In this interview, I was able to catch up with Stayce Roberts, John Spittle, and Malcolm Paris of the U.S.
based band The Brave, to ask them a few questions about their album 'Evie’s Little Garden'.
(Jacob) It's so good to finally be having this interview with your band:
(Malcolm) Thank you for having us Jacob. We really appreciate you taking the time to talk with us today.
(John) Thanks for having us!!
(Stayce) It’s our pleasure Jacob!
(Jacob) So, can you give us some insight into what got you involved in the music industry and what is the ultimate purpose of the band?
(John) I got interested in music when I was 4 or 5 years old. My dad was a drummer and I’ve been surrounded by it my whole life. For me the purpose for this band is to make great music with a great message for people of all walks of life.
(Malcolm) All of us grew up with music in our blood. Stayce and I grew up together in Texas and we quickly found a common ground in playing music. We had decided early on, that’s what we wanted to do. We weren’t always doing Christian music, but the end goal has always been the same; share music with people that really speaks to them and meets them on their level. Music with an uplifting and positive message that people can relate to.
(Stayce) For me, it was never really a question of “if” I was going to do music, because it was there in the beginning – my mom used to play the greatest records when I was growing up, and when I first heard The Beatles; ELO; Creedence; The Eagles – I was hooked, and knew that at some point I’d figure out how to do this. Fortunately, the good Lord had instilled in both Malcolm and I the natural ability to play an instrument, and for me, the gift of songwriting was added to the mix, so I started writing as soon as I knew my first chord. Once Malcolm and I formed our first band, we very early decided we didn’t want to be a band without purpose, so we chose to write songs that would matter. That’s what led us to start singing about Christ.
(Jacob) Who was the founding member(s) and when did the band officially form?
(Malcolm) The founding members were Stayce, myself, Stayce’s brother Randy Roberts, James Salters, and Freddie Tierra. The band formed under a different name in 1988 I believe.
(Stayce) There were a couple of changes that led to The Brave. It was a situation where we only wanted the best of the best in our area, and we thought there was nothing wrong with having standards musically. All of the bands that we loved from the 60’s, 70’s & 80’s had several things in common – great singers, great guitar players, killer rhythm sections but, above all, great memorable songs. The die was cast, and we had to have it, so if someone wanted to play with us, they had to meet that criteria. That’s one of the things I love about playing with Malcolm and John – the talent has always been there, but the well runs deep with all of us in terms of what and how we play. Not a bad problem to have, haha.
(Jacob) Can you shed some light on where your band's name came from and what is the meaning behind it?
(Malcolm) The original band name was FAXX. When we were signed by Pakaderm records, they wanted to change the name. Randy came up with The Brave. The meaning had a lot to do with us playing the Hollywood club scene and preaching our message boldly to whoever would listen. We didn’t let the crazy Hollywood scene stand in our way of doing what we came to do, which was to introduce Jesus to the broken through our music.
(Stayce) Well, personally, I liked Faxx because it was what we were singing about – the facts. But the label thought it was too weak, so when The Brave popped up, it seemed like a good fit and now I love it. But Malcolm is right – we would go wherever they would let us play and we didn’t let the world seduce us into being something we weren’t. We were bold, unabashed lovers of Jesus, and still are. Our music is for everyone, and we still sing about the cross, the resurrection, but we also sing about everyday people and the things going on in their lives. We aren’t afraid of any subject – on Evie’s you’ll find songs about life, child abuse, demons, Christ, love and all other sorts of things that help us reach an audience that has kept our band alive for 3 decades.
(Jacob) What brand of instruments do you all use and why do you prefer that specific brand over another?
(Stayce) I’m an avid Ibanez and Fender Strat guy, but I also have just recently ordered a Les Paul. I have a nice Gretsch Hollow body that you can hear in the intro and outro of Lucid, some acoustics including my Martin that you’ll hear on the next record on a song called Eternal. I have multiple Ibanez guitars, but most everything I write is birthed on my Strat because it’s a tone monster. Solo wise, I favor my Ibanez guitars because they just sound so rock, but most rhythm parts will find me splitting stereo tracks with different amp and guitar settings just to fatten the tracks up a bit.
