time . When we started For King & Country I remember saying to Joel , “ I want to play a little bit of drums .” So , we started programming and making songs built around some rhythm elements . When we were signed and trying to figure out how to produce a live show , it was one of those things we can do , play a little bit of drums . The very first Winter Jam Tour that we ever did we purchased this massive bass drum , and I remember before walking up on stage Dad leaned over to me and said , “ When you play the drum , just beat the living tar out of it and see if that creates some sort of vibe .” So , I went up there , beat the living tar out of it , and I ’ ve been doing that for the last ten years . I think those are the things that help create a little bit of culture , it helps create a little bit of the vibe of who we and at the end of the day , it all goes back to Santa ’ s elves making me that drum set many years ago .
[ Joel ] We have an array of drums onstage . It ’ s a bit of a ragtag group .
[ WM ] Your video “ Together ” earlier this year is just fabulous and heartfelt . What a cry for all of us during the pandemic ! And who would have thought that your arrangement and recording of “ Little Drummer Boy ” would cause such a sensation over the years ? You must have had a lot of fun working that tune up .
[ Joel ] We do focus very heavily on visuals , not only in the live setting , but also on the music video front . This is where the family affair continues to deepen , our music videos are directed by our brother Ben , who ’ s a filmmaker . So , in the quirky unprecedented time of quarantine , we had to learn how to do a music video and orchestrate it with Kirk Franklin in Texas , Tori Kelly in California , and us in Nashville . Even this most recent Drummer Boy Christmas music video , which we launched a few days ago , was filmed in Utah and Wyoming and it stars Luke ’ s five-year-old son , again with the continued deepening of family affairs . Phoenix is the drummer boy . We took that very seriously , because Drummer Boy is not only the namesake of the album now ,
Little Drummer Boy
but as Luke mentioned it was a song that was instrumental , so to speak , in the early years of crafting a sound with sonic space with a band . Now to have eight years in the making a first ever official music video for something we ’ ve taken maybe more seriously than anything we ’ ve done ( laughs ), we wanted to make sure that we had the scope and gave the epic nature and history of that song due diligence . Its really
Joy to the World
exciting for us , we pour so much heart and soul into these videos , its very exciting to have it out for the world to experience .
[ WM ] You have a new full-length Christmas project , A Drummer Boy Christmas . It ’ s a marvelous assemblage of Christmas favorites hailing from France , England , Austria , and America . From old carols and hymns , to an