Talking With 12 Stones' Paul McCoy
08-14-2007
by Kevan Breitinger

Frontman Paul McCoy of 12 Stones made time to talk with us recently about the new album, dreams, and the life of an underdog.

CMCentral (Kevan Breitinger): Hey Paul, thanks for making the time to talk.

Vocalist Paul McCoy: No problem, thanks for giving me the opportunity.

I’ve been listening to the new album a lot, and digging the theme. I’m curious: do you see all of us as underdogs?

I think at some point we all feel that way. That’s why it was kind of the anthem idea to signify that it’s for everybody. We can be underdogs in many different situations so we wanted to put out an album that signifies overcoming all that.

The theme seems to run through not just this album, but some of your history, actually. And I kind of have a similar theme in my own life (laughing), so I was curious, do you feel  like that position is part of your calling?

I think our job is to play music, and we’re really fortunate that we get to do that. Luckily I’m out here with some really talented guys, and it makes it a lot easier when we’re really positive from the stage. We really try to enlighten people as to, you know, believing in yourself and getting through struggles. I think that’s why I’m here.  I’m lucky enough to have been given the opportunity, so I might as well take advantage of it.

So you don’t feel like the Lord has repeatedly placed you in a sort of underdog position so that he could speak a certain message through you?

That could be the case. I feel also that we’ve all worked really hard, and yet we’ve always been the underdog. We’ve tried to take that task and use it. I think the Christian community has always found 12 Stones to be a really spiritual band and an enlightening band, but there’s a lot of kids out there that take it differently. They still are fans and they still get something out of what we do.

So you definitely do not target the Christian audience.

We want to look at it like if someone in the Christian audience listens to the record and they like it and feel like it helps them on a spiritual level, then we embrace that, that’s awesome. But we also try not to limit ourselves to that. Anyone that can take anything we’ve said or written, or a guitar part, and really relate to it, and if it makes them feel better about themselves, or makes them learn something about themselves, well, that’s awesome, too. We don’t try to zone in and target the Christian community, but we try to embrace the people in the Christian community that take 12 Stones for what they are.

Well, the new album does seem to contain a strong theme of hope, and everybody needs that.

Right, absolutely. It’s like the old thing of preaching to the choir. A lot of the people who have listened to 12 Stones and had a life-changing experience have not been in the Christian community. It makes us feel good to know that we can reach into everywhere.

You’ve had a couple of life-changing experiences yourself recently (laughing).

Yeah, absolutely.

And I know with 2 new guys in the band that changes things, but what else do you think is most different about this album, especially in being a few years away from the last record?

Well, we’re all dads now, and that’s a huge difference on this tour. Now we have to learn how to be father/husband/provider and still know how to play to the crowd every night. It’s definitely an acquired thing. Our families have adjusted very well, but you know we started out when I was 19. I feel like I’ve gotten to grow up a lot, had the opportunity to learn a lot about myself, a lot about the music industry. I feel like I’m able to have more control of where I am right now then I did when I was younger, when everything was, “Oh, okay...did I do that right? Did I sound good?”  Now I know myself, I know how we all work, so it makes it easier  to make those decisions.

Sure.  What would you say is the hardest thing for you personally, Paul, at this stage?

Being away from home is tough. I love what I do, and I love my family, so it’s hard not to have the two worlds interlocking, ya know? Missing my little girl growing up is tough, and that goes for all the guys in the band, and all our kids. Unfortunately, this is a job where we have to be gone in order to do what we do successfully. So the hardest part is not being able to have the job and the family together.

You’re right, that’s a big sacrifice. What is it that keeps you guys going?