Give me a who’s-who of the band.
My name is Jeff and I’m the lead singer, Tucker is lead guitar and vocals, Joe plays guitar, Todd is keys and vocals, Kyle is drums, and we are operating with a fill in bassist at the moment… we have a good idea as to who will fill the spot permanently but it isn’t official yet!
What’s the back-story of the band. How did everybody meet.
We were all friends first. We know each other from playing in local bands. It was a situation where we’ve all kind of wanted to work with each other for a while now and when our previous projects dissolved it was finally able to happen. I had seen Tucker play and I even filled in for his old band on bass and I’ve always thought… I have to be in a band with this guy. Him and Kyle always played in bands together so it was like a packaged deal. They knew Joe and felt the same way about him… so immediately he came into the picture! I’ve known Todd for a good while and basically bugged him to come jam. From there he was just a fill in player and it grew into a full time thing… he was the perfect fit. We all get along amazingly well and share the same drive, goals, and vision for what we’re doing. Therefore, things fell into place quickly and we immediately went into the studio to start making the record last May (2008)… The band formed March 2008.
What’s the story behind the band’s name?
Funny story, The Record Kid has been my email address for years. I Would never have thought about using it as a band name. We were in the studio recording and throwing out ideas for band names and I jokingly said “The Record Kid” when I was checking my email. The guys and even the producer said “THATS IT” haha. I wasn’t stoked on it… but it grew on me. I feel like its an ambiguous name… which I wanted. So there’s no meaning in the name. It just works.
Christian band, Christians in a band, or other? Can you elaborate?
We’re Christians in a band. Sometimes I’ll say from the stage something really quick about it but I never want to cram it down people’s throats or like throw them off… they came to a show to hear music so we keep it that way. But we write positive music and I like to share with our listeners the reason why. That’s simply it.
How would you describe the band’s style of music?
I just say we’re a rock band. I think our influences will paint a better picture than any description I could give. Each song is pretty different which is something I really enjoy. I feel like we maintain a sound without being stuck writing the same song over and over. But I guess we can let everyone else decide that ha. It’s been cool though because we’ve had some people tell us they wouldn’t usually listen to our style of music… but they’re really into our band.
What are some of the band’s influences?
They range from Frank Sinatra to Foo Fighters. Todd got me into Coldplay recently, they are quickly becoming a really influential band for me! I can speak for our drummer and say he is really influenced by Aaron Gillespie. Collectively one of our all time favorite bands is Jimmy Eat World. I’d say they are the most influential to me as well. But there are many many more bands/players that have influenced us!
What are some of the band’s inspirations?
Life, Love, our Faith, our doubts! We are inspired by the world in which we live and the experiences we share with others in it. Musically… Jimmy Eat world, The Juliana Theory, Foo Fighters, Acceptance, Coldplay, Relient K and Third eye blind are just some of the bands that have made records that really inspired us. But again, there are honestly too many to list ha. I can say being a fan, listening to those records, and going to see our favorite bands live is one of the main inspirations for us!
Let us in on a stand-out moment where you just thought, “Thank you, God.”
Should each band member answer this? I can definitely send this to them and get them to answer it! Just in life? Not to be dramatic, but my mom surviving cancer in addition to a relapse… and my brother not dying from his past addictions. I also said that the day I finished school.
Fill us in on the direction that you believe God is taking you as a band.
We’re not sure honestly. Only time will tell. I feel like God is like that sometimes… he wont light up the entire path… but he will give enough light for you to see/take your next step. We know we want to pursue it full time this year though. So we’re literally just taking it a step at a time! Our goal is to be a positive voice in the world through our music, our actions… individually and as a band, and love people the way God loves us. We feel like pursuing this full time will free us up to really focus on doing just that!
Share your heart for a moment. Why do you do what you do?
Because we love music, we love creating it! And I think the previous answer will work for this question to!
What do you hope a listener comes away with after listening to your cd?
I hope it gives them something they can relate to… I hope they have fun listening to it and that they can really enjoy it. I want it to be something positive for them. I hope it is one of those records where you listen to it 5 years after you bought it and it brings back memories of that part in your life. I don’t know if it will be one of those records. but that would be really cool!
What were the best and worst venues you’ve played? And why?
The best I’d say is the vinyl or the masquerade in Atlanta. Great venues! The worst? Well, there are two that come to mind. We played this venue in Jacksonville, Florida once… there was a cage around the stage… not really sure what that was about. The other was a pizza place that had a venue upstairs… needless to say we had to carry our gear up a narrow flight of stairs.
What was the most encouraging and/or humbling thing(s) to happen at a live show?
A kid was telling me that our music had helped him deal with his addictions. He had just gotten out of rehab.
In what ways do you feel that the band has grown and matured since it’s formation?
We wrote and recorded the record in two different stages over the course of this past year. I feel like towards the second half we matured a lot musically, lyrically, and as people.
If you could say one thing to a young person struggling with purpose and direction in life, what would it be?
Don’t look to the world or society to measure/gauge your success. Money isn’t the most important thing in life. Do something you love and remember that your time here is limited… so make every second count. Think about the people you love… and the people who love you. Put those and other people before yourself.
Any hint on what the “big news” is? Assuming it’s not the March 31st release date…
It’s the release date! Just going to announce all the details.
Any last comments you would like to leave the readers with?
Thanks for taking the time out of your day to read this interview. We really appreciate it! We will have a new song from the record available free on purevolume and a front page feature the first week of February! Check out myspace.com/therecordkid soon for details. Much love, peace from the southeast. Jeff and The Record Kid.