the release date.
i think that the days of music being considered valuable are over. music is considered meaningless in our society, people wont say it, but their subtle actions prove it.
HOWEVER, this does not stop any passionate musician. if any musician got in this for the money they got in it for the wrong reasons! however, i think its not a money issue, or a soundscan issue but a CREATIVE issue. i want people to experience the entire process, the packaging, the lyrics, the art direction, pictures, the songs as they are on the tracklist. i want people to appreciate the value of music again.
i once read a book called ‘how soon is never,’ a fictional book about the smiths in which the author describes purchasing his first smiths vinyl. he said after he saved up his money for more than a month he purchased ‘the queen is dead’ from his local record store. on the way home he clutched the vinyl to his chest the entire way as if fearing someone was going to steal it. once home he listened to the entire record front to back. 2 times.
i want to return to this day where listeners appreciate music, vinyl or CD. i don’t care about leaks and illegal downloading, i care about the dying art itself.

Zarina Rexroat
Registered User
How many old songs are you planning to play live on this tour? And are there going to be anberlin hoodies at the upcoming tour? (it's cold as shit in my school ahah)
much like cities tour we are going to be playing over half old and the rest off new surrender. i think this is going to end up being one of our best headlining shows because of the production, lights, and a sixth member joining up with anberlin for this tour…
yes we are going to have 2 new hoodies, so you wont be cold as whatever you said.

After Hours
and Monday, too
For the band name origin: Wikipedia says that it's from a Radiohead song. Is this the true story?
What did you think of the "Anberlin shreds" video Copeland made?
the radiohead orgin is correct, then i thought it would be a cool name for a daughter and thus it eventually became the name of the band. its all out of order but yes its all true to some degree…
i love anberlin shreds i wish they had made it longer! ‘potato cheesecake’.

desipunk7
Registered User
When are you gonna get a haircut?
when your mother stops telling me how much she enjoys running her fingers through it. kidding. man you set yourself up for that. uh for real, i rather enjoy my hair, i would get my hair cut into a faux hawk like i had it 4 years ago but to many frat guys in purple stipped Hollister shirts took that look.

ArmedXLove
Registered User
On a blog recently Deon wrote that Anberlin will be coming to Europe next year. Could you name a few cities you're coming too? and when?

Stephen, how big of an influence are The Smiths and Morrissey to you? Do you still listen to Morrissey?

Will you ever play Naive Orleans live? Please do it in the UK!

yes we are coming to the interior of Europe next year but at this time i don’t know any specific cities. i really really want to get to germany, france,and spain. i have always wanted to play those countries and never had the chance! it looks like we are going either feb-march or may-june, depending on our support tour.
the smiths/Morrissey are still huge huge influences on all of us, i hear about Morrissey sightings all over LA and still i have not seen him. supposedly he lives rather close to where i stay. maybe i don’t want to meet him, ive built him up so much in my mind what if completely ruins my image of him and he turns out to be a nice guy…ha.
i would love to play that song, maybe i can find you after and play it on acoustic guitar.

counting_saturn
Registered User
will you promise to cut your balls off if the new album sounds like over produced easy listening emo/pop punk crap that is oh so popular with the mtv kiddies?

i mean really, after amazing albums like NTFP and Cities, if you put of crap like that (not that new surrender is crap, i have yet to hear it) you deserve to get your balls cut off. (insert "and then we are going to cut his balls off!" line from the ladies man here)


also you guys should do a FIF or brave saint saturn cover. i really think you are one of the few who could pull it off.

also GO ON TOUR WITH COPELAND.

and while we are at it, could you only release Anchor & Braille songs on Vinyl? That would be quaktastic.

yes my balls are on the line, i promise it is not emopoppunkcrap. wow your really serious about this, but im pretty positive there will be no ball cropping.
i would love to go on tour with the Copeland boys, but last time we toured with them we had to buy onto to their tour and we just aren’t making that kind of money anymore. they are really nice but do NOT look aaron marsh directly into the eyes… he can read your soul.
yes A&B on vinyl, Copeland and balls. check check and check.

Here It Goes
Registered User
How do they plan to progress musically into the next album?

