Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Relient K keeps working the road
For the Christian pop act Relient K [ tickets ], performing as one of this year's Warped Tour headliners was like spending the summer at camp.
"I'm a big fan of summer camp," vocalist/guitarist Matthew Thiessen said during a recent telephone interview from his rural Canton, OH-area home.
"There are so many bands and only so much you can really do out there, because everybody's kind of competing against each other. The bright side is, there's such a great community behind the scenes on Warped Tour. Some of the friends you get to make you'd never get to make on a normal tour because you wouldn't tour with those bands normally. The friendship and contacts you make out there--it's pretty awesome."
Relient K count among its friends the indie-rock band Say Anything, power-poppers Forever the Sickest Kids, metalcore quintet Every Time I Die and Christian rockers Norma Jean. Performing every day with the likes of Norma Jean was kind of like coming home for Relient K, a band that doesn't mind the "Christian pop" label.
"Whatever people want to call us, they can call us," said Thiessen, who will marry in the Detroit area next summer. "I'm Christian. We write a lot about that stuff. I think it's important for me in my life and we obviously want to write songs about things that are important. At the same time, if you don't share the same beliefs as us, you're probably not going to get rubbed the wrong way with our music. We're not judging anybody. I'm just kind of singing from my own perspective. I think it works both ways."
These days, Relient K is on tour in support of "The Bird and the Bee Sides," a collection of unreleased tracks, some new and some from the band's vault. The album's release was basically out of necessity.
"We had one album left on our contract with our first record deal we signed in '98," Thiessen said. "We had 20 B-sides just sitting around the cutting room floor. We chose 13 of those songs and put them on the record. With that mentality, we said, 'Let's throw a couple new songs on there, too, so it's not just B-sides.' We ended up coming up with 13 new songs a well."
The 26-song album is selling for $10 at shows, he said. "That's a pretty good deal for 26 songs. It's something we did for the summer. We do like to try and put out new material once or twice a year if we can. It fits the bill for that."
Thiessen explained he and the rest of the band--guitarist Matthew Hoopes, bassist John Warne, guitarist Jonathan Schneck and drummer Ethan Luck--aren't sure what label their next album will appear on. They were previously signed to Capitol via Gotee.
"There's definitely a lot of talk of re-singing and reformatting the whole contract," Thiessen said. "There's talk about being able to take over an independent record label of our own, being able to put out our material and have it be a subsidy of Gotee, which is our former label. But nothing's signed yet, so I can't really confirm anything. We'll announce it when we can."
Christian Music News Source
"I'm a big fan of summer camp," vocalist/guitarist Matthew Thiessen said during a recent telephone interview from his rural Canton, OH-area home.
"There are so many bands and only so much you can really do out there, because everybody's kind of competing against each other. The bright side is, there's such a great community behind the scenes on Warped Tour. Some of the friends you get to make you'd never get to make on a normal tour because you wouldn't tour with those bands normally. The friendship and contacts you make out there--it's pretty awesome."
Relient K count among its friends the indie-rock band Say Anything, power-poppers Forever the Sickest Kids, metalcore quintet Every Time I Die and Christian rockers Norma Jean. Performing every day with the likes of Norma Jean was kind of like coming home for Relient K, a band that doesn't mind the "Christian pop" label.
"Whatever people want to call us, they can call us," said Thiessen, who will marry in the Detroit area next summer. "I'm Christian. We write a lot about that stuff. I think it's important for me in my life and we obviously want to write songs about things that are important. At the same time, if you don't share the same beliefs as us, you're probably not going to get rubbed the wrong way with our music. We're not judging anybody. I'm just kind of singing from my own perspective. I think it works both ways."
These days, Relient K is on tour in support of "The Bird and the Bee Sides," a collection of unreleased tracks, some new and some from the band's vault. The album's release was basically out of necessity.
"We had one album left on our contract with our first record deal we signed in '98," Thiessen said. "We had 20 B-sides just sitting around the cutting room floor. We chose 13 of those songs and put them on the record. With that mentality, we said, 'Let's throw a couple new songs on there, too, so it's not just B-sides.' We ended up coming up with 13 new songs a well."
The 26-song album is selling for $10 at shows, he said. "That's a pretty good deal for 26 songs. It's something we did for the summer. We do like to try and put out new material once or twice a year if we can. It fits the bill for that."
Thiessen explained he and the rest of the band--guitarist Matthew Hoopes, bassist John Warne, guitarist Jonathan Schneck and drummer Ethan Luck--aren't sure what label their next album will appear on. They were previously signed to Capitol via Gotee.
"There's definitely a lot of talk of re-singing and reformatting the whole contract," Thiessen said. "There's talk about being able to take over an independent record label of our own, being able to put out our material and have it be a subsidy of Gotee, which is our former label. But nothing's signed yet, so I can't really confirm anything. We'll announce it when we can."
Christian Music News Source
Saturday Night Live Cast Members, Relient K And More This Weekend In New York
Anthony Jones - Celebrity News Service Contributor
New York, NY (CNS) -- Former and present Saturday Night Live cast members will come together for "The Upright Citizens Brigade and Funny or Die Present: Give Food A Chance," a benefit comedy show to celebrate the opening of the Mercy Corps Action Center to end world hunger.
Current SNL cast members Seth Myers, Jason Sudeikis and Will Forte will be on hand, as well as former cast members Chevy Chase and Horatio Sanz. Also confirmed to make an appearance are "30 Rock's" Jack McBrayer and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit's" Christopher Meloni. The show will take place at the HighLine Ballroom on Sunday, October 19th.
