INTERVIEW WITH MEREDITH AND CHRISTIAN DUNCKEL OF UNDEFEATED

In the past week, I posted a pair of interviews with groups I discovered in the FB group "Female Christian Rock and Metal (Saving Jackie four days ago, Worhol the day before yesterday). Undefeated is another band I learned about that way. You may remember my interview with Becca Sugg of Reclaim The Day? Becca and Meredith competed for an award late last year.

Both Meredith (lead vocalist/guitarist) and Chris participated in the interview. I've chosen to use green to identify Meredith (afterward referred to as MD) and red for Chris (CD).

JR: How did you get interested in music, and how did that lead to the formation of Undefeated? Who's all in the band?

MD: I (Meredith-Lead Vocals/Guitarist) have loved
music from a very young age. Our parents were huge rockers back in the day, and have a whole God-story on how they’ve been led out of the secular scene, so we grew up with only contemporary music. Nothing wrong with that, but once we discovered the guts of rock and metal, we were hooked. I was part of a youth group who didn’t have room for anyone but the
“important” people. Longggg story short, this youth group brought in a couple bands from Canada and Massachusetts for a concert. The youth group worship team was going to open for them, and their electric guitarist bailed last minute, so I was asked
to step up. This was literally like the 2nd time I’d ever touched an electric guitar, so it wasn’t great, let’s be honest. aha.

After the concert, the manager of the MA band caught up with my mom and I, and said “I felt like God told me to encourage her.” I was invited to play a couple of songs at a worship festival that he hosted. We thought the worst thing that could happen was we wouldn’t go again, so we went! That event flipped a switch for me. The festival had all kinds of music, pop, rock, reggae, jazz, screamo. But the biggest thing, these people were like me! I just felt so included, and these people just understood who I was. 

 

A couple weeks or so later, I asked Christian (Drummer/Vocals) if he wanted to start a band, and he said “YES!” After splitting with our former bassist in 2020, we added our younger sister, Lis, to round out the now family band! 

JR: I saw (and loved) your recent video Cages. What inspired the song and the video? 

MD: Thank you! That was one of my favorites. We filmed it in an old broken down creamery in Boonville, NY! The sun was perfect that day, and the weird tan lines I got from the jewels/glitter on my face and arm lasted awhile, lol!

I don’t usually write songs off of personal experience, but they do tend to come around to mean something to me later. One of the main chorus lines is “Those caught up in cages, think freedom is a crime”, and that’s pretty fitting for the world state right now, is it not? I am very passionate about is the freedom that the true Christ brings, and I’ve recently just realized that a lot of my songs have that underlying theme running through them. So, the video was created around that one end scene, where Christian realized the back of the cage has been open the whole time, and he walked out free. 

JR: Glancing at your Facebook page, I've noticed a variety of venues: Firestream Festival and Revival, August 15th; Guest Worship with Christian Assembly of Schulyer, September 26th; Anti-Violence and Stop The Hate Concert at Watertown, NY, October 17th. Any stand out as being a blessing, a surprise, or simply memorable?

CD: The Anti-Violence show, even though it was cold. (End of October, outside, in upstate New York = FREEZING) It was close to home and the people there were amazing! Everybody was just helpful and it ended up becoming a great time and we met great people; it was really a blessing in disguise. I thought it was going to be a hassle but I ended up having a lot of fun there. 

Soulfest in New Hampshire was just memorable. I learned lots working with the stage crew there and
got to see bigger bands come through. I got to see what it takes to grow our band to the next level which was pretty cool.

JR: How have you dealt with COVID as a band?

MD: You know, we’ve just kept taking steps
where we felt like God was leading us. 

JR: What are the biggest challenges you find as a band, and where do you get the most support to face those challenges from?

CD: The biggest challenges I find being part of the band is the time aspect. I go to school full time and we have to practice at least 2-3 times a week. Granted, we have been slacking in that for the past month but we are getting back into the swing of things and I have to start managing my time better, be it in school or out of school. I also like to practice a lot by myself to be able to grow as an individual musician. This allows me to become better and help progress the band to where we want to go. 

