Anberlin
Saturday, September 19th
4:05PM - 4:50PM
Interview with Drummer Nathan Young
When you first sit behind your kit for a show, what is going through your mind? Or is there nothing going through your mind because some kind of automatic response takes over?
When I sit down I feel excitement, like I'm about to run a race. My heart is pounding, and when I'm up there, no matter what show it is, I want to give it my all. Sometimes, offstage stuff is pissing me off or I'm in a bad mood and emotional, but when I get on stage I set it all aside. It's important that we do the best we can for the fans. The fact that we can do this (make music) is ridiculous. With the economy and bad stuff going on, we're lucky that this is our job. We give it our all for however long the show goes.
When Anberlin switched labels two years ago from Tooth and Nail Records to Universal, was there executive influence to change your sound and approach, or did they want you to keep doing what you were doing?
The latter. When Universal approached us, they told us they weren't there to see potential, mold us, etc. They said, "We love your previous stuff, and want you for what you do." They didn't want us to go poppier, and said they had been looking for a band like ours for a long time. We never felt pressure to sound a certain way. Though there was a little pressure on our part, because we were now with a major label, so we wanted to make sure what we were doing was good. That self pressure may have gotten in the way a tiny bit, but the next record we'll be a little more relaxed and focused.
Tell us what it's like backstage at an Anberlin show:
It's usually just the six of us (five regular members plus a keyboard player on tour); we're tuning guitars, messing around, playing Metallica songs. We can all do our own thing, some of us on our computers, that kind of thing. Christian (frontman) is writing songs. Most of us are married, so we just hang out, maybe have a glass of wine.
Have you ever played Tempe before? If yes, what were your impressions and memories, and if no, what are you looking forward to?
Yes. We played the Marquee Theatre before. I love that venue. It was one of the best shows we've had. I love playing in Arizona, though it's a little dry compared to Florida.
"Feel Good Drag" is about lust and forbidden love; it elicits sin and the devil and straying from what's right. Is this something that you guys feel pretty regularly, the temptation to give into the trappings of the rock 'n roll lifestyle? If so, how do you make sense of it and deal with it?
