(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!
No comments:
Post a Comment