Made for More is new and is Josh Baldwin ’ s second live worship album . His “ Stand in Your Love ” reached # 2 on the Billboard Christian charts . Josh ’ s songwriting has been nominated for multiple awards , and although leading worship on a local level , maintains a vital place within the Bethel Music Collective .
[ Alex ] Josh , it ’ s so good to see you today . I read some place that you started out on drums backing up your father on his worship team . Is this true ?
[ Josh Baldwin ] That ’ s true , that ’ s true . I still have some , but they ’ re just for my son . They ’ re just a little electric kit . But yeah , I started playing drums . I think it was one of those things where I would walk through the house and grab pens and beat on things and do that . My Dad was going to the church a lot too , he would go to study or get ready for Sundays so he would just take me , and I would just go jump on the drums . It kind of felt like they would babysit me , really , so my Dad can just get his work done . And then he also led worship . He would come in and work on songs or play , and I would just play with him . And then it got to where I was good enough to just join the worship team .
I was 12 when I started playing . We were in this is a small town in North Carolina , so it wasn ’ t like joining most worship teams nowadays where it ’ s the big stage and the lights and the smoke and all that stuff . But it was so sweet , and that was really my inroad to music and to worship . I played drums a lot . I played drums for people into my twenties and led worship . I would travel and play drums with worship leaders . But when I was home , I would lead
worship in my church , and finally I think in 2008 , was I just kind of hung it up . I was like , you know what ? I ’ m not going to get any better at this . And I don ’ t love it more than playing and writing songs and leading worship , so I should just be done with it .
[ WM ] Well , so tell me , what was that switch like for you to come up front after being behind the drums ? I ask that because sometimes drummers feel comfortable sort of being hidden behind everyone , and in many churches , drummers are in fact not cage free and or free range .
[ Josh ] Yeah , right . They ’ re in a separate room altogether ( laughs ). Yeah . The funny thing is , I played drums so long ago in church that I went through the season when that wasn ’ t even a thing . Having the plexiglass back too , oh my goodness , we need a whole separate room . I had gone through all of it and where there was even a separate room ! But we didn ’ t have any here . I had a monitor wedge in the room with me , which I attribute most of my hearing damage to than just playing drums . But yeah , I think for me it kind of went the opposite in that I felt more comfortable leading , singing and playing guitar and leading the worship because of just the years that I ’ d spent drumming . And up there I felt comfortable , just the practical being up there , I was okay .
But then also I feel like the drummer in the band is sometimes the real worship leader of the band .
As a drummer , you can very much dictate where you want to go with that song no matter what the leader wants to do . Sometimes if the leader wants it up and the drummer doesn ’ t want to come and do that , then we ’ re
not ramping it up . Or if the leader wants to bring it down and the drummer doesn ’ t follow and bring it down , then we ’ re not bringing it down . So , I did feel like in a lot of ways I was used to helping lead the worship behind the drums . It helped me to feel comfortable .
[ WM ] That ’ s good to hear . Like you , I started playing drums at 12 . I saw The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show and that ’ s what I wanted to do and be . That ’ s what I ’ ve done my whole life . And although I don ’ t play as much anymore , you never really stop playing in your head , ever . It won ’ t go away . I can appreciate what you ’ re saying very much .
[ Josh ] And it helped me with others . It helped me when I started playing guitar too , just the rhythm , and it was a natural way to just lock into even playing guitar , which I was so thankful for .
[ WM ] Excellent . Well , so you ’ ve got a great songwriting history going back at least 10 years . What were some of the inspirations behind a couple of your favorite songs that you ’ ve either written or co-written ?
[ Josh ] Wow , that ’ s a great question ! I feel like there are inspirations that I have from just my style or the way the music sounds when I write , and just what I ’ m thinking about just in worship . But gosh , I mean , I have some of them right here . Tom Petty and Johnny Cash are up there . But I definitely feel like my inspirations are just being from North Carolina and the sound that comes out of the Americana roots type country . I have that just in me , whether I know it or not , it just naturally flows out . And I feel , when I think about songs like “ Stand in Your Love ”, I think that was one of the first songs where that Made for More Crowns Down Stand In Your Love
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