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INTERVIEWS:
BENJAMIN-
Interview with Benjamin Gaither and Scott Dieterle at GMA 1994 by Beth Blinn

?:	Let's start out by how you guys got started.
B:	We all went to the same school, Anderson University, except for the 
drummer.... We started doing churches in the area.
?:	Your parents give you a choice....
B:	I didn't have a choice being a Gaither, but I did have a choice. They 
really wanted me to get interested in other things, which I did. I was 
always into music. I was writing before I could talk. Things were going 
through my head. I'd get at the piano and try to peck out something that 
I heard in my head and wouldn't get it right so I'd hit my head. My mom 
said that they had to get this kid piano lessons before he kills 
himself. I had a band when I was in high school. I kind of gave it up 
for a while and went to college and met all those guys in college. It's 
funny, in high school, I was more interested in the music and that kept 
me going. When I got in college, the music, in and of itself, wasn't 
enough. I still feel that way. There's got to be something other than 
the music. I think that's why all the rockers are on drugs, because 
after so many concerts or whatever, the music itself isn't enough to 
keep you going. I felt like I had to enjoy and get into caring about 
what we were singing about.
?:	So, was it pretty much your idea to start the band?
S:	Kind of a collective thing. The way it started out was, we said, hey, 
let's do something for some school event. Benjy was like, "Hey, if we're 
going to do if for that, why don't we try and make it go a little 
longer." We were like, "That would be cool." We started from rock 
bottom.
?:	Tell me about the other people in the band.
B:	Two girls. Back-up singers. A guitar player, and a drummer. He [Scott] 
plays bass and I play guitar, keys, and sing.
?:	Do you do most of the writing?
B:	So far, me and my sister write. She writes a lot of lyrics. I write some 
of themÑnot a lot.
?:	What kind of stuff influenced you growing up?
S:	It was varied backgrounds. I wasn't originally a bass player. I started 
out playing piano (at least because my parents said I had to). From that 
I played saxophone, so I was into a lot of big band music. Then, as time 
went on, as I was introduced to more things I started pulling more of 
that in. Around Junior High, I started getting into the rock and pop. 
Friends influenced me to play the bass.
B:	It's interesting that you asked that about the different music styles. 
That's what I think is going to be our platform. This album is so 
eclectic. I think that's going to be a big advantage. We've had to fight 
for that when we were trying to get a record deal (all we did was send 
out our demos to people) everyone that called back was, "What are you 
going to do, what's your style? You have to have a target audience and 
get focused." I understood that, but I was just writing my songs. It's 
funny. Darrell at Star Song called me and he didn't want to make a 
judgment until he heard the concert. He came and saw our concert. 
Actually, the first time he called I told him I didn't think we were 
ready. I thought it would be better if I called him when I thought we 
were more ready. He came out and saw us. Our concert is really a roller 
coaster trip. That's what I learned from my dad. It's up and down and a 
lot of different styles. It's funny. We went in with that and it was 
hard for the record company because they didn't know how to market this. 
It was hard for the producers to tie together, and hard for the radio 
stations. Why do we want to do that? The main reason is, I think the 
Christian market has patterned themselves after the secular market and I 
think the secular market, how kids and adults are so divided, they play 
off that and put walls between kids and adults to a point where the kids 
don't understand the adults and the adults don't understand the kids and 
it's a wedge. I think music is 80% of their problems. Christians, I 
think that goes along with that, where performers say, "This is for the 
kids, you adults go get some coffee." So they get up and leave. That 
kind of thing, we need to keep the Body a body. Instead of having a 
device to break up kids and adults, say, "You adults, I want you to 
understand this kid stuff. Kids, I want you to understand this adults 
stuff." I understand it both because of what I grew up with, and I've 
always liked pop music. I guess, if there's anything we want to do it's 
that. That will be our platform. All I know is that it works live.
?:	....There are people that appreciate diversity...
B:	Those are my short-term goals. Once we break down those wallsÑget the 
parents and the kids on the same sideÑthen I think we can start healing 
some things in the Church. We can talk about changing the world and all 
that. I don't think the world's going to change unless we clean-up house 
at the church. I think once families come together and people start 
bringing prayer back into school and their homes, I think we bring our 
mission statement out of Ezekiel with the revelation of a beast that 
represented the spirit of God that could go anywhere. Instead of legs, 
it had wheels. The wheels represented the people of God. Wherever the 
spirit would go, the people would go. Once I think we get that, this 
generation is going to experience the spirit of God taking them places. 
That's a long-term goal.
?:	I think you've put a lot of thought into this.
B:	I guess I could have gone and had my dad put me on stage, but he didn't 
want it and I didn't want it either. I think I wanted to make sure I 
knew what I was doing. He let me have the reins for a while and I can 
only congratulate him for that.
?:	So they encouraged you to do other stuff, now they're behind you?
B:	Yeah.
?:	I think that's important. You've been playing, how did that come about?
S:	The first year it was a lot of family and friends in different areas 
that had churches and we got in that way. Then a couple people that came 
to those concerts wanted to bring us to their church. It slowly 
networked from there. We've moved from the churches to the youth 
conventions, to where this year we're going to be playing three 
festivals.
?:	How would you encapsulate the album, are you anxious about it?
B:	Anxious is a good word for it.
?:	How did you feel when you were going through the recording?
B:	Good. Bryan Lennox was one of our producers and he was great. One of the 
best things about Bryan Lennox was he understands the artist/producer 
relationship. He never crossed over. A lot of producers cross over and 
start making decisions for the artist. He really knew that line and let 
us be artists. I have ideas and we have ideas and he was good at taking 
those and making them work.
?:	So tell me some experiences that have meant a lot.
S:	We were going from South Carolina to Wisconsin and we were in a van 
trailer and it broke down, so we called them [concert promoter] and told 
them that we might be delayed. We tried to get a bus to pick us up and 
it took us to Northern Indiana and the bus broke down. We called them 
again. They knew everything that was going on. It turned out we broke 
down and couldn't get there that night. We made arrangements to play the 
next night at this church camp. It turned out that the next morning that 
the kids got up at 7:00 am (they didn't have to). They got up to pray 
for us so we would make it there. Among themselves, they took an 
offering to help pay for the extra transportation to get there. When we 
got there and found outÑthat was incredible for kids to do that. We got 
to sit in on their worship service before the concert. It was the best 
way to start out. And we saw how on fire and committed they were.
?:	Have you had a lot of trouble like that?
S:	We've had the transmission blow up. We've broke down a lot over the past 
three years. This year we had a flat, but that's the worst.
?:	Which festivals?
S:	Fishnet, AtlantaFest, and LambJam.

