This is the complete interview I did with Steve Hindelong. For those of you not familiar, Steve is the drummer and lyricist of one of the longest lasting of the alternative Christian rock bands, the Choir. This was a unique moment for me, being a fan. This related to Steve's release Skinny...but as is clear, we couldn't get around the Choir history. There is actually more that I will transcribe, because I recently rediscovered the tape of the conversation I had with Steve. A MUCH shorter version was in Release magazine's Feb./March of 1999.

From the early 80's through the late 90's the band the Choir have kept a solid following with honest spiritual lyrics and music that touched the soul. That whole time, Derri Daugherty was a reluctant front man. " He often would say that he wanted to be in a band and just be the guitar player," explains Steve Hindalong, "but he just ended up there." But now it's Steve Hindalong's turn to be the front man. Cadence has released Steve's first ever solo album Skinny. Does this mean the Choir is over? There was never anything official about it. It ran it's course. We started doing other things. We definitelyhave no plans right now. Derri and i really love making music together, and we hope to continue to do it in the worship albums, we had the At the Foot of the Cross records and a Christmas record. And we've been working together on producing albums from time to time...There was never a falling out with the Choir, you know, there was never any breakup. Usually bands break up because of a relationship strain. I think a lot of it was that we moved to Nashville and our bass player, who was Tim Chandler stayed in L.A. And we just decided we wouldn't do any gigs without Tim. So that made it so we couldn't play very often. And also, touring is generally a good way to lose money. We've got families, Derri's got three kids, I've got two kids...it just doesn't make sense financially. But we miss it, we miss the road...we miss being in the studio together, Derri and I. About every couple of weeks we are together..." With a chuckle, he adds, "We say, man, I wonder if we should try another Choir album, i wonder if anybody would put it out"

Steve has seen this as very good for the individual growth of his art. "I think it's good for us to have the autonomy. Like I've done the solo record, Derri's finishing a solo record. I've produced separately, he's produced separately... and i think it's caused us to grow, individually." Steve explains farther, "Bands tend to be codependent, like a marriage. I just never sang or played guitar publicly, cause that's what Derri did. Derri didn't write lyrics, because that's what I did. And Derri's a good lyricist. And I can play the guitar and sing, y'know, sometimes we keep each other from growing.

The first taste of solo work the fans recieved from Steve was the song from the Stryper tribute, To Hell With the Devil. Steve says with a laugh,"Yeah, sorry to say. I thought it was funny to sing the worst lyric ever written, and also i did it for $500. And it took only one day!" Some may wonder if Steve was a closet fan. Nope. Steve admits, "I just never got the metal thing...I wasn't thirteen at the time." So why do it? "It was Alex's(Parker, Flying Tart.) idea, he was the one that suggested that song for me. "

The Stryper tribute is what actually led to the solo CD. "it was the same guy that wanted to do the Stryper thing. It was Alex Parker who suggested a solo disc(intended for Flying Tart). The Choir wasn't doing anything so Steve went with it. And then came a shock."The deal disappeared on me...and indeed that label disappeared." So Steve was left with a record and no label. "So then I DID have to shop it. And it was a little hard for me, cause I'm not like a real business guy, and I was a little embarrassed about it actually. Talk about a reluctant front man also," Steve adds with a laugh. "So it took me about a year y'know, before somebody got interested. I sent a few to labels, but i didn't folIow up, i didn't make a lot of calls.I wasn't very aggressive, I didn't have anybody representing me." Steve was not all that confident of label interest being there. "I mean, what are people going to do with it? It's not like it's going to be these, like sales records. It's not really formulaic...I'm not sure what is quite like it now. It is a little different than what is going on. Especially lyrically,um a little bit risky maybe...for the 'market'. Finally, Cadence took interest in the disc and wanted to release it. " I'm just fortunate to get to do it. I'm grateful to Cadence for putting it out. I'm lucky to have a forum at all." Steve is aware that he has the benefit of name-recognition for this disc. "Certainly, if i wasn't in the Choir, I wouldn't be able to get a deal. There are a lot of people out there writing songs. Y'know everybody that writes songs, plays a guitar thinking of an album. I'm just very fortunate that i get to throw the frisbee over the fence and on the shelves. It's just been a great privilege."

On Skinny, Hindalong continues to express the gift for beautiful word play, and honesty that he was known for with the Choir. All the songs have a place within the context of Steve's life. "I think the context is really important. I've tried to set a context over the years, that i have let myself be vulnerable enough that sometimes I have had angry love songs to my wife, that were frustrated and disappointed...that were unhappy. So, that when i offer a song of genuine love and devotion with some insight then that's true also. And when I talk about my love for God and my faith you know that it comes from my heart, and that I'm not trying to sell you anything. I'm not trying to get a hit." Steve sums it up with, "I'm trying to earn trust from my audience."

