Alathea: Interview with Rocketown artist Alathea

MQ: Is there a certain venue or a certain song that you can't wait to perform at or do?

Alathea loves to play for college students Cristi: There are so many things that came to my mind. I'm just trying to choose which one now. We love playing for college students because they're at that time where they're trying to figure things out - trying to own a faith of their own - and sort through everything they've grown up with - trying to figure out what to keep and what to reach out for. We love colleges.

Mandee: One of our favorite venues is New City Cafe in Knoxville Tennessee.

Cristi: It's right in the center of town. It's right in the middle of all these bars and city life. It's a real safe place and it just welcomes you.

Mandee: It's a really cool place to see music. It's in downtown Knoxville. It's a really great listening venue for music. It's just right in the middle of this really cool part of town. They have great artists come in like Andrew Peterson, David Wilcox. Bebo plays there a lot. Its just a really cool place.

Alathea's song Indian Creek Cristi: I think that as far as songs, I love the point in our concert where we get to play our song called Indian Creek that Mandee wrote because I don't think there are a lot of songs about how nature is so connected to who we are and I think that because we are created in the image of the Creator, we all have this built in connection with the creation. I just love to get to see that happen on people's faces when we sing that song.

MQ: Was there a specific event or confirmer that let you know this is what I'm supposed to be doing right now?

Mandee: I think for me it and at this point in what we do in our journey, I think I need those confirmations everyday. I know deep down in my soul that it is never going to be 'Are we going to keep doing these things?' A lot of times the question is more 'How are we going to keep doing it?' So for me I think at this point in the game any confirmation is everyday and for most times the confirmations come in the most unexpected places like somebody at the Alathea's mission end of a show saying, 'Hey, I just needed to hear that music tonight' or an email we get or someone saying something on our message board...our family members really cheering us on and our friends praying for us and our record company praying for us everyday. Those are the things that make me know this is where I need to be...but I know I'm learning to be - I also feel like I need to be doing more. I feel like I need to be using this place where we are...to be doing more - to be figuring out where are the orphans in Ecuador and how can we help them - where are the elderly women in Africa who don't have anybody to care for them because the whole generation is gone because of AIDS. How can we help take care of them? I feel like I know I am where I need to be but I know I need to be doing more. I need to be thinking forward and visionary.

Carrie: I think for me - and this probably answers your questions before - when I was young I figured out that God connected to me through music and through art and that was how I connected to Him. So everytime I go up on stage and make music it is like confirmation for me that that's where I'm supposed to be. Everytime I get up there and I actually do it. Whether it has been a bad day and I can't hear. It's this funny thing that goes on. It doesn't matter if the sound has been bad or if the day has been terrible. All these obstacles and all these things we've had to get through and I'm tired or worn out or the roads been hard or we're late. God speaks through the music As soon as I start to sing and pick up an instrument and play is when I know I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing. I feel really close to Him. Its like a breath of fresh air and I can just take a deep breath, sigh, and say 'this is it, this is good.' And it doesn't even matter, it can still be bad circumstances but with that happening it's still good.

Alathea interview continued...