We are the band NEEDTOBREATHE, ask us anything!

Any plans for an acoustic album?

Yes, we've talked about that a few times. I'm really hoping we can do that eventually. Who likes this idea?

-Seth

I've never been so prepared for an AMA before!

I wanted to tell you guys that you are hands down my favorite band, ever. I move a lot due to being a part of a military family, but I've still managed to make it to about 6 of your shows over the past 5 years and each time is like getting a little glimpse of home (I'm a South Carolina native). So thank y'all for doing what you do and doing it well!

Now for my question: Y'all are often referred to as a Christian or even a Christian rock band. Is that how you define yourselves? Or do you try to stay away from labels in general?

Thanks so much!

Edit: One more question--You guys are absolutely amazing live. I'm always blown away by your energy and passion. Where does all of that come from? And is it ever difficult to get it going after so many years of touring? Thanks!

first of all, thanks for being a fan. i'll answer you're second question first. The energy we put out every night is because we try to experience the show in the way you do. we know how hard it is to make it out to shows sometimes and what it costs for a ticket. believe it or not, we talk about that all the time. we feel like we owe it to you guys and it makes it more fun for us to experience the night with you. as far as your first question goes, i hesitate to answer because i know how much unnecessary discussion goes into this question about our band, but i'll try. we've always hated the term "christian band" as it pertains to us. the reason being is that it is very polarizing. if your a person of faith, you might love it because your proud to call our band one of your own. if you're not, it's an easy way to write our music off as something you won't like. to be honest, our beliefs have never allowed us to be comfortable with the latter of those two statements. the one thing i can promise is that this band is going to be honest, sincere, and vulnerable in our music. our faith is something that is a very real part of our lives and thus cannot be separated from our music. bear

Congrats on all the success you’ve had, and thank you for putting out an absolutely on-point album yet again. I saw you perform in Atlanta and San Francisco this year, I was blown away by the experience, my face and throat hurt from smiling and singing so hard.

Listening to your albums, your songs seem to progress from songs about love and relationships, to songs about what it means to be happy and your journeys to become the best men you can be. They are upbeat but calm at the same time. Did that change evolve organically or was that a conscious choice?

the music always happens to us. i wish we could say that we always had a grand plan when we start a record, but we're normally sorting out our lives while we're writing. we honestly don't normally know what kind of record we've made until it's done. thanks for the question

If you weren't musicians, what would each of you do?

I would be retiring from a career in the canadian football league about now probably. other than that, i love building things when im at home.

In high school, I wanted to be an optometrist. But I would probably be a record producer for other bands. -Seth

I would most definitely do something where I had an opportunity to create with my hands. I love art in most forms but mostly visually and could not see my self ever getting too far away from that.

bo

Bear , Bo, and Seth!

I’ve been a huge fan of yours ever since The Heat. I’m actually attending my third NTB concert TONIGHT in Indy and am stoked. I wanted to first off thank you for always being so inspiring and getting me through some tough times in my life. LOVE the new album a lot, but I still think that The Reckoning is my favorite. I have a few questions, and I would love if you could answer one, a few, or all of them…

• What is your favorite album of yours that you are most proud of?
• Was I the reason you got the idea to do this AMA? http://imgur.com/dGkC0gC
• Do you guys drink or party while on tour? I’ve always been curious of this.
• When you aren't making music yourself, what kind of music do you listen to?
• Which of you is the best golfer?
• (My Friends Question) So the “fedora rule” is where only one person in a group is allowed to wear a fedora. Was it a hard decision to give Bear the honor of wearing the lone fedora for the group?

I can't wait to see you guys perform tonight! It would be really cool if we could meet you guys after/before the show :) Thanks guys!

I can easily say that "Rivers" is the album I'm most proud of. It was by far the hardest to make. For a couple of months, I thought that this would be the record that we would not survive. We challenged ourselves by being more vulnerable lyrically and forcing limitations in the studio. How good does the water taste after you've been wandering in the desert and feel like you may never taste it again?

we have you to thank for doing the AMA

who doesn't love to party. we love cake. Mostly, we're high on life and drunk on fun.

Seth is the best at golf.... today

yes, giving Bear the honor of wearing the fedora was a heavy blow, but if you could have seen his tears from how upset he was when I drew the largest straw, i think you would have let him wear it too.

SETH BOLT - Do you ever get time to go on dates these days? Will you do me the honor and go on a date with me in Dallas before your show?? You met me on 11/01/13(I asked you how tall you were @ SoundCheck) :]

hahaha ... I have many-a-friends trying to play match maker, but I don't have much time to go on dates because I'm kinda out of town a lot.

