For the past 20 years, the Christian rock band Seventh Day Slumber has remained highly active and passionate about making music. They are well known for their positive Christ-focused rock music (they've also released three Christian contemporary-styled worship albums as well).
The band has earned two #1 Billboard charting albums: Once Upon a Shattered Lifeand its successor Finally Awake. You might have heard some of their songs, such as "Oceans From The Rain," "Awake," or "From The Inside Out," on the radio. Despite their ongoing success, their mission remains true: to make Jesus known and bring hope to the hopeless. I had the honor to talk to Joseph Rojas about their mission, the band, and their new 13th studio album, Death By Admiration.
Congratulations on making music for over 20 years. What have been some defining moments for the band? And what has kept you going?
God has been using us and our tours to help change lives, and that really keeps us going. For example, on our current "Recovery Tour," we saw a husband and wife reunite with each other and their kids. The husband had been absent from the family and out on drugs. A friend from work invited him to the concert and once he got there, he felt God moving and invited his wife and kids. And then they prayed with each other and reconnected. He gave his life to Jesus. It was an amazing moment.
Aside from that, the rockstar stuff wears off real quick. Sure, it gets tiring touring on the bus every day, in different cities, night after night. But now I travel with my family and so does our bass player, so that helps. And that can be hard, too, dragging your family everywhere with you. But at the end of the day, our hard-working crew and our band are all about the ministry. That's what keeps us going.
Aside from a few worship diversions, you have stayed true to rock music. What makes this genre so important to Seventh Day Slumber?
I honestly feel like there is a lot of negative rock music out there. And sure, it's still often relatable: hurting kids and hurting adults like rock music. But there's an issue: most rock music meets them where they are at, but does not offer any solutions. Our band doesn't shy away from the hard topics, but we also paint Christ as the answer to their hurt. This is what inspires our fans and keeps our fan base growing.
The Christian rock scene remains strong despite recent challenges to the format within the industry. Why do you think this is?
Rock music has taken a hit over recent years. Both Christian and mainstream radio don't play the genre's hits as much. But what I've noticed over the last three years is that there is a resurgence of rock happening. Festivals are featuring rock bands all over, headlining or not, which means rock bands that stood the test of time are getting more shots.
I've seen this growth in the Christian rock scene, especially in our City Rockfest Tour that we've been headlining for many years now. Bands that were ready to hang the towel, so to say, found another chance with this tour and were encouraged. And, since we started Rockfest Records, our rock music label, we've seen an upward trend in sales each year, so that's been encouraging, too.
Death By Admiration is the third record Seventh Day Slumber has released since forming Rockfest Records. How has the label changed or helped the way you write new music?
It offers more freedom. Rock music label Tooth & Nail Records treated us well, they were great. But we thanked them for the success we had and felt it was time to become our own masters of music. After 20 years in this industry, we wanted to do our own thing. And ultimately, it's not about us; it's about the fans, the listeners, and God. We give our 1,000,000 percent--no matter where we're at.
It has also been great for the artists that we sign. They come from very similar backgrounds and experiences, so it's nice for them to come to our label and feel right at home. They often share the same vision and point of view, which is not the same elsewhere on other labels. I've studied the industry for a long time and have experience in it, so I offer these assets to our artists. It's been a great connection all around.
A surprising guest vocalist for many rockers is Tyler Smith, nicknamed Telle, lead vocalist from rock band The Word Alive. How did that connection form?
We're open to writing with talented people. We've worked with great people--songwriters and whatnot--in the past. So we wanted to think outside the box. Telle from the Word Alive was in Nashville recording when we were. So, we asked him to join us in writing songs (he wrote some great melodies). He related well to the vision of our latest album. And he seemed really into it, so we invited him to sing on the album, too.
What's the story behind Death By Admiration?
Death By Admiration is about a guy in a trophy display case, surrounded by trophies, who is suffocating in isolation. In a more literal manner, the album's name is about people looking up to a leader who is feeling pressured to be good, well, and perfect.
For me, as the band's lead singer, I've felt that pressure, that hurt, to the point where I started drinking again. Not to mention I've been very insecure about my weight, to the point of me not wanting to make music videos. I knew it would hurt my fans if they knew how I was struggling; I felt I had to be perfect. I felt like I was lying. So that's what this album tackles and why it's important for me to address that.
Death By Admiration tackles hypocrisy. Why is this an important topic for you to be talking about?
We felt it was important to address hypocrisy, especially in rock music. People judge rockers for how they look and sound without looking deeper. We know kids in these communities are struggling but they love rock music.
For example, in my own backyard, here in Nashville, Tennessee. We live in the city of Spring Hill, about 30 minutes outside of Nashville. Recently, we had a teen commit suicide. We know there was a drug problem. So, I reached out to a number of churches to host an event as a way to raise awareness.
I committed to paying for the tour out of pocket just so we could bring hope to the community. One church said, "We don't do that kind of thing here" and the other boasted about how nice their facility is. We ended up paying a church to use the facility but it was a packed night and was worth it, but still was hypocritical for the church.
What's the best way for the church and Christians to handle hypocrisy?
People need to step up. We're encouraging people to host these kinds of events--even if no one else will. So, we're launching a program over the next six months that'll train and equip people to raise money for events and put on an event in their city. We are stoked about that. We think that will help a lot and will help form leaders in our communities. People need to say to God, "Use me, here I am." Too many people won't allow God to use them to their fullest potential. Let's make that happen.
Anything else you want to share?
We're working on our first music video in over 10 years. I've been very insecure about my image as I said. I've moved past that and have been more healthy lately. I'm comfortable enough to do this and we are excited about it. We want to make this record as great as it can be and having this music video will help it reach more people.
How can we be praying for you?
Our biggest thing is safety on the road. We travel a ton and our families are with us, and we don't make a lot of money to fix our bus easily. So, prayers for safety are the best right now. Thank you, God bless.
Ryan Adams lives in Montana with his family. He has been NRT's rock reporter since 2019.
NEW!BEHIND THE SONG
#1236 - Brandon Heath
Transforming wounds into stories of redemption in this powerful song
ADVERTISEMENT
NEW!NRT EDITORIAL
Skillet
We explores some of the band's best songs outside their hits
NEW!NRT LISTS
Jordan Merritt
A real conversation around the artist's new track, "Human"
NEW!HEARTSPEAK
Jordan Feliz
The artist's must-listen-to songs about faith, family, and redemption
NEW!AN NRT EXCLUSIVE
Rock Meets Worship
Seven gritty cover songs of popular worship music and hymns