Other notable acts in the are this weekend include Christian rockers Relient K, who will play the Northern Lights in Clifton Park on Friday, October 17th, and Method Man & Redman, who will perform at the Nokia Theatre in Times Square on the 17th as well.
Events scheduled for this weekend:
Friday, October 17th:
Relient K, Northern Lights, Clifton Park
The Casualties w/Caustic Christ and Absurd System, Knitting Factory
Colin Quinn, Carolines on Broadway
Galactic, The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza
Method Man & Redman, Nokia Theatre Times Square
Ra Ra Riot, Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Ben Kweller, Bowery Ballroom
Eric Prydz, Pacha
Saturday, October 18th:
Secret Machines, Webster Hall
The Spines, Knitting Factory
Trey Anastasio, Palace Theatre Albany, Albany
Chris Botti, Bardavon Opera House, Poughkeepsie
Citizen Cope, Apollo Theater
Tim Reynolds and Tr3, Highline Ballroom
Jaguares, Nokia Theatre Times Square
Larry Miller, Carolines on Broadway
Sunday, October 19th:
Lindsey Buckingham, Nokia Theatre Times Square
Horrorpops, Blender Theater at Gramercy
Upright Citizens Brigade & Funnie Or Die Present: Give Food A Chance, HighLine Ballroom
Yura Yura Teikoku, Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn
David Dondero, Union Hall
Holly Palmer, Living Room
Christian Music News Source
New York, NY (CNS) -- Former and present Saturday Night Live cast members will come together for "The Upright Citizens Brigade and Funny or Die Present: Give Food A Chance," a benefit comedy show to celebrate the opening of the Mercy Corps Action Center to end world hunger.
Current SNL cast members Seth Myers, Jason Sudeikis and Will Forte will be on hand, as well as former cast members Chevy Chase and Horatio Sanz. Also confirmed to make an appearance are "30 Rock's" Jack McBrayer and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit's" Christopher Meloni. The show will take place at the HighLine Ballroom on Sunday, October 19th.
Other notable acts in the are this weekend include Christian rockers Relient K, who will play the Northern Lights in Clifton Park on Friday, October 17th, and Method Man & Redman, who will perform at the Nokia Theatre in Times Square on the 17th as well.
Events scheduled for this weekend:
Friday, October 17th:
Relient K, Northern Lights, Clifton Park
The Casualties w/Caustic Christ and Absurd System, Knitting Factory
Colin Quinn, Carolines on Broadway
Galactic, The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza
Method Man & Redman, Nokia Theatre Times Square
Ra Ra Riot, Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Ben Kweller, Bowery Ballroom
Eric Prydz, Pacha
Saturday, October 18th:
Secret Machines, Webster Hall
The Spines, Knitting Factory
Trey Anastasio, Palace Theatre Albany, Albany
Chris Botti, Bardavon Opera House, Poughkeepsie
Citizen Cope, Apollo Theater
Tim Reynolds and Tr3, Highline Ballroom
Jaguares, Nokia Theatre Times Square
Larry Miller, Carolines on Broadway
Sunday, October 19th:
Lindsey Buckingham, Nokia Theatre Times Square
Horrorpops, Blender Theater at Gramercy
Upright Citizens Brigade & Funnie Or Die Present: Give Food A Chance, HighLine Ballroom
Yura Yura Teikoku, Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn
David Dondero, Union Hall
Holly Palmer, Living Room
Christian Music News Source
Relient K Delivers A Night Of Christian Rock
Christian rock has been evolving.
Once filled with wholly spiritual lyrics aimed mostly at the devout, the genre has of late found more mainstream popularity, thanks in part to Relient K.
The Ohio quintet comes from a Christian background, though the band is discreet about it — an audience member could have made it through the band's show Saturday night at the Webster Theatre thinking that he or she was watching an average, secular pop-punk band.
The band demonstrated its connection to mass culture with a Halloween-themed stage with skull lights decorating the piano and large fake cobwebs.
The musicians took the stage dressed in black and purple, and singer Matt Thiessen wore a cape for the catchy, if repetitive, first song, "I Need You." Relient K moved into "Come Right Out and Say It," with loud guitar and drums overshadowing pensive, yearning vocals from Thiessen.
The band has a sensitive side lurking under its poppy outer shell, something Thiessen demonstrated in moments when he sang accompanied only by himself on piano.
The Halloween motif returned when the band offered its take on the theme from "The Addams Family" before returning to form with "High of 75," a pop tune with a punk edge.
The beginning of "Mood Rings" sounded like a continuation of the previous song, until the band dropped out for a bit and let Thiessen solo with his vocals and guitar.
Ethan Luck's pounding drums, along with shredding guitars from Matt Hoopes and Jon Schneck, gave energy to "The Lining Is Silver," a track from this summer's "The Bird and the Bee Sides."
A fast-paced cover of Tears for Fears' "Head Over Heels" fit the band, despite Thiessen's having a higher-pitched voice than the original singer, Roland Orzabal.
The band hinted again at its spiritual ties by introducing "Forgiven" as a song about grace.
Relient K returned for an encore featuring "Deathbed," a song that swelled and undulated over about 11 minutes.
Ludo, a band of pop-punk jokesters from St. Louis, played before Relient K. Its set included "Broken Bride," a song about love, time travel and the prehistoric age that garnered audience chuckles. The loud and fast songs were interrupted by problems with microphone feedback.
This Providence preceded Ludo, playing moody pop tunes. House of Heroes, another Christian rock band from Ohio, opened the show.
