I attended the A Collision Cd release party in Waco Texas. While there we were handed out FREE dvds. Inside the DVD was a link to download acoustic songs from A Collision. You guys however did give a very special treat by giving away a free download of a song called Bent/dear katrina! This song is pretty intense and yet I can never figure out the words! Once and a while i think i have it and when i let someone else listen to it they suggest a alternative. It has been driving me crazy for years!!! At one point i even contacted the your OFFICIAL myspace and shared my question in a message and the response was
“i forget
nononono Crowder!!! the question needs a answer! make this almost 5 year old question be put to rest!! what are the lyrics to Bent/dear katrina!!!!!
almost5yourold. as of first reading this questions i am presented two problems. one, i still don’t have any idea what the lyrics are, although i do recall our exchange and i officially apologize for the feebleness of mind on my part. two, i do not possess a copy of that dvd, nor the song. and so, in lieu of access to the dvd, i am attempting to track down the original pro-tools file. this way, i can solo the vocal channel and we will know, once and for all, what it is that the vocalist, i believe it to be me, “it” being the vocalist, is saying. ok, so i found the hard drive that it is on, but i don’t have my mbox with me. i’ll have to wait until i can go out to the studio. ok, so i am now in the studio. i have opened the pro-tools file that is labeled “bending2”. sure enough, it’s that song! ok, soloing the vocal track. here’s what i say: “i am bendable you’ll see, watch me folding at the knees.” i’m intrigued by the news samples i included toward the end of the song. i’m soloing them now. ok, here’s the first guy: “…overcome. the drinking water supply is going to become undrinkable and the the longer people stay in the city the more people are going to become gravely ill and that’s only going to compound the problem and that just adds another degree of absolute immediate seriousness to the situation here in new orleans. it is an urban crisis. the city is going to be closed off for good for seemingly 6 to 8 weeks possibly even longer. it is barricaded around the city limits you cannot get in, you are not allowed into this city, there is only one direction to go & it is out…” then a female newscaster enters: “…the red cross volunteers here….sound of the choppers overhead have to be a welcome sound to the people on the ground as they hope to be on these choppers to get out of there in short order…there’s a place where you can list missing loved ones…missing loved ones…missing loved ones…missing loved ones…”
How many years did Hogan take violin lessons? How long did it take him to be proficient enough to play The Lark Ascending?
klswan. i dont’ know. i would guess pretty long.
ooooh my gosh i’m so glad you decided to do this…
ok, what is the speak & spell spelling in church music? (i can’t tell you the amount of time i spent intently listening trying to make words out of the random letters i would catch ha)
also, so glad someone asked about the columns…i literally almost charged the stage at yall’s q&a session at passion atlanta a few years back but figured the topic wasn’t completely revelent; also i didn’t even know where to begin on what exactly to ask about them. i reread the book recently and i think i now have a better understanding about what yall were trying to accomplish there (at least i don’t have the insane urge to run at you and demand answers anymore…it was actually in search of an explanation for the columns that i first started following your blog a few years back) but would still love to hear any thoughts you have on that portion of the book, which was great by the way. thanks!!
sarah. i’m glad that you’re glad. as for speak and spell, please see above. as for columns, also see above. (i fear i’m not explaining enough about the columns, but i do think it is best this way, i hope it doesn’t cause you to be less than glad.)
1. I noticed that you use a wide variety of instruments in your music. For example, in your "A Collision” album you draw from bluegrass style and instruments. Have you ever considered looking into and incorporating instruments and textures from other cultures and countries? (For example, the tubla from India, zheng from China, exotic rhytmnic texturing from Africa, etc.)
2. Though I am sure you have probably explained it at another time, can you please explain the meaning and implementation of the “Or (3+4=7)” subtitle of the A Collision album?
3. Does the band have any interim project planned for next year? If so, can you provide any details?
4. Was the background synth line on Eastern Hymn inspired by any Mega Man soundtrack? Mega Man music came to mind when I first listened to Eastern Hymn.
