Kutless on Kutless.
24 FEATURE
In anticipation of their seventh album, members of Kutless Jeff Gilbert (drums) and James Mead (guitar) sat down to chat with each other … at their computers. With the members of Kutless being spread out over three states, Mead and Jon Micah Sumrall (vocals) still living in their home city and state of Portland, OR, Gilbert and Nick De Partee (guitar) living in Franklin, TN, and bassist Dave Luetkenhoelter living in Dallas, TX, it’s a rarity that the band members are together during time off. Kutless has been relishing in some time at home to wrap up a very busy 2011, in which they toured in 5 different countries, and performed 4 tours including their first-ever appearance on Winter Jam Tour Spectacular. During their busy year of travel they also recorded a new full-length record, titled Believer, due out in February. To discuss their new record and answer the questions weighing on the mind of the public, James and Jeff have arranged this interview. In fact … James wrote this, um … I mean, I’m James, and I wrote this. James: Dear Jeff, what makes this record different from your last release, It Is Well (2009)? Is it rock, or worship? Jeff: Hi James! This is no secret to you, but we’re not categorizing our records anymore. This is a compilation of songs that are from the experience of living our lives for Jesus Christ individually and collectively. So yes, we love rock music, we love making rock music, so there is some rock music on this record. And yes, we love to worship and to lead worship, so there are some worshipful songs on this record. And sometimes the worship songs are rock songs. James: I noticed (while I was recording the record with you) that Kutless decided to use two producers on this record. What strengths did each producer contribute to the project? Jeff: Ah yes, good question. It was clear that we all wanted to work with Dave Lubben again. He doesn’t only bring a lot to the table as a producer and songwriter, but his main focus is on making sure everyone is connected and focused spiritually. With It Is Well being categorized as a worship record, it is imperative for the worship leaders to be edified in worship before leading. We have taken that mindset and brought it into whatever we do, including recording 10 tracks with Dave in Portland. Chris Stevens is a guy who we have heard so many great things about. He has produced artists like TobyMac, Sanctus Real, and Mandisa. We have never recorded new music in Nashville before, so we gave it some thought and asked him to write and record some music with us. We recorded six songs with Chris and had an absolute blast. James: What sort of drums did you use to record your “larger-than-life,” bombastic drum sounds? Jeff: I’m so glad you described them as bombastic! In Portland, I had a big collection of Truth Custom Drums, including a 26x14” kick, 13x8” rack tom, and 16x16” floor tom and about nine different snare drums. Our engineer also brought in some random old vintage
drums that were super cool. James: Could you please be more specific? Jeff:
James: I understand (from being there with you) that you and the rest of Kutless were studying the book of Philippians together during the Portland sessions. Did you guys see any spiritual growth from that? Why that particular book? Jeff: Absolutely. That book is a breakdown of remembering how to treat people. Jesus’ love is defined as being humble and full of grace, so quick to forgive and to serve. It’s a perfect book for a band to go through, since we are with each other so many days out of the year that we are truly like five brothers. Sometimes the respect level for each other can go down a bit, and we need solid reminders of how to treat each other the way Christ would. James: What is the title Believer meant to convey? Jeff: That we are believers in Jesus Christ. That’s what the record is about, and that’s what we are about. We are praying that people who don’t know Jesus will get the most real idea of who He is through our music. Not judgmental, critical or harsh. But loving, caring, forgiving and fulfilling. James: From what I can see (from observing all of us when we’re together), Kutless is a very tight-knit family. Any new milestones this year, as a family? Jeff: Well, at the end of 2010, my wife and I ushered in our first son, Slater Thomas! He’s already 14 months old! Also, Nick married his sweetheart, Allisondra. We love her and are so happy for them.
James: Is it hard for all the members of Kutless to live so far apart from each other? Jeff: Yes and no. It’s tough, because we would like to practice new ideas and write together more often. But we also need personal family time away from all the band stuff and I have a feeling we wouldn’t do that as well if we all lived in the same area. So, it’s definitely bittersweet. James: Is it hard for all the members of Kutless to decide where to eat together? Jeff: Yes, it’s hard for us all to decide anything together. It’s like herding squirrels. James: What sort of life lessons have you learned together from having songs like “Strong Tower” and “What Faith Can Do?” Jeff: That we are not the main plot. Jesus is the main plot and we are just supporting characters to help tell the story. James: What are some of your interests, as a band, outside of Kutless itself? Jeff: Collectively, as a band, we are really tight friends. We also have the same heartbeat when it comes to ministry. One thing that comes to mind is a ministry called Compassion International. It is a child sponsorship program with bases all around the world. It provides everything from nutrition to education, but most importantly, they teach the Gospel of Jesus in their communities. We have taken a handful of trips to visit children that we personally sponsor and I got the privilege of going to Tanzania, Africa to meet my sponsored child, David. We also love leading worship at Kutless’ home church, Athey Creek Christian Fellowship. As for me personally, I love art of all kinds. I love antiques and anything from history. My wife and I love to travel, see new places and eat new foods. I’m also heavily involved with a ministry/movement called The Whosoevers. [ thewhosoevers.com ]