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Interview: GodCry
By: Dale Huffman

GodCry_PromoPicBrief History of GodCry–who makes up the band?
Back in September of 2008 Jeannette had just left a band and asked me to put a new one together. We had one show lined up and I thought it would be a good opportunity to look for new members. I can’t remember how many people we invited, but the only guy who showed up was this drummer. So we auditioned him the next week and after he played about 5 minutes Jeannette told me “you gotta get this guy to join”. Luckily for us he did, and Colin has been a rock in GC ever since. We met John Wilson at a concert where he ran sound for our original band. He looked like a guitar player LOL…so we talked a bit and got his number. When our original bass player left to pursue a ministry position at his church–I made one call and John joined up. David is the newest member and has been with us for almost a year. God has always provided when we needed someone, and this lineup in particular seems to have a unique chemistry about it.

Could you briefly describe the music-making process? Such as, who is the main song writer or is it a group effort? Also, what inspires your writing?
The music making process is a collaborative effort but it usually starts with an idea one of us have and then each person adds their part to it. It’s a process that has no ego–just a common goal to make a great song. Our songs are a reflection of our influences being meshed together. The musicians all have a hard rock/metal background, whereas Jeannette was a contemporary Christian/Gospel singer for many years. Lyrics are primarily written by Jeannette and myself. We embrace what everyone brings to the table, and that mindset has made writing pretty easy and a logical extension of who we are and what we want to say. As far as inspiration, we love people and want them to have hope. Each one of us has gone through struggles in our past that are part of who we are now. We have had struggles with alcohol, drugs, anger, sex, pornography–honestly just about anything the world will tell you will make you happy we have done. It didn’t make us happy, it made us miserable. Our relationships with Jesus broke us out of those chains. We want people to see what Jesus has done for each of us and how he saved us–and that everyone can have the same joy.

Is GodCry working on a new album? If so, could you give our readers a little update?
We are working on our new album called “Reborn”. We have recorded the tracks and now are in the production stage. We hope to have it to release as a whole this summer with our first new single dropping in the coming weeks. Our producer Kyle McCaskle was actually in GC for about a year before he moved back home to Louisiana. He is one talented guy and is handling all production and making sure the album is exactly what we want. The first mixes are sounding amazing and we are stoked about our new sound.

Talk about the songwriting process and what brought this record about?
Really the title says it all, the band was basically “reborn” during this album. We just started putting out songs in early 2012 that were personal to us and reflected things we had on our minds at the time. We wrote about renewal and redemption–we have all been redeemed and want others to know the joy we have through that. We also wrote about the misuse of God’s truth, and people who love Drama. We love everybody man–we of all people aren’t going to judge others people’s hearts–but those behaviors are cancers in the body of Christ and need to be identified and stomped out. There is one song about when Jeannette was a teenager and was abused by a family friend. Needless to say its extremely personal and we wrote the lyrics literally 4 years ago. One day we had this piece of music we were working on, and it just fit the song. We think its one of the most powerful songs we have ever done. All these songs and subjects taken together started to show a theme about starting new, coming out of your shell, dealing with past issues, etc. The title track was put together last and really was an observation of where we were at the end of the album. You could say this album became therapeutic for us.

CRSVerticalAdvert3_468x60With the new album, what kind of audience are you going for?
It always dangerous to target an audience because you are trying to please a group of people rather than being yourself. We find that approach doesn’t work for us really. We write songs from our souls and pour ourselves into them. We have so many things in our lives that we observe and write about and we just try to express our opinions as honestly as we can. We find that people respond to genuineness and honesty–we just focus on who we are and hope that others appreciate what comes out.

Have you had any record labels show any interest for the new cd ? If so, what kind of help/support would you hope to get from a label?
No not yet–but we would of course love to do this for a living so we would listen if they came calling. Honestly–who doesn’t play music and want to do it for a living? They are lying if they say they don’t–passion for your craft doesn’t allow you to be part time at it and like it. We practically wear ourselves out pursuing this, and maybe a label will take notice of that dedication someday. Its up to God really though, he will put you on whatever platform he wants you to be at. Its up to you to be ready to make the most of that opportunity.

What has been your biggest challenge as a band?
Its honestly very difficult to juggle “normal” life and being an independent musician. We all work full-time, squeeze in practice when we can, play out as much as we can in as many places as we can. There is the fun of being onstage, and then there is the reality of the tons of work to get shows and get your product out. Its so much harder than most people realize–there is a reason more bands break up than stay together. Its alot of blood, sweat, and tears–but if you have an intense passion you work hard at it–you sacrifice. You make it happen. Also–all musicians are feeling this economy. Festivals are drying up–places to play are harder to find, and being a self-funded band doesn’t allow room to mess up financially. It takes alot of attention to details and patience. But–when someone comes to you broken and in some small way you helped them find the joy and peace of Christ–even if you just made them curious about it–all that work is worth it. Its time to work harder.

How has your music effected your faith?
It has definitely strengthened us. Good music is an expression of your emotions and thoughts. It becomes an extension of who you are. By expressing yourself–even personal things that are hard to talk about–you gain strength. This album in particular was healing for us personally on alot of levels. You feel weight lifted off you when you are just who you are and reach a point where you aren’t scared to be accepted or denied. You just do what feels right. Its healing and brings you closer to understanding the peace that you find in Jesus–he wants the true self of each person. He knows what that is better than we do.

What’s the ultimate direction for your band? Are you seeking fame and fortune?
If we are seeking fame and fortune someone must have lied to us about that LOL….we love people and want to help as many people as we can. Music is just a crazy passion that we chose as our vehicle to do that. Ultimately, we hope God blesses us with the opportunity to reach more people. We just want to be ready for it when it happens.

Thank you very much for your time, GodCry. Any final words?
We are so excited anytime we get to meet new people and social media allows us a wonderful opportunity to do so. So if you would like to keep up with us please visit us on facebook, reverbnation, or twitter. New album out soon!! Thanks for having us.
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