--------------------------------------------------------------------------- TLeM1.2.8 INDIE Perry and the Poor Boys Biography It's not very common for an "American band" to have a higher percentage of European members, and play European countries more often than in the U.S., but that's part of the uniqueness of Perry and the Poor Boys. In 1989 the band was made up of musicians from the Midwest, playing for numerous high-schools, youth groups and church activities including the 1989 LCMS National Gathering in Denver, Colorado-a bay event where over 15,000 young people attended. After successful touring in the mid-west, Perry Springman was still not satisfied with where the band was headed, feeling that there must be more to playing Christian music than just becoming popular, playing for "over- entertained" American youth, and trying to get a record deal. In February 1990 they accompanied a Christian ministry for a short tour of Sweden and St. Petersburg, Russia. At their first concert in Russia the band led over three hundred people to faith in Christ! This had a powerful effect on the group and they began to reevaluate their purpose as a band. "It was then that the Poor Boys were really formed," says Perry. Tracing his roots back to Lithuania, Perry has developed a heart for the people of Eastern Europe. East-Bloc countries had finally become open to the message of Christ and the band was eager to communicate. Working together with local churches and ministries the band toured Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania during the very turbulent years before these countries achieved independence. The Poor Boys were actually in Russia during the August 1991 attempted communist military coup! The day that marked the end of communist rule in Russia the band played a concert on Nevsky Prospect in St. Petersburg! The Poor Boys have kept an incredible schedule, playing continuously over the past four years in more than thirteen countries and on three continents. In August '93, the band amazed the organizers of the FLEVO Festival in Holland by becoming the number one group in music sales. About the Poor Boys Stef Loy: Stef, a pastor's son from Chicago, began playing the trumpet at the age of eight. "My dad could always count on me to do special music on Sundays" In October 1990, while studying at North Central Bible College in Minneapolis, he accepted an invitation to join the Poor Boys for a short tour in Estonia. "To simply leave school was against my academic judgment but I really believed in what they were doing. After those two weeks I saw the band's influence positively effecting lives for the better and I knew I wanted to stay and see where God would lead us." Stef has a lot of energy and is an extremely animated performer. With so much talent, Stef has little time for sleep but still manages to write, sing, and play guitar, bass, and accordion with the Poor Boys. His vocal harmonies with Perry have created a unique sound of warmth, depth and intensity that has become a trademark of the band. Magnus Sjolander: Magnus was living in his home town of Ornskoldsvik, Sweden, when he met the band. They soon discovered that there wasn't an instrument he couldn't pick up and play efficiently. The band he was in at the time had just signed with a major record company, but Magnus sensed in his spirit that he could use his talents in a more challenging way. "I wanted to play music for the right reasons," says Magnus, "not just to see how many people would rush up to the stage and dance to our music." He is an explosive drummer and an extremely talented songwriter. Magnus joined the band in July 1991. Boise "Tex" Hallbeck: Not owning a guitar of his own, Bo had to borrow one for his first concert with the band. "My beginnings in music were quite humble. My dad was a policeman and I used to be a punk rocker," quips Bo, "so it was inevitable that I would join a rock band some day." Originally from Stockholm, Bo was studying to be a pastor when he met Perry in February 1990. He joined the band a year later. "My first trip with the band to the [former] Soviet Union was a little nerve-wracking. It was in August 1991, during the military coup! ...I knew this band was different." Mattias Bylund: Mattias met the Poor Boys through Magnus. The two had played in the same band in Sweden. After earning a degree in economics, Mattias continued to study music and work with other local bands. However, he decided that he wanted to play in a band that would challenge him not only musically but also spiritually, and ended up joining the band in January of 1993. His phenomenal keyboard playing and harmonies are an integral part of the Poor Boys' music. Perry Springman: Canadian born, Perry was raised in a Jewish home and educated in Judaism yet still was not able to find peace in this faith. His interests in "religions of the world" finally led him to belief in Yeshua (Jesus) at the age of nineteen. "My family was very against my decision to follow Christ and so it was a tough time in my life. I'll never forget the youth group from a local church who just took me under their wing and cared for me." He graduated from The Lutheran Bible Institute of Seattle in 1982 and then accepted a youth director position at a church in San Diego, California where he served as youth and worship leader until 1988. "I felt that God was challenging me to pursue music as a ministry, so packed up my VW Bus and moved to Minneapolis. It seemed like a crazy thing to do at the time. I didn't know anyone in the music world and Minneapolis was very cold! (San Diego was not...) The rest, as they say is 'history.'" Perry and the Poor Boys believe