From the Boy Band Image to the Crazed Fans...Plus One talks about it all.
Crosswalk.com Music Editor Matt Turner interviewed Plus One members Nathan Walters, Nate Cole, Gabe Combs, Jeremy Mhire and Jason Perry.
Matt: Has it been a big challenge in the past year to try to overcome the "boy band" image?
Jeremy: Not really. We've gone to lots of shows where I think that a lot of people were not necessarily there in the beginning for us, and by the end of the show there were people that would come through the autograph line and say, "I didn't know who you guys were, I wasn't necessarily coming to see you guys, but I have your album now." I think that our audience that wants it and our album sales and the support that we have from all of our fans shows that this is what people want to hear.
Matt: What musical background do you guys have?
Gabe: Most of us got our musical background and started singing and performing in church when we were really young. A few of our dads are pastors. So, that's kind of where we started, where we got our basis, you know, just every service singing stuff. But, I don't know, there's a lot of different artists that we listen to. You know, some of us gospel, some, you know, more rock alternative, just, we listen to a lot of stuff.
Matt: Do you guys like N'SYNC and the Backstreet Boys? Have you heard the new Backstreet Boys album? What do you think?
Nathen: No, I haven't heard it yet.
Jeremy: I've listened to the whole thing. I don't like it.
Matt: You don't like it? What don't you like about it?
Jeremy: It's just that lyrically, I'm not very impressed with it. I think some of the production on it's kind of cool
Nate: I like Shape of My Heart. I think that's cool.
Jeremy: I like that song! I think that's an awesome song! But when I listened to the album, I was like, "What would they put out as a single next?" because I didn't think there was a song that was strong enough.
Matt: Do you guys get tired of those comparisons?
Jeremy: I don't know. We knew that it was coming. But I don't know if we necessarily get tired of the comparisons.
Matt: What is your response to people who say that you are just another "boy band," manufactured to sell albums?
Nate: In a way we were brought together, but everyone has an individual story, which makes this group unique. We look back and see how God put this group together. we believe. It goes deeper than that, a lot of us play instruments during the spring tour. you'll see us breakdown and maybe do an acoustic set or so. All of us really sing, you will see in some parts we do a cappella. I think the mentality of this group is not to just stay in the pop world, but to change with the times and evolve as music evolves, because music is always changing. So I think you'll see the maturity of the band in the future.
Matt: How was it working with David Foster?
Jason: Working with David was awesome. It was just great to work with one of the world's best-ever producers. It was just an awesome opportunity, and we loved to work with him. He played a big role in the songs on the album, the structure, and made sure that we had good songs and just that everything was top notch for our album. Which was cool, because, being a Christian group, we want to take Christian music to the next level and we felt like he was the perfect guy to do it, to help take us there, because you look on the walls at his studios and see just hit after hit after hit. He's very successful, and along with him, we want to be successful. It was just cool working with him.
Jeremy: David's pushed us to be more than just a boy band; he's pushed us to be musicians and to really take seriously our talents and to just get better.
Gabe: It was very surprising, because I think that most of us had the idea that he was just going to be the owner of one more record and wasn't going to be involved in the record too much, but as time went on, he's been involved with it to this day. The other day he came out to one of our concerts and encouraged us, which is really cool, because he's still involved with us. He was excited about our spring tour; we were talking about the band members and stuff. He's just really cool.
Continue to Part 2
Crosswalk.com Music Editor Matt Turner interviewed Plus One members Nathan Walters, Nate Cole, Gabe Combs, Jeremy Mhire and Jason Perry.
Matt: Has it been a big challenge in the past year to try to overcome the "boy band" image?
Jeremy: Not really. We've gone to lots of shows where I think that a lot of people were not necessarily there in the beginning for us, and by the end of the show there were people that would come through the autograph line and say, "I didn't know who you guys were, I wasn't necessarily coming to see you guys, but I have your album now." I think that our audience that wants it and our album sales and the support that we have from all of our fans shows that this is what people want to hear.
Matt: What musical background do you guys have?
Gabe: Most of us got our musical background and started singing and performing in church when we were really young. A few of our dads are pastors. So, that's kind of where we started, where we got our basis, you know, just every service singing stuff. But, I don't know, there's a lot of different artists that we listen to. You know, some of us gospel, some, you know, more rock alternative, just, we listen to a lot of stuff.
Matt: Do you guys like N'SYNC and the Backstreet Boys? Have you heard the new Backstreet Boys album? What do you think? Nathen: No, I haven't heard it yet.
Jeremy: I've listened to the whole thing. I don't like it.
Matt: You don't like it? What don't you like about it?
Jeremy: It's just that lyrically, I'm not very impressed with it. I think some of the production on it's kind of cool
Nate: I like Shape of My Heart. I think that's cool.
Jeremy: I like that song! I think that's an awesome song! But when I listened to the album, I was like, "What would they put out as a single next?" because I didn't think there was a song that was strong enough. Matt: Do you guys get tired of those comparisons?
Jeremy: I don't know. We knew that it was coming. But I don't know if we necessarily get tired of the comparisons.
Matt: What is your response to people who say that you are just another "boy band," manufactured to sell albums?
Nate: In a way we were brought together, but everyone has an individual story, which makes this group unique. We look back and see how God put this group together. we believe. It goes deeper than that, a lot of us play instruments during the spring tour. you'll see us breakdown and maybe do an acoustic set or so. All of us really sing, you will see in some parts we do a cappella. I think the mentality of this group is not to just stay in the pop world, but to change with the times and evolve as music evolves, because music is always changing. So I think you'll see the maturity of the band in the future.
Matt: How was it working with David Foster? Jason: Working with David was awesome. It was just great to work with one of the world's best-ever producers. It was just an awesome opportunity, and we loved to work with him. He played a big role in the songs on the album, the structure, and made sure that we had good songs and just that everything was top notch for our album. Which was cool, because, being a Christian group, we want to take Christian music to the next level and we felt like he was the perfect guy to do it, to help take us there, because you look on the walls at his studios and see just hit after hit after hit. He's very successful, and along with him, we want to be successful. It was just cool working with him.
Jeremy: David's pushed us to be more than just a boy band; he's pushed us to be musicians and to really take seriously our talents and to just get better.
Gabe: It was very surprising, because I think that most of us had the idea that he was just going to be the owner of one more record and wasn't going to be involved in the record too much, but as time went on, he's been involved with it to this day. The other day he came out to one of our concerts and encouraged us, which is really cool, because he's still involved with us. He was excited about our spring tour; we were talking about the band members and stuff. He's just really cool.
Continue to Part 2