THE VAULT: MUSIC

Jen G: Another Dream, what was your first dream before forming the band?

Peter: I just wanted to write and play music.

Mrt: I wanted to be a professional snowboarder…

Caleb: I wanted to play in the NBA.

Jen G: What’s it like to not only be brothers in a band, but twins in a band? Do you guys kind of think alike when it comes to the writing and the sound of your music?

“I think the forgiveness and grace that Jesus modeled for us calls for that, as that is how He lived.”

Mrt: What? You guys are twins? Whoa… I never knew that. I think it’s sweet having brothers in the band.

Caleb: Yeah, we are twins, except for a couple things: belly size and year of birth, haha.

Peter: Ha, actually, we are not twins, but many people think we are. Before Caleb joined the band and started playing music, he was pretty uncool. Now he is all right. Caleb adds some cool stuff to some of the songs. It’s not usually what I would have him play, but what he picks is usually better.

Jen G: Now, I couldn’t help but notice you guys have great taste in movies that relate to music. So, Peter, what would you say was the best part of School of Rock?

Peter: Oh man, I haven’t seen that movie in a long time. I really like the movie Almost Famous, actually. That movie is the best… or The Wedding Singer. I like that one too. My favorite scene in School of Rock is when the keyboard player says, “the bee’s knees.” That’s how Caleb used to be before he grew out his hair and played the bass.

Jen G: Caleb, what would you say was a lesson learned from Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure?

Caleb: I would say a good lesson learned is to party on, dude. Make the most out of every situation.

Peter: Caleb stole that movie from me.

Jen G: Mrt, what movie for you really rocked and had meaning for you?

Mrt: The Lion King and anything with a fat kid that sings.

Jen G: Taking you back a few years, in 2005, you guys won the Battle of the Bands in Cheyenne. Tell me, as Christians, how did you guys stay Christ like without getting caught up in the drama of the competition?

Peter: That was a long time ago, and I honestly did get caught up in a little of it. For the most part, it was just another show, hoping we would win, but we were just happy to be playing on a sound system that had monitors!! I try to make it a point not to put other bands down. It takes guts to get on stage and share something you have created. No matter what, there should be something positive that I can find in ANY band. That is part of my teacher side coming through, looking for the positive in everyone! I think the forgiveness and grace that Jesus modeled for us calls for that, as that is how He lived.

Anyways, at the time, I remember putting a few of the other bands down for different reasons. Not to their faces, but just with others in my band or whatever. I have come a long way since then! Haha. I don’t feel right about ever putting another band down. I think part of it was just pride. And it is funny because we are 500 times a better band than we were back then, in every way!!!

But I got caught up in thinking, “We are the best band here.” That doesn’t mean I treated other bands horribly. I was up there helping bands on and off stage, giving them congrats for playing well. I am not a jerk! But yeah, I got caught up in pride, and still do at times. Which is sad, mainly because there are so many bands out there that are so much better than us. I get humbled every time I try to write a song because it takes me a long time.

Jen G: What would you say to someone who wants to win at all costs, regardless of who they may hurt?

Mrt: It depends on what they want to win and what the definition of “hurt” is. For example, say they want to win someone’s soul, and they are willing to risk hurting that person’s pride to share with them the gospel, which no one really wants to be told that they are sinful and in need of a Savior. Then I think it’s okay. Sometimes love hurts, but I’m pretty sure that most of the time, “winning” has its cost, and you have to pick your battles and deal with the consequences of your choices.

No matter what, God is love. Christians, including me, may not show the love that we are called to. But through it all, God is forgiveness. God is love, and He forgives all my shortcomings before I am even repentant.

Jen G: Why is it important to have a good attitude when one is competing against others in any situation?

Caleb: Because if you’re going to win, then you will win, but almost in any situation, losing can be beneficial if you take it with the right attitude. I feel that in my life, I try to make every situation a positive one, and in that case, it makes even losing enjoyable.

Jen G: Peter, in your bio, you say that you hope people can connect to the different struggles you’ve had with God, faith, and saying goodbye. Would you mind sharing about those struggles and how your lyrics relate to your coming to terms with those issues?

Peter: I struggle with doubt and trust. Growing up in a Christian bubble, I was suddenly hit around my senior year of high school with the realization or question that maybe God is not real, or maybe God does not hear our prayers. Just stuff like that. I just pushed that aside for a while, and then finally, a few years later, there were a few deaths in my family from cancer. This brought this all up again and again as I was faced with the understanding that I had prayed with more faith than ever before, but my aunt died, and five months later, my grandma died.

