New rock band from Toledo, Ohio, SANCTUS REAL give their responses to the famed quizmaster.
Who's in the band?
There's me, Matt Hammit (guitar,
vocals), Chris Rohman (lead guitar), Steve Goodrum (bass) and Mark
Graalman (drums).
What's your favourite Sanctus Real song?
"Say It Loud".
I wrote the song after graduating high school in 1998 and we've
recorded it three times now because we really love it.
Who's your rock 'n' roll hero?
Steven Tyler of Aerosmith.
What was your response when you learnt that your 'Say It Loud'
album had become the best selling rock debut on Sparrow Records?
With Sparrow putting out such great rock bands as Switchfoot
and The Elms, it was a great honour for us.
Do you fancy trying extreme sports?
I wouldn't mind
giving motorcross a try.
We understand it was a talent contest run by a local classic rock
radio station which gave you your big break. What happened?
We heard about it and entered at the last minute. We came in number
one, then got a chance to play our first club show, followed by
several months of touring. So far we've played all over the country.
Anything you particularly want to do this year?
Get in
shape. That's the one thing I'd really like to do. I just struggle
with discipline.
You made independent albums before you got signed. Were they a help
in landing you a record deal?
Chris and I went to GMA week
in Nashville with our backpacks filled with copies of our last indie
CD. We passed them out to everyone we saw. A week later the phone
started ringing off the hook. Sparrow execs flew to Toledo, saw us
play and the rest is history.
What keeps you excited about touring?
People that
normally would not respond to our kind of music have found out about
us, come to our shows and had their eyes opened. Some have accepted
Christ.
What's the most important thing for the band?
Being real,
just as our name implies. Our songs talk about our real life
experiences and relationships, especially our relationship with God.
More than anything, we hope people will see how much we love God.