Hey, are you listening Well, hey, are you listening?
This is a podcast exploring the past, present,
and future of Christian music. My name is Joel.
I'm here with my good friend Brandon. And we
connected over a mutual love of some particular
artists, but also have kind of different tastes.
And so we get to expose each other to new stuff
while inviting some friends along for the ride.
And Brandon, I get to get exposed to something
new today in the record that we're going to be
talking about. with one of our friends that we've
already had on before, and that's Brian Olson
from the band Voda, is joining us again to talk
through their brand new record back to the start.
And so that's kind of a fun thing. I know it's
something that you, it's a band that you've already
had a connection with, but for me it's brand
new, which is cool. Yeah, it's really cool. I
get to have to see a band that, you know, how
has their music changed, you know, from when
I first found them in the late 2000s to now.
I think it's also really cool that we get to
sit down with the artists and ask them about
their album and kind of just sit down and see
their thoughts on it. Yeah. Yeah, it'll be fun.
I'm looking forward to digging into that. But
before we get into it, let's check the mail.
All right. Well today a friend of the show, Emily,
asks us this. Dear Brandon and Joel, what's the
strangest thing that you've ever seen on stage
at a concert? Brandon, any thoughts? Strangest
thing that you've seen on stage at a concert?
What people around me thought was strange or
what I thought was strange? I don't know. I think
the two that come to mind, I thought they were
really cool. was we were at a show years ago
and it was the first Me Without You show we'd
ever gone to. And the whole show, Aaron was just
so like weird on stage. And he would, like at
one point he was like, hey, did anyone like see
us in Charlotte last night? And people start
like cheering and he's like, did anyone happen
to bring a cell phone? No one says anything.
He's like, I lost my cell phone last night. So
he was like, I need someone to call my mom and
tell her that I'm like. haven't died or something
he was like or you can tell her i died and it'll
be a surprise when i make it home it was just
such a like weird show at one point he's got
like a towel over his head he's just like playing
uh i think with angel of death um came to david's
room um and then family horse five they used
to do this thing where um like um their guitarist
chapstick he would like uh start doing this like
solo this uh this solo for radiator and he would
start like licking the guitar and i was just
like i have never seen anyone do this but i saw
a lot of people that were like that's disgusting
why would you do that to your guitar and um so
i think those are the two things that stand out
that i i didn't think was weird but i think the
general audience would feel is weird you don't
think licking guitar is weird I thought I back
then I thought it was so cool and even now I'm
like man if I went to a show and someone started
doing that I would be like that's cool as a guitar
player I yeah I can't recommend doing that I
don't know. Yeah, two that I think of. So one
is just kind of a standard that I felt like so
many people have been able to experience throughout
the years and going to see the newsboys. But
I just remember one, seeing the newsboys early
on and John James walking out in this like, this
like sparkle. Suit that the lights just shine
off of and you literally can't even like see
him because he's radiating so much light which
fit with their whole like shine yeah beam So
that he could shine literally shine lights Um,
and, and then I probably also fit with their
record love Liberty disco a little bit. So it
just, they just kind of kept on with it. But
then of course newsboys had their like gimmick
of like the drum cage that goes up and then flips
upside down. So back in the day, it was like
Peter Ferler playing drums and all of a sudden,
man, Peter's upside down playing drums and he
keeps going. Um, later on a band that I loved,
uh, the band mute math, um, they did crazy stuff
on stage. Their lead singer was always doing
like handstands on his piano, all kinds of wild
stuff, but every show their drummer would walk
out and he didn't use a monitor, he used headphones
and so... like the kind of studio headphones
that we wear for this podcast. And he would put
these headphones on his head, but because he
was such a crazy drummer, they wouldn't stay
on. And so he literally every show take a roll
of duct tape and duct tape around the headphones
and around his chin to make sure that the headphones
weren't going to fall off during the show. And
I'm just imagining the pain of after the concert
every night, like pulling that duct tape off
of his face. Um, I don't, again, I don't know
if I recommend that, but I feel like it must've
been effective, um, in the moment. So, um, yeah,
those that cool again, just a strange, strange
thing. So, yeah, artists do interesting things
sometimes. So kind of fun. Good question. Um,
yeah, if you've got questions for us or things
that you like us to discuss, we would be happy.
to do that. You can send your questions to us
at heyareulisteningpod at gmail .com and we'd
love to get into those. Let's talk a little bit
about what we've been listening to lately, Brandon.
What have you been spending time with? So it's
not in the Christian category. It's not even
mainstream, Joel. It falls under, I guess, soundtrack
would probably be it. It's this children's show
called Kiff. Disney. I don't know if you've ever
heard of it. Nope. The main characters it's like
a squirrel and a rabbit that I guess are in middle
school. I don't think they ever explained the
ages because I mean they're doing stuff like
building a rocket to go to space but they're
also in school so I guess that's something that
maybe like a 14 year old would do. I guess if
I had to think 13 or 14 year olds are probably
capable of being in school but also Building
a spaceship to go to space makes sense Yeah,
and um, but they do like each each episode has
like an original song and It's like afterwards.
I'll send you some of the songs, but it is like
Awesome, like if they I got to the point to where
I don't buy a lot of vinyl because I'm more of
a Hey, when will this go on sale or what can
I get for under $10? But I have searched online
to see if I could find this on vinyl and I was
like, I don't care how much it is. I'm going
to purchase it. Like that's how good, uh, the
songs are. So I've just been listening to that
and enjoying it. So like I said, it's definitely
very like out in left field. Cause I am like,
I don't care for musicals. I don't care usually
for children's music, but um, The soundtrack
to Kiff, I guess particular season two has just
really taken a hold of my ears. Yeah. Interesting.
Well, Brandon, I do want to hear that. So please
send it my way. Um, kind of fascinating. Um,
one thing I've been listening to, um, that I
kind of wasn't expecting. So there's like a singer
songwriter that I started listening to years
ago. I think I saw him, um, open up for one of
my favorite bands, Wilco, um, back in the day.
And his name's Joseph Arthur and he, he put out
some pretty popular songs. He has a song that,
um, called in the sun that he put out years ago
that, um, I think Coldplay ended up covering.
Um, and it got some pretty good traction from
that. And then he had a few albums. He had an
album called redemption sun. That I really liked
and they're like these like christian themes
running throughout his music But you're always
like what what's going on with this guy? Like
is he a christian? Is he not a christian? Like
I don't I don't really know even though it like
shows up in all of his music Yeah, it's kind
of like a hippie kind of guy Well, he has a new
album that just got announced and apparently
it's going to be a trio of albums Called well
this one this one at least is called you're not
a ghost anymore Colin faith and and so there's
one track that's been released from that from
the album and I'm just like you you look at the
song titles for those and I'm like this guy like
I Think has like made a pretty significant turn
in his life because this looks like Looks like
a straight -up Christian album just from like
the the song titles that are out there And so
when you go and look at the, the tracks, um,
the song that's out now is called, I want to
know you. There's a song called, Hey, Satan song
called he died. Um, a song called no weapon,
um, bear your own cross there, but for the grace,
um, there, uh, counted all joy, Holy spirit in
the shadow of the cross. And so it just definitely
seems like, um, This is like a Christian record
that he's putting out and I love his stuff. It's
very creative and very interesting. And so I'm
kind of interested to see what's gonna come from
this. So yeah, I recommend people checking it
out. You're not a ghost anymore. Faith by Joseph
Arthur. All right, well, let's get into our main
discussion for today. All right, well we are
back again and today we're going to be talking
about the album back to the start by the band
Voda. And the fun thing is, is that our friend
Brian Olson from Voda is back with us as we kind
of dig into this record today. And it's kind
of a cool thing because we've never... had the
opportunity to talk about an album with an artist
and like ask all the questions about the record
that we have after spending time with it. So
it's like a new one for us. I love it. I'm kind
of pumped. Here, I got to set the ground rules.