I won't have time before the Dallas show because of soundcheck, meet & greets & promo, but maybe I can carve out time for a coffee since you are "the best single girl in the Midwest"

SETH- Will your book be sold as hard copy soon? I don't have kindle & I refuse to take my computer into the bathroom!

Hahaha. Yes. Hopefully sometime this summer after the first leg of the tour is over. Thanks! -Seth

How was the transition with a new drummer?

Gonna be honest, the search for a new drummer was pretty tough at first. Our original drummer, Joe Stillwell, is a beast and one of a kind. We held auditions and played with a lot of great drummers, but that didn't work out. - Much to our surprise, Randall Harris, the soft-spoken intern that had been getting us lunch every day while we made THE RECKONING is a monster of a drummer. WE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW HE PLAYED! Crazy how he had been there with us for so long and not once did he show off all his drumming chops... but he knew all the songs VERY well. Which is a good thing because his first gig (ever) was in front of 15,000 ppl. -Seth

Favorite Venue you've ever played?

For historical reasons, i think the ryman in Nashville, but the tabernacle in atlanta, ga has the most energy of any room we've ever played. to be honest, we're getting surprised all the time by shows that blow us away because a good crowd is what makes a good show. bear

The Academy in Dublin! Love the Irish! -Seth

What is the weirdest thing you have ever found in a Green-room? (It can be creepy/gross)

Unfortunately, lots and lots of amateur drawings of male anatomy. -Seth

So like beards and muscles and stuff?

hahaha. not exactly. -Seth

What are your pre-show rituals?

Recently we've been doing power poses (something we saw on a TED Talk). Simply put, we raise our fists to the sky like we all just scored a game winning touchdown. The idea is that it puts your brain in a super positive space. Try it for two minutes and let us know if it works for ya. :) -Seth

Bear, Bo and Seth----

So glad to see you are on AMA! I am of course a huge fan –as I am sure everyone on AMA picking your brains are…. I was lucky enough to come from Florida to see your amazing debut at the Grand Ole Opry and meet you all.

All of your music has been so inspirational to me and the new album is undeniably one of the most impactful to my life!

However, one question I have always had is: what was the inspiration behind your song “More Time?” I ask because this song has meant everything to me (just as I am sure many of your fans have that one song that speaks to their core). A few years ago I was going through a really dark time and when things would seem impossible, my now husband would play it for me. It truly helped me to get through some of my darkest days. Now it has become a foundation of our marriage, as we always remind ourselves that no matter what we have gone through we just need to have faith, give it more time and everything will work out. We even danced to it at our wedding. :)

You guys are amazing and I can’t wait to see the amazing things you guys do next! I don't know if you will ever truly know how many lives you have touched or the impact you have had!

Also--- when is the next time you will be coming to Florida??

Thank you so much!!! Love you guys!

I wrote the song on the road, missing home desperately myself but also, trying to be strong for my wife back home. The band was on the road constantly, and at times, it felt like we knew any other city better than our own. I think the song was as much an encouragement to me as it was a plea to our families to hang in there a bit longer. I love how this song can take on different meanings depending on a certain individuals experience. we've all been there when we feel like we have the best intentions but the dream gets side tracked by the journey and we just need more time to get it right.

bo

How did you like playing the Hangout Festival this year? Loved getting to see you guys down here. We'd love to have you come back soon.

I think that the Hangout Festival is the best festival that we've ever played. I mean, the beach, the people, the lineups. We had a blast!

bo

What anecdote best describes what you've learned about the industry?

there are about a million of these. i will give you a couple.
the day the outsiders came out, we played a local tv station in kansas city. we were top 5 on itunes and feeling good about ourselves. the news anchor introduced the band as "need to dream". he then proceeded to ask us what it was like growing up in north carolina. we said it was great of course. thats when we learned you're never as big as you think you are.
The president at one of our agencies has introduced himself to seth about 5 times that i recall. each time he assures us that we're a "really big deal" there.
when we signed our record deal and went on the road for the first time, we put 6 people in a van. every night we would send one person in to the hotel with 40 dollars. they would tell the clerk, "this is all we have" we did this until we found a room. yes, 6 of us in one room. if we couldn't find someone to take the deal, we slept in the van. rock n roll. bear

Seth – How hard did you push to get yourself on the cover of the Songs From The Reckoning Sessions album (yes, the one that features “Cops”)?

I didn't. That was a total surprise. Bo created 4 or 5 album cover options and I definitely voted against it, but Bear and Bo liked it a lot and I trust them ... but it definitely felt a bit odd being on the cover by myself. -Seth

What's the most random instrument you guys know how to play?

