Raymond Gilstrap's interview with BTTW CHURCH

1. Please tell our readers about yourself and what you do in the band?

My name is Raymond Gilstrap and I play bass in the band Estoria. I occasionally play synth parts on keyboard and I am also the rap vocalist in the band.

2. What is your favorite song to perform and why?
That is a hard question for me to answer. Hmm . . . I enjoy playing “Warrior” because the crowd really enjoys that song. Vocally, I like “Beauty Meets the Beast” because when we recorded our EP with Travis Wyrick, he really pushed me to rap at a higher pitch on that song. It was a difficult song for me to record vocally, but in the end I was very proud of it. As far as rocking out, I love “From Darkness” because it is fast paced and upbeat and one of the few songs where I don’t have any vocal parts, so I can go all out by jumping off of stage and doing guitar tricks!

3. Who, musically, do you enjoy listening to, who have influenced you? (Christian or non-Christian)
I grew up listening to almost nothing but hip hop and rap until my last few years of high school, so I was influenced early on by rappers such as Kanye West, Jay-Z, Eminem, and Outkast. But in college, I started listening to different types of music from rock to metal to Christian rock to even country. Now, I enjoy listening to Skillet, Lecrae, Andy Mineo, Breaking Benjamin, Taking Back Sunday, Linkin Park, Evanescence, Paramore, Coldplay, and 12 Stones. Now that I have started playing bass at church I’m starting to listen to more and more worship songs as well. I grew up listening to gospel music but worship songs are a new thing to me! I’m influenced more so by life than by other music but I try to incorporate elements from some of the bands I listen to, like Coldplay, Paramore, Evanescence, and Skillet.

4. What’s your favorite scripture from the Bible, why is it important to you?
I love Mark 2:17 – “On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” This has become my personal motto and the motto of the band. It is important to me because it means that it is my duty as a Christian to reach out to those people who may be in places that others are afraid to go. Recently, my pastor at church summed up that Bible verse perfectly by saying: “Do what no one else will do to reach people no one else will reach, go where no one else will go to reach people no one else will reach, and befriend people who no one else is willing to befriend.” That’s why Estoria plays in bars in addition to churches and other venues, so that we can minister to people who may not know the Lord. That’s why we played on the beach in Panama City a few weeks ago during spring break, to reach out to people who might be lost.

5. What’s your most embarrassing moment on stage (if you’ve had any) … if not has any of the others?
In February, we played an acoustic show. After our set, I felt suddenly compelled to play an extra song. It was one of our older songs that we hadn’t played in a while; however, I felt we could pull it off. I also wanted to play it because the members of one of the other bands that played with us that night really liked that song. So, we play the song and halfway through my rap verse, my mind goes blank and I forget the words. I managed to recover by freestyling a few of the last lines but it threw the entire band off and we skipped a part before the final chorus!

6. What are your thoughts on how mainstream Christian music has become with bands like Skillet, P.O.D. & Flyleaf becoming popular in the secular markets?
I am glad that Christian artists are being played in secular markets. Going back to the Bible verse that I quoted, I think it is a good thing that these artists are able to reach people who may not have had the chance to hear their music before. These artists are performing in places where they have the opportunity to spread the love of God and show non-believers that Christians can be cool too. I think music is a good avenue because positive, uplifting song lyrics can relate to the lives of everyone, whether you’re a Christian or not. We have played some shows with a band from Nashville called Flawless Pursuit. These guys are Christians and towards the end of their shows, no matter the venue, their drummer always takes the mic and tells the crowd a little about Jesus Christ and asks the audience to visit their merch booth after the show where the band can pray for anyone who might need prayer. It’s a wonderful sight to behold and we want to start doing more stuff like that in our live shows, like praying on stage before our shows instead of off stage where the crowd can’t see us.

7. If Estoria was to record a ‘cover’ song what would you want it to be?
There are a million songs I wouldn’t mind covering. LOL! This is a very hard question because I like so many songs! I don’t think I could ever decide on one song!

