| > cMusicWeb.com > Modern Rock > Superchic[k] > An Interview With Matt and Tricia |
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[ february 26, 2005 | winterfest | lewisberry, pa ]
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cMusicWeb.com: Why was the song "Pure" chosen as the first single off your upcoming release, Beauty from Pain?
Matt Dally (bass guitar, vocals): I think it was because it was a fun song. It is a really catchy tune. It also has some really good content about having freedom in Christ. And the label really liked it.
Tricia Brock (lead vocals): Actually what happens usually is that the label will ask us if we are fine with it. But they told us they were going to pick "Pure" and they thought it was a good first single to use.
Matt: It's a good thing they did because it is blowing up the charts.
cMW: A lot of your songs are written about life experiences. What sorts of life experiences are revealed in Beauty from Pain?Tricia: We talked a lot about this last year of our lives and some of it I think is like growth and depth that happened in us and from some of the struggles we went through. Some of the songs we talk about a couple of break ups that were really hard. We just saw how God used those things in our lives to mature us and to teach us. At the end of it if our attitude is right we can see how there is good and bad and it has all got a purpose. And in the end we are wiser, hopefully, if we want to be, if we let Him in. We did not as much do themes [on this album].
Matt: I talk about my mom with cancer and stuff which is a big deal to me — about how my mom had cancer and she was miraculously healed. Everyone has a story of a friend or family member that is dealing with something like that. And that is something that really hits home. We talk about stuff like that at least two times on the record.
Tricia: "Suddenly" is put in story form and talks about a person who is searching and searching and is never really happy with the way they are and then finally God just gives them this sort of [thought], "You know what? This is where I am supposed to be. And I can stop searching and thinking that I have to do better and I have to do things." You can kind of rest in the place that you are in. And you can [think], "All along maybe God has me here for a reason. This is where I belong." And you get that peace that you can let God lead from here. I know a lot of people who have heard that song and they are like, "I feel that is me. For a while I was stuck. I was scared to try things. I was scared to do anything new because all along I felt like nothing fit. My life was not right and [yet] God gave me the feeling of peace."
cMW: I can relate to that! What is different musically on Beauty from Pain than your other releases?Matt: Sonically, the tones we are getting on this record are just really big. It is a big sounding record with the guitar sounding great. Everything is just for the first time completely put together in our studio. We own our own studio and we do our own music. We finally know how to do it now. So sonically it just sounds a lot bigger than every other record that we have ever done. it is always like you get done with the record and you put in one of your favorite records and you are like, "Oh, it sounds so much better." But this is the first time that we have actually put our record next to other records and we were like, "This competes. This is a good record." And I think sonically it is just sounds bigger. This record is really catchy. Overall, it has some depth, it is really personal. But then again, too, there are songs which just get stuck in your head.
cMW: As you all have matured by life experiences since your first release in 2001. Has your fan base grown up with you, or do you see new young fans?
Matt: I think both. I think what is cool about our music is that our songs have so many different [levels]. We say it is like a Disney movie — there are a couple levels of humor. There is like the kid humor where the kids think this is funny then the adult can sit and enjoy it, too, because there is an underlying meaning. And that is how a lot of our music is. We still get kids who come up to us and go, "This is so much fun," and they do not really get it. And then kids that are growing and older are understanding what we are really trying to say and the different depths that the songs are really about.
Tricia: I think there are crowds of people who really liked us the first year and a lot of them have stuck with us. And they are out of high school now, in college. And I think our music has changed enough that they still like it, and they have shared it with other people. We have gotten more college kids that like it. And we have always had adults that like our stuff. But we still have a lot of kids at our shows. And parents who like to bring their kids.
cMW: As you look back, do you feel you have accomplished anything you set out to do as a band? How will Beauty from Pain add to this process?Matt: Our main goal is to write music that really changes kids lives. That is really the focus. We could be a band that writes music just to write music. But we really felt that it is a privilege to actually say something. There are not really many bands out there who really do say something, even Christian bands. Or they don't feel what they say. And I think for us, it is amazing that more and more you get to shows and kids are singing the words and they are really understanding. And every day you get so many stories when you hang out with the kids about how this song impacted their lives and this song impacted their lives. And this song helped them through different days of their lives.
It is one of those things where I think Beauty from Pain is even more so because the first time we really opened up our hearts and it is really personal. It is so brutally personal. It is so hard to release something like that because this is your life. You are letting everybody see. But I think people can really relate to it and they can sit there and a lot of times put themselves in the exact same situations. Because we all go through the same thing. We all go through pain. We all go through heartache. We all go through disappointment. But if we let people know about it in Beauty from Pain is that there are times when it is OK to doubt and God is still going to use it and get you through anyway.
I think we address some things that not a lot of Christian bands will address. Sometimes even Christians are afraid to even address that sometimes they do not understand what God is doing. The easy answer would be, "Oh God's got a plan. My mom is dying but God has got a plan. It's cool." I mean, you are just saying, "Why don't you be real with me?" The truth on this record is brutal, but I think people are going to really respect it especially our fans because us young people, we just want the truth and we want it real no matter how bad it hurts. And this is a good record for that.
cMW: Your songs have been showcased on many television shows and movies. Switchfoot got their first mainstream exposure on television shows and movies. Do you see Superchic[k] ever leading the same path into the mainstream market that has been following?Matt: If God opens up that door, we will step through it. It has been funny because consistently we have, out of any Christian or secular band, we have probably been one of the most — sixty different movies and TV programs is pretty huge for just any band. So it is kind of funny how God has been slowly but surely opening those doors. From MTV to Veggie Tales. So if God wants us to do it, we would love to be a part of it. But if it is not congruent with our vision and not congruent with what we believe, then we are probably not going to do it. I have feel confident that there is someone out there who will probably share the same vision and we will be able to still do what we do. And they will be able to take it to the masses.
Tricia: I think God has opened all those doors for the songs, but not for us as a band. We have just went with that. Maybe we are supposed to be in Christian music and that has been fine with us. You cannot force your way in. You have to believe that if God wants you there that he is going to open the right door at the right time. Don't push it and see what happens.
cMW: What is the first thing you are usually thinking about when you wake up in the morning during a tour?
Matt: Where is lunch? Or where is the wireless internet? What state am I in?
Tricia: Usually I am probably thinking that I did not sleep enough. I don't like to wake up. Initially, no matter how little or how long I have slept, I don't like to wake up. Or, depending on what you have to do that day, I am like, "I wonder what everybody is doing. I wonder if I am late." You wonder if you have overslept and the band is all busy.
cMW: What about the end of the day? What do you think about at the end of the day when you are on tour?Matt: I want buffalo wings really bad.
Tricia: You know when it is late and you are really tired but you are really hungry. I think we are usually we are just really excited to go to bed. After the adrenaline, you usually stay up late, you can't get to sleep, and all of a sudden everyone is [tired]. I think depending on what happens at the show, it is kind of on your mind a little bit. If you met certain people or had a conversation that sticks with you — my mind sort of races at night.
cMW: What do you think of the success of BarlowGirl?
Matt: They are good girls. Our first single did really well and someone decided that this could be a good thing.
Tricia: They are really sweet. We have not been really in touch with them much since they got signed. A couple times we have, but they have been really busy. It has been a crazy year for them for a new band. They did so well and they were touring a lot. And then we would be gone and not see them. We did not even know they were signed at first until we started hearing about it and then we heard them on the radio. They are awesome girls and they love what they are doing. It is a dream for some of them. I think it is cool to see more girl bands.
- Kim Flanders
March 2005
March 2005
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