Need to listen to this band

From Hootie and the Blowfish to Stretch Arm Strong to Nile, South Carolina is home to myriad talented bands, and natives Needtobreathe are no exception. Beautifully crafted songs and simplistic, catchy lyrics have bolstered them onto a major label and allowed them to pursue their dreams and spread their love and message to the world.

“When we started out in 1999, it was more of an acoustic thing,” said drummer Joe Stillwell. “It was Bear [Rinehart] and I just playing around Furman [University]. In 2001 we added Bo [Rinehart] and Seth [Bolt], but it didn’t really change our sound.”

The group signed to Atlantic Records in 2005 and released their first album Daylight in 2006. The label let Needtobreathe fend for themselves for their first two albums, which is unusual for a major label to do, but it worked in the band’s favor.

“We worked through the first two records and Atlantic was hands off,” Stillwell said. “Now that we’ve come into our own, Atlantic has really stepped in to help us out and it’s been really awesome.”

Proving they were capable of deciding their own future has allowed the band creative control and a strong relationship with the label. It has also strengthened the band’s bonds as a collective writing instrument. Each member helps the other in the writing process, without letting personal feelings get in the way of doing what’s best for the group.

“Mostly Bear and Bo do the writing. They’ll get a song idea, work it out a bit, and then present it to us and we’ll put our two cents in,” Stillwell said. “The relationship that Bear and Bo have as brothers has permeated into the rest of the band. We may get mad about something but we always know we’ll be there for each other so we can speak our minds and be honest to each other and the music is better for it.”

This candid and frank approach to their craft hasn’t spared feelings, but it has lead to some great songwriting. Stillwell also commented on how spirituality and experience play into the band’s music.

“Our writing is more life-experience type stuff,” Stillwell said. “Our faith plays a big part in the stuff that we write. We’re all Christians so it makes its way into the song. We try not to write with an agenda because we feel that if you write with an agenda, it doesn’t come from the heart…it’s a homework assignment. Hopefully people connect with what we originally intended the song to mean or they dig a little deeper and get their own interpretation. As long as they get something from the music, that’s what’s important. People genuinely value honest lyrics and good songwriting.”

Fans of Needtobreathe really do value the group’s honest approach. Needtobreathe’s newest effort The Outsiders peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard U.S. 200, a great feat for any band. Honesty and integrity are central themes to the band’s sound and lifestyle.

“We don’t try to be too cerebral but we don’t try to dumb it down too much,” Stillwell said. “In the past, a lot of our lyrics were really vague. Back then we would do the soundscape first, and then we tried to fit lyrics in. Now we try to convey a message and get it across in the best way that we know. And hopefully it comes out as something original and beautiful. Sometimes it’s easy and happens right away and sometimes it takes hours of bouncing [songs] back and forth between each other.”

Playing honest rock, tinged with elements of country and pop, with a positive message has gained Needtobreathe a worldwide following in the Christian and secular communities and keep the group one of the year’s breakout bands.