(Malcolm) I’ve used some different brands over the years, but had settled with Fender Jazz basses since the mid 90’s. They just have a great all-around sound and support so many different styles of music. I just recently picked up a Sire 5-string bass, which is a lot like the Jazz bass, and love it. But if Ibanez were to offer an endorsement deal, I wouldn’t bark at that. (Laughs)
(John) I’ve had endorsement deals with Ludwig Drums, Paiste Cymbals, and Innovative Percussion Drum Sticks for a long time now. I grew up playing those brands and hearing most of them on all of my favorite records. Just gives me the sounds that I’m looking for.
(Jacob) Do you all have any hobbies outside of music that help to rejuvenate or inspire creativity within your music?
(John) I’ve been fortunate to do music for a living and it’s a pretty sweet deal that I thank God for constantly. So, my main passion/hobby thing I get to do to clear my mind is also what I get to do as my job. I’m very fortunate in that respect. I don’t get very much down time lately, but when I do and need a break from music for a little bit, I like to jump on the Harley and escape for a few hours…..A little wind therapy does a mind good! Also, I love building old cars. Haven’t had much time for that recently but its another way for my mind to reset.
(Malcolm) I’ve been a faithful gym rat for many years. That’s one way that I can get away daily and just have some me time. I think daily exercise promotes creativity and keeps the juices flowing so to speak.
(Stayce) Music is it for me. I own my own company so it pays the bills, but 24 hours a day, music is going on in my head. That’s where 100% of our songs come from for me because I can’t turn it off. I suppose that’s a good thing, and I’m so thankful that I can put it all into the form of a song to see what we’re all going to contribute to it. I’ve never understood how certain songwriters get writers block, because, as Malcolm or John would tell you, that’s never happened to me. Hopefully, a label like Frontiers will sign us so I can focus on the writing because we could probably put out a double album twice a year if I had the time to do it…..haha.
(Jacob) Are there any artists that have played a part in influencing the members of your band along with your band's sound?
(Malcolm) For me, just about any rock band from the 70’s/80’s. Journey, Night Ranger, Styx, Boston, KISS, Bon Jovi, Loverboy, Aerosmith, Def Leppard, Iron Maiden, and Van Halen. Those were some of the bands who tapes I wore out back in the day.”
(John) Man, for me it’s a long, long list of all styles ranging from Led Zeppelin, to Tower of Power, to Country, to Kings X, Van Halen and all the 80's Rock Bands that Malcom listed. And anything and everything in between.
(Stayce) Yeah, all of the bands that Malcolm just listed were huge influences on us from the onset. Big vocals, screaming melodic guitars, and great songs made sense to us, so it’s what we wanted. I remember the first time Malcolm and I heard James Salters sing. He was in a local band that we weren’t really into, but when we heard him sing, we said – we have to get that dude in our band, so we did. Those first couple of years with James in the band were great, but we really didn’t start developing the sound you hear on Battle Cries until the young guns, Randy and Fred joined the band. We were signed about 18 months after that to Pakaderm, which is where all Christian Rock bands wanted to be at the time. We were one of the lucky ones, but it was those influences that put us into Pakaderm's sites to begin with. We didn’t need them to create our sound, because we already had it. In fact, Run to You & I’ve Always Wondered are songs we were playing 30 years ago before they signed us. Fortunately, they’ve now come out and are among fan favorites!
(Jacob) What is the biggest problem that you have had to overcome as a band?
(Malcolm) None so far with this particular line up. But previously I think just being 5 guys on the road trying to tolerate each other 24/7. (Laughs) Being in a band is very much like a marriage. 5 different people trying to do life together. It’s not perfect, but when you have an unconditional love for each, you can overcome almost anything.
(Stayce) Yeah, this lineup is the best its’ ever been. Everyone loves and respects each other and we do have warped senses of humor. When I send the guys a new song, they don’t have to worry about any input from me because they understand the nature of the songs, and the songs take on a new life after their respective talents are added. But being in 3 separate states is definitely the biggest obstacle. Add to that, John is also the drummer for Trace Adkins and is on the road a lot, so we work around that, but we make it work.
