Here's the latest in our series of exclusive interviews with some of
the best artists. Hope you like this as much as we did!

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE NORMALS
Our head writer, Josh M. Shepherd, had the oppertunity to spend some
time talking with Andrew Osenga, the lead singer/songwriter from
alternative band The Normals. Here's the first part of the interview:

cMW: Looking back on The Normals' debut and your first years, what
rewards or regrets stand out?
Andrew Osenga: We had a good time then; we learned how to tour and
learned what it was to be a band. The biggest regret is that we
hadn't ever toured before--that record came out, and it was just
songs I wrote that some producers took, cleaned up, made sound nice.
It wasn't the personalities of the band, the way that we play. We
didn't even know what it was we had to say.

cMW: So you had to grow before the new project was born?
Andrew: Yeah, totally. The new record is a total band record, since
now one of our big strengths is playing live. To capture that on
tape was cool, because it was the opportunity to express something we
hadn't been, but now are.

cMW: What events created the need for changes in the Normals' lineup?
Andrew: The lineup change looks a lot different than it actually is.
Our drummer Mike [Taquino] had played with us on Better Than This.
He pretty much toured that whole first period of the band, when piano
player Cason [Cooley] was our road manager and sound guy, an old
friend of mine from college. So the only actual change was bass
player, which was Clayton Lafton and is now B.J. [Aberle]. B.J. and
I played in a band back home in Illinois, while B.J. and Mike played
in a band together in Michigan--we were already good friends, so it
was a natural thing. He wanted to be a part of what he saw, and we
knew we loved the way he played. So it never really felt like a 'new
band.'

cMW: As you wrote the album Coming to Life, was your intent to shock
listeners, inspire them, or something else?
Andrew: The intent for that record was never really for the
listener. It was just for me to 'get it out'--a lot of things I'd
gone through, and was working through in my own life. I took the
things I'd bottled up inside, and got rid of them. By working all
that out, I was hoping somebody would think it was worthwhile for
whatever reason.

cMW: Certainly, I think it came out very poetic, very driven--
goodness, it's a great album. How did the writings of Bob Briner and
others influence your songwriting?
Andrew: Thanks for the comment. Bob Briner, Charlie Peacock, Francis
Schaeffer--they look at art and Christianity, and say, 'Just because
you're Christian doesn't mean all you can write about is the Cross.'
Or, 'The only option you have is to encourage and evangelize.' You
can talk about other things: about temptation, about nature, about a
girl, about your own feelings. You can throw all of them in a song,
you can throw none of them in a song. The very act of creating, in
and of itself, is an act of worship, of obedience. It totally opens
up the realm of art. To be a Christian artist, you have to
understand you have the ability to write about everything.
Otherwise, your art isn't art. You're not creating--you're just
connecting dots. Those writings were a whole new 'Kingdom Worldview'
(as Charlie puts it) that I was not aware of.

The rest of the interview will be posted on the site shortly, so
check back soon!

Find out more about The Normals at cMusicWeb.com:
http://cMusicWeb.com/alternative/normals


AVAILABLE LAST SATURDAY, MARCH 24th

LYLE THE KINDLY VIKING - VEGGIETALES
The Veggie are back again with another silly video for the kids and
anyone who enjoys jokes. This time, a mean Viking learns a bit about
kindness, I think. However, this is just to wet your appetite for a
full-length theatrical release that's coming from those brainy folks
at BigIdea within the next couple years, which no one will be allowed
to miss!


AVAILABLE TODAY (on cMusicWeb.com or at your local store)

EARTH TO HEAVEN - ANY GIVEN DAY
BEC Recordings has done little to promote this new release, but this
CD features some worship classics and some supposed new ones put to a
rock sound for a distinct modern worship sound.

JODY DAVIS (self-titled)
Oh no, a self-titled album! Oh no, a Newsboy! Don't worry, it's not
all that bad. Jody Davis strays from the typical Newsboys sound that
infected Phil Joel's album, delivering some real rock similar to Pete
Stewart's album.

OVERWHELMED - DARLENE ZSCHECH
Some more new worship from those Hillsongs people.

NOW THE NEWS - ELI
Eli delivers an album that can definitely be listed as the best yet
from this folk rock singer. Eli touches on many newsworthy topics,
which are all based on actual news stories he read, plus adds some
fun little interludes including embarrasing someone whose cell phone
went off during a concert! This is the PICK OF THE WEEK.

WELLADJUSTED - BEANBAG
This is the Christian and Austrailian version of hardcore bands like
Tool and Korn. Their second album features a much-improved and more
diverse sound, fans say.


AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER (on cMusicWeb.com)

ALTERNATIVE: http://cMusicWeb.com/alternative
Solo EP - dc Talk [4/24]

WORSHIP: http://cMusicWeb.com/worship
SONICPRAISe - SONICFLOOd [4/10]
Over Under Everything - Circadian Rhythm [4/24]

Click on the album titles on the genre page to order them and recieve
them on the release date.


THIS WEEK'S CHRISTIAN HIT RADIO CHARTS
> Jennifer Knapp almost drops off the charts as Rebecca St.
> James burns up the top 10 with her first quality single!
1. Joy - Newsboys
2. Every Time I Fall - Jaci Velasquez
3. My Life - PlusOne
4. These Thousand Hills - Third Day
5. Shaken - Rachael Lampa
6. Can't Erase It - Jars of Clay
7. Reborn - Rebecca St. James
8. Love is the Movement - Switchfoot
9. One Like You - Audio Adrenaline
10. Lay it Down - Jennifer Knapp

SOURCE: CCM Update (http://www.ccmupdate.com/)


cMUSICWEB UPDATES
• None this week, so find something you never noticed before:
http://cMusicWeb.com/


Sorry for the lack of updates, we haven't had that much new around
here. But, don't worry, this summer is going to bring many new
surprises! Thanks for reading cMusicMail, and we look forward to
sharing the latest info with you. If you have any comments or
questions, please reply to this e-mail or send them to
webmaster@... We'd love to hear from you!

Dan Ficker
http://cMusicWeb.com/
a different approach to music
ICQ - 43224317 AOL IM - dMusicWeb