[ WM ] Do you also play some guitar?
[ David ] Honestly, I don’ t play guitar. I’ ll never say no to playing guitar, that’ s something I’ ve always wanted to get into. Sometimes I’ ll learn the lead guitar lines on bass, because you’ re right, my instrument is where the rhythm and melody meet. I’ ve got drums on my left, guitars on my right, and I’ m just smack in the middle. Sometimes I’ ll listen to grooves all day but what I also want to do is listen to solos. Because I don’ t do that as often as a guitar player or piano player, what can I learn from them because I’ m not in that world as often? I can play rhythm guitar and I play acoustic for Churches. I could wrangle my way through a guitar if I had to. It’ s actually hard because the strings are so close! Guitar players have the opposite problem, the bass strings are too big and the neck is chunky. I play a Tele and I feel like I’ m going to crush the neck( laughs).
[ WM ] I’ ve gotten to know some great people through playing on worship teams whose folks never allowed them to listen to anything other than Christian music. Later in life they got a chance to listen to other music that they missed in their formative years. What are your thoughts on listening to music outside the‘ Christian bubble’ if you will?
lyrics.” So, there’ s always this origin of songs that we sing in Church that in a weird way come from places that you least expect to find them. I’ ve always tried to listen to as much as I can. If I feel something pulling on me from the inside I’ ll always listen and give it a chance.
[ WM ] I personally believe that divine inspiration is the spark of a lot of the music that resonates with people, whether you attribute it to God, the Holy Spirit, or Jesus, even if you don’ t yet have a personal relationship. My favorite example being John Mayer. There are times I hear his music and the word that comes to mind is anointing. Whether it’ s Christian, Worship, Pop, Funk or Soul, why do you think we like to categorize our music? Do you think it’ s perhaps about an identity that were looking for, rather than being led to if that makes sense?
[ David ] Yeah, I definitely think that plays a big part. I think we like to put ourselves in boxes, I don’ t think that God ever wanted us to do that. We’ re the ones telling ourselves,“ You’ re the Christian artist, you’ re the Pop artist, and you’ re the Southern Gospel artist. We’ re the ones putting ourselves in the box. I don’ t think God looks at what genre we’ re doing if He’ s happy with what we’ re doing. He’ s focusing on what’ s going on inside. I would say there are so many great Christians playing music today that they might not be played on Christian radio, but you can’ t convince me that what they’ re doing isn’ t worship. It’ s all about where they’ re writing the song on, and what they’ re trying to do. Are they trying to spread the Gospel in the way that they can? Yeah. Just because they never got labeled CCM, if I know them and know their hearts are in this amazing place, we are the ones that are putting the boxes around them.
[ WM ] The last time we talked, you told me that back story of how you got the gig with Lauren. Basically, it was really the result of hang time with her old bass player on the Outcry tour. For the younger bass players out there especially, can you speak to the relationship side of the Christian music business?
[ David ] Oh yeah, it’ s so important. It’ s not just about hanging out, it’ s about being present. Being on tour, everyone says it, it’ s not real life. It’ s amazing but it’ s not real, in the sense of we’ re going to a new city every day, we’ re with our favorite people 24 / 7, we’ re cramped on this bus. It seems like this larger than life thing, you
[ David ] I try to keep myself pretty open to all genres of music. I’ ve never wanted to be in one specific genre. In the previous question, you asked if I ever play guitar, and I said I’ d never say no to it. For me saying no to something is selling myself short, if I think I can’ t do something. Even though I have been predominately in Christian music I try to listen to as many genres as I can because I feel like I’ m practicing different muscles. Even if people are saying you shouldn’ t listen to secular music, if you actually look at the old hymns that Fanny Crosby used to write they pretty much just changed the lyrics from a bunch of old bar tunes. How did they write their songs, you know? They were in a bar and heard people singing in the bar and thought,“ Oh, I got the song for Sunday now, let me just change these
Outcry tour bass hang: in the back L-R: Ben Davis, Brandon Aaronson, David Curran in the front: Jiheah Oh
116 October 2018 WorshipMusician. com