Within the School of Rock, the members of Family Force 5 are the cool teachers handing out endless hall passes, granting permission for everyone to just have fun. And in a musical climate where most are either taking themselves too seriously or pressured into a sonic formula, the Atlanta-based “crunk rock” group is making waves by simply inviting everyone to the party they’ve started.
“Not to sound arrogant, but there really aren’t a lot of bands out there that sound like Family Force 5,” says Chap Stique, otherwise known as guitarist Derek Mount. “It’s been something people have really embraced because they’re sick of hearing the same thing, and they’re ready for a party.”
“For some reason, when people listen to our music, they lose their inhibitions and always wanna have fun,” adds Soul Glow Activator, a.k.a. vocalist Solomon Olds. “If a music store had a ‘party’ section and a ‘firecracker’ section, I think we’d be placed right between those. That’s what I feel like our music is. It’s very fun and very energy-oriented.”
However, the band’s members, rounded out by Crouton (drummer Jacob Olds), Phatty (bassist Joshua Olds) and Nadaddy (multi-instrumentalist Nathan Currin), weren’t always surrounded by sonic party favors. Solomon, Jacob and Joshua Olds got their start in the mid-’90s as The Brothers before eventually forming The Phamily with their current bandmates. Copyright issues forced them to switch to their current moniker.
Under the name Family Force 5, the bandmates melded multiple sounds into one all-inclusive mix. Various members cite influences ranging from hip-hop to heavy metal with an appreciation for everything in between, resulting in the aforementioned crunk rock.
It wasn’t long before both Maverick and Gotee Records jumped on board with the fun, allowing Family Force 5 to release Business Up Front, Party in the Back to both general and Christian markets. The results have been nothing short of impressive, with strong album sales, a spot on the “Vans Warped Tour,” and recognition for winning Yahoo! Music’s “Who’s Next?” competition.
Yet for all the people falling in love with FF5, the band is not without its detractors. Surprisingly, most of those come from inside the church, not outside of it. “We have problems with people who are into Churchianity,” says Soul Glow Activator. “They see us dancing and going crazy on stage and using the lingo we’re using, and for some reason we’re persecuted for being different.
“It’s the type of people who still listen to records and play them backwards and stuff, and they’re listening for hidden messages,” continues Soul Glow Activator. “We have a few of those kooky people who come to us while we’re trying to hang with the kids and shake their hands. They’ll come up and say, ‘What’s this lyric supposed to mean? All you guys [did] was just jump around a lot. I didn’t hear the name of Jesus.’ We usually rebuttal with the fact that we’re leading kids to Jesus Christ. ‘How many kids are you leading to Christ everyday?’ Not that it needs to be some kind of match or anything, but you can kinda get to the point where you just want to say, ‘What are you doing for Christ?’”