Thousand Foot Krutch

It’s been more than a decade since Thousand Foot Krutch first turned on their amps together and five years since they first inked a deal with Tooth & Nail. And in an industry and genre where the lights quickly go on and off for artist after artist, that’s quite a statement.

Yet their best days clearly lie ahead, with a rabid fan base and strong hardcore sound to bolster them for road ahead. We recently caught up with them to discuss what they think as they consider the future as well as the past - including their thoughts on their most recent album now that they have some perspective.

Soul-Audio: When you have an album that has been out for a year, what kind of legs does it have right now? Has your perspective on that set of songs changed at all?

Trevor: I think it feels more like a part of what we do. You know, you do a record and you’re really excited about it, but then I think having eight months or whatever it’s been, now they are a part of our set, a part of us. You can actually look back at the response and digest it, rather than being like, ‘Um, well, we’re excited and we hope others will be, too.’ And the live response to these songs have been great, as much as stuff that we’ve been playing for a long time, so that’s great, too. That’s inspiring for us as a live band.

Also, the label has been cool to give us room to do what we need to do. It definitely doesn’t feel like a lull. Sometimes after a year or so, you’re ready to make another record, but this record still has life to it. It’s still strong. At this point as an artist, it’s really up to the label as to how much is extended as far as singles go and that sort of thing. But they really believe in it and it seems like there’s some life left on it.

SA: When you look back artistically at the album? I just wondered because every artist says that each album they make is the best they’ve ever made. How do you look back now on the album?

Joel: I still feel the same way about it.

Steve: We haven’t really started looking forward to the next record yet, so it’s not probably until you start doing that. Otherwise, you feel the same way.

Trevor: Usually you recognize by this time if it’s a record that people will digest on the first listen or whether it’s something they will appreciate after spending a couple months with it. Some of the record seems that way where they are stoked to hear it and then there’s half the record that will take time to appreciate and get into. I think that’s cool.

You hope your record can be that way - that can meet both sides. You want stuff that is meaty in there and takes time to digest - not just understand, but enjoy. A lot of great records take time. Not saying that we’re one of the greats, but a lot of my favorite records are ones I didn’t like at first. So it’s fun to have that as a part of your record.

SA: How long have the four of you been playing together?

Steve: Three of us have been playing together and those two [Nick & Trevor] for ten. And then we have a new guitar player who has been with us for about a year and three months or so.

SA: Right before the last album?

All: Yeah.

SA: How did that chemistry go on the new album?

Trevor: It’s good. It’s really good. It’s good chemistry and he’s a good guy, a real personable guy. We just all gel well as guys for sure.

SA: Summer festival circuit? How many are you guys doing?

Steve: All but two.

Trevor: A lot.

SA: How many is that?

Joel: I’ve never actually counted.

Trevor: We have some of our own shows in between, too.

Steve: It’s something like 20, I think.

SA: Do you enjoy the festival atmosphere?

Trevor: It’s a blast. It’s nice outside, you get to hang out with bands you only see once a year. It’s really fun.

SA: Ever reach the point where you feel you’re constantly in the wheel?

Trevor: We usually have December and January to take some time off and then creative time happens all the time. Maybe that’s a luxury that some bands get - to have a month to just write or take care of that - but that always happens during other things. [Laughs]

SA: So creatively, that’s not an issue to find inspiration on the road?

Trevor: From a writing point of view, I think that’s a blessing that it hasn’t been something that we’ve struggled with. It’s a lot easier to focus and collect your thoughts when you can have peace and quiet, but you get used to it. You learn to work with it. We’re also perfectionists where you want to stand behind what you did, so with that attitude, you learn to do it wherever you are and whatever time of day it is.

SA: One of the things I wanted to ask about was about the band’s longevity. TFK has been together for over a decade now and I wanted to know what you think of your career arc. Or do you think about that?

Trevor: It depends. There are some bands that you watch their career that you look at it from an advantageous point of view - like they did this and that. But they also have great teams around them and that’s their fault line, thinking of how they can strategize to get the band here or there. So that’s hard to look at a band and think about those things.

For us, though, I spend a lot of time thinking about the band’s direction and next records. That’s obviously something to take very seriously - where you’re going to be and what’s going to be thought of this particular thing for the next couple years and what you want to say and what you’ve already said and the honesty and integrity of it all.

SA: When you envision later, where is the place you want to be or the mark you want to make?

Joel: Just to be able to keep doing this - even if it stayed exactly the same - is just awesome.

Trevor: We have great families, too, so that’s a real blessing. It’s a juggling situation, so if we can just keep doing what we’re doing, keep together, and keep our priorities straight… that’s success to us. It’s not the glitzy rock sort of thing, but our heart has been to make music for everyone, so that would be great to expand the awareness of the way that we do it.

In the next few years, you might see us get a general market partner who can do what they do over here and Tooth & Nail does what they do here. It’s in God’s hands but we’re definitely always working toward better ways to do it.

SA: Have you had those chances?

Trevor: Yeah, we’ve played a lot of shows over there. We’ve supported four singles in general market rock radio and everyone’s been awesome. I guess we don’t think of ourselves as a Christian band that started to preach to people. I think we’ve always had an outreach heart. There are a lot of bands that are called to encourage the church, too, and I think we love being a part of that when we can. But we’ve always felt called to make music for everyone and not just those who read the Bible.

SA: You mentioned the teams around others earlier, but what kind of community do you have around you?

Trevor: We have a great community around us. Sometimes if there’s a link missing in the chain, it can be frustrating for everyone. If something is operating at 50%, then it frustrates the rest of us trying to be at 100%. But everyone, music aside, their success is deserved by everyone. We have people behind the scenes working as hard as we are when we’re out there touring. A lot of bands don’t take the time they should to recognize those people, but we really are glad to have them behind us.

• www.thousandfootkrutch.com
• www.myspace.com/thousandfootkrutch

Does it Resonate with you?

Name (required)

Email (will not be published) (required)

URL