...In the Mean Time
Rising out of humble college rock beginnings nearly seven years ago, the spiritually minded rock and roll unit Inside the Outside has gone on to accomplish much in its chosen field. For starters, they went from selling demo cassettes from the trunk of their cars to signing with the nationally distributed Aluminum Records to releasing a self-titled debut in early 2002. From there they toured with The Normals and then Cadet. During this time ITO also played spot dates on the O.C. Supertones and Relient K tours. This was on top of their history of sharing the stage with such acts as Steven Curtis Chapman, Jars of Clay, Avalon, Skillet, and many others.
Along the way, the guys even earned such distinct titles as the April 2002 "All Access Artist of the Month" for the Family Christian retail chain (400+ stores), a headlining slot at the esteemed Atlanta Fests "The Edge" stage, and a spot on CMCentral.coms favorite new artists of 2002 list. Add that to a string of singles, including "For You (As Much As Me)" (which stayed on the charts for 30 weeks) and "The Least You Could Do" (a number one Air One network hit) and you`ve got one of the highest quality working class bands that pursues creativity exhaustively while staying planted firmly in its Christian roots.
"The last few years have been truly awesome," reflects singer Carl von dem Bussche of the groups recording, touring, and public appearance schedule. "Weve learned so much from the road and those we`ve meet along the way and it's just been tremendous to hear stories from listeners about how our music has touched their lives."
More than just a lengthy list of accolades or coveted opening slots, the members of Inside the Outside are committed to reaching the lost and searching, offering up practical ways to apply faith to daily life accompanied by musical relevance. In fact the group has grown significantly in both directions since the last album, culminating in the In the Mean Time EP and a series of other forthcoming cuts.
"The growth has been so strong and we've pushed ourselves more than ever before," verifies Carl. "The issues were addressing get straighter to the point and dont leave room for covering up. Musically the tone`s shifted to a lot more straight up rock and roll - a bit heavier. The last one may have been influenced by more acoustic pop/rock sounds, but this one turns it up to a whole new level."
Like the singles that have come before this current phase, standouts tracks from the new sessions include the spirit penetrating "Soul Vacation" and the radio ready "Where We Are Now." Both resound with a delicate blend of artistry and accessibility while attacking issues like complacency in one`s faith and forgiving a loved one over past ills respectively.
"We try to write songs from our own life experiences to relate to people on both sides of the church doors," relates Carl. "We play at a lot of churches, youth groups, and camps and that is a big part of our ministry. However, we want to stay away from merely preaching to the choir… Ive found our songwritings taken a more horizontal approach where were applying our relationships with God to a situation or emotion were experiencing that hopefully other people can relate to in their lives."
Though the group amicably split ways with Aluminum earlier this year, members are confident that their fervent following will be turned on to such productive progression, while new cuts are sure to have enough mass appeal to reel in a whole new army of supporters. If anything, existing within a completely independent state has been liberating for Inside the Outside members. "Being on our own terms has given us so much freedom," Carl admits. "We dont feel the pressure as much to produce what a label may expect from one of their artists, and its really exciting to see that even with that mindset, other labels are approaching us."
In the end, group members will continue following Gods calling in their professional and personal pursuits, resting easy in His perfect timing and will when it comes to everything from the words they write to the messages they share from stage to the next record deal that may come the bands way. "Its all about where He wants to lead us and we completely trust in that," Carl concludes. "If we can be used by the Creator for His greater purpose and potentially make an impact for eternity, then the time, energy and pursuit of excellence that weve put into this band for so long was well worth it."
