As of 8/1 all new interviews will be in clickable links to save space! If you notice any spelling errors, please let us know so we can fix them! Thanks!
*Planet Peepz*
20 Countdown Plus One Interview
Stir Magazine Interviews Plus One
CyberTeens Interviews Plus One
Like.Com Interview with Jason Perry
Christianity Online: Plus One
K-LOVE Interviews Plus One
iBelieve Interview w/+1
Cd Now w/+1
Interview with Plus One at Spirit West Coast with Mike Novak of K-Love Radio
Thursday, July 27, 2000
Mike Novak: Hey everybody! How about a hand for Plus One? (lots and lots of cheering and screaming *lol*) Since
we're not on television, you guys can all introduce yourselves and pass that mic around.
Nate Cole: Okay, I'm Nate, I'm 19 years old, and I'm from Sacramento, California.
Mike: Yeah, that's our man! (referring to the fact that K-Love headquarters are in Sacramento)
Gabe: My name is Gabe and I'm 20, and I'm from Pittsburg, California.
Jason: I'm Jason, I'm 18 years old, from Madison, Indiana.
Nathan: Hi, I'm Nathan, I'm 22 years old, and I'm from Lakeland, Florida.
Jeremy: Hello boys and girls (laughter), I'm Jeremy, I'm 20 years old, I'm from Springfield, Missouri.
Mike: Ah, that's great! Guys, welcome to Spirit West Coast! What do you guys think?
Nate: Man, it's cool! It's one of my favorite festivals, definitely. We've performed twice on the main
stage, and we did it in a tent last night. That's probably our favorite, that tent, cause we had a whole bunch of
devoted Plus One fans, and there was not a dull moment in the concert.
Mike: It's pretty easy to find those kind, huh, cause a lot of people like you guys!
Nate: (laughter) Yeah, it's been a lot of fun.
Mike: So, what else is going on? You're doing Spirit West Coast and then were are you off to?
Nate: We're off to Creation. We leave, actually, real soon, we drive to Creation, and then from there we do
more help; it's just kind of a non-stop schedule, but it's exciting, it's good to be busy.
Mike: Mostly live stuff? Or are you going back in the studio? What's the deal?
Jason: Mostly just performances and stuff. We just got some different things coming up and it'll be really exciting. I
don't know if we're doing any other festivals other than Creation.
Nate: We have a couple other festivals, and then we're doing some dates in the fall. We're doing, like 62 cities
with Jaci Velasquez in the fall. So that's our main tour coming up. And then we’re doing a promotional
back-to-school tour with Macy's, and that will be on Macy's West , so it will be throughout the west coast. And
just different kinds of things here and there. It's exciting.
Mike: When I first met you guys, at GMA this past year, remember I was telling you, Nate. I said what a cool thing, for
instance, your dad, to come driving around the corner, remember that walkway above the street and your banner was up there?
What was it like when you guys first saw that? It's like, hey man, that's us!
Nate: It didn't feel real at all, man.
Jeremy: All of us have always felt like normal guys, you know, so it's just kinda crazy to see our ugly mugs up there.
(laughter)
Jason: It was really weird. I looked up there and I was like, man I can tell you everything about those guys!
Mike: This is kinda like all those self-dealing television shows, but it's real.
Gabe: Exactly! I was like, man that's a pretty small one, they couldn't get a bigger one or what? (laughter) No,
I'm just kidding.
Mike: That's great. Well, listen, it is such a pleasure, not only on K-Love, but in Christian music in general, to have you
guys. You're just great gentlemen, you have a wonderful testimony amongst you. And it is so cool to play your songs on
the radio, because the integrity of them is right on the money. You're speaking to a lot of folks, and as you can tell, a lot
of folks are hanging onto every word you're saying.
Gabe: You know, it's cool to hear our song on the radio. Me and Nate grew up listening to K-Love, and we were home
just recently and heard our song on K-Love. So it's really cool. Thank you guys for playing us.
Mike: Absolutely, guys.
Nate: It' s cool growing up, you know, me and Gabe know how ministry-focused K-Love is. And it's cool, you
know, growing up listening to K-Love and now I can be a part of your ministry and you can be a part of our ministry.
It's like partnership, so it's really cool.
Mike: There you go!
Gabe: Right on brother!
Nate: So right on! Rock on, K-Love! (laughter)
Mike: Hey everybody, how about a hand for Plus One! (cheering) Thanks guys, for coming by.