Thanks man!
christopher. 1. the various textures you refer to have appeared because something caught our ear and attention and we ran down a trail that seemed somehow inevitable. i think this is what lets us explore a thing and present it in an authentic way, rather than just finding new textures for the sake of finding new textures. none of us have yet gotten into indian music (outside of the academic exposure that several of us have had, or the westernized version experienced in sound tracks for like, movies about millionaire game shows) or african rhythmic textures (see previous explanation regarding indian music) and thus could not present it in a way that was not simply co-opting a culture’s art with no real kinship or understanding of that culture. as for the math thing, we have been toying with the number 7 since we started this dc*b thing, the reason being – we have viewed art as this space where the human and the divine collide, “3” being representative of the divine, “4” being representative of the earthly. currently we have no interim project planned, officially, so i don’t have details. and no, sadly, mega man was not an inspirational factor in eastern hymn, although, i will admit, most of us in the band have very much been influenced by video game music.
What is the robot spelling in Church Music - Dance (!)?
bethany. see above.
You were in my dream last night. You shaved your beard. I almost cried. I then got a photo with you and some other band members. I went to your show in Minneapolis. Not getting a picture with you when you were standing in the church alcove thing is the second largest regret of my life. The dream photo fixed things up a bit.
nathan. that’s scary. i’m wondering, of course, what the first was.
The Minneapolis thing happened it wasn’t in my dream.
Are there answers to these questions?
How do you keep “it”-the spiritual worship mood/experience thing- fresh?
nathan. i think this has most to do with the people you surround yourself with and the intentions behind what you are doing.
Are you going to do Rockumentaries in the future?
linz. see above.
what do you think of all that crazy construction and new road nonsense in texarkana!? you have to go all over the place just to get to tamollys or cracker barrel. can’t get there from richmond. i am not a fan. haha.
janette. yes. the construction is crazy! what town is that?
1. How many times have you hit your head on the ceiling/wall above the staircase, and if many, is that what inspired you to write “Stars”?
2. What do you do when you are down, struggling with inspiration, to find strength and peace?
chris. i have hit my head twice. i’m a fast learner. this was not a factor in composing “stars”. i attempt to figure out what has me down, struggling with inspiration. then i attempt to do what i can to physically eliminate the problem. the physical and the spiritual are entwined, i think we overlook this often. often this means i simply need some sleep, or rest, or food. other times, when perhaps the reason for the struggle is not so clear, i recall the words of my friend who once said, “you know, sometimes god led his people into the desert. just because you feel like you’re in the desert doesn’t mean you’re not exactly where god wants you to be.” i usually ignore the double negative though.
i’ll try a couple-
(forgive me if i repeat- there are a lot of comments, and i nary read them all)
1) favorite/funniest moment from church music tour?
2) insight into being a vegetarian/pizza-ite? i remember you once mentioning it on the old blog and recently converted… any tips/tricks/thoughts?
3) if you could be a master of any form of martial arts, what would it be (barring you already aren’t)?
and finally…
4) just discovered ubc’s christmas for kenya albums. they are pretty astounding… did you all have a hand in this in any way?
tim. my favoite moment was putting on my suit for the first time. i felt so important and like i was about to do something really essential. the funniest moment was when i put my suit on for the first time. it was, what they call, ridiculous. the shoes were so very long and slippery on the soles and i don’t think i had the right kind of socks on. as for insight into the word “pizzatarian”, and tips for successful participation in such a discipline. first is morningstar farms. this is a company owned by kellogg’s that uses science to make magical delights that feel and taste like the items your carnivorous self pines for. also, the boca burger - flame grilled, it too is the stuff of magic. you will thank me. speaking of magic, it is true that i’m a grand master of dim mak (death touch), which is a very star wars-like form of martial arts, (which is, of course, the reason i chose to practice this art, the star wars-like qualities of it) involving joints and pressure points and consisting of attacks that take very little energy and can be done with one or two fingers. so, yes, i am a supreme mater at this, the star wars-like death touch, as well as tang soo do and shodokan. this explains why i appear so tall when i’m really little more than five feet tall, and also why people who know me well call me master yoda, you know, because of my real size and the fact that i can barely touch you and the result will be you in a fetal position moaning, “why? why?” on the ground, and this would happen in a flash, an instant, with speed and decisiveness on my part. as for christmas in kenya, no, we had absolutely nothing to do with it, although i am like you and agree, it is just fantastic listening.
