Feature by Alaina Schilling The first time I wrote a song that actually worked was when I was writing it about God.

Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous Features | Send mail to The Voice Relient K shares about life and the band Guards kneel in front to catch crowd-surfing fans who were causing the band frustration and technical difficulties. -Tess Chierici, photo. Screaming, dancing fans packed the Crystal Ballroom in Portland, Ore., where Relient K, a Christian punk band, was blasting music through enormous speakers. People crowd surfed and moshed. With sweat dripping and hair flying, the band members thrashed around the stage. They bore little resemblance to the four men who, a few hours earlier, had been sitting in a circle, their feet up on an old coffee table, munching salsa and chips as they discussed their personal lives and the band. Lead vocalist and guitarist Matthew Thiessen, 22; guitarist Matthew Hoopes, 21; and bass player Brian Pittman, 21; formed the Christian punk band while in high school. Hoopes, Thiessen and Pittman said their interest in music deepened when they lead worship for their church youth group. "The first time I wrote a song that actually worked was when I was writing it about God," Thiessen said. "It was cheesy punk rock, but through that, this whole thing got started." The drummer, David Douglas, 23, joined the band two years ago. Their friendship within the band helped them maintain their faith through high school. At that time, MXPX, another Christian punk band, became their inspiration. "Our goal was to have that sound but write about God more," Thiessen said. With this passion to improve, they formed Relient K. The men named the band after an infamous car Hoopes owned at the time. Even though they are college age, right now they are satisfied playing music. Douglas did attend Malone College for three-and-a-half years and has only a few credits left for a bachelor's degree in computer music technology and a minor in Bible. Hoopes also attended school for a year, and both want to finish. As they grow older and more well-known, their music is changing. Regarding their new CD coming out in March, Thiessen said, "We're getting older. We're 22 and writing about more serious things. Hopefully our fans will come with us." People of all ages listen to their music, ranging from 5-year-olds to 50-year-olds. As a band, they have enjoyed the traveling and deepening of relationships that touring brings. "It's good to get to be better friends with every- body...meeting new people and going to new places," Douglas said. Thiessen enjoys touring and not having a "real" job. "It accommodates my laziness," he said. Even as fans and tours grow, they said humility comes easily. "We realize we're not the coolest band out there, and we don't rock harder than everyone," Thiessen said. However, Thiessen struggles with having a good attitude even when his equipment isn't working properly. He is frustrated knowing kids pay money to hear Relient K, but the band's sound isn't always the best. Douglas agreed that their attitudes are a struggle. Fans expect the men to have their lively stage presence all the time, but sometimes the musicians just want to be mellow. While in the spotlight, the band members seek to be role models. "It helps to know that I'm part of something that's at least helping them out [with their faith]," Pittman said. Douglas agreed. "What we do is sometimes noticed, but we can't put ourselves in a position where we have to be perfect. No one is perfect," he said. Maintaining their walks with the Lord through reading their Bibles is important to the band. They said trying to read their Bibles every day is hard because playing takes a lot of time and getting alone is difficult. For devotions, Pittman enjoys his parallel Bible with the New King James version and the New International Version. "King James sometimes words things differently, but then I don't understand it. Then I can look [to the NIV]," he said. At the recent concert, Relient K tried to incorporate the Lord by discussing the hypocrisy that Christian high schoolers get tangled up in. A few Relient K songs showed that punk music can lead people into worship. However, the concert mainly seemed like a time to have fun, mosh and crowd surf. Color: black--Douglas, brown--Hoopes, extremes of blue--Thiessen, blues and blacks--Pittman Band: Stryper--Douglas, Jimmy Eats World--Hoopes and Pittman, Beach Boys--Thiessen Movie: Star Wars (all)--Douglas, Office Space--Hoopes and Pittman, Harold and Maude--Thiessen Bible Translation: NIV--Douglas, NIV/New Living--Hoopes, NIV--Thiessen, NIV and KJV--Pittman Scripture: 1 Timothy 4:12--Douglas, Isaiah 38-66 and 1 John--Hoopes, Luke 12:1-3--Thiessen, Romans 8--Pittman Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous Features | Top Of Page Send mail to The Voice| Journalism department website © 2002 The Voice. No part of this publication may be reproduced in written or electronic form without prior written consent from the journalism adviser of Multnomah Bible College. All rights reserved.