Mattie Montgomery Interview

   

      I don't really know where to start or how to explain why it has taken me almost 3 years to share this interview. I almost feel like it's so out of date now that much of this is repeated information you can find elsewhere on the internet, but in actuality there is a lot in this interview that was said to me for the first time. I don't think before this interview Mattie Montgomery had ever shared with his fans that he went to school to be a high school English teacher. One of the most powerful topics that I think he talked about in this interview is when I asked him about what he saw in our generation. At the time of the interview I was very nervous, to be honest it was hard for me to even pay attention to his answers, I really missed opportunity on follow up questions, I kind of just kept moving on without a nice flow but hearing it now I am thinking of all sorts of things that I could have asked, he says powerful stuff. I hope you enjoy reading this interview, I hope it inspires you and blesses you.

March 30th 2012

In your song King and The Advocate you mention this generation, what have you seen in this generation that’s inspired you to make music to save this generation?

That Might have been the best question I’ve ever been asked. I have seen in this generation, we are under attack as a generation by that woman Jezebel who calls herself a phrophetist and seduces the servants of God to commit sexual immorality. There has never been in the history of the world a generation that is so steeped in sexual sin and sexual dysfunction and I’m not one of those like one of those homophobic Christian preachers talking about gay people are taking over the world or anything like that but just the fact that kids are exposed to pornography as early as the age of 8. I heard about a 4 year old boy talking about that he is is a woman trapped in a boy’s body and that as soon as he get’s old enough he is going to have a sex transplant.  In our culture we have so allowed sexual dysfunction that I couldn’t help but take note that and interesting thing is this that consistently throughout the Bible there is the spirit of Elijah, Elijah was a prophet and Elijha was threatened by Jezebel and then the spirit of Elijha rested again as it was prophesized on John the Baptist thousands of years later and John the Baptist was actually killed by Herod because Herod made a promise to a seductive woman named Herodias that he would get John the Baptist head for her. So that every time the spirit of Elijha comes this woman Jezebel comes and so when I see to the fact that this seductive woman Jezebel has come after this generation I can’t help but think this generation must be operating under the spirit of Elisha we must have it resting on us. Otherwise Jezebel wouldn’t bother with us at all. And secondly I see in this generation a natural resistance to buying into the way things used to be done. When we see the way our parents did church, we see the way our parents did religion, or work or culture or whatever there’s something in us that just can’t accept that as the way it is. We are naturally inclined to change the system, to shift the course of history. And I believe that’s because God made us revolutionaries, He made us resistant to indifference in apathy to the system because we were made to change it forever and so you know what I see the potential of our generation I can’t help but see that if we were focused on Jesus we would be able to shift the course of history forever to establish the kingdom of heaven on earth and that is where my heart is.

Your Music is very Jesus driven, what made you decide that this was the kind of music you were going to sing?

It was just natural, when I started following Jesus I didn’t really have a dream of playing this music for Jesus. It was just the music that I loved to play as a kid, I tell people all the time that being in this band is my job and I just refuse to go to work without preaching Jesus. I feel like people that are lawyers, bankers, bag boys at wal-mart, or taxi drivers should do the same thing. If we all just went to work and told people what Jesus did for us told them about His goodness and His love for them that it would change the world, you know. And it’s not like I have some sort of special opportunity because I play in a band, I just go to work and I tell people about Jesus while I’m there. This band was never like a I was sitting in prayer one day and God told me you are going to play in a band and tour the world or anything. I played this music it’s a talent that I have and I gave it to the Lord and He just told me to move to Iowa to join this band For Today and I didn’t know where it was gonna go or what that was gonna look like or where it was gonna take me but I’m glad I did and it’s been awesome.

So it’s like you would have done this no matter what your job was it just so happens you’re in a band?

Yes exactly, absolutely.

How did you guys meet?

Well two of the guys Ryan and Brandon, our guitar player and bass player are brothers so they’ve known each other for a while obviously. And then our drummer and our other guitar player Mike and David, they grew up together in church so they've been friends for a long time. And the four of them all met when they were like 14 or 15, you know little kids in the scene trying to play in a band and so they all sort of formed and then actually David the drummer used to play drums and do vocals at the same time. They only had four people in the band, so he was the front man and the drummer at the same time and it was awkward. Then they found a singer who was a guy from Missouri and he came out and joined the band for a while, he quit the band to get married. I heard sort of through the grape vine that this band was looking for a vocalist so I prayed and really felt a real sort of peace about joining the band, so I was actually playing in another band at the time and I had my last show with the other band and a girl came up to me and she said I really feel like God is telling me to give you $200 and I took that $200 and I bought a one way bus ticket to Iowa and left to join For Today.

Your music is a lot different than a lot of other Christian bands how do you think your genera effects your message?

I feel like our music sort of fundamentally, I feel that it draws forth feelings of aggression you know and intensity and anger even. So many people in the church look at our kind of music and they say ‘well that can’t be Christian music, it’s angry sounding and my response is always you don’t think God ever gets angry? You don’t think God is angry about sin and injustice in the world and brokenness you don’t think that even Christian men aren't supposed to be angry sometimes that we shouldn't be riled up in the face of injustice and finally do something about it you know? And the bible says there’s a time for war and a time for peace and I feel like that one thing that Christian music has done a really good job of is making music for times of peace but there needs to be a soundtrack for the times of war.