Nate: Thank you very much, man. It's been a blast!
A HUGE THanks to Sarah from the site I Run To You for letting us use her interview with Ivan Walters!
Name: Ivan Walters
Age: 19 Bday-9/03/80
Who are you to Nathan?
Nathan is my older brother. He's 2
1/2 years older.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I love playing
the drums (I play for my church), guitar, piano. I love drama
(sometimes I think I would like to be in a movie), water ski,
camping and hanging out with my friends. I mostly like to
do whatever is fun at the time. Mission trips too.
Who are your favorite groups/artists?
haha Plus One is my
favorite =) j/k. Seriously...I like all kinds of music, but the
most artists I like is MWS, DC Talk, SCC and more...
What is your favorite movie?
Jurassic Park (the first one),
but the answer always changes. I like to see humor but
serious movies =) Harrison Ford and Jim Carrey are my
favorite actors
What kind of influences has Nathan had on your life?
He
has been an incredible brother to me. I always look up to
him for having such a positive influence in my life
spiritually, musically and socially. We are brothers, but
best friends at the same time.
How did you deal with his moving away from home and his
new popularity?
Well, at first Nathan moved to Nashville in
January with a friend from FL., The wrote songs together.
Nathan never knew about "Plus One" until that summer.
So I didnt have to deal with him being in a group right
away. I did have a hard time getting used to the fact of
him being gone, and having to learn to be myself around
other people, which was a good change for me. It hasnt hit
me yet how much they have accomplished in just a few 10
months. I think, in some ways, this is all a joke, but I know
its not.
What is it like having a brother who is famous?
First of all, I
dont consider Nathan famous..yet! haha. But it is comical
to see my brother's face on a CD in a store. It still hasnt hit
me yet though =)
Does music fun in the family, or did Nathan just have a
dream that he felt was God-led?
Music does run in the
family. My dad has a degree in music. We all sing. We all
play musical instruments. My Mom has an outstanding
voice, and plays the piano really well. We are just a
musical family. I have 4 sisters all under the age of 10, who
love music. I feel blessed =)
Did or do you have an interest in music/singing?
Yes, I am interested in music. I love it.
What do you want to do for a career?
I thought about being
a chiropractor when I was little, but I always love to sing,
dance, act and play music. I would like to get into the
music biz, but most importantly I want to minister to the
world about Jesus Christ through whatever I do with my
life.
Can you please leave a message to everyone reading this?
To all who reads this interview-I want to encourage you to
do what you like to do, and head towards the goal. Nathan
may be a famous person one day, but he will never forget
about the encouragement that was given to him throughout
his life growing up. Thanks for our time.
This was from MusicForce.com's In Question:
Attention, class. Clear your
desks and take out a sheet of
paper for a pop quiz. The first
(and only) question is “What do
you get when you add together
five adorable crooners,
Grammy-winning producer David
Foster, and a few smooth dance
moves?” The answer is Plus
One.
This boy band--comprised
of Nate Cole, Gabe Combs, Jeremy Mhire, Jason Perry and Nathan
Walters (ages 18-22)--is serving up heaping doses of pop music, á
la the Backstreet Boys and NSync, but with a slightly different flavor.
While the music is every bit as danceable and deserving of critical
acclaim as that of their general market predecessors, the lyrical
focus is on God. Add to that the fact that these five guys are truly
talented and are easy on the eyes, and you’ll likely come to the
conclusion that Plus One adds up to a formula for unprecedented
success in the contemporary Christian music market.
The band’s debut album The Promise hit shelves on May 23, and
the first single “Written on My Heart” registered in the Top 10 after
just four weeks. They will spend the summer playing solo/festival
dates and will hook up with Jaci Velasquez in the fall for a 55-city
tour that will take them all over America. I recently had an
opportunity to have lunch with the guys, where we discussed
everything from hygiene habits to philosophy of ministry. Below is a
partial transcript that reveals a few not-too-well-known facts about
the band and the “family” they’ve become.
Laura Harris: You guys all live together, right? Who are the
neatniks and who are the slobs?
Nate: We lived in L.A. for about four months. Gabe and I roomed
together, and Jason and Nathan roomed together. Gabe and I are
the extreme of slobbiness, while Jason and Nathan are the extreme
of neatness.
Jeremy: I’ve got my own room.
