Jeremy Camp Exclusive Interview
Hannah: Welcome Jeremy. Thank you so much for taking the time to share with the Q.
Jeremy: Hello. How are you?
Hannah: Good. We were just talking about how much energy is in the Boomin' Beyond Measure Tour could you tell us a little about the theme of your latest album Beyond Measure?
Jeremy: The song Beyond Measure talks a lot about where I am and what God has done. The verses say "The fog has finally cleared to see, The beautiful life you've given me, To feel the breeze of my newborn's gentle breath, With one to walk hand in hand,To share this life that you have planned, It's like a storybook with dreams,
The course says:
I know that I've been,Given more than beyond measure,
I come alive when,
I see beyond my fears
I know that I've been given more than earthly treasure,
I come alive when
I've broken down and given you control
I think that you know always in life you have these things that you just stop and go "Wow, Lord thank you! Why am I being so ungrateful?" or "Why I am being so fearful?" you know or whatever. I think its just sometimes you try to steer the ship and you are like "awww...I can take control" then you just kind of get of course and start saying "Lord, help me. Help me." Instead of saying "Lord you take full control". You know what I mean?
Hannah: Yeah.
Jeremy: I think that is kind of where I've been as far as trying to do anything on my own because I can't do it!
Hannah: Definitely. I think that is one of those things that none of us will stop learning till the day we die, you know?
Jeremy: Exactly!
Hannah: It's one of those things we will always struggle with. But it is also one of those things we need to be reminded of because it is easy to forget in the stress of the moment, when you are so busy with something else or so distracted. It is easy to forget that.
Jeremy: For sure!
Hannah: Since it is something we'll always struggle with it is easy to overlook it.
Jeremy: Yeah, that is why God is gracious for sure.
Hannah: How do you balance being on the road and having family? Being married and having two young children?
Jeremy: I have a very gracious wife who is amazing and totally supports what I do and who knows that God's using this and you know I think one thing to is we make sure I'm not gone for any more than you know four or five days at a time and every once in awhile its OK to do a week and that is it. If it is any longer than that then I will have the girls come out with me on the road like they came out, we would have been gone like three weeks but I had the girls come out after the first five days and they stayed for 10 days then I was home five days later. So we break it up, if it is going to be too long. That just works out great. Oh, I've noticed too they are priority and if something happened that I would come home right away. I think that is what helps. You know what I mean?
Hannah: Yeah, to have the right priorities in your own heart and your own head so that you know what comes first.
Jeremy: For sure.
Hannah: That's great. How is the tour going with TobyMac, Matthew West, and you?
Jeremy: It's been amazing and I think that the coolest thing is the different mix of groups but it all just flows. There is such a difference but everyone just enjoys the different elements of the night. I think that everyone walks away touched from everyone's show because there is just something unique about it because of what God is doing through what each one of us is sharing. It has been really powerful.
Hannah: What is next for Jeremy Camp after this tour ?
Jeremy: Actually I'm going to start writing for my new record.
Hannah: That is exciting!
Jeremy: It's coming out in November.
Hannah: Wow!
Jeremy: I'm one of those guys that keeps putting out records.
Hannah: Keeps you busy!
Jeremy: I'm excited! I start it in May. It comes out in November. I got a bunch of songs already and I'm just excited to see what God is going to bring.
Hannah: Do you have any ideas what direction the new album is going to take?
Jeremy: Once again, you look at my records, they are all diverse. You have the rock, the pop, the ballads, its just kind of write whatever comes out, that is just what I love. I think my relationship with the Lord is coming out more on the new record that is going to come out in the fall. What I mean by that is a lot more of the songs will be about what I feel about the Lord and how He loves me. Just the understanding of the depth of the relationship I have with the Lord. I think that is going to be a big part of this record.
Hannah: That is awesome. So it sounds like it will be a pretty personal record!
Jeremy: Yes, very personal.
Hannah: Thank you so much for your time Jeremy!
Jeremy: Thank you! Hope to see you all at a show soon!
Mark Hall of Casting Crowns Exclusive Interview
Hannah: Welcome Mark Hall. Thank you for taking the time to sit down and talk to us at WLCQ. How is the tour going?
Mark: Thank you Hannah! Its going good we are actually home right now, we are home Sunday through Wednesday. I'm actually a youth pastor in Atlanta. I just finished with FCA and I'm getting ready for church tonight.
Hannah: That's exciting
Mark: Oh yeah
Hannah: How do you juggle being a youth pastor and a member of Casting Crowns?
Mark: We make our tours fit around our ministry here because we lead worship on Sunday morning. So what we'll do is tonight we will have Refuge that is our Wednesday night youth service, our worship time with them. Then we will load up on the bus and head out Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and my family travels with me so I get my family time in. We will roll in Sunday morning right before church starts so we could be a little disheveled when we get off the bus (Hannah: I bet, laughs) (Mark laughs) but that is how it works and God is honoring it and blessing it and we don't see any leading to not be in the church every week so that is where our songs come from..
Hannah: That is good. That is definitely awesome.
Hannah: How did Casting Crowns start?
Mark: We were leading worship at our church about 8 years ago and had gotten started. What we would do was make CDs for our teenagers to give out to their friends at school so when they opened them, they would see the lyrics but they would also see what being a Christian means, here is what we do on Wednesday nights, and here is what we do on Sundays, come out and hang out with us. A college student had that CD with him. He went off to basketball camp and met a guy named Mark Miller from a country group named Sawyer Brown. When he founded out that Mark Miller was a believer they started talking and basically the college kid said "Dude, you need to here my youth pastor, he takes this CD out of his backpack and the rest is history. That is really how it all started was from a conversation at basketball camp.