Christian Music News Source
Once filled with wholly spiritual lyrics aimed mostly at the devout, the genre has of late found more mainstream popularity, thanks in part to Relient K.
The Ohio quintet comes from a Christian background, though the band is discreet about it — an audience member could have made it through the band's show Saturday night at the Webster Theatre thinking that he or she was watching an average, secular pop-punk band.
The band demonstrated its connection to mass culture with a Halloween-themed stage with skull lights decorating the piano and large fake cobwebs.
The musicians took the stage dressed in black and purple, and singer Matt Thiessen wore a cape for the catchy, if repetitive, first song, "I Need You." Relient K moved into "Come Right Out and Say It," with loud guitar and drums overshadowing pensive, yearning vocals from Thiessen.
The band has a sensitive side lurking under its poppy outer shell, something Thiessen demonstrated in moments when he sang accompanied only by himself on piano.
The Halloween motif returned when the band offered its take on the theme from "The Addams Family" before returning to form with "High of 75," a pop tune with a punk edge.
The beginning of "Mood Rings" sounded like a continuation of the previous song, until the band dropped out for a bit and let Thiessen solo with his vocals and guitar.
Ethan Luck's pounding drums, along with shredding guitars from Matt Hoopes and Jon Schneck, gave energy to "The Lining Is Silver," a track from this summer's "The Bird and the Bee Sides."
A fast-paced cover of Tears for Fears' "Head Over Heels" fit the band, despite Thiessen's having a higher-pitched voice than the original singer, Roland Orzabal.
The band hinted again at its spiritual ties by introducing "Forgiven" as a song about grace.
Relient K returned for an encore featuring "Deathbed," a song that swelled and undulated over about 11 minutes.
Ludo, a band of pop-punk jokesters from St. Louis, played before Relient K. Its set included "Broken Bride," a song about love, time travel and the prehistoric age that garnered audience chuckles. The loud and fast songs were interrupted by problems with microphone feedback.
This Providence preceded Ludo, playing moody pop tunes. House of Heroes, another Christian rock band from Ohio, opened the show.
Christian Music News Source
Relient K Releases 3 New Christmas Tracks
Christian rock band Relient K is midway through its 25-date “Uncle Fest Tour,” which concludes Nov. 2, and has along the way released three new tracks for the reissue of their 2007 Christmas collection.
"We took a quick breather after Warped Tour, and … headed back to Nashville to track a couple of Christmas songs and rehearse for the upcoming Uncle Fest Tour," reported Matt Thiessen, Relient K's lead singer, guitarist, and pianist.
The new tracks – "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," "Silver Bells" and "Oh Holy Night" – can be downloaded by fans who purchase the Oct. 7 reissue of Let It Snow Baby...Let It Reindeer, the band’s second Christmas album, which is a beefed up version of the band’s first Christmas album, Deck the Halls, Bruise Your Hand.
Thiessen says Relient K will probably continue adding to its Christmas album each year, setting up an annual tradition for the five-member group.
"Christmas comes around every year, so you might as well put the record out every year," Thiessen said with a laugh during a recent phone interview with Michigan Live.
"Because I'm not into putting out the same record every year, we're going to tack a couple more songs onto it this year,” he added. “We'll probably tack more songs onto it next year. It's just this whole idea that we had for our Christmas catalog, pun intended: Let it snowball every year and add to it."
Relient K’s second Christmas album had been touted by critics for its diversity and fun factor, capturing the spirit of Christmas with classics such as “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” and “Silent Night.” Also included in their Christmas album is a bratty punk rock take on “I’m getting Nuttin’ for Christmas” and a jazzy-punk arrangement of “Sleigh Ride.”
The original album peaked at No. 96 on the Billboard 200 list in its fourth week and at No. 15 on iTunes.
Christian Music News Source
"We took a quick breather after Warped Tour, and … headed back to Nashville to track a couple of Christmas songs and rehearse for the upcoming Uncle Fest Tour," reported Matt Thiessen, Relient K's lead singer, guitarist, and pianist.
The new tracks – "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," "Silver Bells" and "Oh Holy Night" – can be downloaded by fans who purchase the Oct. 7 reissue of Let It Snow Baby...Let It Reindeer, the band’s second Christmas album, which is a beefed up version of the band’s first Christmas album, Deck the Halls, Bruise Your Hand.
Thiessen says Relient K will probably continue adding to its Christmas album each year, setting up an annual tradition for the five-member group.
"Christmas comes around every year, so you might as well put the record out every year," Thiessen said with a laugh during a recent phone interview with Michigan Live.
"Because I'm not into putting out the same record every year, we're going to tack a couple more songs onto it this year,” he added. “We'll probably tack more songs onto it next year. It's just this whole idea that we had for our Christmas catalog, pun intended: Let it snowball every year and add to it."
Relient K’s second Christmas album had been touted by critics for its diversity and fun factor, capturing the spirit of Christmas with classics such as “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” and “Silent Night.” Also included in their Christmas album is a bratty punk rock take on “I’m getting Nuttin’ for Christmas” and a jazzy-punk arrangement of “Sleigh Ride.”
The original album peaked at No. 96 on the Billboard 200 list in its fourth week and at No. 15 on iTunes.
Christian Music News Source
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Story Behind the Song: Relient K's Matt Thiessen Talks About...
With the chorus "Marilyn Manson ate my girlfriend/ Satan consumed her mind, and he may do it again," the hit single "My Girlfriend" could be considered one of the most unusual "love" songs in Christian music history. Relient K’s guitarist/vocalist/chief songwriter Matt Thiessen wrote the song when he was 15 (before the Ohio-based group had even formed), inspired by a female friend who lived eight hours away in Pennsylvania.
