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Photo courtesy of VelvetKalm20 Skillet is scheduled to play at Rocklahoma 2024. From left to right: Jen Ledger, John Cooper, Korey Cooper and Seth Morrison.
Rocklahoma2024isonthe horizon, and a few bands are returning to play at the event. The band Skillet is one of the returningbands.Theyplayed in 2022, and are scheduled to return.
Skillet is an American Christian-rock band from Memphis,Tenn.Leadsinger, John Cooper, formed the band in 1996.
Cooper noted in an interview that the name for the band was supposed to be humorous. The other founding members all came from different bands with their own unique sound and style. A pastor gave them the name “Skillet” because he felt they were like “southern cooking, where you just toss a bunch of different things into a big ol’ skillet and see what it turns out like.”
Cooper said his inspirations are just as eclectic as his band members.
“I’m such a music fan, I could go through a long list,” he said.
He attributed rock bands like Skid Row, Metallica, Kansas and Fleetwood Mac as some of his inspiration. He also said that there were some Christian rock groups mixed in there, as well.
He said that he wasn’t allowed to listen to rock music when he was a child, but figured out how to sneak and listen to his favorites. He said that KISS was one of his biggest influences and many fans comment on the likeness.
“I have fans tell me all the time, ‘I can’t tell if I’m in Heaven or Hell with all the fire in your show.’ I take thatasacomplimentbecause I love KISS and that’s what they do in their shows,” Cooper said with a grin.
Cooper said being on the road is grueling, but the hardest thing for him was learning the dark side of the music business.
“I had somebody steal from me,” he said. “You create something and somebody steals it.You realize, wow, people do bad stuff.”
Cooper said it woke him up and made him realize he didn’t want to be naive, but he also needed to learn to forgive. He said that incident was the inspiration for one of his songs on his 11th studio album titled Dominion.
“There’s a line in the chorus that goes, ‘I’m running towards the light. I’m free of all the rage I thought would never leave. This darkness ain’t my destiny,’ that I love,” he said. “It’s about forgiveness, because sometimes, you feel like you were treated poorly and things are unfair. You think it’ll rule the rest of your life, and it can if you let it. It will burn you up inside, but forgiveness helps.”
He said that forgiveness isn’t for the person that did wrong, it’s for the person who was treated wrong.
Coopersaidthattheyhave toured with many bands over the years and they have all been great. However, two of themstandoutabovetherest; Nickelback and Shinedown. He said that Nickelback was probably his favorite band to tourwithbecauseNickelback treated them like family. One time, Nickelback already had their tour lined out and was 90% sold out, and they reached out to Skillet to see if they wanted to tour with them. Cooper said that adding them would have done nothing extra, but wanted them to come along anyway.
“They treated us so well,” he said. “They didn’t have to add us, they were already sold out.”
He also said that they would clear out one of the VIP rooms, so Cooper’s children could do their schoolwork.