One Eighty

Tell me about who is in the band. I am Josh the trombonist. I live in the San Diego area. We also have Chris, our rhythm guitarist, who is also the leader of the band. He lives in Oceanside with his wife Kim, who is the lead singer of the band, and plays trumpet as well. Then we have Madelyn, the second lead singer, who lives in Orange County. Jerry our lead guitarist lives in OC also. Jay our drummer lives in OC as well, and so does our saxophonist John, and so does our bassist, Dave.

How did the band get started? The band was started three years ago at Southern California College (soon to be Van Guard University). Kim and Chris used to go to Calvary Chapel Cypress, and so did Jerry. We had a different bassist then. John and I are the newest members, with me as the newest--I have been in the band about 11 months now.

What is your goal as a band? Our goal as a band is to bring glory to Jesus Christ, encourage the brethren, and bring in God's chosen people by the many ways God may use us.

What style do you play? We are a mixture of ska, swing, surf, and punk, and we have blending harmonies in the female vocals. We have been compared with the Dance Hall Crashers.

What is the music scene like in your area? The Orange County music scene is huge. There are always shows.

What bands influence your band? Dance Hall Crashers, Dakoda Motor Co., MxPx.

What kind of a ministry does the band have? We are a Christian band. Our lyrics are 90% evangelical, although they also deal with real life issues from a Christian perspective.

If you had the choice, which band would you tour with? I believe that we would love to tour with the Supertones. I personally would love to tour with Five Iron Frenzy or Slick Shoes.

Any interesting concert experiances or funny/weird stories? Sometimes our microphones love to make whale sounds.

What's the wackiest thing you've ever done in concert? At the end of "Tick Tock," there is a break before the ending. The girls live used to like to say "this is the part where we can control the boys." Well, before the guys and I talked about breaking into a different song, "Just Like You," our fastest one. As the girls were talking, and right after they said, "we control the boys," we started into "Just Like You," and they have never done that again since!

What would you say the best part of the show is? I enjoy reacting with the audience.

Do you ever play cover songs? Yes, as a matter of fact, we have one on our album. "Vacation" is by the Go-Go's. We are going to work on some more covers as well, at least for live shows.

Best and worst things about being in a band? Best: The friendships and the music and the fans, and the ministry. Worst: The frustration of realizing that you can't always get your own way.

Anything people should know about the band? Most of us love to debate theology with each other. A lot of us are deep readers and theologians.

What 5 cds do you think everybody needs to hear? This is my personal opinion: Five Iron Frenzy, "Our Newest Album Ever"; Five Iron Frenzy, "Quantity is Job 1; Slick Shoes, "Rusty"; Slick Shoes, "Burn Out"; and Five Iron Frenzy, "Upbeats and Beatdowns."

Do you have any cds,demos, etc., out? Yes, we just released our first album called "Crackerjack" on BEC Recordings. It is available on CD and cassette.

How can people contact you for merch and stuff? They can go through BEC Recordings at becrecordings.com or they can e-mail me at [email protected] or Chris at [email protected].

Any final comments? Thank you all for your support--it is a total blessing from God--we don't deserve this wonderful gift! I only pray that our album brings glory to His wonderful Name!