Email interview with Michael Bloodgood, bass player for Bloodgood
March 7, 2007

After a 13 year break, Bloodgood is back! They are planning a summer tour and recording a new album. When Bloodgood hit the scene, no one had heard anything like them in the Christian industry.  They are true pioneers for modern hardcore and metal bands. Bloodgood joined Frontline Records to launch their self-titled album in 1986 and the Christian music scene began to blossom with other bands like Stryper and Petra leading the way. If you are not familiar with Bloodgood then let the history lesson begin!

Dennis: It has been far too long for a Bloodgood reunion. What stirred you guys to come back and start recording a new album?
Michael: It really started back in 2005 when I was stricken with a spontaneous corroded arterial dissection (SCAD). Without going into great detail, it almost ended my life and it took my voice away—anything above a whisper—for almost a year. It was a great time of reflection, soul-searching, and prayer for me. I had no idea if I would ever be able to speak, much less sing, again. It was pretty scary for a somebody who is a pastor and a musician!
During my two-year long road to recovery, I began to feel the Lord move on my heart, that He wanted to put Bloodgood back together, so I began to pray about it. My wife, Marilyn, was all for it, which was my first “fleece” to put before the Lord. After that, I called Les and told him that I was thinking about putting the band back together. He was ready to go!
From that point on, it was just a matter of time and prayer. As the months rolled along, I felt led to ask Mark Welling (Detonation, Rock in a Hard Place) to come back and play. Ditto with Paul Jackson (Out of the Darkness, Alive in America, Shakin’ the World, All Stand Together, and To Germany With Love). And that was it. The four of were all feeling the Lord’s hand upon this ministry/band again and it was time to get moving.

Dennis: Who is producing? Label? Where are you recording? General info for the upcoming release...
Michael: A new album is still in the planning stages at this point as we continue to write new material. It’s too soon to talk about when and where we’ll be recording. We’ve got some producers in mind, but we haven’t talked to most of them yet to see who we’d like to work with.  The new release will be on our own label, B. Goode Records. (www.myspace.com/bgooderecords).

Dennis: It has been more than 13 years since Bloodgood performed live. How  excited are you to be hitting the road this summer and especially having a main slot on the HM stage at Cornerstone?
Michael: We are really pumped about playing live again! We are having so much fun rehearsing so we can’t wait to perform and minister to our fans.

Dennis: In 1987, you guys hit the Christian market with a pure metal assault  that raised a stir. I can remember letting my friends in high school listen to you guys and they were shocked a Christian band was that intense. Now a days the industry has merged in many respects and Christian bands get into the mainstream market often. What is your take on the Christian music market today?
Michael: My first take is that there is a lot more quality music out now than there was before. Overall production value has really improved over the years and a lot of what I hear can certainly compete with the mainstream sonically.
People keep telling us that we were the “trailblazers” that made it all happen for them. Well, I’m not sure about that, but, when we hit the road, there was no circuit. There were hardly any concert promoters anywhere and even fewer churches that would have anything to do with us. As a result, we kind of made it up as we went along! One night we were in club, the next in a big theater. It was crazy, but we kept at it for years. Now, I’m told, that has all changed. I’m glad, because I wouldn’t want to do that kind of touring again; nor would I wish it on anyone else.
Of course, the “shock value” and draw because you are a Christian heavy metal band is long since gone, but there are still a lot of opportunities to bring the good news and make an impact in the world if you’re willing to go the distance and not compromise. I was blown away to see Demon Hunter, Norma Jean and other bands on the cover of Revolver last year. That is way cool. Back in the day, it seemed like only Stryper and Bloodgood could garner any attention in the mainstream press. It’s great to see that there has been some effective crossover in recent years.

Dennis: What was the defining moment for Bloodgood?
Michael: There were many, but this one comes to mind: We received a letter from a fan in the Midwest. She told us she was planning to commit suicide on the same night we performed in her town. For whatever reason, she came to see us first. After the show the band would always come out to talk to our fans, sign autographs, and the like. She said Mark [Welling] and I talking to her after the show blew her mind; that a band would come out and talk to the audience was, to her, unbelievable. Later that same night she put her trust in Jesus Christ as her Saviour. Now, Mark and I didn’t talk to anyone that evening about suicide. The Lord just used us to minister to her by playing our music and by just being real, approachable people; simply hanging out after the show.
For me, that was a defining moment. To see the Lord use us, not just our music or our sharing, but using us simply by being available. The Lord saved that girl’s life both physically and spiritually that evening. Praise God!