that a concert should be more than watching and listening. "Music is the Ink, and the audience the paper. They should feel like a part of the music." Each song embraces their audience with prevalent, thoughtful lyrics about experience. Fun, personality, and participation are some of the key elements that make this dynamic group one of the most entertaining and exciting live bands today. Whether playing in front of five thousand people or "unplugged" in a smaller setting, the Poor Boys have a special way of connecting with their audience in a personal and memorable way. In May 1991, they recorded the _Poor is Better_ album in Tallinn, Estonia. Their latest, entitled _No Fear In Love_, was recorded in Sacramento, California and produced by Mike Roe of The 77's, and is now available on CD and cassette. This spring, Mike will be at the helm again as the Poor Boys return to the studio to record a follow up album. The musical style of the band has yet to be labeled. Alternative, pop, rock, Celtic, Europop and folk are styles that have been used to describe the music of the Poor Boys. The band certainly does not want to be categorized! They continually challenge each other to "dare-to-be-different," and with such an array of cultural, religious and musical influences, it's not hard to see why this band's music is so hard to "pin down." It is only within the last year that word has started to spread about Perry and the Poor Boys throughout the North American music scene. "They have chosen to tour in countries which most bands overlook. Their music needs to be heard by the North American population and their recognition here is long overdue," says their manager. "However, I am convinced that their cultural backgrounds and experiences are what keep them uniquely separate from the average North American Christian band. The Poor Boys have been to parts of the world that most of us will never see. These life experiences can be found woven throughout their music and whole outlook on what music ministry is all about." Perry and the Poor Boys have had huge success in opening for other Christian artists including Larry Norman, Darrell Mansfield, The 77's, The Altar Boys, and Randy Matthews and have shared the stage with artists such as Bryan Duncan, Guardian, Prayer Chain, Undercover and Over the Rhine. 1994 will be another busy year of touring places such as Sweden, Finland, Holland, Canada and the U.S. In July they will be playing at Sonfest in Vancouver, Canada sharing main stage with such artists as Michael W. Smith, D.C. Talk, Petra, Margaret Becker, Geoff Moore and White Heart. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matt. 5:3. "Too often our material riches keep us from seeing how poor we really are. It's spiritual poverty that disables us most and only God's riches can fill the void that we try and fill with things that money buys," says Perry. It is a goal of the Poor Boys to challenge other Christian bands to consider taking their music to "foreign" countries no matter what the price, in order to spread the Gospel in this way to those not so likely to hear it. Farewell to Juliet, an interview with Brett Hansen Q: How did you come up with the name "Farewell to Juliet?" BH: It's the title of a poem. The poem is almost nihilistic; its basic theme is that everything is temporary. Tragically, humans die. Even more tragically, according to the idea espoused in the poem, we are deluding ourselves when we attempt to assuage our sense of loss by saying that a person will "live on forever in out hearts and minds." The fact is, our hearts and minds will also die. the author is in agreement with Christianity in one major respect: All things that we can see, hear, touch, taste, and smell - and even our dreams - are temporary. While I certainly don't subscribe to the same fatalistic notion the author seems to embrace, he makes an impressive point about the bankruptcy of a life without the promise of eternity. At once he's wrong, and yet he's quite correct. Q: What are you most proud of about the album, "Echoes of Laughter?" BH: I think it's produced very well. Jeff (Elbel) poured his soul into this project, and the band really benefited from the combined experience of our producer/engineer Mark Rubel, and Jon Pines, our mixing engineer. I'm appreciative of the scope of the music; we certainly don't fit into any pre-ordained musical category. The band is a couple of years old, and I still stammer incoherently when asked the inevitable, "So what kind of music do you guys play?" While it's frustrating to be so short of words, I'm pleased that we can't point at a single band, or even a mixture of several, and say, "That's exactly what we sound like!" Additionally, regarding a particular part of the album, I'm especially pleased at the way "Adam's Chain" turned out. It was a hastily written, pieced together, unrehearsed song. I think we all had qualms about it before, and during, recording. The last part of the song--the emotional climax--was handed to me in the studio. And uncharacteristically, it went in one take. It's certainly not perfect, but I wouldn't change a thing because the emotion is for real. Q: Besides the band, what do you do with your life? BH: I'm a youth minister, a husband, a public policy buff, a news junkie, and an avid reader of anything from C.S. Lewis to George Will. Far more importantly, however, I'm a new father. My wife gave birth October 29th to our first: Justice Daniel Hansen. What do I think of my new "Daddy" status? Suffice to say that holding my own child is the most profound thing I can do. Q: Do you enjoy being on stage? BH: I enjoy being on stage. I enjoy music. I especially enjoy