I know you should set the ground rules, but you
need to speak your true heart. You know, like
I had this picture of like when someone shared
me their song and they're playing it, you know
how like you bob your head a lot because they're
there in the room and you're trying to show that
person like, yeah, I'm really digging this, even
though you wouldn't be bobbing your head if you
were listening to it. So none of that. You just
be yourselves and tear me apart when and where
you need to and this is fun. It's gonna be really
funny if Brian says all that and then he's the
one that's like talking bad about it. I know
we love track three and he's like you guys seriously
like I hate this man. I know I'm sure that as
an artist there there's probably obviously your
heart goes into something that you create like
this but I'm sure that you know when you release
some There's always things that you're like,
I wish we could have done this differently or
whatever it may be. I don't know. I've only ever
heard of one band before that they made a statement
that just blew my mind one time and they said,
no, every album that we've ever released, we
think is perfect for the time and place that
it came out. And we love them all. It wouldn't
change anything about them. And I'm like, wow,
okay, that's cool. All right, so we're talking
about Back to the Start by Voda. So here is some
information that I pulled offline. And then I'll
just kind of, Brian, let you, after I read this,
kind of fill in gaps and give us a little bit
more history. But this is basically a statement
from you guys. So this album came out, I think,
January 23rd this year, 2026. And what you guys
had to say about it is this album is us hitting
reset. It's about stripping everything back to
why we started making music in the first place,
before the pressure, the business, the expectations,
back when it was just about loving the sounds,
the songs, and the emotions behind them. We're
returning to our creative roots, writing not
to chase trends, but to tell the truth. We didn't
make this album for charts or radio. We made
it for ourselves and our fans. Yeah, that's cool.
Give us more. Yeah, man, I just felt like there's
something my kids said to me they were like dad
we kind of miss music like your very first album
and It's and it resonated with me because I realized
you know the first very first album ever did
it was Before we had any attention from record
labels or anything. We just did it because that's
What we thought we needed to do we made we made
the music without that sort of outside influence
and I'm not saying that the albums that we've
done since have been that way but there is that
reality of like okay now we're trying to blend
art and money for to make a living and that can
get tricky it can be an interesting blend um
and so sometimes you're like well we need a radio
single we need this whatever and you're thinking
along those lines And this album was just stripped
that all away after, you know, events in my life
and just where I was at personally, my bandmate
and I, we were like, you know what, let's, we
have to make something we're proud of. I heard
Rick Rubin on a podcast say something similar.
It's like you, I know it almost sounds weirdly
arrogant, but we have to... we have to love it
and be proud of it first before we release it.
And as an artist, by the time an album releases,
we've recorded, sung, listened to mixes and stuff
a hundred times per song. And you're kind of
like, you've lost the shine for each song. And
you can always be your own worst critic. And
like most art, at some point you have to let
it go and stop tweaking it. But that's what we
did. That's the approach that we we did. We did
it musically. We did it lyrically. Like, let's
just let's take that approach. And so I'm I'm
really proud of it for that reason. That's awesome.
Well, I guess go ahead and we dive into the album.
Yeah, I was just going to say usually when we
cover a record, we talk about like our history
with this. And so obviously, Brian's got a lot
of history with this music and with this band.
Um, but Brandon, for us, maybe it's helpful to
give, uh, for a little context. So for me, I'll
just say, I, so when you came to me and said,
Hey, I've been talking to this guy from the band
Voda, um, and he's interested in coming on the
podcast. I'm like, awesome. Um, but I'd never
heard, I'd never heard of you guys. And I think
it was just a, like a timing thing maybe for
me where I kind of grew up more in the like mid
nineties through mid two thousands. And Brandon's
a little later than that. And so it's cool for
me for this like to be my first introduction
to your music. And I'm especially interested
now after like conversations from the earlier
episode that we had you on to to be able to go
back and listen to some of the other stuff and
kind of trace some of the like. Different changes
and things that that you've kind of talked about
over the course of it. But it was a really fun
introduction for me It's just like a I'm a brand
new listener to this which is cool, but you have
a history with with this Brandon, right? Yeah,
I discovered Boda I saw their music video for
their song hard to believe on TV and I was like
I think that like I I don't know if I caught
the name at first So it might have been like,
alright, let me wait till I see this music video
pop up again like randomly um I feel like that's
a weird concept for people to realize that back
in the day you couldn't just like hum a song
like I remember the radio stuff would come on
and I'd be like this song comes on every day
at like 3 43 so tomorrow I can hear a little
bit more of it um so once once I discovered who
it was I picked up the album and I think it was
like uh 2008 or 2009 when it came out the self
-titled one and um And I just, I really liked
it because it was a time where I listened to
a lot of stuff on the radio, but I was discovering
bands that I felt like were kind of doing their
own thing. And I think that even, I think it
was a review I read on Jesus Free Hideout where
they were talking about how that album, it was
like a little bit ahead of its time. Like they
were like, man, like a lot of the stuff they
were doing like a year or two later, you see
this popped up on a lot of stuff. So for me,
I kind of just saw Voda as a band that it felt
like they were kind of doing their own thing.
And I appreciated that because, you know, and
even as we dive into this album, I think what's
cool is that whenever a band is doing their own
thing, like even if it's a track that maybe like
doesn't resonate with me, I'm like, well, man,
I wonder what they're going for. Or I almost
like appreciate. you know what i'm glad that
they didn't release uh you know because it'd
been easy to release an album of here's what
people love let's just you know copy and paste
this 10 times like i appreciate when a band is
like no we're gonna do something a little bit
different we're gonna try this and um so for
me when this album came out um i thought that
was so cool to not just be all right well let's
put out Just something it's we want to put out
something that we are proud of and that we're
happy with and you know We I guess like for y
'all. It's like we hope the fans like this We
assume they'll like this but you know, so yeah
for me and and just even like, you know sitting
down there's so many times where I wish that
I could ask an artist like why was this done?
And so for me whenever you mentioned going through
the album it was like, man, this is so cool to
kind of get this almost VIP experience where
you're getting to sit down with, you know, an
artist and get to ask, man, so why, why'd y 'all
do this? Or how did this idea come to be? Um,
I feel like is, is really cool. So I love that
Brandon, you mentioned something about, um, just
artists making music and who is this for? Like,
um, Are we making music for ourselves that we
love, that we're passionate about? Are we making
music for our fans? Brian, as you think through
that and you think about this record specifically,
I know that in the thing that we read earlier,
you talked about how you made it for yourselves
and for your fans. But what is the balance of
that maybe for you? And who are you thinking
about most when you're creating? Is it kind of
coming just from a What do I what do I want to
make? What do I want to put out into the world?
