Jester: You've just completed you fourth tour in just under two years?
Wade: Actually, it was our fifth tour.
Jester: Do you think that the touring has really helped out, in the sense of public reaction in this particular music scene?
Wade: Definitely. It has helped tremendously. It helped sell out our first album. It's helped a lot with the new album already. We have seen our following go from twenty people to over five hundred people in certain areas on the East Coast.
Jester: Your live shows have become increasingly more destructive than on previous tours, have you ever had someone complain about your show?
Markus: Not really, but we have actually injured people on accident, brutally injured them. We haven't gottengotten sued yet so we have been lucky.
Wade: All of the injuries have been accidental since we haven't actually set anyone on fire in the audience yet.
Markus: It is all never intentional but it just happens.
Jester: How much equipment and junk do you destroy on-stage now?
Wade: Really not as much as we used to. On our first few tours we flagrantly abused our equipment and didn't really care if we broke it. That ended up becoming a rather costly affair, so we are now just a little more strategic about it even though we still put our equipment at a lot of risk.
Jester: The keyboard that Sean grinds on stage. Is that the Akai that Markus used to play?
Wade: Yes that is our old keyboard and everyone seems to recognize it as such even though it has been on fire about 150 times.
Markus: We've actually had several offers to trade it, including one offer in Atlanta, GA for an Ensoniq Mirage.
Jester: Of course Akai no longer functions.
Markus: True, but if you are really lucky and get real close to it, you might get tetanus.
Jester: How did you end up meeting Chase and then getting signed to Re-Constriction Records?
Wade: We were the last band that he invited to be on Operation Beatbox. From there I ended up writing four of the tracks and co-producing several others. It ended up that we had a really good working relationship together and that he wanted to release our next record. It's grown since then with our record being picked up by MCA for distribution and it has become a real long term relationship.
Jester: You mentioned that "Texture Ov Despise" sold out. Is Chase going to be licensing that album and reissuing it?
Wade: No. We would reissue it if there was a demand for it. We own all rights to that album so it makes sense that if we ever do reissue it, that we would just do it ourselves.
Jester: What do you all do in your free time since your music obviously can't pay for your living expenses?
Wade: I do a lot of production and remix work. I just produced Black Atmosphere's second album. They are a Seattle gothic band. I also do all sorts of little computer jobs and web work when I can find it.
Markus: I mow lawns, score loose change that I find on the street, or hang out with ex-girlfriends that want to feed me.
Jester: Do you still owe a lot of money for the van you bought for touring?
Wade: Yes, we still owe a lot of money on it. It's a little over a quarter paid off on the five year loan with a hefty down payment.
Jester: Do you like doing all of the remix work that you do?
Wade: Yes, I love doing it. Every time I listen to a new album, regardless if I am ever going to do any remix work, I always think about the elements that I would like to change, or add. That kind of explains the style of remixing that I do, which is only keeping the vocals, and entirely redoing the song from scratch.
Jester: Did you or Chase choose 'Optima' as the single to be released for "In Radiant Decay"?
Wade: Chase let us choose what we wanted to release as our single, but he was pushing for 'Optima'. We have never really conflicted on any of the business aspects of the release process, so it's never been a problem.
Jester: Obvious "Texture Ov Despise" has strong religious themes to it. For "In Radiant Decay", do you choose to utilize a common theme or is it more of an album of individual songs?
Wade: I want to say that I won't make the same mistake that I made on "Texture Ov Despise", which seemed to get a lot of people to overlook some of the stronger points on the album. I wanted the new album to be about us and our music rather than a theme. However the album is a very individualistic type of album, which focuses on self strength issues, which is what I see as the next step after you abandon religion.
Jester: Have all the members of the band started to contribute towards the writing of the album now?
Wade: Yes. Ray and Markus had everything to do with the writing, programming and production of the new album. Markus even wrote lyrics on a lot of songs. With Sean in the band now, and him having wrote the majority of the music in SMP, they are going to be an even bigger influence on the music in the future.
Jester: This might be a sensitive question, but what was the reason that Traci left the band and you replaced him with Sean?
Wade: Basically we just needed a fourth member of the band we was willing to totally commit to the band and Traci couldn't do that.
Sean: I joined up because I was ready to move on from SMP into something else and it just seemed to be the right place to go.
Jester: Is SMP going to continue without you?
Sean: Yes.
Wade: However they refuse to open up for us.
Jester: You mentioned working on Operation Beatbox earlier. Did you choose the song that you covered, 'Natural Born Killaz', or did Chase choose it for you?
Wade: I chose that song. I chose it because it was the only thing left. I originally wanted to do 'Gangstas Paradise' but it was already taken. It seemed like the first sixteen tracks I wanted to do were already taken by the other bands on the compilation. Originally we were going to do a cover of Snoop Doggy Dog's 'Murder Was a Case', so we bought the Murder Was a Case soundtrack and 'Natural Born Killaz' was the second song on the record. So we ended up doing a cover of that song instead.
Jester: Do you play any of the cover songs you have done when you perform live?
Wade: We avoided it but not really on purpose. We avoid it mostly because we haven't had time to program them. We don't like to sound like a loud CD when we perform live so we reprogram everything and we simply haven't had the time to reprogram any of the cover songs. A lot of people have been asking us when we will play 'Natural Born Killaz', so hopefully we will find some time and get it ready for the next tour.
Jester: Have you written the cover song for Cyber Pulp Fiction yet? (Les Greene - "Lets's Stay Together)
Wade: Yes.
Jester: How did you approach writing a cover of such a very difficult song?
Wade: That song was really easy for us.
Markus: Wade is just a Negro living in a white man's body.
Wade: Pretty much. Seriously thought, for some reason it just wasn't a hard song to approach and it ended up sounding really good.
Jester: I know that both Ray and Markus have side projects. Are you still working on those, or have you put them aside to work full time on Christ Analogue?
Markus: I haven't thought about my side project in a long time. This band has occupied every aspect of my life in the last two years that sometimes I don't even have time to wonder when I will go to the bathroom next. Someday I might get back into it, but right now we are all trying to make Christ Analogue go as far as it can.
Jester: I know you will hate this, but what would you consider your favorite song you have written and why?
Wade: Fuck you man! (laughter) It changes every week.
Sean: I like 'Piss' even though it is not on any of the albums. I also like 'No Daughter Icon' a lot.
Wade: 'Wear' is probably my favorite at the moment and I don't know why.
Markus: 'Cold Magnetic Sun'.
Wade: Markus has a point. 'Cold Magnetic Sun' kind of epitomizes everyones life. It's a rather dramatic and personal song.
Markus: We are actually thinking about making it into a book some day when we have a budget.
Jester: Sean mentions that you are performing a new track, 'Piss', is that ever going to be on any type of formal release?
Wade: That song is kind of a preview of new material but it was actually written before "In Radiant Decay". I left it off the album for some dumb reason. However, we have some people trying to get it on the next Mortal Kombat soundtrack. If it doesn't get on any type of soundtrack, it will be on the next album, even if I may not want it to be there.
Jester: Any final comments?
Wade: Please keep coming to our shows and supporting us. We really appreciate it.
Markus: Long live the revolution!