Thiessen is quick to explain, "It wasn’t a girlfriend/boyfriend relationship, but it was a friend who was a girl. We had a relationship where we would talk a lot on the phone. Sometimes we would talk about things of deeper consequence, of spiritual matter and usually just kind of seeing where God was taking us in the future.
"After a while, though, things started to change with her," he continues. "She started getting so into [Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson] that an obsession grew out of it. And through this she changed her lifestyle [and] what she believed in."
This change in mindset eventually led to Thiessen’s "girl friend" being expelled from school, getting kicked out of her house and moving into a youth detention center. "Through it all she had this new-born dislike for me and what I believed in," says Thiessen, now 21. "She felt that Christianity was stupid and just this big hypocrisy. Being young and impressionable, I just wrote this little, stupid song, but that was the way I dealt with it—writing this song about how she got so consumed by Marilyn Manson."
The song, which came from a very sad chapter in Thiessen’s adolescence, resonated with many listeners when it debuted on the group’s freshman album in 2000. The song’s music video even received a Billboard Music Video Award and a Dove Award nomination.
Still, the group’s references to Marilyn Manson caused a mild controversy. Thiessen recalls, "Some moms didn’t want their kids listening to our records and stuff, but that’s expected. People look for stuff like that sometimes just because they want to be safe all the time."
Today, Relient K continues to play the song for its fans who continue to request it. "A lot of kids like it," confirms Thiessen. "We’re a little tired of it, but it’s still a fun song." He adds, "You know how a lot of bands have their cliché one song about a girl, the relationship that went wrong or all that stuff? We don’t actually have any of those right now. I think we may in the future. You never know how it goes."
Christian Music News Source
Thiessen is quick to explain, "It wasn’t a girlfriend/boyfriend relationship, but it was a friend who was a girl. We had a relationship where we would talk a lot on the phone. Sometimes we would talk about things of deeper consequence, of spiritual matter and usually just kind of seeing where God was taking us in the future.
"After a while, though, things started to change with her," he continues. "She started getting so into [Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson] that an obsession grew out of it. And through this she changed her lifestyle [and] what she believed in."
This change in mindset eventually led to Thiessen’s "girl friend" being expelled from school, getting kicked out of her house and moving into a youth detention center. "Through it all she had this new-born dislike for me and what I believed in," says Thiessen, now 21. "She felt that Christianity was stupid and just this big hypocrisy. Being young and impressionable, I just wrote this little, stupid song, but that was the way I dealt with it—writing this song about how she got so consumed by Marilyn Manson."
The song, which came from a very sad chapter in Thiessen’s adolescence, resonated with many listeners when it debuted on the group’s freshman album in 2000. The song’s music video even received a Billboard Music Video Award and a Dove Award nomination.
Still, the group’s references to Marilyn Manson caused a mild controversy. Thiessen recalls, "Some moms didn’t want their kids listening to our records and stuff, but that’s expected. People look for stuff like that sometimes just because they want to be safe all the time."
Today, Relient K continues to play the song for its fans who continue to request it. "A lot of kids like it," confirms Thiessen. "We’re a little tired of it, but it’s still a fun song." He adds, "You know how a lot of bands have their cliché one song about a girl, the relationship that went wrong or all that stuff? We don’t actually have any of those right now. I think we may in the future. You never know how it goes."
Christian Music News Source
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Relient K's EP has unreleased songs
GRAND RAPIDS -- Typical Relient K.
A would-be EP with some song rarities and unreleased material turned into a 26-song tour-de-farce called "The Birds and the Bee Sides."
"I'm not a huge fan of just putting out a 'B' sides" record, so I thought we should put some new material on there," said Matt Thiessen, the quirky, pop-rock band's lead singer/songwriter, in a phone interview from a Nashville studio.
"We wrote some new songs and recorded them really quick. It gives us a little breathing room 'til our next full, length project."
Among the selections are demos and other studio experiments. Besides the dozen or so new tunes, there's also an acoustic version of a song that's become one of the band's signatures, "Who I Am Hates Who I've Been."
"We kind of had carte blanche on this one," said Thiessen, 28. "There's some old country stuff ("I Just Want You to Know"), a bit of reggae ("The Lining is Silver") and a couple of little fun tunes."
The band also continues its penchant for odd, "punny" song titles, slipping in "A Penny Loafer Saved Is a Penny Loafer Earned."
It's the sixth recording for the band that appeared 10 years ago near Canton, Ohio, naming itself (with a purposeful misspelling) after original member Matt Hoopes' Reliant K car.
From its punkish beginnings into its more recent forays into piano-pop, the band has carved a following in mainstream and Christian music markets with songs such as "Be My Escape" and "The Best Thing."
The band did the full length of last summer's alternative bands Vans Warped tour, during which Thiessen admitted feeling his age.
Christian Music News Source
A would-be EP with some song rarities and unreleased material turned into a 26-song tour-de-farce called "The Birds and the Bee Sides."
"I'm not a huge fan of just putting out a 'B' sides" record, so I thought we should put some new material on there," said Matt Thiessen, the quirky, pop-rock band's lead singer/songwriter, in a phone interview from a Nashville studio.
"We wrote some new songs and recorded them really quick. It gives us a little breathing room 'til our next full, length project."
Among the selections are demos and other studio experiments. Besides the dozen or so new tunes, there's also an acoustic version of a song that's become one of the band's signatures, "Who I Am Hates Who I've Been."