20/20 BLIND
INTERVIEW WITH MIKE MCNEELY OF 20/20 BLIND (not too new)

WHAT KIND OF MUSICAL BACKGROUNDS DID YOU HAVE?

The musical backgrounds in this band run the full spectrum.  Chris
(Drummer), Schon (Bassist), and Doug (guitar) all come from a cover tune
band background.  They have each been in different groups in the past
playing regular rock club circuits here in Houston.  Chris has also done
studio work in the past doing various styles of music.  After committing
his life to Christ, Doug began playing in a local band called Straightway. 
For Chris and Schon this band is the first band either of them were in
after committing their lives to Christ.  I'll let Wallace fill you in on his
diverse background.  I grew up playing guitar in various original rock
tune bands.  Most of them with Christian members.  Chris (Drummer) and
myself come from a really hard/heavy rock background starting with bands
like AC/DC, Boston, Bad Company, etc.. moving on to newer bands that we
feel are writing great stuff such as Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, King's
X, STP, etc.. So we tend to provide the heavy edge to what we write.  Schon
(bassist) comes from a pop rock background, bands like Bon Jovi, Stryper,
Van Halen, etc.  He brings a lot of vocal influence and melody to the music
we play.  Wallace (Lead Singer) comes from a vary diverse background.  He
enjoys listening to Contemporary Christian artists, country, Harry Connick
Jr. (is that how you spell it?), hip hop, even some classical music and
operas.  He brings a strong element of diversity to the band.  Finally Doug
(guitar) brings a lot of technical ability and influence to the band.  He
listens to a lot of contemporary jazz, rock, and blues artists.  I think he
owns every Stevie Ray Vaughn album made.

