Somehow, great songwriters have a way of making me think jealous thoughts: ‘I wish I would’ve written that!’ For nearly a decade, Jon Foreman has consistently been fantastic at cleverly crafting words around common experiences that resonate within. Case in point: in “Amateur Lovers,” he laments “We don’t know what we’re doing” and follows it with a fearless declaration of: “Let’s do it again!” Coming to grips with our shortcomings, but enjoying them nonetheless is a great modern day proverb in my book. […read more]

Brandon Rike is the vocalist for Dead Poetic, a band that almost didn’t exist anymore. After a near break-up in the fall of 2004 on the heels of their hit record New Medicines, Rike speaks out, among a flurry of other things, about putting the band back together, the screamo genre he hates, and spirituality.

HM: I understand the band now is not what it was back then. Can you give me an up-to-date history lesson in your band’s life? Brandon: When we started, back in 1997, and we were just a bunch of dudes in school trying to rip off Green Day and Weezer and trying to be like Stone Temple Pilots—that whole thing. […read more]

Here is more of the interview that took place at the Cornerstone 2006 Festival, which was used to write the Sep/Oct feature on mewithoutYou. I hope you enjoy getting to hear more of Aaron Weiss’ words here.

HM: Tell me about mainstage tonight. How’d it go? Aaron: Well, it was probably one of the most fun nights I’ve had with the band. It was one of my favorite shows we’ve ever played. I was kind of worried about the size of the stage and stuff. We stuck so close together. We got to play with bands. We had a good time. It was really magical for me. Much better than our first show (T&N Day). […read more]

Here is the interview with Pillar’s Rob Beckley, which went into the preparation for their Nov/Dec cover story. Perhaps you can read through this and pick out quotes you would have used instead of the ones that ended up in the article. Either way, enjoy!

HM: Tell me about the creation of this album. What went into it? What stories lay within it? What were the roadblocks overcome in its making? What did you discover about yourselves as a band in making it? Pillar: We recorded this album over the course of almost a full year. So, it’s not just one story. Lyrically, it’s very broad. Numerous things happened over a year. The one thing that was the true theme was to find resolution in your hurt. […read more]

Oklahoma’s Pillar sets a new standard and rattles the rafters like never before on their fourth full-length project for Flicker Records. Better songs, better riffs, bigger production, more attention to detail, better vocals and better overall dynamics make The Reckoning one of the best mainstream rock releases of 2006. Right out of the gates things seem pretty consistent with previous Pillar projects. The album’s first single “Everything” boasts a fists-in-the-air riff and epic chorus that puts it right in line with previous Pillar hits like “Fireproof” and “You Can’t Bring Me Down.” […read more]

Good Monsters is Jars 7th full studio album of new material and it’s being kicked off with a little bit of controversy. Apparently some of the “gatekeepers” in the Christian music world are getting their feathers ruffled over a comment made by Jars lead vocalist Dan Haseltine (posted on the website jarchives.com) in which he said, “Don’t be surprised by the contemporary Christian music industry…They have created a monster and now they do not know how to kill it gracefully. And even though it is a monster, most times its motives are to become a very good monster.” From that I gather that the title of the new Jars of Clay album is a not so veiled reference to the Christian music industry, and probably the entire evangelical sub-culture in general. Fine by me. He’s acknowledged that they’re a part of it and isn’t being hypocritical, just stating something that is all too true. […read more]