When the formation of Tattoo Records was announced almost two years
 ago, most attention was focused on the critically acclaimed band The Choir, who
 was signing to the label. Also mentioned in the press release was the signing of a
 largely unknown trio called Common Children, whose debut album became the
 first offering of the new company.
      The release of Skywire in early 1996 signaled that Tattoo had signed two
 outstanding bands. With their blend of sensitive, literate lyrics and driving,
 dynamic rock, Common Children quickly started drawing the positive attention of
 both critics and fans. The trio spent time on the road opening for The Choir on
 the Free Flying Soul tour, and followed that with a round of festival dates and a
 two-month stint touring with Believable Picnic. They also garnered a good deal of
 mainstream attention, via the use of their music on ESPN and MTV.
      So what does a band that's developed a reputation for hard-hitting rock 'n' roll
 do for a follow-up? To find out, I went to Neverland recording studio in Nashville
 to get a preview of Common Children's second album, Delicate Fade, and talk
 with each of the band members.
      Common Children was formed about five years ago. Lead singer and
 guitarist Marc Byrd and bassist Drew Powell met at a Bible college in Arkansas.
 After they graduated, they connected with drummer Hampton Eugene.
      The group played clubs for about three years before finding a manager and
 moving to Nashville. At the 1995 Cornerstone festival, they played the 7ball stage,
 making a big impression. Shortly after Cornerstone, Derri Daugherty and fellow
 Choir members Steve Hindalong and Dan Michaels (who had recently started
 working with Tattoo Records) saw the band, and Michaels eventually offered
 Common Children a contract.
      When Skywire was reviewed by the critics, the name Nirvana was tossed
 around a lot mainly due to the song "Hate," which features Byrd screaming at the
 top of his lungs. Knowing that most artists dislike being labeled - especially with
 another band's name - I ask Byrd how he deals with that sort of thing. "You make
 another record and you make them be quiet," he responds with a small smile.
      With Delicate Fade, Eugene, Powell and Byrd have created a thing of
 beauty that is every bit as intense as its predecessor - just not as loud.
      "There's a lot of versatility on this album, which may seem like, 'Okay,
 which do we want to go?,'" admits Powell. "But we feel all of these things; why
 not go ahead and put them down? You worry, 'Maybe it's too mellow,' but I think
 it's import that you [as the artist] really enjoy listening to it."
      "[There is the] hope that your fans will embrace your growth," says Byrd.
 "So many times you hear, 'Well, I like the first album, and then after that ...' I've
 learned to be a lot more patient with artists and bands I really like, because I
 realize they're figuring out who they are, just like I am."
      But the desire to push the boundaries of what they had been doing was
 there. "I think that consciously, as a band, we wanted to be more musical,
 "explains Byrd, "and if the lyrics are going to be a little more introspective and
 deeper, we need music to back it up."
      Byrd suggests we live in a post-grunge era. "People compare us to Nirvana
 because of the 'Hate' song and because of the screaming. We just did not want
 that at all, so we made a conscious decision [to go another way]."
      The shift in sound was not an easy move for the band to make. Going into
 the studio with Hindalong, there were plenty of questions in their minds.
 "Musically and lyrically, I went into this with two poetry books full of thoughts
 and journals and notes I'd taken on the road," Byrd says. "But I was really
 insecure about pulling off musically what we wanted to do and me pulling off
 lyrically what I wanted to do."
      Byrd says he feels the title exemplifies the redemptive nature of the album.
 "I think it captures what life is about: It is a delicate fade, in the sense that you're
 living, yet you're dying - so treat it delicately. Because your fade out could be
 slow, or it could be sudden. Ultimately it's our hope as Christians that in the end,
 it's all going to make sense, it's all going to be worth it."
      A strongest tone of hope was something the band really wanted to get across
 on this album. Powell says, "To us, we felt like there were a few hopeful songs
 [on the last album), but it might have been hard to see. Just in this last year, even
 though we've been through a lot of hard things, I think God's allowed us to see
 His grace, and a little move of a positive side - at least, He has with me. It just
 feels like there's more of a refreshing spirit about it.
      Matching music to the lyrics and concepts stretched each of the musicians.
 Instead of the propulsive aggressiveness used on the last album, Common
