SKILLET COOKS!
Quartet Rocks the River
On Sunday afternoon August 2nd, under the wide expanse of the Gateway Arch beside the Mississippi River, rock band Skillet took the stage. It wasn’t just the outside temperatures that were warm, Skillet burned white hot through their 40 minute set at the Rock the River Tour sponsored by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. The band’s energy was high. Using every inch of the stage and every tool at their disposal to entertain and inspire their audience, they used steam cannons and elevating platforms reminiscent of a KISS show. And the crowd loved it. But better than that are the bands songs which are relevant and powerful, probably the greatest reason for their strong following that continues grow after thirteen years.
So what’s it like to be a part of the Rock the River Tour? John Cooper, the bands spokesman/bassist/vocalist said, “Evangelism is my thing. I love evangelism. When I found out that we might be working with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association I asked if they had heard us. We’re a little loud for the typical Billy Graham event. But they said they were doing something more youthful and we said we’d love to do it. It’s great to be a part of something like this, so unifying that crosses denominational lines. It really does feel different than just doing another show. The only bummer is that this is the only tour stop we’re doing.” The mission of the Rock the River Tour is shared by John and the band. “Our songs, our concerts, what I say onstage, all of those things combined are designed to bring hope to the hopeless. To help people who are down and don’t feel like they have a lot to live for. I feel like we’re reaching out to more hurting people than we used to. Early on we reached out mostly to church people. Now it’s all people.”
John was asked what he hoped people would take away from Skillet’s performance and the event overall. “I hope that the Christians here see a band that steps up for the Lord and their faith and then they are inspired to do the same. I hope the unbeliever or non-Christian sees that Christians aren’t boring. I hope they enjoy the show and the music and maybe they’ll be drawn to Christ in the process. An event like this can be a bridge of understanding not only to unbelievers but to those in the church who might have issues with our music, how we look, etc. If it’s okay with Billy Graham and Franklin Graham then it must be alright.
Skillet formed in 1996. Skillet was only together for a month when they received interest from major Christian record label Forefront Records. In 1996 they released a self-titled debut ‘Skillet’. It was received well and they continued to write new material as they toured the US. Skillet recorded their follow-up album throughout 1997, entitled ‘Hey You! I Love Your Soul’ and was released in April 1998. John Cooper, the band’s frontman/bassist/vocalist, incorporated more keyboards on their second release, so his wife Korey was enlisted to play keyboards live in order to alleviate John's live performance duties and eventually became a permanent fixture in the band. Since that time, in the midst of numerous lineup changes, the band has released six albums. ‘Invincible’ and ‘Ardent Worship’ in 2000, their breakthrough release ‘Alien Youth’ in 2001, ‘Collide’ in 2003 and ‘Comatose’ in 2006 and ‘Comatose Comes Alive’ a cd/dvd set in 2008. 2003’s release, ‘Collide’ caught the attention of Lava Records, and in 2004 the rights to ‘Collide’ were bought by Lava Records, a division of Atlantic Records and the band continues to record on that label. Since their deal with Lava the band has charted four times in the top 40 Mainstream Rock chart and the Hot Christian Song chart. Their ninth release ‘Awake’ is due to be released August 25th and has already charted two pre-released singles on both of those charts.
So why is it that a band in existence for 13 years seems to be picking up momentum at this time in their career? “I think we’ve become more relevant.” says John Cooper. “I first noticed it around the time of the ‘Alien Youth’ release and tour. I attended a city wide youth event and some teens were pantomiming a drama to a song by Linkin Park. I was completely shocked. They weren’t a Christian band. But suddenly all these youth around me are responding and crying. Then it hit me, Linkin Park was being more relevant to these kids than we were. I had been writing songs to a smaller Christian audience who understood them. That’s the primary reason I began to write about issues teens were experiencing. Those issues came from conversations, letters and emails I received from kids who attended our shows and bought our albums. I’m amazed at how God has used that. We receive thousands of emails, MySpace messages and letters from kids and others who relate to our music.”
Skillet played two new songs from the ‘Awake’ release in their show, ‘Hero’ and ‘Monster’. If they are any indication of the rest of the album you can expect Skillet to remain among the top names in Christian music, if not in mainstream rock circles as well. John was asked about the new album and why they chose ‘Awake’ as the title. “I think the world is becoming a much darker place to live. Maybe I feel that way because I’m getting older, but I feel more fearful than I did last year. So I think the overall message of the album is that the church should wake up and not just face the world, but face them selves. Maybe there are some things in your life that are darker than you’ll admit. If we face those things together we’ll make more of a difference.”
As more Christian bands and artists like Flyleaf, Underoath and Family Force 5 break into the mainstream, I asked John how he viewed the Christian music industry and its future. “I think it’s very exciting! Back in ’96 we couldn’t get any airplay. Now we have parents in their 40’s and 50’s who grew up listening to rock and roll bringing their kids to our concerts. But I think the biggest challenge for Christian music as a whole is to raise up a generation of bands and artists who are clear about what their mission is.”
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