What are the favorite songs on Church Music for each of the band members?
michael. for me, it is eastern hymn. i think. i should leave unstated that i am unable to answer on behalf of the rest of the guys, however, i can not. i am also unsure as to whether or not the rest of the members of the band have a forum such as this to express such things. perhaps some do and some don’t. you should check into that. but yes, mine is eastern hymn.
Is there a way to download your musical musings on this blog. I would totally jam them constantly.
sean. currently, no. but if you would pass along your email to me, i’ll be happy send them to you as long as you don’t mind getting a large number of emails from people hoping to sell you things as i like to make massive amounts of money selling the email addresses i collect from people requesting things through the internet as i assume that these people like things from the internet and i’d be doing you a favor.
I have request:
could dcb please go get high off of sigur ros and sufjan and then make a kick butt instrumental album?
thanks!
aaron. that is an interesting suggestion.
What are you doing for Christmas?
bria. i am heading home to texarkana to visit my wife’s side of the family and then after the new year arrives i will be going to boulder colorado to visit my side of the family.
Okay, I have a question for ya - did you get the Birthday package I sent to you with the drawing and your offer and request form?? I sure hope so. And did you like it??? ‘Kay 2 questions. Sorry. Pray for you every day!
kelly yes! i did! that was totally my house, and i sent in the request form. and we are so so grateful for the prayers. you are the nicest person ever, i just decided this.
When are you guys gonna make a Christmas album?
choumein. we have been talking about recording one in january, as in, next month. that would mean it would be ready for christmas 2010. what do you think should be on it?
A friend at church had to to a paper on whether or not notes could go up in octives to the point of infinity. I though that because of atmospheric pressure and other variables, it is not possible for infinity. I said only God is infinite! What do you think, sir? I told him you would know! Haa!! :o)
kelly. well, i’m glad you asked this as i’ve spent much time thinking about things such as this and the formation of rainbows, as in, is it true that apple (the supposed computer/mp3-player/phone maker) produces them in mass (of course they do!), and the existence of badgers, like, as in, are they real or not (they are not). ok, so as for octaves and infinity, no, it is not possible to go up in octaves to the point of infinity, just as there are not badgers, at least not truly feral ones. here’s why: you would eventually reach a cycle of vibration that approaches the speed of light, and there your journey would end, unless this journey had disrupted the space time continuum due to your meddling, and, obviously, you’d have to go back and fix it, because it was your fault and all. you would, of course, cease hearing the movement of molecules long before then, the approaching of the speed of light, due to the limitations of the human ear, and yes, atmospheric pressure would have something to do with the speed of the molecules’ movement allowing this moment, the hearing to not hearing, to come sooner or later, and it would also, to some extent, the atmospheric pressure, effect the theoretical device that was producing the materially constructed theoretical sound waves. but what is really interesting to me is less the nonexistence of badgers and the real live detail that we have chosen to order sound in a way that is, how do i say it, so orderly. the human ear can discern sounds between 15 hz and 20 khz (rate of vibration). frequencies higher than this range are often referred to as ultrasonic (“ultra” being a submodifier meaning “very; extremely” which is kind of fun to say, as in, “extremely sonic”), like as in dogs and bats can hear them. sounds below this range are often referred to as infrasonic (“infra” being a submodifer that seems to fit more appropriately than “ultra”, “infra” meaning “below”; “further on”), like snakes sense through their bellies and whales and giraffes and elephants communicate with. of course, thinking about whales, our hearing threshold and ability to localize sound is greatly reduced underwater, which the speed of sound is faster in, as compared to air. underwater hearing is accomplished through magic and bone conduction. but that’s beside the point and you already knew that. the point is that we westerners (not “westerner” in the cowboy-riding-a-horse sense but more similar to the those-living-in-california sense) have chosen to divide sound into 12 pitches, or distinct tones. we chose to order, or limit, the seemingly limitless. and we agree, basically, that this is a good idea, that when we hear these 12 pitches plucked from the full range of available frequencies, we call it music. and this is all mathematically explainable, our leanings as humans toward this ordering. (see above reference to pythagoras) if you pluck a single string, then divide it exactly in half, you will hear the same note, only an octave higher (of course, double the length of the string and you hear the same note an octave below). i suspect this is the thought experiment that your friend was working on. the reason why you would hear an octave higher is because the rate of string vibration is doubled. (and this is why the thought experiment would end when the theoretically halved string’s rate of vibration approached the speed of light. because that is impossible! unless you believe in naturally occurring feral badgers. then, who knows! not me!) now we could discuss whether or not our ordering was because our ideas of beauty are inherent in nature or whether it was our ordering that produced our ideas of beauty. and this would be fun, this discussion. it would be just like talking about rainbows. like when you would say, “you know, most rainbows use infrasound to communicate with each other.” and i would respond, “i know! isn’t that just nuts!?”
