Within a year of forming, they released Blueprints for the Black Market, a fun power pop album that delivers what one could expect from players who Christian explains grew up "into The Smiths, The Cure, Depeche Mode, the full '80s battery of pop and alternative influences." As the band's sound broadened and gained depth across the length of two more discs you can hear melodic growth in a singer who marks the late Jeff Buckley as his greatest musical inspiration.

THE UNDEVELOPED STORY

Now seasoned by four years of constant touring, Christian admits that they were originally signed more for their songs than for their performance. In fact, "one of the label staff came and saw us play, and called [founder/president] Brandon Ebel to tell him not to sign us. But he liked the songs enough that he didn't care what we looked like on stage at that point. He didn't care about the performance; he wanted us for the music, and I'm glad he took a risk on us. But the reason we were signed was definitely the songs."

Recalls Ebel, "I had a good feeling about Anberlin from the minute we started pursuing them. Initially, despite what some would consider an 'unpolished' live show, the band had all the key elements in place: great songs, high energy, excellent work ethic and awesome attitudes.

"As expected, their live show quickly developed, and now they are a force on stage..."

"We've come together as a live band on the road," affirms Christian as he considers the arduous tour schedule that found him and his bandmates on the road 225 nights a year. "We've been on some great tours," he says with gratitude.

Those tours have included some of the hottest bands working -- My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, Story of the Year, Yellowcard and Hawthorne Heights. That exposure, combined with major radio airplay, helped the band sell more than 150,000 copies of its second album, 2005's Never Take Friendship Personal. The disc boasted two popular singles, "A Day Late" and "Paperthin Hymn" which landed substantial airplay at alternative rock radio. ("Paperthin Hymn" actually became a Top 40 hit on Billboard's Modern Rock radio charts.)

A WHISPER & A CLAMOR

Signing to Tooth & Nail, and creating the kind of redemptive pop that explores spiritual issues without preaching or proselytizing, has created confusion in the minds of some as to whether Anberlin is a "Christian" band. As an individual, Christian is quick to share his faith throughout our interview, but when it comes to labeling his band and his music, he grows cautious.

"I'm proud of my faith, and I'm proud to be a Christian," the singer explains, "but I don't want my faith to be used as a marketing ploy. I don't think I should put Jesus' name on a record with the idea that I could sell more, anymore than I would leave it off to sell records. I'm exuberant about Jesus Christ, but I know that there are people, whether they are in marketing or media, who are going to say, 'Ah, I can now sell this product,' 'I can finally put this on my radio station,' now that they've named Jesus. If I knew I sold a record because I exploited my Lord and Savior, that, to me, sounds sacrilegious. When you market something as a 'Christian' product, you are walking a fine line.