(John) I joined the band during the Trust Era after Randy left the drum kit and went to Vocals. We were only together a short time back in those days in that configuration but I always viewed these guys as my bros. We developed life long friendship during that time. We all went our different directions in life and live in different parts of the Country. But when it was time to record EVL and Stayce, Malcom, and I reconnected and it was like no time had passed. Recording of ELG was seamless and effortless in my opinion. We all just kind of picked up where we left off. It has been a great experience.
(Jacob) Can you go into some detail about the musical direction on your latest release 'Evie's Little Garden'?
(John) ELG has several different styles of songs on this record and yet they still tie together nicely and stay cohesive to The Brave sound. Stayce’s writing is amazing and versatile. I think it eliminates the risk of someone getting a Brave Album that sounds all the same and linear so to speak.
(Malcolm) With ELG, we wanted to give the fans a combination of what they heard on the previous albums and then some. On ELG, we have some 'Battle Cries' AOR stuff, some harder and bluesy 'Trust' type tunes, and some more modern rock 'Rise' type songs all rolled into one album. I think doing an album with different styles has its risks, but I believe it absolutely worked.”
(Stayce) I agree. As a fan, I always hating buying a CD for 2 to 3 songs; as a song writer, I won’t allow that to happen to us. I have a 2-step process before I move forward with a song: If my wife like’s it, I know it's solid – if the band likes it, we’re doing it. (laughs). I’m lucky in that I have enough musical intuition to know if I should flesh something out and develop it whether it's on keyboards or guitar. This album has a lot of different influences and styles, but it sounds like us, we can’t help that. I guess it is in our musical DNA. We wanted to challenge ourselves and inspire each other, hoping it might do the same for others. We also refuse to back down from who we are – we are a Christian Rock band made up of imperfect believers, end of story. This album held true to that.
(Jacob) Do you feel like you achieved what you set out to accomplish on your latest project?
(Malcolm) Oh absolutely! I believe this record has exceeded our expectations. When I first heard the scratch tracks, I was like ‘yeah this is pretty cool stuff.’ But when I heard the final mixes, I was absolutely blown away. I don’t believe there is one filler song on this record. This is one you can enjoy front to back with no skipping. Also, there are a lot of different topics and messages heard on the record. Not just a bunch of ‘yeah, you need Jesus man!’, which is fine, but these songs discuss real talk that people can relate to no matter who or what they believe in. It’s not overbearing, yet not sugar coated. It’s just real stuff that people need to hear today.
(John) Yes, very much so. I’m very proud of this project!
(Stayce) Well, it did, but we didn’t do it alone. The best moves we made were to recruit JR McNeely, who has been a friend of the band since the 'Battle Cries' days, and reuniting with John who played drums for the 'Trust' era of The Brave. JR brings a depth of massive musical footprints and a wealth of talent in mixing audio. He was responsible for so much that people don’t realize – from his work with Petra, The Brave, Guardian, Michael Sweet, and a slew of other bands like Anberlin, Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits/Grammy for that), John Elefante and a host of others. Just a wealth of talent and a great guy – he killed the mixes on this record, and we couldn’t be happier about working with him again. John brings a fire that we love, and I get so excited when he sends his drum tracks to me. Someone else I need to give high praise to is Brad Blackwood from Euphonics Mastering. The combination of Brad and JR is hard to beat. Finally, we have to give a shout out to Brave Fans everywhere. They have been so receptive across the globe for new Brave music.
(Jacob) What is your favorite song to perform, whether live or in studio, and why?
(Malcolm) We haven’t performed live in a long time, but my favorite song from ELG to play is "Elevate Me". It’s got such a mean groove, which obviously any bass player is going to love.
(Stayce) For me, when and if a label picks us up and supports a tour(hint, hint), I would love to play "Creep". It’s a big arena rocker that would just destroy!
