Bleach, a mainstay on the Christian music scene for the last ten years, has had its share of ups and downs. In the late '90s, they scored Christian radio hits with catchy ditties like "Super Good Feeling," and then earned attention for bolting ForeFront Records for Tooth and Nail—a move that improved the band's rock credibility, as critics gave their T&N albums positive ratings. Then Bleach hit a major roadblock in the summer of 2003 when members Milam and Jared Byers lost their brother Joshua, a U.S. Army captain, to the war in Iraq. After dedicating what was then apparently its last album to Joshua, the quintet decided to call it quits and went on a lengthy farewell tour. But it would now seem that the end isn't quite yet in sight, according to vocalist Dave Baysinger and guitarist Milam, who talked to us about the group's history, saying goodbye, their latest "finale" CD Farewell Old Friends, and plans for a retrospective collection.

Why did you decide to go on tour again after you decided Bleach was done?

Milam Byers: When we decided we didn't want to be a band anymore, we still had a lot of shows on the books and we wanted to honor everything. We also booked other shows mainly as a chance for everyone to hang out and see us play one last time. It was kind of a long process because we made the decision [last] January, played our last show August 29, did some more recording and we're still talking about it all!

What was the last show like for you guys?

Byers: It was surreal and kind of hard to believe that you can pour your life into something for that many years and then in one night it can just be over. We had a lot of time to prepare for it, but it was still really overwhelming in a lot of ways and really gratifying. People came from all over to Nashville and it was a blast.

Dave Baysinger: It was so awesome to see the fruits of what we had done. We were never really a big band, but it was awesome that God still used us for impact. If you really want to know how the last show was, Tooth and Nail is probably going to put out a hits package and we're going to try and hopefully tack on the last show in DVD format.

Why did you choose to make Farewell Old Friends after the tour and after saying you were finished as a band?

Baysinger: We had really good energy going and there was not a lot of pressure on us at all. We just really enjoyed making a record again and we also had most of the songs as demos already, a lot written before pre-production. I know that sounds like it should be the normal thing to do, having songs done before you start recording, but that's not how it usually worked for us. We were able to step back and give these songs the attention they deserve. It's turned out to be my favorite for sure because we didn't have to think about anything besides the heart of the music.

How did Bleach evolve from the "Super Good Feeling" days to the current sound?

Baysinger: The first two records weren't exactly our favorites; we were still kids who started real young. I look at those two more like demos, which I realize people don't like hearing me say, but that's how I feel. I think [1999's self-titled] couch record was the first one where we knew what we were doing in terms of musical sections, and it got better from there. I'm certainly not trying to sell any of the songs short and we've always been about pop songs, but now they have sections and more of a musicality to them than when we first started.

Now that you've called it a day, how do you feel about all the other acts from your era that have also stepped aside from the spotlight?

Baysinger: There were so many bands that came around at that time, and some of them fell off quicker then we did. Ten years is a pretty good run and now it's time for new bands to come up and new seasons to start for all of us.

Who are you recommending from the new class of alternative rock?

Baysinger: I think The Wedding and House of Heroes are two of the most awesome bands out right now.

And what new seasons have you entered in your personal lives?

Byers: I'm married and have kids, so touring around with the fellas isn't really as responsible as it could be. I now work for the management company Alabaster Arts with both The Wedding and House of Heroes.

Baysinger: We were a band that traveled in a van pretty much till the end so we couldn't really take the whole family along. Now I work at Rambler Records in graphic design, and I've done projects with artists like John Davis and The Wedding. I think all of us, not just the two of us, will continue to be involved in music to some degree. Maybe some of us will put out projects on indie labels or get involved in other work behind the scenes. One thing I do know is that you can't music take out of somebody, so we'll all still be around in one form or another!

For more about Bleach, visit our artist page for the band. There you'll find past interviews and reviews, including our take on their final album, Farewell Old Friends. Visit Christianbook.com to listen to sound clips and buy the band's music.

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