Tony Cummings threw some questions at playlisted alt rockers THE THOMAS CONFESSION

The Thomas Confession

When one website reviewer reviewed the 'Convolutions' album by Fresno, California's The Thomas Confession, he began his review with the words "I have just got my hands on a copy of this album and I regret not hearing about the band sooner." The same could be said for Cross Rhythms. Although 'Convolutions' was released in 2011 it's only now that your favourite Christian media organization has caught up with a truly top rate album. The undulating "Put Your Mind To It" with its compulsive indie dance vibe is now getting CR airplay with the tracks "Love Like Fire" and "When Everyone's Dancing" set to follow. Cross Rhythms made contact with The Thomas Confession to get their story.

Lead guitarist Stephen Chesnokov explained how the group came together. "It's funny, but I think we actually started playing together because we had a paid opportunity to do some covers. However, I and Mike (Mikhail Borisov - lead vocals, rhythm guitar) were jamming together a little before that, and I knew Jake (Jacob Donovan - drums) from hanging out with the same group of friends at school. At the very beginning we had to practise at our dorm's hallway, and then after a couple of months of practises our roommates got so tired of our music we had to find some other place to play. Roman Baranskiy joined us later as our bassist."

Mikhail took up the story: "In 2008, our journey as The Thomas Confession began. We chose this name because people most commonly think of Thomas as 'Doubting Thomas'. We saw it a little differently. This story is one of a complete turnaround, a new beginning and of a second chance. He may have started as 'Doubting Thomas' but he ended up with one of the most prolific and bold confessions of Jesus. Our name reflects our belief that all of us have this opportunity for something better, something bigger, and a shot at another chance."

So far most of TTC's gigs have been around California. Explained Mikhail, "We spent several years playing shows and festivals up and down California. All of us were in school so our live shows revolved around our schedules which became even more complicated as two of us married and some began pursuing their Master's. We've played everywhere from Whiskey-a-Go-Go in LA to Joshua Fest up north and have had several memorable shows. One year at Joshua Fest, we brought our own sound guy and played so loud that we blew a fuse on the sound system. The promoters weren't too happy. Another great show was in Visalia, California where a friend used the opportunity to propose to his girlfriend on stage."

The Thomas Confession admit to having a wide range of influences. Mikhail lists Muse, U2 and Pendulum as influences while Stephen goes for Interpol, Oasis and Bloc Party. Mikhail is the first to admit that there is something different about TTC's sound. "One thing that makes us different in this regard is that the other three members have Slavic roots and bring in that influence as well. Stephen and I also spent our college years playing violin in the University's Symphony and Roman studied piano from a young age (he was recently accepted to San Francisco Conservatory for which we are all excited)."

Mikhail went over the band's brief recording history. "Before 'Convolutions', we recorded a Demo in a closet (literally) in 2009. It was a home recording and we only produced several hundred copies that sold out pretty quickly. The songs can still be found on our myspace and facebook." Added Stephen, "'Convolutions' is our first serious recording. We tried to make the album sound as smooth and as polished as possible. We spent a long time writing songs for the album and then it took us almost a year to put all of our ideas on a CD format."

Mikhail has vivid memories of the recording sessions. "The sessions were done in a big warehouse that was very hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Because the studio was in Sacramento and we lived in Fresno at the time, recording took approximately a year from beginning to end and was very broken up. The whole experience was incredibly educating. We learned so much about tone, guitars, new methods of playing that we had never thought about before. Overall, we came out of that experience more seasoned and confident in our playing. We also became good friends with our producer Dryw Owens and that alone made all the time, money and at times the discomfort of being hot or cold worth it."

Mikhail spoke about the song "When Everyone's Dancing". He explained, "It's a song about having to figure out your own way in life. No doubt mistakes will be made, but it's a plea for those around you to help you get back up on your feet (show a little grace) and not simply beat you back down for making mistakes. It's a song that also reflects generational differences and the hope that we can have more in common than that which separates us."

(top, l-r) Stephen Chesnokov, Roman Baranskiy, (bottom, l-r) Jacob Donovan, Mikhail Borisov

Stephen recounted how "Put Your Mind To It" was inspired by a personal tragedy. "It's about a friend who died in a car crash. We tried to show how we, Christians, can be cruel and judgmental even after the person is gone, and when 'there is nothing else left to fight'. Through our music one can see us trying to understand Christianity, and how our daily struggles either bring us closer to God or push us away from him. In 'Convolutions' we were trying to make sense out of death, purpose for our lives, justice, relationships with other people and relationship with God - all those hard questions!"

Said Mikhail, "Essentially, 'Convolutions' is a snapshot of where the individual members of the band were at the time of its writing and recording. Because all of us are Christians, our faith has no choice but to play a huge role in the album. And that is evident in the message and feelings that are present in the music. You may have noticed that the majority of the album is in a minor key and the lyrics may be often times quite depressing. Yet, through it all glimpses of hope shine through like sunlight on a cloudy day. Not everything is 'okay' in our lives but we do not give up because we have hope in something bigger and Someone who is able to get us through no matter what the situation. Again, the individual members are not necessarily in the same place right now. Maybe the next album will sound very cheery like Vampire Weekend or will gravitate towards doom metal. . . though that's highly unlikely!"