Getting Real with Sanctus
Despite a time crunch for their second CD, Sanctus Real comes up with a winner. We talk about the album and a few of their favorite things—everything from marriage to leadership to … Jamba Juice.
by Michael Herman | posted 8/30/2004
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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.
Left to right: Chris Rohman (leadguitar), Matt Hammitt (lead vocals,guitar), Steve Goodrum (bass),Mark Graalman (drums)
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.
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