Your album "Jump Into Life" came out in June; what made you choose the song Jump Into Life as the title track?
I think we all decided that it summed up what we wanted to convey with the album. Our singer Jowed had gotten very sick with the swine flu and after his recovery we were very thankful that we could continue with the recording process for this album.
Your lyrics touch on positive themes such as living life to the fullest; would you describe yourselves as a band with a message? If so, how would you describe that message?
We definitely have a positive message, as you said. The lyrics fit into the whole, "jump into life" theme, where every day we try to keep a positive outlook on life and live it to the fullest. It may seem like a cliche outlook, but it comes from an honest place, which is why I think we have a lot of fans that really appreciate our message.
Your music is very catchy and upbeat. What other artists/bands have influenced your style?
We are influenced by good music. We didn't have a specific group in mind that we wanted to be like, so it is more or less a smorgasbord of influences. Personally I have been listening to a lot of Yanni because of his wonderful hair and mustache. There has actually been talk that the hair and mustache are separate identities, helping to compose the aural bliss that is Yanni's music.
According to your MySpace, you're touring the northwest until mid-December. How would you describe your live performances? What do you enjoy about playing live and traveling for shows?
Our live shows are really high energy and entertaining. There are parts of our shows that are completely made up on the spot, where we ask the audience to suggest a topic and go from there. The best topics are usually at the all ages shows, where some little kid will shout something like, "spaghetti." Not too many people have heard a song about spaghetti made up on the spot, so it is fun for everyone, including us.
Touring is a pretty unique experience. You are traveling around in very close proximity for extended periods of time, and it inevitably turns into the real "real wold." It is both challenging and extremely rewarding. We love meeting people who like our music. We have made some really great friends on the road, and I suppose it gives you faith in humanity that generally people are good and willing to extend a helping hand whenever they are able.
How are you feeling about your current situations and successes? Would you change anything about your experiences as a band so far?
I personally wouldn't change anything. I'm sure we would all like a bit more money, but that will come with time. Right now we are just focused on building the right type of career and business for ourselves.
With your album released and a tour underway, what's next for Eclectic Approach?
We're just gonna keep on truckin', supporting this album and extending our fan base as far as we can. We have already been talking about our next album, so I'm sure we will start writing for that before too long.by Freelancer Sam Coffman