WHAT KIND OF MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO?

Oh, I guess I kind of answered this in the previous question somewhat.  We do
like to clarify our view on "listening"  We as artists basically do two
types of listening to music.  Active and recreational.  Most of us just
listen to whatever's on the local Christian radio station when we're just
kicking back and relaxing or having a party.  This is what we call
recreational listening.  As artists we are continually evaluating and
checking out what is dominating the rock and pop markets.  Right now we
feel that bands like Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, STP, King's X, Archangels,
Extreme, Smashing Pumpkins, Alice in Chains, Dream Theatre and such are
making great inroads into true original rock music.  Several of us (mostly
Chris, Wallace, and myself) enjoy listening to this music from an active
listening viewpoint and discover new venues in music to pursue as we listen
to this stuff.  We also like to point out that we in no way condone or
promote what most of these bands stand for, however, they're just like all
of us, in need of Salvation.

SO WHY ARE YOU DOING MUSIC?

Quite simply, it's in our blood.  We love it and can't think of anything
that we'd rather be doing.


THE BAND DOESN'T SEEM TO BE A FULL-TIME THING. WHY PURSUE IT?
WOULD YOU LIKE IT TO BECOME A FULL-TIME THING?

To answer both of these questions:  We intend on pursuing music careers
because we love to write, play, sing, and perform.  God has blessed us by
opening doors that may possibly lead to full time music through our record
company Intersound Entertainment.  We have a vision, a goal of playing for
a living and reflecting lives in submission to Christ while doing it.  We
really desire to be doing this full time, and hope to see that materialize.
 

HAVE YOU ALWAYS BEEN BASED NEAR HOUSTON?

20/20 Blind has always been a Houston based band.  I'm the only player that
comes from outside of Houston.  I was playing in the El Paso, Las Cruces
area before moving here.

ARE YOU TRYING TO MAKE IT FULL-TIME?

We are definitely trying to make it full time.  One thing we like to say is
that we try to live by Phillipians 4:6&7.  We have presented our request in
unity to the Father and have a peace that His timing holds what we need,
and if that's playing full time, it's going to happen.

IS THIS YOUR FIRST ALBUM, OR HAVE YOU DONE OTHERS?

This is our first true 10 song album.  The band has done demo's in the past
and have got some airplay with them, but this will be our first true
professional release.

ANY SPECIFIC LIFE EXPERIENCES THAT LEAD TO THE WRITING?

Most definitely.  One song we're writing now called "You Say You Know Me"
is about all the friends that we have from our pasts that continually still
call us up and say things like "I know you guys still want to go party and
scam the babes, lets party this weekend what do you say?" when that's a part
of our lives that we nailed to the cross.  The sad thing is that some of
these people can't accept that that's no longer who we are, they are convinced
that they still know us.  Wallace does an excellent job of taking
experiences like this and painting a poetic picture.  Another experience
that affects most of our writing lately is a traffic accident that Wallace,
Chris, and Schon were in last fall.  On the way home from a radio interview
at KSBJ a drunk driver hit them nearly head on.  Schon was nearly taken
from us.  He was in the hospital for about a month.  He now is only
gingerly walking with the aid of a cane.  When something like this happens
it really makes you sit back and look at life with a new perspective, and
we're finding that it's influencing the themes of the music and lyrics that
we're writing.

HOW DID YOU HOOK UP  WITH INTERSOUND?

We're friends with a guy named Charles Gates who has done artist rep work
for various labels.  He was securing a Heaven's Metal Video Magazine deal
with Intersound and began talking to them about the advantages of getting a
rock act on their label.  They were interested and asked him to find them
one.  He started talking with our Manager Charles Powell and they worked
out a meeting between Intersound and us.  We played a showcase show for
them here in Houston and they decided to take the risk.  Next thing we knew
is we were looking at contracts and negotiating a deal.  We give the credit
to God for opening those doors and using great people like Charles Gates.