"We kind of had carte blanche on this one," said Thiessen, 28. "There's some old country stuff ("I Just Want You to Know"), a bit of reggae ("The Lining is Silver") and a couple of little fun tunes."
The band also continues its penchant for odd, "punny" song titles, slipping in "A Penny Loafer Saved Is a Penny Loafer Earned."
It's the sixth recording for the band that appeared 10 years ago near Canton, Ohio, naming itself (with a purposeful misspelling) after original member Matt Hoopes' Reliant K car.
From its punkish beginnings into its more recent forays into piano-pop, the band has carved a following in mainstream and Christian music markets with songs such as "Be My Escape" and "The Best Thing."
The band did the full length of last summer's alternative bands Vans Warped tour, during which Thiessen admitted feeling his age.
Christian Music News Source
Relient K ready to rock at Croc in Friday's EXPOSED
They have a punk side, an emotional side, a spiritual side and a goofy side and the guys in Relient K plan to bring them all to Allentown on Tuesday for a show at Crocodile Rock Cafe.
Lead singer Matt Thiessen recently took a break from rehearsing in Tennessee and spoke to Exposed about the tour and the band's evolution and multifaceted persona.
Also in Friday's edition...
-- iTunes is raising its prices?
-- Kirby, Wario and Sonic return to the gaming world.
-- An after-dinner (or whenever) beer from Canada
-- A look at an Americana rocker from Clinton
-- Ask Pinky, 10 Things To Do, Nightlife and more!
Exposed is published Fridays in the Express-Times or you can pick it up free at bars, restaurants and shops through the Lehigh Valley. Be sure to check out Exposed on MySpace to learn more about upcoming editions and be the first to find out about upcoming contents and more.
Christian Music News Source
Lead singer Matt Thiessen recently took a break from rehearsing in Tennessee and spoke to Exposed about the tour and the band's evolution and multifaceted persona.
Also in Friday's edition...
-- iTunes is raising its prices?
-- Kirby, Wario and Sonic return to the gaming world.
-- An after-dinner (or whenever) beer from Canada
-- A look at an Americana rocker from Clinton
-- Ask Pinky, 10 Things To Do, Nightlife and more!
Exposed is published Fridays in the Express-Times or you can pick it up free at bars, restaurants and shops through the Lehigh Valley. Be sure to check out Exposed on MySpace to learn more about upcoming editions and be the first to find out about upcoming contents and more.
Christian Music News Source
Relient K EP includes blend of old and new songs
GRAND RAPIDS -- Typical Relient K.
A would-be EP with some song rarities and unreleased material turned into a 26-song tour-de-farce called "The Birds and the Bee Sides."
"I'm not a huge fan of just putting out a 'B' sides" record, so I thought we should put some new material on there," said Matt Thiessen, the quirky, pop-rock band's lead singer/songwriter, in a phone interview from a Nashville studio.
"We wrote some new songs and recorded them really quick. It gives us a little breathing room 'til our next full, length project."
Among the selections are demos and other studio experiments. Besides the dozen or so new tunes, there's also an acoustic version of a song that's become one of the band's signatures, "Who I Am Hates Who I've Been."
"We kind of had carte blanche on this one," said Thiessen, 28. "There's some old country stuff ("I Just Want You to Know"), a bit of reggae ("The Lining is Silver") and a couple of little fun tunes."
The band also continues its penchant for odd, "punny" song titles, slipping in "A Penny Loafer Saved Is a Penny Loafer Earned."
It's the sixth recording for the band that appeared 10 years ago near Canton, Ohio, naming itself (with a purposeful misspelling) after original member Matt Hoopes' Reliant K car.
From its punkish beginnings into its more recent forays into piano-pop, the band has carved a following in mainstream and Christian music markets with songs such as "Be My Escape" and "The Best Thing."
The band did the full length of last summer's alternative bands Vans Warped tour, during which Thiessen admitted feeling his age.
"We'd hang out with bands like Forever the Sickest Kid, where all the guys are, like, 20 or 21," he said. "Sometimes, I would make reference to some older music, and they'd have no idea what I was talking about."
The busy band has recorded three new Christmas songs to add to a re-issue of its holiday CD, "Let It Snow Baby ... Let It Reindeer."
"What we're trying to do with our Christmas (music) catalog is to 'snowball' it a little bit each year," he said.
Relient K has a new drummer, Ethan Luck, who earlier this year replaced Dave Douglas. Luck also holds down a job as guitarist for hard-rock group Demon Hunter.
The band's one-of-a-kind song titles have gained it at least a little notoriety. "The Only Thing Worse Than Beating a Dead Horse is Betting On One" -- a tune from their CD "MmHmm" -- won honors from a national magazine.
"Somebody actually sent that title in to Reader's Digest, and it made it into the Quotable Quotes section," Thiessen said. "I actually have a copy of that one."
Thiessen will join the rest of his bandmates in the ranks of the married, when he weds in August. His fiancee is from Detroit, but works in Atlanta.
"She's got a heck of a schedule, like I do," Thiessen said. "We're trying to get a jump on the planning because it's gonna be a bit of a circus."
Christian Music News Source
A would-be EP with some song rarities and unreleased material turned into a 26-song tour-de-farce called "The Birds and the Bee Sides."
"I'm not a huge fan of just putting out a 'B' sides" record, so I thought we should put some new material on there," said Matt Thiessen, the quirky, pop-rock band's lead singer/songwriter, in a phone interview from a Nashville studio.
"We wrote some new songs and recorded them really quick. It gives us a little breathing room 'til our next full, length project."
