Writers Block Party

NEW WEBSITE IS UP!

2010-02-08T19:12:00.000-08:00

HEY EVERYONE, JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT MY NEW WEBSITE IS UP AND I'LL BE BLOGGING FROM THERE NOW.

WWW.CASEYHURTMUSIC.COM

NEW WEBSITE ALMOST UP...

2010-01-17T14:17:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone,

Just wanted to let you know that I'll be switching over to my new website, www.caseyhurtmusic.com in the next few weeks. You can read all about my blogs and shows and updates on there.

Love ya,

Casey Hurt

Wow Hall Show 11.10.09

2009-11-17T12:36:00.000-08:00

Last week I had the privilege of opening for Tyrone Wells and Rootdown at the Wow Hall. It was an amazing show and I thought for those of you who missed it you might want to check out some videos. Let me know what you think.

Stick Around from Casey Hurt on Vimeo.

Wow hall - 11.10.09 - Babylon from Casey Hurt on Vimeo.

WOW HALL 11.10.09 - Amazing Grace from Casey Hurt on Vimeo.

New Album Review from Holland - What?

2009-09-12T08:09:00.000-07:00

Here is the google translated version of this review. If you wanted to read it in it's full glory you can go to www.rootstime.be

For a successful mix of Americana folk music with soul and you can contact the American singer-songwriter Casey Hurt. The influence of famous composers from the past three decades are clearly present in the fresh and contemporary work that Casey Hurt brings his latest CD "Letters From A Friend".

Casey Hurt for music is still a secondary activity in addition to his daily activities as a bartender in a local pub. He is also a popular pastor in the local church. But he is very happy to be professionally active as a musician and his songs played over at bring. In 2006 he took the first tentative steps with his debut album "The Glory", an ep-tje that limited attention in the music press could count but had started to the full CD.

He devotes much attention to the contents of the texts for his songs, which brought together ten copies we see in this album. A Brett Dennen, Tracy Chapman and Damien Rice operate in the same genre as Casey Hurt and have already proved that you do as a musician can develop into a successful career.

The songs start from an acoustic approach but are richly supplemented where necessary with additional instrumentation and even the angelic harmony vocals by Valeri Lopez contribute to a professional sounding contemporary pop song, witness for example the numbers of "Get Back To Ya" and "Stick Around" .

The more subdued and intimate ballads sound convincing. One of the best songs is "Do not Walk Away" which reflect genuine emotions. The back and forth between optimism and pessimism, 'feel good' and 'feel bad', ups and downs is a bit of red thread throughout the ten tracks on "Letters From A Friend". Other highlights on this CD the piano ballad "Come to Me" and the full emotion, but happily sung love song "I Will Love You To The Grave".

Through his songs he wants a forum on the words of the people who usually are not discussed in society. Therein lies its religious mission as pastor, but rest assured: this is no disturbing presence in the songs on "Letters From A Friend". For a lighter subject as his addiction to Facebook (a current theme) is reflected in the song "Seven Seas".

His wife Lauren - who is professional photographer - took care of the pretty pictures that were used to record a cover of this album more than deserves wider listening audience.

(valsam)

New Album Review in the Corvallis Gazette Times

2009-08-14T17:16:00.000-07:00

Letters from a friend
Soulful singer, pastor, bartender manages to embrace it all on new CD

By Nancy Raskauskas
The Entertainer

CORVALLIS — Corvallis singer/songwriter Casey Hurt is a man of contradictions and it suits him just fine. As far as he’s concerned, the harder he is to label the better. A few that might come to mind:

Pastor

Bartender

Musician

Tattoo lover

Husband

For Hurt, it all boils down to one thing: Honesty.

“I’ve always wanted to hold myself in tension,” he said. His new CD “Letters from a Friend” artfully harmonizes the many seemingly disparate facets of his life, with conscious songs that muse on “trying to learn to treat everyone as human.”

“There is an intimacy in anything that you would sing or write to a friend,” Hurt said. “I kind of view all my songs in the album as letters,” he said. “My music tries to give a voice to people that don’t always have voice.”

The title song was inspired by Hurt’s experience working at a pharmacy, where one day he watched a co-worker belittle a heroine user, who came in to buy clean needles.

The song is sung from the perspective of the addict.

“You know I love you, but I’m just working on myself/it’s not as easy when you don’t have somebody else -. Everybody has got some sort of vice/it’s just that this one’s got me.”

“We all have our vices, so that song is really about struggle,” Hurt said.

In another song, “Seven Seas,” Hurt reflects on the vices in his own life, which include an obsession shared by many — Facebook.