WHO WAS INVOLVED WITH THE PROJECT?

We basically were operating on a small budget so the band pooled all our
money along with the contract budget and hired one guy that we knew would
get the job done:  Brian Garcia.  In my opinion he will be doing music in
the near future that will be redefining the Christian rock sound.  He's
worked with Galactic Cowboys and King's X along side Sam Taylor.  We were
also extremely fortunate to have the help of Joseph Mangiamelli as
assistant engineer.  The guy was there every step of the way and only got
paid with pats on the back and an occasional meal.  We recorded the
material at Fourth Creation Studios in Conroe, Texas owned by a friend of
our Manager, Kerry Wise.  Later after the recording part was done,
Intersound sent a rep to bless the whole thing and then we mastered it at
Digital Services here in Houston.  Basically it was seven guys the whole
way through with Brian at the helm.

WHERE ARE YOU  PLAYING NOW?

We'll be playing Joy Fest here in
Houston in June and Atlanta Fest sometime this summer.  We'll be getting
back into the clubs here in Houston in the next several months and start
polishing our show, but we don't have any dates set yet.  We're really
hoping to get the opening slot for the Newsboys who are coming to the
Astrohall in August.  That would rock heavily!

WHAT IS A CONCERT WITH 20/20 BLIND LIKE?

We'd like to think that its incredibly intense but not uncomfortable.  We
have a fairly dynamic set moving between smash rock tunes to a couple of
acoustic tunes here and there.  One trend we notice wherever we play is
that the crowd gets wild but not out of control--a lot of dancing but not too
much violent moshing.  We want everyone to enjoy a 22B show, not just the
head bangers.  We try to get up close and personal, a lot of eye contact
with the crowd.  Other than that it's difficult to describe our show.  We
just have as much fun as is legally allowed doing what we love; rocking
heavily!

WHEN DID YOU BECOME CHRISTIAN? WHAT ABOUT THE OTHERS IN THE BAND?

I took the step of faith my Jr year in High School, which was longer ago
than I care to reveal.  A high school teacher explained to me the gospel and
I knew it to be true. My parents laid the ground work as a child.  I just
consciously made a choice to believe Jesus' claims and I began seeing the
spiritual ramifications in my life as I invested in my relationship with
the Father through Christ.  I don't know actual dates on the guys but I
know Chris grew up in a semi-spiritual household and knew the truth, but
committed himself a couple of years ago after meeting the guys in 22B who
had asked him to sit in at a show that the drummer couldn't make.  They
made an impact on him, shortly after that he ended up in the band.  Schon
was led to the Lord by his wife, I think about three years ago.  Doug took
the plunge about five years ago.  I'll let Wallace fill you in on his
salvation.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE MINISTRY OF THE BAND?

Ministry is such a subjective word full of different connotations for
different people.  Because of this we don't call ourselves a ministry. 
We're not preachers or evangelists.  Our outreach to people is two-fold. 
First a life submitted to Christ will make an impact on others just in
everyday life.  We live our faith every moment and that doesn't stop when
we get on stage to entertain a crowd.  We know that that will cause people
to think and evaluate and even search.  Second we do make a statement at
every show.  During the show we let the crowd know that sometime in their
life they will have to choose to follow anything and everything that the
world has to offer or Jesus Christ.  We have chosen Jesus.  This backs up
the lifestyle that we portray with a concrete marker.  We believe that
music is an escape for people and that for lives to change in that
experience, the truth has to be discovered by the individual such that
he/she doesn't feel threatened but enlightened to the truth.  The rest is
in the Lords hands. 

WHAT KIND OF MESSAGE IS ON YOUR HEART?

I think the number one thing that burns me up in society today is this
notion that teaching abstinence from sex is unrealistic.  I'm burdened by
the number of kids throwing a beautiful part of their future away and
piling on the serious baggage that goes along with sex outside of marriage. 
I, by the grace of God, was able to wait and live the benefits daily with an
undefiled heart and a wonderful relationship with my wife that doesn't pale
in the shadow of any previous relationships.  You can wait, make the choice
that you will wait, get some accountability and make a pact with the
Father.  People are scared to make a commitment with God on issues like
these because of the possibility of failure, but without it you're doomed
to fail, and as humans we might fail anyway, but I suspect you'll see
success and live to enjoy it.

