Goals change for Victory

Adam Harrell, lead singer for Christian hardcore band Chasing Victory, said his musical influences range from his mother to the Stone Temple Pilots to Jeff Buckley to Elliot Smith.

"My mom was a singer, so that's where it all started," Harrell said by phone from Dallas. "But as I grew older, I found music that made me really want to become a vocalist in a band."

Chasing Victory — composed of Harrell, bassist Chris Crutchfield, drummer Jeremy Lowery and guitarists Michael Lamb and Chris Cargile — was formed because the band members wanted what a lot of teenagers want: to become famous.

"The goals have changed since then," Harrell said with a laugh. "We're playing music now because we have something to say, and we want to play music and have fun."

Fun means getting together with the fans, said Harrell. "We try to arrive at a venue a few hours early so we can get a game of football going with some of the kids waiting for the show. It's important for us to keep in touch with our fans."

The band also wants to have an impact on people and their lives. "It's a good feeling to have people come up to us after a show and tell us how much our music means to them and how its helped them in their times of trial," Harrell said. "And we write songs about what's happening in life today."

The band's new album, which will be released in May, is called "Fiends." "The running theme is about addiction. People get addicted to a lot of different things — drugs, sex, fame. We have known a lot of people who have dealt with addictions, even family members. So that's where the idea came from."

Interestingly, "Fiends" is a more up-beat album than the band's first full-length disc, "I Call this Abandonment." "On the other album, I did a lot of screaming," said Harrell. "It was a darker album.

"With 'Fiends,' we have a paradox of dealing with a dark topic, but making the music happier. It's more in the lines of melodic '90s rock."

Harrell said the band's choice of being a Christian band has its pros and cons. "First off, we make music for everyone. And while we are involved in the Christian market, we don't want to just be stuck there. At the same time we are on a label (Mono Vs. Stereo) which cares about the music and helps us get more exposure with a broad range of people."

If you go ...

What: August Burns Red, From a Second Story Window, See You Next Tuesday, Chasing Victory

Where: Country Club Theater, 3930 S. Washington Blvd., Ogden

When: Wednesday, 7 p.m.

How much: $10

Phone: 801-393-5864

Web: www.myspace.com/chasingvictory

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E-mail: scott@desnews.com