Nate: But when we moved to Nashville we tried switching it up. Now
Jason and I room together, and Nathan and Gabe are together.
We’re testing to see if we can balance each other out.
Gabe: But it’s not really working, because I think we’re bringing
them down [laughing]. Our rooms are pretty dirty right now!
LH: Who is a morning person, and who is a night person?
All in Unison: Night!
Jason: I can be a morning person. This past couple of weeks I’ve
been waking up early without an alarm. I’ll always be singing old
hymns in the morning.
Nathan: It’s so loud and so annoying….
Gabe: Yeah, he doesn’t sing them in a normal way, he sings them
in this old, deep rich, bellowing way.
LH: Jason, do you sing in the shower?
Nate: He doesn’t sing in the shower. It’s like by our beds!
Jason: I don’t know why I do it--just for the heck of it, I guess.
LH: Do any of you cook?
Jeremy: We do eggs, macaroni and cheese…and we know how to
“cook” cereal.
LH: I’ve read a lot about your backgrounds and have heard that all
of you play instruments.
Jeremy: Some better than others….
LH: But we’re not naming names, right?
Jeremy: No, we can go there. [Lots of laughter.]
Nate: It’s probably Jason and Nathan who are the best, and Gabe is
getting pretty good on guitar.
LH: Do you dance a lot?
Nate: Now we have two songs choreographed. We played a six-song
set and danced to two of them. On the others we just sit on stools
and kind of relax a little bit. Other times we’ll just break out the
acoustic guitar and do an acoustic song.
LH: Are you guys natural dancers or did you have to take dance
lessons?
Nate: We took lessons for two weeks, for about eight hours per
day. It was really draining, but it was worth it. The work definitely
paid off, and our confidence grew through the process.
LH: I’m sure you guys all have brothers and sisters. So what do
they think about your faces being plastered all over everything?
Nathan: That’s my brother sitting right over there; let’s ask him.
“Hey [to brother], what do you think about it?” Brother: I think it’s
funny! [Laughter erupts in the room.]
LH: Those who are really successful in pop culture have a
tremendous amount of pressure and stress to deal with. Are you
guys ready for that?
Nate: I think we’ve thought about it, but I guess you probably
never really know until you experience it. I think we’re ready
because we feel like it’s constantly being confirmed that this is what
we’re supposed to be doing. There’s no doubt in our minds. In
everything that happens we just hope and pray that we stay in
God’s will and are obedient to Him. We’ll take it as it comes.
Jeremy: We want to be able to relate to them and tell kids to find
what they’re good at, find what God has blessed them with, and to
use their talents. I have Proverbs 18:12 taped to my phone
because it makes me think every time I turn my phone on. It says,
“Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes
before honor.”
LH: Didn’t you perform “America the Beautiful” at a fundraiser for
Presidential Candidate Al Gore?
Jeremy: Yeah, it was cool…an awesome opportunity. It opened up
other opportunities like singing at a Lakers game and stuff like
that.
Gabe: We’re also going to be singing at the Democratic National
Convention this summer.
LH: David Foster has worked with such giants as Celine Dion,
Whitney Houston, and Toni Braxton. Was it pretty overwhelming
working with such a legend?
Jeremy: Oh man, when we were working on the songs we were at
his house, and walked into the studio looking at all the albums he’s
produced; it was unbelievable. He not only has influenced our
generation but also profoundly influenced our parents’ generation.
Nate: He has gold records all over his wall, and some of them say,
“Over 15 million in sales,” and we’re like, What? Fifteen MILLION?
Jeremy: But despite all of that--all he’s accomplished and all that
he has--he’s the most sincere and genuine person.
LH: What’s in your CD changer right now?
Gabe: Matchbox 20, Brandy, and Kid Rock’s in there [laughing].
Nate [offering a disclaimer]: Our record company gave us a bunch
of free CDs, and Kid Rock was one of them.
Jeremy: I think across the board I could pick out one artist in each
genre that stands out for me. I like Take 6, dc Talk, and a lot of
the alternative bands.
Nate: I love the Katinas.
LH: People are drawing comparisons between your music and that
of the Backstreet Boys, NSync, and the like. What do you think
about that?
Jeremy: We just hope that our sound and message stand on their
own.
Nathan: At first when people would say something about the
Backstreet Boys, we were hesitant to make a comparison. But now
we’re like, If you want to compare us, go ahead. Yeah, we’re a boy
band. But we’re a Christian group with a deeper message; we all
play instruments, and we all write.