The marxolin - like a marxophone, but different. REALLY frustrating to tune, but super cool sound. -Seth

Bear where all do you buy your hats? You seem to have quite a collection

hat wrks in Nashville, tn.
they are all custom made for me and she does a great job in there. the wild feathers boys turned me on it. bear

A couple of technical questions (I'm a gear head): - Do yall get to crank your amps on stage or do you have to keep the volume pretty low? - I've seen yall using in-ears before, but I see Bear & Bo with them out all the time... do you have your wedges running pretty hot and most use those, are are yall running click and stuff through in-ears?

Other questions:

• Worst or most embarrassing moment on stage or in music?
• Best moment on stage or in music?

Thanks, ya'll rock!!

I like it loud. The natural breakup of the amp cannot be duplicated by any pedal. however, if the venue is not suited to compensate for our outrageous stage volume :) we adjust and do our best with pedals. We use Tyler amps and they are amazing at reaching the ideal tone and texture without being overbearing volume wise. The rest of the guys all use in ears but we take them out from time to time to get reacclimatized with the audience. I do not use ears anymore, and I am in heaven! you can't beat live music pushing thru the air.

bo

Will Matthew Mayfield be making a surprise appearance at the Birmingham, AL show? Went and saw y'all at The Tabernacle in ATL last weekend! It was AWESOME!

No plans for that, but he's one of our favs. We usually have dinner with his family every time we're in town and "Mama Mayfield" is THE BEST cook (second to my mama, of course). -Seth

When I saw you guys in San Francisco you told us about your trouble with recording the new album and how you had to keep going back to the studio. Did you guys rewrite any songs or write new ones? If so how many songs did you write/rewrite and which ones were they? I'd also like to know if the song "Brother" was inspired by the disputes (I believe you mentioned some kind of brotherly tension) between Bear and Bo if it's not too personal a question.

Brother was most definitely inspired by the disputes and tension that not only the tracking of the new record brought along but also a competitive spirit that had been weighing us down since the very early stages of the band. We felt like competition was a good thing. It pushed us, and thus, we mistakingly saw it as something that was driving us. Yet, in our darkest hours, instead of protecting one another, we saw someone else's mistakes as a way to have an edge over the other and place an easy blame. It wasn't until we confessed to one another our own faults that we really saw the potential of what it is like to have a true brother by you're side. This is a very special song to us and was likely a big part of the healing that we desperately needed.

bo

Always wanted to know this - is Girl Named Tennessee inspired by an actual girl, or is it purely just a metaphor for the state?

Its a metaphor for youth. bear

NEEDTOBREATHE: I see that you all lead as normal lives as you can while on the road seeing ballgames etc. Have you guys had good luck in remaining unnoticed while out and about like that? Lol, I remember last year my wife and I were walking up towards the Murat Theatre in Indy going to your show and I saw Josh walking out to the bus literally right in front of me..:)....made my day!

Yes, we have. We are really blessed to have fans that respect our privacy and time away from the spotlight. I go to music festivals quite often when I'm not touring and people who ask for the occasional picture or selfie are always polite. - So thanks! -Seth p.s. if you ever want to find Josh. He's either at a record store, buying a used keyboard from Craigslist, or on the way to/from. :)

BO- Do you paint also? What's your favorite medium?

I do paint. not nearly as often as i'd like. I love oil paint, but its hard to take out and clean up if I only have a couple days at home at a time. Right now, I've been really into charcoal drawings and figure sketches. this changes every couple of months but I guess thats what I'm into at the moment.

bo

[deleted]

staying together. bear

what is an older song that you miss playing?

"I won't look back" off daylight; "return" off the heat; "second chances" off the outsiders; "Maybe They're on to us" and "White Fences" off the reckoning

bo

In your song "Something Beautiful," did you plan to insert the phrase "need to breathe" into it from the start, or did it happen more organically?

P.S. I love that line and that song.

haha. yes, it happened organically, but i like wear your heads at. A little shameless self promotion never hurt anybody,right? ;) bo

First I would like to say: huge fan! I first heard you on the P.S. I Love You soundtrack, and I've been hooked ever since! Your new album is amazing!

My first question is would you say your album Rivers in the Wasteland was more influenced by your faith than your previous albums? It seems to me more of the songs on this album are more openly faith-based than many of your previous albums. If so, what made you choose to go that direction this time?

My second question is.... any of you in the market for a wife? I have credentials: I'm a pretty solid cook (my grilled cheese changes lives), and an even better baker, and I've been told I give hugs that no one can compete with.

Thanks!

