Unleaded: Who all is in the band?
Matt: Pete (lead vocals/lead guitar); Zach (bass guitar); Lane (rhythm guitar); and yours truly on drums and background vocals
Unleaded: How did you guys get started?
Matt: We jammed one day after school in a small practice room in our school band room. We then decided to keep practicing every Sunday at Christ Church of Oak Brook (Pete and Zach's church). At first, it was just for fun. But when Pete wrote "Song For the Youth" (our first song), we knew it was serious.
Unleaded: What are your goals as a band?
Matt: (in my opinion) To have fun, and serve God. We would love to bring people to Him, but even if we can only just introduce others to Him and His Love, that's what it's all about.
Unleaded: What type of music do you play?
Matt: (once again, in my opinion) We play punk rock, but more than just 3 or 4 chord punk. We can get pretty deep into it, (I think we have a few 5 & 6 chord songs too!). Think of a punk rock band, influenced by some (by all means, not all) ska, hard rock, and other cool stuff like that. I don't really know what kind of music we play. I don't pay attention. But it's sounds cool. Isn't that all that matters?
Unleaded: What is your usual show like?
Matt: Lots-o-Fun. We seem to get our crowd into the music. Even if they don't like punk, they would like to see The Pechanios live. We always get the crowd into the show by interacting with them more than just saying "Hello insert city here". We will do this by any means necessary. Anywhere from jumping a lot on stage, to going out into the crowd during songs. Without fan participation/interaction, a show will be boring and will suck.
Unleaded: Any crazy or interesting show experiences?
Matt: We do this version of the song "Big House" by Audio Adrenaline. When we get to the chorus, we really get into it. There is this part where we do a little "rap" (just the chorus in different voices). We were at The Corral in LaGrange with Amanda's Fountain Drop and Engage, and had a pretty big crowd. Well during this song, we invited a few select people up on stage. Well this turned into that, and before we knew it, most of the crowd was up on stage. It was packed. But lots of fun.
Unleaded: You can pick any 5 bands to do a show with - which bands do you pick?
Matt: 1 - MxPx (because everyone would like us then); 2 - Switchfoot; 3 - Squad Five-0; 4 - Led Zeppelin; 5 - Every Person's Dream
Unleaded: What are your influences, both musically and lyrically?
Matt: Musically: Led Zeppelin (who didn't they influence?). Petra, Mylon and Broken Heart and Stryper were the first 3 Christian Bands that I listened to, so I really give them a lot of credit for my christian music style. I think that Nirvana and Green Day influenced our generation a lot in terms of music style. Even if we don't like it, they do. But I also like a lot of jazz and blues stuff. Duke Ellington wrote some great stuff, but then again, so did Joey Sellers, the great trombonist. Lyrically, I get my songwriting style from bands such as MxPx and other punk bands. I say this because MxPx was the first Christian punk rock band I ever heard. And I write in their style. But I do like stuff from DC Talk. I really like them too. As well as Skillet, and a lot of other more modern rock Christian Bands. But of course, what list wouldn't be complete without Every Person's Dream.
Unleaded: If you could say one thing to the world, what would it be?
Matt: Drugs mess up lives. DON'T DO THEM! I've seen too many people go down that path. Friends and family. But if you are already so far down that path you can't tell the ground from your nose, turn to God. No matter what the situation is, he can help. If you need someone to talk to, talk to one of us (e-mail us), I'd be more than happy to talk to you.
Unleaded: How can people contact you guys?
Matt: The Online Home of The Pechanios: http://listen.to/pechanios or e-mail us at [email protected]