Relient K balances
trinity of punk, faith and fame
Joe Milicia
- May 14, 2005
CANTON, Ohio - It's tough to make out the references to God at a Relient K show, where the pop/punk band's heavily distorted guitar chords drown out singer Matt Thiessen's spiritual lyrics.
The audience won't hear Thiessen talk about Jesus between songs either. Relient K's style isn't to hit listeners over the head with religion, but the Christian message is there for those who are looking for it.
The boyish-looking Thiessen, who is so lanky he could be mistaken for a college basketball player, doesn't have any idea how many fans listen to the message. But it's enough for him to know that some do.
"That's probably the most satisfying thing about doing what we do is just the feedback from actually being a positive influence on somebody," Thiessen said. "It seems bigger than just selling records."
With their fourth album "Mmhmm" debuting at No. 15 on the Billboard Top 200 chart and a nationwide tour with Good Charlotte and Simple Plan, Relient K is doing its best to balance faith with the pressures of fame and CD sales.
"We're not your typical Christian band," drummer Dave Douglas said.
Take their new video for the single "Be My Escape" for example. It's a song about redemption, but the director's decision to include flashes of a framed photo of a girl had at least one fan asking in an Internet posting if the song was about God or the girl.
"The song is totally a spiritual song and it has nothing to do with the girl at all," Thiessen said as the band indulged in a pre-concert fix of icing-covered sugar cookies made by a fan. "I'm a little bummed. If I had to do it over again, I definitely wouldn't put that stuff in there. Because I didn't see that coming."
"I saw it coming," said guitarist Jon Schneck.
Thiessen: "Really? Why didn't you tell me? I thought it was going to be so subtle that who would care."
Douglas: "I didn't know it was a big deal."
Thiessen: "Yeah, we're getting some negative feedback."
But such intense scrutiny from fans perhaps is a testament to the core group of followers Relient K has built since Thiessen and guitarist Matt Hoopes, both 24, formed the band in 1997 as teenagers in northeast Ohio.
"He was class president. He was the cool guy who always did the funny jokes," Hoopes said of Thiessen, his pal since the second grade. "He's a really smart guy."
Taking its name from the Plymouth Reliant K car that Hoopes got teased for driving back then (they misspelled the name to avoid any lawsuits), Relient K got a demo deal with independent Christian label Gotee Records.
They've sold 2 million albums with Capitol Records stepping in to release "Mmhmm" in conjunction with Gotee, much to the band's surprise.
"We started this band and didn't think it would make it past high school," Hoopes said. "We just wanted to go and play shows."
Thiessen led the five-member band onstage at a recent show in his hometown, greeted by screams from a crowd of about 1,000, mostly schoolgirls. The young crowd sang each song word for word with Thiessen and used glowing cell phones, instead of lighters, to illuminate the concert hall during the somber "Let It All Out."
"It's Christian and I relate to it. Some days I need to have the message heard," said Mollie Moreland, 16, who added that there's too many bands with trashy lyrics. "I know if I listen to Relient K, I won't hear any of that."
Her friend, Liz Korns, 15, said Relient K is more hip and easier to relate to than other Christian bands.
"We're still just trying to do what we've always done," Hoopes said. "We're trying to offer people hope in a way that would not be judgmental or scare them away."
Thiessen writes all of Relient K's lyrics, a G-rated blend of wit and wisdom that examine forgiveness and the importance of faith.
"Never forget, there's life after death, and taxes; And forgiveness comes, then all of the rest is what passes away; Death and decay can't touch us now," Thiessen intones in "Life After Death & Taxes."
Relient K's music reflects the way Thiessen and the band live their lives - as Christians who don't try to smother people with their beliefs.
"The church turns itself off to a lot of people," Hoopes said. "If you don't hate gay people and vote for George W. Bush you can't be a Christian. We're trying to offer a different message."
Thiessen doesn't like the public's perception of Christians as uptight. Relient K could help change that.
"All we can do is be real," he said.