8. You have a quote on your Facebook page … “They say there’s two sides to every story. Two faces to ever person in the eyes of truth and glory” … what does this mean?
This quote is from some old lyrics that I wrote a while ago. I have always felt that there are two fighting sides that are always at war within a person—a good side and a bad side. The good side, of course, tells a person what is right, while the other side, a bad side, tempts a person to do wrong. For me, the good side represents my relationship with God, where as the bad side is associated with Satan and the temptations of sin. I feel that good people are able to withstand temptation and suppress that darker side that is always present and is always trying to gain dominion over the lighter side. That’s why our The War EP means so much to me and why we chose to record songs that had a similar theme focusing on the struggle between light and darkness. I actually wrote part of the chorus lyrics to our song “From Darkness”, which says, “If you’ve never seen the light, then you don’t know how it feels to leave it all behind you and leave the darkness behind.” Only those who have faced the darkness before can really appreciate the light and as sinners, we have all sinned before, which makes it all the more worthwhile to triumph over sin and to know that our savior died on the cross for our sins.

9. Any final thought’s that you’d like to add before closing out?
I would like to give all the glory to God. He is the reason why I have been blessed with the talent to write music and all thanks goes to him first and foremost. I would like to thank BTTW Church for constantly promoting us and helping us to spread our music. You all are doing an amazing job on a social media site that is often plagued by so much negativity. It’s awesome to see your ministry spreading light among the darkness and for that, I thank you! I would also like to thank my band mates for being there for me through all the good times and the bad. I love them all. Each one of them always brings something awesome to the table and I’m blessed to be able to make beautiful songs with this group of individuals. We finally have a solid lineup and I can’t wait to see what God has in store for us in the future!

10. We always like to leave these interviews in a word of prayer … will you lead that prayer for us?
Certainly! Dear Jesus, first and foremost, I just thank you for your goodness, your mercy and your grace. I just ask that you continue to be with Travis and Sarah and their BTTW ministry. Help them to continue to grow and spread your love throughout Facebook and in other avenues to reach people who may not know you through music, sermons, devotionals, and inspirational quotes. I thank you for their Verses contest and for the connections Estoria has made through the support of BTTW church and others. I pray that you continue to work through Estoria and BTTW Church and continue to bless us so that we may bless others. We thank you for every single blessing you have bestowed upon us. Thank you for being there for us through the good times, and especially the bad times. I ask that you be with us always as we navigate the sometimes treacherous roads of life. Your love never fails us Lord, and so we honor you and give you the highest praise because we couldn’t do what we do without you. Jesus, we love you and it is in your precious name with pray. Amen!

Adam Garnick's interview with BTTW CHURCH

1. Please tell our readers about yourself and what you do in the band?
Greetings everyone! My name is Adam Garnick and I am the drummer for Estoria; I also trigger the sample tracks and percussion/ electronic sounds you hear during our live shows such as bass drops and the viking drums I play during Battlecry

2. What is your favorite song to perform and why?
That's a good question but hands down my favorite song to perform live is From Darkness. It really shows rhythmically how tight the band is and I throw in some tasty different beats which differ from the CD. From Darkness has been, as of the last few shows, our go to opener. It never fails to drop jaws right out of the gate!

3. Who, musically, do you enjoy listening to, who have influenced you? (Christian or non-Christian)
I am a classically trained musician and have been a percussionist for 20 years. My focus for many of those years was the snare and wore the pages off the "rudimental cook book." I was inspired by many of the great DCI/ WGI bands such as The Blue Devils and Rthym X. Musically though and for kit inspiration I listen to a wide range of bands; everything from Breaking Benjamin/ Disturbed/ World Alive and Hillsong/Matt Redman. My biggest personal inspirations come from Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Thomas Pridgan, and the guys at Drumeo.

4. What’s your favorite scripture from the Bible, why is it important to you?
My favorite scripture is Psalm 144.1-2 "Blessed be God, my mountain, who trains me to fight fair and well. He is the bedrock on which I stand, the castle in which I live, my rescuing knight, The high crag where I run for dear life, while he lays my enemies low." This has very special meaning to me because it was highlighted in a bible I was given just before I deployed to Afghanistan in 2011 (government civilian work with the military). It was what first got me to start reading the Bible.

5. If you could pick one performer/singer/musician to guest star on a track of Estoria, who would you pick and why?
Great question. I would love Hans Zimmer to work his magic with the London Symphony Orchestra to guest star on a song or CD with us. I think the mix of our style with his synthesized abilities, and their stringed and brass instruments would be face melting.

6. Who would you say is the most ‘unpredicted’ member of Estoria, the one person who could do or say anything when they get into the music and the crowd?
Ahhh yes. This would have to go to either Jeff or John. Jeff always surprises me when I watch the playback video of our sets. He always has awesome guitar throughs or a great timed jump, etc. John is a climber/ modern day magician. Last show we started a song and John was next to me but was already climbing on the speakers, by the end of POOF he was gone. Turned out he was in the crowd 30ft away on a table surrounded by fans. All I could do was laugh...hahaha.

