Several weeks ago One21 Music posed fifteen questions to a number of music artists in the Christian music scene, ranging from the light-hearted to the deeply spiritual. We received many responses, some very helpful, and some…. not so much. Some of the answers were short and sweet, some were extensive and eloquent. Many expressed frustrations with the current landscape of the music industry, while others were hopeful for a future of uncertainty. We heard from guys who had been performing for years, and bands that are just now starting to get their names heard. From indie rock to hip-hop, from hardcore to worship, the Christian music scene spoke back to us.

Realize that these answers are by the people making the music that you are listening to, and these are un-edited and real. The opinions expressed don’t always reflect ours, but we aren’t perfect, right?

This week we asked the question posed by the main character of the 2000 film Almost Famous. Ever since I saw the movie, the innocence and simplicity of the question has always appealed to me. People always want to talk about what they love, so we gave our artists a chance to do just that.

What do you love about music?

Vito (half of Asthamic Kitty indie/folk band The Welcome Wagon)
I think of music as a conduit that can connect people to each other, and connect us to God. There is nothing more important than   that—being united to God, and to one another—and there are few things that can do that better than music.

Jon (lead singer/guitarist for pop/rock band Hyland)                             
Music is such a big part of my life. It’s able to pick up where words leave off, or express words/thoughts and emotions in ways that people can connect to. I love music for so many reasons.

David (lead singer/guitarist for Tooth & Nail pop/rock band Run Kid Run)
I love the power music has with your emotions from a great melody that just makes you hum along on a beautiful day or a quiet song that brings you to tears or a song that gives you energy and moves you.

DIRT (underground hip-hop artist and founder of Shadow Of The Locust)
Music has the authority to move people… LITERALLY move them! From one emotion to the next. Music can save a life or end it. Music can change the atmosphere, good or bad. Music can start a needed revolution and quell a dictatorship. We receive music through our ears, but it is translated in our souls. Our brains deciphers the organized sound, but our hearts move us to action with the messages depicted.

Brett Hill (Paradigm Nashville solo country artist)                                   
It is a way to express the heart and the spirit, and also a way to reach others who respond to music.

Chris Taylor (BEC solo artist/song writer)                                            
It makes mile 7 and 8 so much easier.

Amy Courts (independent pop/folk artist)                                 
The communicative nature of it, and how any given song, depending on its melody, progression, and subject matter, can draw the most unsuspecting, motley crowd together in unity as some part of the song resonates with each individual.

Brooke Waggoner(solo indie/pop artist on SlowMoon Music)            
The freedom and retreat of it all.

Frankie (vocalist for Infantry Records hardcore band Our Proclamation)
Music is the purest of all art forms. I love the being able to have a different soundtrack depending on my mood, and I love how my music can have an effect on people’s lives.

Mahogany Jones (independent hip-hop artist)                                      
I love that music soothes emotions and mind and is a tool that God uses to help draw us closer to Him when we use it to praise Him and to worship Him.

Dominic Balli (independent Reggae/hip-hop artist)                                
It can stir the human heart deeper than any other created thing. Truly. That’s why a movie without a sound track isn’t much of a movie. I think then, worshiping God through music become one of the deepest things we can do to express our love to him. For me, it’s also a medium by which I communicate to the world around me.

Heath (bass player for Holdfast Records metal band In Irons)         
It’s just simply a way for people to connect. No matter the race, background, or beliefs of a person, we can all come together through music and its just a beautiful thing.

Seth (singer for independent hard rock band Endeverance)              
I love that it can draw people from different backgrounds and different points of view to come together under one purpose and understanding if even only for a few minutes…I love that it is a great release for frustrations and even struggles…But most of all it brings people together…

Bryan (bass player for Forefront Records pop/rock band Abandon) 
Music is the best possible way to express yourself in my opinion. I love being able to write songs that truly mean something to me personally. There is no greater feeling than singing and playing my heart out on stage every night. It is truly amazing how much music has an impact on people’s hearts too. My favorite part about what we so is seeing lives changed through these lyrics and songs that God has blessed us with.

Dave (half of  Holdfast Records electro-house duo Poorly Built Parachute)
Music has always been a means of spilling out the true emotions within my heart. I’m a Christian, go to Church, try to prayer a lot… but I have a past that was not so pleasant and memories and screwed up stuff I went through still effects me today, probably will forever. Music and art helps me vent.

Brandon (bass player for independent pop/rock band Say You Will)
It’s contagiousness. My goal as a musician is to make music that makes others feel the way I’ve felt when I’ve heard a song that I love. I hope someone loves what I do as much as I love what others are doing. That idea; to create a feeling that you’ve felt and loved for some else is very contagious and even biblical.