Artist Spotlight: Thief on the Right

CD/Song Compilation – Self-Titled Genre: Rock By Aaron S. Harris I stumbled upon this band while searching around on the internet last month. After hearing the first 30 seconds of "Not gonna hold me down", I knew this was exactly the type of band I wanted to promote as in Artist Spotlight article. Although they are relatively new to the Atlanta music scene, I expect to see their fan base grow over the next year. They are starting to get some solid traction locally and their material is sure to capture your attention. The meaningful lyrics are neatly interwoven between solid rock-oriented instrumentals that I wasn't expecting to hear from a Christian band. The pleasant surprise was welcoming to this fellow musician.

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with band member and bassist, Cason Slaughter. He shared some candid thoughts with me that I'm sure you'll enjoy.

Here is an excerpt from our conversation:

TCP: When did your band first get together?

CS: Thief on the Right was formed in November of 2003. It was over the Thanksgiving holiday during our first semester in college that we decided to get together.

TCP: How long have you been performing as Thief on the Right?

CS: Blake, Chris, and I had played together a few times during high school as the praise band for the youth group at Lost Mountain Baptist Church. About a year later, the band was actually formed officially. Ian was added during the summer of 2004 after the loss of our first drummer.

TCP: How did you come up with your band name?

CS: Todd Graham, the youth pastor of our church, was the one that actually had the original idea. The name "Thief on the Right" wasn't what he thought of but, it was his explanation of the story behind the name that we liked. The idea comes from Christ's crucifixion when he had the two thieves on either side of Him. Todd explained to us that like the two thieves, we all deserve to be crucified as they were. However, during the pain and agony they were going through, only the thief on the right still managed to give his life to Christ.

TCP: Who are some of your influences?

CS: Kutless, Jeremy Camp, Chris Tomlin, Shane Barnard

TCP: When did you first start playing your instrument(s)?

CS: Although we were not all friends at the time and Ian was so much younger than the rest of us, we all started playing music roughly at the same time. Chris, Blake and I began playing guitar around 14 or 15 and Ian began playing the drums at 11. Oddly enough, we all have had almost the same amount of experience even though we're not all the same age. I began playing the bass when we started the band right after I turned 19.

TCP: What was the first song you wrote?

CS: The first song we wrote was called Father's Eyes. It was a song about how we should learn to view people through God's eyes and not through our own because of the way we so easily judge people.

TCP: What was your inspiration for "Trust"?

CS: Trust was written by Blake for a close friend of his who was going through a difficult time in her life. Although this friend was known for being an extremely courageous Christian, she was still finding it hard to truly trust God. She felt it was actually her own pride that was holding her back from putting all her trust in Him.

TCP: What album have you listened to most in the past year?

CS: We all seem to listen to similar styles and have a very wide variety of music in our collection so it would be hard to pick out just one album. However, Chris Tomlin and Jeremy Camp would be the most played artists for us right now. Along with our original songs, we do occasionally play popular worship songs that most churches already know. Chris Tomlin's album "Arriving" is where we get many of those songs from.

TCP: Have you faced any road blocks from being a Christian band?

CS: So far we have been extremely blessed. The only problems we seem to face only come about when we loose focus on our ministry and get caught up in trying to "make it" in the music business. God has made it obvious to us that He is the only reason we have come as far as we have. When we forget about everything except reaching people for Christ and honoring God, He seems to take care of our problems for us and gives us what we need to endure.

TCP: What suggestions would you give to people who want to start a band?

CS: Have a purpose for your band that every member agrees on and learn to fix any and every problem as soon as it arises. Sooner or later, small problems will become big problems. The decision on which direction you want to take your band in, Christian or secular, will probably be the reason your band breaks up if it is not agreed upon from the beginning. Secular does not always mean ungodly. You can either be a Christian band or Christians in a band. No matter what you choose to do with your band, remember one thing "whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God (1Cor. 10:31). Being Christians in a secular band can be just as glorifying to God as a praise band just as long as the subjects of your songs, your lyrics, and the example you set are Godly.

TCP: Do you have any live performances coming up?

CS: We are constantly adding more shows to our calendar and continually updating the tour schedule on our website. Not all of the shows that we have on our schedule are open to the public so if anyone is interested in attending please call our contact number for more information (770.851.6502) or email us at booking@thiefonteright.com.

To find out more about this band, visit www.thiefontheright.com