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Interview
with The Supertones on the See Spot Rock Tour, Salem, OR
April 26, 2003
Danae
from FreakMusic: How is the tour going so far and how is it working
with the other bands?
Dan:
It’s actually been a great tour. We've play ah...prolly like twenty shows...
FM: How many more do you have?
Dan: Probably a couple weeks.
Darren (Chief):
yeah. We've toured with Relient K before so those guys are brothers. It’s
been fun getting to know Sanctus and Pillar. The camaraderie is just awesome.
F.M.: What's the craziest thing that
happened on tour so far? Anything crazy happen....different? Out of the
ordinary?
Chief: Ahhhh....Every day there's
wacky stuff going on. Ah, last night we blew out a tire.
Dan: *Sarcastic* That was exciting.
Chief: We have some pretty intense
foosball matches. Some of the 'Tones and Relient K
boys. Those get heated sometimes but I cant go into detail about that *laughs*
But on the
record lets just admit that Supertones are way better foosball players than
Relient K.
F.M.: Alright!
Chief: No question! Even though one of the R.K. guys just bought one for his
house.
F.M. A foosball table?
Chief: Right. He obviously needs the practice.
F.M. assistant Rachel: Do you guys
have a foosball table on the bus?
Dan: No they wouldn't fit.
Chief: They are just at venues we
play at.
F.M.: Did you play any sports growing
up?
Dan: Yeah! I played tennis, golf,
football basketball, and I played the hand bells.
Chief: Did you really?
Dan: Not really *laughs*
F.M.: That's a sport?
Chief: The way he does it, it is! I
grew up surfing, ah, soccer, football...Did all that stuff.
F.M.: How have you friends changed
since you've been in the band? Do you still have a
lot of friends from back home and are they supportive of you?
Dan: Oh yeah! I mean, those friends
that we've had, that we've had for a long time, they’re
still great friends. I don't feel that us being in the band has changed our
relationship with
them at all.
Chief: Hasn't changed other than us
just not seeing them as often as we'd like to.
F.M:. I heard that you guys are
putting out a new worship album? How is it different from what
you guys have done before and do you think is going to change your sound at all?
Dan: yeah, we're gonna approach it
pretty differently than the way we have approached other records. We're gonna do
some cover tunes and we are going to write some songs for it as well. It will be
a different kind of Supertones album I think.
Chief: It’s not a new direction.
It’s just a chance tangent, a little side thing to do for our
enjoyment hopefully for the fans enjoyment. It's not gonna be full of horns and
you know,
just crazy and stuff- rock and roll. Its gonna be more mellow.
F.M.: Do you know much about your
local music scene and what are you thoughts on
the up and coming bands from your local area?
Both: *Laughs*
Chief: ahhh...we're pretty out of the
loop. in
Southern CA
there is no, well not no, but very
little Christian music scene. As far as radio, even magazines and things like
that. You know that there are tons of bands coming out of there all the time but
you don't hear about them through like a small network or anything. They just
kinda show up.
Dan: And we're gone so much that we
miss out on a lot of shows at home and stuff. So, yeah.
F.M.: How have the Supertones changed
from when they were just a up and coming band
and
how do you think they will change in the future? ..........Like your
vision...
Dan: Yeah. I think that priorities
have changed, I think that the way we even see ourselves has changed. As we've
gotten older we've realized that the Lord doesn't
need us. He doesn't need our music be he allows us to be a part of it. And he
chooses to use us and that's pretty awesome and it's humbling too.
Chief: Vision doesn't change a whole
lot
Dan: no.
Chief: Since day one we've remained
pretty consistent in our mission as far as speaking the Word from stage and
stopping to make that very clear. We've remained pretty consistent from album
one until now as far as being very clear about issues and the Gospel. So you
know that doesn't change as far as
just that. But our friendships go deeper, we've been doing it now for eight
years. When we started the band we were all, ya know, single guys who would
leave, 'See ya mom and dad! see ya in three months!" but now we have wives
and families so now, defiantly like Dan said, Priorities have changed as far as
our personal lives but the band is still an amazing tool that God has
continued to use. And we'll see if he continues to use it in the future.
