A Very Old Interview for our Church's Newsletter

As I continue to dig my old e-mails, I came across this very old interview by our Church's Newsletter FCCY Link. Read on as our feelings and sentiments about the album is as fresh as you can get before our album actually got noticed and distributed by Praise Music. What a Journey it has been! First produced and sold through CD-R burning, then as a professionally pressed CDs from Praise Music, and now Digitally Distributed in Digital Music Streaming Sites!

Q&A with Thoughts And Notions

 

*** How it began...(how you guys got together, who does what..)

 

Jasper: It actually all began from the failed emo album that I was trying to make. Wilbert and I for quite some time were already discussing a possible collaboration for I was a huge fan of his. Thrina came along when we decided to collaborate on a Christian contemporary album. Hands down she was the only choice because she has been singing in our music ministry for quite some time now... and it wasn't such a bad idea to start something original.

 

Wilbert: Yeah, it's been circulating in our minds for quite some time, and we wanted to build a fundraiser for the FCCY-CDO Chapter, so we pooled our resources together and this album was the end result. 

 

Thrina: It actually started with Ahia Jasper and Ahia  Wilbert. They were planning on making an album for the FCCY, they started composing songs and searched for a vocalist. They chose me! :)

 

*** How you guys came up with the name...

 

J: Even way back in my failed emo album, I was already thinking of naming the band Thoughts And Notions. It just came natural because as I was writing the lyrics, thoughts have been circling in my mind, these were my thoughts communicated through music.

 

W: Plus, we all have TAN as our surname. Thoughts And Notions is simply us putting meaning to those initials.

 

T: Ahia Jasper made it up.

 

 *** How you describe your music...

 

Jasper: It's actually Christian contemporary music, for those who are familiar with the genre. But for those who aren't, it's pop-rock with positive meanings... not your typical pop-rock songs. Personally I'd like To call it Emo-Christian hehe...

 

Wilbert: The music does lean on the Christian pop-rock genre, similar to the style of bands like DC Talk, Jars of Clay and Sixpence None the Richer. Although we didn't set out to sound like any of them, we have such high regard for these bands that I guess their influence on us shows in the music. 

 

Thrina: Well, it's modern Christian Music...

 

*** Your first album's theme...

 Jasper: Six words... In Awe of HIS Amazing Love! Figure that out =)

 

Wilbert: It's about acknowledging the change that God's love has done to us and wanting to be a better person because of that love.

 

Thrina: God's love is everywhere...

 

*** What/ who were the people who influenced you to come up with an album?

 

Jasper: It's got to be Barbie's Cradle. I mean they were the first Female fronted Filipino band who expressed their faith through the song "All you need is God." the band though that inspired me to write these types of songs is Sixpence None the Richer. If you got a copy of their "best of" album, try reading the linear notes, you'll know why.

 

Wilbert: Jasper Tan. 

 

Thrina: Ahia Jasper.. :)

 

*** How was making the album like? (How long it took, major obstacles, highlights in the timeline...)

 

Jasper: Well the making of the album was a lot of fun. A lot of sacrifices and patience was needed to pull it off. It took us 10 months to finish the album. The major highlights were the live performance of the FCCY music ministry last Christmas singing our song and the launching of our first single "Savior" when I was giving a talk to FCCY.

 

Wilbert: The making of this album was a very enjoyable task, albeit a very difficult one. We had to be constantly aware if we were sounding like anybody else and veer away from them as much as we could. The 10 songs in this CD took a long 10 months to materialize because I ran into a lengthy bout with artist's block during the time. I was in a rut! But God's grace pulled me through and so finally, here it is, the fruits of our labor.

 

Thrina: It was fun and at the same time exciting.. it took us 10 months to finish the whole album. Since I'm a 4th yr high-school student, there are times when we have to move or cancel recordings due to exams, quizzes, projects. There was even a time that we finished recording 4 songs in one week! hehe.. The first song that we recorded was "Savior". I was so surprised because after Ahia Wilbert taught me the song, we immediately recorded it! 

 

*** The best advice people gave you while making the album was...

 

Jasper: Hmm... Advice? I think the album was a secret project. Nobody knew much about it. So no one gave us any advises. It was just the three of us who were exchanging advises. And the best advice I got was from Wilbert, convincing me to give up the emo project in exchange for something positive.

 

Thrina: ummmm... No one actually knew about us making an album.. Except for my family.. 

 

*** Given that you could put one of your songs in a time capsule, which one would it be? Why?

 

Jasper: I believe Savior is a very good song. It can actually be a very good theme song for Christian life programs. It certainly fits the process. You spend 3 days of knowing your faith and then when that last day comes, someone grabs an electric guitar along with a full band, and everyone starts rocking to SAVIOR! Also Earthbound Angel is a very personal song. It’s actually a love song I wrote for no one hehe… 

 

Wilbert: For me, "Strength I Need" is the song that inspires me to always be aware that in every step I make, God is sure to be there, because more than any vitamin or food supplement or stress tablet in the world, God is my inner strength.

 

Thrina: It would be "My Journey Ends" because I believe that even when you’re already satisfied with what you have done or achieve, you always end up turning back to God. You then offer all that you have done to him.

 

*** Besides the shared family name -TAN, what do you guys have in common?

 

Jasper: We share the same passion in our faith. We might have our shortcomings because we are not perfect but we know deep inside whom we want to live our life for

 

Wilbert: We do have similarities in our likes and dislikes, such as favorite types of music, movies, and comic books. If the three of us could be superhero characters, Jasper would be Superman, Thrina would be Darna, and I would be Batman. We may have different opinions about how to reach our goals, but in the end it's all about trying to make the world a better place to live in.

 

Thrina: We all love music and we always fight for what we believe in...

 

*** Next great leap? (Future plans)

 

Jasper: World Dominance!!!!!! Hehe... seriously, we are just hoping and praying that we could spread HIS love through our music. Winning em' one heart at a time.

 

Wilbert: Well, the Word has been said, now it's up to us to spread it, I guess. So please buy the CD. 

 

Thrina: After we’ve inspired people through God's amazing love, we're planning on making another album...