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28th April 2011 by Jarrod Newton

Jarrod Newton caught up with with Underoath guitarist Tim McTague (third from right) in the leadup to the world-famous metalcore band's Australian tour. Underoath is in the country from May 8-18 - check out their touring schedule on the band's Facebook page.

Jarrod Newton: Tim, now that the dust has settled on [Underoath's] latest album, are you guys happy with how it has been received?

Tim McTague: Yeah I think it has definitely been different. I think it probably excited a lot of people and took a lot of people by surprise. Once we finished the record and looked back on it, we knew it wasn't an easy or obvious sell. We have seen a lot of growth in the metal listeners that previously wrote us off - a lot of them have said that this is the first record of ours that has made them question potentially listening to us.

I think we have lost a lot of younger fans who connected with our more pop, melodic stuff so it's been both good and bad I think across the board. But it's definitely the path that we knew we were taking, and willingly took and are definitely happy with the outcome thus far.

JN: So would you say the latest album is a case of you guys going with a plan, or was it just something that felt right for that album?

TM: No I think we just wrote. It's not really a thing where we sat down and said we want to make this kind of record or that type of record, it was more just us going "let's just make the best record we possibly can and whatever that looks like, whatever that sounds like, that's ok."  For the most part we just write and write and write and when we have 7-8  songs that we feel really good about we go into the studio and then fill the gaps in once we get in.

JN:  Tim, I guess the general perception of Jesus would be a guy who is fairly peaceful and relaxed, and a lot of people would describe your music as angry and dark. Is that kind of dynamic something you guys are conscious of?

TM: Yeah, it's not really something we think about. I think that we are pretty much past the idea of being a corporate Christian band, and I think individually as we all move forward in our personal religious ideas or lack thereof, we're all way past even the old-fashioned thinking of 'Oh how are you in such a loud band'. That's just something that is for me so culturally dated to like you 5, 6, 7, 8 years ago.

I don't think that has been an issue for people for a while and the people that it is an issue for don't really affect our band in a good or negative way, they are not even on our radar, so we don't even really pay attention or even think of that and how we can kind of come back and prove a point. It's just something that we don't even think about.

JN: What advice Tim would you have for a young person who loves your style of music and who is maybe like facing that kind of question from their church or family or something like that?

TM: I don't know... ah, don't listen?  I mean, I personally believe that the idea of Christianity is not something that is confined into a box. If you feel in your heart that you're doing something positive and that aligns with the faith and the guidelines you accept for yourself then if someone else tells you that's too bad, that doesn't work, it's not really their place. Nor should we lose sleep over it, you know.

You should just follow your heart if you feel like you should be doing it, if some people don't like that it's their problem you know.

JN: Across [Underoath's] history as a band there have been some ups and downs as far as group dynamics go, but out of all of that you guys are still together, still making albums and still touring. What would you guys say is your secret for making it through those tough times?

TM: Just persistence, man, open mind and persistence. I really do think that in a lot of ways our faith in God and things of that nature have been a big part of our band. We feel really blessed and guided in times we didn't really know how to navigate ourselves. But through it all it's just loving music and wanting to do it, and being open to change, and when people leave just taking the situation as an opportunity to grow and expand and move forward. That's kind of the way we have approached everything so far and it has worked out great.

JN: Tim, what would you say is the most important thing you have personally had to learn about relationships and getting on with those around you?

TM: To not judge, I guess, and to not inflict your personal world view on other people's and at the same time to also have good reasons why you have your world view whether it be musically or spiritually or socially whatever.

For me I have found that nothing is more destructive than ignorance so if you're going to say 'I don't believe in this' or 'I believe in this' or 'I don't think you should do this or that,' you should have a good reason.

Just be confident in your beliefs and then also try not to inflict [them] on other people. Nothing is more discouraging than someone who doesn't know why or what they are doing, they have no reason for it, they just do it.

JN: Great. Tim, I have got some questions from some of readers for you. Joel Cox, from Queensland, would love to ask what's the biggest challenge you guys face as a Christian in a touring band?

TM: Um, just being positive I guess.  I deal with the same things at home that I deal with on the road. I think that some people think when you go on tour we are thrust into this world of chaos and destruction, and we go home and everything's ok and we go on tour it's like going into like moral battle. It's never been like that, plus we have been touring for 7, 8, 9 years some of us so any personal world view, any relationship, anything that we have had, all those things have been adjusted and adapted to touring.

The same struggles follow you on the road and they follow you home, it's not really that much of a difference. It's just as easy to get into trouble at home as it is on the road and vice versa. I don't really think that there is a bigger struggle that I don't  face when I'm home - just [a] positive outlook, moving forward, not being lazy and sluggish, just being productive you know.

JN: Harry from Sydney would love to know how "you keep your mighty beard so healthy and brutal," that's his wording.

TM: Don't touch it and don't cut it.

JN: Simple advice...

TM: The best to have!

JN: Joel Campbell, he's from Sydney as well, he'd love to know how you deal with being on tour with other bands who might be completely against Christianity.

TM: We don't deal with it in any real way. We've only really had one or two situations where people have made an effort to be not accommodating or not friendly to us if their beliefs are something different to our beliefs.

For the most part I think if you respect someone they are going to respect you. If you walk around pointing everyone's faults out and shooting off your opinions at everyone, they're going to do the same to you. A lot of times those opinions don't match up and they won't even match up even with your best friend and family, your wife sometimes, so that's a dangerous spot to be in.

But at the end of the day we respect everyone, who they are and what they believe and in turn we have been shown a lot of that same respect so it's cool.

JN: Tim, what is the first thing that you think of when you hear the phrase 'The Salvation Army'?

TM: Charity, and relief.

JN: Have you ever come across The Salvation Army when you were growing up or anything like that?

TM: Yeah, I had one right down the street from my house, I'd donate stuff there a lot. I actually work for a merchandising company in the States and we run a Salvation Army online merchandise store. We actually just did that Japan relief shirt for you guys, it was a monstrous success, it was awesome.

JN: Really cool! One more question to go Tim. If there was one thing that you could leave as parting words for the youth of Australia, what would you say?

TM: Time is short, so focus on what matters, and disregard what doesn't and have fun!

JN: Great, Tim, thanks so much for your time, really appreciate it.

TM: Yeah, no problems, talk soon.

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