I was angry, confused, and really took a lot of my trust back from God. Along with that, there have been many times in my life that I have been very on fire for God, and after that fire dies a month later, or even a day later, I just go through the same routine of just living, breathing, but without purpose. So those struggles come out in my songs:

“God, why are you not listening to me?”

“God, I am sorry that I looked away from you again. It won’t happen again.”

“God, this time I betrayed you on purpose. I am sorry. How could I?”

Those are just some of the questions that come out in my songs.

In the last year and a half, I have begun to see more and more what true grace is. I have begun to see or understand how God responds to many of my questions and shortcomings. He merely responds with, “I forgive you.” Those beautiful words mean more to me than they did two years ago when I was struggling with doubt.

Lately, I have been trying to bring that more out in songs, just letting people know that, yes, I struggle with stuff. There’s no way I can love the way that God wants me to. There’s no way that I can live my life in perfection. There’s no way I can go the rest of my life without sinning again, without doubting again, without lust, without lies. But what I have begun to realize and want to put out there is this: No matter what, God is love. Christians, including me, may not show the love that we are called to. But through it all, God is forgiveness. God is love, and He forgives all my shortcomings before I am even repentant.

Such simple words with such deep meaning that I cannot fully understand, but I know that is what is important. How good I am is not important, as I will fail. I continue to fail, but God forgives. God is love.

“I think love is contagious, and the best way to spread it is to live it and to speak it…”

Jen G: Caleb, you wrote a blog entry a little over a year ago that was filled with guts and conviction to who you are. There was one line in particular where you said, “I forgive, I forget. I rarely lie unless it’s a joke. I do not drink, I do not smoke. I will not have sex before marriage. That’s how I feel.” Really, coming from a guy, that’s a real statement. Why is it important for you to separate yourself from those things, and how have you managed to stay strong enough to resist those temptations?

Caleb: For me, I want to stay pure for myself, for my family and friends, for my future wife, and most importantly, for God. I feel that I would rather be an outcast and not be falling into those temptations. I see every day friends and people I don’t know talk about drinking and sleeping around and how empty they look as people. My biggest motivation in resisting these temptations is the people that I have in my life and how I am committed to being pure, and so are they. This does not mean I am perfect, but that my faults fall into other places in my life.

Jen G: What would you say to others who feel pressured to do those things but don’t really want to?

Caleb: I would tell them to really analyze your friends and make sure they are the influences you want in your life. Now, I am not saying to just get rid of the friends who do not lead the life that you want. I am saying to make sure you surround yourself with people who have the same interests and will not pressure you into bad situations, and then share that support with any friend you come in contact with.

Jen G: Matthew, you say something really cool on your page about loving God and trying to live a life full of love so others can see that hope in you. Tell me, how do you believe your love of God, living love, and hope affect those around you?

Mrt: I think love is contagious, and the best way to spread it is to live it and to speak it. They say actions speak louder than words, but I think there are some words that must be spoken.

Jen G: The last EP you guys released has a really great sound, but a faithful message too. A song I could really get into was “I Found.” How did that song come together, and who is the female vocalist who joined you guys on that track?

Peter: The version you must have heard is the acoustic version. I recorded that by myself a long time ago, I think before Matt was even in the band. The female vocalist on that track is my friend Annie Peters. She is an amazing songwriter and singer, and it was fun to be one of the first people to record her, as she has worked with Gritz a bit now and done a lot of cool stuff in the industry.

The version on the EP actually had drums and electric guitars. It rocks! I wrote it on acoustic initially, and so I think the acoustic version captures a bit of emotion that the electric version does not. That song follows the theme of me doubting God, but coming back and finding His love.

Jen G: “Is This Love?” The title of the song alone is a very popular question that buzzes in people’s minds of all ages. What’s that song about?

Peter: Haha… it is about me doubting God!!

Hmmm… Honestly, I don’t like writing songs about girls. I’ve just never been into that. My faith is such a huge part of my life that there isn’t really anything else I can write about. Some of my favorite lines in the song are:

“Just touch my hand to scars, and I will then believe, you’re true! Are you disappointed ’cause, you’ve taken me so far, and still I can’t believe????”

“And I’m not strong enough to love you on my own, but God, I know you are just enough for me, ’cause I can’t love you on my own!”

Jen G: In closing, I believe there are many out there who have lost their dreams, and they’re looking for another dream to fill up the emptiness in their lives. What would you say to them about Christ?

Mrt: Basically, this world has tons of things to offer in hopes to satisfy our souls, and many of them seem to satisfy for a short while. But the truth is that there is only one thing that will never fade away, the one thing that was created to satisfy the longings of our souls, and that is the love of our Savior, Christ Jesus.