Most Christian artists can point to a particular moment when it became clear
 that God had something special in mind for them. For Common Children, that
 place was Hot Springs, Ark., and the time was four years ago.
      Guitarist Mark Byrd recalls, "(Bassist) Drew (Powell) and I had been
 working together in various bands for a couple of years, but nothing seemed to be
 clicking with a series of drummers." Enter jazz-trained percussionist Hampton
 Eugene. "I was looking to play harder-edged music. A mutual friend hooked me
 up with a tape of these guys, and it was the vibe I was looking for. The first time
 we played was really euphoric."
      Powell continues, "We started playing this kind of long, flowing jam
 together. And before any of us realized it, 30 minutes had gone by. Hampton
 dropped to his knees at the end. He was literally overcome by the spiritual place
 the music had taken us."
      And so began a four-year odyssey For the musicians, trying to find a niche
 the not- always-receptive Little Rock/Hot Springs music scene. Byrd explains,
 "We tried a little of everything. We tried to get a skate ministry going, but that was
 too loud for the park. Then we tried to get a coffee house ministry going, but that
 was too loud for the art gallery next door. "Consequently, says Byrd, "We were
 only together about four months, then Drew took a job at a radio station in
 Florida, and Hampton moved to Pine Bluff,(Ark.). But after eight months, we
 re-grouped and decided we really wanted to make the band work."
      But even with what was believed to be a confirmation from God, Byrd says
 the going was not always smooth. "We once had an elder grab the mic and start
 singing (Rich Mullins') 'Awesome God.' Which, if you know anything about how
 Common Children sounds, is not the perfect match!"
      Drew Powell says that Common Children knew at that point it needed to
 head for the greener pastures of Nashville. "I actually came to Nashville to think
 about joining another band. But I met Terry (Sasser, manager of Common
 Children),played him our tape, and he wound up deciding to put all his energies
 into representing us."
      A couple labels offered to make a deal with Common Children at the
 1995Cornerstone Festival, and after sifting through five contracts, the trio signed
 with new modern rock imprint Tattoo Records. Byrd thinks that "beyond money
 and manpower, Tattoo understood where we were coming from with our music."
      The whole atmosphere of the band's debut, Skywire - from the title to the
 intense music to the often dark lyrics - has to do with tension and release. "It's not
 a 'concept' record," explains Byrd, "but if you look at the entire album, you'll see
 how the darker moments and the struggles are dealt with and resolved. For
 instance, there's a song called 'Hate,' which has the simple chorus 'I hate myself.'
 Well, how do you arrive at hating yourself? It comes from going against the order
 God has set up for this world. And if you do that for a long period of time, you'll
 become ashamed and humiliated. But the response to that song comes in
 'Treasure,' which talks about love 'pouring down like rain' and the person in the
 song crying and purging those feelings. We strive to live lives that are spiritually
 fruitful and fulfilling. But we're constantly beset by pressures and problems that
 can either steal that peace away, or that you can use, through the Spirit, as things
 to make your faith stronger. I hope we reflect some of that complexity of being a
 believer in our music."

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