an you introduce yourselves?
(All introduce themselves to each other)
-Well, I’m Michael. Lead singer and brains to the operation. Someone’s gotta do it.
-I’m Jonathan and I play drums
-I’m Mark and I’m the bass player
-And I’m Travis and I play Guitar
Can you explain your style of music? Do you focus on a Christian/Rock side?
-Michael-Musically we’ve always just tried to write songs for who we are, we don’t set aside and say this is what it’s going to sound like. We don’t say this is the riff. I just try to speak lyrics about my experiences. The biggest thing with us is we want to tell the story of our lives, it’s also other peoples stories. We try to get a relationship with people. They say hey, that’s my story too, I understand that! I talk about my faith a lot, things that are important to me. A lot of people look at our songs and find themselves in that. Stylistically, we don’t necessarily say it’s gotta be this, it’s gotta be that. We just try to let the songs evolve. Musical style has changed over the years with out any intention. As far as asking if there is a plan, or a system there isn’t one. Just a natural evolution.
Were you in any other bands prior to Right Side Cast?
Michael-Well ok, the 3 of us are brothers (Michael, Mark and Travis) so we’ve been playing together for about 12 years. We started playing with our family when we were kids. We grew up playing all kinds of styles of music, folk to rock…
Mark-Blue Grass
Michael-Blue grass, gospel, everything put polka. This guy (points to Jonathan) we had to go to Toledo to find him. How many bands have you been in?
Jonathan-15
PMITP-Wow!
Michael-he’s been almost over a year with us, he’s put up with us for that long.
Who are your musical influences?
Mark-Peter Tork of the Monkees. Sad but true! Brian Marshall of Creed
Travis-Well, I learned a lot of guitar from my brother-in-law. He was my biggest influence whether he knows it or not. I don’t know.
Michael-He introduced us to real music like King Crimson and other bands you’ve probably never heard of. For me I was raised with all Christian music. I studied opera in college, so for me trying to find an influence…a lot of bands influence my writing and stuff. But I don’t say I wish I could be like them, every time I try to copy someone else it doesn’t seem to work. I have favorites that’s close…Brett Smith from Shine down an incredible singer, John Cooper from Skillet-his passion and everything he does, Kevin from Disciple-his stage presence. (points to Jonathan) I know yours, go ahead…tell em.
-Jonathan-My biggest influence wise was Danny Carey from Tool, Lester from Pillar, Drummer from Thousand foot Krutch-my top favorite band. Sashu Drummers, Travis Barker-had a little bit of influence on me
Michael-A little bit?
Jonathan-little bit. Growing up bands like Bon Jovi, Led Zeppelin all that radical stuff. That’s what got me into music.
Michael-I kinda have Keith Urbans hair. Is that an influence?
PMITP-Yeah, it works!
Are you looking into any labels?
Michael-Ya know the business…
Mark-If they want us haha
Michael-Yeah if they want us. If you know anybody. For us it’s just like the evolution of our music style, what is next, what does God have planned for us, what does he have next. If the natural evolution of this band is to go to a label that’s great. I’ve seen a lot of bands who have the whatever it takes mentality, but we aren’t a whatever it takes band, there are something’s we aren’t willing to let go of. I have a wife and a little girl at home and they come first with me. I’m not willing to sacrifice my family, my integrity or my beliefs for a band. I don’t share this with people who disagree with me, we share a plan together. Some bands will do whatever, don’t care what music style they play, who they play with or what they have to do. That’s not what we’re about. Not that a label is a bad thing.
Jonathan-We are playing music so if we happened to get signed that’d be a great thing for all of us, but right now we’re just living it up, playing Christian rock, hopefully making a difference in some peoples lives. Word.
I don’t know if TRL fame is something you’d want to accomplish, or if you take that as overrated?
Jonathan-What’s TRL
PMITP-MTV…Total Request Live
Jonathan-Oh! If someone wants to request us live that’d be sweet!!
Mark-I don’t watch TV so I don’t know.
