UnderOATH

When I caught news that I would be getting a one-on-one interview with Chris Dudley, the keyboardist of Christian Metalcore band UnderOATH, it was difficult holding back the excitement. UnderOATH, hailing from Tampa, Florida, is considered on the forefront of not only the hardcore genre but in all of Christian music. I had to force my way around a line that stretched all the way around the Masquerade to be welcomed onto the tour bus by Chris himself. We made our way to the lounge room in the back that was packed to the gills with CD’s, backpacks, video games, and laptops to conduct the exclusive interview.

TST: So Chris, how long have you been playing piano, keyboards, synthesizer, etc.?

CD: About eleven years, I’d say. Most of it in the band too.

TST: When you joined UnderOATH as their keyboardist, the use of keys in hardcore music wasn’t very prevalent. What were your main influences from the start?

CD:  Well when I joined the band, our sound was a lot different than it is today. I drew from a lot of European black metal bands like “Cradle of Filth” and “Crimson Moonlight” – bands with a sort of orchestral element to them. And, I wouldn’t call them “influences” per say, but since the band sounded like those bands, it was a natural fit for me to model my playing after the bands too. But as UnderOATH has changed its sound, I’ve also drawn to other hardware like synthesizers and using sampling to bring out that change.

TST:  Dallas Taylor used to be your front man when UnderOATH’s sound was very heavy. How has the addition of new singer Spencer Chamberlain re-shaped your sound?

CD:  Our sound has changed a ton, but not in a way that is very prevalent or noticeable. Not many people know that after “The Changing of Times” EP, Dallas and the band immediately began recording demos. The problem was that Dallas wanted to go in another direction with the music than the rest of us. The demos were SUPER poppy with a lot of emphasis on chorus and the like. After Dallas left the band and Spencer came on board, we let him listen to the tapes. Spencer wasn’t pleased with the “anyrock” sound that the demos were, so we decided to scrap pretty much everything from those sessions and start from scratch. Spence really incorporated some of his favorite bands like Nine Inch Nails and Dillinger Escape Plan into what would become “They’re Only Chasing Safety”. So I guess looking from the outside, the transition in “Times” to “Safety” seems minute, but if you really know what was going on between the two albums, you would know that our style had changed quite a bit.

TST: “They’re Only Chasing Safety” was UnderOATH’s  album which really got people listening to you guys, but “Define the Great Line” was a breakout hit, peaking at number 2 on the Billboard 200 and is the bestselling Christian record since 1997. What was it like going from releasing a few small EP’s to just blowing up and going on national tours?

CD:  For me it was really weird. You know we were a band long before those albums came out. When Safety came out we were on Warped Tour playing a small stage with maybe 20 or 30 people coming out in the hot sun to come see us play. After that came out, every day our crowd got progressively bigger. Eventually we would go out on stage, and I’d think to myself “Holy Crap! So many people are coming to watch our band!”  We did years and years of endless touring in just a van – getting paid just enough money for gas and food, sleeping where we could and whatnot. That kind of stuff is really important I think, and that aspect is really lacking in today’s music scene. A lot of people come up to me and ask how their bands can get to the level that UnderOATH has. All I can say is that if you are making music even half-expecting to make it big, then you might as well stop. If you aren’t doing it because you can’t NOT do it ,then you shouldn’t be doing it anyway because there are going to be times where you are going to want to quit because you aren’t achieving fame as quick as you thought. Back when we started there wasn’t Myspace or Facebook as a medium to get music to the people. We just had to play where we could in front of as many people as we could in bars and clubs until we made it where we are today.

TST: Speaking of Myspace and Facebook- these social networking sites have given rise to a sort of “DIY” way of marketing. At the same time, I’ve heard bands say that popularity on Myspace is “cheap fame”. What is your stance?

CD:  Well if you are looking at it from a fame standpoint, we don’t really care one way or the other. Plenty of people can get famous from a Youtube video or whatever, which is pretty funny (laughs). Again, I’m a little biased because we didn’t have that outlet in the beginning. I guess the way I see it is that if there is a band people can connect with, it doesn’t really matter how they get found. With Myspace and stuff, it has made the bands that were already around a lot more accessible, but at the same time a ton of bands are being made just because of how easy it is now. I remember when we started making music, I didn’t know anyone else that was in a band. We were kind of the kids that got made fun of in school because of the way we dressed and the music we listened to. Now-a-days, being in a band has become the cool thing to do. I mean I don’t know many people that don’t know anyone who isn’t in a band. But in the end if music is your passion and you love to do it, I say use any means necessary to connect with the fans!

TST: UnderOATH is a Christian band. As a Christian myself, I’m curious to know how you guys incorporate your faith in Christ in not only your music but your life in general.

CD: Well the thing is we ARE a Christian band. We aren’t one of those bands that say “Well, we are all Christians, and we just happened to be in a band”. The real reason why we do what we do and the reason why we go out on tour is because we feel that this is what God has put us on earth to do. We don’t really feel like we incorporate our faith into what we do, but more our faith is the reason we are here in the first place. Lyrically, whether it talks about God and Jesus or not, in that song, it will be written from a Christian perspective. And as far as playing live goes, we always make sure to take time to let kids know what we are about. But at the same time, if they don’t believe what we do, it’s totally fine. I mean there are going to be situations or places, like Christian festivals that we play, where our fans that don’t believe in God or Jesus might feel uncomfortable. I can relate to that because I didn’t become a Christian until I was fifteen. So we want kids to know that if you believe what we believe, awesome! But if not- that doesn’t mean we can’t talk about music or video games or whatever. I mean that is the biggest lesson Jesus taught was to treat people how you want to be treated and love everyone. It really isn’t our place to tell people whether they are going to Hell or not.

TST: So what is next for UnderOATH?

CD: Well right now we are writing stuff for the next album. It’s going to be really different. I’m super stoked!

The show was absolutely killer! Spencer Chamberlain’s brother’s band “To Speak of Wolves” got the crowd warmed up for “Emery’s” Christmas-themed set. UnderOATH brought the house down in only a way that such a big-time hardcore band could with hits like “Reinventing Your Exit” and “Writing on the Walls”. The mosh pits were in top form, and there were crowd surfers a-plenty.

If you didn’t get to catch such an awesome concert, UnderOATH fans, there is still another chance on Saturday, November 28th. They will be kicking off another leg of the tour along with fellow Christian bands “August Burns Red” at the Seven Venue in Douglasville.

To hear UnderOATH’s music and to learn more about the band check out the followingUnderOATH websites.

Facebook

Myspace Page

Official Website

Purevolume Page

Austin King, Junior Contributor

Danielle Davis, Concert Photographer

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