Tim Martinez, Mark Alvis, Gabe Martinez, and Aaron Gillies combine their love of alternative rock with their passion for sharing the Good News as Circleslide.

Everyone's heard the old adage that "good things come to those who wait." Hopefully listeners will agree with the release of Uncommon Days, the long-awaited debut from Circleslide, which was pushed back a full year from its original 2005 release. Why the delay, and how did the San Antonio natives come up with their unusual moniker? We learned the story from chatting with front man Gabe Martinez.

For the sake of those not familiar with your band's story, tell us how you got started.

Gabe Martinez: I was a full-time missionary with YWAM and was playing original Christian songs in coffeehouses overseas, and I wanted to do the same thing here in the States. [My brother] Tim soon joined me on bass, and we began touring sporadically around the U.S. We met [guitarist] Aaron [Gillies] at his home church in Michigan, and soon after that, we decided to form our band and call ourselves Circleslide.

On the business side of things, how did you eventually team up with a fledgling label like Centricity Records?

Martinez: After winning the Gospel Music Association's "Best New Christian Band" in Estes Park in 2003, John Mays—who handles A&R for Centricity—started keeping in touch with us. Eventually he offered us a chance to make a demo for the label, and it simply grew from there.

It seems as though we've been hearing about your debut for a while now. What was the delay in it getting released?

Martinez: It was mostly a distribution issue. Word Distribution liked the album and wanted to handle it, but they needed to get a plan in place, and that just took some extra time. It was a yearlong wait that was ultimately worth every second, though.

During that waiting period, did it ever make you question whether being in the group was the right thing? It had to be a little frustrating not knowing when your album was going to be released after working so hard on it.

Martinez: We were a bit disappointed. We had a release party planned with lots of people scheduled to show up. But we just decided to keep touring and use the experience as a way to practice what the album was preaching—not giving up, not allowing circumstances to govern our response. And we were able to come up with two great songs in that process, eventually recording them with producer Pete Kipley (The Afters, MercyMe) to add to the album.

I understand you've added a new member to the group since then. How did that come about?

Martinez: Well, our guitarist Aaron has had a few exciting accidents since joining the band, like breaking his collarbone in a recent dirt bike incident. [On another occasion], he was painting a building back home and his friend pointed an industrial paint sprayer at his hand—slicing it open and injecting it with paint reserved for the side of a wall.

We had to fulfill some concert obligations in Denver while he was recovering, so we hired a guitar player out of Seattle [named Brandon Bee]. And he happened to be a good friend of a drummer named Mark Alvis from a prior band. So when Brandon heard we needed a new drummer, he suggested I call Mark. And we all lived happily ever after, except for Aaron, who just slipped on a banana as I'm answering this—just kidding! It's actually great when someone comes along who has the same outlook as you do regarding music and ministry, and Mark shares our commitment. He's become like a brother to us in such a short time, and he's one amazing drummer too.

For those not familiar with your name, Circleslide is a reference to a classic album by The Choir. Tell us how the name came about and how The Choir has influenced your sound.

Martinez: Well, the name is a nod to a whole segment of Christian music that we felt was underappreciated—those West-coast bands from the '80s and early '90s that we grew up with like The Choir, Adam Again, The 77's. We don't really sound that much like The Choir, but we were heavily influenced by their willingness to push the creative envelope musically. Plus, the whimsical honest lyrics of Steve Hindalong [The Choir's drummer] are some of the best ever.

What was it was like for you to get to work with your heroes from The Choir—Steve Hindalong and Derri Daugherty—on your debut album?

Martinez: When they were approached about producing some songs and they said yes, that was a huge honor. We ate at a Mexican restaurant and got all the weirdness out of the way. But it was still surreal watching Steve play percussion on some of our songs. Their music was the soundtrack to a huge chapter of my life—so yeah, that was very much a mind trip.

As revered as The Choir is with its diehard fans, did it push you to do better musically and lyrically?

Martinez: Absolutely, although we definitely are trying to forge our own path. All of our influences are artists who never settled. And they serve as reminders to not get "stuck" or to not be afraid to try something a bit left of center.

With that said, what do you hope distinguishes Circleslide from the pack in Christian music?

Martinez:People say our vocals are definitely unique. We're pretty fearless on stage and try to make our live shows a flurry of energy and passion. We also like the fact that we feel comfortable playing in a church setting or in a bar or a club.

The band seems to have great camaraderie. Talk about that and how you all live in one house.

Martinez: Well, Tim and I are brothers, so we've got that going, which is nice. We seem to be able to live in relative peace and harmony when we're on the road and off, but we've found that when we want to talk to someone or hang out, it's these guys who know us best and who share in the same experiences. So we actually hang out during our downtime too. It's insane!

Since you do share a home, is it ever difficult to keep business separate from your actual friendship?

Martinez: It does all seem to blur together. We have code words for when it's time to be serious and talk business. But we love to have fun, and we try to make the business side of things not so heavy at "Chateau Circleslide."

When it's "business," what's your favorite thing about being on the road and playing shows?

Martinez: When you see fans who you know drove hours to see the show and they're singing along with every word at the top of their lungs, it makes the lonely hours on the highway, the late nights eating fast food, the blood, sweat, and tears worth it. You feel like you found a long-lost member of your family in the crowd, and they get it.

Click here to visit our artist page for Circleslide and read more about the band. Also check out our review of their debut album, Uncommon Days. Visit Christianbook.com to listen to sound clips and buy the music.

© Christa Banister, subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

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