Skillet set to play first annual Avalanche Tour with Stone Sour, Theory of a Deadman, moreIn the song, "Hero," Skillet vocalist and bass player John Cooper croons about losing faith in the muddied world.
"Every time I turn on the TV, it's like, 'Really? Another sex scandal?'" he said. "This is absurd, from wars to violence going on all the time. It's a scary time to be alive, and it's an easy time to lose your faith."
Skillet makes no secret of its faith. It's rare when a Christian rock band can cross over to the mainstream, but Skillet has done just that: charted on rock radio without denying the roots that got it there in the first place.
The Grammy-nominated rocker band is on the first annual Avalanache Tour, which kicks off in kicks off March 24 in Chicago and wraps up May 8 in Jacksonville.
"Every time I turn on the TV, it's like, 'Really? Another sex scandal?'" he said. "This is absurd, from wars to violence going on all the time. It's a scary time to be alive, and it's an easy time to lose your faith."
Skillet makes no secret of its faith. It's rare when a Christian rock band can cross over to the mainstream, but Skillet has done just that: charted on rock radio without denying the roots that got it there in the first place.
The Grammy-nominated rocker band is on the first annual Avalanache Tour, which kicks off in kicks off March 24 in Chicago and wraps up May 8 in Jacksonville.
Cooper was kind enough to chat with Audio Ink about the band's No. 2-selling album and how Skillet's song landed on WWE.
AUDIO INK: Is it true music was forbidden in your house growing up?
Cooper: Not all music, but anything with drums. Drums and guitar were the devil's instruments. My mom was a piano teacher and voice teacher, so she loved music, just a certain kind. Classical, hymns and opera were okay. When I first heard Christian music, I felt vindicated, like, "It's not the drums that's evil."
AUDIO INK: You guys are huge in both the mainstream and faith-based scene.
AUDIO INK: Is it true music was forbidden in your house growing up?
Cooper: Not all music, but anything with drums. Drums and guitar were the devil's instruments. My mom was a piano teacher and voice teacher, so she loved music, just a certain kind. Classical, hymns and opera were okay. When I first heard Christian music, I felt vindicated, like, "It's not the drums that's evil."
AUDIO INK: You guys are huge in both the mainstream and faith-based scene.
Cooper: Thanks. I think I'm so adamant about not wanting to get rid of my Christian stance because it helped me so much in my early life. I'm not embarrassed about it, and I'm not silent about it in interviews. If people ask, "Are you a Christian band?" my response is, "Yeah. I love it."
AUDIO INK: Your latest full-length, "Awake," debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. Why do you think so many fans relate to this album?
Cooper: I think it's because Skillet has a lot more fans than just Christian music fans. We are a Christian band, but we work very hard at writing songs about issues that, in my mind, everyone can relate to: atheists, agnostics, Jews, Muslims. I see that in bands like U2 and Switchfoot. Those bands have done a good job of having positive and hopeful messages, without alienating certain people.
AUDIO INK: What's it like being in a band with your wife Korey (keyboard, guitar)?
Cooper: It's awesome. She's my go-to person to lean on when it comes to making the set flow and making songs sound better. She'll do keyboard programming and songs will come to life. Personally, it's nice on the road, because it makes the whole band feel more stable. We have our kids on the road, and it feels like a big family traveling and loving each other and having fun.
AUDIO INK: Your song, "Monster," was No. 4 on the active rock chart last year and featured on WWE wrestling. How awesome was that?
Cooper: It was awesome. "Monster" is a song a lot of stations said they would never play because it came from a Christian band. But the song kept doing better and better, and eventually, most of those people ended up playing the record.
AUDIO INK: Your latest full-length, "Awake," debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. Why do you think so many fans relate to this album?
Cooper: I think it's because Skillet has a lot more fans than just Christian music fans. We are a Christian band, but we work very hard at writing songs about issues that, in my mind, everyone can relate to: atheists, agnostics, Jews, Muslims. I see that in bands like U2 and Switchfoot. Those bands have done a good job of having positive and hopeful messages, without alienating certain people.
AUDIO INK: What's it like being in a band with your wife Korey (keyboard, guitar)?
Cooper: It's awesome. She's my go-to person to lean on when it comes to making the set flow and making songs sound better. She'll do keyboard programming and songs will come to life. Personally, it's nice on the road, because it makes the whole band feel more stable. We have our kids on the road, and it feels like a big family traveling and loving each other and having fun.
AUDIO INK: Your song, "Monster," was No. 4 on the active rock chart last year and featured on WWE wrestling. How awesome was that?
Cooper: It was awesome. "Monster" is a song a lot of stations said they would never play because it came from a Christian band. But the song kept doing better and better, and eventually, most of those people ended up playing the record.
~Anne Erickson, Gannett/LSJ/NOISE
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