The Rend Collective Experiment Interview

Hello Chris from The Rend Collective Experiment. How are you doing? How’s 2012 going so far?

We're doing pretty excellently right now - I'm in sunny California on a day off from the 30-something date Rock and Worship Roadshow with Mercy Me,Tenth Avenue North and Lecrae among others. We had some great album launch gigs at the start of the year, selling out in London and made it into the top 40 on Itunes on the week of our release. So yes, we've had a fantastic and exciting 2012 so far!

If people don’t know about The Rend Collective Experiment, how would you describe yourselves?

We're a Collective of diverse people trying to work out faith, life, God and community. We write honest, organic worship songs inspired by that journey together and aren't afraid to diverge from some of the conventions of the worship music industry.

How was the band formed & the name of the band created?

We have all known each other for over 10 years and got to know each other through a ministry for college students, called Rend, which our drummer Gareth started. It wasn't at all about music, but rather learning how to translate the faith that we learned in Youth group into our adult lives and working that out in community. The band began when the ministry eventually had run its course. We began recording the songs that had been birthed out of the movement and those songs became the basis for our first album.

What song would you say you are most well known for and why?

Probably "movements' and I think the reason for that is that the video for the song really captured the spirit of the collective:  a sense of joy, freedom and friendship. These things seemed to really resonate with people searching for authentic church. The song itself is fun and has a certain indie-pop appeal sonically, but is a serious song of commitment to Jesus in all circumstances.

If you had to pick your favourite track of your own, which would you pick?

Very dificult question: it's like picking your favourite child! Maybe "Build your Kingdom" from our new album as I love to see people connecting with the idea of furthering the gospel at all costs with such joy and abandon. It's always rewarding to see people really enjoying your music and every time we play this live, the atmosphere transforms in the room.

When did you first come to Christ?

I was 17 years old and was reading the bible alone in my room when I felt God speaking to me through the passage in Revelation which talks about God desiring the church to be either cold, or hot  but never lukewarm and I realised I needed to decide which I was going to be. 

What message do you want to give through your music?

I guess the underlying message of our ministry is about the idea of collective and family. We want to model the beauty of the church when we set ego aside and come together as a team rather than as a group of individuals. That's the reason why nearly all our songs are written collaboratively and we have two lead singers. We want to demonstrate an alternative to Christian celebrity culture and individualism.

Back to your roots, how did you all first come to music?

Most of us began in the church and then moved on to secular rock projects in our teens(heavier than you might imagine given our music now!).

Where do you find influences?

We all read widely and make the effort to listen to a broad spectrum of musical styles and approaches. I personally read as much poetry as I can and find that very helpful.

How do you write music, how does the process work?

We write nearly all our songs as a team. The process that sparks the song off is pretty specific to the individual who brings the "seed" idea though. Some of us start with melody, some with guitar parts and some with lyrics. There are no formulas!

Who would you love to perform with, past or present?

David Crowder. What he and his band did with worship music was incredibly fresh and really for a lot of years there was no-one doing anything like him. He's a hero!

What artists have you most loved sharing a stage with?

Well we had a great time on stage with both Chris Tomlin and Martin Smith. I think it's a tie!

What are you currently listening to on your mp3 player?

A combination of NEEDTOBREATHE, Bon Iver, Ram's Pocket Radio and Sleeping at Last.

God's Earth is a huge place, where have you most enjoyed visiting, what cultures have you embraced?

We think Norwegians are the coolest people on the face of the planet! we have never been anywhere where we have felt uglier or less fashionable-they set the bar so high! It's such a beautiful country as well and the festival we played was on the beach. Difficult to beat!

Best live performance you’ve played?

We loved our album launch in Belfast in January this year. There's nothing like a home crowd and we had Mike Pilavachi over to speak at the event which really made for an amazing and unique night.

What do you miss the most when you’re on the road touring?

Sausages! The UK is really in a class of its own when it comes to sausage production!!

How does it feel to be in a position to inspire so many people, including young people to turn their lives to Christ?

It's certainly a heavy responsibility. It is so important to try and live a life consistent with the words we sing and to honour the call God has placed on our lives.

If The Rend Collective Experiment was a Jelly Bean, what colour and flavour would you be and why?

Sausage flavour!

Some quick fire questions:

Tea or coffee? 

Coffee

Summer or winter? 

Winter

Superman or Batman? 

Batman

Mac or PC? 

Mac (obviously!)

Bread or Wine? 

Wine

Favourite passage from the Bible? 

The sermon on the mount (Matthew 5-7)

What’s coming up in the rest of 2012 and next on the agenda for The Rend Collective Experiment?

We are touring with Francis Chan, Tenth Avenue North and others on various US tours this year. We're looking forward to Soul Survivor/Momentum this summer and we're always busy writing new material...

This year we’re giving our interviewees the chance to choose a Christian track or hymn for our song of the week section. What would you like to select for us and why?

David Crowder Band , " O Praise Him. It changed the landscape of Christian worship music when it came out and it's still one of my favourite worship recordings.

And finally, how would you describe the love of God for all those people who are unsure of their direction and of course those already on their journey with Christ?

Hard to find a better picture of God's love than that of the father in the parable of the prodigal son. God's arms are always wide open to us no matter how far we wander and how much baggage we have or even, like the older son in the story, to those who have forgotten they are in need of grace and have gotten hard and cynical. There is grace enough to cover all of us.

Thanks Chris, have a blessed day!

Make sure to check out next week's song of the week for The Rend Collective Experiment's selection!