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10 Questions with ... Kutless
October 19, 2009
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
LINE-UP:
- Jon Micah Sumrall (lead vocals)
- James Meade (guitar)
- Nick DePartee (guitar)
- Jeffrey Gilbert (drums)
- Dave Luetkenhoelter (bass)
LABEL:
BEC Recordings
DISCOGRAPHY:
- It Is Well
- To Know That You're Alive
- Strong Tower Deluxe Edition
- Strong Tower
- Hearts of the Innocent Special Edition
- Hearts of the Innocent
- Live in Portland
- Sea of Faces
- Kutless
1) Briefly introduce the band members using some personality characteristics.
Dave on James: Thorough, thrives on detail and accuracy, knowledgeable. Deep down he just wants to be loved.
Jon Micah on Dave: Sarcastic and always is putting his foot in his mouth
Nick on Jon Micah: Research savvy with information on anything you want to know. Surprisingly witty in his quietness.
Jeff on Nick: Visionary, very relational guy. Good people. Always misplacing things, though, and large expensive things like capos, cell phones, in-ear monitors, etc.
James on Jeff: A fisherman whose net is care and compassion. And an intense cell phone user.
2) Tell us real quick about the story behind the current single "What Faith Can Do."
We did not write this song but the first time we heard it, it ministered to us. We felt like we could take it and shape it with our signature and believed that it would minister to others, just like it did for us. It just speaks to how faith can move mountains and Jesus is there. Let your faith in Jesus help carry you through.
3) What message do you hope to convey through the new album It Is Well?
Christian life is about serving the body of Christ. And we just aimed to offer music as a gift of God by God to serve his people. This album is a direct response of obedience to what we believed God was calling us to create for his people, the Church.
4) How does it feel to have a hit song on Inspo radio?
It is something we have dreamed about since we were probably 10 years old. Kidding. Seriously, we're excited about sharing our music with a demographic that we haven't really reached before.
5) How have you seen the band growing with this record?
We tried doing things that were a bit out of our comfort zone. That has grown us and made us better as a band. There are more mellow sounds on this new record and that has caused us to become more musical. You have to have a real attention to detail; it shows up in those live performances. When you're playing a loud rock song, everything is loud and mistakes can hide easier. And finding this in ourselves has given us a renewed excitement about our songs.
6) Is there any song in the Kutless repertoire that you enjoying performing more than another? Is there a favorite song to perform live?
James: "Give Us Clean Hands"
Nick: "The Rescue"
Jon Micah: "Strong Tower"
Dave: "Taken by Love"
Jeff: "The Rescue" or "Taken by Love"
7) Any funny, inspiring or interesting stories that you can tell us from your visits to radio stations in past or present days?
We paid a visit to the Air 1 morning show in California. A couple of the guys were sick so only Jeff, Nick and James were there. They had been making these YouTube videos along the lines of Mythbusters and they had us act out rage towards office supplies. We were smashing actual computers and everything.
8) What's ahead on the tour schedule?
We head to Europe this fall and make our first visit to Newfoundland. We're also doing a few dates with the "Winter Wonderslam" tour.
9) Do you guys have time to listen to much music? What other artists are you listening to right now?
Nick: Thrice, Jett
Jeff: Foo Fighters, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Starflyer 59
Jon Micah: Plankeye, Linkin Park, lots of classical music
Dave: Duncan Sheik
James: Jets Overhead
10) If you could have any other job outside the music industry, what would you do?
Jeff: Host on the Travel Channel
Nick: Baseball player
Dave: Own a marina
Jon Micah: Pro skier
James: Actor/philanthropist
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