“There’s a fight that’s inside of you/A fight that you can’t win/You treat distractions like lovers and truth like a distant friend.”

Hurt calls his music “nakedly honest Americana soul.”

Many of the songs on “Letters to a Friend” go whole-heartedly to the dark side with brooding reflections on serious themes. Others are beguiling simple ditties with irresistibly catchy lyrics, such as “Stick Around” and “Get Back to You,” a duet with harmonies by the talented Valeri Lopez.

“I’m going to take that train/I’m going to take it soon/I’m going to find myself a way to get back to ya.”

Other collaborators on the CD include Brian Harvey of Pine Language and members of bands Norman and F.O.L.K.L.O.R.E.

Hurt has put out a couple of EPs, but this is his first full-length album.

“I’m just trying to step out and play the music that really says something to me, he said.

Hurt spent many of his formative years in Corvallis, attending Adams and Mountain View elementary schools, Santiam Christian and Crescent Valley High School, between the ages of 5 and 16 years old.

His family now lives in Hawaii, where he finished out high school before moving heading back to the mainland.

These days he works behind the bar of the Downward Dog. His wife, Lauren Hurt, is a photographer.

In addition, he is the pastor for a nondenominational Corvallis church called Doxology that meets Sundays at Avery Park. Formerly it held worship in local high schools and in the now-closed Platinum nightclub.

“We figured if we held it in a bar almost anyone could show -. and be transparent and honest about who they are,” Hurt said.

Hurt sees encouraging other artists and musicians as one of his primary roles in the church.

He often collaborates with other local musicians. He’s also a drummer for the Vicious Kisses.

Just so there is no confusion, it should be stated that Hurt is not a fan of Christian rock.

“I don’t understand why Christianity needs a subculture,” he said. “Anyone who makes music is displaying God whether they believe in it or not — you can say that about the most obscure or profane artist.”

CHECK IT OUT

WHO: Casey Hurt

WHAT: “Nakedly honest Americana soul”

UPCOMING SHOWS:

• 10 a.m. Sept. 5, Corvallis Artisan’s Market.

• 8 p.m. Sept. 5, Cloud 9, Corvallis. Admission: $5. With: Vicious Kisses, F.O.L.K.L.O.R.E., Norman and Pine Language.

NEW CDS: “Letters from a Friend” can be purchased online at CD Baby, ITunes and Digg Station or at an upcoming show.

INFO: www.myspace.com/caseyhurt

Crazy Couple Of Months

2009-07-15T17:57:00.000-07:00

Wow, I don't know what happened... it seems like the last two months have just flown by. Between finishing the album, flying to LA, a release show in Oregon and preforming my brother in laws wedding I haven't had much time to think. It's all been really great stuff though, the album "letters from a friend" is officially out now so if you haven't picked it up yet you should.
We were able to sell almost 300 copies in the first weekend! I can't wait for you all to hear it. You can check out clips of it @ digstation.com

Now it's time for a couple days of rest. I'll be back in the studio soon working on a new album for my good friends Pine Language If you have not checked them out yet you really should. We'll i love you guys, I think I'm going to go catch up on some sleep.

Casey

New Live Album

2009-06-15T12:17:00.000-07:00

Hello Again,

On my last trip down to LA I had an amazing opportunity to play a show at The Mint with The Brian Buckley Band, Three Blind Mice and Olivia Henry. The Show was a lot of fun and we all were lucky enough to get a live recording of it. I thought all of you might like to hear it so I'm releasing my set for free on my reverb nation account. Just click on the link below to get the free downloads.

I'm also Excited to announce the My Album "Letters from a friend" will be available for purchase on July 1st. I can't wait for you all to hear it.

Love you guys a lot,

I'm a drum machine... kind of

2009-05-11T22:09:00.000-07:00

So I did it, I finally started my new album. Can you believe it's been almost 4 years since I released the burlap e.p.? Well it has and it's time to put out some new music.
I'm doing the whole album in this nice little studio I like to call "the unit". It's located in an RV storage unit on the wrong side of town and it kind of smells like old beer but for the next while it's where i'll call home. Over the last two weeks i've mostly been working on recording the drum tracks. I was lucky enough to have my friend Jordan Wood from "A Dream Too Late" come in and play drums for a few of the songs. He helped me to realize how great real drummers can be. I played drums on the rest of the album which at times was a little more then comical. I can usually hear the parts that I want to play in my head, but getting my hands and feet to do them is a whole different story.

