Voices Of The Underground is a series that seeks to explore one question from many different angles. Every week, we will ask one question of many of your favorite music artists. We will post their responses below, and what you will find is that there is never truly one answer to every question, but instead a whole world of ideas that come from simple matters of taste, to deep held beliefs. Our hope is that through this series you are able to see past the promo pictures and the stage persona, and get to know the hearts of believers who are creating music every day.

Need to catch up?
Read Pt.1-What do you love about music?
Read Pt.2- What was your first musical experience?
Read Pt.3-What is your favorite/ultimate song?
Read Pt.4-What is the best live show you have ever seen?
Read Pt.5-If you hadn’t gotten into music, what would see yourself doing as a job?
Read Pt.6-Who is Jesus Christ to you?
Read Pt.7-What is Christian music?
Read Pt.8- The facets of the Christian music?
Read Pt.9-Can art/music not have a message behind it?
Read Pt.10-How do you keep yourself accountable in your out on the road?
Read Pt.11-What are your opinions on the modern music industry?
Read Pt.12-Is it easier or harder to be a musician today in contrast to maybe 10 years ago?
Read Pt.13-What is the one thing that people don’t understand about YOUR music?
Read Pt.14-What responsibility (if any) does an artist/performer have to it’s listener?

For the fan reading this right now or listening to your music and wanting to start a band/career of their own, what is some advice you could give them that you didn’t know starting out?

I’m going to address the girls: (Keep in mind that these are lessons I’ve learned the hard way….I wish I could have been wiser when I was young!)
Discipline yourself to write songs and learn your instruments and train your voice. I’ll gently suggest that you try to include your family as much as possible. You need accountability. Be modest in your heart and in your dress. Give your music to God now, before pride becomes an issue. (That was one of my big ones- I thought I was so awesome. Man, I was dumb.) Pray for open doors, but don’t just sit and wait for something good to fall in your lap. Again, discipline yourself in your art so you’ll be ready if you get the chance to share your music with the world!

I would say for starters that there is more to life than being in a band. Not to be a downer, because I love doing this so, so much, but I think a lot of young bands have the tendency to elevate the idea of being in a band, an how “cool” that is, above a lot of things like friendships and relationships and maybe the other things God has called us to do. I’m not discouraging anyone from starting a band, but if you’re starting a band and your bass player really wants to go to college or get married or whatever, he’s not a jerk and you should still talk to him and be his friend. I’ve seen a lot of friends in bands, as well as myself, thinking being in a band is then end-all-be-all to my entire life, but there is so much more to God’s creation and kingdom than playing rock and roll.

My advice is to not read reviews. Whether they are good or bad, finding out what a stranger thinks of what you’re making is always a negative experience. Even if it is on a sub-conscious level, you end up seeking approval instead of being open.

Be less concerned with what is cool or trendy and more aware of creating music that you feel is genuine and well written.

Focus on God and build relationships with others. The great commandment. Be honest, transparent and wear your heart on your sleeve. Through this, you can be the change you want to see in the world. Don’t worry about “industry, business, units, friends or Myspace plays.” Just do what God is calling you to do and focus on him.

Don’t start your band and start touring right away. Take your time building your local fan base, then gradually tour out regionally, then eventually and slowly work your way out to different areas of the country. Don’t expect to make money right away, unless your a cover band for some strange reason. And be smart with your money you do have, as much as it sucks, money can really make or break your band. Try to save on whatever you can, recording costs, duplication, merch, etc. I don’t know. This is all business stuff. But that’s what I wish we knew when we started.

If you like writing, and playing music, don’t forget that you like writing and playing music.

Be humble, don’t have expectations other than to be a vessel of the Lord. Work to perfect your art. If you aren’t completely happy with a song don’t make us listen to it. Throw it away and write a new one. God demands our best and He deserves it. Be willing to play to a room of 2 people. You are not above it. And most of all, SMILE IN YOUR BAND PHOTOS!

Follow the path that God is opening up for you. Be FAITHFUL in the opportunities you are given… Make sure you are following God’s path, not someone else’s path that you are trying to emulate. You don’t wanna become an imitator of some other band. Just be in prayer, seek after God – and walk through the doors that he opens for you. And continue to be faithful once he gives you the opportunity.

It’s not as easy as it seems. If it’s not about the music, it’s not gonna work.

The best advice is to not get ahead of yourself. A lot of musicians want to start a band, and hit the road the next day. I think it is important to build up a local fan base, to spend time writing quality music, and make sure you are going to do decent on the road. I know we hit the road for a brief summer tour 2 years ago, and we were not ready for the road at all. We had no idea what we were doing yet, and our music was not up to par for a touring band at the time. We also ended up getting $6,000 worth of gear stolen out of our trailer.

Practice! Always keep your priorities straight. If you’re a Christian band keep God first. Whatever your band has to say believe in it and practice it.

If any of you desire to make it as a musician, I must stress to you, that you must know your instrument. Practice your instrument and get good at it, a band only makes it if they’re good. Be a good person with a good personality, it’s hard to be in a band with someone they can’t get along with.

Don’t quit. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. Put Him first and all will be added to you.