Or are you kind of thinking about thinking about
your fans as you do that? I think it just kind
of sometimes all swims together in your mind.
And I'm definitely I'm I'm not a jazz artist
or so obscure like thing where the music's taking
all these weird left turns and it's not melodic
or I love pop music. I love big songs. I'm a
fan of everything that has sold millions of records.
You know, I'm not like, I'm so indie that, oh
no, that's, it's like, no, I mean, the stuff
I, the stuff I grew up reflects that. And so
you're looking for that energy in a song and
you want, you want the chorus to feel different
and to lift and to, and to, and so there's, there's
always that. And at the same time, sometimes
it's, it's a lyrical content too. It's like,
okay. Frankly, honestly, I get tired of a lot
of modern Christian music that just has the same
old phrases regurgitated over and over again.
We lift our hands, we praise your name. Like,
okay, somebody surprised me with, say something
that makes me think a little bit differently,
you know? And so I wanted to be able to really
find my voice in that. bring that into the song
as well. So it's that mix of like, yeah, I don't
want, we're not going to make 12 minute songs
that no one's ever going to have an attention
span to listen to. They're going to have energy.
They're going to have surprises. They're going
to be rock and pop and everything in between.
So you are thinking of an audience a little bit
in that because I don't want to do shows by myself.
I want people to come to it. So you are thinking
it, but you're also taking a risk going, well,
I'm going to say this. And I hope that's OK.
And I'm going to do this. I'm going to take this
left turn musically. Because I think it feels
great. And it's what we should do. So hopefully,
everybody likes that. You know what I mean? Yeah.
That's awesome. I'll just say off the top, I
love all the left turns on this album. So I think
they're really fun. So I for sure definitely
appreciate it. I'd love to tell you, so our producer,
his name is Riley Friesen. He used to be the
guitarist in our band. He's from Nebraska. He
used to work at, when he was like a teenager,
he worked at Guitar Center and our bass player
at the time, like started talking to him about
buying gear and stuff like that. And then we
took him out on the road and his passion was
always to record and produce. And our producer
at the time, Nate Dantzler, who's actually now
a world -class mastering engineer who mastered
our album. Riley went under his wings in LA and
kind of learned his craft and has become a producer
on his own now. And this particular album, I
think I told you guys in the last episode, I
work with a unique Christian organization that
does strategic leadership events. And we made
some special albums just for the guys that go
through this program. that you can't get anywhere
else. They're not on any socials. It's like they
get a vinyl album that's a gift. And so, back
to the start, and an album for this organization
was recorded at the same time in just over a
week in Estes, Colorado, in the house that the
organization owns, like right on the big Thompson
River. So Riley brought all his necessary...
gear to Estes and a buddy of mine has like a
zillion guitar amps and that we we brought all
the drums and everything set up in the living
room and pretty much got two albums done recorded
in a week. a little over a week, and it was amazing.
The drums sounded killer in the room, and we
were right on the river, so when you're working
really hard and you need a break, you can just
go out on the deck and see the river go by. We
had a blast. And Riley is just world -class.
He mixed and he produced this album and contributed
on some of the song stuff, too. Even some stuff
he doesn't take credit for, but sometimes we
would be stuck on something like, I think you
should do this before we hit the bridge. Yeah,
that's a great idea. So just want to give him
a shout out. It was part of this was getting
to be with just really good friends. That's one
of my biggest joys when I see Riley doing his
thing and and John and we're like, we're making
art together, but we're having fun doing it.
It's like. man that's it's got to be what heaven's
going to be alike at least a little bit I love
that you mentioned the drums this is getting
a little out of my stuff but that's one of my
favorite things about this record are the drums
they sound so good and so I can only imagine
what they were like in the room but on the record
they they they came through really well and so
that's fun Yeah, that's cool. So you're telling
us though that there's a whole other record out
there Is that ever gonna make itself publicly
available or does it stay kind of an insider
thing? I don't know. It's a pretty beautiful
thing when you The the harbor ministries that
I work for they invest heavily in 20 guy leaders
at a time. Yeah, and so when we present that
gift to those guys they're like wow this is so
cool that we we poured heart and soul into i
mean that organization has had about a thousand
men go through it since its inception yeah and
so the fact that we are able to give them an
album that can't be found anywhere else yeah
um and it we do a lot of those songs at the event
so it kind of time stamps what god's doing in
their lives and so Uh, i'm sure I can all that
to say i'm sure I can give you a link if if you
want to hear something and there and there's
some overlap like the song stay wild that concept
of Stay wild came from harbor. It came from the
founder of harbor. We we came up with this kind
of phrase where You on the surface stay wild
sounds like yeah, just just be on the edge and
crazy, but no There's separate words there sometimes
staying is a very wild thing to do. And sometimes
not changing the formula is a very wild thing
to do. It's not evolving. Not everything has
to be like an American corporation that trends
upwards all the time. And so that's where that
kind of song came from a little bit, at least
the title of it. And so we wrote a title track
that Stay Wild is on the other album. It's also
on our album. Gotcha. That's cool. So that was
one of my questions. I guess let's just jump,
jump into the tracks. Um, so stay wild. I had
a question about that. I was wondering like,
what, what was kind of like the inspiration behind
that? And so I love the idea of taking that as
like two separate words and kind of what's contained
in there. It's, that's fun to get like a, a kind
of a backdrop on that one. Well, yeah, the chorus
I've walked through fire, walked a lonely road
towards something greater. I'm born to stay wild.
Like the Christian walk, it takes one moment
to move from faith to fear, depending on the
circumstance that God might allow in your life.
And none of us escapes walking by faith. You
know, like God on this side of eternity has chosen
to reveal himself in the way he has. And that
path, that pursuit, when you're leaning in, it's
a that is a wild that's a wild way to live to
have that sort of faith no matter what um no
matter what you face that might give you doubt
sometimes so that's kind of where that song came
from is just like pressing on um even when it
seems like god is absent or even punishing you
in some ways that's cool is my so this is my
first votive song to listen to and so um The
drums kicked in and I was instantly like, wow,
OK, this is cool. Like, I love what was happening
there. And then the guitars came in and I'm like,
these guitars are huge in such a cool way. You
can you can totally hear like, man, it's like
you just want to you want to hear the song live
in an arena because it just feels like it feels
really big. So speaking of that, I I feel like
every episode I mentioned this, but like whenever
I'm listening to an album I've gotten to the
point where I listen to it almost as if it's
a concert like if I if they said they're doing
you know five -year anniversary and we're playing
through this record so that's kind of how I see
it is I'll think to myself like man if this was
a show how would I feel about like you know how
it begins how it ends like track listing so like
I was I was curious whenever you are going into
you know I don't know any album or maybe just
this album um is there any thought like i guess
how much goes into here's the order we want for
them it feels like two different questions let
me try to answer it um i try to make sure we're
writing and record songs that push me i i don't
want to totally think about how i'm going to
perform it live because a lot of times there's
guitar riffs that are hard to do and sing at
the same time. And I'm like, okay, this one's
gonna be tough once, but you know, like I gotta
figure it out. But the actual flow of the album,
yes, that is something we, once the songs are
done and trying to sort through, cause I do the
same thing with the set list, depending on what
the gig is, right? What should we start off here?