WHAT KIND OF LESSONS HAS GOD BEEN TEACHING YOU LATELY?

God's been revealing to me that I need to pace myself spiritually rather
than indulge, living off the fat for a while before coming back for more. 
I'm realizing as I get older that He desires a day to day fellowship more
than He wants me to pursue spiritual experiences.  He's showing me that His
word is the ONLY infallible input I have in life.  I'm also realizing the
benefits of a Godly lifestyle in very practical ways.  I'm healthy and have
a wonderful relationship with my wife.  I don't walk around all stressed
out, rather I live day to day with the inner peace that someone a zillion
times smarter and more powerful than me is in control.

WHAT KIND OF SUPPORT/ADVISORY GROUP DO YOU HAVE?

Doing the band thing is taxing enough that we really don't have too many
other friends other than each other.  We are basically our own support
group.  We do, however, have our home churches that we're involved in.  We
live far enough apart (Houston is huge) that several of us attend different
churches.  Wallace's dad loves being involved in what we're doing and has
over the years offered some gold plated advice.  That has been a very
stabilizing mechanism in this band.

DO YOU HAVE ANY MAJOR SPIRITUAL INFLUENCES, SUCH AS WRITERS OR PASTORS?

Right now I'd have to say that no one individual is impacting my life.  I'm
getting into the writings of Hugh Ross a little, who is a Christian
scientist and astronomer.

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE BIBLE VERSE?

Phillipians 4:6&7 is definitely a concrete slab for me right now. 

IF YOU COULD RECORD AN ALBUM JUST FOR KICKS, WHAT WOULD IT BE LIKE?

It would be just about what we're doing right now.  I joined this band
because I saw a group of guys doing musically what I like.  About the only
thing I think I would have a blast doing outside of 22B would be something
really heavy and a little darker yet with a strong groove and Dale Thompson
would have to sing on it (What do you say Dale?).

20/20 Blind Follow-up with Wallace Chase
1: HOW DID GETTING A CONTRACT CHANGE THE WORKINGS OF THE 
BAND?

Hmmm... That's an odd question. To be honest the main difference we have 
encountered is the work load other than playing shows, for instance, money for 
advertising and the connections it takes to get proper  promotion is no longer 
our problem. The ability to have our product heard on radio through out the 
country  is probably the other big plus. 

There are a few things that have changed, not for the worse, but just in a
way that we are not  comfortable with nor accustomed too. One is that we are 
not in total control of the record, how it sounds,  what songs make it on, 
what songs make single releases, what the art looks like, etc.. So there are 
some pretty big changes between having a label and not unfortunately it's a 
give, give and take relationship at first and that takes patience and 
understanding to deal with.

2: HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOUR MINISTRY, AND HAS THAT NOW 
CHANGED?

First of all I need to point out 20/20 Blind is not a ministry. If our music 
touches some one GREAT! That's wonderful and we're glad that God has used us 
in that special way, but we don't now, or have we ever set out to evangelize 
or to make people saved, that's beyond our power. We're not even what most 
people call a "Christian Band," we actually shun that sort of box or label, if 
you will. I look at 20/20 Blind as a gift that God has given me to play with 
and enjoy, just me and four of my best friends who love to play music and have 
fun. It nothing more, nothing less. I always point out though, that every one 
in the band believes in God and follows the teachings that Jesus taught while 
on earth. I feel like it's imperative to make the choice to believe in Him as 
your King. I know this approach to music is not for every one and that we 
don't encourage bands to follow our example, it took a long time before we 
came to our united stance on the "ministry" issue and we learned through many 
rough experiences what God intended this band to be. 

3: WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR UNSIGNED BANDS?

