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Cover StoryMaking music and spreading faith are No. 1 for Absolute Zero Date published: 10/26/2006
By ERIN JOHNSON YOUTH CORRESPONDENT According to singer Ryan French, it's been four years, but guitarist Jonathan Wiley says it's more like three and a half. But although they may not agree on how long they've been together, the members of Absolute Zero do agree on one thing: If you're not doing something for the right reasons, then you shouldn't be doing it. The local Christian-rock band, which began at Fredericksburg Christian High School, consists of five members who are all certain about why they're doing what they're doing. And with a MySpace page that boasts more than 1,300 friends and 20,000 song plays, they're obviously doing it right.
They call their music "funkternative," reflecting its many different influences: "[Keyboardist and guitarist] Thomas [Franks] is classically trained; [bassist] Tim [Wirtila] and [drummer Jonathan] Tanks, they like hard-core stuff," said Wiley. "Basically we all threw that in a blender, and it comes out funkternative."
On hearing Absolute Zero's recently released "The Veritas" EP, new listeners might be shocked to know that each song is by the same band. "That's Love," one of the standout tracks, starts out with just the piano before going all-out with its rock vibe. The songs all have a different tone and send off different sensations. But it's their focused message that Absolute Zero is intent on delivering to their fans. That message is that Jesus is here, and he's not going anywhere. "Some Christians don't realize that Jesus Christ is a real person," said French. "He's here with us, and he is my best friend. He's just as real to me as Jon [Wiley] is, and you are--I can talk to him about anything, and he's always there for me." For French, singing about God also means living a holy life. "A teacher of mine once told me, 'You can't lead people to a place you've never been,'" he said. "If I'm not in the Bible daily and talking to my God daily, then I won't be able to bring others to worship."
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