(John) That's a tough one because all of it has been a blast! As Malcom said we haven’t performed anything off this record yet. But "I've Always Wondered" is probably one of my favs. But just when I think that I remember "Creep". And then it moves to the next and so on.
(Jacob) Were there any special or funny moments during the recording process of the album?
(John) This whole ELG record has been a blast to record. These guys are fun and have great senses of humor. We cut up and joke around probably more than we should. But hey, we have a lot of time we are making up for…. The special moments for me is simple…. I get to make great music with a great message with these guys again.
(Malcolm) For me, the entire process was very special. And of course, working with these guys, who have a warped sense of humor, you are going to have a lot of funny moments. Making the videos was a lot of fun. That is something that we haven’t done before, so it was just really neat to get to do those.
(Stayce) All of it. Our video chats are a thing of hysterical moments. I loved when JR would send us mixes. His big gift is being able to understand your music before he mixes it. That was the best part for me. That, and hearing what the guys added to the songs. Also, letting my wife hear everything from beginning to end – she’s a great ear to lend when we are working on new material. Loved all of it and can’t wait to do it again.
(Jacob) At this time, are you planning to keep moving forward as a band and are there any plans for future projects in the works?
(Malcolm) Oh for sure! In fact, we are already in pre-production for the follow up to ELG.
(John) Yes absolutely! I’ve just cut the first drum track for the next record. And Stayce is writing like crazy.
(Stayce) (laughs) We currently have way too many killer songs to choose from, and the song "faucet" keeps leaking in my head. (laughs) No time to waste!!
(Jacob) Thank you for your time and thoughtful responses to each and every question. I am excited about your latest release and am looking forward to hearing more from the band in the future.
(Malcolm) Again, thank you so much for having us, Jacob. We certainly hope and pray that everyone who hears "Evie’s Little Garden" will be touched and blessed in some way. That is, and has always been, the main goal of what we do. And of course, we give God the glory that He has allowed us to continue to keep making music together. Thanks again bro!
(John) Thank you for having us!
(Stayce) Thanks so much Jacob! And thanks to the fans for listening! More to come!
Keep up with all things The Brave at http://www.thebravemusic.com
based band The Brave, to ask them a few questions about their album 'Evie’s Little Garden'.
(Jacob) It's so good to finally be having this interview with your band:
(Malcolm) Thank you for having us Jacob. We really appreciate you taking the time to talk with us today.
(John) Thanks for having us!!
(Stayce) It’s our pleasure Jacob!
(Jacob) So, can you give us some insight into what got you involved in the music industry and what is the ultimate purpose of the band?
(John) I got interested in music when I was 4 or 5 years old. My dad was a drummer and I’ve been surrounded by it my whole life. For me the purpose for this band is to make great music with a great message for people of all walks of life.
(Malcolm) All of us grew up with music in our blood. Stayce and I grew up together in Texas and we quickly found a common ground in playing music. We had decided early on, that’s what we wanted to do. We weren’t always doing Christian music, but the end goal has always been the same; share music with people that really speaks to them and meets them on their level. Music with an uplifting and positive message that people can relate to.
(Stayce) For me, it was never really a question of “if” I was going to do music, because it was there in the beginning – my mom used to play the greatest records when I was growing up, and when I first heard The Beatles; ELO; Creedence; The Eagles – I was hooked, and knew that at some point I’d figure out how to do this. Fortunately, the good Lord had instilled in both Malcolm and I the natural ability to play an instrument, and for me, the gift of songwriting was added to the mix, so I started writing as soon as I knew my first chord. Once Malcolm and I formed our first band, we very early decided we didn’t want to be a band without purpose, so we chose to write songs that would matter. That’s what led us to start singing about Christ.
(Jacob) Who was the founding member(s) and when did the band officially form?
(Malcolm) The founding members were Stayce, myself, Stayce’s brother Randy Roberts, James Salters, and Freddie Tierra. The band formed under a different name in 1988 I believe.
