Vibes
Real quick – scroll down to the bottom of this post and check out the video. Don’t worry, I’ll wait. Ok, got it? Rocks right? You might even say that it’s a damn fine, hard rock song. And you might be a bit surprised that a Christian rock band has churned out such a bangin’ hit.
Meet Skillet. A Christian rock band like few others. With a rock opera sound, this group won’t be confused with the Christian bands of old. They actually fit right in with the Shinedowns and Evanescences of the world. According to lead singer John Cooper, this is by design. “We want to sing hard rock songs that actually lift somebody up. Just because a song has a hard rock sound, doesn’t mean it can’t be a positive influence on someone.” And when Skillet brings their Awake and Alive tour to the "Bo-Round" on Sunday, you’ll get the chance to hear just that. Uplifting songs with rock your socks off music.
In support of its new album, Awake continues where their Gold certified album Comatose leaves off. “Looking back at the title track, “Alive and Awake”, it’s really about from the time you are born you are bombarded with ideas and in today’s time fear. Every time you turn on the news there is so much destruction” says Cooper, “and our thought was that you can believe what others say, or make the decision to have your life mean something. Don’t go through life asleep.”
With songs like “Monster” and “Hero” the band has also accomplished something else. Crossover success on mainstream radio. “Monster” has been played in national ads from the WWE to the NFL and “Hero” was showcased by CBS during the NCAA tournament. “People usually don’t like playing Christian bands on mainstream radio” explains Cooper, “but when you have a song like “Monster” and another like “Hero”, people want to hear it. We really think we offer the best of both worlds.”
And with the company they keep on tour and at festivals, they do just that. “We can go on tour with a great Christian guy like TobyMac and then hit a festival that’s headlined by Godsmack, Shinedown and Papa Roach. Our sound allows us to have a lot of options.”
And in case you are wondering about the name Skillet, it wasn’t John’s idea. “I’ve never like the name. It started out as a joke. I was in another band back in ’96 and this guy from church mentioned that I should get together with three other guys from three separate bands and we should use pieces of our sound together. He said mix it together like in a big ‘ole skillet and he said we could even call ourselves that. It just kinda stuck. It was the ‘90s you know? How many terrible band names were there in the ‘90s. We were just one more. I never realized we’d make it.”
But made it they have. And on Sunday you can hit the night service and get your fill of the spirit and your faced rocked off all at once.
Skillet, with openers Red and The Letter Black at Bojangles Coliseum – Sunday 4/18 at 6:00.
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