One of the most effective ways to gauge the "success" of an artist is not by numbers of songs charted or by the latest sales figures of an album. The surest way to tell if an artist is reaching an audience is by their relationship to that audience. By that most important criteria, there's no more successful group in Christian music than Skillet. And Hey You, I Love Your Soul, the shimmering follow-up to Skillet's ferocious 1996 debut, is poised to garner them the next wave of "panheads."
Uh, "Panheads?" Guitarist Ken Steorts explains. "You see, there are three levels in 'Skillethood.' Those who don't know, those who become 'Skilletfanz' through hearing our music, and then 'Panheads,' those who come to three or four shows traveling up to 10 hours, bringing skillets, banners, writing on their cars, and so forth. Of course, we love them all, but we have a special place in our hearts for 'Panheads.'"
But as any Skillet fan will tell you, this isn't about love and adulation for a band; it's about love and adulation for God. The common thread running through all of Skillet's music is a call to holiness and an unswerving commitment to worship God. "Our goal is to set an example of an uncompromising lifestyle," affirms bassist/lead vocalist John Cooper. "By clearly preaching the Good News, we hope to see serious renewal and spiritual fire in the people at our shows."
You'll hear touches of rock, new wave, power pop and even industrial in the skillfully rendered songs on Hey You, I Love Your Soul. Drummer Trey McClurkin says there was a willingness to experiment in the studio that made Hey You a challenging project. "We totally love the first album, but the producers, by necessity, defined our sound quite a bit. We've always loved electronic music, whether it's techno, dance, video game soundtracks, or whatever. In particular, I was much more comfortable this time, not only with the technical aspects of playing heavy music, but also experimenting with loops." Ken says he feels everything about the record, from stylistic advances to lyrical content, was mapped out better. "The performances were more focused, the vocal melodies were stronger. And I love the fact that we used more keys (which will be played by a fourth touring member in concerts) and the whole electronic influence. Hey You is hopefully a unique mix of hard rock and electronic, with passionate vocals and a big dynamic range."
The power pop "Your Love (Keeps Me Alive)," based on Psalm 63, speaks of a soul thirsting for God, while the industrial "Pour" and the electronica-flavored "Dive Over In" encourage us to empty ourselves completely before the Lord. John is quick to emphasize that, whatever stylistic changes the listener may detect in Hey You, the songs remain worshipful and Christ-centered. "We're focusing more on the big picture than the daily struggle. If there's a theme to the album, it's sacrificenot only God's sacrifice for us, but our need to be sold out to Him."
Although Ken echoes John's comments about their lyrics focusing on "the big picture," he says both of them draw inspiration from very personal sources. "'Deeper' is about the past year-and-a-half in the life of Skilletconstantly running, living in cramped quarters, dealing with unstable schedules and being away from home all the time. It's really an exhortation to myself to find the place in God where you can't hide your 'stuff' from Him and everything must be dealt with. That can be tiring, but also very peaceful."
John also experienced that peace that passes understanding while writing the worshipful "More Faithful," a song that recalls the death of his mother from cancer, while he was still in high school. He likens that sense of loss and displacement to the growing pains Skillet has experienced in the past two years. "We really had to learn how to be a band on the road," John recalls. "We saw each other's opinions and character flaws molded into spiritual unity ("Like iron sharpening iron!" interjects Trey). Even while we saw our whole world changing in front of us, God was constant and unchanging."
You couldn't imagine people with more widely divergent backgrounds than the men who make up Skillet. John grew up taking piano and voice lessons and also studied trombone; Ken's background includes trumpet lessons, playing in the marching band in school and getting a degree in modern music composition; Trey started his career in Tupperware (playing on it, not selling it), played drums through high school and college, and was about to sell his kit when he met John and Ken, who convinced him to give music one more try. "I had my doubts that it would be more than temporary," admits Trey. "John and Ken's pastor convinced them to write some songs, do one show and record a home demo. Ardent/ForeFront liked the demo, and here we are."
From its inception, Skillet has embraced the latest computer technology. Both Skillet and Hey You are enhanced CDs, containing music videos, interviews and song based Bible studies. "The enhanced CDs really lets people get to know us, see our hearts and see that we are ordinary people with a passion for God," explains Trey. "The song studies are especially cool," adds Ken. "They allow us to give a clearer definition of the biblical basis for our lyrics and encourage the listener to go deeper into the Word." Encouraging its audience to a deeper faith walk is central to the ministry of Skillet. Ken says that a strong Internet presence has allowed the band to maintain ties with its audience that go beyond concert appearances. "I believe the 'net is an essential tool for people to keep a pulse on what a band is doing. We are concerned with the real Christian life 'out there'after all, we are 'out there.' We are dedicated to being a resource for Christians and for outreach to their friends, in our music, our shows and in things like the Internet."
Trey says that the word "whirlwind" describes the flurry of activity that has enveloped Skillet during it first two years. But it's the song "Whirlwind" that may best describe both the "big picture" and "personal picture" concept which applies not only to Hey You, I Love Your Soul, but to the ministry of Skillet as well. "Our CDs and live shows have pretty much established us as a committed ministry of the Gospel. What we're saying in this song and in everything Skillet does as a band is this: God has an awesome plan, not only for the world, but for each individual. You better recognize His moving and jump in or you'll be blown away without it being your decision. Just jump in and let Him carry you away."
Discography
Go to Skillet's website
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