We recently got to meet the guys from Hyper Static Union. We talked about their band history, and their new CD on RKT records...
MQ:
You guys hail from Camas, Washington. Let's talk about those early days. Do you have any first jobs experiences like a paper route, starbucks? Something to compare and contrast to what you're doing now?
Mike:
I worked for a summer at the Gorge amphitheatre where they hold Creation. I lived in that area. I was one of the parking attendants with one of the little orange flags that would wave people in. People would be trying to bribe you all day long - saying like 'If you'll let me park here I'll give you thirty bucks'...
Ray:
Mike said he loved that job, "I made so much money!"
all:
laughing
Mike:
No, the real reason I worked there is so I could go to all the concerts for free.
Bryan:
I've had so many part time jobs from high school on that it's unbelievable. I can't even count on two hands - it's amazing. The worst one I ever had was bucking hay bails. That was by far the worst. I mean, hay in places I never thought it could go. Three showers later and I maybe felt better. And I showed up the first day - and it's really hot - and I showed up the first day wearing a tank top and I'm like 'grrrrr' (manly growl) - all 'one seventy' of me. Tank top and gloves, right? Well, hay doesn't really feel good on the forearms as I picked it up. It was a nightmare. I hated that job.
MQ:
We know the creative process is not a formula. There is no song vending machine you can go to and put a buck fifty in and get a song. Do you have a process or somewhere you go to for inspiration?
Shawn:
Obviously, the Word of God is the most inspiration and the most easily accessible inspiration we can get. Sometimes, I think Christian artists try to say it a different way, but it's all in there. I mean, it's all been said every possible way. So, drawing that out in the correct way. For us, every song involves a different way. Sometimes, it starts with a life story. Like 'OVERHEAD', our first single, was a story about a friend of ours who couldn't give up his lifestyle to follow Christ. And how we've felt like that way at times. You know the feeling - that it costs too much - there's too much overhead. But, thank God, He rescued us from that. Sometimes it starts with a riff. Sometimes it starts with a thought like that - like with 'OVERHEAD'. Sometimes it starts with a drumbeat. We've got a lot of different ways that it starts.
Bryan:
And it's really weird, too, one of us may get a new guitar (laugh) and instantly something just comes out of that. That's all the way from the most important thing - the Word of God - to something that's just ...
Mike:
- completely trivial.
Shawn:
A new set of strings inspires you to write.
Bryan:
Yeah.
MQ:
I read you went on tour with 'Third Day' - Wire. Do you have any interesting stories - maybe any feedback you got or maybe some sort of confirmer that let you know this was where you need to be?
Shawn:
On that tour, the best memory I take away from it was the handful of fathers and sons who came up to our signing table together. And, they were both obviously excited about our music. There was a generation gap 'bridge' that we provided. It's not very often that you can find something that both generations are going to dig. But, somehow we've tapped into that a little bit. Family connectedness ... if we can promote that, that's a really good thing.
Mike:
It's something that just kind of happened, you know? What an honor for us to be the vehicle for them to have something to share.
MQ:
Who's on your radar? What on your influences? Who are you listening to?
Shawn:
Currently, I know Ray has been listening to some 'Death Cab For Cutie'. I've been listening to 'Frou Frou' a little bit. The lead singer from that - Imogen Heap - is real cool. Man, a lot of our rader is old school. We've got Zeppelin and James Brown playing most of the time. And then, some jazz now and then.
Bryan:
I would say probably what is in my player right now would be 'Keen'.
Mike:
I'm always alternating between Sting, the Police ...
Shawn:
- and Brian Wilson -
Mike:
... Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys.
Bryan:
Sade.
Shawn:
You always got to go back to some Sade...(laugh)
Bryan:
- Hall and Oates.
Ray:
I listened to some Maxwell for a while, that was pretty sweet.
MQ:
How do you see technology affecting the industry - whether it's music production, distribution, or interaction with fans?
Shawn:
I really see it - from a band perspective - that the industry still needs to exist and filter through all the songwriters' ideas to put the best ones on the record. But now that artists have the ability to make a record in their garage, it's like - 'B sides' and extra fan stuff - it's kind of an artist's responsibility to provide more of that stuff now. You don't have to wait for the label to want to do a 'B side' release. You just put all your ideas out there for the fans. I think that it is really rewarding because we've got songs where we're like, "Maybe they won't fit that record but that was such a cool idea and we've spent so much time on it, let's put in on there." But, it's the technology that allows us to record everything. It doesn't really cost a whole lot to record another song idea. You used to have to buy tape. Now you just put it on the computer and back it up on a hard drive. Technology inspires the creative process for us. We need to be constantly writing. Trying to get more stuff into peoples' hands quicker.
