GL got to rock out with the amazingly talented band Anberlin. The super nice Stephen Christian sat down and gave us all the info on the band's third album “Cities,” and talks about truly making a difference in your community!

GL: It’s your first time on Warped Tour, how is it going?

Stephen Christian: It’s our first tour, we’ve never done Warp Tour before and it’s a lot of fun. Somebody told me before we came that it’s a punk rock summer camp and that’s exactly what it is. Every night’s a barbeque, and everybody just hangs out afterwards. It’s really fun.

GL: What would be your favorite part of Warp Tour so far?

SC: Probably meeting the other bands. Bands like Circa Survive and Coheed [and Cambria] and all those bands that I’ve heard and listened to for a long time and now I get to meet them.

GL: What’s your favorite song to play live?

SC: Probably on this tour,“Godspeed” because it’s the last song and it just kind of seems like everybody gets up in arms.

GL: So you guys debuted the “Cities” album 19 on the billboard charts, how was that for you?

SC: It was humbling. Nobody jumped up and down or started screaming their heads off, but we sat back and soaked it in and thought, “Is this really happening?” It really didn’t hit me until months later. Like, “Oh my gosh, that was amazing.” It was really cool. But it’s not like we started patting ourselves on the back and thought that we were better than everybody else. It was just like, “Ok, let’s just go out there and play another show tonight.”

GL: With that said, I read in one of your press releases that the third album out could really make or break a band. Being on the third album yourself, do you think that this album really defines you, and that you’re going to make “it” now?

SC: Who’s to say, the music industry is so fickle. Bands are here today and gone tomorrow. So I don’t know. All I know is that the fans came out to support us and that really shows that they care and get behind our music. That’s what means a lot to us, and if that extends our career, then great. If not, we just want to go out there and make the best music we can on the next record. Either way, I can always look back and say, “Man, what a great time. I got to see awesome countries, meet great people, and hang out with my best friends.” I have nothing to complain about.

GL: How do you keep your energy up while you’re touring?

SC: I guess it’s a couple of different things. Mentally, you have to go up there and say, “I’ve got to put on a show that I'd want to go see.” People pay dollars to get in here and I don’t want them to be bored. So we go out there and put on the best show we can. As far as physically, you kind of build up stamina playing shows everyday over and over again. The scene has a way of making you build stamina whether you want it or not, ya know?

GL: What’s the first thing you’re going to do once you finish touring?

SC: Oh man…laundry. I have a pile of clean clothes and a pile of show clothes that I’ve worn on stage. We don’t have a laundry mat, so it’s really hard [to do laundry]. That and my Goddaughter, my brothers daughter, is four years old and I just love her. So I’m going to spend time with her and the family obviously, and friends…stuff like that. Just relax, that’d be the biggest thing.

GL: What are your greatest musical influences?

SC: Wow I have tons. The Smiths, The Cure, The Beatles (is up there), Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, The Hours, The Stills, Doves…just a whole bunch. I kind of take little pieces from all of them. I love Mick Jagger’s stage presence and the way he controls the crowd. I love Jeff Buckley’s brains. I love Morrissey’s lyrics. I love how John [Lennon], Paul [McCartney], and The Beatles arrange songs… You kind of just take a little bit and then you have to develop your own style, because if not, then you’re are just an imitator. Somebody once told me that you can either be influenced by timeless bands or you can be a timeless band. I don’t want to rip off some band and just become who they were. I want to take all those things and kind of present who we are now.

GL: So we’ve heard about philanthropist efforts. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

SC: It’s something that I think everyone should get involved in. When I’m doing interviews and I hear, “Congratulations on this and that.” it kind of hurts because why can’t everybody [who wants to] to stuff like this. I don’t think it’s to a point where all musicians are involved in some organization or another. And I think we’re getting there as far as looking at the history of rock. This is the most that bands have ever been involved in organizations and causes. So that’s awesome.

For me…I got involved I think because of my parents. When I was 12 years old we went and spent some time at a dump in Mexico. We would see these kids shuffle through garbage looking for aluminum cans to sell so hopefully they’d get to eat that night. It broke my heart even then, and I think that is where the seeds were planted. I thought, “I have to do something, I can’t just sit by.” So at 17, I went and worked at an orphanage in the Ukraine. I realized there that this is what I want to do with the rest of my life. I want to be working in humanitarian efforts. Whether it’s UNICEF or World Vision or I don’t know what organization I’ll end up working with permanently, but after the band, I want to do something with my heart and soul. It’s only natural for me to start incorporating who I want to be into who I am now.

We work with a lot of organizations like: To Write Love On Her Arms, Invisible Children, and I started my own called Faceless. And what we do is, we take bands to other countries and help out in any way we can. So our first trip was to Haiti in 2006, this year in January we went to Calcutta, India, and in January of next year we are going to Nairobi, Kenya in Africa.

GL: A lot of our readers are between the ages of 12-17, when you started, what would you say they can do to help?

SC: You know…it is hard, but you don’t have to go to another country, go to Mexico, the middle of nowhere, or Africa to make a difference. You can make a difference right in your own community and actually that’s so important. Even 14-year olds can get involved with YMCA Reads. Contact your local YMCA and tell them you want to read to kids. Have your parents drop you off and read to kids for an hour. Make a difference in a child’s life that may be abandoned and/or may not have anyone at his or her house that can read at all. Or there’s Habitat For Humanity and anyone can get involved with that and help build a house. Start your own organization, start a chapter in your own school or a club and find different projects to work on. Don’t feel like you’re not good enough or think, “Well he’s in a band, he can do this kind of stuff easy.” Anybody, anybody can help. And most importantly with your time.

Here we are meeting Anberlin's amazing lead singer! (Drea and Stephen, Stephen and Jiae).

GL: Last question, we always do a fun one for the end. Do you have any onstage embarrassing moments?

SB: Oh tons. I don’t know why, but in Canada there was a V-shaped monitor and in my head I thought I could walk up one [side] and walk down the other. Don’t ask me why, but I felt like it was a good idea. So I walk up this monitor and turned around and fell flat on my back. BAM! Oh man, that was so embarrassing. I just laid there. I didn’t even want to get up. I just seriously wanted to sink into the stage and crawl away.

LINKS WE LOVE!

WARPED TOUR ROCKS! We had a BLAST at this summer’s Warped Tour. The good news? It’s not too late, you can still check it out! Click HERE to see if Anberlin and all the other amazing bands are coming to an area near you. Check back for more of Drea and Jiae’s interviews from Warped Tour!

AMPED ABOUT ANBERLIN? Click HERE to listen to music, get the bands bio, check out pics and more!

DON’T FORGET! Click HERE to check out ALL the bands we’ve gotten to review and interview this summer!

BLOG ABOUT IT! Have you been to a totally slammin’ summer concert this year? Tell us about it now! Who would you absolutely LOVE to see live? Have concert tips of your own? Give us the dish now!

8/7/2007 1:37:37 PM