Dennis: I can't imagine the criticism you guys faced when you first started from overly conservative Christians.  I can remember so many times I heard, "They sure don't sound Christian." Jesus never looked, acted or spoke like the religious of His day either. How do you feel the church needs to be more relevant in reaching today's youth?
Michael: Yes, one televangelist held up our first album and said we were “four homosexuals without a prayer life!” That happened right as we started our 9-month long Detonation Tour back in ’87. From that point on, we were hounded by protesters and picketers. It always saddens me to see Christians jump on a negative/divisive bandwagon like that without checking out the facts for themselves. We would try to dialogue with these folks at our shows, but they wouldn’t have any of that. Their minds were made up…by someone else! None of them knew us, knew our music, our lyrics, or our testimonies. All they did was create division and confusion (which are the “fruits” of Satan) all the while accusing us of being in league with him! So sad.
I’m not sure where you find out how Christian is supposed to “sound,” do you? All those kinds of statements are so subjective. It’s like, “If I like it, it must be of the Lord. If I don’t, it’s of the devil!” Even today, someone will occasionally say to me, “You don’t look like a Christian. You don’t look like a pastor.” I always ask them, “Well, what is a Christian supposed to look like? What’s a pastor supposed to look like? Like you?” Sometimes I tell them, “Hey, I look more like Jesus than you do!” It still makes me (and them, hopefully) laugh. Funny how nothing ever changes. Billy Graham once said that, throughout church history, the greatest enemy an evangelist faced was the church! That is not a good testimony. Jesus was always under fire from the “church” of His day, too. That’s just the way it is. The Word of God is always relevant, but we need to present it in a way our culture can understand it. Sadly, in an effort to do that, many have watered down the message of the Gospel to make it more “appealing” or “seeker friendly.” However, when you  do that, you have already lost the battle! We do not have to apologize for the Word of God or the message it contains. Jesus would always challenge those who desired to follow Him. My Bible still says,  “Deny yourself, pick up your cross, and follow Me.” Not very PC, but it is still the truth. Then again, there was nothing PC about Jesus!

Dennis: So, Oz Fox has joined the ranks of Bloodgood. How did that match occur?
Michael: Really it was something I thought about years ago, that if I ever put the band back together, I would talk to Oz about joining. [Bloodgood guitarist] Paul Jackson and I had even talked about it way back when, and he thought it would be a great idea, too; and Les was always into it. So, when we did start to put Bloodgood back together, I really started to pray about calling Oz, even though Stryper had reformed as well. Oz and I got to hang out together in England back in the fall of 2000 at the Meltdown Festival. That was where we bonded our friendship. My wife and I fell in love with the guy! The three of us would talk into the wee hours of the morning. Plus, he has the same twisted sense of humor, and love for the Beatles, that you need to be in this band. He’s going to fit in nicely! Seriously, Oz has a great heart and is truly a humble man. As I was driving down to meet Paul Jackson and few months ago for a rehearsal, I felt the Lord tell me, “Go ahead and call Oz.” So I did. No doubt, I caught him off guard! But he seemed truly flattered and excited about joining up with the band. I made it clear that I understood Stryper was his priority, but that I really felt the Lord telling me to extend the offer to have him join us, too.

Dennis: Who has been the biggest influence in your life?
Michael: Without a doubt, my biggest influence has been the Holy Spirit! Without Him in my life I would still be “dead in my sins and trespasses” (Eph. 2:1).

Dennis: Why should someone reading this interview that is searching for salvation choose Jesus?
Michael: Because Jesus said that He was the way, the truth, and the life. Not just a way, or a truth out of many, but the only One. Period. Now, either He was deceived, insane, or He was telling the truth. There is no middle ground when it comes to Jesus. He said in John 3, that if you don’t believe Him, you are judged already; but if you do believe, you have eternal life. The Bible makes it quite clear: there is no other Name by which a man can be saved (Acts 4:12).
Anyone honestly seeking the truth, will always find himself at the foot of the cross, looking up at Jesus. Only He provided the way to salvation by His sacrificial death on the cross. Then He proved everything He said and did by raising from the dead and ascending to heaven. No other religious leader or prophet has ever done that!

Dennis: What artists would we find in your most recent play  list?
Michael: Besides the Beatles? Recently I’ve been listening to Switchfoot, Foo Fighters, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Kutless, Skillet, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Rolling Stones, The Who, Norma Jean, Disciple…I like to mix it up!