In the Christmas Edition of “In The Pocket”, I had a chance to sit down with Rush of Fools drummer Jamie Sharpe at his home during a break in their recent touring schedule. May I remind you that ROF is quickly rising to prominence in the Christian music scene, touring with acts such as The Newsboys, Big Daddy Weave, New Song, Todd Agnew, and more. Jamie and I were friends in high school, and this is only the second time we’ve talked since graduation.
NC: “What has the band’s recent touring schedule been like? I’m sure you guys have been pretty busy.”
JS: “Well, let’s see. We’ve just wrapped up a tour with Big Daddy Weave and we’re about to start a Christmas tour with New Song that will be about twenty dates (or three weeks). Then in the spring of oh nine, we’re doing a headlining tour. More or less an “exposure” kind of thing, about nineteen days. We’re ready to try that out and it’ll be called “Wonder of the World” after our new album. It’s also a chance to share the stage with some new up and coming artists. Just a short run, so we can see how well it does. After that there’s not much, just a lot of one-offs and things like that. We’re flying to Alaska. Never in a million years would I have thought, you know, ‘Hey, we’re going to Alaska!’ It’s like an eighteen hour flight so, we’ll see. (Smile) I don’t like flying.”
NC: “You mentioned the new ROF album Wonder of the World. Tell us about the record.”
JS: “The album was released on September sixteenth and it’s doing pretty well. What can I say? It’s a really great album, a worship album. It’s something you can slip in your cd player and listen to while driving down the road, or wherever you are and just feel free to worship, you know? It’s definitely a more laid back type of record.”
NC: “The overall musical approach of Wonder of the World compared to your debut album, is it any different?”
JS: “Actually, yeah. We had more time to work with it, meaning the album. On the first album we wrote a lot of songs and basically, some made the cut and some didn’t. We thought we picked the right songs for the first record because you know, we were in such a hurry to get something out there. Like, they wanted something from Rush of Fools right then. In contrast, the second album is one that we really took time to work on as far as writing and arranging. I mean we had, it seems like at least fifty songs to pick from and it was like, you know ‘God, which songs do you want us to put on the record?’ He chose a lot of the great ones and it just turned out really good overall. One of my favorites is a song called The Only Thing That’s Beautiful in Me. Man, the title says it all. Like, our lives are these bundled masses of mistakes, and God is the only thing that’s beautiful in us. It’s a really great song, as is Lose it All. That’s our high energy, hype kind of song for this album. It’s just saying, you know, ‘God we want to lose it all for you.’ And the whole ‘it’s not about us, it’s about you,’ kind of vibe. It’s a really fun song, a great live energy.”
NC: “Being on a major label, who are some of the biggest names that you’ve played alongside that you never even thought you’d meet?”
JS: “Wow. Do we have hours to talk about this?! Let’s see…Skillet, Casting Crowns, Newsboys. Never in my wildest dreams could I have ever guessed that we’d play with those guys! Todd Agnew, Big Daddy Weave, By the Tree, and now New Song. The list goes on, but those are just the major ones that come to mind instantly when I think of the tours. But you know, a lot of people don’t understand touring. Like, you’re on a tour, and you play the same set every night. Then you have like a one-off and it’s just you and your band playing. But on these tours you have time to meet and get to know all of these amazing people like the Newsboys, you know? Those guys are just incredible both onstage and off. It’s not an act. There’s no faking anything. They’re as real as it gets. Big Daddy Weave is the same way. Some of the guys are just hilarious. I don’t even have time to tell you some of the great touring stories. It’s just amazing.”
NC: “Of all the places you’ve been and the stages you guys have performed on, is there a single show experience that sticks out in your mind more than the rest?”
JS: “Definitely. We played Houston, Texas. It was in an arena with The Newsboys, closer to the end of the tour and there were about ten to twelve thousand people around us. We were in the center and the crowd is around us on all sides. (Laughing) I was so afraid to go on stage. I missed so many beats! And the funny thing was, I got on stage and it was over before I even knew what was going on. That show was something to remember. Like, it’s cool to play in front of that many people, but I prefer the smaller crowds. You know, maybe two or three hundred because you can connect with the audience more, both in worship and interacting. The Houston show was a lot of fun, but I like the slightly smaller venues.”
NC: “I’ve checked out the MySpace, and I’ve noticed the many different kits that you’ve played. Exactly how many do you own now?”
JS: “Let’s see. I recently bought a DW kit, a couple of months ago and I’ve only played it about ten times. It’s a five piece kit with a twenty two inch kick, a twelve inch tom, and fourteen and sixteen on the floor. I play a Ludwig Black Beauty that’s six and a half by fourteen. Just amazing sound. I love it, it’s my baby. Another kit that I have is a custom orange Medicine Man kit. This kit has seen the whole Newsboys tour, a whole lot of one-offs, and it’s officially retired from the road now. A keepsake, if you will. The first kit I ever owned was a white Tama Rockstar. The standard five piece sizes and I dreamed of being like the guy from Styxx, with all the cymbals and everything. I still have that kit. Now, my pride and joy is a nineteen seventies Ludwig in blue sparkle with chrome hardware. The story behind that is we were in Walla Walla, Washington and I found it at this pawn shop. Needless to say the guy didn’t know what he had, but neither did I at the time. I was like ‘Man, this kit’s beautiful. I want to buy it.’ So, I bought it and found out the era (which was an early seventies model). I put maybe a hundred dollars into it to get it to sound good and it turned out to be a really solid kit. We actually recorded the entire second album with these drums and everybody loved it.”
NC: “I have to ask you this. I saw the video with you rapping on the Rush of Fools MySpace, and a lot of us are actually wondering if we could ever expect a Jamie Sharpe solo record?” (Smile)
JS: (Grinning ear to ear.) “You know, that’s a hard question to answer. It’d be a lot of fun to maybe cut a demo and have it released, maybe down the road sometime. But for right now I feel like I’m right where God wants me to be. But who knows? It could happen later on I suppose. If God wants to be a joker.”
