Wreathe Of Thorns Magazine

February Issue

UNDER THE INFLUENCE are a ministry orientated rock band, taking their tunes to the streets of LA. Their only objective is to share Jesus, with no acclaim to fame or fortune. Their seven track EP is blues based hard rock although ‘Pontius Pilate’ is a little heavier, sounding like older BLACK SABBATH, while ‘Take Up The Cross’ is uncharacteristic to the rest by being industrial. If you want to hear what’s reaching out to the destitute and succeeding in making inroads in this area, check out UTI.

- Pete. Mc

When we received the promotional pack from Under the Influence, we saw more than the music alone that being the testimony on which this band stands upon. Being such an inspiration, we felt inclined to share it in this issue. For those of you into straight up hard rock, with no messing around lyrics, this outreach band from L.A could be what you've been looking for. Frontman and drummer Mark Horvath, spills his life story, including the ins and outs of Under The Influence (UTI).

Mark, you are the founding member of Under the Influence, what inspired you to form the band and the ministry you're involved with?

"I moved into the Dream Center almost three years ago. I was in a program for the homeless called 'Discipleship'. Before I was homeless, I worked in the TV industry. I was looking for a vision, a dream for my life, but did not know what - I just knew God was going to use me. Walking into a youth service I saw this group playing, they were doing some of their own songs. Then the vision hit me. If these guys got a good drummer and worked on their musicianship, the music was strong enough to play the clubs of Los Angeles. I had lost my job at 'Starcom Television' and had a really bad drug problem. I was going down fast and everyone knew it. At this point in my life I had a U.S three hundred dollar a day drug habit. My mother called from NY and said 'we called this Pastor in Hollywood and he will come and talk to you.' I would have nothing to do with it - God that is. I had this dead view of being a Christian. I told my mother that 'God cannot help me'... the point is and why I feel so strongly about what we do, is that if I had gone to the 'Whisky a Go-Go' and seen a band like UTI playing, loving God, being sober and having fun, I would have had a different view of being a Christian and may have told my mother to send the man of God to my house. I may have never been homeless. If I can stop just one kid, just one from going through the hell I did, I have done my job. This sounds weird but that first night it all hit me - and I am still driven by the same vision today."

Tell us more about the Dream Center and how it was they helped you.

"I'd like to say we at the Dream Center repair peoples dreams...in a city of lost dreams we give people hope to get up and dream again. In the inner cities of America, the Churches are all moving to the suburbs. Less crime, more money et cetera. Someone needs to go into the inner city and help people - that is what we do. The dream is that we network with other ministries, down town LA is so huge that not one ministry could do it alone. Walking down Hollywood Blvd, homeless and hopeless one afternoon, I had not showered in days, maybe weeks. I also had a five foot Iguana on my shoulder ( that was my "game" on the streets, I would charge the tourists to take pictures of it). There was this drum set in a store front window - you must understand that drumming has always been a love to me. Walking in expecting to get kicked out, I asked to play. They said "sit down," turns out the place was a Christian recovery center. God used drums to get me off the streets. From there I started to intern at a TV station to see if I wanted the stress in my life again. I was trying to figure out what I was going to do in life....sober! During one of the shows, a lady played a roll-in tape of the Dream Center and then I proceeded to go to Church services there. The place was awesome! I got the UTI dream. At first it was too radical for even the Dream Center - going into bars at nights, they all thought I was crazy (still do). When I was in the program I would keep our bio in my back pocket and when I swept by a fax I would fax it off; if I swept by a phone I would book the band. Then one night, 'Pastor Tommy Barnett' and his son 'Matthew' came to see us play the 'Whisky'. They were blown away. I did a short five minute sermon and they were impressed that we had the guts to preach the gospel in a bar. The next day they gave me an office, a phone and UTI became official. There are one hundred and ninety ministries here. Each one has their niche. One example being 'Metro Kids', they reach thousands of kids a week with their sidewalk Sunday Schools. They go right into the gang lands and hold Church, it is awesome. 'Hope for Homeless Youth' deals with runaways from Hollywood. 'Discipleship' brings in people from Skid Row and Hollywood that want to change their lives around. Our niche is that we go into the Devil's Living room (what I call the Sunset Strip) and when one person goes into the bar looking for a beer, they leave with the new wine of Jesus Christ."

Your self titled CD demo I take it is an extension of the Dream Center?

"Anything that comes out of the Dream Center is an extension. Actually the CD started out as a recording project to get me the audio so I could produce a music video. We never really planned on a release and recorded the songs in Shane's garage where he has a home studio. After listening to the finished product we were blessed with the money to release it. Here at the Center we use it as a fund-raiser because we need a PA system in a bad way. It also costs about a thousand dollars a day to play the 'Whisky' (Los Angeles is a pay to play town). All the money from CD sales go to either the PA or to cover the cost of shows. By surprise the song 'Holy Spirit' track number three on the CD, went into medium rotation on several markets in the U.S. We did not plan on any of this, what's funny is, I still haven't produced the video. I want to add, that at gigs we give out the CD. If you listen, you will notice that it tells the story of the Bible and the word of God. Some people give out Bibles, we give out CDs in the hope that it plants a seed!"

