From left: Malina Owyoung (keyboards, vocals), John Luzzi (bass), Eric Owyoung (vocals, guitar), Lenny Be (drums), and Nick Maybury (guitar)

So you wanna become a world-renowned worship leader? Here's what you do: "Stay and worship at home," says vocalist Eric Owyoung of the band Something Like Silas. That's exactly what this multi-cultural quintet does at its home church in San Diego with its progressive Flood services—the platform which ultimately launched them to a larger audience. Owyoung recently chatted with Christian Music Today about the importance of communal worship, and how his Asian ethnicity extends well beyond the praises he's chosen to sing

Since you're firmly planted in your church, why did you decide to pursue a record deal?

Eric Owyoung: We never pursued a deal. The last four years, our band followed whatever God wanted us to do, day by day. He had us playing small camps around California, and then we started Flood in San Diego. We were very content. We felt no need to pursue anything, as we were being obedient to the call. We specifically decided not to go anywhere, look around, showcase, or send demos out. Somebody else sent one of our indie albums to Sparrow, and then they became interested in us.

Does being signed obstruct your work at Flood in any way?

Owyoung: No. Before we signed the contract, Sparrow told us they wanted us to stay committed at Flood, because what we're doing is relevant, and it shapes what we do and write about. If all I do is on the road, then my songs become about being on the road. But when I'm working and serving at a church with real problems and real people, then the songs and my ministry are shaped by those people.

That's an interesting concept. Most of today's songs are very "I"-focused, shaped by one's own perceptions of reality.

Owyoung: Faith is never meant to be an isolated experience. I can never claim the songs that I write to be my own ideas. My ideas are never my own. They're always shaped by the people around me, by my wife, by the congregation I serve with. The idea of community is, we live in the same world. The world is constantly challenging us, proposing questions in our faith. To be able to hear from other people—what they're discovering about God—is important, since what I have to say about God is not unique. If I'm the only one perceiving things and nobody else relates to it, my ministry becomes irrelevant.

For a worship album, Divine Invitation is a complex, almost "indie" listen. Don't you feel this "indieness" makes it difficult for non-indie listeners to worship along?

Owyoung: Yes. That's why it's so wonderful to have a home church. We get to mess up in front of them. Have fun with them. Experiment with them. Try things that work, and others that don't. It's nice to have a community of people where you don't really need to impress anybody. They become your "soundboard" and a little bit of a testing ground where you can explore things together.

So you have had experiences where you're excited about a song but have chosen to toss it because your community doesn't feel it?

Owyoung: All the time! We've written tons of songs that never worked. First we see if a song sounds all right in a little practice studio. Then we see how it sounds in demo mode or if the band likes it. And then we try it on tour or at church. Once it passes through all those hoops, it gets added to the repertoire.

Your album is a rarity, as it sounds nothing like today's worship music. Some call worship a movement, others a fad. How do you feel about the countless worship albums out there?

Owyoung: That's a hard question for me. It sounds silly, but I don't think I have an opinion. I never grew up listening to a lot of Christian music. I'm not completely ignorant about it, but I'm not listening to a lot of worship music with a critical ear or anything. I never considered myself to be an authority on it, or to judge what's legitimate and what's not.

You've said that worship can be taken outside of the church walls. How? Doesn't the vertical nature of the music have the ability to alienate people who don't get it?

Owyoung: When we go into a secular environment, we play the songs that we play in church. It doesn't alienate people because we're careful in how we communicate. If you go into a club environment and say, "We're all going to pray for you," you put yourself above them, as if you have this special connection with God that they don't. We do pray, but we do it behind closed doors. When it's time to play music, though, that's when we find a common ground with the listener. That's when we enter into a conversation with them.

Switching gears … Your group is ethnically diverse. You and your drummer are of Chinese descent, and your wife is half Thai. Why isn't there more Asian blood in music?

Owyoung: There are tons of Asian musicians, but not in this genre. We don't see them because they're all playing violin, cello, and piano right now (laughs). Rock music for the most part is deeply rooted in European and American culture. Because of that, Asian music sounds very different. They're just beginning to catch on to pop, and even some groups are totally into the '80s rock scene. The problem with assimilating Chinese culture into Christian or even American culture is this: you could be American-born, but culturally, it's very hard to stop being Chinese.

What cultural aspects are still a big part of who you are?

Owyoung: For example, if I were to teach at a camp for Asian-American kids, I would center my talk on helping them realize that school isn't everything in their life, that it's not the key to their value as people. Those values are handed down by an Asian culture that highly values education. If you don't have education, your self-worth goes down.

Would you say you have fully integrated into American culture?

Owyoung: I'm very Americanized. Most of my friends are American. I eat American food all the time. The music I listen to is American. My house looks very American. You name it. There isn't something you can look at and say, "That's very Chinese of you."

Do you take off your shoes before you walk in the door?

Owyoung: As a matter of fact, we do! So there's one thing that makes me very Asian!

What about things that are more intangible, things that are part of your persona?

Owyoung: Relationships that are non-emotional. We don't tend to express anger; we're very stoic. Also, the idea of responsibility and discipline is highly regarded.

Maybe it's a bit of a stereotype, but Asian kids always excel academically. Did you ever feel torn between the pressure to excel and your call to become a worshipper?

Owyoung: There's a reason that Asian kids excel. They're under so much pressure. Your value as an individual depends on how well you do in school. My parents did a great job of "crossing over" to the point where they realize where they want to place value. I was definitely very encouraged in education and pushed very hard, but not to the extent of your average Asian-American. A lot of it has to do with my parents being Americanized, but also integrating your faith and knowing that faith and calling comes before academics or anything else.

For more about Something Like Silas, visit our artist page for the band. Click here to read our review of their debut, Divine Invitation. Check out Christianbook.com to listen to sound clips and buy the music.

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