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Audio Adrenaline - Some Kind of Underdog

  • Updated Feb 01, 2002
Audio Adrenaline - Some Kind of Underdog



Audio Adrenaline have managed to achieve the difficult task of being that kind of band - the band that reinvents itself on every album it releases. The {{Audio Adrenaline}} of 1999 is a carefully composed composite sketch of the varied personas they've displayed in their near-decade as a band. From the joke punksters of their debut album, to the youth group favorites of ==Don't Censor Me==, to the decidedly more mature rockers seen on ==Bloom== and ==Some Kind Of Zombie==, Audio Adrenaline is just that - pure energy in musical form, a whirling tornado of fun guitars and caffeine that has endeared them to the ccm scene. Now in the undisputed Royal Court of Christian Rock, AA is poised to release what may very well be a career-defining album - the self-produced, startlingly-creative ==Underdog==. Bass player Will McGinniss and guitarist Bob Herdman let us into their heads on such topics as the new album, their influences, and the millennium.





DW - How does Underdog differ from your past efforts?

WM - "The main difference is from the fact that we produced most of the record ourselves and also the fact that we, as a band, wrote collectively as a unit."

BH - "I think ==Underdog== is a much more fun record than ==Zombie== was. It's more of a good time, rock-and-roll album like ==Bloom==."



DW - Has the band changed much since your last record? How have you seen your art mature?

WM - "I think the last record was a transition record. We wanted to explore more artistically and I think this record we wanted to merge ideas from the last three records."

BH - "Since our last record Tyler (Burkum, guitarist) and Ben (Cissell, drummer) have helped write some songs. I think that is the biggest change we have made. After (ex-keyboardist) Barry Blair left it was just Will, Mark (Stuart, vocalist) and I doing all the writing. I think we were missing something during that time."



DW - We're nearing the millennium. Where do you see Christian music going in the next couple of years?

WM - "I think you will see it returning more to an evangelical type of industry with smaller industry labels popping up like the early Christian music scene."

BH - "I think Christian music is getting bigger and bigger, and with that there will be more scrutiny on Christian artists and the lives they lead. If the artist doesn't live up to the Christian principles they talk about, people are going to turn them off. And then there's going to be other huge problems facing ccm."



DW - Are there any new bands/artists that you're impressed with?

WM - "I totally dig the {{Supertones}} and {{Jennifer Knapp}}. They have great songs, very fun."

BH - "Well, we've been working with an artist named Riley Armstrong, so of course I'm very impressed with him. We kind of think of him as a cross between {{Steven Curtis Chapman}} and Beck."





DW - What are your earliest memories with the band?

WM - "We were such a unit/family and gave whatever it took to help each other survive for the band's sake...serving each other and the church collectively."

BH - "My early memories are just memories of being in college with my friends. We all knew each other and hung out way before Audio A ever came along."



DW - What bands/artists influence you?

WM - "{{Petra}}, {{DeGarmo & Key}}, {{Whiteheart}}, {{Glad}}, U2."

BH - "I grew up listening to Christian music, and my first real rock record was {{Petra}}, ==More Power to Ya==. I still love that record. I listened to a lot of Christian music when I was young, but I also love stuff like the Rolling Stones, Johnny Cash, and there's always some new band I'm interested in, usually the different ones that don't take themselves to seriously."



DW - What are some of the songs off the new album that you're proud of and why?

WM - "'This Day' because of the artistry of it thematically and musically. It just is awesome. Also, 'Get Down' because it is so fun - typical Audio Adrenaline!"

BH - "I love 'Get Down,' it's a great song live and fun to play. 'Mighty Good Leader' is a really cool song to play. 'It Is Well With My Soul,' I'm very proud of because I've wanted to do that song for years and now we have finally done it. 'The House Plant Song' was fun to do, it's an idea I've had for about five years."



DW - Any touring plans? How are you feeling about touring?

WM - "We are planning on a spring tour and a fall tour next year...busy year ahead and will be excited to see how God uses the new record and the people's response as well!"

BH - "We will be touring in the spring of 2000. We also do shows every weekend right now."