1. Tell me about the meaning behind the album title/title song Good Monsters.
Good Monsters, both musically and lyrically, dives into the huge possibilities present inside the human being: possibilities for both incredible evil and remarkable good. It is an assertion that a more honest dialogue about the reality that the full breadth of these possibilities lies not only in the scope of mankind but within the scope of our individual hearts. In other words we all as individuals carry within us the possibility and the reality of the harshest of evil and most beautiful good, and the road to a deeper humanity lies in dealing honestly with this dichotomy in unblinking community.
2. This album has a more aggressive sound than some of your recent CDs. What prompted your decision to go in this direction musically?
As a band that has always been more song-driven than niche- driven we have always felt a little more comfortable writing the slower and moodier material. When we began the writing process for this record the challenge of writing an unapologetic Rock record really appealed to us. The deeper we got into the writing process the more inspiring this direction became and I think that as a writing team really found ourselves exploring a lot of new and untouched creative possibilities.
3. The first single from Good Monsters is “Dead Man.” What would you like listeners to take away from that song?
This is a song about numbness. About the reality that if we are really honest we are a lot less of the man that we wish we were and more alone than we would like to admit. It is an honest, if not somewhat exacerbated, plea for someone to break through.
4. “Oh My God” is one of the most captivating songs on the album, both musically and lyrically. What was the inspiration for that song?
OMG is a mediation on the reality of the power of this phrase. All the different ways it is uttered. It is so universal, I dare say that these words fall from the lips of every man whether he is cursing God or praising him, gasping in horror or in joy. It is a meditation on all the reasons that a man might cry out “Oh My God” and the end is left silent so that we might hear whether or not God is going to answer.
5. I read on your website that you’ve recently spent some time in Africa in conjunction with blood: water mission. What were some of the highlights of that trip?
Our trip was divided into three parts. We spent three days as guests of the Lwala village, a village about 2 hours drive from Kisumu, Kenya. The people in Lwala have been mobilizing to build a medical clinic in their village that would service the surrounding area as a dispensary and clinic to provide care for those suffering from HIV/AIDS and other poverty related health issues. Blood Water Mission has already committed to provide the water point for the clinic and is currently fundraising in order to provide start up and operating costs for the clinic. The Second part of our trip was spent with friends from International Justice Mission in Rwanda. We spent about three days visiting several Genocide sites and memorials and being witnesses to and showing our solidarity for the people of Rwanda as we grieved with them for the tragedy of the 1994 Genocide. The last part of our trip was spent in short visits with several communities seeing various water projects that Blood Water Mission had already funded and hearing from the communities how the wells had been a blessing to them and challenges that they had ahead now that they had dealt with issue of water for their communities. It was an amazing few days of celebration, and incredible gratitude for God’s mercy.
6. As a band, you’ve been at the forefront of speaking out on social justice issues. What are some ways you’d recommend our customers and your listeners get involved/how can they affect these issues?
Check out www.bloodwatermission.org to see how communities have responded to the call to act on behalf of our brothers and sisters in Africa. There are so many ways to get involved, that it is impossible to name them all, but for ideas and inspiring stories the web site is a plethora of information.
7. Tell me about your tour plans to support this record.
We hit the road in support of the new record starting in October and will be playing about 35-40 shows in exclusively colleges. We will be joined by friends Matt Wertz (www.mattwertz.com) and Leigh Nash (www.leighnash.com)
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