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 Lead singer of the rock band Jonah33.
Q) Your sound could be described as "Foo Fighters-meets-Switchfoot." In the past, your sound was more Nickelback/Three Doors Down. When you worked with producers, what kind of input did you have for what the "sound" of Jonah33 would be/become?
When we went into the studio, we told the producer Pete Matthews that we didn't want to sound like the first record. We wanted to re-create our sound to reach a broader audience. Coincidentally, Foo Fighters and Switchfoot are pretty high up on our listening chain, so that's a compliment. But we really tried to stay true to the talents of musicianship that God gave us on this album rather than try to listen to what was hitting on mainstream charts and try to emulate that—which is what I felt happened on the last record.
Q) You had a tough time between the ages of 13 and 19, doing all sorts of drugs and even moving in with a crank dealer who left a shotgun on the table for you because someone was probably going to come try and kill you. Why did you get so into drugs? What helped bring some stability and hope to your life? I think what got me so into drugs was simply curiosity. I wanted to experience things. When I got into acid, I wanted to experience the "trip" more and more. That ultimately led me to doing crank. I kept taking it because I wanted to keep feeling "invincible". That led me to the end because the spiritual consequences of my choices almost drove me mad. Plus, chemically, my body had taken too much abuse. When you are in that kind of situation, the ONLY thing that gives you hope is close friendship. I had a friend who stuck with me until the end. He was my guitar player from my former band in Seattle, and I still talk to him today.
Q) When you were younger, you ran away from home and lived on the streets. Why do you think so many young teenage men feel a need to run away from their parents and be so fiercely independent? This is a delicate question that involves a delicate answer. I can only speak for myself, and hope someone else will benefit from it. I think God created males with an incredible sense of adventure. And in this society and culture I really don't see that being encouraged. I am not blaming society for runaways. What I am saying is that when you find a kid who has that huge desire, I don’t think today's society equips today’s parents with how to do deal with him. I think that’s what happened with my parents. They just didn't know how to respond to my desire of chasing life. Unfortunately, that led me to trouble.
Q) Listening to your music, which is very straight-forward and talks about being cleansed and purified, what would you say are some of the overall themes your music conveys? Our first record was more vertical in the sense of me asking God a bunch of questions, and really trying to figure out what exactly I believed. So, it was a lot of dialogue between God and I. On recent albums, I really felt God leading us in a different direction. We decided to take a more outwardly approach instead of a vertical approach, and try to address some issues both inside and outside the church. It has been a great learning experience for us.
Q) Talk about your song "Desensitized." Desensitized is about the addiction to pornography inside the ministry. The percentage of full-time ministers inside the church that are addicted to Internet porn is alarmingly high. I think this is an issue that needs to be addressed. It destroys the family and gives strength to the enemy, and we can't allow this to go un-noticed. However, the answer isn't to ostracize the ones that are addicted. We have to understand that these men are prisoners of war, and they are being blinded. The truth is that they all desire to be freed inside. We have to be willing to be led to set them free without judging them. God doesn't rate sin, and neither should we.
Q) Your music wants to challenge people to think, and to put their faith into action. What are some practical ways people can put their faith into action starting right now? I think the best way to put faith into action is to live like a first century Christian. Study what was important to Jesus and His disciples when the church first started, and live like that.
Q) Who is your primary audience? I think our primary audience is ages 16-30.
Q) In concert, what song gets the biggest reaction? Why? “Faith Like That” gets the biggest reaction because it was our biggest single on the last record.
Q) What do you think of Jesus? I think Jesus is the one man who walked on this earth that was so powerful that he split time. (B.C. and A.D.) He was the son of God.
Q) Does everyone in your band believe in Jesus? Do you pray together? How important is God? Yes, everyone in our band is a believer. We don't thrive off of the novelty of that, though. We often pray before shows, and we don't have Bible studies, we have conversations about scripture, biblical principles, our frustrations with the church, etc. God is in the center of our attention at all times. That doesn't mean that we walk around like monks, it just means we are constantly aware of His presence in our lives...
Q) You get the opportunity to open for or play with lots of famous bands. Name some of them and fill me in on what it's like for you to do that...when you're in "secular" venues, does your band stand-out from the crowd, and if so, how so? We have really been only marketed in the Christian market, so we have only had the opportunity to open for big Christian artists like Third Day and Delirious, just to name a few. But when we have played mainstream events our band has always had a great response from people because we stay transparent, allowing people to see through us at all times. I think that is important if you are trying to reach people, because no one wants to feel belittled, or like someone is trying to pull one over on them.
Q) Why is your one CD called "The Strangest Day?" It's named after the title track, which is about a guy who lived his whole Christian life chasing a religion instead of a relationship with God.
Q) What gets on your nerves? People who assume they know everything about God, whether they are atheists, or church folk. Rude people get on my nerves as well.
Q) When you have bad days, what keeps you going, pressing on? Bad days, good days, they are all just part of the adventure. Usually you can learn from bad days, so the lesson is always something to look for. But in the middle of the bad day, a reminder every now and then that God is in control does a mind some good.
Q) What is something you'd tell a struggling young man who is suicidal, like you once were, to encourage him not to end his life? The simple fact that you are breathing right now is a sign that God still has a plan for you. Suicide does not bring happiness. God created you so He knows what makes you the happiest. You just have to let go of your pride so He can take over. Your life was worth His son dying for.
Q) What do you struggle with and how are you dealing with it? How does God help you with it? I struggle with pride. I struggle with anger. I struggle with insecurity. All of those things are things that most people struggle with, so it's easy to find help with other Christians. You have to be willing to take constructive criticism if you want to change.
Q) Where do your bandmates Joshua, Jason and Cory live? Josh lives in Van Buren, Ar., Jason lives in Siloam Springs, Ar., and Cory lives in Lubbock, Tx.
Q) Does the band go to church on Sundays? If so, where? What kind of church? Because we all live in different towns, we go to different churches. We all attend non-denominational churches, meaning churches that don't hold on to one particular doctrine. They are more interested in the teachings of Jesus.
Q) How is today's modern, contemporary "Christian" church failing the youth? If you look at the success rate in the children's ministry of an average size church in the U.S., and then look at the success rate of that same church when it comes to the college age group, the difference is night and day. Children's ministries are expanding like crazy, and there are hardly any college age students. And it's not because everyone moves off to college. It's because somewhere between kids and adults, our church loses them. I think it's because we are not teaching Truth that transforms the soul, we are preaching about stuff that people want to hear, and that doesn't change anyone.
Q) Is there anything else I didn't ask about that you'd like to share with people? Yes. You can't live out your parents' faith. Christianity is about a relationship. Your relationship with Him. Not your parents’ relationship, or your pastor's relationship. Your relationship. Question everything that you have ever been taught about Christianity. It is the only truth, and if you believe different, then you haven't experienced truth for yourself. Not everything that comes from the pulpits and the TV stations is God's truth. That is why you have to discover it for yourself through a relationship with Him. |
