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Next In Line The latest album from Caedmon's Call offers a fun smattering of lounge-jazz, Brazilian percussion, horns, cowbells and more—a slight departure from their signature folk/acoustic sound. Cliff Young and Caedmon's newest addition, Josh Moore, offer an insider's look at Caedmon's calling. Josh: I go to a school in Houston and have a deal with them to do correspondence courses. Several members of the administration are big fans of the band. We've worked out a really great deal where I'll be able to go back into class in the spring semester and graduate in May. FamilyChristian.com: You've obviously achieved a certain level of excellence in your art to be given this opportunity. What is your musical background? Josh: I started taking piano lessons when I was three years old. I was glad I had piano lessons [because] it helps with theory and technique. But I think you've got to take a break from it at a certain age. I spent that time developing my ear and trying not to focus too much on the technical aspect of it. That way, I was able to branch off to other instruments and different forms of music. Having that respect for music in general, not just one instrument, kept me wanting to perfect my skills as a pianist and as an organist and whatever else. My passion is not just solely for keyed instruments. That's why I can appreciate and enjoy all of music and listen to a drum solo or a woodwind ensemble or chamber piece and just appreciate all of it and like it all. I think that passion has been the one thing that's kept me on my toes musically. FamilyChristian.com: Cliff, how has Josh's addition to the group changed the mix? Cliff: I think that he's contributed musically more than we ever expected. He's playing five or six instruments per show. On the CD, his ideas and his playing really added a lot to the band and to our sound. FamilyChristian.com: With two principal songwriters (Derek Webb and Aaron Tate), how much influence does the rest of the band have on the songs and sound? Cliff: It just depends. Derek brings his songs much more completed than Aaron does. Usually a couple of members kind of get together and make melody lines and make sense out of the things that Aaron writes. Then that goes to the band. All of the band members brought their musical influences to the table this time more than ever. When someone [offered] their input, we would just try it. That's kind of what happened with this record. FamilyChristian.com: How do you keep the tie to your core college age crowd as you grow older and gain a broader fan base? FamilyChristian.com: Let's talk about Watershed Records. Any new artists on the horizon? Cliff: I'm looking at some people right now. I've always said that I would only sign people who were already in the middle of it and doing it and playing. FamilyChristian.com: Isn't the vision of Watershed to be like an independent label? Cliff: It's what a record label, in my opinion, should be. [It's] helping a band do what they know they've been called to do to a grander level. We would never sign with a label until they said, "You've been called to do something as a band - as Caedmon's Call - and we can help you do what you do." FamilyChristian.com: What advice would you have for an independent artist who is playing and touring, but is looking for help and resources? Cliff: It's tough. I would definitely say let the people who listen to your music at the coffeehouse tell you if you should continue. Play and let them tell you if you should continue. If they do and ask when you're going to put a CD out, get some money together and get some investors and do three or four songs. It's not bad to send your stuff to record labels, but just make sure that your first priority is playing and writing songs. Be out there in front of people. Your goal should never be to get signed, because believe me, that's not the end-all. It's not like you've made it. FamilyChristian.com:
Cliff, since 40 Acres, your family has grown with the birth of your daughter
Rachel. How has parenting changed your life?
Cliff: It's made it better. It's hard to describe. When you love someone as much as I love Danielle, and then you have a baby it's like there's no way that you can love any more than that. My heart is stretching. There's not even a way I can tell you a reason that it's so much better, but it just is. Just to wake up and have her there as an extension of Danielle and I is absolutely amazing. FamilyChristian.com: I heard a rumor that you're working on a worship album. Can you tell me about it? Cliff: It will be
a worship album with a specific purpose. Most of it will be original. It's going
to be very instructional, talking about worship as it was intended in the church
and it's going to be liturgical. It's going to be like going to a service. We're
going to use early church history, and how they ordered their services. I want
this CD to not take people away from their church, but bring people back to
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FamilyChristian.com:
Josh, at 17, you're the youngest member of the band. Most seventeen-year-olds
are in high school. How do you fit school into your schedule?
Cliff:
We've never really changed as far as that goes. We still pretty much play the
colleges. Our college fans who been there from the beginning. They are hard-core
and always there no matter what. People respond to our music otherwise and they
just come to the colleges and watch us. We haven't gone to them very much; they
come to us. They might enjoy our concert in a different way and get different
things out of it. We haven't changed what we do and we're going to try not to
change what we do. We just keep playing.
