MATT BISSONETTE

ON THE (NARROW) ROAD

Page 2

MD: And you didn't anticipate that when you moved to L.A. to get into music?

Matt: Not at all. My God-lesson through the whole thing is that holding on to something so tightly, like a band, is not the way that works. If I take my hands off of it - don't stress about it, then things start taking off. It's very humbling. I am learning how to let go of things.

MD: What have you been learning from being on the road? You play with such a variety of people.

Matt: The main lesson that I am learning is where I am right now, there is a specific reason why I am working with the people that I am. I have spent a lot of years playing in and around Christian music and churches, as well. I talk to a lot of pastors about it. Christians often say to me, "How can you play with non-Christians? Or someone who swears, or whatever? How can you play in clubs?" The people in secular bands that I work with often treat people better than some of the 'Christian' musicians that I have seen. Embarrassingly enough, that comes up time and time again. I have been taught the lesson that whether I play with Rick or Ringo or whoever, I am supposed to be there. My brother and I, as Christians working in the general market, we find that we are often the first line of defense that they see. I have had guys watching me for six and seven years, and I know it. They know where I am at. It's an honor to be in that position. And we talk about everything - it's an open conversation. A Christian session friend of mine and I sometimes do this thing on the road, we call it "Bible On The Line". We'll get somebody to sit between us while we discuss God and existence, and bring them into the conversation. At the end, they know we love them, but we engage them with the Gospel the best we can. I still think the way to change people's hearts is with one on one interaction.

You can talk about it at church and go down front at a Billy Graham crusade and accept Christ, but the real change happens when one or two believers do their work, you know? It's a battle, an actual war. Years ago, I didn't know I was being watched. For the last ten years, I have been growing in my awareness of that.

MD: Sometimes, we're the only Christians people may ever meet. People that may have never walked into a church.

Matt: It's very strange. I was recording a record at Ozzy Osbourne's house a few weeks ago, and I was going, "what an amazing thing." I was looking through his library, learning about Ozzy Osbourne. He was so nice. I know nothing about him , except that he was very kind and nice in person.

Do you not take the call out of fear of the person, or the persona? Or afraid of being led away? Or will you stand up and be a man, and just be different. To me, it's an interesting challenge to have these discussions with people. It's a good starting point for discussion. We talk about world issues, Israel, the hurricanes and our discussions lead to faith.

MD: Do you find a lot of mainstream artists are asking questions about faith and existence?

Matt: So many have had dealings with the church that have mowed them down, and often never 'get back on the bike' to see the big picture. Then guys like us come along and say that our experience with God is so different from that. A lot of guys have a real hard time with hell. I keep multiple copies of Lee Strobel's "The Case For Christ" with me and give them to people on the road when they have questions. It's a great book.

MD: You've worked with a lot of my favorite bands, including King's X.

Matt: I love those guys. Doing the Jughead record with Ty was great. He got the deal and then came to us to write and record. We did that over a few days, with minimal planning. That taught me a lesson - I used to be more laid back and say to people, "we should get together and record" and it would never happen. I learned how to make the time for collaborations.

I feel better about writing now than I ever did. And the technology has made it easier for bands to do some great recording, I mean, I listen to the Switchfoot record all the time, and I think that it is an awesome record.

MD: What's next for you?

Matt: I am going to keep writing and performing. The goal is to find a home for every song.

My brother and I continue to work together and collaborate with people around the world. Because we are a rhythm section, we have people send us music from around the globe and we'll add bass and drums.

MD: And tonight, you're playing with Rick Springfield?

Matt: He's such a great guy. He grew up with a Christian mother and his background leads to some great conversations. Just the fact that he would say, "I want you guys (The Squirts) to open up for me" shows that he wants us to be happy and enjoy ourselves on the road with him.

MD: Thanks again for your time, Matt. Is there anything else that you want to cover? You've given us a real good snapshot of your role in the business.

Matt: I am blessed to be able to go out and play. Feel free to make something else up if you want.