Went to Thunderfest 2005 over the weekend and got a chance to interview Superchic[k] and BarlowGirl. Well, let me clarify. Courtney did the interview. I was the camera guy. And that video camera felt a whole lot like a fig leaf—the only thing standing between me and 6 girls in a room that couldn’t have been more than 4x6. Yeah. Intimidating. Thanks, Scott. Anyway they weren’t too tough on me.
It really was a great interview, and they opened up some about the real side of being on the road…of life. I always love hearing the story of a song, whether it’s a hymn or a headbanger or a ballad. There’s just something stirring about the often ugly mess that produces rich music. For me that’s true of a song whether it’s any good or not, and especially true for stuff that BarlowGirl and Superchick put out!
And of course we all felt like VIP’s when we took the stars’ bus over to the show and watched them rock the house!
When Superchick started playing something happened to the electronics that caused all their mics to blow. The event technicians worked frantically to get it re-patched so they could finish their set, but they really only got a couple of songs off. In a moment they went from being very rock star to very human as not only I but everyone felt the despair and frustration. Everyone was yelling “We love you!” and even started chanting for them and then for Jesus. I felt so bad for them and cheated out of some good music and mad at whoever was supposed to have made sure everything was wired and adequately powered . The worst part was that I heard them talking earlier about how they were saving their sound check until they took the stage because they would rather have it sound good for a half hour than risk something not getting reconfigured right. Ah! But all they really needed to get off was the one song they did: Hero. Wow. A clearly disheartened Tricia set it up like this:
Well I kind of feel the night is over before it's begun. But there's a reason for everything I guess. Thank you guys so much for being patient. And everything teaches us something if we let it, huh? By the way my name's Tricia. It's great to be here with you. It's beautiful here. Thank you for having us. Before we do this song if I can I’m gonna share a verse with you. This is Romans 12:1. “So then my friends, because of God’s great mercy to us, offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to His service, and pleasing to Him, this is the true worship that you should offer." And I wanna say to you guys something that seems simple but it’s just really been sinking in to me the last couple of years—that every day of our lives is a gift, and that every opportunity that we have is more than just…chance. And I believe that my life and your life, every one of you, has purpose, and that we’re here tonight for a purpose. And every day I think is full of choices that we have to make. And it gets confusing. And frustrating. But the most important choice that we have is the first one that we make every day when we wake up. We ask ourselves, ‘What am I gonna live for today?’ It’s really easy to live for ourselves. It’s our choice, and it’s the most important one that we can make, to decide that every morning when we wake up, we’re gonna say that no matter what happens today, even if most of our set gets taken up with technical difficulties, even if our plane is delayed, even if whatever happens, that I’m gonna choose to let my attitude be affected not by things around me, but I’m gonna let myself be guided by God. And I’m gonna let him use me everywhere I go as much as I can, because our choices affect more than just our lives. The decisions that you make and the way that you live your life today—it affects everyone around you. And you and I can choose to see that life is more than just what’s going on with us—there’s people around us and people that we know who are hurting and alone, and they need someone to reach out and love them. And it’s our opportunity to do what we’re commanded to do and to love people, because the choices that we make and the way that we treat people, and the way that we talk to them and the things that we say can change someone’s life forever. The choices that we make can make us heroes. This song is called Hero…
Hero (Red Pill Mix)
by Superchic[k]No one sits with him, he doesn't fit in
But we feel like we do when we make fun of him
Cause you want to belong do you go along?
Cause his pain is the price paid for you to belongIt's not like you hate him or want him to die
But maybe he goes home and thinks suicide
Or he comes back to school with a gun at his side
Any kindness from you might have saved his lifeHeroes are made when you make a choice
Chorus
You could be a hero, heroes do what's right
You could be a hero, you might save a life
You could be a hero, you could join the fight
For what's right for what's right for what's right
No one talks to her, she feels so alone
She's in too much pain to survive on her own
The hurt she can't handle overflows to a knife
She writes on her arm, wants to give up her lifeEach day she goes on is a day that she is brave
Fighting the lie that giving up is the way
Each moment of courage her own life she saves
When she throws the pills out a hero is madeHeroes are made when you make a choice
Chorus
You could be a hero, heroes do what's right
You could be a hero, you might save a life
You could be a hero, you could join the fight
For what's right for what's right for what's right
No one talks to him about how he lives
He thinks that the choices he makes are just his
Doesn't know he's a leader with the way he behaves
And others will follow the choices he's madeHe lives on the edge, he's old enough to decide
His brother who wants to be him is just nine
He can do what he wants because it's his right
The choices he makes change a nine year old's lifeHeroes are made when you make a choice
Chorus
You could be a heroHeroes do what's right
You could be a heroYou might save a life
You could be a hero, You could join the fight
For what's right for what's right for what's right
Little Mikey D. was the one in class
Who everyday got brutally harassed
This went on for years
Until he decided that never again would he shed another tear
So he walked through the door
Grabbed a .44
Out of his father's dresser drawer
And said I can't take life no more
And like that, life can be lost
But this ain't even about that
All of us just sat back
And watched it happen
Thinkin' it's not my responsibility to solve a problem that isn't about me
This is our problem
This is just one of the daily scenarios which we choose to close our eyes
Instead of doing the right thing
If we make a choice and be the voice
For those who won't speak up for themselves
How many lives would be saved, changed, rearranged
Now it's our time to pick a side
So don't keep walkin' by
Not wantin' to intervene
Cause you wanna exist and never be seen
So let's wake up and change the world
Our time is now!Our time is now!
Our time is now!
Our time is now!
Superchick's new album is called Beauty from Pain, and from what I’ve seen I believe it. I love BarlowGirl. Always have, always will. Great music. Great family. And they were everything I hoped they would be. And even though I knew Superchick’s music before Sunday, they weren’t the favorite of mine they are now. In the whole show, they had the least music and the most heart. And heart is not for sale—not even to rock stars.
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