NOT ONE IS UPRIGHT
Interview by Nathaniel Lay
How did you come to signing with Red Cord Records?
Gerald: Our independently released EP was reviewed by indievisionmusic.com and we were later asked by IVM to contribute a song to a sampler they were putting out. Red Cord heard the sampler and contacted us and we’ve hit the ground running since then.
Where was your debut recorded and with whom? What was the experience like?
Gerald: We recorded our full-length with Joey Mathews at Red Cord Studios in Rockford, IL. We recorded the album in January and our van actually broke down on the way to the studio. It was a rough time, because we were in rural Indiana and the wind chill hit -7. But we got it fixed (thanks to our bass player, Curt) after a very cold night and hit the road again. The studio is very nice and quite high end, and Joey is a heck of a producer.
Why the title “God is Not a Watchmaker and the World is Not Ticking”?
Gerald: Deism (the belief that God exists but does not interfere in the affairs of man) often uses the metaphor of a watchmaker who wound up a watch and then left it alone. But as Christians, we reject that idea. We believe that God wants to be and is active in our lives. The second half of the title is responding to the all the beliefs and rumors about the end of the world. I personally doubt the world will end in 2012, but whenever it does, I doubt people will see it coming.
There are several moments on this record where you guys have included some hard to hear recordings of people singing/talking to themselves. What are these recordings, why were they chosen, and how do they play a part in the record?
Gerald Dyson (guitar): The recordings are public domain recordings ranging from 1897-1928, most of which were recorded through government programs which were trying to catalogue rural culture. Most of them are religious songs, like “Jesus Is My Only Friend” and “Not Gonna Lay My Religion Down”. We included these songs for a few reasons. First of all, many of these songs are originally from Appalachia (where we are from), and we wanted to add some regional flair to the album. Second of all, they represent a theme moving through the album, providing something of a frame of reference and a gentle diversion from the tracks themselves.
On your Facebook, it says that you guys used literary and philosophical lyrical themes on this record. Could you explain some of these?
Graham Skaggs (vocals): An example of a philosophical theme would be in the beginning of the song “Wake Up, #37, Wake Up”. Before recording the album, I had been reading Sartre’s No Exit in which I ran across the line “A man is what he wills himself to be.” I believe that this is Sartre’s thesis statement: the extent of meaning for human beings is what we will for ourselves to be. However, when I really thought through the meaning of that statement as a Christian, I found that the contrary was actually true, that life is more than simply what we will it to be, but also what God wills in our lives. As for literary themes, my two favorite lines in the album that are literary references are “could be a claw for a the flesh stretched upon it” in the song “Axes and Owl Eyes” (a reference to Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol) and “Mouth, her lips meet only to part” in the song “The Mental Propensities of Phineas Gage” (a reference to Samuel Beckett’s play, Not I). There are many more I could discuss, but for now I’ll leave it there. At the end of the day, though, I hope that kids realize that the lyrics really have a lot of depth and meaning, and that it gives inspiration to dig into the world of literature.
You guys have a very intense sound to you. What kind of musical influences do you have?
Frank Shavers (drums): One of the things that’s so great about being in this band is that all of us have a wide range of musical influences, from hardcore and punk to post-rock, progressive, indie, folk, acoustic, and World music. I think all of that really shows in this record and it keeps things fun and interesting for us. But, collectively, I would say our biggest influences are bands such as BOTCH, THE CHARIOT, NORMA JEAN and EVERY TIME I DIE. Bands that are raw and unpredictable, but maintain a certain groove through it all. And, on top of all of that, know how to put on a show.
Which songs off the debut do you think will become the focus tracks and why?
Frank: I can definitely see “Where There is Shame, There is Fear” being a favorite for a lot of people. Musically, it’s got a good mix of everything we do on the record, and lyrically it is very poignant and relatable. Also, “Unrefined, My Paradigm” is the heaviest and craziest song we’ve ever written, so I feel it’s going to make an impact, as well. But the two songs I think we all hope are the ones that end up with the most attention are “Aren’t You Very Afraid?” and “No, I’m Full Of Joy”. They are the most moving and impacting for us, and it would be cool if our listeners shared the sentiments. Although, we’ll be happy no matter which songs they are. We put a lot of time and energy into all of them and just hope people enjoy them on some level.
What touring schedule do you have planned for the coming months?
Gerald: We’re playing a few festivals to kick things off (Ichthus, Cornerstone, and LifeFest), and then we’ll be touring in July with our labelmates PHINEHAS, after which we have about two weeks off, then we’re back on the road in August with A PAST UNKNOWN, two bands we’re really excited to play and hang out with.
Favorite quote/lyric off the record, and why is it important to you?
Graham: I think I speak for all of us when I say that our favorite lyrics from the album are in “No, I’m Full of Joy”. The final line really makes it for me, and sums up the meaning of the album for us because the message we wanted to convey is that yes, while we live in a world full of misery, hatred, and sin, there is a glimmer of hope at the end of the day, “There is a light!”
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