Former STRYPER Bassist Says Playing Heavy Metal Is 'Very Limiting'

IrocMusic recently conducted an interview with former STRYPER bassist Tim Gaines. A couple of excerpts from the interview follow:

IrocMusic: You mentioned on several boards that you wanted to get away from metal and that kind of music so why did you hook up with WHITECROSS?

Tim Gaines: "Well, it is true that I am trying to get away from that style of music. Not so much because I hate the music, but because as a talented bass player I have to say that it can be a very limiting style of music to play. It doesn't take much talent to be a heavy metal bass player. Most of the time for me I feel very limited as to what I can play in heavy metal and where my level of talent is. For me to continue on in hard music I would have to be in a band like SIN DIZZY. I still think SIN DIZZY was a great band and I had total freedom to play what I wanted to. It was very creative for me. Unfortunately, in other situations that I have been in, I have not been allowed any kind of freedom of expression to do anything. Someone else dictates to me how and what I am supposed to play. I am not allowed to create my own bass lines, I am not allowed to sing... I have to lip synch to sampled vocals. I am not allowed to write songs for the group. I am not allowed to speak during intereviews. Basically, I am just supposed to show up and play dumb. I am not allowed the freedom to even think for myself, let alone use the talent that God gave me for His purpose. Christ talks about the parable of talents; two servants basically double the talents that the Master had given them, and one servant ended up burying his talent in the ground. Then that servant is punished for burying the talent that the Master had given him. I feel for me to continue on with that style of music that I would be the servant who buried his God given talent. So with that said, that would be my reason for trying to get away from heavy metal. It doesn't mean that I won't play it, but for me that style of music does not allow my talent to grow as much as other styles of music.

"As far as WHITECROSS goes, Scott and Lisa Wenzel are our friends and neighbors. We often get together and go to the movies or do dinner or just hang out, I had worked with Rex Carrol in KING JAMES. We had toured together in Europe in the early '90s with WHITECROSS and STRYPER and had always remained friends. I was approached by their management to see if I would play two concerts with them. I thought it would be fun."

IrocMusic: Are you a fulltime member of WHITECROSS or is it just a one show deal?

Tim Gaines: "No, I am not a member at all. I am not playing on their CDs or doing any other concerts with them other than these two scheduled shows in August and September of 2005."

Read the entire interview at this location.