Did anyone ever send you $100 for your toothbrush commercial?
taylor. i was never in a toothbrush commercial.
Or, perhaps more accurately (haha!), did Hogan ever get $100 for the toothbrush commercial?
taylor. hogan was in a toothbrush commercial, and no, he did not get $100 dollars, as was promised. but he did get to meet vanna white.
actually, just, did anyone get paid?
taylor. no. no one we know was awarded compensation for their appearance in the toothbrush commercial, with the exception of vanna, we’re pretty sure she got paid.
Did you enjoy the toothbrush that i gave you? Or did you just throw it away??… haha….
Josh Mitchell. i did enjoy the toothbrush. i found it a thoughtful and random gift and was not offended at what it could have suggested as far as my hygienic efforts go. i did eventually throw it away.
If David Crowder* Band had to be summed up in one word, what would that word be?
Also, is it possible that the asterisk in the band name is a reference to the rest of the band? That is, the * kind of works as an et. al in much the same way it use to back in the olden days?
Fred. astrobolism. it is very possible.
So really, how much do you like it when people stop by your house while you are outside and ask you to meet their kids? : )
Paul. it was great meeting your kids.
In the song “Church Music - Dance (!)” is the robot saying actual words? Or is it just a fun synthesized sound?
Drew Dixon. see above in part one.
I’ll bite.
I was thinking last night about “famous” Christians, and how there’s such a range. I also have a problem with certain famous Christians because they seem to enjoy the idol-worship that they’re supposed to be preaching about. I then feel guilty for judging.
Anyway, I was wondering… You guys seem very down to earth. Like you really enjoy playing. But it must get hard to keep in touch with God and not have your sets come across as hokey when you’re playing them 500 times. I was wondering, how do you all keep so down to earth? Is there anything you all do as a group to keep each other in check, and have there ever been times in your performances when you want to say, “Wow. What a cliche Christian band moment.”
Thanks!
abhutchinson. see above. but to reiterate, yes, it is impossible to judge motive and i think this is the brilliance of the reference to the divine and the heart in relation to judging in scripture. we are all prideful, some are just in a more visible position to have their pride observable. i think what helps transform us most in relation to pride is the community of people we surround ourselves with. if there is the intentionality of transformation in your relationships then the possibility for your self worth to be derived from places that are not based in relationship is lessened.
Did you ever get in a fight when you were a kid?
Francesca. yes.
what do you think about the Sabbath day, i.e. saturday or sunday brothers dc*b
Iraknathal. we are for it.
I just want to know one thing…what kind of microphone did you use on the church music tour? It was some rappers name that you used to describe what it did to your voice but I cant figure it out for anything??
mclain. you are referring to the “i am t-pain” app on my iphone. for a while there i was addicted.
I attended the Church Music tour at East 91st St. in Indianapolis. My husband and I have been waiting for you to come back to Indy for a long time and it was well worth the wait–we had so much fun!
So my question is that the next time you come to Indianapolis can I invite you guys over for dinner? Is that too presumptuous? My husband said that I couldn’t invite you because there was no way that you guys would come. I said that just for that I was going to put the invitation out there. Not that I like to disappoint him or anything but I do like to blow his expectations out of the water :)
One more thing: what is your favorite worship cd written by someone other than you.
Jax. yes. no. “i bow down” by vineyard music from the “touching the father’s heart” series. if i had never heard that cd i probably wouldn’t be doing this.
how did you get an orange macbook?
oh and from where did your fascination with “la la la” come from?
