TJ - Hey Rex, How are things going and what have you been up to?

RS – Things have been going well. We've been very busy in preparation of this summers release Fire It Up and also recording and writing for our next album Back In Red. Doing that and trying to squeeze in summer vacations and such with our families has been a challenge. All in all though we like to be busy as opposed to NOT being busy! Ha ha!

TJ - Oh yeah, I hear ya… So, has X-Sinner been an ongoing thing or is this a come back?

RS – A little of both actually. We have never stopped writing together and making music but logistically the live thing had to be put aside for awhile. Greg Bishop took a job transfer to Alice Springs Australia shortly after Cracked was recorded and Rob Kniep got a job offer in Las Vegas he couldn't pass up. We eventually decided to get two guys to fill in for Greg and Rob for live shows in the meantime after not really performing for about three years. Mike our drummer had known guitarist Bryn Anderson for a long time and Bryn was a fan of the band so picking him up was sort of like family. Then we got new comer Eric Harris on bass after I met him in a cover band I mess around with on weekends for fun and to keep my chops up. It's kinda cool because Greg and Rob are still in the band as well as the new guys on the block - like our band just increased in size! Greg and Rob will do any shows that they are able and Eric and Bryn will do the shows that they are not able to get away for.

TJ - Will the new cd be like old X-Sinner, Angry Einstien’s, or something totally different?

RS – I'm really stoked about the new stuff - it will be more like the first album Get It in the sense of it being very high energy and driving. It will be more raw than Get It though. We felt Get It had always had a bit too much Pakaderm production all over it that in the end took some of the bite out of it. This will have plenty of bite! On Peace Treaty we went for more production on some of the songs on purpose. On "Back In Red" we are going for a much more unlayered sound, more natural raw Marshall amps in your face type thing. I scream a little more at times too this time around.

TJ - I was a Zion fan also, anything ever kicked around with them?

RS – Funny you should ask because a historical cd of sorts is about to be released of Zion called "Thrillseeker -A Live History" which contains live versions of a few songs from the Thunder From The Mountain tour in 1990 and also some studio stuff and some demo stuff as well. There is a little bit of everything on this cd including some back stage humor that was caught on tape. It includes songs off of the very first Zion album ever made that was self produced called "Rock For Eternity" and until now, was never available in cd form. I talk to the guys on and off and have visited them in Portland, OR. I'm actually trying to set up a visit for August. We have a great time when we are together. We record a little in Tommy's home studio room and we barbeque a little and eat ALOT! Ha ha! We would like to work on a new record as well but we'll have to see since I'm so busy as it is with X-Sinner right now. I was in that band a long time compared to when I first got into X-Sinner. It was like 1981 through 1990! So we are close and we have a lot of good memories to share with each other.

TJ - Sweet, can’t wait for that one! Who are your musical influences?

RS – The Beatles were the first biggest impact on my life. Much later on Zepplin, and then came AC/DC. I fell in love with their song structure and blues based driving rock. Another group I really like although their lyrics are not for the faint of heart as they are not Christians per say, is Rhino Bucket. They are from out here in California too. I go see them every chance I get. I don't really listen to much Christian rock as I can't hack most of the second rate song writing and studio production. Nothing personal but a great song is a great song period. One of the best Christian lyrics ever written was not done by a Christian band but by Depeche Mode in Can You Feel A Little Love. It goes "are ya tired of livin' reconciled while walking home a crooked mile".  That's good stuff. That whole song smokes as far as I'm concerned - from a truth perspective and a musical perspective.

TJ - So very true. What is your vision as a musician as far as ministry?

RS – My idea of what we can accomplish and not accomplish is simple. I believe we are basically seed planters for the most part. One plants, one waters, another harvests. We use our talents as a vehicle to give credibility to what we say. The music has to be as top notch as possible. This gives us credibility in the eyes of the unchurched because it is a standard by which they judge things. That's what gets us in the door per say. Most people don't know that the name of the band was actually Sinner but Pakaderm Records wanted us to change it to X-Sinner. We wanted to be as relatable as possible with Sinner but we gave in to Pakaderm's suggestion in the end. I prefer Sinner. Always have.

TJ - Any good stories of a person’s life changed through your music?

RS – People are touched and helped by our music in so many different ways it is incredible. I get emails and people come up to me and say things like "that song Help Me (Zion) really helped me get through some really dark times". Things like that all the time. I know of a young man who went into full time ministry as a minister because of the impact our band had on him. We are amazed at the number of people who contact us in one way or another to tell us things like this. I know certain songs and artists have impacted me over the years in one way or another - so I guess it is no surprise that other people have the same experiences. It is very cool.

TJ - What is the hardest part about being in a “Christian” rock band?

RS – Well, there are several "hard" things...the first thing is that I'd prefer to be called an artist who deals with truth and reality in my music as opposed to "Christian". God IS truth and love and I would hope my art reflects that and thusly reflects Him. I'm not ashamed to be called a Christian or anything like that but the whole term "Christian music" to me is a misnomer. I've never cared for that terminology. Either your life reflects God or it doesn't. People try to label U2 a Christian band but to me they are a truth band which reflects Jesus in most of what they sing and how especially Bono lives his life working in South Africa with the dying and starving. Someone who actually sings gospel music should be called a Christian band or artist but not someone like U2 or someone like X-Sinner for that matter. I know a certain portion of our fans will always refer to us as that and that's ok but it really puts us in a box where we really do not belong. Now to really answer the focus of your question, "what is hard?" The hours spent writing, rehearsing, traveling, trying to give a 110% all the time to the fans, time away from family, very little financial reward, if any, all these things are difficult. Living out of a suitcase on tour is glamorous for about two days- after that it gets very old very fast.

TJ - Who was the best band to tour or play with?

RS – That's very easy, Whitecross. We did a show with them in Harrisburg Pa. and had traveled very far to do that show. Rex Carrol and Scott Wenzel were very accommodating to us and treated us very kindly. We've played with a lot of the more well known acts in our day but that one stands out in my mind as one of the best bands to work with.

TJ - OK Rex, I’m going to put you on the spot here… I went and saw Saint and Rez Band back in the late 80’s, early 90’s in a small church in Tacoma, Washington. Saint opened up and were about half way into their set, I can’t remember what song they were singing, but Josh was all over the stage. The stage wasn’t very big and some of Rez’s equipment was already on it. Anyway Josh was singing and he backed up and tripped over an amp and fell right on his seat end. The cool thing was, he never lost a beat, he kept right on singing. I gave him a hard time after the show but he claimed it was part of the act. I knew better. hehehe… So, what was your most embarrassing live performance moment?

RS – Hmmm...that's a difficult one...I cannot recall anything major like your example but a couple of humorous thoughts do come to light. One was in Zion. We wore spandex back then like a lot of the bands did and on one of the songs (Big Fall) during the grand final ending, David Moore (guitar) and myself would fall down on the floor on our backs and simultaneously kick our feet in the air while holding out that last chord. We would usually do it facing the drums so our arses wouldn't be in peoples faces in the very front by the stage, but on this night I did it the other way around. After the song backstage I noticed I had a very small hole in the crotch of my spandex! I thought the front row probably could have seen it, but I'll never know for sure. The other was when we were preparing to go on at an X-Sinner concert at a Calvary Chapel in Albuquerque NM, and as I was coming out of the dressing room to go down the hall to the stage and I stepped right on someone's Big Gulp soda sitting right in the way on the floor! It was carpeted and Coke went splashing everywhere! I felt bad about that one. We made a last second weak attempt of soaking it up with paper towels but of course it was useless! That one was caught on video too!