Among the selections are demos and other studio experiments. Besides the dozen or so new tunes, there's also an acoustic version of a song that's become one of the band's signatures, "Who I Am Hates Who I've Been."
"We kind of had carte blanche on this one," said Thiessen, 28. "There's some old country stuff ("I Just Want You to Know"), a bit of reggae ("The Lining is Silver") and a couple of little fun tunes."
The band also continues its penchant for odd, "punny" song titles, slipping in "A Penny Loafer Saved Is a Penny Loafer Earned."
It's the sixth recording for the band that appeared 10 years ago near Canton, Ohio, naming itself (with a purposeful misspelling) after original member Matt Hoopes' Reliant K car.
From its punkish beginnings into its more recent forays into piano-pop, the band has carved a following in mainstream and Christian music markets with songs such as "Be My Escape" and "The Best Thing."
The band did the full length of last summer's alternative bands Vans Warped tour, during which Thiessen admitted feeling his age.
"We'd hang out with bands like Forever the Sickest Kid, where all the guys are, like, 20 or 21," he said. "Sometimes, I would make reference to some older music, and they'd have no idea what I was talking about."
The busy band has recorded three new Christmas songs to add to a re-issue of its holiday CD, "Let It Snow Baby ... Let It Reindeer."
"What we're trying to do with our Christmas (music) catalog is to 'snowball' it a little bit each year," he said.
Relient K has a new drummer, Ethan Luck, who earlier this year replaced Dave Douglas. Luck also holds down a job as guitarist for hard-rock group Demon Hunter.
The band's one-of-a-kind song titles have gained it at least a little notoriety. "The Only Thing Worse Than Beating a Dead Horse is Betting On One" -- a tune from their CD "MmHmm" -- won honors from a national magazine.
"Somebody actually sent that title in to Reader's Digest, and it made it into the Quotable Quotes section," Thiessen said. "I actually have a copy of that one."
Thiessen will join the rest of his bandmates in the ranks of the married, when he weds in August. His fiancee is from Detroit, but works in Atlanta.
"She's got a heck of a schedule, like I do," Thiessen said. "We're trying to get a jump on the planning because it's gonna be a bit of a circus."
Christian Music News Source
Punk band Relient K to play at Allentown's Crocodile Rock
Relient K singer Matt Thiessen was calling from Tennessee. The band was taking a break from rehearsing for its tour. And the members were sifting through their six-album catalog looking for some surprises for their audiences.
"There's a lot of givens to play, but after that we just pick whatever we feel like playing," he says. "This tour is going to be fun because we're bringing out a couple of nuggets we haven't played for a while."
After playing the Vans Warped Tour during the summer, Relient K has put together its own club tour called the Uncle Fest Tour.
The band will headline the show that also features Ludo, The Providence and House of Heroes. The tour comes to Allentown's Crocodile Rock on Tuesday, and on Wednesday they'll be at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia.
In an era where punk bands come and go, Relient K has stayed both popular and relevant since its 2000 debut album that was full of adolescent-style punk that proved anything goes.
Among the topics: dissing Marilyn Manson, a tribute to Nancy Drew and a punk version of the theme from the TV show "Charles In Charge."
Since then the band has steadily matured and its latest album, "The Bird and the Bee Sides," shows Relient K at its most musically diverse yet.
Although the album contains rarities, demos and songs from EPs, they wanted to add a few new songs to the album. But then the idea expanded. So there are 13 new songs on it.
"It ended up doing as many songs as we can fit," Thiessen says. "I really enjoyed doing some of the offbeat reggae and country songs. We were able to experiment more because we knew it wasn't going to come out as a completely new Relient K album."
As varied as the new album is, the band is regarded as a punk band. Although sometimes tagged a pop-punk band its lyrics are much deeper. No topic seems off-limits to them ranging from sarcastic critiques of pop culture to emotional songs about self-doubt.
But saying something relevant and important is in the spirit of punk rock, Thiessen says.
"If you're going to play music where you stick with just three or four or five chords, you better have something to say so that people pay attention," he says. "You can't do the same old love songs."
Since punk burst into a legitimate genre in the late 1970s, it's survived through genre changes and trends ranging from hardcore to pop punk. But there's been one consistency in it, Thiessen says.
"I think there's an element of DIY kids can relate to," he says. "They know you started in some garage and that you weren't some kind of musical savant."
Over the past few albums, Relient K songs have grown complex both lyrically and musically. Because of the confessional lyrics and tempo shifts, it's sometimes called an emo band -- a genre of punk rock heavy on emotional lyrics. But emo may already be another punk genre that is over.
"I think it may have run its course," he says. "It's so loosely defined anyway. Back in the day it started with bands like the Juliana Theory and Dashboard Confessional who started singing songs with layers of different emotions.
"There's nothing wrong with putting some emotion into music. But Coldplay has a lot of emotion. So do you call them emo?"
However, he says, the band does write songs that are personal and confessional.
"We write from a pretty introspective perspective and we analyze our shortcomings and we wear our hearts on our sleeves," he says. "Or we write about positive experiences. If something is good, it's good to express that as well."
Something the band has fewer questions about from when they started is their spirituality.
They still sometimes play Christian festivals. But questions about their religion don't surface much anymore, he says.
"We don't really have to deal with it," he says. "We really just do whatever we want. I just try to make sure I don't do anything to pull people down or that has a negative impact."
Somehow that's kept them going for 10 years.
"When we started the band, we made a demo for $200 and I sang in an English accent," he says. "But somebody actually saw something in it. And since then our band has definitely been blessed."
