By Staff Writer Derek Hanisch

With the recent release of Sanctus Real’s Pieces of a Real Heart CD, I was given the opportunity to interview Mark Graalman, the drummer in the group.  Mark had some great answers to my questions. I hope you enjoy getting to know more about Sanctus Real — I know I did!  (Thursday I’ll let you know what I thought of their new album.)

Derek Hanisch: Sanctus Real is a creative name. Where did it come from and what’s the meaning behind it?

Mark Graalman: I found Sanctus in Webster’s dictionary and it said that it was a hymn of praise sang at the end of the Eucharistic Liturgy. Sanctus is Latin for Holy, it’s where we derive words such as sanctuary and sanctified from.

Real has always been to us the first thing that would come out of our mouths if asked to sum up in a single word what we felt like God was calling to be as a band. We feel the Lord has put it deep in our hearts to just be “Real”. In other words to be honest and transparent in hopes that people would be able to clearly see God’s Grace at work in our lives that all Glory would be given to Him and not to us.

DH: As a band, you guys spend a lot of time together. What’s one of the funniest moments you have shared?

MG: There are definitely many funny moments that happen on the road but one thing that comes to mind is something that occurred just last night. We were onstage playing a song called “Dear Heart” off our new record when suddenly someone in a deer costume carrying a huge heart shaped balloon came prancing out onto the stage dancing while we played the song. It turned out to be Addison Road’s bass player, Travis, in the costume. It was hilarious!

DH: If you could perform with another band of your choice, who would it be and why?

MG: That’s a tough question because we’ve actually have toured with almost every major artist in the Christian music industry. One group that we haven’t been on the road with yet though that I would love to go out with is Jars Of Clay. I really love their first two records and their last records especially, but think that everything they’ve done, music wise and beyond, is authentic, creative, quality and full of integrity.

Outside of Christian music we would probably want to rock a show with Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers because both Chris and Pete grew up listening to their stuff and are pretty much the biggest T.P. fans you’ll ever meet.

DH: If you had to sum up your entire career as a band in one word/phrase, what would it be?

MG: Life to the fullest! It hasn’t been an easy road for us, but God has been so faithful to guide us, teach us, provide for us, strengthen us, etc. I feel like we’re experiencing that “life to the fullest” that Jesus talked about in John 10.

DH: With five albums now released, you’ve come a long way as a band. Let’s go back to the beginning: How did you guys come together and form the band?

MG: Matt and Chris went to Toledo Christian high school together. They both joined the chapel worship team and that eventually led to them and some other friends getting together after school and starting a band in Chris’ basement. I was trying to start a band with some guys that also went to TCS. Long story short; both our bands broke up quickly so we ended up taking what was left of these two bands and putting it together forming Sanctus Real in November of 1996. Matt and Chris were both 16 at the time and I was 18. We were just kids having fun at first, but always had a heart for ministering through music.

DH: How did you know that forming a band was God’s calling for your life?

MG: It’s hard to explain. For me personally, I just knew. There were times in the beginning when I questioned if that was really God’s will for me, but He definitely confirmed it over and over again through the scriptures and even through prophetic words from a few different men and women of God. He made it clear to me that He had put that desire in my heart because it was His plan to bring it into reality. It wasn’t just something that I wanted to do; it was His will for my life.

DH: Is there a particular theme/message in scripture that inspires your lyrics?

MG: I think we always tend to write from a perspective of honesty and vulnerability. We try to not shy away from “putting it out there” because the Scriptures make clear that God’s strength is made perfect in our weaknesses. Acting like we’ve got it all together all the time or that we have all the answers I think would be deceptive and a mistake. I think we rely on the themes of the hope and redemption that we find in Christ for most of our songwriting.

DH: After listening to “Pieces Of A Real Heart” I sit here in awe. How have your life experiences influenced this album in particular?

MG:I know for Matt, who wrote the majority of the lyrics, a lot of the songs came from overcoming personal insecurities that he wrestled with about whether or not he was really cut out to do the things God has called him to do. “Forgiven” came from those things he was dealing with. Also, “Lead Me,” came from a conversation Matt and his wife Sarah had where she basically asked him to be a better spiritual leader in their home. They had already been through some trials in their marriage and were growing and learning how to be better in their relationship with one another, but this conversation really brought Matt to a place of brokenness where he cried out to the Lord and asked Him to lead him in this task of leading his family better. That same day Matt wrote this incredibly convicting song.

On a side note Matt and Sarah are now doing incredible and thriving in their marriage and devotion to the Lord. I think all of the songs on ”Pieces Of A Real Heart” have come from a place in our lives where we’re growing in learning how to trust in God’s redemption, faithfulness, guidance, mercy and grace.

DH: I’m intrigued by the Forgiven project on your website. Can you explain to the readers what this project entails?

MG: We posted a “Twitter-ish” blog on sanctusreal.com about “Forgiven” when it was released as a radio single where people could post their stories of forgiveness. Stories of how they’ve been forgiven, how they’ve been able to forgive someone else, etc. It really turned out to be an incredible outlet where people were all of the sudden sharing these deeply personal stories about their lives and things they’d been through. People even writing letters to one another forgiving each other and asking for forgiveness. People confessing things they’re struggling with even now. It’s been very powerful and quite moving to see.

Thanks for being with us, Mark. We enjoyed your wit and your transparency.