Raze: The American pop dance band return with a high-energy offering

Thursday 1st February 2001

America's pop dance group RAZE speak about their 'The Plan' album

Raze
Raze

Do you have any good stories about new member Todd Hanebrink?

Mizzie Logan: Yes! He went into the recording booth to record his very first vocals and we were all like, 'Yea, Todd! You're gonna record!' and he walked out. We're like, 'Oh my gosh, what's he doing?' Well, he walks out of the recording booth into the studio, gets into his bag and walks back out. Then as he's walking into the recording studio, he puts on sunglasses. And from that day forth he has not recorded a line on our album without wearing those sunglasses. So Todd is like the vibe king.
Todd Hanebrink: But I have to get a new pair because I broke 'em on accident. Thank goodness we're done recording!

Where did the title 'The Plan' come from?

Ja'Marc Davis: From a song (on the disc). The record company thought that would be a good title, and we agreed because we agree with what the song is stating; that God really does have a plan and a purpose for all of our lives.

Describe the new album in just three words.

Davis: Spiritual, powerful, energised.

Your lyrics are all really straightforward and basic. How does that tie in with who your music targets?

Davis: We're going into the schools and dealing with young people who don't know the basics of the Christian faith, so Christianised lyrics aren't necessarily the best route. We go into as many junior highs and elementaries as we can get into and do assemblies with the title You Can Be You, Follow Your Dreams. We all have different life stories we share; there's singing and there's dancing. Then we invite everybody out to a concert and talk about your choice about asking Jesus to come into your life.

How do you continue to stay in touch with such a young audience?

Logan: We all deal with the same things, just at different ages and in different settings. The emotions are the same. So, hopefully, we'll be relatable to people that are 12 and 13 and we'll also be relatable to people that are 40 and 50.

A lot of new artists are incorporating dance into their performances. How do you guys feel about that?

Davis: I think it's good for Christian music to go where mainstream music is. We don't have to gyrate and that good stuff, (but) it's important that we're a part of that.

How did Toby McKeehan and Kevin Max from dc Talk wind up joining you guys for one of the tracks on 'The Plan'?

Davis: The first time I met Toby I was 14. He was at a family conference Carman put on here in Tulsa (my dad played keyboards for Carman at that time). (Later) they were shooting the "Addicted To Jesus" video with Carman and I was just on the set. Carman asked Kevin Max if I could borrow some of his clothes to look like Jimi Hendrix (in the video). That was the first time I met Kevin and he took me into their dressing room and picked out some clothes for me, and I got up and danced and acted like an idiot.
Logan: Ja'Marc has really looked up to them and they've been very supportive, so he asked.

With such a high energy show, are there ever any mishaps on stage?

Logan: There have been some shows where our stage has been so slippery that I don't do the show full out, but Ja'Marc can't hold back. One time the fog machine broke so there was soapy water all over the stage. Every time I went to the wet part I would just stand there and clap because I was so afraid I was going to break my tailbone or something. Ja'Marc has no fear so he ran over and I'm thinking, 'Please slow down, Ja'Marc!' And he fell really hard on his back, but he never stopped the rap the whole time. He did that three times and he wouldn't stop going over there!

Now for the really important question... What colour is Mizzie's hair for this album?

Logan: It's purple right now. I tried to do purple and pink, but the pink just can't fight the purple. The purple's too strong.

 CR

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.
About Tony Cummings
Tony CummingsTony Cummings is the music editor for Cross Rhythms website and attends Grace Church in Stoke-on-Trent.


 

Be the first to comment on this article

We welcome your opinions but libellous and abusive comments are not allowed.












We are committed to protecting your privacy. By clicking 'Send comment' you consent to Cross Rhythms storing and processing your personal data. For more information about how we care for your data please see our privacy policy.

NAVIGATION
CONNECT WITH CROSS RHYTHMS
SIGNUP

Connect with Cross Rhythms by signing up to our email mailing list

A Step Change...
Cross Rhythms Media Training Centre
MORE ARTICLES
DISCOGRAPHY
ARTIST PROFILES
Artists & DJs A-Z
# A B C D E F G H I J K L M
N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z #
Or keyword search

 

PRAYER ROOMS
Courts of Praise
Get close to God, be extravagant in declaring your love for Him in our Prayer Room