Christian Music News Source
"There's a lot of givens to play, but after that we just pick whatever we feel like playing," he says. "This tour is going to be fun because we're bringing out a couple of nuggets we haven't played for a while."
After playing the Vans Warped Tour during the summer, Relient K has put together its own club tour called the Uncle Fest Tour.
The band will headline the show that also features Ludo, The Providence and House of Heroes. The tour comes to Allentown's Crocodile Rock on Tuesday, and on Wednesday they'll be at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia.
In an era where punk bands come and go, Relient K has stayed both popular and relevant since its 2000 debut album that was full of adolescent-style punk that proved anything goes.
Among the topics: dissing Marilyn Manson, a tribute to Nancy Drew and a punk version of the theme from the TV show "Charles In Charge."
Since then the band has steadily matured and its latest album, "The Bird and the Bee Sides," shows Relient K at its most musically diverse yet.
Although the album contains rarities, demos and songs from EPs, they wanted to add a few new songs to the album. But then the idea expanded. So there are 13 new songs on it.
"It ended up doing as many songs as we can fit," Thiessen says. "I really enjoyed doing some of the offbeat reggae and country songs. We were able to experiment more because we knew it wasn't going to come out as a completely new Relient K album."
As varied as the new album is, the band is regarded as a punk band. Although sometimes tagged a pop-punk band its lyrics are much deeper. No topic seems off-limits to them ranging from sarcastic critiques of pop culture to emotional songs about self-doubt.
But saying something relevant and important is in the spirit of punk rock, Thiessen says.
"If you're going to play music where you stick with just three or four or five chords, you better have something to say so that people pay attention," he says. "You can't do the same old love songs."
Since punk burst into a legitimate genre in the late 1970s, it's survived through genre changes and trends ranging from hardcore to pop punk. But there's been one consistency in it, Thiessen says.
"I think there's an element of DIY kids can relate to," he says. "They know you started in some garage and that you weren't some kind of musical savant."
Over the past few albums, Relient K songs have grown complex both lyrically and musically. Because of the confessional lyrics and tempo shifts, it's sometimes called an emo band -- a genre of punk rock heavy on emotional lyrics. But emo may already be another punk genre that is over.
"I think it may have run its course," he says. "It's so loosely defined anyway. Back in the day it started with bands like the Juliana Theory and Dashboard Confessional who started singing songs with layers of different emotions.
"There's nothing wrong with putting some emotion into music. But Coldplay has a lot of emotion. So do you call them emo?"
However, he says, the band does write songs that are personal and confessional.
"We write from a pretty introspective perspective and we analyze our shortcomings and we wear our hearts on our sleeves," he says. "Or we write about positive experiences. If something is good, it's good to express that as well."
Something the band has fewer questions about from when they started is their spirituality.
They still sometimes play Christian festivals. But questions about their religion don't surface much anymore, he says.
"We don't really have to deal with it," he says. "We really just do whatever we want. I just try to make sure I don't do anything to pull people down or that has a negative impact."
Somehow that's kept them going for 10 years.
"When we started the band, we made a demo for $200 and I sang in an English accent," he says. "But somebody actually saw something in it. And since then our band has definitely been blessed."
Christian Music News Source
Relient K: Let no song 'B' left behind
Relient K vocalist/guitarist Matthew Thiessen has a matter-of-fact view about holiday albums, specifically his band's release, "Let It Snow Baby ... Let It Reindeer," which was re-released Oct. 7.
"Christmas comes around every year, so you might as well put the record out every year," Thiessen said with a laugh during a recent phone interview.
"Because I'm not into putting out the same record every year, we're going to tack a couple more songs onto it this year. We'll probably tack more songs onto it next year. It's just this whole idea that we had for our Christmas catalog, pun intended: Let it snowball every year and add to it."
In between tours, the Christian popsters recorded three new tracks -- "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," "Silver Bells" and "Oh Holy Night." CDs come with a card enabling fans to download the additional songs for free.
However, Relient K is now on tour in support of "The Bird and the Bee Sides," a collection of unreleased tracks, some new and some from the band's vault. The album's release was basically out of necessity.
 "We had one album left on our contract with our first record deal we signed in '98," said Thiessen, who will marry in the Detroit area next year.
"We had 20 B-sides just sitting around the cutting room floor. We chose 13 of those songs and put them on the record. With that mentality, we said, 'Let's throw a couple new songs on there too so it's not just B-sides.' We ended coming up with 13 new songs as well."
The 26-song album is selling for $10 at shows, he said. "That's a pretty good deal for 26 songs. It's something we did for the summer. We do like to try and put out new material once or twice a year if we can. It fits the bill for that."
Thiessen explained he and the rest of the band -- guitarist Matthew Hoopes, bassist John Warne, guitarist Jonathan Schneck and drummer Ethan Luck -- are unsure for which label they're going to record their next album. They were previously signed to Capitol via Gotee.
"There's definitely a lot of talk of re-signing and reformatting the whole contract," Thiessen said. "There's talk about being able to take over an independent record label of our own, being able to put out our material and have it be a subsidy of Gotee which is our former label. But nothing's signed yet so I can't really confirm anything. We'll announce it when we can."
Christian Music News Source
"Christmas comes around every year, so you might as well put the record out every year," Thiessen said with a laugh during a recent phone interview.
"Because I'm not into putting out the same record every year, we're going to tack a couple more songs onto it this year. We'll probably tack more songs onto it next year. It's just this whole idea that we had for our Christmas catalog, pun intended: Let it snowball every year and add to it."
