| Thursday, January 03, 2008 |
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Barry Blaze Interview 2 of 4
Posted @ 4:30 AM :: 166 Views ::
0 Comments :: Soul Music
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In Part 1 of the interview with Barry Blaze, Barry discussed the reformation of Code of Ethics and the importance of ministry in his message. In part 2, Barry discusses his early years in music, his time as a student at Liberty University, and his spiritual growth that lead to the formation of Code of Ethics.
 What kind of music were you involved in during your early years and high school?
In high school I was involved in bands, definitely. But, let me back up and say that I’m a pastor’s kid. I come from a musical background. But, I’m the only one in my family to have taken music as far as I have. Dad was a minister of music and became a pastor which is what a lot of people did back in the day. I come from a long line of family members like that.
I played in a lot of high school bands which in Michigan we called Basement Bands since we always played in the basement all year long and seldom got out. After a while I knew that it was what I wanted to do. I thought about music 24/7 and I developed my ear for it. I would listen to everything I could get my hands on and I would try to replicate it with my instrument. I started on drums and then to guitar.
I went from basement bands right into a top 40 band. Then I went right into Code of Ethics.
So, there wasn’t anything like a school choir or school band that you were involved in?
When I was in elementary school there was a choir, and I was in that, but I never discovered that I could sing until long after high school. It wasn’t even a thought that occurred to me, that I could sing. It was just to play guitar. I saw rock bands that I wanted to emulate, but that was about it.
What are some of the bands that you listened to as a child that made you say music is what you wanted to do?
The Monkees were on TV everyday when I got home from school at 3 o’clock every afternoon. Not long after that, I got into the music of the Beatles. They were the first band that really started to draw me in, and I started to really enjoy the creative processes of music and the changes. From there I really listened to everything from A to Z. That was my start.
Where were you the year you became a Christian? How soon after your conversion did you know you wanted to be in a Christian band?
Basically my mother led me to the Lord when I was about 6-years-old. I know that there was a change in my life, and I know that God entered my heart. Unfortunately, growing up in a pastor’s house it was a little bit difficult. As time went along I saw some inconsistencies in the church that I didn’t understand at the time. I also never grew in my faith. Nobody ever explained that God wants to have a personal relationship with me. Nobody told me that I need to become more and more like him daily.
And so, I took it as being just a bunch of rules and regulations that we follow. It was a gradual drift away from the Lord. It wasn’t something where I drew a line in the sand and said I’m not going to do this any more. I knew as a believer that He would require my full attention. But, I figured it would return to Christ when I was an adult, but I’m having a good time right now. I would be out partying, and I would see people from church partying too. But on Sunday they would be in a suit as a completely different person.
I decided that I didn’t want to be like I was two different ways. I didn’t want to be hypocritical. I hated that! That’s what I hated about my early experiences with church. I was just going to be who I am. I was just going to be out to have fun and be in a rock band. That was it. By the time I was 20-years-old I just stopped going to church. I was in a rock band, and we were making an original album, and I was just having a great time with life.
It was right around the age of 21 that I became really, really sick. It was most likely from the excess partying and the whole lifestyle. It laid me out flat for a while. I knew at that point, that, God was saying that He stopped me for a reason, and this was my opportunity to follow Him and find out what it means to be a believer. All of my friends up to that point were not believers. So I had to sever all those ties.
My dad went to school with, and was good friends with, Jerry Falwell. Jerry called and invited me to come out to Liberty University, and said he would take care of the bill. Just to get away from my bad influences, I did that. It was kind of like a time of healing for me. I was only there for one semester. Just long enough to know that I was supposed to do music. It was in a class there that I heard the name Code of Ethics. I also was in a campus band with Kevin Smith and Michael Tate. Toby and I became good friends there at school too. I built a lot of good friendships there that go on to this day.
So you actually were in a band with the guys who formed DC Talk?
Yeah, it was kind of funny. It was called the Connection Band. If you went to college at Liberty, there at the time, they had a band that they called the Connection Band. It was the only outlet for your more radical musicians. There were probably 7 or 8 of us.
That semester was really because I needed a time to heal. It was a really important, crucial step to walk away from the lifestyle that I lived. Once I was there, and honestly at the time, Christian music was just starting to take root and move along. I didn’t even know that Christian music was the thing to do. I was told for many years that any kind of rock was evil. So, while I was out there, I did a lot of praying and soul searching and God said that this was who He made me to be. I needed to go back and make some music that I thought would reach my friends.
So, I went back home and started Code. And, it started with a simple idea just to reach my few friends. I never had grandeur of record labels or anything like that. I immediately started recording. When I finished it up, I got it into the hands of some of my friends. I’m not sure to this day what kind of seeds that planted in their lives. I’m not really sure, but I know that it is what God asked me to do. Over the course of several years as I continued to write and record music for Code of Ethics, He kind of took it and blessed it, and I ended up getting a record deal. I went to Nashville and there were my friends from Liberty. We were on a label together, and it was kind of cool how that worked out.
What is it about Euro Pop that drew you to that kind of music?
We’re talking about the late 80s. That’s what me and my friends were into, and then we all stepped really naturally into the club scene. It seemed like, at the time, that music was so ground breaking. It was really expressive. That was your more underground, avant-garde music and there was just something that I really enjoyed about it.
What kind of music you are you into right now?
I’ve gone through every single phase and listened to every type of music. I enjoy it all so much that sometimes my listening box is so wacky. It’s just because over my life span I’ve had a lot of time to digest a lot of types of music, and could pull out it some really good stuff. I would try to get my hands on everything I could get my hands on.
In my player right now since this month is Christmas, in my wife’s car we have Peanuts Christmas Album (Vince Guaraldi). But because I’ve been shaped by worship music, I’ve also got Chris Tomlin’s Arriving CD in my player all the time. And I’ve got David Crowder and Depeche Mode in there, too. And I have ELO (Electric Light Orchestra) from back in the day. And John Cox who is a great Christian musician that not enough people know about. He came out with a new album this year. And also I’ll probably put in some Beethoven. Moonlight Sonata is one of my all time favorite songs because it’s written in a minor key and it’s just a beautiful melody. I also love Coldplay, Sting & Michael Buble.
Click HERE to read the article about Barry Blaze that tells about the accident that he suffered in 2004 that nearly ended his life. |
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