(Stayce) There were a couple of changes that led to The Brave. It was a situation where we only wanted the best of the best in our area, and we thought there was nothing wrong with having standards musically. All of the bands that we loved from the 60’s, 70’s & 80’s had several things in common – great singers, great guitar players, killer rhythm sections but, above all, great memorable songs. The die was cast, and we had to have it, so if someone wanted to play with us, they had to meet that criteria. That’s one of the things I love about playing with Malcolm and John – the talent has always been there, but the well runs deep with all of us in terms of what and how we play. Not a bad problem to have, haha.
(Jacob) Can you shed some light on where your band's name came from and what is the meaning behind it?
(Malcolm) The original band name was FAXX. When we were signed by Pakaderm records, they wanted to change the name. Randy came up with The Brave. The meaning had a lot to do with us playing the Hollywood club scene and preaching our message boldly to whoever would listen. We didn’t let the crazy Hollywood scene stand in our way of doing what we came to do, which was to introduce Jesus to the broken through our music.
(Stayce) Well, personally, I liked Faxx because it was what we were singing about – the facts. But the label thought it was too weak, so when The Brave popped up, it seemed like a good fit and now I love it. But Malcolm is right – we would go wherever they would let us play and we didn’t let the world seduce us into being something we weren’t. We were bold, unabashed lovers of Jesus, and still are. Our music is for everyone, and we still sing about the cross, the resurrection, but we also sing about everyday people and the things going on in their lives. We aren’t afraid of any subject – on Evie’s you’ll find songs about life, child abuse, demons, Christ, love and all other sorts of things that help us reach an audience that has kept our band alive for 3 decades.
(Jacob) What brand of instruments do you all use and why do you prefer that specific brand over another?
(Stayce) I’m an avid Ibanez and Fender Strat guy, but I also have just recently ordered a Les Paul. I have a nice Gretsch Hollow body that you can hear in the intro and outro of Lucid, some acoustics including my Martin that you’ll hear on the next record on a song called Eternal. I have multiple Ibanez guitars, but most everything I write is birthed on my Strat because it’s a tone monster. Solo wise, I favor my Ibanez guitars because they just sound so rock, but most rhythm parts will find me splitting stereo tracks with different amp and guitar settings just to fatten the tracks up a bit.
(Malcolm) I’ve used some different brands over the years, but had settled with Fender Jazz basses since the mid 90’s. They just have a great all-around sound and support so many different styles of music. I just recently picked up a Sire 5-string bass, which is a lot like the Jazz bass, and love it. But if Ibanez were to offer an endorsement deal, I wouldn’t bark at that. (Laughs)
(John) I’ve had endorsement deals with Ludwig Drums, Paiste Cymbals, and Innovative Percussion Drum Sticks for a long time now. I grew up playing those brands and hearing most of them on all of my favorite records. Just gives me the sounds that I’m looking for.
(Jacob) Do you all have any hobbies outside of music that help to rejuvenate or inspire creativity within your music?
(John) I’ve been fortunate to do music for a living and it’s a pretty sweet deal that I thank God for constantly. So, my main passion/hobby thing I get to do to clear my mind is also what I get to do as my job. I’m very fortunate in that respect. I don’t get very much down time lately, but when I do and need a break from music for a little bit, I like to jump on the Harley and escape for a few hours…..A little wind therapy does a mind good! Also, I love building old cars. Haven’t had much time for that recently but its another way for my mind to reset.
(Malcolm) I’ve been a faithful gym rat for many years. That’s one way that I can get away daily and just have some me time. I think daily exercise promotes creativity and keeps the juices flowing so to speak.
(Stayce) Music is it for me. I own my own company so it pays the bills, but 24 hours a day, music is going on in my head. That’s where 100% of our songs come from for me because I can’t turn it off. I suppose that’s a good thing, and I’m so thankful that I can put it all into the form of a song to see what we’re all going to contribute to it. I’ve never understood how certain songwriters get writers block, because, as Malcolm or John would tell you, that’s never happened to me. Hopefully, a label like Frontiers will sign us so I can focus on the writing because we could probably put out a double album twice a year if I had the time to do it…..haha.
(Jacob) Are there any artists that have played a part in influencing the members of your band along with your band's sound?