What's the audience? Who are we playing for tonight?
You know, and so. Yeah, well, I mean obviously
we thought pretty hard on on on what the what
the order should be on that album And sometimes
I'm glad you love the drums because part of me
is like, ah Was that a wise move to like the
first track just kind of be this drums by itself
for a good You know a good period of time before
yes comes in. I love that little bit of a bold
decision. Mm -hmm Yeah, it's like I said earlier
and we're talking about the left turns like I
love those kinds of decisions, um, on songs,
on records, especially when you're starting out
like this. And so, um, and all the guitars are
through big amps. There's nothing in the box.
It's like, uh, I could show you a picture of
about seven amps I had lined up and I would just
like, let's match this head with this amp and
throw this in. And we just, we had a, we had
a blast. I love that. That's awesome. So well
next we move into try I was listening to it.
I was I Kept picturing it. It sounded like something
you would see off of like a Peter Ferler like
his solo album it were okay a lot of that and
I was like man, this is this is really cool because
I could see I could like see that being on like
that or whatever and It was cool because I was
going through some of the the performances you
had done I think it was last year or the year
before with Peter and I think it was Phil Joel
at a couple of festivals. So I was wondering
like you know are there any kind of influences
or when you were going through this album was
there anything you were like listening to like
musically that was kind of helping influence
it at all? I wouldn't say, I tour a lot with
Peter. One side fact that you guys maybe know
or don't know, but Voda is Peter's backing band.
And I take all his booking requests. So we did
a lot of house shows and private shows and stuff
like that. And when we can, we get to be Peter's
backing man, which is just a blast for me. But
I wouldn't say his music influenced this. particular
thing, stuff I was listening to. I mean, I'm
a huge fan of the band Muse. Post Malone, strangely
enough, like there's a lot of different influences
there. But this song in particular, John and
I operate as a two piece now, like a 21 pilot
sort of vibe. And I had this special guitar that
has like a sub octave on the bass side and those
go to bass cabinets and then the guitars go to
the guitar cabinets while we're playing and when
we were practicing a lot of things I had an open
tuning like an open D tuning and sometimes we
would just jam And I am like, ooh, there's some
cool riffs here. Let's just record that. And
Try came from a lot of those open D sort of weird
tuning sessions, which makes things fun when
you go to do something live like, OK, where's
my open D tuning guitar I got to bring with me
now to play this song. But that's kind of where
some of that was inspired from. Yeah, I love
the chorus on this song. It's so catchy. I just
want to like I want to sing along with it. Made
me think. think a little bit about just your
kind of writing process when it comes to piecing
a song together and putting a song together.
When you sit down and write, I know people write
different ways, some people start with music
and melodies, some people start with lyrics,
like what for you when you're piecing a song
together, what's your kind of general process?
Voice memos on my phone. I probably have like
600 of them and they could be anywhere or I'm
I'm practicing with my bandmate and we're just
We're bored. We hate practicing, right? I mean
We so then we just start jamming and I'm like
dude that was cool and I capture that on the
phone And so you'd have these like 10 second
30 second blips of different riffs and jams that
then I would go back and listen through and go,
why did they even record this? This is terrible.
Or some are like, oh, that's actually really
cool. So then you sift through those and move
the cooler ones to a different file. And then
you go, well, these actually could go together.
So sometimes there are different riffs that didn't
all happen in the same song. And then they come
together at some point. And then John, my drummer,
who also plays keys. He's contributing a lot
on the writing it used to be primarily me But
he's working up some great stuff, which is great
because he might work on something on the keys
For for like a month and then this he presents
it to me and then I'm immediately inspired like
ooh I got melodies ideas over this and I'm just
I'm singing them into my phone to come back to
later So that's a lot of it and then lyrics are
always last Sometimes I might have a theme for
a lyric, but usually I need to like, I'll have
the melody and everything else. And then I go,
what does this song feel? Like, what do I think
this is saying? And sometimes the gibberish lyrics
in my demos is like, I think I said the word
snow code in there. I think that should be in
the chorus. I wish I was a poet and just like
journaled and wrote a ton of Lyrics and stuff
all the time, but I kind of go kicking in screaming
lyrics I mean I could I could get albums out
a lot faster if I didn't have to write lyrics.
Honestly. Yeah, that's funny. I It's interesting
to hear you talk about it that way. I love the
idea of like Random voice memos and sometimes
you're like, oh that one actually fits pretty
well with this one I was kind of wondering that
listening to it because there is like a a good
cohesion to the songs, but I also like that,
like there's, there's a willingness to like shift,
um, and do some different things. It made me
think a little bit about one of my, I mean, my,
probably my all time favorite, um, songwriter
was, um, Brian Wilson from the beach boys and,
um, Brian, that's how Brian wrote, like he wrote
pocket symphonies and he would write like a melody
here and a melody here. And then and then just
take all these different pieces and create songs
out of out of all these different pieces and
yet somehow they're like cohesive and beautiful
and um so that's that's kind of fun it's an interesting
take on things the end of try kind of goes into
this more uplifted sort of the jam changes a
little bit you know and that's where the guitar
solo comes in at the end of the song i love the
guitars thanks man um i i have to work out a
solo like i'm working out a melody i'm not Like
I'm not a John Mayer where I can just like oh
what key we in I have to like it's like I sing
it and and I sit there in the guitar section
and Usually the producer John they leave they're
gone and I sit there with this section looping
over and over and over and over Until I feel
like I found the right guitar melody for that
particular section. That's how it goes for me
But I also felt thematically You know that this
song is talking honestly about My divorce and
what it was like to I try to let you go. This
is this was a marriage that was 24 years and
It's it's To be in a position where you're you're
letting that person go was like a stamp in time
of like this is This is this is hard. I'm always
Going to love her in in some way, you know not
the way that I thought I'd go to the end with.
But so to have the song get to the end and go
to a little bit more of an uplift is also good.
Like you're in this moment, excuse me, it's cold.
You're in this moment that's hard and you're
reflecting on it. And like most hard things we
go through, one, there's no shortcut. You have
to go through it. things get better over time.
Um, so track three, um, is hold for applause.
Um, one of the things that I loved about this
one was like the kind of the introduction of
like synthesizers and they're like huge here
and, um, pretty fun. Like what, what was your
like inspiration for, for all that synth work?
that's all John John is the drummer he's also
the keys player and he spends really good money
on a lot of synthesizers and he's just he's in
it so I remember seeing him go through each sound
on everything he's ever bought and he categorizes
it like some I don't like this one I like you
know hey he knows he knows his gear inside and
out so That's all coming from him, which is obviously
for me super inspirational to have that influence
how I play, how I sing, where the melody is going
to go. So it's been really fun kind of him ramping
up stuff on the keys. He's a really good piano
player. He's a very musical drummer as well and
kind of presenting ideas that give me a fresh
perspective to kind of write over. It's been
a lot of fun. That's really cool. What? So I
feel like this song asks some, some pretty big
questions as I was just kind of thinking through
it and questions I feel like are important, but
maybe not a lot of artists, specifically Christian
artists are like willing to kind of work through
and ask, especially in like a song you're going
to release, what kind of lead leads for you to
have that kind of vulnerability like on a track
like this? Yeah, guys, this was probably the
song I was most scared of because of how it would
be perceived. Even my producer was like, you
sure you want to you're okay with saying that?
