Left to right: Chris Rohman (lead guitar), Matt Hammitt (lead vocals, guitar), Steve Goodrum (bass), Mark Graalman (drums)

Sanctus Real emerged on the national Christian music scene in early 2003 with Say It Loud, quickly earning widespread acclaim while building considerably on their already strong fan base. The band's pop/rock sound is even better on their sophomore project, Fight the Tide. These guys aren't a secret in the CCM world, and as they tour with top rocker Jeremy Camp this year, more fans will surely join their fold. The band, from Toledo, Ohio, is made up of a bunch of characters—they enjoy each other, and it shows. We recently talked with the guys about the craziness of putting this record together, what it took to make it happen, and how each of their personalities fit into this exciting band.

What was it like recording your last album?

Matt Hammitt: Well with this album, the pressure of making things right—musically and lyrically—was the greatest challenge. We recorded the album in only four weeks, and almost all of it was written just a month before that. It was cool and it stretched us, but it took an emotional and physical toll on all of us. We were so tired out after it was all done. But even though it was a whole lot of work, I'm thankful that it all happened the way it did.

Chris Rohman: Recording the album was labor intensive. We had to make the most of every hour we had in the studio. Often it meant laying down a lot of the drums and bass tracks in the morning and then coming back that night and doing guitar stuff. I played the guitar all day long during the second half of the recording time. The constant playing got really bad; I actually tried putting fingernail polish on my fingertips, because they were so raw. There were times when I felt overwhelmed, but it was neat how it all came together way better than we could've expected it.

The average person might think a few weeks is plenty of time to record 12 songs. What would have been an ideal amount of time?

Hammitt: About two months. A lot of bands might even have more time than that—and they probably split it up so they're not in the studio week after week after week. But I don't mean to say that to say we've sacrificed on quality; if anything, I think the short schedule pushed us to do the best we could. There wasn't any room to get comfortable. If we weren't in the studio laying down tracks, we were at home working on lyrics, melodies, and rewrites. It really felt like a 24 hour-a-day job for about four weeks.

Despite the short amount of time, there wasn't one word or musical element that was overlooked. Every piece of each song was intentionally combed over, and we're proud of that.

What was the most gratifying part of putting this project together?

Hammitt: I was able to step back at the end and look at the lyrical side, and see that we'd put together a record where someone can take away something worthwhile. It might produce encouragement or provoke new thoughts.

Steve Goodrum: This album is translated to something special in a live show. You tend to typically get excited about new music for a time, and then you play it a few hundred times and it becomes day-to-day, mundane stuff. But this music has really been fresh for me. We were doing a show the other day, playing a song called "Closer," and for some reason I really connected to that song that night. I totally felt the presence of the Lord—it was extremely refreshing. It was a good feeling to realize that I'm still enjoying, loving, and connecting with what this is all about—my relationship with Christ.

Rohman: The gratification for me comes from knowing that people will hear the clear message of who Christ is and what his love is all about.

What themes are personally most important to each of you?

Goodrum: God gave me an idea for "The Fight Song," which Matt and I wrote together. It's special to me because of a relationship I had with a friend. I was kind of hurt, but I'm still close to that person. But I never really experienced what it was like to express my emotions in a way that could translate to paper and then to music. The song is about fighting over small, unimportant things—the things that divide churches, marriages, and close relationships, things that destroy beautiful people and beautiful connections. People often try to figure out the main problem in a relationship, but it's often a small thing that's overlooked.

Hammitt: There are many different themes on this record. There's a lot coming from the book of James—topics of faith and deeds, and how faith without deeds is dead. "The Fight Song" is about the tongue and that's also from James. There just seems to be several reoccurring themes from there.

"Change Me" is really important to me. I wrote it after I lost my patience with my wife, and it was probably one of the first times in our marriage I'd done that. I felt like less of a person at that point. That hurt me as well as it hurt her, because I said some stupid things when I was angry. I needed to serve my wife before myself, and to uplift her. If we can't do that in our closest friendships, how can we ever hope to accomplish that outside of that?

What are each of you passionate about outside of music and your relationship with God?

Hammitt: Outside of my relationship with my wife and with God, it really has to be songwriting. And if I could use the title of the new record, I'm also passionate about this idea of "fighting the tide." Everyone has their own set of struggles, but we're all fighting this tide every day—fighting for our heart and soul. It's not easy to live a completely pure life, but that's our goal.

We're currently writing some devotionals about life issues that we go through together as a band. And we hope to develop a website where people can read about these issues and then discuss them on a message board. We've got to help each other out with each other's tides.

Goodrum: I've recently felt God giving me the desire to take a deeper role in leadership, to have more confidence in encouraging and blessing people who are in a time of pain or weakness. I want to be a pillar in people's lives. That's hard for me because I'm a laid-back, relaxed guy. I need to have the Word hidden in my heart to be able to be the open vessel that God can use to speak through to these people.

Rohman: I'll try to say something a little different here. I'm the kind of guy who likes to be in-the-know about technology. I'm always trying to find stuff that'll make what we do better, easier, or more enjoyable—whether that means learning how to record something in a new way, or learning how to make a movie or whatever. I also enjoy cutting unique patterns in grass when I do that. That's fun. Oh, and I also love fruit smoothies. Jamba Juice is the best—especially the Strawberry Passion, with a protein boost.

Goodrum: Hey, if we're going more for interests and hobbies, then I'm a more outdoors type guy. I also love carpentry and building things with my hands.

Mark Graalman: I'm really passionate about drumming. I just like to beat on things with heavy sticks. We're a pop/rock band, but I like to also listen to jazz, R&B, and funk. I'm always studying all the different drummers and their different styles. I love drumming!

And I'm the most newly-married in the band. My wife and I just celebrated our first anniversary. So, I'm passionate about learning how to become a better husband. Some days I'm good at it, and other days I stink at it. But I want to become a good spiritual leader in my home before kids start coming along in our life.

Visit our artist page for Sanctus Real to learn more about the band, including a review of their latest CD, Fight the Tide. To hear sound clips and buy their music, visit Christianbook.com.

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