I get the most support from my band mates and parents. Meredith and Lis are always encouraging and we work around each other to be able to keep the band alive and striving. Sometimes we get picky with each other but in the end we all know the direction we have to pull in and pull together. My parents also support my decisions to stick with band. They allow me to take school off to play/record or do other band things. They pushed me to really become the band mate I am today. 

JR: Thank you for your time. How can we keep up with Undefeated? Any thing coming up that you'd like to let us know about? Any prayer needs? And yell if you're in Indianapolis!  

MD: We loved being a part of this! So, thank YOU! :) Our website is up and running, so you can check us out there! We’re also on Facebook and Instagram. Catch our music videos on Youtube! We recently just started a TikTok, so follow us there to be a part of our shenanigans!

Anddddd we’d love to come to Indianapolis! Anyone want to host? :)

 

 

INTERVIEW OF JENNY RAMIREZ OF SAVING JACKIE

Those who regularly follow this blog know that I'm in a FB group titled Female Christian Rock & Metal. In that group, I learned of the band Saving Jackie. Today, I'm sharing an interview with their vocalist Jenny Ramirez. 

One thing you'll notice: Under normal circumstances, I use first and last initials in my interviews. But since Jenny and I have the same initials, I'm using first names, as well as different colors so it's easier to follow who's speaking.

JEFF: Let's start with introductions. Who's all in Saving Jackie? How would you describe your music. And if you had a one sentence mission statement for the band, what would it be? 

 

JENNY: Hi thank you so much for this Interview. The band consists of: myself as Front woman, my brother Anthony J. on drums, John Cortez on Bass/Backing Vocals and Rick G. on Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals. I’d describe our music as Rap/Rock. We’ve been compared to Rage Against The Machine, 311 and Guano Apes. Our sound is powerful and has intense drive. These are very tough times that we’re going through and our band Saving Jackie has a positive message to overcome. 

 

JEFF: Looking at the website, it sounds that you, Anthony, and John founded a band called Jackie On Acid in '98 which had a five year run. The three of you returned to music as Saving Jackie in 2019. How do the two bands differ, and what was the catalyst during the 16 year hiatus? And who's Jackie? 

 

JENNY: Both bands have the same sound but totally different message. We were much younger in Jackie On Acid. We didn’t have families yet and speaking for myself I wrote out of anger, hurt and pain. Personally, I had some major issues I needed to confront within myself. 

 

When we stopped the band is when I began getting better. Although I loved the band it was just time and I think we all felt it. After Jackie On Acid, I started to attend church and I began volunteering/serving in many ministries through out the years. The only ones that kept communication was my Brother and I because we’re siblings. Time flies by and we’re all doing Family life. I needed that break. 

 

Now that I’m in a better place mentally and my heart has changed, I wanted to start a new band. I’d bug my brother about forming a new band. He finally agrees and we placed our ad out and John (former bassist) responds to it. We formed Saving Jackie January 2019. We kept Jackie because of our former name but our message this time is completely different. It went from rage and anger to victory and triumph. From Jackie On Acid to Saving Jackie. 

 

JEFF: Of course one thing that impacted basically everything was COVID. What effect did the pandemic have on the band, both in establishing your ministry and its effect on the creative end (such as songwriting)? 

 

JENNY: We played our first show December 2019 and in early 2020 COVID hit. No one expected that. Anthony’s the mastermind behind a lot of what we do. He has great ideas. When the Venues were closed and we couldn’t perform in public anymore he booked us with International shows online and booked our Interviews. We completed 2 official music videos "My Faith Is Larger" and "It’s Critical." We also completed an EP and an Album and recorded our Christmas rendition of Winter Wonderland. We took band pictures and got all our media sites up and running with a band website. 

 

Also during COVID, my health made many unforeseen turns. But on the upside it gave me time to face these Doctor/Specialist appointments and also allowed me time to rest and heal. I was diagnosed with cancer early and I had some much needed surgeries. Going through that directed my writing. I write about my struggles but also how I triumph. As the Pandemic is stopping shows we continue to push forward in other ways. 