Michael-For me I’ve always said going professional is a platform, getting signed isn’t a goal, the goal is to be out there sharing what we got, sharing the hurts and hardships with people going through the same thing, music is fellowship. MTV gives the people a chance to see that. Is that our goal? Fame and fortune have never been our goal. Those aren’t bad things. When you reach it you burn out, like we’ve seen with lots of bands. We’re all for success, success is great as long as that’s not the goal. Does that answer your question?
PMITP-Yeah Definitely
Do you enjoy traveling to perform, or would you rather keep it local?
Mark-We’d go anywhere, we love…we traveled with our family for 10 years. We miss our old bus, we used to have a diesel. We love to travel, meet new people.
Michael-I don’t like to travel
Jonathan-I like to travel
Michael-But l like to be in new places. I’d love to be in Chicago one day and Atlanta the next.
Jonathan-Or back to china town
Michael-You start small! You cant be a local band from Findlay, Oh even bands in Toledo are limited to where they can play. Our limitation is geography.
Mark-our future audience is the planet earth
Michael-Is that too big of a goal?
Mark-it’s big
Jonathan-there are aliens who haven’t heard us play before
Michael-That’s true! Did I mention Travis is afraid of aliens?
What is your favorite and least favorite thing about performing?
Michael-For me I like to be onstage performing and bleed the sweat of the message of the music and lyrics. Play your life out there and someone signing the words to your song. Least favorite-being old, hurts the next day! Jumping off things all night long.
Mark-For me it’s the opposite of what he said, you look out and people are like so? They’re not listening, they don’t care, they wont let you in. It’s a 2-way street. When they don’t let you in it’s like why are we here?
Michael-We didn’t setout to play music for us. Right Side Cast is not the sum of musical creative end for us. We all have different musical taste and we all have things are into. Right Side Cast is very narrow, very specific style. Trying to connect with people, we don’t do this for our creative outlet we do this to connect with people. Some bands say we like to stay home and record, we’d be miserable with that. We want to be out making connections and share a piece of ourselves and hopefully they’re share something back.
Travis-I don’t know
Michael-Jon doesn’t like breaking drumsticks. How many did you break tonight?
Jonathan-3, I hit my finger, I think I broke it! I don’t know, I like the adrenaline rushes, playing in front of a lot of people hearing my band-it’s a cool feeling.
Are you guys working on recording a full length CD?
Michael-We’re working on it
Jonathan-It’s a goal, soon to be goal.
Michael-We have the songs, we thing we want on it, it’s just finding the right studio and price.
Jonathan-Yeah Atlantic records wants us to go there ya know, MGM…we aren’t sure what to do yet.
Michael-The demo we did we literally did in my garage. It’s not bad but not a studio project. We want to find a studio, something in the works hopefully before spring/summer.
Do you enjoy having fans come up to you after shows or is that a bit weird?
Michael-We had a fan from Michigan drive down tonight, we were surprised to see her here. It’s nice to see someone we know, or has the RSC t-shirt, whether they wore it or not. I don’t like the term “fan” I want my friends, a big group of people, reunion at shows, people screaming, it’s all about the connection.
Most embarrassing onstage moments?
Michael-Fell on my butt, fell off a stage once, thankfully it’s was only 3 inches high.
Mark-Jumped off a drum riser and went straight down, thankfully no one was watching cause it was during Travis’s guitar solo.
Michael-I jumped off a drum riser and the floor gave out!
Jonathan-Umm, I’ve hit myself in the head with a drumstick
Travis-I’ve done a guitar toss a few times where it’s just slipped off and I barely catch it.
Michael-he almost killed me one time. I was standing on the platform singing and jumped off to center stage at the same time he takes his guitar and throws it. I came down and the guitar is coming up. I still don’t know how…
Mark-Missed by inches!
Michael-like the whole crowd went “Uhhh! It wasn’t part of the show”
You guys got the chance to play with This Beautiful Republic, what was that like?
