One of the best new artists this year is the Sparrow rock outfit Sanctus
Real. If you catch the coolest tours in the US you probably have seen them
on the See Spot Rock tour with Relient K and the Supertones. Or, if you
listen to Christian rock stations, you probably have heard "Say It Loud"
playing for months now. But, as we recently found, there's more to the guys
than just catchy guitar licks, so keep reading. Also, this week finds some
new music from KJ-52, delirious?, and the Newsboys.

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SANCTUS REAL INTERVIEW
by Kim Flanders

Heard singles on the radio. Wanted to hear more. Got the Say it Loud album.
Liked it. Heard their set at the Lancaster Mennonite High School in PA as
part of the current See Spot Rock tour. Liked it more. Sat down with Matt
Hammitt, vocals and guitar, and Steve Goodrum, bass guitar player of Sanctus
Real for a few minutes. Now I am hooked. See what they had to say.

cMW: The motto for cMusicWeb is "A different approach to music." How does
Sanctus Real fit in?
MATT: I think that we really try to be different in the sense that…actually
our name, "Sanctus Real" means "Holy", "Sanctus" means "Holy" and we really
want to hold to that standard, and that's part of what real means as well.
"Real" means just trying to be real. A lot of times people in music put a
face on, it's always a façade. Maybe there is like a "rock star" image
involved. And really a lot of times it is about image. And what you see on
the outside really isn't what is going on behind the scenes. Our goal as a
band, what you could call a different approach, is to get past all that,
don't put up a façade, and let kids know right off the bat that we are just
people, too. We are not stars. We don't have an ego, we are not into image,
we are just who we are, and we are no better than you are. And we just want
to really reach students. I think that is a bit of a different approach than
some may take.

cMW: I have heard the word "relevant" used a lot in Christian circles. What
does that word mean to you?
STEVE: I think it can also go back to what he just said about our name,
Sanctus Real. Being real with kids. Being able to relate to young people in
our music, about relationships, about situations that we go through, the
difference that we add trying to be relevant to the kids. Stuff that they
can hold on to but also give them a chunk of truth, like a piece of hope
that they can hold on to through that music and not just woe is me, life
stinks, I just broke up with my girlfriend. Something that a kid can be
laying on his bed, "Man I feel the same way." At the end of the song just
really tie it in and make it to where they can feel like they can carry on
and push through the situation.
MATT: That is really weird because what is relevant is in a sense what is
relative. What is relevant? Every person has a different thing that relates
to them. Maybe someone that our music would relate to would not relate to
someone with a different kind of genre, or whatever. But there is that one
thing that we can all relate to in terms of our Spiritual need for Christ in
our life. I hope we can relate to all people in terms of that, depending on
whether or not our music is relevant. I hope our message always will be
relevant.

cMW: What is the message/passion as a band?
MATT: A lot of artists or athletes or whatever say they don't want to be a
role model, but we do want to be role models because we all know that
whether we like it or not, we are. And so we feel there is a standard to
live up to that we can't compromise in our personal life if we are saying
one thing on stage. So I think that is just really our ministry - doing what
we say. Obviously we are not perfect and we make mistakes, but we strive
with all of our hearts to get to know God better and that is what we hope
students will do, too.

cMW: You have toured successfully for about 6 years before being signed to a
major record label. How are things the same or different for you now on a
national tour?
STEVE: It's kind of the same.
MATT: It's weird because it is the same. Well, I guess this tour really
isn't the same because we really couldn't draw the same kind of numbers on
our own at this point in our career, having our first national debut just
come out. So that's really different in terms of touring with other bands
who really draw and have been around longer. Playing for those kind of
crowds like this, I mean we'd never play 2 crowds of over 1000 people all in
one day on our own. And so that's really different. But you find that
students and whoever - people are the same everywhere you go. Generally they
like the same things, ask the same questions, and feel the same a lot of
times. It is kind of weird how different and how the same people are.
STEVE: I think being able to get out and see different parts of the country
is exciting, but also being sheltered sometimes you feel like you are the
only person in the world who feels that way. Getting to meet different
people, going back to the relating thing, you know, "Oh, I feel the same
way." Just getting to know the body of Christ, and seeing kids and going
through their little things.
MATT: Just more people to relate to!

Read the rest of the interview on cMusicWeb.com:
http://cMusicWeb.com/rock/sanctusreal/interview.shtml

Read more about Sanctus Real at cMusicWeb.com:
http://cMusicWeb.com/rock/sanctusreal


AVAILABLE TUESDAY, APRIL 8 (at cMusicWeb.com or your local music store)

24: THE BEST OF POINT OF GRACE
If you thought Avalon had lots of hits, think again. Sparrow is marketing
PoG as the only group in music history to get 24 #1 hits, and to prove it,
they're only giving you two discs of cheesey Christian pop only your mom
would like to listen to.

ACCESS:D: LIVE WORSHIP IN THE KEY OF D - DELIRIOUS?
Delirious? does not stop releasing music to keep the fans happy. Case in
point: the two-disc, 26-track collection of live concert recordings from all
over the world, including at least one song from every single album they
have recorded, and showing their ability to worship while rockin' nonstop,
from "Bliss" to "Deeper" to the souped-up "Happy Song." This amazing live
collection is definitely the PICK OF THE WEEK.

ADORATION: THE WORSHIP ALBUM - NEWSBOYS
The Newsboys, under production supervision of Steve Taylor, contribute some
new worship songs, as well as offering a few re-makes of classics such as
"You Are My King (Amazing Love)." Don't expect to find the usual quirky
lyrics and flat-out rock tracks on this one, tho.

EVERYONE (self-titled)
Jeff Searles, who has been leading worship around the world for years, is
joined by a member of the Burn Service band to form Brit-rock flavored band
Everyone, the latest signee to delirious?'s Furious? Records. Look for
worshipful lyrics as well as enough electric guitars to keep Everyone happy.

GOTTA SERVE SOMEBODY: THE GOSPEL SONGS OF BOB DYLAN - VARIOUS
Remebering the brief years that Bob Dylan was in Christian music, Integrity
music releases a collection of some of Gospel's favorite artists covering
Dylan's music. You'll find names like Shirley Ceasar, Dottie Peoples, Aaron
Neville, and more.

OUT OF KNOWHERE - PROPOGANDA
One of the many Tunnel Rats out there, Propoganda now has his own solo
album, with many guests, including most of the TR'z as well as others.
making it a great new release for all Christian hip-hop and TR fans.

PEACE OF MIND (self-titled)
If you thought KJ-52 was only just trying to imitate Eminem, think again. KJ
teams up with big time artist-producers Todd Collins and Pete Stewart for a
hardcore rap album that will not be soon forgotten. KJ does his usual style
rappin' with a full backup of walls of guitars, drums, and enough scratchin'
to keep you hip-hop fanatics happy.

PICKING UP THE PIECES - SEVENTH DAY SLUMBER
After going at it in the indie circuit for a while, rock band Seventh Day
Slumber has been signed to Crowne Records, and their debut is a worthy rock
effort for any fan of Christian rock.


Thanks for reading this week's cMusicMail, and we'll be back next week with
even more great content. If you have any comments or questions, please reply
to this e-mail or send them to webmaster@.... We'd love to hear
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Dan Ficker
http://cMusicWeb.com/
a different approach to music
AOL IM - dMusicWeb