7. I read on your Facebook profile that you are a cancer survivor, my dad died of cancer 3 years ago and that same year we lost three more family members to it, including my 19 year old cousin … it is such a horrible disease, do you find that going through this and being able to witness to God’s goodness a blessing?
I am very sorry to hear about you losing family members to cancer; such a terrible thing. Yes I was diagnosed with Non Hodgkins Lymphoma at the age of 21. I took 6 months of Chemo and had countless appointments with pet scan machines, bone marrow biopsy, etc. By the end I swore I could glow in the dark. But that was nothing compared to other diseases and procedures other have to go through. I am truly blessed to have been healed by the Lord and feal his grace. I was saved because he has a greater purpose for me. Now through Estoria I can share his word to as many people as will listen!

8. What would you tell someone who may be going through the pains of cancer today, any advice?
I would tell those to pray first and realize God has the power to heal you! Maintain your faith as throughout your jurney with your doctors you will be tested, but God will work his miracles on you. keep faith and keep up your strength by eating well. I loved a nice greasy cheeseburger after chemo...mmmmm!

9. Any final thoughts that you’d like to add before closing out?
Thank you Bttw Church and all our friends for supporting Estoria. It's because of you all that we are where we are today. We plan to continue making the best music we can and spreading Gods word. Our next album will be epic, trust me!

10. We always like to leave these interviews in word of prayer … will you lead that prayer for us?
I would love to. "Lord, thank you for Bttw Church and all our new friends through them. I pray those friends hear your word through scripture, through music, by whatever means you see fit so they will know you are king and that you have the power to heal and are capable of all things. I pray those hurting find comfort in you, and I pray those already close to you grow infinity closer. Finally I pray Lord that Bttw grows spiritually, financially, in capacity and size to continue to spread your word and that you will continue to bless them. All these things I pray in your name-Amen"

John Toelaer's interview with BTTW CHURCH

1. Please tell our readers about yourself and what you do in the band?
I play guitar & sing backup harmonies. I also build some samples & loops that we use. We all write the songs collectively for the most part.

2. What is your favorite song to perform and why?

Battlecry... Mainly because it is NOT the formulaic radio rock song but I feel like musically it has the most to offer. It has chords & chord progressions that give a bittersweet sound that I think today's listeners don't really appreciate anymore... But I feel a shift coming when people will reject the popular "4 chord song" structure in favor of something with a richer more complex flavor... But I'm probably wrong lol.

3. Who, musically, do you enjoy listening to, who have influenced you? (Christian or non-Christian)

I grew up Christian but only recently has Christian music been able to compete with secular music, so I don't have a ton of Christian influences. I listened to everything Sevendust and Linkin Park made when I was growing up, but I also listened to a ton of Goo Goo Dolls. I'd say now that Bands like Red and Plumb would be influences if I had more time to listen to new music ha ha.

4. What’s your favorite translation of the Bible, Why?

I'm torn, because I believe that strict translation is important & that there is truth hidden in the word. If I ever have a doubt I turn to KJV and I start my search there. Others are easier to read but at what cost?

5. What’s your favorite scripture from the Bible, why is it important to you?

Isaiah 61:3 To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory.

6. Do you have any crazy ‘fan’ stories from being out on the road performing?
I wish... Pretty mundane. I think a drunk lady had a birthday at the venue we were playing at and acted crazy but nothing off the wall.


7. On your Facebook page you have listed your occupation as, “Ragamuffin at Caretaker & Vagabond” … when I read this I can’t help but think of Rich Mullins who made the term ‘Ragamuffin’ popular in the early 90’s, am I on base with where the title comes from?

Not sure about who rich Mullins is lol. The title is more related to the general state of affairs in this season of life. In this last year I have been homeless & jobless taking care of my very sick wife in the hospital. She has cystic fibrosis & just recently got her life saving double lung transplant. The hospital requires that in order for her to get transplanted, she has to have two caregivers, one at all times. I am the primary one. For the last year I have been living in Uab hospital and Vanderbilt hospital where she got her transplant on January 7 2015. I had to leave my job & let our house go. I was literally a vagabond lol. The ragamuffin refers to how one looks... Or rather the look one develops from sleeping in hospital chairs, getting little sleep & lacking some in the personal hygiene department, because the doctors always round while you are in the shower. Good news, my wife was knocking at deaths door & now she is very much alive, albeit understandably sore.


