Sitting Down with Stellar Kart
07-24-2006
by Brenten Gilbert

On the verge of releasing their second album with the songwriting help of Ian Eskelin, young pop/punk/rock group Stellar Kart seem poised to make a big splash in the world of Christian music this year. Hard to miss due to the hot pink cover art, We Can't Stand Sitting Down has strong label support and a rather focused tone.

CMCentral.com was asked to conduct an interview with the band and I obliged. Ironically (given the album's title), because of scheduling conflicts, I wasn't able to sit down with the group, so this interview occurred via email.

Below is that interview, covering the theme of the new album, an inside look at some tour pranks, and, of course the pink cover. Enjoy.

CMCentral.com (brenten gilbert): First off, the all important question that's plaguing everyone's mind... what's up with all the pink?

Adam Agee: Pink is the new black. We wanted something that would pop off the shelves and be fun and exciting.

On a more serious note, you guys just spent a week working at a camp. Most bands are currently running around like crazy trying to hit all the festivals. Can you tell us a bit about the camp and your week there?

Camp was amazing. It was one of the best weeks of my life. It was nice to stay in one place for awhile, but we didn't really get to sleep much because we were up at 6:30am and went to bed at around 1am each day. It was inspiring to see God change so many hearts and to see so many kids come to know Him. It was like a homecoming for us to get to see so many of our friends who helped get us started and have kept us going the past 5 years.

The new album is called, We Can't Stand Sitting Down. What's the story behind the title?

We were in the van after practicing new songs all day and Cody said, "I can't stand sitting down anymore" referring to how we all had been sitting all day rehearsing. I kind of made fun of the phrase saying, "You can't STAND sitting down, huh?" and Jordan then said that would be the perfect album title. We all agreed instantly because it describes in a phrase how we feel about our lives. We feel the need to be out and about spreading the good news to everyone we possibly can.

What are some of the overall themes running through the album?

The main theme of the album is the realization that we can't make it through life on our own. It's only when we give up full control to God that He can work through us and show us a bit of His plan. We want to give up control and let God work through us. God has revealed Himself to us through different circumstances throughout the last year at just the right time so that there is no other explanation than God. So many times He shows up to let us know that He is still there and He is always faithful no matter what.

Instead of "sitting down," what should we be actively doing in life?

Each of us has our own ability to serve. Start by serving somebody for the sole reason of helping them out, not for the accolades. When we learn to serve unconditionally, the character of Jesus comes through our lives.

You brought in Ian Eskelin for this album to produce and co write on a handful of songs. How did that work out?

Ian rocks. He is the perfect fit for us and our style of music. We had most of the songs done when he came into the picture and we went through them quickly and he either said, "that one's great" or "let's fix this up a bit." He is a great songwriter and an awesome guy to be around and learn from. Without a doubt, our record would not be as good as it is without his help.

How was the writing process different this time around? Was it difficult to let an "outsider" into the writing process since the last album was all written in house?

It was a little awkward at first because we wanted to see if we could do it by ourselves. Then when we got over ourselves and figured out we didn't know everything, we learned so much about songwriting and creating music that we couldn't have learned without co-writing. It's always good to have an extra voice that you trust in the process.

What's your favorite song on the album and why?

My favorite song right now is Me and Jesus. The message and the feel of the song move me just as much as it does radio listeners. I think it sums up our view on life with lines like, "love like there's no tomorrow." We want to be a voice of love and encouragement and I think this song accomplishes that goal.

It was chosen as the first single because of the message of hope it brings. "You will never be alone, You've got me and Jesus," is in a nutshell what we want to say to people and what we want our music to be about.

With the pop-punk market experiencing an abundance of growth over the past couple years, how difficult is it to stand out from the pack?

I think our new CD provides enough diversity from the pop/punk vein to cater to a more universal audience. We have pop, rock, alternative, and worship moments on our CD that will hopefully provide something for everyone to listen to and love.

Do you think that if listeners were subjected to a "blind listening test" that they could pick you out from bands like Nevertheless, Run Kid Run, Eleventyseven, Last Tuesday, and others?

I think we sound a bit more pop/rock than all the afore mentioned bands, but I can't make an opinion unless I knew if the people knew the bands beforehand.

What¹s been the most difficult criticism that you¹ve heard thus far in your career? How has hearing that helped your music?

Some reviewers have said that our first CD was too simplistic and not creative enough lyrically. We have remedied that (to a point) in this new record, but again our purpose is to create songs that kids can understand and sing along with. That along with a pop/punk style can rub a lot of reviewers the wrong way.

You¹ve got a new bass guitarist on this album. Have you just kind of plugged him in, or has he had much impact on the band musically?

He is a Godsend. Without the change of personnel, we would not be here today. God would not have allowed us to take on this responsibility if we had not made the change. Brian is the perfect addition to the band because he is so in love with God and is so thankful for every day of life. The band is in a much better place due to the addition of Brian.

It seems like you guys really enjoy what you do. Can you tell us about some of the funniest backstage pranks with the Stellar Kart crew?

The best prank of all time…The last day of the Kutless Strong Tower Tour, we rigged our 15' x 15' STELLLAR KART banner to drop as soon as they started their set. Sure enough, as their intro fades and they start rocking, here comes the SK banner for all to see. It was amazing.

Superhero movies are pretty big these days. What's your favorite superhero movie?

I'd say Spiderman is still my favorite.

What superhero best represents your life? The band?

I would like to be Wolverine and I think we can find X-Men characters for the other guys as well.

If you're grocery shopping, what's a staple in your "stellar" grocery cart?

Frozen pizza, taquitos, Dr. Pepper, strawberry yogurt, string cheese.

What's next for Stellar Kart any big plans beyond the album release?

We will be playing a ton of shows this fall and might be headlining a tour this December. Then, we're looking forward to jumping on a huge tour in the spring of '07.

Any closing thoughts?

Go to stellarkart.com or myspace.com/stellarkart to see videos, hear music, and hang out on the message boards. Go buy the new album and come to a show near you!