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Michael Tait is taking advantage of his dc talk intermission by fronting a new band. With Tait, the band, Michael is joined by close friends Pete Stewart (formerly of Grammatrain), Lonnie Chapin (formerly of Petra) and roommate Chad Chapin (who played drums for Pete's solo career). FamilyChristian.com learned that the depth of this tight-knit foursome spans from an engaging dialogue on the spiritual roots of racism to an almost giddy appreciation and love for each other. In part two of FamilyChristian.com's exclusive interview, the guys talk about their musical past, the present of Empty and their enthusiasm for Tait's future.

FamilyChristian.com: Michael, of all the music dc talk has put out, what is your favorite song of all time?

Michael: I could never possibly answer that unless you give me three choices [laughs]. One just wouldn't do it. Probably the songs "Jesus Freak," "Mind's Eye" and a toss up between "Just Between You and Me," "My Will" and "Godsend." "I Love Rap Music"…I did not like at all! That song I was made to do. I was held down and beat [laughs].

FamilyChristian.com: After twelve years, you're finally taking a well-deserved intermission. What are you enjoying most about the break? Besides hanging out with these guys, of course.

Michael: Personal expression, although it's shared with these guys, but personal in the sense that I'm away from Toby and Kevin. We're celebrating our time away, not in the way like "Ooh! Get these guys out of my way. I hate them." But in the sense of this is something we've all wanted to do. I've always wanted to do a band. They wanted to do solo projects, so we're doing it. It's so much fun. It's very tiring but it's more rewarding.

And taking time off. I haven't done that for awhile [because] Pete and I have been producing the record. But being able to be home. The road is fun when you're doing the road but when you want to be home, it's awesome.

FamilyChristian.com: One of the benefits of creating a project away from Toby and Kevin is the opportunity to showcase your unique musical style. Where do you draw your musical influence?

Michael: Everywhere. And with these guys playing on the record, I'm sure that adds to my style, it augments it just a bit. But I would have to say [my influences are] as vast as Nat King Cole to U2, Seal, Kravitz….

FamilyChristian.com: What's in your CD player now?

Michael: Coldplay is in there quite often. Stacie Orrico's Genuine. One of my favorite vocalists on our label, ForeFront, would be Rebecca St. James. She has a really cool voice. Her songs are awesome too.

FamilyChristian.com: Pete, how has your solo career and your work with Grammatrain prepared you for playing with Tait?

Pete: I look at my music career as an ongoing process. Grammatrain and my solo record certainly prepared me, but so did being in bands in junior high school and high school. [I was in a band called] Electric Spaghetti…[guys all laugh at the name]…We made our own little shirts that had a plate of spaghetti and then there was four meatballs that all played instruments. [Guys all laugh and tease Pete about his t-shirts].

Grammatrain prepared me greatly. As far as being an individual who's comfortable with who I am and what I'm doing in life, it's probably the greatest experience I could have had. You learn so much by going out on the road, by working this and that, putting your heart and soul out there on a platter for some people to totally get, and give you the biggest satisfaction, and some people to just kind of step on. You end up having to come to terms with, "I can't have my self-worth be wrapped up in what someone else thinks of me or what awards I get or don't get." I would say I feel like if I hadn't gone through all that, I wouldn't be as nearly as prepared.

FamilyChristian.com: With Tait, you're stepping away from the spotlight put on you as a lead singer and solo artist. How is that transition going?

[Michael makes evil laughing sound]

Pete: Michael actually gets jealous if I ever get the spotlight on me.

Michael: That is SO untrue! I love it when Pete gets attention. It makes me so happy. Yeah, he's in my band.

FamilyChristian.com: Okay then, Pete, the spotlight is totally on you.

Pete: You know what? A lot of my heroes have actually been Jimmy Page and The Edge [of U2] and people who are the backbone but aren't necessarily the lead singer. Actually, if you want to know the truth, when we started Grammatrain, I was planning on looking for a lead singer. I just had these songs. The only reason I ended up singing lead was [Paul] heard this demo I did, and he was like, "What are you talking about? You should be singing." So I reluctantly did it.

Michael: I never knew that, Pete. That's killer.

Pete: I'll tell you, it's a lot of work to be playing all the guitar in a band and sing lead and carry everything and not be screwing up. I mean, we didn't have just your average four-four pop songs. We had some complex kind of stuff. It was a lot of work, but I certainly did enjoy it. If I didn't feel like I was contributing a lot to this band…that the sound was stuff I was creating along with everyone else, then this wouldn't be all that fun. But I feel like this is my baby as much as anything else I've done.

As far as the transition, sometimes it does feel a little weird on stage. I don't always know what I'm supposed to do. I am used to being the guy everyone's looking at. Once in awhile I kind of feel a little weird because I'm not behind that microphone, so do I walk around? [everyone laughs]. I'm actually excited because this is something new. Music is more what it's all about for me than the image and the spotlight.

FamilyChristian.com: I would think you have to have a bit of showmanship in you anyway to be in a band and the whole lifestyle that that entails but you're right, the lead singer is the one that people usually focus on and he falls, the band falls.

Pete: And there's pros and cons to that. It's great, there's kind of a high you get from carrying the show but then you're the one that everyone wants to talk to all the time. You're the one that gets dragged away from everybody and I'll be honest, I don't miss that a bit. I'm sure Tait can go on and on about what that's like.

Michael: Yeahhhhh…

Pete: You get worn out. I almost like being lower down on the totem pole.

FamilyChristian.com: All right, let's pick on Lonnie now. How has your work with Petra prepared you for Tait?

Lonnie: It hasn't. [everyone laughs]. I'm just kidding. I had a great time.

Michael: You got used to the stage, that's for sure.

FamilyChristian.com: You were with them for five years, right?

Lonnie: Right. It taught me a lot of things, what to do and what not to do. Petra is a legend in Christian music…the places that we've been and seeing how different people react to you and to the band, especially at that level. Petra's audience was very diverse…from 13, 14-year-olds to 50, 60-year-olds that have been Petra fans for 20 years. I got to see a wide range of ages come to the shows. It gave me experience, especially on the stage and in front of thousands and thousands of people.

FamilyChristian.com: Chad, when you were growing up with your big brother, of the two of you, who would you have guessed had more of a musical future?

Chad: I couldn't say him or me, honestly. We both started at exactly the same time. I know Lonnie went to college and he majored in ministry so I didn't know at a point if he would be a youth pastor. I always knew he'd be involved in music somehow.

Lonnie: Chad was in the ninth grade when I was in college. I only went for one year and then I started getting into music. Chad was growing up working in music, more so than I was.

Empty by Tait

FamilyChristian.com: Were you guys in a band together in high school?

Chad: We were in a band called Power Child.

Lonnie: We both had long blonde hair down to here [hands in front of his chest].

Chad: We looked like the Nelson twins.

Lonnie: It was never big.

Chad: It was extremely long.

Lonnie: Extremely long, straight, beautiful.

FamilyChristian.com: But did you have t-shirts?

[everyone laughs]

Chad: No spaghetti on our shirts.

Lonnie: They had hourglasses.

FamilyChristian.com: Was that how you met Tait?

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