Questions w/ Jeremy Casella (part one)

Singer/songwriter Jeremy Casella has been making great music for more than ten years and has released a trio of thoroughly enjoyable studio albums. He's also a family man and a card-carrying member of the mighty Square Peg Alliance. With new material on the horizon, 2010 looks to be a great year for Jeremy, and he's taken some time to tell us about it. Here is part one of Questions w/ Jeremy Casella...

StSL – It’s been a couple years since your last album, Recovery, was released, and I know you’ve been hard at work on some new music. What can you tell us about that?

Jeremy – I’ve been writing and working on a lot of new material these past couple years in addition to touring quite a bit last Fall. I’m hitting it hard again this Spring and planning on releasing an EP this May. Sessions for that will start in March and I couldn’t be more thrilled!

The delay in releasing a new project since Recovery came from a lot of life changes for my family—we bought a 110 year old house and renovated it, I got involved with helping to get a church plant off the ground and then we had our second child last Fall. We’ve been super busy building our life and home…but things have finally settled in again and my focus is now on recording the new material.

StSL – Have you been seeing any overarching themes in your new material?

Jeremy – Joy, friendship and resurrection are some themes I’ve noticed running through my new songs. After Recovery, writing songs has started to feel like painting to me—or at least there’s a visual thing I’m trying to communicate or connect with.

I want the music to be like a canvas that stretches out in front of you and shows you something gorgeous that you get absorbed into. I love the feeling that music gives me when it deeply moves me both lyrically and musically. It may sound lofty – and it looks funny having even typed all that out! But it’s really what I’m shooting for.

StSL – One of my favorite songs of yours is Distress Signal. Can you share the story behind that song?

Jeremy – It’s a plea to a loved one to let down their guard and actually deal with a broken relationship rather than fake it and talk about the weather. It’s also sort of a reflection on forgiveness and what it looks like.

StSL – A stranger comes up to you and says, “Play me the best song ever written.” What do you play?

Jeremy – Man. How do I answer this?! I’ll pick one of my favorites because there are so many…God Only Knows from Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys.

StSL – How challenging has it been for you to balance your professional life with being a husband and a father?

Jeremy – Great question. It’s been a challenge for sure. Thankfully my wife is behind me 100% and really gets what it is that I do for a living. We’ve got a real team approach to things where we rely on each other for support and are always trying to sharpen our schedules so that we don’t neglect the important things like time with each other, our children and our friends. We don’t always get it right but we’re learning. My biggest challenge personally is the all the traveling for touring. When things are really busy it’s a constant state of going and not really resting too much. But then the touring season ends and everything comes to a halt.

It’s a bit crazy but we’re used to it after all these years. I suspect it’s the same for other families too—just trying to make everything go. A lot of prayer helps…but truly my wife is awesome. She’s the backbone of our home life especially when I’m traveling a lot.

Be sure to check out JeremyCasella.com for more info and join us right here tomorrow for part two!