F.M.: Do you guys both have kids?
Dan: No, I don't, I'm married but I
don't have kids.
Chief: I have two kids.
F.M. How old are they?
Chief: 11 years old and 10 months
F.M. When you have those days that
you’re just worn out from the daily grind of being on tour or when depressing
things happen in your personal life what do you do to go out there and face the
fans every night? Is that hard?
Dan: Um, There aren’t too many days like that honestly...
Chief: Thankfully!
Dan: ...We're pretty mellow, I mean
were pretty even keel most of the time. If bad stuff
happens we just surround each other with love and prayer and take it on, but we
are pretty
even keel most of the time. I think the strength is in the brotherhood and our
care for one
and other.
Chief: The support from back home is
huge and helping our attitudes out on
the road and stuff. I mean if we're calling home and our wives are like "Ohh
I miss you,
I want you home!" then that will drag down our spirit but they are our
biggest
supporters and they know that God has called us out here to do what we're doing
and so we try to
remain focused on that.
F.M. What are your favorite bible
stories or verses?
Dan: Favorite Bible
story...man....Oh that's a good one, um, go ahead Chief. I'm going to think
about that.
Chief: My favorite Verse is 1. John
3:1 it says "See what great a love the Father has lavished on us that we
can be called the children of God." That's always been one of my favorites.
Bible stories...I love all the ones I loved when I was a kid, like lions den and
ya know, Jonah and all that stuff. Basically all the ones that have been turned
into Veggie Tales. *Laughs*
Dan: I think my favorite Bible verse
is Philippians 1:6. I write it every time I sign and stuff. It just says
"He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it till the
day of Jesus Christ." It's such a testimony, such a word of faithfulness
about God's care for us. My favorite story is, well I don't know if I have a
favorite story, but yeah I'm like Darren. The hits! Ya know?! Noah's
Ark
, the whole story of Noah and all that, God's faithfulness to him and how God
used him despite his weaknesses, it's a pretty awesome story.
F.M.: When you’re on tour what is
your favorite restaurant? Or snack food?
Dan: Mine would be 'In & Out
Burger' down in southern CA. But Chief's might be
different.
Chief: I live there so I get In &
Out when I want. When I'm out on the road I love to go
to Waffle Houses, Its one of my favorites.
F.M.: Okay well last question
here, I know you said you surf Chief, do you surf Dan?
Dan: No. I try.
F.M.: Well we surf on the
Oregon
coast; do you guys have any cool surfing stories?
Dan: Cool!
Chief: You guys surf up here? It's to
cold! *Laughs*
F.M.: It's really cold!
Chief: Um, nothing to crazy, When I
was in college I was almost torpedoed by a dolphin,
within feet. I could feel the turbulent water under my feet, under the
board. Scared me to death but no damage done. Tony has had a little nip from a
seal tuggin' on his leash or kinda pulling on him but that's as crazy at it
gets. Never seen any sharks, anything like that...
Dan: I went to a spot, actually in
Oregon
, I don't remember were it was but it was a 'locals only' place. And I remember
just going to the beach and we kinda got some looks from some people.
F.M.: We have 'locals only' places?!
F.M Assistant Tammy:
Cannon
Beach
they have a lot.
Dan: Cannon Beach...Maybe it was
Cannon
Beach
.
F.M. Assistant Tammy: I went to bible
school there and they do not like people not from
the area.
Dan: We were just walking on the
beach and we were getting looks from people.
F.M.: I didn't know that we were that
mean!
Dan: yeah! you guys are mean!
F.M.: I know up in
Pacific
City
one guy got eaten by a shark up there.
Chief: Wow, that would ruin your day.
F.M.: Yeah, or your life. Well that
was all I had so thank you guys!
Dan and Chief: Thank you.
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