MQ:
Who would you consider a mentor - either on the music side, or the personal/spiritual side?
Shawn:
Well, Mac Powell...
Bryan, Mike:
Yeah, Mac Powell.
Shawn:
That would be the universal response to that from this band. When we first met him and he was interested in making a record with us, I said, "You know what? I'm excited about making a record with you but I'm more excited about you being my mentor." The relationship is going to go a lot farther that the music, hopefully. And that's what God has been able to do in our band. This music is a by-product of my relationship with these four guys. Mac has really been there for us in all regards - spiritual, business side, and on the music side. He's pretty much the man. I don't know how to put this - but he's kind of a big deal. (laugh)
Ray:
He definitely has a great sensitivity toward appreciating the industry and he's always tried to instill in us that your team isn't just your manager and just your band. It is every single person you work with - every person you interview with. These are all real people with real lives. It's something that I think some people get burned out or jaded on. Honestly, those are guys who have been doing it for a decade now and they still go into every situation as if it's day one. And they genuinely want to go and meet new people on a daily basis. Mac has said if you can't do that - then this probably isn't the right business for you. That has been really moving to us because we've always had those convictions but to see someone who's been doing it for so much longer than us and say that is the right attitude. It's not even an option. You are called to act that way and to treat people that way. It really inspires us.
Shawn:
Geoff Moore is fast becoming a mentor of ours too. He is on our management team. He's just got a wealth of experience from traveling and being at the beginning of Christian music - well, more toward the beginning than we are. He's developed these relationships. He's just a real encouragement to us.
Ray:
He is Mr. Vibe.
Shawn:
Mr. Vibe?! (laugh)
Ray:
He brings the ultimate vibe to any room he's in.
Shawn:
- this calming presence...
Ray:
He's so warm. He's a great guy.
MQ:
Is there any type of venue that you like playing - or don't like playing?
Shawn:
I think the worst place we played was a 'Laser Tag' place...(laugh)
Ray:
- the worst and the best!
Shawn:
Yeah - because we still remember it. It was this smallest space ever and there were all of these kids running around that didn't care. We were way too loud for the place and I don't know why we were there ... but it was one of those that'll go down in the annals of Hyper Static misery.
Mike:
We had another great show where Ray actually had a bees nest right above his drum set.
all:
laughing
Mike:
Bees were swarming around him the whole time.
Ray:
- that was at AtlantaFest. We were on a side stage.
Shawn:
And Ray is deathly allergic. But what can you do? You've got to play the set.
(laugh)
Mike:
I have to mention the pet shop that we played.
Ray:
Oh, yes!
Shawn:
This was a youth group/pet shop built into a strip mall.
Mike:
The guy had poisonous snakes - galore...
Shawn:
He had a gaboon viper - which is illegal to have...
Mike:
I was feeding it rats...
Shawn:
- and all these kids running around and a terrarium that's up here and he said, 'Let me take this this one down so I can show you it's a gaboon viper - check it out." He could have dropped that thing and we'd be dead.
Ray:
Yeah, he said, "You drop this thing, and your life's over!"
all:
laughing
Mike:
- and I'm sure they were in the best mood with loud music pumping through there. Those were the memorable ones, but you know, I think I'd say that we like to play in our own neck of the woods, which is the NorthWest. For me, that is my favorite place to play.
Bryan:
You know, after going with Third Day this past year on the road for fifteen of their dates, I actually like playing in front of eight thousand people. It's not a bad feeling - in those giant arenas.
Shawn:
Everything is more open. It just seems like it's what our music is designed to do - is to be in a large environment. We like the acoustic thing too where we can get small and quiet. For years, we've been struggling with the small venue
and the really loud band. When we're in the arena, we can breathe. It's like the fifth member is the arena.
Ray:
'Riff rock' really lends itself to being played in a large venue. When you hear it in a large environment, it just sounds so cool. It's the classic 'rock' element. The arena is a big privilege to play in. It makes the music sound that much better.
MQ: So, is that how you'd describe your music? Arena rock? Riff rock?
Ray:
(laugh)It sounds so presumptuous to call it 'arena rock'...
all:
laughing
Mike:
It's better to say that our music sounds good in an arena...
Ray:
- we don't feel entitled to that!
all:
laughing
Shawn:
If we had one way to term our music, it would be funk rock. We try to play homage to the funksters of days gone by. We're a rock band but whenever we can we'll try to put a funk element in there ... that we feel like the industry is dying to hear.