How long have you guys individually been playing music?

I have been playing music since I was 11, that’s when I started playing drums and played until I was about 14 or 15, just in band you know in school and then when I was about 14 or 15 I started doing that and playing in a band, I was in a punk band for a while and that band just started getting heavier and heavier, I started screaming and doing drums.

When did you realize you could scream?

It must have been 2003. We were sitting at one of my friend’s houses and we were all trying to find out ‘man what if one of us could scream lets just try it’ or something you know and I just did it and I was so bad but they thought it was awesome. So I was like playing drums and screaming, if people look it up well enough they could find videos of that on youtube. I did that for a while and then I switched to just doing vocals we got another drummer. That band ended in 2004 and I have been screaming on and off ever since then.

How do you do that with your voice?

My tip for screamers is if it hurts you’re doing it wrong. There’s a place in your voice where you can scream and it doesn’t hurt and instead of trying to move it around to make it sound good you need to find the place that feels good and then develop that to a point which it sounds good. And I’ve seen screamers, even guys that tour full time in a band that cough up blood after, that’s wrong.

I’m real serious about making sure people can hear the words

Was it ever an issue in the band where not everyone’s heart was in the same place and you had to let someone go?

No never, which is awesome, a lot of bands that ends up being the case but not us.

When you first joined the band did it just feel really right, because I can tell that being in a band you really have to trust the guys you are with.

Our first practice of the band was actually more praying and reading the Bible than playing music . and I always say we are a Bible study first and a band second.  We are guys that want to see each other succeed as men and as children of God before we want to see our band get big. I feel like that has been sort of our priority that has kept us unified and kept us moving forward and kept us focused on our goal, regardless of what’s happening in the business side.

Through the years being in a band have you learned lessons about being in a band or in the business?

I mean I guess, I mean it’s all about Jesus, It’s always about Jesus. You can’t compartmentalize your life or you’re gonna find yourself being a Christian when your with your Christian friends or when you’re at church or when you’re doing your Christian things and then suddenly you get into a business situation and you’re just another worldly godless business guy and that’s not what the world needs, the world doesn’t need people that are reserved areas or aspects of their life form the Lord Jesus, we need people that have fully given themselves over. I think that’s the most important thing and not only specifically for bands but for anyone. You can’t compartmentalize your life. As people follow Christ you’re not really following Christ at all.

You’re working on your album Immortal, what can your fans expect from that album?

I feel like in this album we really have sort of got out finger on the pulse of what makes For Today work. There are sort of a lot of new things that we’re kind of exploring we really I think tapped into what it is that works best for us and what we feel most comfortable with playing and most confident presenting to our fans. I think if you liked Breaker I think you’re gonna love Immortal.

In the song a Higher Standard it points out living for what you believe in, why do you think it’s important to remember who we live for?

Because it’s the natural tendency of human nature to slip back into living for yourself, and that’s why even Christians will tell you know Jesus wants you to be happy and Jesus wants you to be comfortable and He wants to love you and take care of your problems, but really that’s not it you exist for Jesus you exist for His pleasure you exist for His plan and if you don’t like that sorry, you don’t get another God, this is what you get you know. I think it’s important for us to be reminded who we live for because if we’re not reminded all of us are in danger of being mistaken thinking it’s us.

What were your favorite bands when you were younger?

I was really into a band called Crass, Floging Molly, Yellowcard a little bit, the Ramones, just a lot of punk bands. And then I kind of morphed from that I got into Cohead and Cambria and things like The Used and Finch stuff like that and then sort of got caught up with the times and got into As I Lay Dying and Haste The Day.

Did you ever like Underoath?

You know that was the band that everyone like and I was like whatever I don’t like that band. But I don’t really know why, I think I just wanted to be cool.

Was it because they were overpopular?

Yeah

How did you get into music as a career or was there anything else that you were ever interested in growing up that could have been another career?

Yeah actually I was in college to be a high school english teacher, it’s funny because I really wanted the opportunity to speak into the lives of young people, so I wanted to be a high school English teacher and God said I have a better plan for you.

Me: Because being in a public school you can’t talk about Jesus

Exactly, I was gonna get fired. But God gave me this amazing platform where I get to talk to way more kids than I would as a teacher  and it’s really cool so as much as I think being a teacher would have been awesome

How was the first time you guys performed together?

Awkward.  I especially was just a little bit confused of what I wanted to be you know, just because I grew up watching those dudes where girls pants and just swoopy hair and like tight clothes and stuff and I was like I guess that’s what I should be like I’m in a band now so for the first couple months that’s what I did and then I was like this is not me, I’m over 17 now so it’s time for me to start acting like it. That kind of dyed off pretty quick . The first show was in Buffalo, Minnesota, and it was a blast. I loved it I’ll never forget that show, but it was definitely not as fun and as together as we are now.