 

JEFF: While on the subject of items out of our control, what are the greatest challenges you've faced since the band's rebirth/redirection? Likewise, what are some of the greatest blessings? Where do you find the greatest encouragement and support? 

 

JENNY: The greatest challenges are canceled shows. I dislike canceling, but in these cases we had to because of COVID. We love performing and having fun on and off stage but everyone's health is very important to us. Again I can’t say it enough how blessed we are to meet so many people around the world. I feel like I’m at a place now that I’m where I’m suppose to be in and I’m fulfilled sharing my life. 

 

Our greatest blessings? Well, one example we got to play a festival in Poteet, TX during COVID and it was also broadcasted LIVE online. Many people saw us through that and we’ve built friendships with people like Aaron & Dave from Rock Salt MuzKast Experience and Daniel Streety, the singer from Bred 4 War, just to name a couple. We’ve met many musicians for the first time coming back as a new band. Our encouragement and support: Our Families are great supporters through it all. We also encourage each other in the band and keep up with each other like a family through the week with text messages. Also we get messages from fans around the world telling us how our music has encouraged them. 

 

JEFF: Your page mentioned you did a couple of virtual festivals in Columbia and Mexico, and also a show in Brazil. What were those events like? 

 

JENNY: Yes, they were all amazing. We performed LIVE at a local studio here San Antonio, TX and had it broadcasts on our Hosts' pages. Before the virtual festivals, it all started with an Interview with Jesus Es’ Mi Rock hosted by Walter Cardozo in Chile. That was our first time out of the U.S. 

 

Shortly after that, we performed a Virtual Festival for Exodofest in Mexico with Miguel Salazar, LowFest in Columbia with Jose Batero and had a Video Presentation for Bora Curtir Show based out of Brazil. It’s amazing to see how the music is growing and reaching out as it has. We never imagined that to happen. Speaking for myself it’s surreal. We are super grateful for all our friendships and we can’t wait to tour outside the U.S. and meet everyone in person. We’ve been invited to a few places already. 

 

JEFF: Thank you for your time. How can we keep up with your band? I know your EP "It's Critical" came out this past year. Any other projects or festivals coming up? 

 

JENNY: You’re very welcome, thank you so much for having us. You can find more information about Saving Jackie on https://linktr.ee/savingjackie All our Social Media outlets are available there along with our Band merchandise and links to our upcoming shows and future interviews. 

 

We’re going back into the Studio this March to record 3 new songs and we’re getting ready for our first mini tour this July. We’ll be rocking in Dallas, Oklahoma and then Missouri. Follow us for more information coming very soon. Again thank you so much for this Interview and thank you everyone for the love and support, stay safe.

INTERVIEW WITH RICHARD PRESTON, ADMINISTRATOR OF FB GROUP FEMALE CHRISTIAN METAL & ROCK

 

I go through a love/hate relationship with internet groups. I enjoy being in them and like a sense of belonging. Sometimes, though, I think I'm in too many groups and trim them down. One group I stuck with for years is Female Christian Metal & Rock. (For those who thought my music tastes were limited to hymns and classical music, I hate to disappoint you.) Today, I have the honor of interviewing that group's moderator, Richard Preston.

JR: Let's start with the Facebook group. Could you tell us about the group and how you became the administrator of it?

RP: Hey Jeffrey! Well, I am a member of several Christian rock and metal groups. A few are not moderated to where they get any real messages out. Few rarely post concert dates, new groups, release dates, etc. One day earlier this year, I get a post message asking if I want to take over as admin of Female Christian Metal/Rock. I have no idea how I was chosen out of over 500 members. After a moment, I jumped on it. One of the best choices that I have made, EVER. I did change the name to make it sound better. Since taking over, I have introduced many bands. Members have commented on never hearing about some. I enjoy the sharing.

JR: How did you come to Christ, and when did you develop a love of music? Are you a musician yourself? And what is your day job?