Like, like, yeah. And I think the line he was
referring to at the time is I'm talking to God
saying your silence is violent or can feel like
violence because there's if anyone's ever been
through a time of desperation and you just Gosh,
you wanted God to engage the senses more than
he does and and and I think that's God invites
that you know, there's these cries in the Psalms
that he it's He knows every thought anyway, so
why? Keep that absent from your prayers and how
you cry out to him. And so I wanted this song
to have that feel of Kind of talking about you
know, the shadow will win. We're talking about
in some ways Sin has a control of us. We're all
going to face death. No one escapes that obviously
unless God comes back before we do but um, so
some of the realities of that just Really ask
yourself a bunch of questions, but for me it's
a it's a From my perspective. It's like I've
asked these questions and I'm still I Know God
is real I know Jesus is the way to him as well.
So none of that has changed, but this song is
being okay to throw that struggle out there and
capture it in a lyric and in a song. Yeah, I
think that's so important. And I feel like we're
so afraid to do that in a polished CCM world
sometimes because we're like, no, everything's
got to be figured out. We know who God is. And
I do certainly believe, like, we do know who
God has shown himself to be, revealed himself
to be in his Word. But that doesn't mean that
we're still not going to face questions about
life and how those things work out. And it just,
it reminds me a little bit of C .S. Lewis's book,
A Grief Observed, as you get like a glimpse into
his journals as he's walked through losing his
wife and questioning God and um just wondering
like how God could allow things to happen um
like they do and um and I that it does hearken
back to the Psalms and I feel like man these
are just these are important important things
um and it it shouldn't be it shouldn't be a bad
thing um for us to put that out to the world
I feel like today Um, that we see so many people
walk away from the faith because they don't feel
like there's a safe space to ask questions. Um,
and I think that the church has got to get a
lot better at allowing questions and talking
through questions, um, rather than just avoiding
them altogether, because I feel like, I feel
like we just lose, we lose people that way. Yeah.
Well, and even some Christians just to not, uh,
take on what everybody's saying and think that
they have to say the same thing. Yes, Jesus is
my all in all, but sometimes it doesn't feel
that way. Obviously, I wouldn't make some of
the decisions I do or resort to food or drink
for temporary happiness. We can say that and
roll it off the tongue and we know that to be
true. But for some people to be more honest with
and vulnerable and know that that's okay, I think
it would draw more people in. It's like, hey,
I've got questions and struggles, but I know
that you're never gonna convince me that God
is not who he is and that who I am in Jesus,
like nothing would change that, but I can still
talk about the things I wrestle with. So I feel
like this song, there is a little bit of, it's
not that it's not hopeful, but the chorus is
like, most of the chorus is like, there's nothing
more here. But the last chorus is there's something
more here, a waste of the dust. So it's like,
it's finding that little bit of hope that even
though whatever situation you might be in is
still full of chaos and pain, you're sensing,
you're still sensing in that moment that there's
a bigger story at play, even though your emotions
and your heart might not fully line up to that
yet. Yeah, yeah, that's good, man. All right,
so moving on we move to the next track magical
and um, so with this with this one My question
was, you know at the beginning I mentioned how
I first found y 'all because of music video and
I remember on the first album what stood out
was you have this, you know for hard to believe
it's all this stuff's going on it's like a you
know a kaleidoscope or whatever and then the
other music video i remember was for i'll go
where it's just this simple like it's just this
simple like this guy and his dog are outside
and you know so it was like it was just so cool
being like man this one over here is like this
this crazy all the stuff's happening this one's
really simple and so for magical it's one of
the the tracks on this album uh they got a music
video So I was wondering, what's kind of like
that process of whenever you're looking at your
album and you're like, OK, like we I don't know
if it's like we need to make a music video. But
it's like, I guess, number one, how important
do you feel like music videos are like maybe
in today's world? And secondly, how do you choose?
Like, what's the process of? Here's the one we're
going to make a music video for. Yeah, that's
a great question. On this album, Try and Magical
both have music videos to them, and we've got
one videographer who's just amazing. He's a one
-stop shop from filming everything to editing,
and he's just... He's got great instinct. He's
great to work with, and he's also helpful on
the budget side, too, that he can do all that
himself. And these video ideas... we just came
up with and for magical I literally was in town
driving by and like the state the the the the
city or state fair was going on and I just had
this thought like oh we should do a music video
there and it's only open for like 10 days and
we literally put this together and film the whole
thing and my daughter's kind of a star in it
and it's just Magical is a love song and and
and it's just everything that when you're the
when you're falling in love you know when you're
falling in love it tries to capture everything
that's happening in in in that season and this
music video is a little bit kind of more of a
playful thing on that where my daughter's kind
of all excited about going on this date to the
to the fair with a guy who's like disinterested
in playing video games with his friends and he's
late and all that sort of stuff and then you
know she's just not he's not really in the relationship
at all and at the very end there's they break
up or whatever and some guy is like nice to her
so it doesn't go anywhere but it's just at least
give some story because it was kind of cool to
do to film all this and uh um with the lights
of of the of the carnival and stuff going on.
So it does have a story element. It's not completely
wacky. And I think it fits well. Yeah, I really
like this one. It's got a different feel from
the previous tracks so far. But it's got, as
the young people today would say, a cool vibe
to it. And I just I really I like the feel and
like the hopefulness of it. I thought was really
fun. So it's cool. Thank you. Track five. Go
ahead. No, go ahead. OK, I was going to say a
track five escape from love. Maybe is this one
the longest song on the record? I think it might.
I think it. It might be the longest. I think
it also might, it's probably tied for me with
favorite song on their album. So it gets both
those accolades. That's awesome. Yeah. So this
was interesting to me. I'm listening to it and
I'm like, um, we're getting towards what I felt
like was feeling wise, like close to the end
of the song. And I'm like, Oh, we're not like
not even halfway through this yet. And then you
guys do this thing where it's like it's almost
like a false ending to the song where like you
feel like the song ends But then it's kind of
like reborn and in a different kind of way And
it creates kind of like the first quiet space
on the record At the end of this one. What kind
of led you guys to take that turn? It's another
one of those like left turns that I thought was
really unique and fun I think this is one where
You leave some mystery behind the song like the
songs called escape from love But then the chorus
is like there's no escape from love. Yeah, and
and I think that hits At a lot of angles Eric
can you know and when you're in a position for
the first like me for the first time in your
life where you're you are Considering loving
someone else again and going through that process
you you could have all sorts of meanings. And
sometimes, I'll just be honest, it's like, do
I wanna get married again? Do I wanna be single?