Be patient, everything in this industry takes time. What makes you/your band stand out from the rest(musical identity)? Find that, and embrace it. If you’re in it for the money, stop now. God will bless you if you’re faithful, and you work hard, but you need to be ready to eat at gas stations and sleep on van floors for a while….sometimes a long while. It’s all about awareness, get your band/music in front of people. God will do the impossible if you do the possible.

Just make music out of love for it. Music totally sucks when you get into the whole rat-race. I’m constantly fighting that. Just dig your head into the notes and love every part of it.

*NOTE: this is the last of our Voices Of The Underground series. Thanks to all of the artists that participated, its been really great getting to know you guys better. Thanks to everybody who has been reading VOTU since we started it almost 8 months ago! For now, this is going to be the end of the series, we feel it is time to move on and do some some new stuff. Thanks again….

Voices Of The Underground is a series that seeks to explore one question from many different angles. Every week, we will ask one question of many of your favorite music artists. We will post their responses below, and what you will find is that there is never truly one answer to every question, but instead a whole world of ideas that come from simple matters of taste, to deep held beliefs. Our hope is that through this series you are able to see past the promo pictures and the stage persona, and get to know the hearts of believers who are creating music every day.

Need to catch up?
Read Pt.1-What do you love about music?
Read Pt.2- What was your first musical experience?
Read Pt.3-What is your favorite/ultimate song?
Read Pt.4-What is the best live show you have ever seen?
Read Pt.5-If you hadn’t gotten into music, what would see yourself doing as a job?
Read Pt.6-Who is Jesus Christ to you?
Read Pt.7-What is Christian music?
Read Pt.8- The facets of the Christian music?
Read Pt.9-Can art/music not have a message behind it?
Read Pt.10-How do you keep yourself accountable in your out on the road?
Read Pt.11-What are your opinions on the modern music industry?
Read Pt.12-Is it easier or harder to be a musician today in contrast to maybe 10 years ago?
Read Pt.13-What is the one thing that people don’t understand about YOUR music?

What responsibility (if any) does an artist/performer have to it’s listener?

Being honest and doing his/her best.

The choice is ultimately up to the artist to care about this or not, but I’d say the minute you decided to play music for a living, you decided to be a role model, whether you like it or not. And you can have a positive or negative effect..it’s up to you.

I believe we as artists are accountable for everything we write, record, perform, and speak. We are supposed to be examples of who or what we serve. I know I will fall short but i pray as this journey continues that I can represent Christ to all who i come across.

In our line of work, we must stay on path. If we label ourselves a Christian band and try to set an example for the kids that come to see us, and we are caught doing something bad, such as doing drugs or fighting, we failed as a Christian example. I feel we must stay in line for the ministry’s sake and that we must play good music.

It depends on the artist. As for my band we feel our responsibility is to love our listener and be with them as much as possible whether its prayer or just conversations about anything they want to talk about. It means the world to us that people take the time to listen or watch us or whatever.

Well I think that the responsibility is to care about your fans. To try to write music that speaks to the people who listen to your band, to care about making relationships with those who relate to your music, and to always try to give your shows 100 percent so everyone who pays to see you has a good time. Our favorite part about being a band is making friends all over the county. We have met some of the most amazing people in the last year of touring, and its been nothing but amazing.

I guess the only thing I can think of is one particular scenario. If you’re performing for someone who has paid money to see you perform, at least make an effort to perform to the best of your ability. I mean, they paid money, you know?

The artist should be responsible to explain what the message of their music is I think… Even if there is no direct message. I think often an artist can write songs about things that are not necessarily the message they really want to communicate. I think that artists should be willing to explain to their listeners what they are really trying to communicate through their music.

None. Their responsibility is to the Lord. Fans are fickle. They will abandon you over a bad interview (which will probably happen to be after this one), or if you don’t scream enough on your new album or something. It’s crazy. Follow God, not people. They are fans, not idols.

When you are musician people look to you, whether you like it or not and they listen to what you have to say whether its worth listening to or not. As for me, in the past I have struggled with the weight of responsibility that is placed on me as a Christian, who is also a musician. How do you minister to everyone? How do you always be the best example? You can go mental trying to find the right formula. But the Lord revealed to me that you simply have to listen, be sensitive to His spirit, and just be real. This is my responsibility.

To put out heartfelt music, even if it’s different from the last record, or takes a totally different direction. Artists responsibilities are to stay true to what they love.

We do what we do to glorify God. To raise him up and spread his message of love and hope. As long as we are open and honest about this, I don’t feel like our “listeners” would demand anything from us other than the Truth.

The answer to that really depends on why you’re creating music. For us, we hope to share a message of love, understanding, compassion, justice, etc. and I see it as our responsibility to do so, both for those hearing us and those they can act in these ways towards.

An artist should make things that they like, that they think are good. That seems to be the most generous thing they can do for their audience.

Man that’s a tough question. When artists start creating art to please an audience, I really think the art suffers. Sure it may sell well and make the kids dance at the shows, and if that’s your thing then go for it, but if the goal is to create art, then it will suffer if you start trying to please everyone else. I think more that artists have a responsibility to society to effectively translate the human condition and social issues into art that speaks to people, even if just themselves. The ability to create and recognize art is what separates us from all other forms of life on this planet, and I think it is crucial to us as a people and society to endear.

For every artist there is a different answer. I can only speak for myself: I have a huge responsibility. I have been called to live my life to the glory of God, and that standard applies to my music.