Hailing from the city of Everett, Washington, a place known primarily for boats, car theft and gloomy weather, horror punks Church For Sinners have been raising Hell (and possibly Lovecraftian realms as well) for the better part of the past year. Along the way the band has shared the stage with some of the biggest names in the genre, fostered relationships with its ghoulish kin and impressed its ever-growing fanbase. In our ongoing quest to expand the ears of horror fans, BthroughZ reached CFS vocalist Andy for his thoughts on fans, bands and CFS' future plans.

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BtZ: You guys are based in Washington and seem to spend a decent chunk of time touring the Northwest. How do you think your geographic location contributes to your sound? Do you draw any kind of inspiration from your surroundings?
A: I definitely think that location figures into any art. With all the rain and cold here, it's hard not to feel a sense of despair. We live in the suicide capital and home to several notorious serial killers, and you can feel why when you're out here. I think that kind of thing will either push you to create something very dark and gloomy or it will have the opposite effect and influence you to try to kill that feeling with very bright pop sounds to balance out the despair. We sort of hit on both at once.

BtZ: Many of the bands you list as influences are known for being less than friendly (Danzig from the Misfits, among others), yet your band projects what seems to be a friendly tone. Which attitude do you find more appealing in a band as a fan of horror punk?
A: Well I can't say I enjoy being in the presence of unfriendly people, regardless of what they do for a living. I think there is some expectation in this genre to be evil all the time, but you have to be able to live with yourself at the same time. We enjoy talking with fans and being the kind of people that we would want to hang out with. I can see the entertainment value in a personality like Danzig, we're just not those kind of people.

BtZ: Your band is among several other horror punk and psychobilly bands on Robot Monster Inc. Is there a kind of camaraderie between bands on the label given what each band has in common sonically? How has this informal gathering of like-minds helped or hindered your progress?
A: Absolutely. Being a part of this label has been amazing. All of the bands help each other out and get along quite well, which is great. There is a mutual respect all around and it makes it feel more like a community and I love that.

BtZ: Since the band's inception, CFS has played as both a four piece and a five piece. Which configuration of band members and instruments do you feel has been most beneficial to the kind of sound the band is going for?
A: We definitely prefer having the fuller sound that we've been able to get from having a second guitar. It gives us a chance to do more leads and to get a little more complicated with our music. We actually were a 6 piece for minute there, but it didn't work out as well as we would have hoped. Having Ryan in the band has been fantastic and we are all very excited about the direction the music is going in now.

BtZ: This month, CFS celebrates one year of MySpace membership. How essential has an online presence been for the band in terms of record sales and getting people to shows?
A: Wow, I had no idea. We'll have to throw a party. The Internet has had a huge impact on this band so far. We met the label, booked nearly
every show and have connected with fans all over the world through the Internet. It's helped us out a lot. The only negative impact has been in getting kids out to the shows. Now that kids can just look a band up and watch a live video, it takes away the mystery and intrigue of live music and makes it harder to sell the shows.

BtZ: Horror punk is a genre that has been stained by some gimmickry in the past. Where does CFS draw the line between personifying the themes of its music through props, clothes and makeup, and Spinal Tap goofiness?
A: We've always been very pro theatrics in this band. We all grew up listening to bands like Gwar and Turbonegro and that sort of showmanship is something that you don't see all that much anymore. I think as an entertainer, it's your responsibility to make sure people walk away from your show feeling like they got what they paid for. We are sort of like the Adicts of the NW horror punk scene. We like to throw candy, condoms, confetti or whatever else we may have at any given time into the audience. We do the makeup, although not as much as a lot of other bands in the genre. At the same time, you don't want to go so overboard with the visual elements that people forget about the music. It's a fine line.

BtZ: In a few weeks, CFS will be opening for Gorgeous Frankenstein. While Doyle wasn't a founding member of The Misfits, does playing with a genre icon make you feel a bit more connected to the roots of horror punk?
A: We are all really excited about playing with Doyle and equally excited about sharing the stage with Goolsby, but I don't really feel any more connected. I think you get that connection when you gain acceptance and respect from your peers and predecessors. We recently played with Wednesday 13 and they didn't even see our set, so just sharing the stage didn't really do anything to help us connect with them. It's the same sort of thing. Meanwhile, we've gotten really positive feedback from some of our heroes in this scene and I think that made more of a difference than just being on a bill with someone, for me at least.

BtZ: Right now, CFS has show dates posted through September. What are the band's plans for the rest of 2008? Any special Halloween plans?
A: After the Fall tour with the Gruesome Boys we are looking at jumping into the studio to record our full length record. The songs are really shaping up and we're all really psyched about getting it out there. We are going to be a part of a Halloween show that Jake from the label putting together. I don't want to give too much away on that, but it's going to be show that our fans and fans of the genre in general won't want to miss.

BtZ: Thank you for taking the time to chat with us!