RP: My 3 siblings, all younger, were baptized very young at a Baptist church. I sat in a pew each time thinking that something was wrong, this has to be a conscience decision. Years later, I was at a retreat, and there was a call for those that wanted to be saved. Heads bowed, eyes closed. Suddenly, I felt that it was my turn, I raised my hand. I am 55 now, and 2021 has been my most productive year in learning about God and Christ. 

I played the trombone in junior high school. I chose to quit in the ninth grade because I wasn't really that good, in my opinion and, I became bored with it. I do not work. I have been disabled for a number of years. I have neuropathy which limits normal motor functions. But, I am in the process of adapting a book to a screenplay. We will see how one-handed typing works. 

Music started in elementary school. My parents listened to country music. I sort of got into it, but it really wasn't me. A clock radio was put into the room and I started looking for something. I came across 2 AM stations that played disco and pop. It was better, I enjoyed some of it. And then some years on down, friends introduced me to rock and a better station, on FM, 97 Rock. From then on, nothing else. Granted, I still enjoy a little disco, pop, and soft rock music, but nothing beats a screaming guitar.

JR: Can you name three bands/artists that made an impact on your life?

RP: I will go backwards using life impacts. 

1. My love for guitar based bands/music started with The Little River Band. Hearing Happy Anniversary and Help Is On It's Way was the very start. Great songs and great guitars. Then my friend, Scott, played Def Leppard's Pyromania constantly. That and Night Ranger's Midnight Madness sealed it. Then came the other great rock and metal bands...and MTV! 
2. Faith-based music started later with Stryper (of course). I became more in-depth with them when the internet came around. Then finding Holy Soldier, Ken Tamplin (Shout), Bloodgood, and some others. I am rather picky. 
3. I really enjoy working merch tables. I have worked numerous Winter Jams and one festival at Six Flags. Hearing up and comers gives me a chance to find other artists to enjoy. My first time hearing Skillet, I worked handing out some kind of pamphlets. Whispers In The Dark is their typical opener, it became my instant favorite. Then seeing them do Winter Jam and able to slip away to see that one song makes me a happy camper.

JR: A lot of the discussion in the group is promoting the great female singers in Christian rock, but has there been moments where God has worked through the group?

RP: The music business in general is male dominated, including the Christian genres. We are supposed to treat all as equals in Christ, that is my attempt here. I have had male artists attempt to post their music, I just do not let it happen. I cannot say if anything Godly has worked through the group, not much is mentioned in general. I have reposted a few things, such as a “sort of” (her words) testimony from Becca Sugg. And thoughts from bands on other topics. Personally, I have been moved by the thanks I get from the artists that i post. Some privately, and some in comments. At times, just seeing those words bring tears. I am very humble and very happy to do what I do with the group. Anthony from Saving Jackie, we are definitely “one” in Christ. When we talk, we seem to say something the other needs to hear.

JR: I'm sure you'd agree that we're in changing times. What do you see the role of Christian music in general and Christian rock specifically?

RP: Though I am not a CCM fan at all, it seems to be the most popular, and the most flooded out of the Christian genre. Christian rock and metal, at one time, was referred to as the “devil's music”. Not all has to sound like a hymn. Accommodating to the different genres is a must in order to keep God's message flowing positively. I can think of it as a personal thing. Would I as a Believer, listen to CCM if I did not like it? Absolutely not. There are some that can listen to Jeremy Camp, then Skillet without missing a beat. I am not one of them, and there are other people that are the same as me. Then there are some that go with even heavier tunes. If the music honors God, is against Satan, loosen up, it's all good.

JR: Thank you for your time, Richard. Anything else you want to share? If someone's interested in the group, how can they find it?

RP: I do have a blog on Facebook, titled MyJourney. Sadly I do not keep up on it as much as I feel that I should. I currently have several about to go live. The topic is about my journey learning about God and Christ, my thoughts about anything in my life related to Them. My page can be found on Facebook, and a Google search will bring it up, Female Christian Rock & Metal. Jeffrey, I am humbly honored, thank you.