(Malcolm) For me, just about any rock band from the 70’s/80’s. Journey, Night Ranger, Styx, Boston, KISS, Bon Jovi, Loverboy, Aerosmith, Def Leppard, Iron Maiden, and Van Halen. Those were some of the bands who tapes I wore out back in the day.”
(John) Man, for me it’s a long, long list of all styles ranging from Led Zeppelin, to Tower of Power, to Country, to Kings X, Van Halen and all the 80's Rock Bands that Malcom listed. And anything and everything in between.
(Stayce) Yeah, all of the bands that Malcolm just listed were huge influences on us from the onset. Big vocals, screaming melodic guitars, and great songs made sense to us, so it’s what we wanted. I remember the first time Malcolm and I heard James Salters sing. He was in a local band that we weren’t really into, but when we heard him sing, we said – we have to get that dude in our band, so we did. Those first couple of years with James in the band were great, but we really didn’t start developing the sound you hear on Battle Cries until the young guns, Randy and Fred joined the band. We were signed about 18 months after that to Pakaderm, which is where all Christian Rock bands wanted to be at the time. We were one of the lucky ones, but it was those influences that put us into Pakaderm's sites to begin with. We didn’t need them to create our sound, because we already had it. In fact, Run to You & I’ve Always Wondered are songs we were playing 30 years ago before they signed us. Fortunately, they’ve now come out and are among fan favorites!
(Jacob) What is the biggest problem that you have had to overcome as a band?
(Malcolm) None so far with this particular line up. But previously I think just being 5 guys on the road trying to tolerate each other 24/7. (Laughs) Being in a band is very much like a marriage. 5 different people trying to do life together. It’s not perfect, but when you have an unconditional love for each, you can overcome almost anything.
(Stayce) Yeah, this lineup is the best its’ ever been. Everyone loves and respects each other and we do have warped senses of humor. When I send the guys a new song, they don’t have to worry about any input from me because they understand the nature of the songs, and the songs take on a new life after their respective talents are added. But being in 3 separate states is definitely the biggest obstacle. Add to that, John is also the drummer for Trace Adkins and is on the road a lot, so we work around that, but we make it work.
(John) I joined the band during the Trust Era after Randy left the drum kit and went to Vocals. We were only together a short time back in those days in that configuration but I always viewed these guys as my bros. We developed life long friendship during that time. We all went our different directions in life and live in different parts of the Country. But when it was time to record EVL and Stayce, Malcom, and I reconnected and it was like no time had passed. Recording of ELG was seamless and effortless in my opinion. We all just kind of picked up where we left off. It has been a great experience.
(Jacob) Can you go into some detail about the musical direction on your latest release 'Evie's Little Garden'?
(John) ELG has several different styles of songs on this record and yet they still tie together nicely and stay cohesive to The Brave sound. Stayce’s writing is amazing and versatile. I think it eliminates the risk of someone getting a Brave Album that sounds all the same and linear so to speak.
(Malcolm) With ELG, we wanted to give the fans a combination of what they heard on the previous albums and then some. On ELG, we have some 'Battle Cries' AOR stuff, some harder and bluesy 'Trust' type tunes, and some more modern rock 'Rise' type songs all rolled into one album. I think doing an album with different styles has its risks, but I believe it absolutely worked.”
(Stayce) I agree. As a fan, I always hating buying a CD for 2 to 3 songs; as a song writer, I won’t allow that to happen to us. I have a 2-step process before I move forward with a song: If my wife like’s it, I know it's solid – if the band likes it, we’re doing it. (laughs). I’m lucky in that I have enough musical intuition to know if I should flesh something out and develop it whether it's on keyboards or guitar. This album has a lot of different influences and styles, but it sounds like us, we can’t help that. I guess it is in our musical DNA. We wanted to challenge ourselves and inspire each other, hoping it might do the same for others. We also refuse to back down from who we are – we are a Christian Rock band made up of imperfect believers, end of story. This album held true to that.
(Jacob) Do you feel like you achieved what you set out to accomplish on your latest project?
