“I have been completely shocked at how progressive and excited the church has been as a whole,” adds Chap Stique. “We’ve met some incredible youth groups, ministers and club owners and promoters who are really excited about what we’re doing. I also think any persecution we face from a religious perspective has been from the church rather than the outside. Part of our message is to say, ‘Rather than run away from what is bad, let’s start running toward what is good.’”
Yet neither the growing acclaim nor the opposition keeps the band from their primary focus. “What we’re really trying to do is just be open to everybody and show Christlike love instead of trying to condemn anybody or anything,” explains Solomon. “We played the Warped Tour. We play churches. We’ll play pretty much anywhere that anybody will have us. The message of Christ needs to hit everybody. Jesus didn’t just preach to the church. He went to everybody. He talked to everybody. We want to make sure we’re saying our stuff to everybody.”
Bringing the permission slips to everybody means utilizing much more than music. Family Force 5 has big plans for the new year including a DVD release of their “Really Real” webisodes (which the band describes as “our Spinal Tap”), a possible new album and multiple tours, the first of which is tentatively titled the “Skills Pay Bills Tour.”
It’s the latter that offers the best glimpse into the frenetic party world of Family Force 5. “I think with Family Force 5, you come to a show, but it’s actually more of an experience,” explains Solomon. “You come away saying that you went through something life changing. It’s not just five or six guys up there playing some good rock & roll music. You come away sweaty saying, ‘Wow, did I really do that at that show?’”
“I think one of the craziest moments for me on this tour was playing Creepy Crawl,” laughs Mount, while recounting the events. “It’s this hilariously nasty, awesome club in St. Louis. It was the first night of the tour, and there was a point when all of us were standing on the drum riser with Crouton, and the entire crowd was on the stage going nuts. There were people laying on the ground, body surfing, moshing, dancing, breakdancing, two-stepping… everything was happening at once. It was the most diverse crowd of absolute insanity you’ve ever seen.”
Then again, it’s just another day in the life of Family Force 5. And if they have it their way, you’ll accept their invitation to join the fun.
To read January's Diamond Days Family Force 5 cover story and all the features on the Readers' Choice Award Winners, check out these links: Diamond Days: http://www.ccmmagazine.com/news/stories/11562332/ tobyMac: http://www.ccmmagazine.com/preview/11562316/ A Road Less Traveled: http://www.ccmmagazine.com/news/stories/11562323/ KJ-52: http://www.ccmmagazine.com/news/stories/11562320/ Family Force 5: http://www.ccmmagazine.com/news/stories/11562327/ Rebecca St. James: http://www.christianmusicplanet.com/news/stories/11562261/ Chris Tomlin: http://www.christianmusicplanet.com/news/stories/11562260/ Shane & Shane: http://www.christianmusicplanet.com/news/stories/11562258/ Click here to see the winners of the other Readers' Choice categories.