The album will be released mid to late June and I'll be sure to let you know where you can pick it up. I'm really excited about the collection of songs on this album. A lot of the songs are ones that were written and posted on this very blog, songs that you few followers were the first to hear. I'm very thankful for all the inspiration and insight that I got from you guys. I am forever in your debt.

-Casey
www.myspace.com/caseyhurt
www.twitter.com/caseyhurt

Hollywood California...

2009-05-02T16:58:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

Long time, no blog. Things got pretty crazy over the last few weeks. Between easter, leaving for LA and starting a new album I haven't had much time to devote to you guys... I am truly sorry.
LA was amazing... Like really amazing, It was great to catch up with old friends. This might sound funny but I was reminded about how much I love music when I was down there. How exciting it is to take risks with the things you love, and to have people right along side of you who are all risking just as much.
I had the amazing privilege of playing a show at this club called "The Mint". It to was amazing, lots of people came out to support us even though it was a sunday night. I was lucky enough to have the very talented Olivia Henry sing on "Don't walk away" and Jon did a little beat box number on "babylon".
I will try and post some videos soon but until then I hope these pictures will do.

Casey

House Shows and New Toys...

2009-04-09T12:10:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

Last week I had the privilege of playing an awesome house show with two killer bands... Jack Ruby Presents and Pine Language. I just got a new loop station so I decided to try it out at the show. I still need to work out the kinks but I think it has potential. Here is a new song that I tried out at the show...

12th and Jackson House Show from Casey Hurt on Vimeo.

Love ya,

Casey

Song of the week 03.12.09

2009-03-12T18:53:00.001-07:00

Song of the week 03.12.09 from Casey Hurt on Vimeo.

ALCHY AWARD WINNER: BEST ACOUSTIC PERFORMER

2009-03-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

Hey Ladies and Gentleman, I just wanted to share with you the article that was written about me in the Corvallis Alchemist this week...

ALCHY AWARD WINNER: BEST ACOUSTIC PERFORMER
CASEY HURT
Local performer Casey Hurt is many things to many people. He is an artist of music, a pastor, and a tattooed scotch enthusiast who will be twenty-five in March. He was also voted winner of the 2008 Alchy Award for best acoustic performer. Talking with him is like speaking to a regular guy; minus the quick-scribbling on a notepad, the interview was more an enjoyable conversation.
“Words are pretty powerful,” he commented early on, emphasizing that “Words have different meanings to different people.”
As a writer of music on several levels, Hurt can be taken for an authority on this. For his own acoustic performances he writes both music and words, spending one part of his time on the music for every two parts to his lyrics, following the lead of his musical wordsmith influences like the Beatles, Tracy Chapman, and the Violent Femmes.
“I usually write the music first,” he explained, “I’m kind of anal about the lyrics. I don’t want to say what I don’t mean.”
For a person like Casey, such devotion can lead to great music, but also eat up a lot of time, especially for someone leading a local four hundred person fellowship like Doxology. Luckily, Hurt has much the same goals as his own church’s mission: glory to God and joy to the city.
“My actual calling as a pastor was to free me up to do what I was already doing as an artist,” he said.
Hurt has a lot of faith in Corvallis, and not just in the religious sense. He has been in town for the last six years and has watched to many other musicians making the move up to Portland, thinking it is the only way to proceed professionally. In turn, Hurt works with, preaches to, and records many locals, all while extolling the rich diversity in Corvallis.
“I don’t want to fake anyone out. I want to be honest about the writing – to display something truthful about myself.”
Writing an recording have taken up much of Hurt’s schedule lately as he’s kept to a lesser amount of live performances. He still spends a good amount of time on writing pastoral music, but also works on finishing his first album in over two years, and creating hip-hop beats on his computer for friends in LA to rap over. He couldn’t totally stay away from performing though, and put in regular appearances at the Saturday Market and in cafes in the area.
Throughout it all, Hurt is sure to not lose his focus. He writes songs about ups and downs, trials and tribulations, and keeps it all within bounds that people can connect to. He even keeps a regularly updated blog about his music-writing, so people can have an up-close look and a greater understanding.
“Rawness is the thing people appreciate the most,” Hurt explained, and he’s good at it. Maybe that’s why he won his Alchy.
With so many things calling on his time, it is amazing that Casey Hurt can stay as happy and as dedicated as he is. This reporter thinks it is because Hurt is happy to take time out of his day to sit and talk about life, and that is something that everyone can relate to. You can judge for yourself when you attend his show, March 20th at WineStyles up at Timber Hill.
“I’m not trying to throw my religion in people’s faces,” Hurt said, “The gospel is there and it is part of it, but my music is about life.”
~Robin Canfield

The Creative Mind...