And you're wrestling with these thoughts of like,
but I long, I can't escape from. longing to want
to walk life with a partner, but I'm I'm a bit
fearful too, you know, like how do I do this
and and and So it has all those elements in it
And I think it was really good to get to the
end of this song because it's definitely got
it It's an attitude rock song. I love the the
tone of the guitars on the chorus just it feels
like a YouTube vertigo sort of vibe to me and
But to get to the end to kind of say it there's
no escape from love on a kind of an octave down,
more moody feel. It's almost like this sobering
reality in a lot of ways. There's no escape from
God's love. You can deny him, you can push him
away if you want, but there's no escape from
it. He loves you and you have to wrestle with
the fact that nobody escapes faith. Nobody. If
you decide to, I'm gonna live my life however
I want, I'm gonna be an atheist, that's still
a faith position because there's no proof, proof,
proof for anyone. And so I think that that last
part of that song sets up, oh, maybe the song
was about something completely different than
I thought it was earlier, or maybe it could be
about all of it. So that's it. And then we just
let it stew and simmer and started with the acoustic
guitar and then let the kind of keys take in
and just see where. what journey that took people
on, almost like a time of meditation. You just
heard the song and now you're in this moment
and this stuff's going on in the background.
It's like, whatever's going on in your mind,
capture that. What are you thinking? And it's
gonna be different for everybody. Yeah, I love
that. Brandon, what stood out to you about that
one since you loved it so much? I think it's
just the feel for it. So I work at a senior center.
So I was going to pick up and I just kind of
had it like playing so I was going to pick up
these like donations for us So you're just kind
of doing this like a mundane thing or whatever
and this track hits and I was like, oh man, this
is this is really cool like it just like I It
like hit you wasn't just uh, you know, I think
some tracks you listen to and you're like, oh,
okay that tracks there like it Instantly, I was
like, okay like as soon as I parked I was like,
all right now which which track was that so then
I can like earmark it and you know i think i
think it's a sign of a good song whenever you
hear it and you immediately are like all right
this is going on the you know like the playlist
yeah like this is we don't have to have a discussion
or wait to see if it works out it's immediately
it's it's going on the the the current listening
playlist or whatever yeah so i think it's you
know it's just a mark of a good song when you're
i thought you were going to say the old people
at the senior center really loved it Probably
would have a few. That's a music video waiting
to happen there. It's not a bad idea. So the
next track is B, which I think is one of my favorite
tracks on the record. You've got the synthesizers
again, which I think are really cool. Brian,
you mentioned Muse earlier, and this is one that
I really hear that influence in this track. Vocally,
musically, especially in the first part of it,
there's this almost felt darkness to just the
tone of the song in the beginning. But then you
hit the bridge and it... I love how the tone
shifts to kind of like a really hopeful feel.
We talked about that on a previous song, too.
But I just I really thought that was great. And
I love the like the hope that's on the backside
of what feels kind of like darkness in the beginning
of this one, just just musically and like the
tone of it. I thought it was really, really strong.
It's a great one. Thanks, man. Yeah. I appreciate
that. You guys aren't tearing me down yet. I'm
still waiting. This song definitely has like,
it just kind of keeps going this way. It ramps
up. And you're right. This song, I think there's
a band called The War on Drugs that I think their
vibe kind of influenced this song a bit. Just
having that turn at the end and Letting an instrumental
just kind of be there for a bit Obviously not
something that anybody would probably consider
for radio because of the format so strange But
I remember John had this that beat going and
those chords at the beginning and I'm like, dude
I really like that and I was writing melody stuff
right away to it and and it just had that sort
of more of a haunting feel and but yeah, no,
um, I'm really proud of that one as well just
to not adapt the simple chorus pre bridge course,
you know, and just and it just got its own sort
of format. Yeah. Yeah, that's fun. Next one is
under city lights. Brandon, what do you think
about this one? I think this might have been
it's either first or second with Escape from
Love, like favorite tracks on the album. Feel
like it's just like a really just straightforward
like song. Yeah and it so my question with this
one is and I feel like Brian you're probably
like picking up on this that Joel usually has
these really well thought out questions about
like man How'd the guitar do this or that and
mine are just really obscure where it's like
that's a cool color red why'd you choose that
color red and um, so for me like as soon as i
saw the title i was just like man that's a really
cool sounding song like before i even listened
to the song i was like i like that title um so
it made me think um like as a band um is there
like is there a certain like man there's there's
thought put into here's what we're gonna call
this or is it just that is the last thing you
were thinking about in the music process is that
is the final thing is just Okay, here's what
we're going to call this song. Well, definitely,
because most all the songs are created musically,
and then lyrics, lyrics are the last. And then
wherever those lyrics end up being like, oh,
what should the title be, you know? So, yes,
but want to even a song like be like, yeah. We
should just call it B. Under City Lights. We
thought it was cool, too. And it's definitely
more of a feel -good. It's another feel -good.
Sort of just like you're in a really great moment
in life. And you know what? Honestly, for me,
when bad moments have come, like really trying
moments, when you have good moments, you know
that you never know what's around the corner.
that's what I felt even during my time on The
Voice was like this is incredible watching my
daughter this is incredible like you never know
when life might get really difficult again because
it definitely and it will for all of us at some
point right as we slowly get older and and lose
capacity in some ways but um I felt like Under
City Lights was like This is just such a great
moment, you know, and it's trying to capture
it. Windows down, radio up. Have you ever been
in that moment where it's a nice day? It's a
nice day in Nebraska right now. This is a windows
down, crank the radio to whatever that song is
and just let that be and feel that. That's what
I want to capture in this song. Yeah, I feel
like you do that well with this one. It's especially
as the song really kicks in and it's got a great
feeling to it. I also think this is As I was
listening to this on Apple Music, it's the one
that's got the like star by it. So I'm like,
was this a single? Is this but uh, but yeah,
you can tell it's something happened. I'm not
even sure how it happened, but we released the
album and a Christian editorial playlist picked
that song to feature. Yeah, which was surprising
to me because lyrically it's it's it's just feel
good kind of love song. There's not really a
spiritual context as much as a lot of the other
songs, but it must be doing really well because
it's our top played track on Spotify right now.
So people must be finding it from that playlist
and it's turning into new listeners. I mean,
our listenership since we released the album
has tripled. So we're really excited. We would
welcome a lot more. We need to find more editorials.
Somebody help me. That's great. I love it. I
love it. That's cool. So we move to up to is
the next track on the album. And I think that
like this one was the first one that I was kind
of like, man, this feels like a lot different
from the rest of the album. And so. And so I
was thinking, I was like, yeah, I was like, Brian,
like Brian was like, yeah, be super honest about
this. I was like, yeah, I feel like this. But
like I said, kind of knowing the thought process
of the album, you know, it wasn't like, oh, this
is like a bad song or this song makes me angry
or something. You know, it was more of a Like,
man, I wonder, you know, it is so different.
I wonder kind of what the backstory like is with
this, you know, because in my experience, there
are so many times where I will be like, yeah,
that's my least favorite track. And then someone
will be like, you know, that was my favorite
track or that track changed my life. So this
was a perfect example of, you know, I'm like,
man, if we're if this is a normal review. it
probably stops at, yeah, like, I don't know if
I was feeling this track, but this is such a
cool opportunity to kind of get to sit down and
be like, you know, man, what what is the behind
this? Like, what what is it about this track
that maybe I'm not, you know, understanding like
musically or lyrically like behind it? Oh, yeah.
