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When we last left Jamie Statema, Jason Folkmann and Andy Selness — better known as the high-impact vocal group Go Fish — they had just completed Infectious, their debut album for inpop records.
The group had made the move from success on the regional level, selling more than 100,000 units of their independent projects, to the national stage. Infectious made some inroads for the band, with some touring triumphs and radio play added to the resume, but something still wasn't quite right.
"We tried something different with the last record, and it was definitely our biggest selling record to date, but it wasn't exactly what we were trying to do," says Statema. "We started out as an a cappella group, but we wanted to expand our horizons. We wanted to get in front of as many people as we could, plus we wanted to expand ourselves musically. Infectious was part of that process, but we wanted to go even farther."
That's why, when they entered the studio again for their sophomore inpop effort, the men of Go Fish went in with a renewed sense of purpose, along with three new producers in Scott Williamson (Point of Grace, FFH), Doug Beiden (Jump 5, Michelle Tumes), Darren Rust (Blenders), who quickly caught the group's vision.
The result is Parade, a high-energy hybrid of all of Statema, Folkmann and Selness' influences and interests (pop vocals, samples, rock 'n' roll, worship and more) wrapped up into one package unique to today's musical landscape.
"It really felt like everybody involved grasped the vision of what we were trying to accomplish," Selness says. "Everybody worked together very well, especially with the new producers, and they all brought something unique to the table."
"This record is what we wanted to accomplish last time, but we didn't quite get there. The analogy we've been using a lot in the studio is 'split the difference,'" Statema says. "If I couldn't hear a part, I'd say, 'Turn that up,' and it'd end up being too loud, so we'd split the difference, and it was almost always perfect."
"That's the way the songs turned out as well," Folkmann chimes in. "We're splitting the difference between an a cappella group and a rock band, with the result being the best of both worlds."
You can sense it throughout Parade, with songs like the liquid groove of "Alright" enveloping a simple message of encouragement applicable across the wide demographic of Go Fish's audience. That multi-generational appeal of Go Fish's music was kept firmly in the minds of the principles during Parade's creation.
"The thing we always get from people is the notion that 'You guys are the one group we can get our whole family to agree on listening to in the car,'" Statema notes. "When you come to one of our shows, there are 4-year-old kids and 70-year-old grandmas, and everybody's happy. We focus a lot of our music and our shows on the younger crowd — junior high, high school, college age — but I think because we are so vocal-based, it's a lot easier for the older members of our audience to accept and enjoy."
And then there's the emotional and spiritual core of what they do, best exemplified by the Scott Krippayne and Tony Wood penned track "Savior," the first song recorded for Parade and one where the guys got to work with one of their influences, Darren Rust from the Twin Cities-area a cappella group The Blenders.
"I love the way 'Savior' turned out, just because we've always wanted a song like that in our repertoire and it just kinda fell in our lap. Scott gave us that song, and we love what it says," Folkmann says.
"I was down in Nashville doing some writing, and I ran into Scott and he said he had the perfect song for us. He gave me a CD with a demo of 'Savior' on it, and it just blew me away," Statema notes. "As I envisioned the end of our show and sharing the Gospel with the audience and then singing that song, I knew it could be a very powerful moment and that was the motivation for recording it."
At the same time, there are definitely moments of looseness and fun all over Parade, such as the tongue-in-cheek call to accountability of "Chrome Fish" and the quasi-plea for popularity of "Please Please Like Me." The guys in Go Fish know how to have a good time, but also how to give you something to think about at the very same time.
"I think it's easy to slap a chrome fish or a bumper sticker on your car, but it takes more than that to make you a legitimate Christian. If you're going to do those outward things you need to be ready to back it up with your actions," Statema says about "Chrome Fish." "It's a really fun song, but when you break it down, it can be pretty strong in what it's saying. I don't think it's really putting anybody down; it just makes you think twice."
As for "Please Please Like Me," "By far, my favorite line in that song is 'I have an audience of one and you're not Him,'" Statema laughs. "It's so easy to get caught up in trying to please everybody, and there's just no way to do it."
Still there is definitely something for everybody on Parade. From the 70's party groove "Tonight" to poignant message found in "Piece of Heaven", the majority of the songs on the album were written or co-written by the group and reflect the myriad of musical styles the group members enjoy.
"A big thing we've always tried to communicate to our audience is that when we put our shows or our records together, we want them to be used as tools that, if you're a Christian, you can pass along to your non-Christian friends, and hopefully they'll be entertained enough that they'll listen to what we have to say."
The one thing you take away from Go Fish, be it from a conversation with the guys or listening to projects like Parade, is that they work very hard at crafting an experience for their audience that lasts far beyond walking out of a concert hall or turning off the CD player.
"The only reason we're doing this is because we love it so much, and we know what a significant part music has played in our lives," Folkmann says. "We do this to sing for other people, and hopefully they will have that same sort of reaction to our music."
"We want every song to bring out some sort of emotion in the listener, whether it's just fun, or it makes them laugh, or it gets them fired up, or it puts them in a worshipful mood," Statema says. "We have been blessed with some incredible fans and we really just want to give something back."
It's obvious that they are doing something right judging by the response they've been getting on the road. From first time listeners who heard them on the Rebecca St. James tour to friends in their hometown of St. Paul, Minneapolis, where the band performed to a packed house of 14,000+ at the Xcel Center for their Christmas concert, Go Fish has a loyal group of fans that seem to love their sense of humor as much as they love their singing.
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