(Coming from the perspective that they basically became musically stagnant with New Surrender. Try and put less of an asshole twist to that question.)
stagnant? damned if you do… please see (way) above. but i will try to keep whitty come backs to an all time minimum because i think your being sincere.
we can only be anberlin, i am not going to try to pretend our next record is going to be ‘dark side of the moon’ inspired. we are who we are. we never got paperthin hymn video played on fuse because they said we were ‘to in between genres’, and at first the news frustrated us, but then i realized that anberlin isn’t emopoppunkcrap (see above) and that we aren’t going to ever try to be that.
i have a side project called anchor and braille and when im feeling arty and ‘hipster’ i go and write a song on a worlitzer about how ‘lonely stars must feel in the sky’ and drink some wine. but that’s not anberlin, and i won’t force it to be. im not going to add in techno drums because _________ band is. im not going to create a new wave dance beat album because __________ band is. we can only be anberlin and what appears to be ‘stagnation’ to you when compared to the entire realm of ‘underground’/indie music is rather original (in my opinion).
i think if you really listen to the record a few more times you will hear small details that set this record apart from all the rest of ours. one take vocals for most of ‘disappear’, the acoustic guitars barely audible in ‘blame me!’, the woman’s voice in ‘feel good drag’, etc. this is NOT a record for fans of one track singles. this is a record for music listeners.

Circa1628
The Rooftop In Highland Park
How did it feel to go into a general market festival like Warped Tour as a christian band, and see your band along with other Christian bands like Norma Jean getting such warm receptions, and your band even winning the extra minutes on stage consistently?

well to be honest we love everyone no matter what color, race, religion, creed, etc. so playing warped tour feels the same as playing any other show; we don’t ask people what their religious back grounds are before we play for the audience or meet another band member. we simply meet/hang out with everyone fan or friend and don’t judge anyone.
it was great to see norma jean get the recognition and warm reception each and every day. they are a very hard working band with one of the best live shows i have ever seen. good people, good times.

xTHE WEAKESTx
Registered User
Whats the most annoying thing fans do when they meet you?
fortunately we don’t encounter that many annoying fans, though i find it rather humorous and frustrating when people cut the line at the autograph tents at warped. its not like were going anywhere! take your time, don’t cut, meet some new friends standing around you, yeah.

moronindisguise
Registered User
see if you can find out which dates members of the band are going out with the faceless organization during this spring in LA, if any.

this band is timeless.

thank you so much for the above compliment. as soon as we know our own tour dates we can let you know about los angeles! thanks!

blindrider529
I love music :-D
Anberlin, Copeland, & Underoath are three bands who really kind of grew up with eachother. I had a conversation some months ago with Aaron Marsh and brought up an idea that I think is pretty sweet. Could you see either a tour of these three bands or a solo tour of yourself and the two Aarons someday?

yes and yes!!!!!!! that would be incredible. yes we all grew up together playing in each others bands and hanging out at local bands shows. we have talked about this for years and years but none of us are in the same genre so i don’t know if people (outside of us & you) would enjoy this tour. but ill mention it to timmy next time we talk. i would love it. we all would!

CeleryFriend
Registered User
mmm. okay. if it's not too late then.. "Which one of you has the worst license photo?"

Christian and i just took the test to get our drivers license in california. we will wait to get those headshots back before i make the call.


personal message.
i just wanted to say thank you guys for the amazing support, comments, questions, concerns, insults, compliments, etc. that you have given us through the years. you keep us going, it is evident that you care and that is what keeps us moving forward.
thank you very, very much absolutepunk.
-stephen

german interview

Would you please introduce yourself to the German audience?
well, hello! my name is stephen christian and sing for the states band
anberlin. we have been around since 2003 and since then have put out
three records on tooth and nail records. we try to be a very hard
working band and stay on the road as much as possible. one of the main
reasons we named the band anberlin is because my mother was born right
outside of berlin, germany and because of that i have always had a
strong attachment to germany.

What kind of influences do you have?
all five of us are going to cite something different, but i think
overall the major influences for the band are the beatles, the cure,
the smiths, and other such brit-rock bands.


How would you describe your music? indie-wave. i think we are really
inspired by both 80's new wave and the current indie-rock scene.

What has been your greatest success?
the greatest success for us is not the amount of money, fame, or album
sales we will ever achieve. i believe the greatest success was the day
we set out to pursue our passion and dreams and didnt let fear of
rejection or failure stand in our way.

How would you describe a live-show to your fans here in Germany?
energetic, interactive, sing-a-long, rock show.

What do you think of politics – are you interested in these things?
i am very much interested in issues of the global scale including
politics, governments, humanitarian issues, etc. i want to be a well
rounded person, not one that in self absorbed and egocentric. i wish
more musicians would be concerned about the world around them, and
actively get involved.

Will we see you here in Germany? What are your plans for the future?
we would give anything to come to germany! my two goals were to go to
japan, and germany. we had the opportunity to go to japan with
copeland earlier this year, perhaps we will get a chance to go to
germany next year!

future plans right now are to go out on tour with motion city
soundtrack here in north america october-december, early next year we
would like to record then our plans our to head out internationally...
hopefully germany! but i can't make any promises just yet.

Your final words… ;-)
thank you SO much for allowing me to do this interview, this is
officially our first german interviw and i hope it is not our last!
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