Well, a couple of things. And I've wrestled with
this maybe as a band. You've wrestled with this
like we're not. if you try to think of a band
like Metallica or Skillet or something, you can
kind of go, oh, that band, I pretty much know
what their album is going to feel like from start
to finish based on who they are, right? Where
we've not necessarily been that band, especially
on this album. And that could be confusing. It's
like, ooh, I like this, I like this, I like this
consistency you have here, and then all of a
sudden you have a track that seems like a little
out of left field. and i get that and that was
part of like hey we like it and we like variety
and i don't i don't want to i love muse for instance
right one of my favorite bands but i rarely too
often can take um 11 songs in a row from you
at that intensity vocal like i need it like i
need a break um and so on our album it's almost
like here's a playlist of us rather than and
so One interesting thing about this song is my
youngest son, Liam, actually wrote the music.
He was just working with some, I don't know,
he was working with some different demo. I don't
know how he did it because I think he found splices
of different things. And I'm like, hey, that's
cool. And I started singing over it. And so he's
a co -writer on the song. My daughter hates it
because I say. because I say something like,
you can TikTok that if you want to, and she's
like, dad. people don't say that they don't say
they're gonna tick tock something like you're
so you're you're so old i'm like i don't care
i'm i'm saying it strangely enough like it's
in our top that song is in our top 10 on spotify
right now as as like most listened to songs so
i had to screenshot that send it to her and like
well some people like it even though you hate
it um that that song is definitely quirky and
off the wall it probably has like Post Malone
slash Weezer influence type like just lazy vocal
the lyrics are definitely masked or they're definitely
what's the word I have certain people in mind
when I'm singing those lyrics and I and my closest
friends I might tell them who those people are
yeah people that honestly just really pissed
me off that I have in mind when I'm singing certain
and it's just being honest about that it's like
I'm done with hanging I'm done with hanging with
people like you and and sadly some most of the
people that have done that to me have worn the
brand of their their Christians and they've done
some and you know what you we can have boundaries
there yeah I can Forgive them like God has but
doesn't mean I they have to be in my life Yeah
a certain level anymore. So so this song is a
playful way of like of Me getting to capture
that without revealing Who are who all the people
are that I'm thinking about and and just rolling
with it So in that sense, I'm really proud of
it because I did feel that this feels like where
do we place this on the album? It's very different
and but at the same time I'm I'm thankful it's
there and I do picture like a cool moment live
just letting this song just kind of sue for a
bit and then the let in the Let the people in
the room sing it I don't know, just even the
chorus, everybody wants to know what I have up
to. It's happened after my divorce, it's happened
after the voice, like people just have the same
questions and they really want to know some inside
information, but sometimes they might use that
against you. So yeah, the song is just playfully
addressing kind of big issues, but in a playful
way. Yeah, I feel like they are. I'm not like,
um, I keep working with Brandon on being okay
with like kind of cynical, playful ways to talk
about big topics. But, um, as a, as a dad who
has given my kid her first cell phone ever, um,
I feel like the weight of like what she's being
exposed to in the world of all of that, that's
out there that I'm putting in her hands and,
um, how is this going to impact or influence
her? And so. Um, so yeah, yeah, I totally, I
totally get it. Um, so next track, um, I was
not expecting, um, to find a Coldplay cover,
uh, a fix you, um, what, what made you guys decide
like, man, we want to, this is what we want to
do. We want to granted one of the best Coldplay
songs ever. Um, but what kind of led you to say
we want to, we want to cover this one. Oh boy.
There's a few things. One, I remember. When I
was going through the most difficult time and
my marriage was ending, I was just trying to
distract myself and work on stuff in the garage.
And I had music on. And Fix You came on by Coldplay
that I've heard a zillion times. But for some
reason, that time, dude, those lyrics just broke
me. You try your best, you don't succeed. And
I feel like even lyrically, how we wrote it,
it's not one complete story. There's mystery
behind it, but there's so much emotion behind
certain phrases. I'm like, yep, I feel that.
I resonate that with that. So there was a moment
in time where that song became very impactful.
And I also feel with covers like... I hate when
someone does a cover and they just like, let's
get as close to the original recording as possible
and do it. Like, why are you doing a cover? Like,
Weezer did a lot of that. And it's great. A lot
of people love their covers, but I want someone
to give me a fresh take. I already got the original
version, you know? And I feel like Fix You is
like, it's a timeless song and it's a masterpiece
as is. And it's like, you better... Find a way
to bring something different here and it wasn't
an easy task So there was that and consequently
that was the song that I sang that got me on
the voice It was that 90 second song in the bathroom
that I I put a little bit of a chorus together
playing kind of a Reverby guitar and so I don't
know so Probably those reasons That's cool. We
can't be too hard on Weezer. They're one of my
favorite bands. Oh, same. But the cover album
is super lazy. I agree with you. That's a good
way to put it. Brandon, you know that Coldplay
song, Fix You? No, I was hoping that you guys
wouldn't mention me because I didn't know this
was a cover. Oh my goodness. I was hoping I could
just... Sneak on it's a pretty pretty iconic
song That being said I love You just gave me
a massive compliment because you picked two songs
that you really really loved on the album and
one of them wasn't the cold Because you didn't
one you didn't know it was Coldplay. So What
did you think about the song in general since
you didn't know it was even a Coldplay song yeah,
I I enjoyed it I Enjoyed like the the the slow
like the slowness like it being like a little
bit more of a different like take on there I
enjoyed it. I think like I said leading up to
Like like a live I feel like this would be really
cool to hear like alive I'm also just really
thankful that you guys cleared that up that way
like a month or two now Like I don't hear like
cold plays and I go cold plays are covering voda
That's pretty cool It would have confused a lot
of people That's so funny. That's so funny. Um,
and then uh, so we move on to our final track,
uh feels like home Yeah, I I mean my initial
thoughts was I felt like it checked the boxes
of You know if I was at a concert, I feel like
this would be a cool a cool way to end and I
feel like almost just the The concept of this
album being like, you know back back to the start
or whatever I feel like it was cool that you
are arriving Back there because I think that
so many times people think you have to reinvent
reinvent when sometimes you know like like you
were saying it's going back to what was this
like before we were like oh we have to do this
for the record label or this or that and and
it's um it's funny to me that as i get older
like there's so many bands that it's almost like
the thing that was the most successful that got
the the radio play or whatever um didn't bring
the most joy like i remember an interview with
tim skipper of house of heroes and they were
talking about like touring with toby mack and
skillet and you would you would think that you
know 2009 2010 or so you'd be like yeah we want
to be on that tour but he was like you know you're
going out every night and you're the weird world
war two band you know these people are showing
up for you know skillet's this rock and then
toby mack you know his kind of like musical gumbo
or whatever and all these bands are kind of like
okay who's this weird band that's singing about
you know world war two and communist or whatever
and i just thought it was so interesting that
for them what i would perceive as a fan to be
this amazing thing for them it was like you know
yeah it's cool going out there but it's even
more cooler when you're in front of 500 people
who know your music and know who you are and
um so for me it was just a cool way to end this
album Uh with this idea of like yeah, we we're
going we're going back home. We're going back
to where we were. Um, so Yeah, that's cool I
will say oh go ahead. No, I was just gonna ask
you like what what do you feel like impacted
or influenced you to write this it's kind of
gave me some like Not of this world like not
at home kind of vibes but um, yeah, what were
what were kind of the influences for you to put
this one together at the end First off what I
remember about this one is I've had this idea
that I did on this song was like an idea I had
on acoustic guitar that I probably wrote in like
2008 I've had it for a long time and it never
it was an idea that we never picked for any of
the other albums and we finally like let's work
on this and I think the chorus is like One of
my favorite I'll say a worship song or spiritual
song to me is U2's I Still Haven't Found What
I'm Looking For. And what I love about it is
like, yeah, I believe in the kingdom come and
all the colors are believed into one, but here's
a man that's experienced everything life has
to offer. He's lived better than most kings.
