Push to Fire: Alternative Music Webzine

Push to Fire Interview: Anberlin
Push to Fire interviewed Stephen Christian, Anberlin's singer, in November to ask him about their UK tour, new album and life on the road. Questions by Emma Dean and Suzy Witts.

Give us a bit of background to the band... when did you form and where you in any other bands previously?
We have known each other since high school but Anberlin formed and put out our first record on Tooth and Nail Records in 2002. Since then we have put out 4 records starting with Blueprints and ending with the most recent, our first major label debut, called New Surrender. We have not stopped touring since the start, it has been incredible to be able to see so many amazing countries all around the world, even as we speak we are in Lincoln, England; hundreds of miles from home but we couldn't be happier.

Your new album, 'New Surrender', has just been released in the UK - how are you finding audiences' reactions to it?
We have not toured much here in the UK but we plan to change all that in the next year or so. As of now I feel like we are introducing ourselves to a whole new audience. It’s exciting and challenging to do so; each night we go out there and play our hearts out and hope we gain one or two fans in the process. We are excited about the chances of taking off here in the UK, all our favorite bands (from the Beatles to Bloc Party) come from here... So to break here would be a huge honor for us.
What is your favourite song to perform live?
Anything the crowd sings along to!
If you could cover any song, what would you like to cover?
We have done several covers in our day, Dépêche Mode, Smiths, The Cure... But if I could do anything I would like to cover Danzig's song 'Mother' on acoustic guitar. I think it would throw a lot of people off.

Anberlin press shot

You have a very distinctive style of music, who would you say are your biggest influences?
New wave, indie rock... wandie rock, or newdie rock. For myself I would say anything Brit-pop. Travis, Doves, Radiohead, etc.
You are touring the UK w/Elliot Minor - how did this come about?
We got a phone call from our booking agent here in the UK and he said, "hey, it's a good idea!" We desperately wanted to get over to the UK. We could have been opening up for a polka band and we wouldn't care as long as we could be here in England. Much to our liking the Elliot Minor guys are really great people to be on tour with!
And how are you enjoying the UK?
It’s our favorite trip here yet. We have been two other times; once with Starting Line and another with Paramore. Both were great times but this one has been the best. The weather has been brilliant and seeing Dublin for the first time was legend!
In 2009 you will be playing Australia's Soundwave festival, are you looking forward to that?
Absolutely, we love AU and it’s going to be exciting to go down and play in front of such a massive crowd again. Here in the UK we may get 300-500 people at each show but in Australia we can pack in a few thousand. So though we are have a great time in the UK it’s always fun to play where tons of people are singing along.
What bands haven't you played with before that you are looking forward to seeing at the festival?
We have toured with MCR but we would love to go back out with them again, they are incredible. Jimmy Eat World, Foo Fighters, Rolling Stones... Actually we just want to tour. We don't care who with.
As a band you are very spiritual and also do a lot of humanitarian work, how does this influence your writing and the messages you want to get across as a band?
Absolutely! Your past is engrained into who you are today. We can no more separate our faith and desire to help people from who we are then our heart from our chest. We simply wouldn't be able to function.
'New Surrender' was released on a new label and with a new producer [Neal Avron], did this affect the recording process and the way you usually go about making an album? (What prompted the change?)
Neal is brilliant. He is the greatest producer I have ever seen in action. He is a work horse and expects the same from his band. When I look back in time I will look to this album and know that I have never worked harder on any record in my past. As far as going to a major we had hit a glass ceiling with Tooth and Nail. People that we worked with are no longer there or on their way out. It just seemed the right time and we were looking for a challenge. Universal Republic made that possible; we made the right choice!
Do you prefer to play club shows, big gigs or festivals?
They both have advantages and disadvantages. The bigger the show the more insane people become. Standing in front of 18,000 people in New Zealand can play games with your mind and cause the biggest adrenaline rush, but you don't get to meet anyone and it all feels very impersonal. With a club show you have a better chance of meeting everyone and making some new friends. There is something about the intimacy of a small show that makes me feel apart of the fans/friends that we have made throughout the 5 years.
How did the name 'Anberlin' come about?
Wikipedia is always entertaining on how we got our name! I read it every month to see if any other made up stories make it to the website!
You have some very dedicated fans, what is the most memorable thing someone has ever done for you?
Where do I start? Cakes, Starbucks cards, Scrapbooks, huge Christmas presents (thank you Sarah), journals, dinner, drinks, parties, but what means the most is when people take the time to listen to the record, listen to the lyrics, then sing them as LOUD as they can at shows!
How would you sum up Anberlin in 3 words?
ADHD, energetic, newdie.

Thanks to Carina for sorting out the interview to us and Stephen for taking the time to answer our questions. Check out anberlin.com and myspace.com/anberlin for more info and tour dates. We recommend you catch the band live at one of their November shows... we'll be there and hope you will be too! Check out the MySpace for details of the UK/US/Australia dates.