In between tours, the Christian popsters recorded three new tracks -- "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," "Silver Bells" and "Oh Holy Night." CDs come with a card enabling fans to download the additional songs for free.
However, Relient K is now on tour in support of "The Bird and the Bee Sides," a collection of unreleased tracks, some new and some from the band's vault. The album's release was basically out of necessity.
 "We had one album left on our contract with our first record deal we signed in '98," said Thiessen, who will marry in the Detroit area next year.
"We had 20 B-sides just sitting around the cutting room floor. We chose 13 of those songs and put them on the record. With that mentality, we said, 'Let's throw a couple new songs on there too so it's not just B-sides.' We ended coming up with 13 new songs as well."
The 26-song album is selling for $10 at shows, he said. "That's a pretty good deal for 26 songs. It's something we did for the summer. We do like to try and put out new material once or twice a year if we can. It fits the bill for that."
Thiessen explained he and the rest of the band -- guitarist Matthew Hoopes, bassist John Warne, guitarist Jonathan Schneck and drummer Ethan Luck -- are unsure for which label they're going to record their next album. They were previously signed to Capitol via Gotee.
"There's definitely a lot of talk of re-signing and reformatting the whole contract," Thiessen said. "There's talk about being able to take over an independent record label of our own, being able to put out our material and have it be a subsidy of Gotee which is our former label. But nothing's signed yet so I can't really confirm anything. We'll announce it when we can."
Christian Music News Source
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Relient K enjoys headlining a 25-city tour
Ever since Relient K was founded nearly a decade ago, the Christian rock band has relied on witty wordplay for its album titles: "The Anatomy of the Tongue in Cheek;" "Two Lefts Don't Make A Right... But Three Do;" "The Vinyl Countdown." They're good for a chuckle, but that doesn't mean the band remains the same nod-and-wink group it was during its high school years in Canton, Ohio.
The reality is that Matt Thiessen & Co. have mellowed and deepened, and their recent compilation -- "The Bird and the Bee Sides" -- showcases the true talent beneath the pop veneer.
As Relient K ventures into Indianapolis for the Uncle Fest Tour (get it?), Thiessen tells us about the band's new chapter, the persona behind the puns and more.
Question: Tell us about your relationship with the other bands coming into town for Uncle Fest.
Well, the main support is a band called Ludo. I just heard their song on a commercial for the show "House." They're really cool and quirky -- they've got some Weezer influence, along with some darker stuff like My Chemical Romance.
This Providence ..... I don't know those guys very well, but their music is really cool. And then House of Heroes is the first band playing. They've been friends of ours for probably eight years, and they're one of my favorite bands.
When you were first starting Relient K, did you ever think you'd be around long enough to do a compilation project?
Not at all. The thing is, we had one more album to do for our contract, and we had all these songs sitting around, and I was thinking we might as well put those out and get out of our deal and start something new. But then we ended up writing a bunch of originals for it, too, so we went half and half with new songs and old B-sides.
Over the last several years, there's been such marked maturity and growth in the songs of Relient K. What direction do you think things will go?
It's a line that we've always chosen to walk -- where you try to stretch the band and move in a different direction, and yet also give people what they want.
What is that balance? In another interview I did recently, the songwriter just said that, ultimately, he's the one that has to stay interested.
Right. When you're writing new songs, you have to put yourself in the perspective of making sure you're a fan first of all, and then hopefully your tastes will align with that of your audience.
What can people expect from the live show?
On our last record, we had an 11-minute song that ended the record, called "Deathbed," and I'm not sure how we'll pull this off on the live show, but I think we're gonna try it. I think Matt (Hoopes) and I are also going to try out some trumpet and do some other interesting and fun stuff. Should be a good time
Christian Music News Source
The reality is that Matt Thiessen & Co. have mellowed and deepened, and their recent compilation -- "The Bird and the Bee Sides" -- showcases the true talent beneath the pop veneer.
As Relient K ventures into Indianapolis for the Uncle Fest Tour (get it?), Thiessen tells us about the band's new chapter, the persona behind the puns and more.
Question: Tell us about your relationship with the other bands coming into town for Uncle Fest.
Well, the main support is a band called Ludo. I just heard their song on a commercial for the show "House." They're really cool and quirky -- they've got some Weezer influence, along with some darker stuff like My Chemical Romance.
This Providence ..... I don't know those guys very well, but their music is really cool. And then House of Heroes is the first band playing. They've been friends of ours for probably eight years, and they're one of my favorite bands.
When you were first starting Relient K, did you ever think you'd be around long enough to do a compilation project?
Not at all. The thing is, we had one more album to do for our contract, and we had all these songs sitting around, and I was thinking we might as well put those out and get out of our deal and start something new. But then we ended up writing a bunch of originals for it, too, so we went half and half with new songs and old B-sides.
Over the last several years, there's been such marked maturity and growth in the songs of Relient K. What direction do you think things will go?
It's a line that we've always chosen to walk -- where you try to stretch the band and move in a different direction, and yet also give people what they want.
What is that balance? In another interview I did recently, the songwriter just said that, ultimately, he's the one that has to stay interested.
Right. When you're writing new songs, you have to put yourself in the perspective of making sure you're a fan first of all, and then hopefully your tastes will align with that of your audience.
What can people expect from the live show?
On our last record, we had an 11-minute song that ended the record, called "Deathbed," and I'm not sure how we'll pull this off on the live show, but I think we're gonna try it. I think Matt (Hoopes) and I are also going to try out some trumpet and do some other interesting and fun stuff. Should be a good time
Christian Music News Source
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