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Delirious? are a band that, quite frankly, need no introduction if you're at all into contemporary Christian rock music; they've been around for a decade or so, written a ton of songs that are standard-issue in churches the world over, and they were in Cobden, Ontario (of all places!) for a headlining show recently. I caught up with vocalist Martin Smith to discuss a wide range of things, and here now is what I salvaged - from an almost written-off-due-to-noise microcassette. Whose idea WAS it to have the press tent adjacent to a STAGE? Find me that person! Find him!
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sd: Is coming over here to North America comparable to the crowds back home in England, where Christian music isn't nearly as prevalent?
Martin: We always have a great time in Canada; we've been here three or four times now. The Canadians are different from the Americans, but the crowds [in general] are the same overall, so we'll have a good time tonight...We're actually in the studio right now. Even though we just had a new record, we're back in already; hopefully we'll have something out by December. It's certainly very exciting...
sd: Do you find being part of a band stretches or helps your relationship with the Lord?
Martin: I think it has, yeah. I was just saying today to one of the guys that after eleven years, we've had our moments with each other, but we're still really good friends, and I think we're really proud of that; it's a great achievement. We'll get on stage tonight, and it's real for us; it's not a job, so I'm excited about that. I think we've got a few more years; I think when we get on stage our lives truly do match up to what we've been singing about all this time.
sd: In the United Kingdom, from what I've read, you're not known as a 'Christian' band, you're known as a band, period, much like U2 aren't known as a Christian band. Is that what you aim for? Is that what you'd rather have going on over here and in the US, as opposed to touring the 'Christian' circuit? Do you get a chance to play secular tours in the States, or is it pretty much just the festival season?
Martin: The thing is, at the end of the day you do what you're invited to do, and at the moment that scene hasn't really opened up for us.
sd: But in the UK it has?
Martin: We're happy, and we'll play for anyone who wants us to play...if God decides to open that scene up, that'd be great, but we're content to do what God's put before us and hopefully be faithful in that and do it well. And tonight isn't any different a gig than Bon Jovi; it's all the same.
sd: Toby Mac was quoted recently as saying that he saw the need for a Christian-music community, whereas back in the mid-'90s he's on record as not being sure why it existed. What's your take? Should there be a distinction between Christian bands and non-Christian ones?
Martin: I just think there's need for both. I think there's a need for people to encourage Christian kids to walk with God, and be role models, and I mean, I'm a dad now, so I can see the value in that. And I think there need to be people to walk on the front lines, showing Jesus from a different point of view. One is not better than the other. If you're playing to Christians and God is reflecting it, then you're gonna influence people as much as you are out in the world.
sd: Do you think the Christian music subculture stands equal in terms of musical caliber now? Until a few years ago the biggest knock on it was that it was just subpar bands ripping off what they saw in the mainstream, and now there are innovators who are Christians, and it doesn't matter.
Martin: If you're talking about music, that's a totally different issue; a lot of it's rubbish, but as well, a lot of mainstream music is rubbish.
sd: Was this part of your dreams, to have a band like Delirious?
Martin: Definitely, yeah.
sd: Do you feel like you've accomplished the goals you had beginning the band?
Martin: Not half of them, no. *laughter*
sd: Where would you like to go?
Martin: I think we'd like to make better records than we've done before, and I think we wanna move, and see a few more miracles happen, you know, when we play; that'd be great.
sd: Are there things you think you could have done better, like, 'What were we thinking when we made that record?
Martin: All the time, because you never get it right all the time, do you, over eleven years?
sd: Is that what you're working towards, to writing a song and listening to it and saying, "We did it right"?
Martin: Well, there's a lot of what we've done that I think is fantastic, but there's also a lot that I don't really like anymore.
sd: There are songs you won't play anymore? *laughter*
Martin: Yeah. You've got to move on.
sd: Is there advice you have for young musicians starting out?
Martin: Make sure you play with your friends, because you're gonna spend a lot of time with each other, and if you don't get on, it's not gonna work very well. Also, going to church is very important to us. A lot of musicians just sort of turn their backs on the church and go off and become rock stars, and that's great for a period, but you can lose your points of reference. We lead [worship] once a month at our home church.
sd: What're you listening to on tour nowadays?
Martin: The new Radiohead album, the new Cardigans record. Listening to a lot of Sigur Ros and Flaming Lips. I like the new Toby Mac record a lot. I'm a big fan of Toby.
sd: Do you guys ever feel intimidated when a bunch of people invade your space with microphones?
Martin: I don't feel our space is invaded, actually.
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