Jason: I think the main thing is our message. I don’t want to call
the other music shallow, but our message is that there’s a God of
hope and He loves you. That’s why we’re here.
--Laura Harris
This is from the 20 Countdown magazine!
JR
It's time once again for our weekly artist spotlight
feature-when we dig a little deeper into the lives of our
favorite Christian performers to find out what's
underneath all of those air-brushed photographs and
polished musical productions. This week our very
own Bernie Sheahan sat down with the new five-guy
singing group Plus One and she puts the spotlight on
"wide angle" to get all these sparkling young guys in
the picture. They had the privilege of working with
world renowned world-class amazing
singer-songwriter-producer, David Foster.
BS
Your new record is coming out...
PO
Woohoo....(group claps)...got a live studio
audience...woohoo
BS
What's it called?
PO
The Promise.
BS
And it's on which label?
PO
Atlantic and 143 Records.
BS
143 has a special meaning, I know.
PO
David Foster.
It stands for I love you.
BS
I love you?
PO
Yeah, like I love...I is for 1, 4 letters in the word love
and three in you...
BS
Oh, come on, are you serious?
PO
Yes, you get paged with a certain number with 143...
BS
Well here's the sad thing, apparently. No one has ever
sent me a 143 on my pager.
PO
Oooohhh.
I haven't got that either...that's alright. You're not
alone.
Which ones have you gotten? Which numbers?
BS
Well...like 911 and....
PO
I think that one is I love you very much!
BS
Oh, that's sweet. So David Foster, big daddy David
Foster...
PO
the Godfather....
BS
...it's like the coolest sounds that you hear on pop
radio...it's a good chance they came from David
Foster.
PO
The fact that he was able to impact, like, our parents
generation and our generation with his music...
So we were a little intimidated the first time we met
him but kind of got past that when he started cracking
jokes with us. Actually, the first time he ever heard us
sing we sang The Promise for him. Actually, we had a
demo of The Promise. We played that for him and
then he went straight to the piano after hearing it like
two times, he went and played it on the piano and sang
it. And we were going, "This guy is unbelievable."
BS
This guy is good!
PO
Yeah, this guy is good.
BS
David Foster is...now go ahead...I want each of you to
say the name of an artist or a song that David Foster
has been involved with that everybody would know.
PO
Whitney Houston.
Chicago
Michael Jackson
Brandi
N Sync (group laughs)
BS: (laughs)
PO
It's true.
It sure is.
Oh, Celine Dion, oh my goodness, no one said that
one.
Brandi, Celine Dion, Earth Wind and Fire.
Carmen.
BS
Yeah, Carmen.
PO
Now you've got me thinking about his walls. Cause
like when your there, you walk into his studio and all
you see on the walls is like platinum and gold records.
BS
Right...right. It's like...
PO
He has so many...they're like even on the ground
stacked up because there is no room left on his walls.
BS
He has no room. He's had to keep buying bigger and
bigger studios just to put his stuff on the walls. right?
Yeah.
*Plus One was on Good Day Sacramento on Monday (May 29, 2000) and I taped it.
I had to rewind about a million times, but I finally got the interview
written down! Karen*
Mark S. Allen- Hey everybody, give a little love for Plus One! (clapping)
Now we complain about our busy schedules, but these guys played till the wee
hours last night to a crowd of 3,000 people. They are Plus One! Let’s get
to know them, starting with you (points to Nate).
Nate- Yes, I’m Nate, I’m 19 years old. I’m actually from Sacramento. We
were singing at my father’s church last night.
Mark- A local boy does good! That’s great. Congratulations Nate!
Nathan- I’m Nathan, I’m 22, and I’m from Lakeland, Florida.
Jeremy- I’m Jeremy, I’m 20, and I’m from Springfield, Missori.
Gabe- My name is Gabe, and I’m 20, and I’m from Pittsburg, California.
Jason- I’m Jason, I’m 17, and I’m from Madison, Indiana.
Mark- Now, does it bother you guys when make comparisons with other boy
bands, like Backstreet Boys or 98 Degrees?
Nate- It did at first. At first, we were like “Oh no, don’t say those other
bands”, but now we’re like “You know, hey, we’re 5 guys, we look like a boy
band...”
Mark- Yeah, I noticed you guys are a band and you’re... boys!
