Popular contemporary artist Crowder has garnered much success in the Christian music industry. He started his career with the David Crowder*Band. They crafted songs that were distinct, moving, and catchy. Now, he's a solo artist. And, if anything, he's only improved at writing hits.
Over the past few months, Crowder has taken over radio yet again with his newest album, Milk & Honey. To celebrate this success, he embarked on the Milk & Honey Tour in late 2021 with worship leader and songwriter Sean Curran. I connected with Crowder to talk about the completion of this tour, songs from his new album, music from worship group Maverick City, and more.
I was excited to hear about your recent Milk & Honey Tour. How did you and songwriter Sean Curran prepare for those shows?
Most of the time, we're on the road playing with friends. So, when a tour starts, we don't need to rehearse because we're playing every day. But, coming out of this lockdown, we haven't been playing with friends for a while. So, going on the road means we're reintroducing ourselves to one another.
We had three days of rehearsal, which was a blast. I usually don't like soundchecks for rehearsals because, without people in a room, it feels very self-indulgent. But this particular soundcheck felt very purposeful. Sean has a song called "Shake the Dust Off" and we needed to shake the dust off; getting back on the road and whatnot. We're thankful to be making music together and playing for people again.
Many artists have been performing online, acoustic sets, but having everyone together at a live show is completely different. What draws you to live music?
There's a difference between being in a space completely alone versus a shared space with a live audience. Night after night, I see people coming to our live show from very different neighborhoods, having had different experiences throughout the day. Then, by the middle of the evening, it just feels like we're one, big group. It's amazing how live music can bring everyone together.
There's an environment or atmosphere that's created; everybody's breathing and living at the same time and it feels like one organism. It's pretty phenomenal how that happens each night. As someone who likes to go to live shows, I love getting swept up into that moment, where all of a sudden you're just in the present tense with a lot of strangers and it's amazing.
Coming out of quarantine, I'm sure you had to relearn a lot of your music. What was the process like to build the setlist for the tour considering your new album?
We've played most songs from the album each night at our shows. And that's one thing that we haven't done in a while. We've been on many different tours where our setlists are pretty tight, which makes for many truncated versions of songs. But, with it being our first headline tour in a while, we're able to play most of the new record. We're probably only excluding two or three songs on the album, while still making sure no one is going to walk away disappointed because we didn't play their favorite song.
One of the deep cuts from Milk & Honey that I enjoy is "Hallelujah For Every Broken Heart." The lyrics struck me as quite thoughtful. What does the song mean to you?
I wrote that song with Bear Rinehart, the guitarist from the rock band NEEDTOBREATHE. I'm such a fan of theirs and getting to write with him was an honor. Much of the time, we are concentrated on our struggles and how they are making us feel at the moment. Our perspective can become pretty self-indulgent. As we get further away from those struggles, we can see the growth taking place. We can see the difficult things that were transpiring and have a full appreciation for those moments as we get further away from them.
I think human resilience is amazing. We make it through many struggles that don't look like we should make it through. Then when we look back, we think "Goodness, what a different person I am now" and "Wow, what I couldn't see happening at that moment is pretty spectacular and beautiful on the other side of it." That's really where this song is coming from.
Your song "God Loves Us" recently went to the radio. I love the partnership you had with worship band Maverick City on that piece. Can you tell me how you worked with them to write this song?
This was my first time writing with Maverick City vocalist Dante Bowe. We'd been trying to get together for a while, but our schedules just kept not lining up. Then, it was the week that I was turning in the album that our schedules finally lined up.
After our writing session, I sent him a voice memo thinking we had something special. We decided to put the pedal down and within a few days, we had a demo. We completed the song--including finished production as well as an added choir--and submitted it right under the wire. I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. It feels like a really special moment that adds to the whole theme of the album.
Speaking of themes, what would you say is the connecting message running through each song on the new album?
There's an acknowledgment and appreciation of the difficult times that the entire world has had to deal with these past couple of years. What's amazing about people of faith who are in pursuit of Jesus is that they can find hope and a present God, no matter the circumstance.
I loved the imagery from the story of Israel's journey from captivity to the promised land in the Old Testament. I realized that the God who led his people into the wilderness did not leave them on their own. The reality is that no matter how bad it gets, God will never leave us on our own.
I'm hoping that the songs exist in a way that is, cloud by day, fire by night. Let's remind ourselves that we are not left alone. Let's remind ourselves that this journey we're on has our maker active and present in it; where our present tense is, is not where our future lies. That's a thing I think we need to remind ourselves over and over.
I think that the topic on everyone's mind right now is COVID-19. How has your dog, Kenny Rodgers the Arctic Fox, gotten through it?
Like all of us, Kenny was locked away in her particular dwelling place, which happens to be a road case. And she was alone the entire time. She's happy about being around people again. She takes everything in stride.
Each night at a show, I give fans and friends the lowdown on my dog, Kenny, as I introduce the band members. I'm very respectful. I make sure that everybody understands what Kenny does: he legitimizes us as a band that makes porch music. You can't have a proper porch without a proper dog. So she legitimizes our attempt at making porch music.
Photos from this tour can be viewed using this link.
Selena Schulz is NRT’s youngest staff contributor. She loves God, music, reading, and writing.
NEW!BEHIND THE SONG
#1236 - Brandon Heath
Transforming wounds into stories of redemption in this powerful song
ADVERTISEMENT
NEW!NRT EDITORIAL
Skillet
We explores some of the band's best songs outside their hits
NEW!NRT LISTS
Jordan Merritt
A real conversation around the artist's new track, "Human"
NEW!HEARTSPEAK
Jordan Feliz
The artist's must-listen-to songs about faith, family, and redemption
NEW!AN NRT EXCLUSIVE
Rock Meets Worship
Seven gritty cover songs of popular worship music and hymns
