Interview: Stephen Christian [Anchor & Braille]
Photo Credit: Jered Scott
[TAP] The thing I’ve noticed most about ‘Felt’ is how different it sounds. It’s a completely different sound than Anberlin which is at least a little surprising. It feels, or comes across to me almost as an audible diary, would that be an accurate assumption?
[SC] An audible diary, wow. That my friend is more than a fair assessment. I designed the music to be absolutely the antithesis of Anberlin, why start another project if it mirrors what your currently doing? The point with a&b is to expand my horizons, my tastes, my musical abilities etc. so far it feels like it is working.
[TAP] How was writing process different. I think everyone wants to know how someone writes songs for two different bands and which ones go to which?
[SC] Songs talk to me. They tell me who they are for and sometimes what they are about. People think I am talking about spiritually or something of that nature, but honestly its just logic. If you have a fast paced/ happy song you can’t write ominous lyrics. If you have a slower/minor song you can’t exactly talk about how everything ‘turns up roses’.
a&b are more piano/instrument driven songs, whereas Anberlin is more fast paced, high intensity songs. as soon as I get done writing a song on piano/guitar I know what band they are for.
[TAP] I was hoping you could talk about the meaning or thoughts behind a few of the songs, “Summer Tongues” being one of them.
[SC] Summer tongues, the tittle, has many meanings. summer tongues could be the language or how you spoke when you were young and on summer break. or perhaps the experimental yet innocent kiss, and for people being from a similar background as mine it could be the pentecostal summer camp story.
As far as meanings of the songs i wrote them all out in the album themselves. you won’t find many lyrics in the copy of my CD but you will find a lot of backgrounds and stories of how i came up with them, and from what part of my life they come from.
[TAP] Did you design, or have the idea for the cover art? What was the motivation behind it and the album title?
[SC] The cover art/design work actually came from me walking around my house and taking pictures of random things i had on my walls. the designer (invisible creature) is an absolute genius and completely mastered the sound of the record put to art. I could not be more happy with the outcome.
[TAP] Do you ever feel like you hide behind Anberlin and is Anchor & Braille a response to that? After being in a band like Anberlin for so long I would imagine it’s easy to have certain expectations placed upon you.
[SC] There are expectations being here. I feel like i have to be superman all the time, and no one wants to get to know Clark Kent, I want people to know I fail, that i am human, and that we all mess up each and every day. I don’t want to hide, ever. I write things like modesty.blogspot.com where I talk about my own failures and falters and what people can learn from them. lyrics are very therapeutic as well, I can really get a lot off my chest in hopes someone will learn from it.
I don’t want to hide behind my job because I am not my job. I am only Clark Kent in a costume. I sometimes look forward to the day when no one will notice me hanging out in the shadows, I feel more comfortable there.
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Read our full review of the new record, ‘Felt’
Myspace.com/Anchorandbraille
Photo Credit: Jered Scott
Thanks to Julie for helping with this, and much thanks to Stephen
