Scott of Hazardous Pedestrians
www.HazardousPedestrians.com
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?

Scott (HP): We've been together for three years now.

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

Scott (HP): We've all gotten along great from the start. We're like brothers...well actually our lead guitar player is my brother but we all get along great. We just started out as friends jammin after school on Fridays and that just progressed into us being a band.

CS: What kind of equipment do you use?

Scott (HP): A drum set, guitars and a bass....with amps.

More specifically: I play a Gibson Les Paul Special into a few Boss petals out of a Half Stack: Marshal cab, Peavey 5150 head. Tim plays a Gibson guitar out of a Marshal head and cab. Chris plays the greatest bass in the world (I’m only saying that cause I don’t' know what it is exactly...
but it's black for whatever that's worth.) and Abe bangs on something made by Drum Workshop with Sabian symbols.

CS: What is the main focus in your ministry? Teens? The lost? The hurting? Why did you decide up on this as a focus?

Scott (HP): Our target audience so to speak ranges from rockers who have never heard of Jesus before in their lives to Christians that could just use a little more guidance in their faith. I think a song can touch people different ways no matter where they are in their faith walk. When we first decided to become a band we actually said, "do we want this to be a Christian band or not" We decided yes and ever since then...that's what we've been.

CS: What does your groups name mean?

Scott (HP): It’s so painfully obvious that I’m not even going to dignify that question with an answer.

CS: Where did you come up with it?

Scott (HP): Our drummer heard the term many moons ago in drivers ed class and thought it sounded like a great band name.

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

Scott (HP): Over the years we've learned not to make plans for our band.

Being a Christian band is different that being a secular band. In a secular band your focus is on "making it". In a Christian band you need to be focused on what God's calling you to do. If we follow his orders we will continue to be blessed. So, who knows? I'll be happy in the future if we're signed and touring year round or if we're rockin out a youth group lock in as long as we're doing what we've been called to do.

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

Scott (HP): Sometimes we can get caught up in dreaming of "making it" but luckily one of us is always there to wake up the dreamer and remind us what we're all about. I don’t' think success will change our group.

Music and ministry is a passion for all of us and, one day, if we're exposed to a much larger group of people, I think we'd still remain the same level-headed foursome that we are today...except for Abe...he'd want a pimped out ride and some bling.(kidding)

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

Scott (HP): "distant as the performer"- that's what divas do! and we are NOT divas! One of the best parts of playing a show is meeting with the audience afterwards. We make it a point not to tear down right after we're done playing and, instead, go hang out and our merch table to mingle. People tell us what they think of us. They ask us questions about our faith. They tell us what songs touched them. That's where we make the most difference I think. If fans what to hear our music they can buy a CD, but if they want to have an experience of a lifetime...they can come to a show.

CS: How would you describe your music style?

Scott (HP): We fall into the Pop/Punk Genre....a bit of Relient K or New Found Glory maybe with a little more rock in us. We don’t' copy the sound of any other band I’ve heard before. But those two would be the closest.

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

Scott (HP): For me I’d say Blink 182. Not exactly a Christian band but musically I loved their sound growing up and learned to play every song I could.

Abe would tell you the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Tim would just shrug and smile and Chris would say Five Iron Frenzy or Calabretto 13.

As a band we're most influenced by Relient K and Ace Troubleshooter

CS: Are you involved in any other ministries?

Scott (HP): We're all heavily involved with our own churches. We've also started a sort of on-line ministry. Using the Live Journal site we update a devotional. We encourage our fans to visit it, read it, reply to it and even post their own questions or comments. It's a great way to help our listeners grow in their faith. If you're interested in checking it out you can find it at: www.livejournal.com/users/haz_ped/

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

Scott (HP): We're all currently enrolled in college so it's hard to get together. We always practice the night before a show and other than that...maybe once a month. During the summer it's more of an everyday thing. Since me and Abe do most of the writing we get together whenever I’m in town and jam a lot. Even if it's late and we can't bust out the drums and amps we'll rock some acoustic stuff. Tonight he came over and I played acoustic guitar and he played piano. It was rather productive until he figured out how to play a ho-down tune and then things just went down hill for at latest half and hour. Everyone practices a lot on their own time...except for Abe. His drums will stay at my house for months at a time. (not kidding this time)

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

Scott (HP): We try and pray before band practice and always before a show.

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

Scott (HP): I didn't grow up saying I wanna be a rock star. I just started playing with these guys one day and was lucky enough to have work out.

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

Scott (HP): This past summer we released our second full length album "8th Grade Social" This summer we're toying with the idea of releasing another EP and going on tour through the mid-west. For more info check out:
www.HazardousPedestrians.com or www.MySpace.com/hazardouspedestrians

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

Scott (HP): When we were on tour in 2002 we were playing a coffee house in Sturgis, MI and a couple of my relatives who were there had gone out earlier and bought the biggest panties they could find. At the end of our show they threw them up on stage. It was kinda gross.

CS: What's a band could you not live without?

Scott (HP): Our band could not live without two things…our bibles and the DVD: "That Thing You Do" it makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

CS: What are your favorite bible verses?

Scott (HP): Sadly, since I’m doing this interview alone I can't answer for everyone. I have a favorite verse however: "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity." 1 Timothy 4:12