Even well into the new millennium, the term "Christian Rock" is still a practical oxymoron to some folks. But, for the fans of modern Christian music who don't see it that way, Texarkana native David Crowder's name is likely a familiar one.
For 15 years, the wild-haired and goateed Crowder and his band -- who met and began performing while attending Baylor University -- have looked for inventive and relatable ways to spread their message of hope, faith and relevance. And, over the course of several well-received albums that have effectively broadened the sonic horizons of the Contemporary Christian Music scene, the Grammy-nominated David Crowder Band have become inspirational, arena-filling stars
With this weekend's Winter Jam 2011 show coming to the American Airlines Center on Friday night, and Crowder's group is co-headlining, we thought it appropriate to chat Crowder up about a few things -- like how he avoided a life of selling insurance, the common preconceived notions of Christian rock, and, uh, Ted Nugent.
Read our Q&A in full after the jump.
There's a common perception that Christian rock artists are merely
failed rock artists that decided to try something else after they failed
at the so-called "real thing." But your band actually began in a church, So, I
guess that doesn't apply to you?
That's part of what I love about what we're doing. It's fulfilling and
it doesn't feel self-absorbed. It's very purposeful to us and we're
making music as a vehicle to allow people to sing to God, which is maybe
a bizarre concept, in and of itself. But when that's the point and
purpose of a band, I think it's difficult to have an aspiration to be
the next, great superstar. There's a level of satisfaction we get
because we feel like we connect people with divine, true music, and
that, to me, is a totally different jumping-off point than saying, "Man,
I want to hit it big as a rock star." We all have different paths -- I
was supposed to sell insurance for my dad back home in Texarkana -- so I
feel like there's motivation behind what we do that's bigger than self. Or at least that's what I hope. When we're on stage, we feel like we
connect the fans to something worth living for -- and that's not usually
the case with many acts playing a place like the AAC.
But you didn't start as a typical rock band because you and your group started out by creating a church in Waco, right?
Yeah, that's right. Baylor had done a survey that found 50 percent of students
there weren't stepping into a church for the entire time they attended
the university. That was kind of mind-boggling to me, and it wasn't a
localized trend, by any means, because it really seemed as if there was
an exodus of college-age kids from the church. It was our belief that
this wasn't a reflection of the person of Jesus Christ that you read
about in scripture -- that wasn't the issue -- but more of the previous
church experiences of so many students with the institutional church.
So, we decided to carve out our own little space where we could have an
approach that allowed a lot of room for questions and a lot of room for
the journey, in hopes that we could just be in the moment with our
peers. We wanted to explore faith and see how it fit into the cultural
surroundings we were in. And how it was different than what comprised
much of the baggage people brought in with them. And to see how what we
saw was more in-line with the person we read about in scripture. We felt
like faith needed to make a difference to the people we lived around.
Also, of course, music had a lot to do with it. We wanted to find a
musical approach that was authentic and in line with who we were, and
that was a big attraction to a lot of students. We were speaking the
vocabulary that other college students were speaking. That's the core of
who we are as a band, really. We're still in that collegiate
environment. And we're shaped by college radio because that's what's in
our ears, and in the ears of so many students.
"Praise and Worship music" is pretty much about one thing. There isn't
exactly a massive range of topics to be covered in that realm. I imagine
that it's tough for you as a songwriter, regardless of your beliefs.
Oh, yeah, definitely. It's like being Jimmy Buffett, really. All Jimmy
Buffett can do is write and sing about the ocean and the beach. I mean,
how many times can you write a song so that it feels like
"Margaritaville" over and over again, you know? It's difficult, but at
the same time, that's been the challenge of anyone who has tried to tell
the story of God in a way that's compelling. It's a really good story,
so it's not as hard, but you have to create a new way to be engaging and
that's part of what I love about it. It's simple, but it's hard. The
vocabulary that's typically used in the liturgical arts is a pretty
select group of words and phrases, so we've tried to get out of that set
of rules a bit, but leave enough there for people to hold onto.
How do you personally overcome those challenges of creating a fresh and engaging song about a familiar topic?
I'd love to say we're really clever about it, but I'm actually a poor
inspirationally driven songwriter. I don't feel like I'm in control when
I'm writing, necessarily, but my real job as a writer is to take
control after that spark of inspiration has hit. I read a lot. I'm a
student of song and I pay attention to how stories are told. I'm also
aware of how art affects you and that's really what I want to do with my
music. I want it to be more than just passive. I collect things that
will spill out of myself later when the time hits.
The Contemporary Christian Music industry has had to deal with the
reputation that it, as an entity, appears to have a pretty closed mind when it comes to
new sounds and styles. Have
you ever been made to feel unwelcome?
Not really. I've never really worried about that part, I guess. For the
most part, you know a country song when you hear it, even if it gets
played on pop radio. No one is confusing Lady Antebellum with Eminem or
Lady Gaga, you know? There's a tonality that's present within each genre
and the consumer really helps drive what is accepted. I had the same
perception about the CCM industry and "the man" and stuff like that
going in, but all I've found are people just trying to get through life,
just like I am. A lot of my stereotypes have been crushed in a
fantastic manner.
On your most recent album, Church Music, which was nominated for a
Grammy, the lead single was "How He Loves" by John Mark McMillian. Given
that he's still not a widely known artist, what was it that drew you to
the song?
His writing is great because he uses metaphors that are common to a lot
of us. It's sort of related to what we just talked about as far as the
language of Christian music is concerned. I mean, in church, there's a
lot of singing about blood sacrifice, but hopefully, none of us have
ever actually participated in a blood sacrifice. I think people
understand it, but don't fully relate to it. John Mark finds language
that's colloquial, and can still push his point across, and that's a
hard thing to get right. As for the song itself, when I first heard the
tune, I was on a flight from Denver to Dallas, listening to a friend's CD
and I didn't know that John Mark had written the song. Again, the
unique metaphors that he used really caught me off-guard. As I was
listening to the song, I began to weep uncontrollably right there on the
plane, which is a very confined social situation. I listen to a ton of
music, and I'm rarely moved like that, so I got the band to listen to
the song and we knew that we had to do what we could to get this tune
into more people's lives.
You recorded a song with Ted Nugent ("We Won't Be Quiet"). How did a
Christian band like yours get teamed up with a character like Nugent?
He's a fun dude to be around, as crazy as he can be, that's for sure.
A while back, he moved to Crawford, Texas, and our music entered his
sphere through a church in his town and he really liked our guitar
tones. We had some phone conversations about recording and that led to
us hanging out one day, and over lunch he said, "Hey, come over and play
guitar on this thing." We had always talked about song ideas, so I was
obviously up for it. He's just a guitar great, and there's a different
sound that comes out with a person like that. I've never been in a room
with music like that, because he's got a real gift. It's been a riot.