 Children pushed for a more subtle intensity. "The drums tend to be a very
 aggressive kind of release for me," says Eugene. "But for this I had to get into the
 whole groove element, the rhythmic progression of the song. I had to try to filter
 that energy. This album was a little more demanding, doing these intense kinds of
 grooves."
      All three band members are well aware of the unstable nature of the music
 business. While they wouldn't mind being given the opportunity to do it full-time,
 the motivation to help people and use their talents for God is what keeps them
 going. Eugene, who holds a degree in psychology as well as quite a few
 credits in education, relishes the opportunities he gets to talk to kids about the
 importance of finding out who God wants them to be. "So many times kids say,
 'Yeah, I either want to be in film, or maybe music,' and I have to share with them
 that there's so much purpose in whatever you do," says Eugene. "There's people
 out there who have skills, whether they're a plumber, electrician or whatever, who
 are happy as a lark, and they serve a purpose. I believe in missions, but at the
 same time, it's in how we serve man that we glorify Christ."
      Being on the road has afforded the group an opportunity to talk to people
 who have been affected by their music. "'Broken Smile,' on the last record, has
 had a serious impact on some people, according to the emails and talking to people
 at concerts, "Byrd says. But what is truly humbling, he says, is when someone
 comes up after a show who really liked "that acoustic song" on Skywire. One
 woman said it was the soundtrack of her and her husband's life for the previous
 four months, since their four-month-old infant died. "You don't know what to say.
 You're just dumbfounded that this song, about personal loss in my life - the loss
 of my friend - and all about death, and how things fade in life, how that song
 [affected them]. The most traumatic thing that will probably ever happen to them
 and every time they play that song, they will think of that. That's not a sermon;
 it's not some theological exegesis of Scripture; it's just a song. I think lyrics that
 provoke thought, combined with music that is moving, are just powerful."
      Through the experience of the past couple of years, Powell has developed a
 growing recognition of his responsibility as an artist. "I think in the last few years,
 seeing the power that seeing the power that music has, seeing how it can touch
 people and how God can use it has really affected me. It's very spiritual a lot of
 the time. I feel like God gave me a talent and that I really should do all that I can
 with it.
      "There's definitely a feeling of grace, of mercy [about the album]." Byrd
 sums up. "I am a seriously shame-based, guilt-ridden person. I remember a
 counselor that I had telling me God wants to show you His grace, and that He
 loves you. He wants to show you His love. And I think I'm starting to see that
 more and more. I think that the first record was a working through of those things,
 and this one is a beginning of the resolution. And it will continue to resolve. But
 I'm certainly not going to get up there and sing the usual, Sunday school songs
 that don't deal with reality. Because we live in a fallen world. I think that, for right
 now, Delicate Fade captures right where we are."
 

                         How to Make a Delicate Fade

      Producer Steve Hindalong has worked with a number of well-respected
 bands in the Christian market. So it is no, small praise when he says that Delicate
 Fade is one of the best projects he's ever done.
      "It wasn't an easy record to make," Hindalong says, "because the guys
 couldn't be described as laid-back, especially Marc - he's very intense. So the
 music is extremely intense. And I felt a lot of pressure this time, because they are
 probably the best band I've ever worked with."
      He continues, "I think that this is one of the best, if not the best, record I've
 ever worked on - definitely in the top three. The scope is really broad, musically,
 which might be criticized by some people and embraced by others. It's moody, it's
 melodic, it's got a real pop sensibility and then a couple of things are more
 hard-edged. That may strike some people out of place, but it's just part of the
 band."
      Hindalong says that the project was important to him because "I knew going
 in, the level of song writing had really matured. Over the past year, I think there
 was a lot of personal growth on Marc's part - he's been through a lot of things his
 whole life - they all have. So they bring a lot of tension to the music and that, to
 me, is what makes them great."
      "I've really grown to love Marc's voice," he states. "I really set out to make
 this album vocally ambitious. [The band was] less resistant to harmonies. It really
 turned into a beautiful record, vocally."

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