Hannah: That is crazy! That is awesome! It shows that God was really moving through that situation and you guys weren't trying to push things. God really opened the door.
Mark: Yeah, it really does. It also just reminds us that its not something we have to keep going. It is something He started and He'll continue.
Hannah: Yes, definitely.
Hannah: How do you balance ministry with career with students on a more personal level? How do you make those relationships really count with the students? With kids possibly coming into that youth group being like "whoa they are in Casting Crowns" How do you make that real with kids and keep them to focus on the ministry part and not you guys?
Mark: Well one thing is we don't really talk about Crowns much here you know. We never even mention the Grammys when we won a couple weeks ago. I think you live in the real world with teenagers and you start realizing how big of a deal that's not. We don't really sing Crowns songs in worship, we don't do a lot of that because that would just get old to them and we just sort of make it about them you know when you are failing math, your girlfriend broke up with you, and your parents are fighting who cares about what a band accomplished. It is really easy to not make it about that. Also we spend time with the teens here. We guard our time here so one thing that works for me is my wife Melanie is the road manager for Casting Crowns. She basically runs Casting Crowns. I'm getting on the bus tonight and I honestly do not know where we are going tomorrow. I use to try to keep up with all that but I'm realize I got to just keep my mind in the game here. So I can tell you anything you want to know about our youth group and then I just get on the bus and I go and we share and love the people we are with and then we get right back here to the real world and do what we do. So it really helps me to keep them both going.
Hannah: To have someone there to focus on the business part of Casting Crowns so you can just focus on the youth group while you are home.
Mark: oh yeah definitely
Hannah: that is really good
Mark: I have a co-youth pastor here Regan Harris who use to be a student in my youth group so neither one of these ministries is built on me. I'm just getting to be a part of them. So it might sound like I wear a cape and fly here and there. Really its just about letting the body of Christ be the body of Christ. People start using their gifts and suddenly you don't have to do everything.
Hannah: Definitely
Hannah: The Altar and the Door album, can you tell us a little about the themes off that album? Where is your heart with that album?
Mark: Yes, I think even where our tour is going right now, talking about it in the concert, from this record. The difference between us at the altar and then once we get out the door. When we are at the altar on Sunday morning, man everything is beautiful. Everything is black and white. I know how to live. I know what to do and what not to do. I know how to act when I'm wrong. This is the way I'm going to handle it. I'm bold. This is how I'm going to share my faith with my friends. Man, somewhere between the altar and the door its like everything gets kind of goofy. Your boldness slips and suddenly the black and white turns a little grey. The way you were going to react to your friends doesn't work out the way you thought. What is real? What is the deal? Why is it so easy to live it at church and not in the world? What it is I think as believers a lot of our walk with God is really just somebody else's walk with Jesus that we are enjoying. I'm at church and soaking up my pastor's walk with Jesus and what he knows about the Bible. The youth pastor's exciting about his faith or the worship team's intimacy with God. All those things I'm loving it but none of those people go to school with me, they don't go to work with me, all I have when I get out the door is me and my walk with Jesus. What this record is about is the fact that I have to have my own friendship with God. If I don't, I'm going to lean on everyone else and crash.
Hannah: Making it personal.
Hannah: Mark, thank you so much for your time, any closing thoughts?
Mark: His strength is stronger than your weakness, His forgiveness is stronger than your failure, He desires a friendship and a relationship with you. Not a rule follower, not a little soldier walking in line, but He wants to go to work with you, to school with you to life with you.
Needtobreathe Exclusive Interview
While touring in support of their debut album Daylight rock and roll band Needtobreathe's lead guitarist Bo Rinehart met up with Hannah from the Q to graciously allow an interview chat session covering how the band began, their struggle, and sports.
Hannah: Could you give a brief introduction of the band?
Bo: We all grew up together in a small town of Possum Kingdom, SC. We went to college together at Furman University. Bear [lead singer] is my brother. We have been together for 6 years. During the beginning the band use to put up their own posters around town to advertise concerts and get the word out. We toured the southeast extensively together. In the last two years the band hit the entire US touring. All of us love rock and roll. We also all are very competitive. Bear holds a lot of football records at Furman. We all compete together in the band to push each other to grow as musicians and people.
Hannah: What is something that you struggle with?
Bo: Bear's and my father is a pastor so we grew up so involved in church. We come from a very tight-knit church family. When we are on the road touring, being away from our church family and less attached to the church, temptations become more tempting. We have to work hard to hold each other accountable. We got to watch the image of cool to just keep ourselves real.
Hannah: How can fans pray for the band?
Bo: Pray for us and all the decisions/choices we have to make. Pray that we keep listening to God in music and in life.
Hannah: What advice do you have for your generation seeking to follow God?
Bo: To be real and genuine. Christianity is not a show and not fake.
Hannah: What advice do you have for your generation who are skeptical about or don't believe in God?
Bo: To read the Word. People let you down but God doesn't.
Hannah: Who are your favorite bands?
Bo: Tom Petty, Black Crows, Travis, Kashmere, European bands like U2, Coldplay, so many! Too many to name.
Hannah: What is your favorite sport? What is your favorite sports team.
Bo: Football to watch, basketball to play. Favorite sports team University of Alabama Rolling Tide.
Hannah: What is your favorite restaurant?
Bo: TCBY (in the background Travis their manager "Cinnabon!") oh yeah Cinnabon!
Hannah: What is the best practical joke you have ever played on someone or someone has played on you?
Bo: We prank and joke all the time. I think the best is yet to come.
Thank you to Bo and the rest of Needtobreathe for graciously allowing the Q listeners this opportunity to get to know the band better!