2009-02-17T14:21:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone, I just wanted to share this video with you. It was incredibly inspiring and insightful for me as an artist and it's totally worth watching. You wont regret it.

Love ya,

Casey

What kind of man would I be...

2009-01-02T19:27:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure how to explain this song yet. I might need a few days to process it.

What kind of man would I be?

there's not a price that I wont pay
to hold a thing that will fade away
I will sell myself for an object on a shelf
just to have something to tell me what to say

There's not a song that I wont sing
if it will get me that diamond ring
I will wear it proud, until it's luster's all worn out
and I've forgotten what my words used to mean

to think these things could really make me free

There's not a price that I wont pay
to worship what my hands create
I love what I should not because it makes me feel alright
and it's easier then having to change

to think these things could really make me free

what would I think about
if I no longer had all my doubt
what kind of man would i be
without all these thing defining me

There's not a price I could pay
for someone to love me this way
while I serve the things I buy God decided he would die
so that I no longer have to be a slave

to think these things could really make me free
to think my things could really make me free

I love you guys,

Casey

Catching Up...

2008-12-31T10:05:00.000-08:00

First off, I really need to apologize to you all for not updating for the last month. I know it deserves some explanation and I'm fully prepared to answer.

My main excuse is that I go through these phases as an artist where my inspiration is running a little thin. The right thing to do would be to work hard, push through it and diversify my expression. The wrong thing to do would be to get another job so that I feel really busy and can make an excuse for why I'm not doing my art.

Anyone want to take a guess as to which one I did?

Anyway, my last day of work was last wednesday. I realized my sin and I'm in the process of repenting.

A few other things I've been busy with...

My dear friends Jon, Ian and Hanna were up to visit for awhile. We worked hard on putting out a little Hip Hop E.P. together which I'm very proud of.
Also, I just Got finished leading worship for this big youth confrence in Portland Called Winter Youth. I had an incredible time and realized a lot about myself and the calling God has on my life.

With All that Said, I'm very sorry and I will try and be a better blog friend.

Here's one of the songs that we finished for the hip hop project. I hope you like it.

Love you guys,
We'll talk soon,

Casey

Song of The Week 11.2.08

2008-11-02T21:45:00.000-08:00

I apologize for the long delay. Things have been a little bit crazy lately so I haven't got as much posting done as I would have liked.

Anyway, The Song this week is called "I'll Be Near". Honestly I don't have a ton to say about this song just yet because I only finished it about an hour ago. It's still has some maturing to do but all in all I really like it. The song was inspired by a new album I bought recently by Ray LaMontagne titled Gossip In the Grain. It's incredible and if you don't have it you should stop reading and go buy it right now. One of the Main themes of the album seems to be friendship and I guess that's what inspired me. I'm learning more and more these days to write about things that are good. It's really freeing. I'm finding these really complex inspirational joys in the midst of happiness and I love it. It's not to say that things aren't still hard at times, I guess I'm just learning how to see the gospel in those times.
I love you guys a lot and I will try to be better at posting.

Peace,

Casey

Delay of Game...

2008-10-19T22:52:00.000-07:00

We just switched to a new computer and I'm having some technical difficulties with protools right now. I am unable to record at this moment but I will post this weeks song soon. I love you guys. Thanks for understanding.

Casey

Song of the Week 10.07.08

2008-10-07T23:12:00.000-07:00

Hey Ladies and Gentlemen,

Sorry again for lack of posts lately. Life has been pretty crazy, It seems like there has been an overwhelming since of responsibility on my hands. Most of it's good stuff, it just keeps me really busy. Anyway,
The song this week is titled Babylon. It's actually one I've been working on a little bit longer than this week. It comes out of psalm 137 where it talks about God's people being in captivity in Babylon and almost forgetting there first Joy, Zion. As I was writing this song I felt really compelled to stay true to the text. Sometimes I allow my self the liberty to expound on the ideas but I just felt that this needed to be as close to verbatim as I could get it. Because of that it became a rather long song. I struggled a lot with the tension of feeling like I should make it fit a tighter mold but there was still just this pulling inside of me that said, "stay true to the text and let it take as long as it needs to." So that's what I did.
I really like the feel of this song, it's different from the way I usually write and it was a nice change. It's no Jimmy Cliff, but it'll do.
I try to be better at posting on time but the truth is I'm exhausted. There has been a lot of different circumstances that have caused me to feel weighted down lately emotional and physically, but I will do my best to keep the music coming, even it the hard times.
I Love you all a lot, We'll talk next week.

Casey

Shows and Sickness...