And the chorus is I Still Haven't Found What
I'm Looking For. And I think as believers, at
least I do, I resonate with that because we don't,
we aren't fully home. Let me find a place that
feels like home. And that could be personally
like will I find love again? How what's what's
my place in this world? So it's that it's that
sort of thing and a reminder that Okay, it's
never really gonna truly feel like home here
As much as we want that. I mean, yes I know God
walks with me every step and and there's moments
that that captures my heart spirit and feeling
and all that but there's also the reality of,
there's a reality coming for us that we can't
even really fathom what it's gonna be like on
the other side. So I think this song kind of
captures that longing for, it's a prayer, it's
definitely, it's singing to God all these things,
help me, guide me. Should I stay or should I
go? People say you'll know when you know it.
Like sometimes you want, God to just we just
lay out the answer for me, you know on this thing
or that thing and you know I'm sure when you
gave your daughter that phone like what should
I do here? Is this the right time to be wait
long enough? Did we you know and you wrestle
through all those decisions and You're doing
the best that you can with with everything presented
before you, you know, yeah Well, I I'm so thankful
that I had the chance to get to experience this
and dig into this and just doing these interviews
has opened up your music to me and now I get
to go back and check out the rest of it and experience
the rest of it. But I feel like this was such
a fun start for me on something that is just
now come out in the last few weeks. And now I
get to kind of go back on a journey to discover
all the other stuff. So just for me, man, just
thanks. Thank you for putting this out there.
I know that you guys have it seems like really
been on a journey as a band. And I think it's
so cool that you're still still working to put
this music out there for people to experience
and listen. And I'm I'm super thankful that people
are. Listening to it and wherever those extra
ears are coming from Whether it's they heard
you on the voice and now they get a chance to
listen to something new or you know Long -time
fans or even new people like me that it just
comes across their plate I think that it's really
really cool stuff and it's a really really awesome
opportunity. There's just not there's a lack
of Brandon and I talk about this all the time,
but there's a lack of Christian music out there
in the world. You know, we made a hard shift
15 years ago towards worship music. And I feel
like just the ability to talk about how our relationship
with Jesus and the kingdom of God impacts the
everyday stuff of our life, those are voices
and things that are missing. And I feel like
that's to a huge detriment. for the church today
of having music that can help kind of guide us
through decision making and the way that we think
about life and see the world. And so I'm just
really grateful for anybody who's just continuing
to say, let's look at the world, let's look at
love, let's look at brokenness, but through the
lens. through the lens of our faith and see how
we can learn from each other and walk together.
And I think those are such important things for
us to be digging into together. Yeah, I think,
you know, Joel, as a new listener, I'll say as
someone who has, you know, known the band for,
I mean, I guess over 15 years, it was cool getting
to go through and listen to it and get to see
this like this change but it feel like genuine
it's not just let's we're gonna change our sounds
we can sell this or whatever and I will say too
that I appreciated just the thought and the quality
of the album because whenever you are you know
whenever it was first brought up like okay cool
we're gonna sit down and talk about your album
with you there is that scary part of oh man i
don't want to be mean but also you don't want
to lie and be like yeah this track it's has those
guitars they uh they did some stuff you know
and um like i i appreciated that uh it was it
was an album that i enjoyed listening to um and
that it it genuinely brought up like you know
me thinking about stuff or me just enjoying hey
this is a song that's it there's nothing deep
going on it's just a nice song you know to listen
to while driving or walking um so as a listener
like i appreciated that it is something that
you know i walked away and i was genuinely happy
with the effort that was put into the band and
i was like man i can't wait to add this you know
like to to playlist or to go back and listen
to this the same way i would you know like the
the former albums the independent ones the you
know self -debuted the um how did your kids describe
it the album with the white car so even that
album that's awesome well i appreciate you guys
i mean it it's a lot to just even give a an album
a full listen especially if you're going to talk
on it so i appreciate you guys uh wanting to
feature it and to talk to me about it and Yeah,
I thank you for that. And you didn't tear me
up too bad. That's awesome. Well, Brian, for
folks maybe that are listening to the podcast,
but they're kind of new to VOTA and maybe want
to check it out after listening to you, where
would you push them to to go find you guys online?
Like, what would you say is the most important
thing that they can do to kind of connect with
what you guys are doing? Well, wherever you stream
music, I mean that our VOTA VOTA It's on all
platforms Votaband .com is our website so you
can go there and See some of the music videos
and see where we're playing live and and everything
going on with us So those are probably the places
to do it. That's cool I haven't checked into
this yet, but I'm a huge vinyl guy and can I
get this record on vinyl? No, we don't have it
on vinyl yet. I We would love to do that. You
know, we we don't have a label we're self -funded
so one thing at a time and you know when you
when you make an Album has to be a certain length.
You have to master it a certain way when you
actually do it So we've not we need one more
we need at least one more request for it We can't
just make it for you At some point at some point
that might be in the future I would love to get
that done too, but We'll see maybe in the coming
months. We'll get that out Cool. That'd be awesome.
I'll definitely keep an eye out for that. So,
well, man, thank you again for hanging out with
us today and talking through this. It's been
a real pleasure and I'm looking forward to seeing
what you guys are going to continue to do in
the future and maybe how we can keep pushing
it. So that's fun. Love it. Thank you. Happy
Sunday, fellas. You as well. Talk to you later.
Yeah, take care. All right. Well, it's time for
our lyric of the week. All right, our lyric of
the week comes from the track Magical. Come on,
let's take on the world. Come on, let's shoot
for the stars. Oh, there's no looking back. I
think you stole my heart. That's cool. It's a
good record. Yeah. Good song. That's pretty fun.
What's been fun digging into this, especially
with Brian. We're thankful that he took the time
to hang out with us and talk through this today.
Don't forget, you can find us on social media,
Facebook. Hey, are you listening? You can email
us with your questions, your comments at. um
hey are you listening pod at gmail .com uh we
just want to say hey thanks again for showing
up week after week and listening and spreading
the good word and we are looking forward to continuing
the journey we got some fun things that are coming
up ahead and so we're excited to keep having
these conversations keep digging in and to keep
listening so we'll see you guys again next time
Are you listening? This ain't no quiet thing
We're screaming out our lungs Hey! Are you listening?
Hey!