(Malcolm) Oh absolutely! I believe this record has exceeded our expectations. When I first heard the scratch tracks, I was like ‘yeah this is pretty cool stuff.’ But when I heard the final mixes, I was absolutely blown away. I don’t believe there is one filler song on this record. This is one you can enjoy front to back with no skipping. Also, there are a lot of different topics and messages heard on the record. Not just a bunch of ‘yeah, you need Jesus man!’, which is fine, but these songs discuss real talk that people can relate to no matter who or what they believe in. It’s not overbearing, yet not sugar coated. It’s just real stuff that people need to hear today.
(John) Yes, very much so. I’m very proud of this project!
(Stayce) Well, it did, but we didn’t do it alone. The best moves we made were to recruit JR McNeely, who has been a friend of the band since the 'Battle Cries' days, and reuniting with John who played drums for the 'Trust' era of The Brave. JR brings a depth of massive musical footprints and a wealth of talent in mixing audio. He was responsible for so much that people don’t realize – from his work with Petra, The Brave, Guardian, Michael Sweet, and a slew of other bands like Anberlin, Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits/Grammy for that), John Elefante and a host of others. Just a wealth of talent and a great guy – he killed the mixes on this record, and we couldn’t be happier about working with him again. John brings a fire that we love, and I get so excited when he sends his drum tracks to me. Someone else I need to give high praise to is Brad Blackwood from Euphonics Mastering. The combination of Brad and JR is hard to beat. Finally, we have to give a shout out to Brave Fans everywhere. They have been so receptive across the globe for new Brave music.
(Jacob) What is your favorite song to perform, whether live or in studio, and why?
(Malcolm) We haven’t performed live in a long time, but my favorite song from ELG to play is "Elevate Me". It’s got such a mean groove, which obviously any bass player is going to love.
(Stayce) For me, when and if a label picks us up and supports a tour(hint, hint), I would love to play "Creep". It’s a big arena rocker that would just destroy!
(John) That's a tough one because all of it has been a blast! As Malcom said we haven’t performed anything off this record yet. But "I've Always Wondered" is probably one of my favs. But just when I think that I remember "Creep". And then it moves to the next and so on.
(Jacob) Were there any special or funny moments during the recording process of the album?
(John) This whole ELG record has been a blast to record. These guys are fun and have great senses of humor. We cut up and joke around probably more than we should. But hey, we have a lot of time we are making up for…. The special moments for me is simple…. I get to make great music with a great message with these guys again.
(Malcolm) For me, the entire process was very special. And of course, working with these guys, who have a warped sense of humor, you are going to have a lot of funny moments. Making the videos was a lot of fun. That is something that we haven’t done before, so it was just really neat to get to do those.
(Stayce) All of it. Our video chats are a thing of hysterical moments. I loved when JR would send us mixes. His big gift is being able to understand your music before he mixes it. That was the best part for me. That, and hearing what the guys added to the songs. Also, letting my wife hear everything from beginning to end – she’s a great ear to lend when we are working on new material. Loved all of it and can’t wait to do it again.
(Jacob) At this time, are you planning to keep moving forward as a band and are there any plans for future projects in the works?
(Malcolm) Oh for sure! In fact, we are already in pre-production for the follow up to ELG.
(John) Yes absolutely! I’ve just cut the first drum track for the next record. And Stayce is writing like crazy.
(Stayce) (laughs) We currently have way too many killer songs to choose from, and the song "faucet" keeps leaking in my head. (laughs) No time to waste!!
(Jacob) Thank you for your time and thoughtful responses to each and every question. I am excited about your latest release and am looking forward to hearing more from the band in the future.
(Malcolm) Again, thank you so much for having us, Jacob. We certainly hope and pray that everyone who hears "Evie’s Little Garden" will be touched and blessed in some way. That is, and has always been, the main goal of what we do. And of course, we give God the glory that He has allowed us to continue to keep making music together. Thanks again bro!
(John) Thank you for having us!
(Stayce) Thanks so much Jacob! And thanks to the fans for listening! More to come!
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