It's been something of a whirlwind year for the five men from Kentucky Christian College, collectively known as Bleach. Within nine months of their official formation, the band had snagged a record deal, released a critically acclaimed debut album, and garnered a Dove award for Modern/Alternative Rock Recorded Song Of The Year ("Epidermis Girl"). They confess to being completely amazed at their success.
"We're all sitting with our mouths hanging open thinking, 'what in the world just happened'," says guitarist, Brad Ford.
But though the band is grateful for the success, they insist it's just a vehicle for their true calling. "Ministry was what we all went to college for," Brad explains. "We all had a goal, in one form or another, to go out and minister. We never thought we would be able to do it through music."
"To think that we have had the opportunity to reach out to kids across the country -- that's way bigger than anything that we could do on our own," adds lead vocalist, Dave Baysinger.
And reach out across the country they do! Last year Bleach hit the road with a vengeance, maintaining a mind-numbing schedule that included over 200 shows. Criss-crossing the country, the band tightened up its musicianship, defined its sound, and shifted the level of excitement into high gear, leaving thousands of fervent fans clamoring for more!
Bleach responded to that call by locking themselves in a house together for two months to hammer out the songs for their sophomore release, Static. Picking up where last year's Space left off, Static crackles and pops with an energetic, electric charge that jolts you out of your seat!
Static maintains a raw rock & roll element but with diversity.
"We wanted to take different musical elements and combine them into the Bleach sound," drummer Matt Gingerich explains. "Listeners will hear touches of disco and glam rock which were early influences of Bleach (whether we admit it or not). "
With their latest release, Bleach effectively demonstrates its ability to synthesize wildly divergent tastes into cohesive music. "Land of the Lost" and "Warp Factor Five" combine guitarist Sam Barnhart's love of science fiction with Brad's affinity for the writings of C.S. Lewis, while "Country Western Star" and "Code of the Road" fuse modern rock sensibilities with good-ol'-boy philosophy.
The bright and blustery "Super Good Feeling" celebrates the eternal relationship with Jesus with an irresistible enthusiasm. And the bluesy, Beach Boys-esque "Rundown Town", utilizes stark, image-laden phrases to honor a man who is content to be faithful in less than ideal circumstances, just because that is where God has called him.
"Lyrically, we tried to deal with areas that are personal in our relationships with Christ, and with each other," says Brad.
And no where is that sentiment more evident than in the title cut, which compares life in Christ with the effects of static electricity; "It's just like electric shoes/ That I just want to run to you/I know that you want it too, I want to stick/ Like static".
While describing their concerts as "a party", the men of Bleach admit that it is not all fun and games. But they have learned that sometimes, even the hard times produce positive results.
"We challenge each other to be like Christ," explains bassist, Todd Kirby. "We're as close as brothers to the point that we sometimes face confrontations that can result in hurt feelings, but we see it as accountability that leads to discipline."
Sometimes the confrontations come from outside the band. While playing a show in Boston, the band's vehicle was vandalized, losing not only equipment, but most of their clothing as well. Wrangler shipped the band a box full of jeans and shirts, and as a result, Bleach became the first rock band in Christian music to sport Wrangler duds. While it may seem something of a dichotomy for rockers to wear cowboy clothes, that's just another example of Bleach's quirkiness.
"The thing about Christianity that is so wild, that is so amazing to the world, is that you can have a bunch of different types of people all meshed into one. There can be this cowboy guy, and this jock, and this skater dude, and all of them have one common goal, and that is to worship God," Dave adds.
"The whole theme of Static focuses on staying close to God," Dave elaborates. "We tried to show the joy we have in Christ. It's a celebration!"
Discography
Go to Bleach's Website
Back to Main
