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We’re extremely happy to welcome to our pages Christian rock band Hope’s Anchor; Christmas greetings and salutations, gang! Before we meander down the proverbial Q&A musical pathway, could you each say ‘hi’ and introduce yourselves to our ever-inquisitive readers?
Hi, I’m Shawn “Swift” Johnson, the lead singer for Hope’s Anchor, and I’ve been with the band since the beginning. I got my start touring as a backup singer for the legendary Little Richard for over a decade. I learned a lot from that experience that helped shape the artist that I am today. Hope’s Anchor is a true expression of “us”, and I couldn’t be more proud of what we do.
Hello, this is Raymond Hemms, and I am the guitar player for Hope’s Anchor. I’ve been with the band since the beginning in 2008. It’s been a blast playing with these guys because we just allow each other to be themselves and play what just comes natural to them. That’s what makes our sound!
Hey, I’m Harry Wolle and I’m the bass player and one of the backup vocalists for Hope’s Anchor. I’ve also been with the band since 2008. I concur with Ray; it’s been a great experience writing and playing with this group. We’re all great friends and our group is truly a “band of brothers”. The crazy thing is we’ve all had such diverse influences and musical backgrounds; however, when we get together, we lock in, and the music just feels right.
I’m Jeff Wood and I’ve been playing music for as long as I can remember. I grew up playing in several bands all throughout the southeast United States. After roughly a 10-year hiatus, I was introduced to Hope’s Anchor by Corey Lowery in 2014 and I’ve been the drummer ever since.
Major congratulations on your beautiful and freshly-minted new single The Church is Leaving The Building! Shawn, what inspired this gem of a ditty?
I was on the road providing support to a friend of ours (B-Shock) in Texas just after things started reopening post-pandemic. I saw church that had the doors taken off the hinges, which struck me as odd. I asked some of the locals why the doors were removed, and they told me that the pastor removed the doors so that he didn’t have to lock people out. He said that the church had left the building and that struck me to the core. To me, that’s understanding the assignment of the church, and Christians in general. We are the Church and we’re not bound by four walls.
Harry, the ever-amazing Corey Lowery did the producing honors on The Church is Leaving The Building. What was it like collaborating with Corey on the new single?
We’ve been working with Corey since “the beginning”. This is the 3rd album that we’ve done with him (the others being our self-titled release, Hope’s Anchor in 2015 and Lightswitch in 2019), and we feel like he’s the fifth member of the band. Corey has always believed in us and pushed us to be the best version of ourselves. He’s a true professional and really knows how to get the most out of each band member. We’re all really excited about the release of the single, The Church is Leaving the Building, and we can’t wait to release the EP later in 2024.
Raymond, in your humble opinion what differentiates The Church is Leaving the Building from the Distinguished Competition on the 2023 music scene?
Well, I feel like our sound is just so different than anything else in the Christian music scene that it just kinda pops! It’s a bit more of a traditional rock sounding track. If it wasn’t for the chorus, it could be mistaken for a secular rock track!
Jeff, can you talk about how Hope’s Anchor came together as the incredibly tight unit that we hear on The Church is Leaving the Building?
I think it has a lot to do with finding our own thumbprint as a band. Recording the new EP was the most organic process the band has had to date, working out arrangements and doing pre-production with Corey Lowery ahead of recording was such a fun process. We’ve worked with Corey “who happens to also be a dear friend” since before day one. This time around I think everyone was in their own element. I’ll also add this… when the four of us play together it’s a certain sound and feel that you can’t duplicate. God is good.
Shawn, in the wake of the release of The Church is Leaving the Building, can fans look forward to catching Hope’s Anchor on the touring/performing circuit in the coming weeks and months?
We are hammering out some details for dates in the Southeast for the first half of the year. You can get updates via our website, www.hopesanchorband.com
A question for all of you: Who inspires you musically?
Swift – The music that inspired me growing up was obviously, Little Richard. The crazy thing is, I was influenced by him prior to working with him. I had one of his gospel records on vinyl growing up, which was incredible. I also grew up listening to The Winan’s, which were also very inspiring.
Ray – I was inspired by the legacy classic rock players like Gary Moore, Jimmy Page, Hendrix, and Cream. Later in life I was turned on to Ty Tabor from Kings X and never looked back.
Harry – I, like most of my contemporaries, was greatly inspired by Geddy Lee. I always loved his tone and the way that he attacked the bass. I’ve always loved players that created melodies and countermelodies within the context of the “groove”. Dug Pinnick is another player that heavily influenced me, mainly due to his heavy grooves and tone.
Jeff – That’s a tough one, it’s a pretty wide range. John Bonham, Frank Beard, Cozy Powell, Ainsley Dunbar, Tommy Aldridge, Jerry Gaskill, and oddly enough Nicko McBrain from Iron Maiden. Growing up those are the guys I played along with and I connected with each player being the bottom-heavy foundation of their respective rhythm section.
Harry, with the recent release of the new single, will 2024 be the year that we see an EP or LP release from Hope’s Anchor?
Yes, in fact, we’re releasing EP singles each month through April of 2024. The EP, titled “The Church is Leaving the Building” has 5 songs on it and we couldn’t be more excited about each of them. Each song has its own personality, and we feel that the messages are relatable to everyone. The production of this EP has spurred on many more “working” ideas that we hope to complete and release in 2024.
Raymond, Hope’s Anchor is based out of the beautiful city of Atlanta, Georgia. How do those roots inform the sound and energy of the band?
We all, for the most part, cut our teeth in the Atlanta Music scene in the late 90’s and likely got our gritty, grooving sound from those days in the scene.
Jeff, at the end of the day what do you hope listeners walk away with after giving many-a-spin to The Church is Leaving The Building on their respective turn-tables?
I hope people walk away encouraged and inspired. I hope some people will find it refreshing to find gospel centered music in this style. Most of all, I hope people hear the gospel message, come to him all who are burdened and weak, there is salvation in Jesus and Jesus alone. God has done so much in our lives. I just hope this music can be a spark that maybe starts a relationship with God for someone.
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