BNB All Stars
by Trisha Bleau

CS: How did your group form? Did you start out together or did you pick up players along the way?

BNB All Stars: It all started a Long Long Time Ago... when from the Davis House, two were born, Matt and Brad. Matt played the piano. Brad didn't play anything. Then one day, Brad said: "I'm going to buy a bass and learn to play it." So he did. And Matt said: "I'm going to buy a really cheap keyboard, and write songs on it." And he did. Brad and Matt wrote songs together and played them very badly for they were NOT GOOD. The first song Matt wrote was "I Don't Play Basketball." It was very different back then than how it is on our album. Back then, it was much simpler and NOT GOOD.

Then after a couple of years, Matt and Brad said, "Let's start a band."

So they did. They met a man named Lenny Beh, also known as Exploding Face Man, because his nose would constantly erupt with blood, and he couldn't talk without drooling all over himself. Fun. He Played drums. Matt and Brad said, "we're going to make a Ska Band." Lenny didn't know what ska was. But he didn't tell them that. He just faked it.

Then Matt and Brad and Lenny got a guitarist named Sean O'Donnel, and a Trombonist named Bill Driskol. They played two shows. They were NOT GOOD. Bill left for college. And Sean decided to go play in a little band called DOGWOOD. Hence, Matt and Brad looked for other people. Jeremiah Smith was learning the guitar and he had an acoustic electric guitar that he played his first show with. He also knew a Trumpeteer named Nate. Hence, the BNB All-Stars.

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

BNB All Stars: Since Brad and Matt are brothers they get along fine because they've lived together for 18 years. It didn't take too long for the rest of us to bond. Except for Nate, who didn't talk for the first YEAR he was in the band. Then we went on tour and he started talking and we found out he's a really cool dude.

CS: How long have you been together as a band?

BNB All Stars: With the group as it is now... 3 years.

CS: How long did you have to wait to get a record label?

BNB All Stars: We were a band for about a year. Then Bettie Rocket heard our demo and signed us. Now we're famous. Oh wait, no, we're not.

CS: Do you ever get criticized for the lyrics you write or the sense of humor you have?

BNB All Stars: Yes. We had to change many of our lyrics for our album. "The 80s Song" was originally called "Poopy Occurs." and the lyric: "bad stuff happens" used to be "Poopy Happens." And we had other potty humor stuff, but apparently you can't say Poop and be in the Christian Book Stores. So we had to compromise there...

CS: What is the main focus in your ministry? Teens? The lost? The hurting?

BNB All Stars: As of now, our main focus is to encourage Christians in what they're doing. To show them that Christianity isn't a stifling anal retentive no-have-fun thang, and that you CAN have fun and do a jig. Eventually we'd like to expand that ministry to non-Christians, and our goal would be to cause them to rethink their stance on Christianity by breaking down the negative stereotypes that are out there about Christians.

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

BNB All Stars: I don't know. I really have no idea. I don't even know where I see us in the next couple of months.

CS: When and how did you accept Christ into your heart?

BNB All Stars: I was raised into a Christian home, so I've accepted Christ ever since I consciously could. Then I went to college and was faced with all these questions about it that I'd never asked myself before. So my beliefs were challenged, causing me to look into why I actually believe this whole "chrisianity thang." So now I know a lot more about Christianity and why I intellectually accept it.

CS: What is the biggest thing you have learned since the band formed?

BNB All Stars: Stand up for your artistic right. Don't let others push you around. Don't compromise when you don't have to.

CS: What is the biggest thing God has done during one of your concerts/gigs?

BNB All Stars: Well at our first gig ever, we found out someone decided to follow Christ for the first time. So that was particularly encouraging that something's going on.

CS: Do you write your own music?

BNB All Stars: Yes.

CS: Where do you get ideas for your music?

BNB All Stars: Either we'll get a concept of what we want it to be about, or I'll just start writing words and the concept will come out of what I'm writing. As far a music, we're all influenced by different types of music. I'm probably influenced most by Oingo Boingo, Danny Elfman, They Might Be Giants, Primus, and Talking Heads right now.

CS: Who, aside from Jesus, is or has been the biggest influence in your life?

BNB All Stars: My Parental Figures. They rock. They know about God. They love me. It's cool.

CS: Do you have an accountability partner or prayer partner to keep you encouraged and uplifted?

BNB All Stars: Yeah I have a "mentor" guy who I meet with at school. He helps me out.

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

BNB All Stars: I didn't really know what I was getting into when I started it. But the more I do it, the more I love it, and the more I want to keep doing it.

CS: Do you have any advice to give to the youth of our world?

BNB All Stars: Look into the History of Jesus. Who was this dude? He did pretty crazy stuff. He affected the world in pretty crazy ways. Crazy ways that were more than Human. He validates the Bible as the Word of God. Believe that he knows what he's talking about because he proved his power and his credibility. Look into it for yourself. Don't believe because your parents do, or because you have a charismatic youth pastor that's super cool. Cause what happens when you're not around them anymore? Know what the Bible says so you can know if what the Pastor's saying is from the Bible or not. Yup. I guess that's it.