Anberlin - Here to Make aDifference

Mon 21st May, 2007 in Features

Anberlin isn’t your standard rock band, and Stephen Christian isn’t your average rockstar. Sure, they’ve have been on the cover of magazines and sure they’ve played at sell out shows around the globe in front of thousands of screaming fans – but for them it doesn’t end there. It is not so often that you come across musicians who so genuinely care about the world and how they can change it for the better, as Anberlin. Having just released their third full length record, Cities, Anberlin are set to visit our shores this June, and they are bringing their message along with them.

Oh, and red hot indie-rockers Copeland too.

“I love their music, I think it’s incredible,” Christian says of the four piece. “They have wonderful talent and Aaron Marsh is an incredible song writer. And they’re also good friends, I mean we grew up about fifteen miles away from them and they’re just good people and we’d love to travel the world with them.”

Traveling the world is something Christian is no stranger to, and given the title of the new record it felt only fitting to ask – what is Christian’s favourite city? “Oh I love New Orleans… and I love Louisiana for the mystery; I love Seattle, Washington because it just feels like home; I love Chicago because of the art and New York City because of how busy it is and how much there is to do.” Ever the smooth talker, Christian doesn’t hesitate to rattle off a few of our own, “I love Melbourne and Sydney because they’re just huge, huge cities and no matter how hard you try, you can never see it all. I love Surfer’s Paradise because it reminds me a lot of Florida; Perth for the beaches and Adelaide just because it was the first experience we had there.”

In fact, that very virgin Australian experience came in the form of a sold out show – the first of many to come. “Australia is just incredible,” exclaims Christian. “It’s our third time coming and there’s a reason for that – we’re all, all five of us, in love with the country. It’s exciting, it’s really, really exciting.” And you can bet the fans are just as excited as they were last time if the sold out shows and added dates on this current tour are anything to go by.

So what’s going to be different this time around? “Our first two runs in Australia were very experimentative – we didn’t know what we were going to do, we didn’t know what songs we were going to play and we didn’t know how work a crowd,” Christian explains. “Now we’ve had a lot of practice in the States, we think that these are going to be the best shows that we’ve ever put on in Australia. We really want to take the shows that we had here in the States, and as much as we can, replicate it in Australia.”

Released earlier this year, Cities has been described as – œcareer defining’, – œepic’ and – œtheir best yet.’ How does it compare to the band’s older material? “Well I think previously we had really, really good songs, but we didn’t have a great album. I think Cities is the best album – complete album – that we’ve come out with to date,” says Christian. “We really concentrated on making sure that every song was perfect and not just the one or two or three songs that we thought people were really going to like.” And whilst there’s been a great response from the critics, that’s not what really matters, Christian explains, “Even more than [the critic’s response], the fans that have come out in droves and sang along is what means the most to us – the fact that people took the time to go out there and sing along, buy the record and memorize all the words, that means the world to us.”

Music isn’t Christian’s only passion though, not by any means. He and the rest of the band have visited the likes of Haiti and India in the past, and later on in the year hope to make it to Kenya to help out with various humanitarian projects. Make no mistake, this kind of charity is a great deal different to holding up an oversized cheque on some national television talk show. No, these Florida based rockers aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty if that’s what it takes to make a difference – whether it be repairing structural damage to broken down buildings or providing troubled youths with education, food and shelter; in many cases saving these children from a life of prostitution.

“I mean, let’s be realistic – Anberlin is not ACDC or The Rolling Stones, we’re not going to be around in 40 years,” concedes the humble vocalist. “With that little time that I have and the little platform that I have, I want to make sure that we make a difference… I don’t want to look back with regret and say – œMan, I should’ve done that stuff.’ I want to look back and say – œMan, that was awesome. I had a really amazing time being in a band and I also got the chance to make a difference in my community and in my world.”

And it’s that same message, that same urge to change the world for the better, Christian has tried to convey in his music. “To quote myself, as cheesy as it is, there is the one song, Alexithymia, [which contains] the line – œThere’s more to living than being alive.’ It’s saying. – œHey listen, we’re only alive once. You only get this one time, so you might as well make it the most amazing life you possibly can,’” he says. “Whether that’s getting an education, or flying halfway around the world just to help somebody in need, or helping a homeless guy on the street – whatever it is, just make sure that you leave this world better than when you’ve gone into it.”

Don’t miss Anberlin when they hit our capital cities this coming June, they’re here for the fans and you can be sure they are going to make the most of it.

“Every day I’m like – œAre you kidding me? I’m going to Australia!’ How many bands, how many American bands really get to do that? I mean, we’re just five kids from a small town in Florida. It’s the people that keep buying CDs and the people that keep coming to our shows – that’s the reason we’re coming back, for them.”