8. (RANDOM NON-WHIMSICAL QUESTION) What’s your favorite food?
(lol) uhh bad stuff, lol. Pizza, fries, burgers, chicken...shall I go on?

9. Any final thoughts that you’d like to add before closing out?
Happy that you guys enjoy and care about the noise we are making!

10. We always like to leave these interviews in a word of prayer … will you lead that prayer for us?

Lord we thank you today for being OUR God- The God who listens & the God who answers. I thank you for the ministry of Bttw Church and all the work they do for your kingdom. I pray that you bless them indeed. I thank you Lord for the gift of music and the healing power that it can have. I ask that you bless all of those who follow the Bttw Church ministry, and that you would draw close the members who are searching for you. Lord let those who seek you find you in abundance. We love you Lord and are forever grateful for stepping into our lives. I pray these things in Jesus name, amen.

Meagan Reeves' interview with BTTW CHURCH

1.


(Please tell our readers about yourself and what you do in the band?)

Well, I was born and raised in Texas. I grew up singing gospel and country music, but never really had the opportunity to sing rock music until I met the guys from Estoria. I auditioned for them one night in the spring of 2012 & have been their lead singer ever since.



2. (How did you pick your band name, what does it stand for?)

The guys tossed around several ideas for the band name and then Jeff our lead guitarist stumbled across the word Astoria on a world atlas and decided it should be spelt with an E. He thought it would come across as an elegant way of saying Story. Later he looked it up, and it actually did mean a story or a tale. It stuck from that point on. When the guys explained to me what the word meant I was hooked. How perfect is that name? Every song is a story, and every single one of us has a story.



3. (How would you describe your sound to those who have never heard of it, who do you draw comparisons to?)

I would describe it as inspirational and cinematic rock/pop. We bring a lot of big break downs to the table that motivates the listener to jump to their feet and scream "Yes". We have been compared to Paramore, Linkin Park, Evanescence, Flyleaf, and Red a lot.



4. (What's your favorite song to perform and why?)

That is really a tuff call. I enjoy performing each and every one of them for different reasons. But I guess if I were to pick one it would be "From Darkness". There are so many different rhythm changes, and it makes it easy for me to work the stage with high energy. Most importantly, I love the climax of this song. It is the perfect recipe where the music & the lyrics "Just leave the darkness behind." evoke an emotion out of me that heals my soul.



5. (Who musically do you enjoy listening to, who have influenced you? (Christian or non-Christian))

I grew up listening to Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Faith Hill, Amy Lee from Evanescence, Lacey Strum from Fly Leaf, Rachel Lampa, women who were power houses that could hold their own. Now, I listen to a wide variety of styles, Paramore, Colbie Caillat, Natasha Bedingfield, Kari Jobe, Carrie Underwood, Adele, Florence and the machines, Natalie Grant, Brit Nicole and some good ole Etta James.

6.( Would you describe yourselves as a Christian band or Christians in a band?)

You know in the beginning I would have said "Christians in a band" meaning we play whatever we want and just happen to all be Christians. But thats just not true, we very intentionally write songs that are real but still hopefully leave a message of hope for the listener. We really do view this as a ministry and really strive to keep God at the center of everything we do. Our purpose is to create songs that draw people to the Lord and to share our stories (the good and the bad) with our fans.



7. (What can we look forward to from you guys the remainder of 2015 and beyond?)

Our goal for 2015 is to release a music video and play as many shows as we possibly can. We are finally in this place where we just want to let God take the reigns and see what he comes up with.



8. (It is quite interesting how we met ... We had posted up a song if yours in "battle of the bands" type match up and one of the voters had contacted you about playing your music on his radio show - we found out about you via a review on Jesusfreakhideout ... Do things like this happen to you all the time, do you feel like it's coincidence or God inspired?)

That is a really neat question. I like to believe that it has everything to do with God. We try really hard to keep track of everything on social media and understand how our fans come to know us. But there are a lot of times where we just can't connect the dots. I believe that when things "fall in your lap" that it is a sign that God is at work. Bttw Church and how you discovered our music is a great example of this.



9. (What's your favorite scripture or passage from the Bible, why is it important?)