Lee. i ordered it through www.colorwarepc.com. childhood.
Do you think there will soon be a resurgence of new, deeply theological worship songs (i.e. hymns)? I’m dying for more truth and less feeling.
Kevin. yes. i think it may be helpful to you to realize that it is less the fault of those creating the music and more the fault of the container that they are attempting to use, which is the modern pop song. our previous container, the hymn, was based on a genre of literature, poetry, which was fantastic at carrying philosophical and theological ideas. a song (hymn) would spend years looking for the proper musical setting because the lyric or content was the most important element. pop music is not content based, it is melody based. so, those who excel in the writing of modern congregational song are those who excel at melody rather than those who excel in the composition of theologically rich ideas in repetitive metrical form. and you’re also talking about an era where the poetry section in a bookstore can hardly be found, when in the past it was one of the more competitive genres. so, gifted writers are less inclined to hone their poetic inclinations. all of that said, there are many within progressive church settings that share your frustration, the solution of which seems to be an attempt at collaborative efforts and the building of bridges between high church and low church traditions. and this is exciting to me.
Can David C pinpoint Nashville on a map? [I shall answer for him in case he doesn’t read this: “No! I cannot… that is why we elect not to play there.”] Note back to hypothetical response from David C: Ok, but we’d be happy to send you mapquest directions to town so you can visit and play. Hypothetical reply to hypothetical reply: ok, you get the point, come play here please. We’ll even house you and feed you, promise.
briand_comeoncleatus. firstly, david c is deathly afraid of maps. even the word “cartography” frightens him. so please, forgive his ignore-ance. he does, however, appreciate your willingness to locate this mystical city for him and to even go so far as to send him directions. with that in mind he’ll consider more carefully where in the grand state of tennessee the band chooses to stop on its next outing.
Was bwack serious about building a robot that can play drums?
jeremiah. yes. please visit www.thebwack.com to see for yourself. the uprising has begun.
Where can I get those awesome… err…
tracks?
Remixes?
From your playlist on the side?? =O They’re awesomee…
That and the… semi-secret songs on the dcb website?
I love them….
aigoo…
10gu. they are currently not available, unless you give me your email with a request for them.
If it’s not too late, take your pick of question…
-dogs or cats?
-hamsters or parakeets?
lisa c. dogs. parakeets.
about you and your church in waco…
I read something one time in a magazine that talked about you helping establish UBC… How did this come about? How did God make it evident that you were called to do this?
Also in this magazine, I saw a picture of you as a kid. I saw that you were on a soccer team called the darth vadors… Did you play soccer for fun or do you really enjoy soccer?
swalker412. well, i really stumbled into the ubc thing. a friend of mine started dreaming out loud one evening on my balcony about what he thought church could be, and all of these “what if” statements caused something to swell in my chest. baylor, the university we both attended, had done a survey of their student population and had discovered that over half of the students in undergrad never attended church. this was both startling and something intuited. and it was not for lack of churches. there has to be more churches per capita here than anywhere on the planet. we believed it must be something to with students experience of the church as an institution rather than issues with the person of jesus we read of in scripture. and so we attempted to make a space for those students to struggle with very large questions regarding faith and church and society. being somewhat musically inclined it fell in my lap to pull together the musical portion of our sunday morning gatherings. i think this is often the case, god places something in our lap that we didn’t see coming and that we feel incapable of doing. as for your second question, um, i’m not sure i understood correctly as my answer would be yes to both portions of it.
Amo você. Deus tem me tocado através das letras de suas canções. Continua, nunca pare.
Emiliano. obrigado.
I would like to know what all you guys are running through your MacBooks on stage live… are y'all just running loops through them? Instruments? What programs/patches are y'all are using?
PS- David, y'all fared really well in Spokane when your keyboard station malfunctioned. It was a great show, and commend you and the bands’ incredibly flexible musicianship.
Eric. we are all using either abelton live or reason. some are running loops in ableton. reason is used for patches mostly, with some soft synths in ableton such as sylenth. ah, the list of patches would be endless. head over to bwacks forum for more detailed info on this. and thank you for your kind words regarding spokane.
ok - new blog looks really cool david but you do need to blog more often
peace,
andrew jones. yes. once a week at the minimum.