Interview with Screams of Christ

Interview with Screams of Christ


1. When did you start playing music?

I started playing guitar around 1999. I was able to get an acoustic guitar and I would sit around the house fiddling around with it until about 2 years later I got an electric guitar and that’s when I really started loving the sounds I could make with a guitar.

2. What band/artist do you hold as your primary influence now? When you got started?

I’m not too sure I have a primary influence, but as for other musicians that inspire me right now a short, (very short) list would be Woody Guthrie, Billy Bragg, Crass, Omega Tribe and Tragedy off the top of my head right now. As for when I first got started playing music I listened to a lot of Hardcore Punk like The Casualties, Rancid, Funeral Dress, Riot/Clone and Destroy as well as tons of Anarcho Punk and anything else I could get my hands on.

3. What do you write about when it comes to lyrics? Why?

It seems now I’m writing about everything under the sun, I write a lot about personal struggle, the struggles of others I see, politics, religion, the never ending war, love, peace, hate, the things I see, the things I don’t want to see (it goes on and on). Most of my writing starts with a poem I write or just hearing words in my head that I can let out in a song.

4. What music experience do you have? (i.e. how long have you sang, played guitar, what bands have you been in, etc.)?

I think I’m going on a little over 10 years now of playing music, My first band I started in early 2002 call The Imp Villains where I played guitar/vocals. We played our last show in late 2009 after I decided to leave. That band was a mix of down tuned, fast, hardcore punk with melody thrown in here and there. It was like a big punk rock orchestra. I loved it. Around 2006 I was in a band called Hellghast (which fell apart after about a year). It was a thrashy punk band. The most recent band I was in is Live to Kill, which I had to leave for personal reasons. Even though I’m not playing with them anymore we remain great friends and I’ll jump on stage to do a song here and there with them. I love those guys.

5. Have you had any experience squatting or living on the road? If you did, What was is like and why did you do it?

Not so much with squatting (though I believe housing is a right). I’ve been lucky enough to have a place I can lay my head for now. I’ve had my times though where I’ve been out on the road having to sleep in my car and busking for cash. I’ve been forced to do it when I had nowhere else to go, but I’ve also done it by choice as well. Sometimes those 4 walls don’t look so pretty and you just gotta go!

6. Why stay in Detroit or Michigan?

I think there are tons of Michigan kids that say they want to leave but never do (I was one of them). I do plan on traveling and seeing what there is to see out there, but I could never ignore the fact that this place, no matter how bad it might be sometimes, will always hold a place in my heart. I think if we’ve got things to complain about here, then we are the ones who have to fix it and I got faith that we can do it. This place belongs to us, don’t forget that!

7. Is there any deeper meaning to the name ‘Screams of Christ’ or does it just sound cool?

I came up with the name while in the process of recording my first album. My older songs I would scream all of my lyrics while playing an acoustic guitar. With my first name being Chris I just blended the two together and came up with “Screams of Christ”. I didn’t think it was a name that was going to stick, but it did. The only thing is a lot of people have thought I was a christian folk singer which is funny, but confuses a lot of people. I’m glad the name stuck and I think it fits me well. Plus it sounds cool. (haha)

8. Do you have any particular experiences that drove you to write music? If so, what are they?

I have many things in my life that drove me to start writing music. I’m not gonna go into a lot of details but I think I started playing music because It was something I could actually feel inside me when I did it. You know, the goose bumps you get when you hear a certain song? Or the ones you get while playing one? It is the most expressive outlet I have and I’m so grateful to have discovered it at a young age. Music and punk rock has saved my life, and I say that with my whole heart.

9. Do you favor an individual based world or do you favor a community based world? Why?

That’s a good question. I favor both, and I believe that they go hand in hand with each other. I think that a good community will create a better individual, just as a good individual will create a better community. If people came together in harmony, peace and understanding, I think it would be a better place to live.

10. Anything you’d like to add?
Thanks for having me be a part of this! I think what you’re doing is great for the punk/alternative community. To everyone reading this, don’t give up! Always follow your dreams!
-Screams of Christ