We understand that Under The Influence has its own public access TV program...tell us more about it.

"Well I started doing a UTI show on local access TV and the show could reach as many as two hundred and seventy thousand viewers in three markets around the city. What's kind of funny is, I book the show to air after the station has played some soft porno, I get better ratings (laughing) that way and people just think they are watching a rock band."

Would you agree your sound is a little like 'Led Zep', 'Aerosmith', 'Whitecross' et cetera?

"No, I like to call it 'meatfed' music. The Bible says that when you come to the Lord you are fed milk, as you grow you are fed meat...meatfed music...get it!!!!! Nice way to avoid the comparison question huh?"

Well put another way then, what bands inspire your songwriting?

"You are not going to let me get out of it are you (laughing), did I tell you what I ate for lunch?"

We take it you don't really listen to any other types of hard rock?

"I could easily put together a hard funk band, but then it would be Mark's band and not God's. So I asked God to send me the people and we write what we love. If we love what we are playing than it will transmit into the crowd."

Anyway you've mentioned the band intends to go heavier. What area in particular?

"Well UTI is going heavier as far as music, attitude and performance goes. The last UTI was too much of a Church band. It was and is an awesome band but we were playing Churches and not the clubs. Jesus went to the sinners and that is where we belong. Now the new heavy music might not get us a lot of Church bookings, but it will go off on the Sunset-Strip which is our vision. If we play in Church the people are already saved - that is not our vision. The Bible tells us to reach the lost, so we go to the lost. To do that we must get the support of believers and we do that by playing a few Churches and youth groups. Actually, we play any place that we can (or will let us)."

Shane, the bass player of UTI, makes a brief appearance.

Do you listen to much hard music?

Shane: "Depends on how heavy"

What would be your limit then?

"I like 'Oil', they're about as heavy as I'd listen to - we had the chance to open for them at 'The Roxy'."

We hear you play with a violin bow when performing live?

"Yeah, inspired by can you guess...'Jimmy Page'. I saw him do it and thought it might be cool for the bass. It's only natural of course - what I mean is, that's how concert contra basses are played."

It's mentioned in your promo material that 'Pontius Pilate' is the most talked about song in your set.

"I think this was in reference to its 'heavy' sound, dark if you will. We were forbidden to play this on some of our outreaches. They didn't like the dark feel of it."

It's those demonic minor chords!

"You got it! The controversy actually helped promote it, now you have a hint towards our new direction!"

What is the 'Saturday Night Kick Back'?

Back With Mark...
"It's an outreach to the homeless - we had a standing invite to play until recently. The 'Kick Back Service' is not your normal Church service. We bus in hundreds of people from 'Skid Row' and 'Hollywood'. The service has rock music et cetera, it is just laid back, not your normal Church service - done 'LA' style."

It must be a blessing seeing people getting saved through your music.

"The 'Kick Back Service' is such a blast because you get to do 'front line' ministry. You are right there in the war zone. I never thought our music would cross over to the Skid Row crowd but they love us. We get to practice our show and reach people at the same time. What really turns me on is when I see the crowd singing along with us - putting the word right into their soul, I love it."

With your vocalist having cancer, has this helped bring the band closer together?

"Larry was challenged with cancer yes. The band stays close because we put God and families first. Before practice, we have an open Bible study where each person gets to speak, kind of like a twelve step meeting. I have found that Scripture helps to open people up and then they 'let out' what is really going on inside them. This way we get to share our brothers burdens and a healing takes place. Just because you bury toxic waste does not mean that it goes away, you can listen to all the best preaching in the world, but unless you take some action to heal yourself you are just listening."

Apart from writing new material, what's happening with UTI currently?

"Creating a new show and going back into the clubs where we belong, that is our focus. On a daily battle we need a PA system. We hustle each week to come up with something to practice with."

How can fans of your style support your band and ministry?

"I like this question because you are UTI, not us. See, we go into the bars and sing from the stage, however the real witness is the Jesus loving fan who goes to our show. Being honest, I get scared sometimes when we play. I have no idea how we are going to go down. Remember these are secular nights. What happens is that an unsaved person in the crowd says to the person next to them 'I love the music but do you understand this Jesus stuff?' and guess what, the person next to them is you and you win them to the Lord - you are UTI. The other way is visit our web page and support us by buying a CD. It's cheap and you can use the cover to house train your puppy! CD's are only sold over the net at this time but we love mail, so send us your letters...we are a non-profit ministry, every cent goes to reach the lost...every cent!"

Wreathe Of Thorns Magazine