DrivenFarOff was lucky enough to interview Joshua Pearson from rock ensemble Nevertheless on their upcoming album Live Like We’re Alive due in stores September 19, 2006.

For introductory purposes, please state your name and position in the band.
Joshua- Lead Vocals and Acoustic Guitar

So your debut record is about to go live in just over a week, what are your feelings right now?
We are both excited and scared. We have put so much hard work and passion into the record, but I guess you never know how people will like it. That is the crazy thing about being an artist.

â┚¬Ã…”Live Like Weâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢re Aliveâ┚¬? is the bandâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s first release with Flicker, but you guys self-released an EP, From The Inside Looking In, early last year. How would you contrast the music and motivations between these releases?
The EP was written at a different place in our lives. The songs were more just forms of free thought musically and lyrically. I would say that we thought the new record out more and prepared a great deal more than we did with the EP.

You worked with the renowned James Paul Wisner on this release. How did James change the way you approached making the album?
First of all, we have always wanted to work with James. He brought out the emotion that we wanted, and he taught us a great deal about the dynamics of a song. We really concentrated on each individual part and only did things which we felt would make the song better as a whole.

What was your favorite part about making the album?
Itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s hard to pick a favorite part. One great thing was just to be so focused on a single thing in our lives for a long period of time. For two months, we ate, slept, and breathed the album. That was tiring and rewarding.

Any interesting stories to share while your were in the studio?
One interesting thing is that, at first, none of us wanted the song, â┚¬Ã…”Timeâ┚¬?, on the record. We fought everyone about that song and insisted that it didnâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t make the record. It took doing a demo of it in the studio and beefing it up a bit for us to see that it was, in fact, a great song. We are all happy with the outcome now!

How did Kevin Kadish add to the writing process?
Kevin is really a genius when it comes to knowing how to write a great song. I feel like we may have some good ideas, but Kevinâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s strength is seeing a song in its completion. He is great with melody and very deliberate with songwriting. That taught us a lot!

Personally, whatâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s your favorite track on the record and why?
It changes every week it seems, but I really love â┚¬Ã…”Live Like Weâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢re Aliveâ┚¬?. We wrote that song about being in this band and giving all we have to this even when there is opposition. Every day it seems there is something that could bring us down if we let it. We have to constantly make the choice to give one hundred percent.

As a Christian band, do you think you have more obligations to tell some sort of message in your songs than a non-faith oriented group? And if you think you do, why choose the medium of music to get that message out?
There is an obligation, but it also comes naturally with our writing. We try to write songs that are real to us and that can also relate to the lives of others. Honestly, our initial goal was to write songs because we all loved music, but now we see that God wants to use us to encourage people. It is a humbling thing to be able to encourage people in their lives with testimonies from your own life.

Explain the how you chose the album title â┚¬Ã…”Live Like Weâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢re Aliveâ┚¬?.
Well, as I explained earlier, that song is very important to us. After we wrote it, we thought that it would be great title track to sum up the whole album as well.

You recently shot a video for your single â┚¬Ã…”The Real,â┚¬? what was that experience like? Who did you work with?
We worked with a company called Film Stray Dog on the music video. It was a great experience! We were at the venue from about 4 PM until 4 AM, so we were super tired when it was over. It was our first time being on film at such high caliber, so it was rewarding and fun to watch!

What do you think is the hardest part about being in a band?
There are many hard parts, but the hardest is usually being with four other people a hundred percent of the time. We really are trying to learn to be servants to each other and cater to the individual needs that we all have. We try to be open and honest about our lives and what we are feeling.

My hometown is Oahu, Hawaii and this summer when I went back I heard â┚¬Ã…”The Realâ┚¬? playing on our local Christian music radio station. I guess this makes me curious if youâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ve heard your single on Christian radio yet? If so, how did that feel?
We havenâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t heard it in our hometown, but we randomly heard it in Colorado and also in Dallas. Itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s a pretty crazy feeling. I was thinking that I hope we sound cool, because I donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t know.

It looks like you have a string of dates lined up for Shoutfest. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
We are playing Shoutfest until the end of October. There is actually a Flicker Records stage. It is a ton of fun, and all of the bands get to hang out with each other all day.

If you could tour with anyone live or dead, who would it be?
I donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t know if I can speak for everyone. It would be rad to tour with Dashboard Confessional just so we could watch the set every night. We are all big fans.

Is there any big Christian band (currently together) youâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢d want to tour with?
We would love to tour with Reliant K.

Whatâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s the craziest thing a fan has ever done for Nevertheless?
I donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t know. We get cookies all of the time. One time a guy offered me his autograph. I couldnâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t resist.

What do you see Nevertheless doing one year from now? And what are your long term goals as a band?
I hope that we are touring and that the record is selling well in a year. We really just want to stay consistent with the art and the message for the duration of our career. It is a goal to never write a song for the sole purpose of making us a â┚¬Ã…”bigâ┚¬? band.

Is there any question I havenâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t asked that you want to give an answer for? Shoutouts to make?
Thanks a ton for the support and taking the time to interview us. God blessâ┚¬Ã‚¦

DrivenFarOff would like to pay thanks to Joshua, Nevertheless, and Lori from the {m} collective for making this interview possible. We wish you great success on as you come upon release date!