Cultivating a Community of Songwriters
by Michael Herman | posted 3/01/2003
 1 of 2
Unlike most successful bands, Caedmon's Call has seen regular changes to their sound and roster of songwriters in their first ten years together (most recently, the amicable departure of longtime member Derek Webb). Yet the folk-pop band's sound has remained surprisingly consistent despite the changes. Founding member Cliff Young and keyboardist Josh Moore discuss the group's songwriting philosophy.
Left to right: Garett Buell (percussion), Joshua Moore (keyboards, guitar, vocals), Cliff Young (vocals, guitar), Jeff Miller (bass), Danielle Young (vocals), Todd Bragg (drums)
After 10 years of making music, tell us what's new for the group.
Cliff: Well, we did the new record ourselves. We've always done our own demos, even before Derek Webb joined us, but we really didn't know what we were doing. This time we sat together in the studio and talked about things we'd like to do on this record, and we all contributed. Josh has more experience than anyone else now, production-wise, so he's been the most hands-on with that part of the project.
And on the songwriting end specifically?
Cliff: There were a lot of writers for this record. Caedmon's has always consisted of the band, the vision, the sound, and a certain kind of lyric. We've never gone outside the band to a publishing company for songs.
Aaron Tate, one of our writers, is considered a part of the band even though you don't see him on stage. He played one show with the band and hated performing. But he's written as many or more songs for the band than Derek. We've encouraged him through the years to keep writing for us because he does it so well.
What does the song development process look like?
Cliff: In the case of Aaron, he brings us a song, a melody, or even just a theme and we essentially "Caedmonize" it. That's when it becomes "our song." It's all a process of trying different things and getting input from everyone. Caedmon's Call is a community of people, and it's always been that way. It's much more than just who you see on stage.
As to when we write, we're always working on something. We're not "artsy" enough to schedule times to write. We're not like that at all – we're quite the opposite. You won't find us going back to the bus after an interview to light incense and write songs. Most likely you'll find us playing Tony Hawk videogames or shooting hoops. Then, for me, there's fly-fishing. I love it.
How are your writers different from the majority of professional writers?
Cliff: To start with, these artists truly understand us and see eye-to-eye with what our community is about. Randall Goodgame, for instance, has been opening for us on tour. We told him we'd really like him to write for us. So he has. We make suggestions, changes, and give him different angles until the song becomes one we're comfortable with. You can't do that with most professional songwriters. Seeing a song go through four, five, or six different versions isn't common for a lot of songwriters, but it's a part of our process.
So the egos need to be left at the door?
Cliff: Totally. I even told Randall, "If you want to write for this band, you've got to leave your ego at the door. We'll want to change stuff and make it a Caedmon's Call song – something consistent with our sound." The sound isn't about the arrangement, it's about the community. And if he didn't want to write this way, with this process, then he simply wouldn't be writing for us.
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Try 3 Issues of Christianity Today Free!
|
 |
|
Subscribe to Christianity Today and get 3 free trial issues. No credit card required.
Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only.
If you decide you want to keep Christianity Today coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive nine more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The three trial issues are yours to keep, regardless.
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
| |
|