My favorite scripture so far is Proverbs 3:5-6(NIV)
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. I love this passage for two reasons. 1. There have been several times in my life while reading scripture that I just didn't understand why God did things the way he did them, and I would be confused. This verse stands as a reminder that I am not to lean on my own understanding and that I am to simply just trust him. It's very freeing once you let go of trying understanding everything.
2. It commands us to submit to him, and leaves us with a promise that he will make our paths straight if we do so. I love that, because I tend to be a control freak and I want to see where I am going so I can control the situation. But with this verse there is a promise I can rest in that states he will show me my path. What a relief to know that I don't have to figure it out on my own and that he will go before me and light the path I am supposed to take.

10. (Any final thoughts that you'd like to add before closing out?)

Well, I always love to tell the story behind our song "Warrior." I was walking thru a time of persecution. Where standing up for my convictions meant suffering. I was depressed and didn't understand why things had to be so hard. On my way to practice one night I pulled out my iPhone to record and sang the chorus to "Warrior." The guys wrote the amazing melodies behind the lyrics that same night. It was very obvious from the very beginning that "Warrior" was a gift from God. It literally felt as if he just dropped it into our laps. We celebrated and were so pumped to have created such an inspirational song. We knew it would help our fans walk through difficult seasons and motivate them to keep fighting. What we didn't realize at the time was, that God had gifted us with that song to help US walk thru one of the hardest years we have ever faced. I lost a very close friend of mine and her unborn child to a head on collision just two weeks after we wrote this song. I watched my dad and roommate get furloughed, my little twin cousins pass away, one band member ended a relationship, and the other had to relocate his business, John, our rhythm guitarist embarked on a year long journey that caused him to live in the hospital with his wife who suffers from Cystic Fibrosis. We almost quit as a band on several occasions. It was just a hard year and we quickly realized that God gave us that song to sing over ourselves as a reminder that we are Warriors and that through him we are more than conquerors.

11. (We always like to leave these interviews in a word if prayer ... Will you lead that prayer for us?)

Father, I thank you for orchestrating this interview. I thank you for what you are doing in the lives of everyone who participates at BTTW church. Lord, I pray that everyone who reads this interview and listens to our song "Warrior." would be encouraged. That their strength would be renewed regardless of what season they are walking thru. I thank you for our new friends, and I ask that you continue to light the path for Estoria and for BTTW Church. I ask this in Jesus name. Amen!

The little show that couldn't (Nashville) 4-18-15

This little story all started months ago when our friends at Flawless Pursuit invited us to hop on one of their shows in Nashville. The show was hosted by a certain promotions company and the company agreed to have us on the lineup. Initially the show was scheduled to be held at 12th & Porter, which is an awesome music venue. But we found out that 12th & Porter was closing its doors. So the event was rescheduled to this place called Spring Water (Don't be fooled by the name.)

It's typically Estoria tradition for something to go wrong the day of any show. There is always some sort of obstacle that we have to trust God to get us through. But this particular day was going eerily well. All of us were getting along, the van didn't need any repairs, we were running on time, we were all in good moods. Again, it was weird. Every single one of us really didn't want to do the show because of other events we needed to attend. But each one of us sacrificed and put on our big girl panties and went on with the show. After all we honor our commitments. After traveling, and checking in, we set out to grab dinner at this place across the street called Ted Montana's Grill.

We all ate bison with the exception of Jeff ( who will only eat chicken fingers) lol. We made our way back to Spring Water after enjoying a fun dinner together, only to find out that the show had been canceled. That's right. It was canceled. Apparently all of the other bands had at least one person who was under the age of 21. Why does this matter you ask? Well, Spring Water apparently has a policy that states you have to be over 21 to play. No problem for Estoria right? Everyone in Estoria is over 21, so what is the big deal? Spring Water decided that since they didn't allow all of the other 4 bands to play that we couldn't play either because it wouldn't be fair. At this point I would normally expect at least one of us to loose our cool. After all, I had spent a lot of time on my hair and make up. Lol But we didn't ..... We all had this perspective that maybe God didn't want us to play there, and maybe he was protecting us from something. After watching one guy in particular light up a joint right next to me at this venue, I believed this was the case. God was protecting us. So, we loaded back up and decided to go grab some ice cream on our way back home to Alabama.

We ended up at this famous place called FOOD SODA. We all sat down and ordered milk shakes inside this 50's themed blast from a past. It was fun, and the milkshakes were amazing!!!!!!

All in all, we made the best out of a crappy situation, and once again we added to the long history of Estoria obstacles to overcome. We had fun, we made it home safe, and we learned a lesson to check into age restrictions for future shows. It wasn't what we expected, but this LITTLE SHOW THAT COULDN'T turned out to be not so bad. Until next time!

Peace
-Meagan