Dig deep in you wallet if you want to catch the David Crowder*Band’s last show at the Ogden Theatre on Friday, Oct. 14. The show quickly sold out, and after checking the venue’s website, tickets are being offered at $118 to $275 – and that’s for a general admission venue. The six-piece band is calling it quits after making Christian contemporary music for 11 years to “find the space” to explore other interests.
And the band is not going out with a whimper. As their last project the guys decided to tackle a Mass – a Requiem to be exact.
Eliza Marie Somers: David, how is the Mass project coming along?
David Crowder: It’s in the mixing process. Off to the engineer to make us sound good. (Chuckles) It releases Jan. 10. The Requiem Mass is the oldest existing form of church music. It’s a container to write into. There’s a very strict format, and we stuck to that stringently. We used some of the language that was there, but we didn’t want it seem like church music — it’s an eclectic mix. I think it’s the best thing that we have done. No doubt. It’s 34 tracks we worked really, really hard on this vehicle. It’s such a significant container to write to and it was a very freeing thing to do at the same time.
EMS: Did you listen to the old masters for the Mass?
DC: We dug into all of that to get a good sense to the tone; Mozart has the best requiem. But we didn’t want our record to sound so bleak … dum dum da-dum. That would be a tough sell. We wanted it to feel more like a celebration as such. The title is — pardon us, but this is just what we do — “Give Us Rest (A Requiem Mass in C [The Happiest of All Keys]).” Death is sad, but for us in the church it’s also a glorious time. We need to mourn, but there’s a lot to be excited about.
EMS: Why the breakup and what’s next for you and the guys?
“We’re not intending to Brett Favre anybody.”
DC: It’s time to take a break after 11 years worth of music. Eleven years is a long time for a band. I feel very fortunate that we lasted that long. You know, it was the end of another contract and we felt like this was the perfect time to end it. Nothing is on the calendar. But this gives ourselves the space to think about what’s next. And it feels good knowing what you’re doing is right.
For me, writing music for the church to sing is important to me, plus I love writing and this gives me more space to be able to write more. My wife (Toni) is taking this opportunity to go back to school. When we first started she was booking shows and being our road manager. She wants to get a degree in interior design.
EMS: How’s the tour going so far? Has it been tough emotionally?
DC: I was worried before we started this tour that it would be melancholy, but it hasn’t been. It’s been really fun. We are all really present in the moment. Not a hint of… oh here we are in another city…. I’m really soaking it all in. And the shows have been selling out like crazy. It also has allowed us to be retrospective. We do at least one song from every album we’ve recorded. And it’s funny how songs become attached to moments in your life. And to feel that again, that’s just been really special. I’m not a wreck yet, but I can see getting close to the end of the tour.
EMS: Any regrets?
DC: I have no regrets. There will be some sadness. These are my best friends on the planet. We’re not intending to Brett Favre anybody. I’m excited to see what’s coming next from these guys.
EMS: A Denver-based band, Gungor, is joining you on this tour.
DC: That’s been my favorite part of the show. It’s Lisa and Mike and a cellist they found on YouTube –and he also plays the beat boxes. He sounds like a whole band in one dude. It’s incredible. They do a lot of creative things. It’s sparse and stripped down, but it’s heartfelt.
EMS: Anything else you want to tell our readers?
DC: I guess I have to tell you we had a Christmas album released yesterday (Wed. Oct. 4). We’ve never done one before, but we’ve always been asked to do it and never got around to it. So it’s funny how this just popped out. We went on tour last January and we had a mobile studio with us to work on the Mass. Well, we had been playing a lot of Christmas music and to get the sound dialed in we would play Christmas music. And the next thing out pops this Christmas album. It’s “Oh for Joy,” and it’s a lot of traditional music. It feels like the band is in the room playing together. It’s not a big production. You feel more of the personality of the guys.
It’s a fitting end to the end of DC*B
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