Mark of Ashburn
By: Jessica

CS: How long have you all been together? How long has the group been in existence, not counting any possible changes in members?

Mark: On December 15th, 2004 we'll have been a band for 3 solid years, with all the same band members. Chris - vocalist, Mark - Guitarist, Jon - Bassist, Steve - Drummer

CS: How has this affected the group? Did it take awhile to bond? What kind of relationship do you all have now?

Mark: It was easier to bond for some of us than it was for others. Chris and Steve grew up together in the same church. I showed up at about 15 years old when my dad became the new pastor of their church. Jon moved to the area about 3 years later from El Paso and eventually became the church's youth pastor. For now, we treat eachother like brothers. We love and respect one another, but that doesn't mean we don't disagree or insult eachother's intelligence. :-)

CS: What does your group's name mean?

Mark: If you ask each of us this question, you may get different answers, but I'll give you my take. We used to be called PG-13 with a website at www.pg-13.com. We had that name for about a year and a half when I got an email from the Motion Picture Association of America, stating that if we didn't change our name/website, they'd sue us for $100,000. Not cool.

That was Satan trying to tear our ministry apart. It caused a lot of trouble, and we were burnt by it -- burnt to ashes, if you will. Ashes are the result of fire and don't burn. But through God, anything's possible.

As ashes, we were still able to burn with the strength of faith in Christ, and it only made us stronger, into Ashburn.

CS: Where did you come up with it?

Mark: As a group at practice after about 3 weeks of bad band name ideas.

CS: Where do you see the band in five years? Ten? The future?

Mark: I wish I could see the future, but I can't. I see us serving God just as we do now.

CS: Do you ever worry about getting caught up in the world of show biz? That success will change your group?

Mark: We've seen a glimpse of it here and there. The world of show biz ain't pretty, but so many performers get caught up in it so easily, so, sure we have our worries. But God is our foundation, and if we hold strong to our foundation, there's nothing we could get caught up in.

CS: What kind of relationship do you maintain with your audiences? Do you fellowship with them? Or do you remain distant as the performer?

Mark: We view every show as fellowship with our audience and God. We pray with people before and after shows and do our best to relate with every audience member. We're still learning to be leaders, so we ask God as a band before every show to give us strength.

CS: How would you describe your music style?

Mark: Rock with some punk influences, but it's always changing so by our next CD I may have a different answer to this question.

CS: Who, or what, are your biggest musical influences?

Mark: Musically we're influenced by lots and lots of bands who have been blessed with great musical talents. I'm not even going to begin to name them all.

Each member in this band has different influences musically.

CS: Are you involved in any other ministries?

Mark: Each member of the band uses their talents to assist other members whether it be praise groups, youth groups, other bands, etc.

CS: How much time do you spend practicing as a group? How much time do you practice individually?

Mark: As a group we shoot for twice a week to practice, on top of our 1-2 shows a week to play. Sometimes we'll actually get that much practice in, but sometimes it just doesn't work out that way, especially when the neighboors call the cops on us for noise pollution. Personally, I'll not practice alone unless something pops into my head. I have a spare guitar and amp in my room just in case of emergencies like that.

CS: Does the group come together for prayer at times other than concerts and ministry opportunities?

Mark: We do sometimes, but we could definitely be doing a lot more of that. Why just talk to eachother, when we could be having a meeting with God?

CS: Have you always had a desire to be in a group like this?

Mark: Nope. I used to want to be an architect. But once I took a class in CAD design I concentrated my efforts elsewhere.

CS: What is the latest news on your group? Any new CD's to be released soon?

Mark: We just bought a van for touring, so maybe we'll be doing a bit more of that. No new CDs in the immediate future, but we're working very hard on writing new songs.

CS: What's the weirdest thing that's ever happened at one of your concerts?

Mark: We once had a show at some church parking lot and everyone was playing basketball and having a good time.
Well, we got up on stage, and before we even got to play one note, a fight broke out at one of the games, and all the cops showed up with lights flashing, arresting people left and right. It was madness; all these people running and fighting; we just kind of stood there on the stage and watched the spectacle before us. The guy in charge of the show told us to hurry up and leave before they started arresting us. It was crazy.

CS: What band could you not live without?

Mark: Um...I love lots of bands but I'm sure my life would not depend on them. My favorites right now are Blindside and Jimmy Eat World.

CS: What are your favorite bible verses?

Mark: Genesis 1:1 through Revelation 22:21. Just kidding, I know, I'm not funny.

Our new favorite verse as a band is Psalm 134:1. "Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord who minister by night in the house of the Lord."

Minister by night - that's what we do!

CS: Do you have any advice for the youth of today?

Mark: Everyone has problems. When you're a youth it seems sometimes you have 800% more problems than anyone else. Just know that you're not alone and follow only God to solve those problems. Anything alse will lead you down all the wrong paths.

CS: What people have influenced you (non-musicians)?

Mark: My dad mostly. He's the smartest guy I know and he is filled with the leadership I wish to someday posess. T4JYM: What's one tv show you can't live without?

My favorite show is the Simpsons and has been ever since my parents started letting me watch it -- at the ripe old age of 19 years old. Just kidding again.

CS: If you were stranded on an island, and could only have five things, what would they be?

Mark: My wife, clean underwear, waterproof matches, a knife, and a private jet that I knew how to fly so that I could leave the island whenever I wanted.

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