communicating the truth in a clear way. I hope we do that. I must say I feel quite uncomfortable with being placed on a pedestal by anyone. It's more than a little odd that in our society, a person can pick up an electric instrument and jump on stage with thoroughly mediocre talent and be the subject of some kind of instant adoration. I look back to how I looked up to the performers on the stage. The fact that they were on the stage and I wasn't seemed to implicitly suggest that I should envy them. Now that I'm in the other role, I want to go out of my way to make sure those who are listening understand how much they are appreciated. If anything, it's a humbling experience for me to perform. I try to take every possible opportunity before, during, and after a show to demonstrate a polite, humble, Christ-like character. I hope I'm at least partially successful at that. God knows I've got no reasons to be arrogant. Q: Do you guys have some kind of message that you want to convey in concert? How important to you is it that your belief system is communicated on stage? BH: It is very important to me that audience members understand that we are followers of Christ. To be frank, and I fear this could be construed as snobbery to some artist, I have better things to do with my time than provide good music for a crowd in a smoky bar. There's nothing wrong with it, but I have a pretty full agenda without it. What I want to do with our music is to establish some kind of friendly rapport with the listeners, and then let them know where these songs come from. Now that we have established some credibility strictly as artists, I feel even more open to saying what's on my mind from the stage. I know, some might be offended. But when are they going to hear about Christ if we are always fearing offending someone? As I have often said during our concerts, "If the truth offends you, you need to be offended." Again, I fear painting us as some self-righteous hypocrites who think they can push their beliefs off on others simply because they are rock musicians. But I fear a lot of things, and then I do what I think is right. I want to be real, and I want people to hear the truth. Dual-EP Disc: Seraph, _Silence_ and Urgent Cry, _Love^3_ (Big Toe) Seraph, _Silence_ These four songs generally have a 70's funk rock feel on the verses, with heavily distorted guitars, interesting rhythms, and a jazz organ. When it's time for solos, the style usually goes to straight metal. The chief musical drawback is the vocalist, who is not actually a singer. His voice is adequate for most of the material, which doesn't have a strong melodic line. On the occasions where he has to hold a note, the thinness of his voice becomes apparent. The music is good. The instruments are always busy, the bass moves around. The guitar solos are clean, fast metal. The lyrics are well-written, mostly free verse, which avoids the often trite sound of standard rhyming schemes. The first song, "Alone," is a picturesque portrayal of a Christian with a tendency to drift, an ocean between him and the Lord. In their attempt to have a despondent sound, they highlight the weak vocals. The title song, "Silence," is very heavy on distortion and 70's style hard rock. It's the reflection of someone dealing with anger and realizing that silence just allows the rift to deepen. The ending guitar solo is wild and distorted. "Wild Honey" is a funky piece about a man resisting a woman's sexual advances. It comes across as a haughty remonstrance, though it would be hard to fit a gentle rebuke to this music. I got a chuckle from the trombone solo at the end. "Fading Love" is a call from Jesus to return. It's a hard rock piece with a swing/blues intermission for the guitar and synthesized pipes to solo. It finishes with almost-speed-metal solos on guitar and synthesizer. Urgent Cry, _Love^3_ I got Urgent Cry's demo tape a few years ago and was quite impressed. I was surprised not to see them on a major label afterward, and was glad to be able to do this review to see what they're up to. It looks like they've made their sound more commercial. There are more simple rhyme schemes and pop harmonies, and their style is more consistently pop/rock/metal. Compare to REO Speedwagon, Whitecross, and maybe a little Rush. The vocalist is a singer, and sounds good in smooth melodic passages and surprisingly good in rougher metal sections. The choruses are catchy, simple rhymes, and the verses vary from simple to free and expressive. Again, the music is good. The solos are a little less outstanding than Seraph's, but still fill in the gaps as well as anyone in the mainstream market. "(Your Love Is) Foolish" is another call from Jesus to return. Jesus is frustrated by the Christian's priorities and warns, "don't take this lightly." Very REO Speedwagon in vocals, harmonies and style. "I Disappear" is the most like the "old" Urgent Cry. It starts as an introspective ballad and alternates ballad with slow hard rock anthem. It tells of all the places he's been, looking for everything, but it's when he stops looking that he receives a "revelation of who You are." As he draws closer to the Lord, he finds less of self: "I disappear." "Light of the World" starts with nice picked ballad-style guitar. The first verse sounds like a Whitecross ballad, then it moves into pop metal. This is a fairly standard "lead me, Lord" song. "Love To The Third Power" is Whitecross with a better singer and a not-as- outstanding guitarist. It talks about faith and martyrdom, but I failed to understand what they meant by "third power." --Roy Johnson ---------------------------------------------------------------------------