Mark-It was fun!
Michael-It was a little chaotic under their circumstances. That used to be our home church. I was on staff there, I went in and knew where everything went, cleared the stage, it was very comfortable for us. It felt like they were our guests since it was our church. It’s difficult when you’re at shows like that, we didn’t get too much of a chance to get to know them. I do appreciate them for introducing me to red bull. I had never really drank it before that night and I had way too many. Thanks for that!
Jonathan-I thought it was awesome…the singer from the band…they’re from my home town kinda, like 10 minutes away and the singer like went to my church and like I didn’t know him and I heard we were playing with them and we met up and I’m like I know you! He was like you look familiar. I thought it was cool cause he didn’t act like stuck up, they’re down to earth guys rocking out and they made it! It’s cool!!
Besides This Beautiful Republic are there any other big name artists you’ve performed with?
Mark-Do you know Broken Yoke?
PMITP-mhm
Mark-we know them…
Michael-The drummer used to play with me in church. We did a show with them, did their CD release show with them. They’re good guys. They put on a phenomenal show, not just on stage but every detail is taken care of. They coulda been signed, they actually turned down offers. That was a neat experience to get the chance to play with them. Played with some tooth and nail artists in Wilmington, Oh, they just flew in last minute from California. They were about 10 years younger than me so I felt like I was with a bunch of kids. But they’re good guys, I felt bad because they were so exhausted, jet lagged. We’ve been blessed to play with some great bands no one has heard of, but that doesn’t matter. Up in Detroit there is a band called Looking Up. No one will see their CD in a store or be on a cover of a magazine. They’re our brothers and we are blessed just to know them. We’re like we should do a show together, nah lets just hang out!
Mark-Lets go camping!
Michael-Camping…we did that. It’s neat cause sometimes your like I did a show with that person and that was a cool experience but our family used to play a different style of music and play with national artists you wouldn’t know but they were bad experiences actually. They were all about the show, didn’t want to meet anyone, They came, played and left. Give me a pay check and go.
What is something everyone may not know about you?
Michael-that’s really tough!
Mark-The obvious, my favorite type of music is classical. My Ipod is full of it…Beethoven, Mozart.
Travis-Go to him next, I’m thinking!
Jonathan-Umm, I like shiny objects, I like funk and jazz music, I eat a lot, I sleep a lot. I don’t know that’s about it, there is probably more but you don’t know that. So…
Michael-I have a twin brother (points to mark)
Travis-you seriously are?
Michael-You know this, but most don’t. I studied opera in college and learned about the right way to sing. Have you seen rock star with Mark Walberg?
PMITP-Nope
Michael-They asked him where he learned to sign and he said a church choir. You never know where you’ll learn what you need to know.
Travis-Is it my turn? I’m actually a pretty decent cook. I like to cook.
Mark-and he’s scared of aliens
Travis-Yes I’m scared of aliens. Me and Jon had a talk about it
Jonathan-They’re good people-Peace
Last question-What does your name mean?
Mark (looks at Travis and asks if he wants to explain)- You came up with it
Jonathan-He did?
Travis…nahh!
(They all start talking amongst each other about what their names mean)
Jonathan-I thought they meant our band name?
Michael-Right Side Cast, in the bible John 21:6 it says cast your nets to the right hand side and it’s a story in the bible. The Disciples are out fishing, they see Jesus. They haven’t caught anything and he said throw your nets on the right hand side and they brought in all this fish. They were successful in what seems like a very earthly non-spiritual thing. Just their jobs but they were successful and the reason they were successful is because they did things Gods way, not just their way. For us that’s what we’ve always wanted to do. Be a Christian band preaching or a band playing in bars, whatever it may be. These things aren’t things we’re necessarily sought out to do. Expect the unexpected. For us when we started changing to play a different style of music we looked for a name that reflected this change. Travis came up with the name. We aren’t in control of our own destiny, we have some choice but there is a greater god giving us these opportunities and when those doors open we wanna run through them!