Work, Work, Work, Work, Work, Work, Work, Work, Work, Work! There is NO 
substitute for Hard, Intense, Practice. Writing songs, Playing your 
instrument, Singing and Listening to music are all the main ingredients to 
becoming a pro, and if you call your self a Christian DON'T YOU DARE be a 
whimpy band! You are God's. What ever belongs to God should be better than 
what is the world's. There is No excuse to use the lame, old, stupid line that 
goes something like this ....."we're Christians and we don't sound as good as 
(some awesome band who's made it big time) or we have to sound like so and so 
(some incredible "secular" band) because there's not a Christian band that 
offers that style to the Christian people." That, my friends, is CRAP! Be 
creative! Use the talent GOD gave you. Remember that He is the only one who 
deserves any credit for any thing you do good, stay humble. God don't take it 
nice when you outshine Him! And look hard for answers, don't go by what some 
preacher tells you, read your Bible, check EVERYTHING out and find out for 
your self what is truth and what is right for you and your life and your band. 
It is the most important thing in life as well as in a band to make sure what 
your doing is in God's plan for you. Unfortunately there is no instructional 
guide to go about doing this so it usually takes a lot of time and talking to 
Him personally to figure all this out. Never give up. 

20/20 Blind Follow-up McNeely answers same questions as Chase
1: HOW DID GETTING A CONTRACT CHANGE THE WORKINGS OF THE BAND?

In areas like song writing and rehearsals, nothing really changed except
our excitement level.  It's exciting to know that our material will be
heard by more than just our friends and relatives.  Areas like how we do
business with others has begun to change.  We realize that we must develop
and maintain good relationships with others involved in the music world
infrastructure that we rely on for business, information, and feedback.
This keeps us on our toes with phone calls, email, snail, etc. with DJs,
song promoters, our publicist, our regional label reps, booking agents,
management, magazine editors (whom we have a particular affection for ;^),
and most importantly our fans.  There are also many new details to manage
like coordinating publishing agreements with the label, keeping track of
sales, and hiring a lawyer to review new contracts.  One last thing that I
thought of is that we have also become a little more intent on making time
as a band for getting into the word.  We realize that if we don't begin
good habits now, they aren't going to be popping up on their own as we get
busier.

2: HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOUR MINISTRY, AND HAS THAT NOW CHANGED?

We define our ministry by letting people know the following: We don't call
20/20 Blind a ministry.  We're not preachers or even evangelists with
respect to traditional connotations associated with these words.  We are a
group of Christians who are intent on allowing who we are as individuals in
Christ come through our music and our shows.  The aspect of ministry that
is a result of this approach is that seeds are planted in the hearts of men
and women.  We do love having the privileged opportunity of praying with
someone to receive Christ, but that does not happen as often as we would
like.  Thus, we trust the Holy Spirit to reap the seeds that he has allowed
us to sow.  We actually have not changed anything with respect to the way
we express Christ in us.  One thing that has changed is the awareness that
we have to be continually checking our lives out and making sure that those
who see us - see Christ and not a bunch of "Rock Star" Wannabees.  As the
visibility increases, we are determined to keep our walk in focus.

3: WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR UNSIGNED BANDS?

Personally, I would tell them to determine what it is that they want to
accomplish in life as individuals and as a band.  To survive you will have
to be a united entity.  If your desire is to witness to kids, don't think
that you have to be a signed act to accomplish this.  In reality, this can
hinder your opportunities.  Test your motives, If you do desire to see kids
lives changed, put the focus of what you do on that, and be the best
musicians that you can be.  If it's in God's will for you to get a deal,
you will.  If you know that you really just want to play music for a living
and maintain a pure witness for Christ, then don't pretend to be a Band
doing it for the purpose of ministry.  Pursue the business aspect of it
professionally and be sure to have a product that will sell to your target
audience; honor Christ in your efforts.  To sum it up, find out where God
wants you.  Don't be in too much of a hurry to get past that.  It is the
KEY to your future in music.   Once you know where you're supposed to be,
utilize integrity and persistence to get there.  Finally, if your lives as
individuals aren't focused on Christ, you won't find any satisfaction or
peace, even if you're the next Pearl Jam.


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