Push to Fire Interview: Anberlin Push to Fire interviewed Stephen Christian, Anberlin's singer, in November to ask him about their UK tour, new album and life on the road. Questions by Emma Dean and Suzy Witts.
Give us a bit of background to the band... when did you form and where you in any other bands previously? We have known each other since high school but Anberlin formed and put out our first record on Tooth and Nail Records in 2002. Since then we have put out 4 records starting with Blueprints and ending with the most recent, our first major label debut, called New Surrender. We have not stopped touring since the start, it has been incredible to be able to see so many amazing countries all around the world, even as we speak we are in Lincoln, England; hundreds of miles from home but we couldn't be happier.
Your new album, 'New Surrender', has just been released in the UK - how are you finding audiences' reactions to it? We have not toured much here in the UK but we plan to change all that in the next year or so. As of now I feel like we are introducing ourselves to a whole new audience. It’s exciting and challenging to do so; each night we go out there and play our hearts out and hope we gain one or two fans in the process. We are excited about the chances of taking off here in the UK, all our favorite bands (from the Beatles to Bloc Party) come from here... So to break here would be a huge honor for us. What is your favourite song to perform live? Anything the crowd sings along to! If you could cover any song, what would you like to cover? We have done several covers in our day, Dépêche Mode, Smiths, The Cure... But if I could do anything I would like to cover Danzig's song 'Mother' on acoustic guitar. I think it would throw a lot of people off.
You have a very distinctive style of music, who would you say are your biggest influences? New wave, indie rock... wandie rock, or newdie rock. For myself I would say anything Brit-pop. Travis, Doves, Radiohead, etc. You are touring the UK w/Elliot Minor - how did this come about? We got a phone call from our booking agent here in the UK and he said, "hey, it's a good idea!" We desperately wanted to get over to the UK. We could have been opening up for a polka band and we wouldn't care as long as we could be here in England. Much to our liking the Elliot Minor guys are really great people to be on tour with! And how are you enjoying the UK? It’s our favorite trip here yet. We have been two other times; once with Starting Line and another with Paramore. Both were great times but this one has been the best. The weather has been brilliant and seeing Dublin for the first time was legend! In 2009 you will be playing Australia's Soundwave festival, are you looking forward to that? Absolutely, we love AU and it’s going to be exciting to go down and play in front of such a massive crowd again. Here in the UK we may get 300-500 people at each show but in Australia we can pack in a few thousand. So though we are have a great time in the UK it’s always fun to play where tons of people are singing along. What bands haven't you played with before that you are looking forward to seeing at the festival? We have toured with MCR but we would love to go back out with them again, they are incredible. Jimmy Eat World, Foo Fighters, Rolling Stones... Actually we just want to tour. We don't care who with. As a band you are very spiritual and also do a lot of humanitarian work, how does this influence your writing and the messages you want to get across as a band? Absolutely! Your past is engrained into who you are today. We can no more separate our faith and desire to help people from who we are then our heart from our chest. We simply wouldn't be able to function. 'New Surrender' was released on a new label and with a new producer [Neal Avron], did this affect the recording process and the way you usually go about making an album? (What prompted the change?) Neal is brilliant. He is the greatest producer I have ever seen in action. He is a work horse and expects the same from his band. When I look back in time I will look to this album and know that I have never worked harder on any record in my past. As far as going to a major we had hit a glass ceiling with Tooth and Nail. People that we worked with are no longer there or on their way out. It just seemed the right time and we were looking for a challenge. Universal Republic made that possible; we made the right choice! Do you prefer to play club shows, big gigs or festivals? They both have advantages and disadvantages. The bigger the show the more insane people become. Standing in front of 18,000 people in New Zealand can play games with your mind and cause the biggest adrenaline rush, but you don't get to meet anyone and it all feels very impersonal. With a club show you have a better chance of meeting everyone and making some new friends. There is something about the intimacy of a small show that makes me feel apart of the fans/friends that we have made throughout the 5 years. How did the name 'Anberlin' come about? Wikipedia is always entertaining on how we got our name! I read it every month to see if any other made up stories make it to the website! You have some very dedicated fans, what is the most memorable thing someone has ever done for you? Where do I start? Cakes, Starbucks cards, Scrapbooks, huge Christmas presents (thank you Sarah), journals, dinner, drinks, parties, but what means the most is when people take the time to listen to the record, listen to the lyrics, then sing them as LOUD as they can at shows! How would you sum up Anberlin in 3 words? ADHD, energetic, newdie.
Thanks to Carina for sorting out the interview to us and Stephen for taking the time to answer our questions. Check out anberlin.com and myspace.com/anberlin for more info and tour dates. We recommend you catch the band live at one of their November shows... we'll be there and hope you will be too! Check out the MySpace for details of the UK/US/Australia dates.