Skinny does not feature many songs that were written specifically for a solo album. "You know, a lot of the songs I've written not imagining that they would be on this record. And that's why some of them, I can't explain, like Skin Is Smooth or Woe Is Skinny. I wouldn't have written songs like that for an album...I just wrote them to write them for some reason." Steve gently laughs before continuing. "I don't know what value it has," Steve says of the song Skin Is Smooth(with a lyric that skips between self loathing and shaky self confidence),"But as I got toward the end... I guess it got uncomfortably close, so I threw in the 'Brazilian chameleons turn green in trees' just to throw people off the scent. For no other reason than to try and change the subject. I don't do that too often, but people might think it was talking about sex or something...so I had to throw in something to make people forget that that's what it might be talking about."

Something else that is evident on Skinny is the close friendships that inspire Steve's work. "Wayne's real musical...we kinda bonded on the Prayer Chain albums." In fact, the song Diggin Your Style is a piece that Steve wrote for Wayne. Steve simply says,"He's inspiring to me. I just like havin' him around." And then there are other friends like Gene Eugene, Terry Taylor, Jason Martin, and Mike Knott, all who contribute to the disk. "There are certain places where there are certain scenes. And in California, at the Green Room there's a scene, Gene's(Eugene)studio. And if you're workin' there, we all get together there. I'm not sure exactly how some of the circles have come together, but there is definitely a Southern California scene that we're very much a part of even though we came out here to Tennessee five years ago. The minute we get back over there, you get a little reunion, and everybody participates on the records."

Cadence has distribution deal with Warner Bros. Several times, the Choir were expected to make the "big move" into the the mainstream. If there is hopes for this to happen with Skinny...it is not coming from Steve. "Well, I don't know about any of that. I've been hearin' that for too long, too many years. If you're playing in a church, it's wrong to pretend you're in a smoky bar. If you're playing in a smoky bar, then it's wrong to pretend you're playing in a church. I think you should make the music you feel, and look out at you audience and see who you're playing for. Y'know, be honest, just be how you would be in those situations.I decided a long time ago that I'm doing this for individuals. I read the mail, and i know that I'm not going to ring everybody's bells, that I'm going to bother some people. If I can touch individuals, that's what keeps me going."

"The quest for fame is so..hollow. That's not what being a Christian is about. I think that's part of why I find a great deal of joy in being a producer. Cause I view that as a servant's role." Steve's voice has an obvious peace on this topic. "I feel real contented and happy doing that. More so than my own band up there charging... getting bummed out if we didn't get an encore. It's just...that's a real struggle as a Christian. I mean, the ultimate virtue in Christianity is humility. Not standing up there getting an encore, signing autographs and trying to be adored." Steve sees a definite struggle with this. " And it's really confusing when, it must be...we (the Choir) never really gave altar calls or stuff like that...but if you have such a focus on ministry and evangelism, and think "Wow! 30 kids came to the Lord tonight, we sold a lot of merchandise"...it's such an irony. It's just so hard to be a Christian, it's hard on a person's faith, I think. You get that ego mixed in with service. I suppose it can be done, but these are like 22 year old guys out there on the road. All kinds of temptation, it's real confusing."

Hindalong will not be touring soon. There was a tour planned with Common Children, but in the end that didn't work out. Steve has only played about three shows currently. "Yeah...it's terrifying too. Cornerstone was the second time I ever played in my life. And, actually, it was the very first time I had ever played on the stage where I wasn't the drummer." However, Steve is very content with what he has been given. "You'll never be happy if you're not happy til you're U2, if U2's not happy until they're the Beatles. You can always be unhappy in the arts." Hindalong is still a part of the creative process...and that is how he wants it. " And all I want to do is keep on doin' it. And that's what I intend to do, whether it's in a band or I'm front man, or I'm just helpin' another band in the studio to help facilitate their musical ambitions. I just love the creative process. It's a privilege. I'm 38 years old, I'm as busy as I've ever been...eking out a living. I'm really happy to be a part of Christian music, actually." Steve makes a point to mentioning that he would hope to hear from those who "dig his style". "I really appreciate peoples letters, and I love to return mail. I'm not online." To get the Skinny, write p.o. box 148306, Nashville, TN 37214-8306.

-in-one-ear.com