"With powerful rock music, uncompromising lyrics and a passion for God's message, GS Megaphone profoundly speaks to youth of today. It is the band's desire to address issues youth face everyday through a medium that youth will listen-the medium of music. That is how their name was derived. GS Megaphone is based on a slogan that was created to describe their desire for sharing the gospel. The slogan states: "A GOD SIZE MESSAGE DESERVES A GOD SIZE MEGAPHONE"."

 Taken from -wisemenpromotions.com

Dennis: Congrats guys on being nominated the Wise Men Promotions Band of the Month for October!  For those that may have been living under a rock and don't know about all the Dove Awards you guys have won the past few years, tell us a little about how GS Megaphone became a band and what's with the name.
Chris: Megaphone had its inception in CMA, a ministry to "hard-core" bikers.  A youth minister in that organization started a music ministry that Ben and Randy were a part of.  Through years of changing musical styles, members and band names the group eventually landed a label deal, moved out from under CMA, got some new guitar players (that's when I came on board) and a new name:  GS Megaphone. The GS stands for God Size which was inspired by a comment made originally by Randy that "a God size message needs a God size megaphone"...and here we are.

Dennis: Your second CD, Beautiful World, was released just a few months back and is incredible!  Sounds like GSM fans are having nothing but good things to say.  I read one fan said this, "GS Megaphone is not only the best Christian Rock band I have ever listen to, they easily surpass the music the secular pop music machine produces."  And another said, "GSM is the Rich Mullins of this Christian Rock generation, honest, committed to Christ, and making great music."  What are you hopes for this cd and what can fans expect to hear both lyrically and musically?
Chris: Wow, appreciate the quotes.  Hopes for the cd?  Well...I guess we want to make as much money as possible, ha, ha, ha, ha.  Honestly, to actually be able to reasonably support my family through this ministry would be incredible.  You know, over all, our desire is to express a Christianity that adds the needed depth to life's most beautiful passions.  Musically, lyrically and everything else with this record, it  has a lot to do with conveying a
spiritual orientation that is truly co-extensive with life (i.e. true worship); a faith that expresses meaningful passion in terms of art, philosophy, politics and so on.  Christians should be the MOST passionate people whether it be romance or academia, but we are not.  Historically, we used to be at the forefront of art and academics, now we just waste our times talking about earrings and tattoos while the world rightly labels us as the irrelevant subculture we often times are.  'Beautiful World'  is our perhaps disjointed way of crying out for a mature Christianity in our personal lives and within the church. Stylistically, well, people really like the south Asian/Indian orientation.  So, you can expect to hear more of that.  The trick is to find ways to keep with the "eastern" motif without repeating yourself; you'll just have to wait for the next record to see if we can actually do it.

Dennis: You guys may not remember but I had the chance to hang with all of you for awhile at Cave Fest 2002.  I was the annoying stage manager.  But the reason I bring that up is because I have met hundreds of Christian bands and I can honestly say you had the most humble spirit of any band I have met.  As people in the music industry, many fans tend to put you guys on pedestals and look at you under a microscope.  What has kept you guys on that spiritual straight and narrow on the road?
Chris: The life, death and resurrection of Christ.  It breathes passion, discipline and humility into everything I try to do when I actually stay focused long enough.  The challenge is to be consistent about it.

Dennis: Many fans ask me to find out what has musically influenced you in the past to be a part of the music industry.  So what bands have really impacted you and what are you currently listening too?
Chris: I grew up on a steady diet of old-school Christian metal coupled with lots of my parents cool 60's and 70's music.  But the idea of ministry by means of rock music was something I wanted to do every since I was 13.  Currently, most of what I am listening to has to do with India in one way or another.  A lot of Ravi Shankar as well as other less heard of sitar artists.  Some of the Indian/"eastern" music I listen to is very traditional, some of it being snazzy contemporary fusion projects.  Other than that, I listen to everything from Led Zepplin to the Tea Party.  I will say that most of the bands I dig are secular bands and I think that a mature Christian is very capable of appreciating secular music in a Godly fashion.

Dennis: You guys never hide the fact you are evangelical Christians on a mission from God....wait is that the Blues Brothers haha.  Anyway, seems like this world gets rougher and rougher. What is your advice to teens dealing with tough issues today?
Chris: Find God!  A big part of worship for me is attempting to find and acknowledge God in my struggles. Uniting with Christ in our sufferings isn't just mystical nonsense, it is one of the most practical things God has shown me.

Dennis: When I have seen you in concert one thing I noticed was the deep devotion and time you give to sharing the Word and not just performing your music.  Your live show is incredible and you even had a very mid eastern vibe going with a fire breather at Cave Fest.  What has been the most memorable time on stage?
Chris: Wow, that is a very hard question.  I would have to say that some of my most memorable moments were in bars and clubs.  To bring Christ into a place like that is one of the most fulfilling things for me.

Dennis: A lot of discussion goes on in our site dealing with the issue of secular music. Our stance towards Christian teens has always been that they must weigh whether the music is a positive or negative influence in their life. What are your thoughts on the influence of secular music on Christian teens?
Chris: O.K., this is one of those questions that usually does two things: 1) takes a long time to answer & 2) gets you into trouble.  If I were to keep it as brief as possible (and as honest), I would say cling to what is artistically profound and Godly regardless of whether it is labeled Christian or not.  We need to teach our children to understand makes a person Godly and what makes art profound; these are the real issues that will turn teens into
reformers and saints amidst this postmodern mess we all live in.

Dennis: Your latest CD has a much more mature sound than even your first, Out of My Mind.  What can fans expect from upcoming releases they may hear on TVU, Radio U or XM?
Chris: We want to keep experimenting with world music during the writing process as tastefully as we can.  Other than that I am not sure.  There are a lot of neat musical nuances that are emerging right now and by the next record I think the band should be much closer to defining its sound.  We are a rock band with some pretty weird influences and I think that will always help us in staying somewhat original.

Dennis: Chris, thanks so much for taking the time out of your busy schedules to do this interview.  Any final thoughts or words of wisdom?
Chris: Please check us out on the road and visit the website.  We love meeting people. Thanks again for picking us for band of the month, may God truly bless your mission field.

-wisemenpromotions

Gs Megaphone (homepage)