Please tell everyone your name, and what you do in the band. How long have you been with Sovereign Strength?
I’m Jesse. I play guitar in a band called Sovereign Strength. Me & couple friends started Sovereign Strength in early 2005, but we didn’t get serious til late 2007.
If someone hasn’t heard you guys before, how would you describe your sound?
Heavy Hardcore/Metal, a lot of passion in the lyrics and definitely a lot of aggression in the music aspect.
In a scene that is saturated, what do you feel like Sovereign Strength brings to the table that no one else does?
We love hanging out with the kids that come out to our shows, we’re more interested in making friends then fans. We care about these kids and we want Christ to show his love through us. We want to lose the “I’m better then you ’cause I’m on stage attitude” and I believe so many bands try to portray that.
Mediaskare is known to sign some pretty big bands; how does it feel to be on the same label as, say, the Ghost Inside and Bury Your Dead? And on that same note, is it hard being one of the only bands on the labe that professes a belief in Jesus Christ?
It feels awesome that the people who discovered amazing bands like TGI, ABRB & Betrayal are taking interest in us; it’s mind blowing haha. Plus Bury Your Dead was one of my favorite bands in high school so when I heard they were getting signed to Mediaskare with Matt Bruso on vocals I lost it haha And not at all, it’s another chance to minister and just love on the bands on the label and the people who work for the label. It’s another chance to be a light in a dark place and that’s what this band is about.
Tell us about your new album that is coming out this summer, and how the recording process went.
Its titled “The Prophecy” it comes out in stores & online July 19th. The recording process was a challenge because we were tour a lot when we needed to record it. We ran short on time so we recorded drums in one day right before we left on the “Spring Fling Tour” then we had a week to finish the record before we left on our “Young
Bloods” Headliner. It was really intense to record so quickly because of time but we multitasked so it wasn’t rushed and we had time to reflect on the record and fix things that we wanted to change.
You guys just got off the road with Creations and Stand Your Ground; how did you feel about your first headlining tour?
It was awesome! Creations, Saving Grace, The Burial & Stand Your Ground are amazing dudes and they made this tour so much fun. The shows were really cool and we definitely had no complaints. We are very blessed that we were able to take those bands out and we hope to hit the road with them again very soon!
Best/worst/funniest moments?
There was one night were we happened to stop at the same rest stop as Stand Your Ground, so some of us and some of the dudes in Saving Grace snuck up on their bus and started hitting & yelling into their bus and we hear a loud “Help” coming from inside, so we booked it back to our van and gave them so much crap the rest of the tour
haha. They try to deny that one of them said it but we have it on tape! Haha
(I can personally testify to this, by the way. Definitely one of the highlights on tour)
For anyone that doesn’t know, you guys will be playing Scream the Prayer this year. Did you ever think that this would be happening?
We are honestly so blessed to be on such an amazing tour and we definitely did not expect this. It just shows how much hard work and trusting the Lord will get you; He blesses us way more then we deserve and it’s crazy how much favor he shows us. STP is biggest tour we have ever done and we cant describe how excited we are to start this tour!
Being on the road can be hard, so it’s good to make sure that not only are you being spiritually fed, but you’re staying spiritually active and aware. What do you guys do to make sure you’re staying focused?
It’s usually pretty easy when your on Christian tours cause all the fellowship you have with the other bands is really uplifting & keeps us spiritually fed. On secular tours it’s harder ’cause you sometimes fall into these habits that take you away from God, so we keep up on the Word and have Bible study. It’s really cool when people from secular bands realize what we are doing and want to join us. I think Christian bands forget that sometimes we are suppose to be sharing the Gospel every chance we get all day everyday, not just the 25 minutes on stage. Also not only to kids at shows but bands and people on the streets which Christian bands forget or are lazy to do sometimes, including us. Everyone messes up and everyone gets lazy; sometimes it’s just a matter of changing bad habits.
We all know hardcore bands don’t listen to just hardcore especially on the road. What has been in constant rotation for you guys?
We listen to a lot of radio stuff haha. Our guitarist Nelson and bassist Davey listen to a lot of hip-hop like Waka Flocka & Kid Cudi. Our singer Jordan is a Taylor Swift guy, our drummer Derek literally likes everything haha. I am a huge Justin Bieber fan so I
definitely bump My World 2.0 in my headphones all the time haha
And lastly what is the one thing you want to get across to kids that to kids that listen to your music? And do you have any advice for bands that are getting ready to tour and go more full-time?
Thank you so much for giving us the time of day, we love you. Most importantly the God who created you loves you more then you can imagine, and if you give Him a real chance He will change your life. Do it for a purpose no matter what your purpose is, make sure this is what you love and just go for it and have as much fun as
possible. Touring has pros and cons but the pros outweigh the cons by a lot haha.