1. The lyrics to this record, like most the records have always been about what we're going through. On "More Time", the song you first heard, we felt lots of pressure to fulfill the promises we had made to our families about making it in the music industry. (I kept telling them "soon, I will stop borrowing money from you! :) .. but we were never an overnight success (now we realize that was a blessing in disguise). These new songs are more about faith because for the first time in a long time, it's all we had because we didn't have each other. We felt alone or we missed home so we wrote about it. For all we knew, we were breaking up. Then, when the turn around happened, we wrote about that too. Faith was the biggest part of that turn around, so we just wrote about that as it happened. It wasn't really planned out.

2. Yes.

-Seth

Which album do you think is your best?

We never know how our music will be received ... for example before releasing "Rivers in the Wasteland", we were feeling uber-vulnerable about this record so we feared people would hate it, but fans are saying it is our best to date. In short, we have no idea. :) -Seth

First off, sorry for the length, but your music means a lot to me and my family, so thanks for reading if you do - I swear there's questions at the end if you make it that far!

Gentlemen, thanks for doing this, you may or may not know me as "The Guy who always yells 'PLAY HURRICANE!'" at all of your Minnesota shows (seriously, play Hurricane here!) I'll spare you the normal "big fan" type statements and just say that you guys have been a big part of my family's life since my wife and I met. In fact, your album releases from "The Heat" on have come to signal big changes in our lives, whether we want them to or not! Our first true date together, just after The Heat was released, was at (I believe) your first show in Minneapolis at Club 3 Degrees, we met you guys afterwards, got our discs signed, and were completely hooked from that point on. We got married in '08 (with NTB a-plenty playing at the reception), then about 3 months after Outsiders release, my son was born, who had been serenaded to "Something Beautiful" while he was waiting to join the world and to this day still perks up when he hears the song. Reckoning brought us our daughter, which is ironic because it contains the song "Slumber" and she still, even now, doesn't sleep well. That of course brings us to Wasteland, and sadly the good tidings brought with the other 3 albums didn't continue as we just found out that my wife's mother has stage 3 ovarian cancer. I will say though guys, that so many of the songs (specifically "Rise Again" and "The Heart", and "More Heart, Less Attack") have helped us through this tough time, and I've made "Rise Again" our family's theme song through this all, it really uplifts the spirits and keeps us pressing forward.

From listening to Bear's track comments on Spotify on the new record, I know you guys just wanted to stop letting things go to your heads and just get back to doing what you love most, making music, but I hope you don't forget in the process just how profound an effect your tunes have on people's lives, as has been the case with me in a very big way. Thank you for that. So anyway, this is an AMA, so yeah... questions:

• Do you guys still keep in touch with Joe? How's he doing, what's he up to these days?
• On my version of "Girl Named Tennessee" @ about the 0:49 mark, almost right on top of the lyric "She's got the prettiest shoes" I swear I hear the "T-mobile jingle" in the recording in the background. Am I just hearing things, or did someone's phone going off in the background make it past post-production? My friends and I would love to finally close the book on this one!
• Have you guys ever thought about doing a Christmas album? Your version of "Go Tell It On the Mountain" is such an amazing rendition that's always part of my holiday playlists and I'm itchin' to hear some more NTB Christmas.
• Along the same lines of the last question - any considerations for an "unplugged" album? The encore unplugged songs at your shows are seriously my favorite part and I'd love to have a whole official LP of the stuff.
• Favorite outdoor venue to play? Favorite indoor venue to play?
• Last but not least (can't let myself down after all): will you play "Hurricane" at the upcoming 6/12 Minneapolis show? I'll ask again there anyway, just to make sure you heard me ;)

Thanks again guys, keep doing what you're doing - I can't get enough! Safe travels on the rest of your tour.

hey brother, we do keep up with Joe. we didn't for a while, but it's great to be friends again.
- i have no idea about the girl cell phone thing. our only experience with that is sometimes harmonics on the guitars sound like that. sorry i couldnt help. - we'd be into doing some more Christmas stuff, but our a full length think always scares us. the thought of spending 6 weeks in july on Christmas songs sounds like creativity killer, but a few more songs would definitely be fun. - acoustic record definitely needs to happen, but we're also doing some live recordings of this stuff outdoors. we just did ones for "more heart" and "multiplied" that are pretty sick. they should be coming out pretty soon. - outdoor venue. ACL festival or stubbs. indoor venue. the tabernacle - Im not going to say we wont play Hurricane at some point in the future, but it wont be in Minneapolis. sorry man, just trying to be honest. thanks for the questions. bear

Favorite restaurant in Charleston? :)

Halls Chophouse.....mmmmm bo