LIVE FROM ICHTHUS
Interview with Extol: April 22, 2005
Featuring lead singer, Peter Espevoll

Ichthus is one of the nations largest Christian music festivals with crowds reaching over 20,000.  Ichthus was a reaction from Woodstock and is now stronger than ever.  This year's theme, "Let it Rain!", caused a stir.  Why? Because every year it rains....LOTS. This year a couple hours before Extol was to perform, all stages were shut down as 50 mph wind gusts brought in total chaos to over 19,000 sleeping in tents. My biggest concern was not tornados, it wasn't my life, it wasn't my brand new tent that would be ripped to shreds.  My biggest concern was find Extol and talking with Peter! So, at about 10 pm, the storms settled (for a few short hours and yes it came back and blew my tent away at 4 am!) and I went on a search for Extol.  Luckily, they were in the main tent making arrangements to ride out the storm and play the next night as an added late night feature after Haste the Day and Anberlin (which I would miss since our youth pastor was concerned about the now SNOW moving into the area). So this was the interview that came about as I crushed Peter's dream of watching his favorite NHL team, the St Louis Blues. He noticed my Blue's hat and said he and the band were looking forward to going to a hockey game this year.  He said in Norway the NHL is not aired but it was his lifetime dream to go to a NHL game.  I then went on to crush those dreams as I explained the season was cancelled due to a labor strike.  The interview begins as Peter tells me he and Extol should now just get back on the plane and go back to Norway since I have crushed their dreams. I recommended baseball, baseball fans from Norway...NO.

Dennis: Thanks for taking the time during the storms to sit down with me for a few minutes and do this interview. What does your band name "Extol" mean?
Peter: Extol is actually an English word so you should know. (laughs) Extol is an old English word used in the old testament.  It means basically to lift up or give praise to.  Kind of the same as exalt really but like an old version of the word I guess. 

Dennis: With the new album, The Blueprint Dives, have we entered a new generation of Extol? 
Peter: Yeah definitely, I mean we are a band that likes to develop all the time cause we would die as musicians. you know.  For us it is really important to take new steps all the time.  I think for example, from Undeceived to Synergy was really a huge step and now from Synergy to The Blueprint Dives is another huge step.  It is a very natural development for us. I think it feels really good to do something different and be really satisfied with that you know. Yeah, it is very different from stuff we have done before. 

Dennis: The last couple months you guys were touring all through Europe.  Is the perception of Extol differently perceived in Europe as what you are in the U.S.?
Peter: I don't think so. I think it is mostly the same here as well in Europe.  We have actually been touring more in the U.S. than what we have in Europe.  But we have had some great tours in Europe with Mastodon and God Forbid. That was really cool and some of the crowds were really great to us. Yeah, I think it is more or less the same. 

Dennis: Having a strong Christian is a stance Extol has always taken very serious.  It seems like much of the Christian community has too high of expectations for certain bands that have Christian members and it seems in Europe, fans are first concerned with the musical content. How do you feel the Christian label is placed differently on bands here in the U.S.? 
Peter: Yeah, that I agree too. It seems like to me over here the scenes are so divided.  I mean you have a whole Christian scene with all kinds of music then you have the mainstream scene which is really sad.  In Europe it is much of the same scene. Now in some places it is divided. But it is very strange here the way things are so split up. It is very sad. 

Dennis: So What do you think the Christian culture here in the U.S. can do to better bridge that gap and start reaching the mainstream more effectively?
Peter: I don't feel like I know the culture that well. Yeah, it seems like very many Christians have a really hard time listening to any non-Christian music or going to a club to see a show. For example, we have gotten emails from fans whose parents won't let them go see us because we may be playing in a club instead of a church. That is just really really strange.  I guess things like that, I mean start living like a normal person living in the normal world.  I don't mean you have to do all those stupid things that people do.  But it doesn't help to stay in the Christian ghetto.  Living is about sharing life with people, your Christian friends and those that do not know God. The meaning of life is fellowship with God and fellowship with people. TO have fellowship with non-Christians is the most important so they can see not only through our words but through our lives.  God loves people you know.

Dennis: April 26 you guys will kick off your tour with Embrace the Day and Haste the Day...right?
Peter: (laughs) Yeah, I think so. We had one show and we have only been here from Norway for 3 days. We had a show in Chicago at Wheaton College. That was kind of cool and this will be our second show.  We just started the tour so I am still jet lagged and a little confused in my head.  So we have the first tour kick off in a few days. 

Dennis: Legalism is a problem that is still running throughout the Christian culture here in the U.S. Do you find that is also true in Norway?
Peter: Yeah, not as much as here, but a very big problem in the Western church. I think it is very strange because if we read about Paul, he talks about how we are free from the law and dead from the law.  We are free from all those types of things and we have a new life in grace. Actually, I dont know if I should even say this but today this guy came up with a  rubber wrist brand. It said something about how they were working to get the 10 Commandments back in. I didn't understand really.  The 10 Commandments are a good things and give us a moral backing but there are so many churches still teaching law and not grace.  We are not under law anymore. It is still hard for me because hundreds of services in my life I have still heard the law taught. You can feel it, I get confused in the head because I read in the Bible that we are not under the law.  But we hear hundreds of times that we have to do this and can't do that. You know, preachers giving you a bad conscience.  We need to change things and this is not good. 
(A great answer but I felt it necessary to explain why people in the U.S. were trying to get the 10 Commandments back on federal and state property.  Many in the U.S. feel that is God being moved out also. Peter did make a great example though of how we can use that to talk about grace with unsaved.)

Dennis: Songs dealing with committed love, temptation to listening for God's love.  What songs have meant the most to you on this latest album? I know that is a tough question and it's like asking a parent which is their favorite kid.
Peter: I think the lyrics on the song "The Things I Found" which was written by John, our bass player.  There are great lyrics in that one. Also, "From the Everyday Mountaintop" which deals with everyday temptation.  All the songs mean a lot to me. 

Dennis: What drives you and Extol to continue driving on in both Europe and the U.S.?
Peter: Many things but a lot is our love for creativity and music. Simply our love for God and wanting to give this message to people. Extol has many things that drives us. How we survive is having good fellowship in our band and in our church. 

Dennis: So many Christians place pressure on lyrical content and that is why some bands have left the Christian market to go into mainstream.  I know here in the U.S., Solid State is very open with allowing bands to express themselves. What do you think on pressure from the industry and bands are dictating artists on what to come up with?
Peter: Well, Century Media is our label but Solid State does the licensing in the U.S. Century Media is one of the largest metal labels in the world and we have in our contract to have full freedom to do whatever we want.  They definitely don't tell us to put in more or less Christian lyrics. For us that is really good. In mainstream, the big labels, this is a huge problem.  I don't know if I would ever sign a contract with a big label because 90% they kill creativity in bands. 

Dennis: Why choose Jesus?
Peter: I have experience so many things in my life that God has done for me.  Jesus is the only one that can give life and the only one that can save us from this world or ourselves. A life with Christ is not any easier.  I mean it doesn't make life easier but actually makes life harder at times.  But seeing God face to face will be so worth it!

Dennis: Tell viewers right now why they should go purchase The Blueprint Dives.
Peter: If you want some challenging music that explores and takes a deep dive into the musical landscape then go buy this album. If you are wanting your average party music, don't buy this album (laughs).

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Extol
The Blueprint Dives