http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rnGqjSwNEk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sb9eL3ejxmE http://www.bloodwatermission.com/ Over the past few years drew Holcomb and his hardworking musical support—The Neighbors— have built a large loyal following serving up infectious singer-songwriter blends of southern- influenced pop/rock as a tireless independent tour de force. Now the Nashville-based outfit who honed their performing chops as young Life worship leaders, expands their horizon with heavier hitting hooks and seriously substantial verses, solidly situating their label debut, Chasing Someday (dualtone), on The Billboard Top 200 and iTunes Top 10. drew talks about the new Cd and the power of music. CCM: Chasing someday. explain the record’s title. Drew holcomb: This record is about joy, suffering and the paradox in between—the idea that we are always looking for that elusive feeling of arrival while knowing that the important part is the journey. We are all chasing someday. CCM: This was a fan-funded record. How did that work out? Drew: Inviting our fans into the creative process made sense for us as independent artists because most of our fans found our music in a grassroots way, either through live shows, social media, hearing us at various young Life camps or by word of mouth. we used an online platform called Kickstarter to build a campaign with video, various price points and packages. Our fans were phenomenal, almost doubling our fundraising goal. CCM: You have been quoted as saying, “We want to write songs that have moments of honesty, transcendence and humanity.” What artists inspire you to write vulnerably? Drew: Patty Griffin and Bruce Springsteen write songs that seem as if they know what it is like to walk in someone else’s shoes. For me, good songwriting is about empathy, where the writer has the ability to put words and music to the experiences and emotions of the audience in ways that the audience themselves might not have been able to construct. That is the power of a song to tell me the truth about reality in a way that helps me understand my place in it. CCM: From what do you derive inspiration to write? Drew: Marriage. Friendship. Family. Fiction. radio. news. Live shows. Fan stories. History. Interstates. Film. Pain. rest. Coffee. sleep. sadness. Laughter. CCM: How do your personal convictions play into your role as a musician? Drew: As a confessing Christian I believe the reality that Jesus redeems humanity from our evil urges, bringing light into the dark. My role as a follower of Jesus is to tell the truth in a way that rejects cynicism but doesn’t sugarcoat reality. Music has the power to make us weep or make us dance—and both of those are the truth. CCM: over the past few years you guys have earned a sizable fanbase without the support of a major label. What advice would you share with other independent artists? Drew: I will take a cue from Conan O’Brien here and say that in the music business nothing ever turns out exactly the way you want it to. But if you work really hard and you are kind, amazing things will happen to you. —Andrew Greer www.drewholcomb.com Drew Holcomb Check out the band’s brand new music video for “Fire & Dynamite” here! CCM 47