'Christians Need to Be Creative' By Andy Argyrakis

With Edison Glass, band members Joe Morin (left), Mountain Morin, Joshua Silverbeg, and James Usher feel called to bring more creativity to Christian music.

Usher: 'Christians Need to Be Creative'
By Andy Argyrakis
posted 06/05/06

Alternative rock act Edison Glass take its name from inventor Thomas Alva Edison and composer Philip Glass. Since each was incredibly creative in their crafts, it's only fitting that the ingenious group apply those ideals to its sonic smorgasbord. The band's national debut, A Burn or a Shiver, could be considered a cross between The Police, Sunny Day Real Estate and Sleeping At Last, topped off with jazz and reggae influences. That progressive direction lines up with Credential Recordings, a relatively new label under the EMI umbrella seeking to promote spiritually based bands to the Christian and secular markets. Guitarist James Usher recently chatted via cell phone from the road about that unique partnership, Edison Glass's artistic inspirations, and why believers are to be leaders of culture rather than followers.

What qualities of Edison and Glass do you as a band identify with most?

James Usher: Thomas Edison and Philip Glass were both really innovative in their [respective] fields. Glass was a 21st century minimalist composer who was such a groundbreaking guy. People complained about [his direction] for years, but he was hard working even against lots of slack. Edison came out with thousands of patents every year and was always striving for excellence. We kind of took the names, threw them together and thought it would be really cool to be tied in with these cool figures since we always hope to make innovative [music].

You've been around for seven years, but just made it to the national ranks. What went on in the band's history prior to getting signed?

Usher: We started really young. When we first started playing, the youngest was 12 and the oldest was 16. We did worship at church and always wrote our own songs. Songwriting has been one of our strong points and all four guys all contribute. We did a little bit of touring, played in our basements and played shows around Long Island. We went to college, which was our first time being away from home. We were indie for a long time with three full-length [CDs] and a couple little EPs. We came to a point where there had to be a decision. Do all of us want to put our hearts into this as a career? Are we completely devoted to taking this as far as we can? Can we make this more than a creative outlet and into a lifestyle with touring? Once we all decided that, we spent a year talking with different labels, met the people at Credential [Recordings], signed up to do a record, left college—and we've been doing that ever since.

What was so appealing about Credential?

Usher: Credential is all about something new going on in the music world. They're reaching a whole scene of music and fans that maybe the mainstream media misses out on. It's geared toward very purposeful artistic music that's doing something new and innovative—a little outside the box. [Hard rock band] Dizmas came out last year and they have a new record from [alternative act] Lost Ocean. I don't know how to say this without bashing other labels, but they're reaching into different fans that have been neglected, especially in the Christian world. Sometimes you realize the general market tends to be considered more legitimate. Some people in the [secular] business world won't even give our record a chance because the word "Christian" is attached. Credential is all about being real legit with hard working, well-connected people instead of the usual suspects.

What do you think are the most common misconceptions about the Christian scene?

Usher: The "Christian band" label has become extremely ambiguous. It means a lot of different things to lots of different people. Some people think [the term applies to] bands who sing songs with "Jesus," in it and others think it's as long as members are Christians. The reason why there are so many differences is because I don't know if "Christian" was ever supposed to be an adjective. Christians follow Jesus' footsteps, which is true of me and all the guys in band, but sometimes we find it difficult to attach that to the music.

We're going to write songs about whatever's going on in our lives and we write music that we can be able to listen to. For me it's all about artistic expression, which is my worship to God. Incidentally, when I write, I write with my heart. Being Christians in a band, a lot of times [faith is] what the topic turns to. Even if it's personal issues, we want to hear God's voice. A lot of times with the label "Christian music," bands tend to want to provide alternatives. If there's a popular band, like a few years ago when Linkin Park was on top, people also want Christian alternatives. A lot of Christian bands will ride out the Linkin thing and sell out to the gimmick.

How can bands steer away from merely cashing in on a craze and making creativity a priority?

Usher: If we call ourselves Christians and people of the creator of the universe, we need to be creative. If we attach Jesus' name to the music, it has to have artistic integrity and not just jump on the wave. We need to be innovators, and as a band it's something we've always done. We started as a church youth group worship band, but moved on to original material. We always wanted to see worship grow bigger than folk songs on Fridays. A lot has changed since we started stylistically, and our influences are constantly changing.

How did working with a major mainstream producer help shape your sound on A Burn or a Shiver?

Usher: [Our producer] Brad Wood has worked with Sunny Day Real Estate, the Smashing Pumpkins, Me Without You and The Fire Theft. The label was so supportive and they took a chance. When we signed with EMI, Credential wasn't formed yet but it was the direction they wanted to start going in. Even though they hadn't worked with Brad before, they jumped on with the budget, which is something they hadn't really done before.

Who have you guys been listening to?

Usher: All four of us have very different influences. We can sit and talk for hours about who we love and who sucks. We all have very diverse influences and try to make sure Edison Glass isn't one-sided. If we were on the same page musically all the time, sure we'd be unified, but maybe we'd be all static and one-sided. [Singer/guitarist] Josh [Silverberg] and I were on a huge Police kick, and then it was Mars Volta and Minus the Bear. We've also really liked Sleeping At Last and were really stoked about the Arcade Fire record.

What type of venues do you feel most at home in—churches or clubs?

Usher: We do it all. No matter what the building, we do it all. Recently we've done youth group type of settings or church-owned clubs, but we've done plenty of bars and clubs on our own. We play everywhere to break down walls and barriers between both communities.

What are the band's overall outreach goals?

Usher: Like I said, for us playing music is our form of worship. It's an artistic expression. When our audiences are predominantly Christian, a lot of times after a show they'll tell us about how they felt God's presence or the Holy Sprit during a particular song. When we play bars, people still come up and say, "I don't know what it is different about your music, but I've never felt this way before unless I was on drugs." It really opens a lot of doors and we share what we're about for either audience.

When you believe in what you're doing artistically and pouring all your passion into the music, people recognize that. People are drawn to other passionate people—at least that's how it works for us. I don't know how many different discussions I've had with people on all sides of the issue, but we've always wanted to reach every type of person.