Nate- Yeah, it’s kinda hard getting past that (laughter). But you know, we
accept that. Yeah, so we found our own identity as a group. And we feel
like we have other things to offer, too. And those other bands are good
bands, but we feel like we have something new, too.
Mark- Now what’s the process, how does this work? How did you become a boy
band? Did you audition? Was there one guy out there who said “I’m going to
make a new band” and pull you guys in?
Nathan- Yeah, it’s a division of Mitchell Solarek, he’s our manager along
with Barry Landis at Atlantic Records. And they had this vision to put the
group together, and we all auditioned. We all have different, individual
stories, it would take forever, but we all got together.
Mark- Can I just say something? Mitch used to be my manager, like long ago
when I first got into the entertainment business. For you guys he gets a
hit CD and national fame. For me, I was dressed up like a giant Nintendo
controller for the weekend. That’s pretty much what he got for me.
(laughter) None the less, the guy is great, and I wish you guys the best of
luck. And local boy does good, that’s great. Wanna say hi to any friends,
family, anybody like that?
Nate- Yeah, my family’s watching at home right now. I have some friends, I
don’t know if they’re up this early, but my family is definitely watching
right now. Hi Laine, Travis, and umm... my mom and dad.
Mark- Excellent. It’s a pleasure having you guys here, and I’m going to get
out of the way. What song will you be performing?
Nate- God Is In This Place.
Mark- All right, 1, 2, 3, hit it!
Take 5 small-town guys with Assemblies of God roots and talent to spare and pair them with multi-Grammy-Award-winning producer David Foster (Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Natalie Cole, Chicago) and what do you get? Plus One, the first Christian act signed to Foster's 143 Records in partnership with Atlantic Records' Christian division.
CCM NewMusic had a little "getting to know you" chat with Nate Cole, 18, and Jeremy Mhire, 19, two of the Plus One guys, all of whom have been roomates since being tapped for the group early in the summer of '99. Here's what they had to say about keeping such close quarters, how they got their name and why they're not just another 'boy band.'
NewMusic: So, what was it like-five strangers thrown together in a tiny apartment?
Cole: When we lived in San Fransisco, we lived in a one-bedroom apartment with a pull down bed in the wall of the family room. Gabe [Combs, 19,] slept in the walk-in closet. The place here in L.A. seems like a mansion. There are two bedrooms, and we each have our own bed. That's nice.
NM: So, give us a quick introduction to each of the guys in the group.
Cole: Jason [Perry, 17,] is the youngest. He sings the highest in full voice. He can hit a high C. And Gabe is the rock star of the group. He plays so many instruments. He's amazing. He plays guitar and piano really great, but his best instrument is the drums. Nathan [Walters, 21,] is also a great musician.
NM: So you guys aren't just a good looking boy band like some of your general market counterparts?
Cole: No, we actually play and sing. Nathan plays guitar and piano well, and he's got really good writing skills. He's the highest tenor. He sings a lot of the falsetto stuff. Jeremy is a good lead voice, probably the best in our group harmonies. He has a really good ear. And he's a good lyric writer too.
NM: So, Jeremy, now that Nate has given us the lowdown on you guys, tell us the skinny on him.
Mhire: I'd say Nate is the guy who's surprised by everything. He's always got this mischievous smirk.
NM: How did you guys arrive at the name Plus One?
Cole: It really came from Phil Sillas, one of the writers we've been working with. He was always joking around with us, saying "Hey, I've got a name for ya!" and then saying something really goofy. But then he suggested Five Plus One, the One being God. We always wanted a name that had a spiritual meaning since that's what we're about [so] we narrowed it down to Plus One [and] it's a constant reminder that God is always with us.
NM: If you were trying to describe this project for our readers, what would you say?
Cole: We're a pop, R&B kind of group with nnice harmonies. We're never going to get away from the comparisons, like with the Backstreet Boys, [but] we want to take it to our own level, to put our own style and our influences into it. Thankfully, we've been allowed to choose the material we've done. We want to have more of a mature sound, to be able to reach all ages.
NM: What do you consider the mission of Plus One?
Cole: We've been working with so many producers and writers, many who are not Christian, so we're able to be evangelistic and take Christian music to the secular market, but we're also here to minister and encourage Christians at the same time. We want to have a big influence on kids and teens, to encourage them and to make a difference.
-Melissa Riddle
