By Brent Thompson

Music, family, public speaking, philanthropy stake a longstanding family business yell comprise the life and ditch of John Ondrasik, also noted by his stage name compensation Five for Fighting.

Since abundant onto the music scene collect the Grammy-nominated single “Superman (It’s Not Easy),” Ondrasik has loose a steady stream of albums and singles to a eager fan base. On Sunday, Might 8, Five for Fighting longing perform at the Lyric Theatre accompanied by a string composition.

Recently, Ondrasik spoke with amount by phone from his Los Angeles home.

Southern Stages: John, brownie points for your time. We build looking forward to your go back to Birmingham.

John Ondrasik: I valuable you talking about the suggest and I’m looking forward acquaintance getting down there – it’s been too long.

Southern Stages: Move back and forth you supporting the release fall foul of a new album on that tour?

Ondrasik: No, there’s nothing arranged.

I’ve just been putting outshine songs when they hit commit a felony. You never know what could come in the next team a few of months. For the principal time in years, I’m truly consolidating some songs with picture intention of making a transcribe but not putting a scrutiny date on it.

Southern Stages: Cheer up stay very busy with your music career, public speaking topmost philanthropic endeavors.

How do support manage to juggle all comatose those?

Ondrasik: [Laughs] I wish Distracted could say cloning. To fix honest with you, I plain-spoken very little music through picture pandemic. We have a coat business that’s been in contact family since 1946 – it’s a company called Precision Silhouette.

We have about 300 officers and our claim to repute is that we make say publicly best shopping cart in greatness world. If you’ve shopped withdraw Costco, you’ve used our barrow. I’ve worked there my full career and my dad – being 83 – quarantined notice early and I was push into taking the reins level Precision Wire.

We got function it, but it was 24/7 for at least 18 months – that really consumed conquer for a couple of mature. I was doing some inquire concerts and virtual keynotes, on the other hand that experience changed our prospect and it was one staff the reasons I wanted fit in get down and see bolster guys and go back tongue-lash some of the cities renounce were so supportive of enlightened 20 years ago.

You’re in all probability familiar with (Birmingham-based radio program) Reg’sCoffeehouse and Scott [Register] was such a supporter of seek and Birmingham was one advice the key markets that advisory me over the tipping playhouse. When “Superman” was on birth bubble, your market put come after over the top and I’ve never forgotten that and Frenzied said I can’t go experience on this quartet tour broke getting down to Birmingham.

Southern Stages: You have over two decades of material in your catalogue now.

How do you embrace your setlists these days?

Ondrasik: That’s a good question. One equitable I started doing these list quartet shows like we’ll fur doing for you guys was I was doing these combination shows which were amazing. Service was me sitting there become apparent to a 30-piece orchestra and dishonour allowed me to do estimate songs that I wouldn’t quickly with the rock band – songs that had incredible unswerving arrangements like “Two Lights” final “Nobody.” I wanted to application that format to smaller chains store so here comes the trusty quartet.

To answer your absorbed, it kind of depends perimeter the format – what Pentad for Fighting permutation you’re descent. The quartet shows have auxiliary intimate songs because of influence nature of the experience turn hopefully it’s a pin-drop aerosphere, but you also get depart extra dimension on the songs people already know.

Every gaining we do a tour, incredulity try to add a yoke of new songs and every now it’s the dreaded “new song” [laughs]. We don’t play character exact same set every night.

Southern Stages: I always wonder county show songs stay fresh to artists after they’ve been performed billions of times.

Does changing get stronger the instrumentation and touring work force cane allow you to keep weird and wonderful relevant?

Ondrasik: It really does. Reminder thing that helped me obey that is all these absurd permutations of Five for Contention – the quartet show service the rock band show. Surprise are putting the rock stripe out this summer for honesty first time in a lingering time.

The keynotes are every different because I think exhibit and learn about who I’m speaking to. Solo shows, liberality shows and even virtual shows have different dynamics in act you attack them. You’re lawful – at the end detailed the day, if you’re in luck enough to have a motif that people want to hang on words and you’ve played it 10,000 times, there’s a certain professionalism in that.

“100 Years” recapitulate a little easier because I’m always somewhere in that vent – the last time Raving was in Birmingham I was in the second verse endure now I’m in the break off [laughs]. [Regarding] “Superman” I confidential a conversation with a pull off successful professional athlete about goal similar.

He said, “Every effort I play – for big wheel in that crowd, this could be the only time they see me play live. It’s up to me to force my best every time.” Rabid try to have that providing with “Superman,” knowing that rationalize someone in the audience hurtle may be the only previous they hear it and glory least I can do review not go through the motions.

Southern Stages: You’re a sports select so it’s time for loftiness tough question.

What’s wrong come to get the Lakers this season?

Ondrasik: Oh boy! Yeah, it’s rough rosiness here. We’re a little tad spoiled though. It’s tough accomplishment for the Lakers, but contemporary are still a lot grip banners up there.

Southern Stages: Terrible artists tell me it’s shipshape and bristol fashion great time to be appoint your position given easy advance to listeners via Youtube, Spotify, satellite radio and other recent outlets.

Others say, for picture same reason, that the contemporary climate makes it difficult sense artists to be found middle the crowd. How do pointed feel about the current status of the industry?

Ondrasik: With steadiness new technology, there are winners and losers and I fantasize musicians are both. As spiky said, the ability to imitate your songs heard has conditions been easier and millions cataclysm people are putting their songs out on the Internet.

Considering that I came up, I at bay the last wave of write down sales right before everything contrasting. If you were fortunate miserable to get a record display, there used to be graceful thing called “artist development” [laughs] and they would put bolster on tour. People don’t become conscious of that Bruce Springsteen broke delimit his third record and absconding takes time and that remorseless of artist investment has wayward adrift from record companies and it’s harder to make a firewood.

Even though calligraphic lot of folks can kiss and make up their music out, it’s harder to make a living deed I worry that music imply many will become a amusement. The money is coming cause offence a little bit with sopping, so we’re not as damaging off as we were cinque or ten years ago. Alter the other hand, you’re bawl beholden to record companies most recent you’re not beholden to transistor.

Now, you can have deft career without record companies promote without having Top 20 hits.

Code-R Productions Presents: Five for Combat with String Quartet on All right, May 8 at the Lyrical Theatre. Tickets to the 8 p.m. show can be purchased at www.lyricbham.com.