Meaning in the sound

After latest CD, members of Christian rock band Idlefill are keeping their feet on the ground

MOSES LAKE — There's a long line of people supporting the members of Idlefill.

"Tremendous" support from family, friends and the community is the key to the success of the five-member Christian rock band, several members of which reside in Moses Lake.

The band attributes its success and gives thanks to places like the Noon Moon Coffeehouse and Hastings, and the churches which open their doors to performances.

"This is the first time I've ever really lived in a small town like this," said Chris Adair, who plays acoustic guitar and is lead vocalist for the group. "It's a lot different than living in Seattle, because the people in the town, they're all a family it seems like. People are coming in (to where Adair works) and they'll recognize me … and they're excited about it, because it's like something they can call their own, almost. As much as if we were a sports team or something like that."

With Adair, Ben Talbot plays bass and violin, Matt Klein plays lead guitar, John Wilson is on drums and Andrew Southwick plays rhythm guitar and vocals.

Adair and Southwick, who are married, and Wilson, who is engaged, also credit their wives and fiancee.

"The support thing from their wives is huge, because they give freely of their time," Wilson said, attributing the same show of support to his fiancee.

"Without the wives, it doesn't happen," Southwick agreed.

In October, the group saw the release of a new CD, produced by Mark Wolfson for Reel Entertainment, LLC, which is available online and at Hastings.

"We got to go to L.A., and that was pretty awesome," Wilson recalled. "We did instrument tracks in Seattle, and we got to fly to L.A. and do the vocal parts and overdubs. That was pretty incredible. We got to see how it's really done."

Wilson said he thinks the album is the first to actually sound like the band.

"Before whenever the band did a record, we always had some studio musicians come in and play, so it never really sounded like what our band would sound like," Chris Adair agreed. "This album sounds more like what our band sounds like. I think we got a truer sound to our band."

The group describes their sound as akin to mainstream radio music, like Train and Matchbox Twenty. The group has evolved from an acoustic rock-driven band into more of a progressive rock sound, Adair theorized.

"We've got catchy melodies, we've got fun songs, and it's a good message," he said. "We don't put things that parents wouldn't want their kids to hear in the songs. It's pretty family friendly as far as that goes."

Adair and Southwick met in 1994 in high school in Maple Valley. Idlefill first formed in the winter of 2002 as a three-member ensemble, featuring Adair, Southwick and another member; they made their first record soon after. When Adair married and moved to Moses Lake, while Southwick remained behind, he met the other members of the group. The group rehearses in Moses Lake, and travels to play wherever their show takes place, usually playing four to five times a month.

Talbot is from Moses Lake, but is living in Ellensburg where he attends Central Washington University. He said he was always a fan of the group, and a friend of the drummer as well.

"I've got four really close friends and just the response of the fans and the following we have, I wasn't expecting that at all," he said. "I enjoy it more than I ever thought I would."

Klein has lived in the Moses Lake and Ephrata for the past eight years. He met the previous Idlefill drummer through youth parties, and when he left the band, the drummer encouraged Klein to try out for the spot. Klein said the experience has been what he was expecting, and he's gaining a "monument of experience" playing with the group.

"If fame is going to come down the road, it's going to come," he said. "If it doesn't, it doesn't. You just got to enjoy what you do."

Wilson replaced the original drummer and said he would hang out with the members of the band even if he didn't play music with them.

"It's hard to find a group of guys who are going to go, 'OK, here it is man: We're going to play music and that's incredibly fun, it's a great time, but we're not going to make money and we'll pay for your gas, maybe feed you, we're going to take a lot of your time and promise you nothing,'" Wilson said. "We can't promise you anything. Come play music with us.' The ultimate goal is to do it for a living. That would be awesome, but this group here, that's not why we do it. This is so much bigger than us, it's incredible."

Wilson added the group occasionally wonders why they do it, after driving 10 hours to a gig, playing for 50 to 70 people and facing a 10-hour return trip.

"Then someone comes up and goes, 'I was having this crappy day today, and then I came and saw you guys play and it enlightened me, I feel so much better,'" Wilson said. "And you're like, 'OK, there it is. That's why I came and did this.' That's the biggest thing, to find a group of guys willing to just go when it's time to go."

Southwick thinks a person really has to love what they do, especially in any type of entertainment field. Trying to get somewhere can be really frustrating, he said.

"This is the part you really have to enjoy, is the toiling and the late nights, long drives, no money and pizza and lattes before shows," he said. "But if you don't love that, if you don't love what you're doing, you're going to crash and burn. You don't get on the cover of a magazine overnight."

On the Web:

Access the Idlefill Web site at http://idlefill.com/