2008-09-28T20:20:00.000-07:00

Hey all, so as you can probably figure out, I didn't get a song finished this week. Things have been pretty crazy lately around here. I had a show in Portland this last Thursday at the Camellia Lounge, which was fun cause I got to open for this band called Two Step Slumber. Over the course of the week though I became more and more sick. Also, the church that I'm the worship pastor at changed venues this week so we had plenty of details to work out there. All in All it's been a crazy week and I didn't have as much time to write as I would have liked. I'll do my best to be back on for next week. Here are some pictures to tide you over.

Love you guys,

Casey

Song of the Week - 09.19.08 I will be

2008-09-19T12:27:00.000-07:00

I was pretty close this week to not posting a song. I tried all week to write and every time I sat down at the piano or with the guitar I just couldn't do it. I felt pretty distracted all week. Lauren and I were both kind of sick and things just got busy. It wasn't till late last night/early this morning that the music started to come. The song itself must have switched between 5 or so different keys before I settled into this one. It also changed tempo a few times. It started out fast but it just didn't sing right that way.
The song it self I think is really another statement of the war that goes on inside my brain. The battle between needing other people and being an introvert. I think we all have our defense mechanisms where when we get tired or get our feelings hurt or feel threaten we do what feels natural to us. For me that's shutting down, not letting anyone around me in including God. I get lost in my own thoughts and it's sometimes hard to get out. The chorus in this song for me really feels like a desperate prayer. It's me just asking God to remind me that the he sees something more then I see and that he believes in me because he is good and see's what I truly am.
Love you guys, thanks for going through all this with me. If you wanted to hear other songs of the week push the far right arrow and it should skip to past song.

Peace,
Casey

House Keeping / Great Song

2008-09-12T11:55:00.000-07:00

Hey, Just wanted to give a little explanation with blog amp. If you want to listen to past songs, just click on the far right arrows and it will take you to previous songs. All the songs of the week should be labeled with the date. There's some more hip hop stuff on there also. Just thought I'd let you know.
Also, I wish I would have written this song. To bad for me.

Song of the Week 09.10.08

2008-09-10T16:15:00.000-07:00

Alright, Back to normal...

This weeks song is called Great lakes. I have to confess I've been working on this one for a little longer then a week. I guess sometimes it just takes me a little longer to know what the songs about. I originally started writing this song because I felt like I was in a slump where all I was writing was blue-grassy folk songs. I wanted to write something a little more straight and poppy. The main Idea of the song is that a lot of the time we as humans get so busy in our day to day lives that we forget about the things that we really love and long for. I think we have good intentions but we end up making all sorts of plans to write that book, go back to school or take that chance with music and before you know it we've settled for a life that is so much less then we ever dreamed of. I don't want to be a victim of my own good intentions. I want to know what I was made for. I think that the author of the book Walden said it best.

The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.

Henry David Thoreau, "Walden", 1854

Song of the Week - Side Project

2008-09-02T15:10:00.000-07:00

Alright, back to work. This weeks song comes from a little side project that I am doing with some friends of mine down in LA. It's obviously not my normal sound but hip hop is closer to my heart then one would thing. Growing up I listened to a lot of hip hop, blues and soul and when I first learned to play guitar I was mostly playing the blues with my dad. I'm not really sure how I got into it but all through middle school and most of High School I listened to hard core gangsta rap. You know like NWA and EAZY-E and through the years I have held a high appreciation for good hip-hop.
This project has been a lot of fun so far because it's really making me use a side of my brian that I'm not used to. I usually spend most of my time writeing melodies and lyrics but now I'm forced to think in beats and hooks. Don't worry, next week I'll be back to normal, I just watned to share with you what I'm up to. I love ya, It's good to be back.

Casey

Song of the Week?

2008-08-28T18:33:00.000-07:00

I have to let you all know, I have not forgot about you or about the song but I decided to go on vacation this last week. My wife and I went to visit family in Hawaii and we spent every day in the beach. I promise to post a songs soon, thanks for the vacation. Love you guys,

- Cheers

Casey

Song of the Week 08.18.08

2008-08-18T23:13:00.000-07:00

A lot of the time when I write songs I feel like I'm trying to get an idea or message of some sort across. That was not the case this week. This week all I was trying to do was describe a picture that I had in my head.
Last Thursday night I went on a walk at about 11:30. I was just trying to get my head clear because I had been trying to write and it was feeling really forced. I think I just had a lot on my mind and wasn't really sure what I was supposed to write about.
As I was walking and praying, I just asked God to give me something to write about. There was an amazing full moon out that night and as I started to concentrate on it the line, " the man in the moon has got his eye on you" came into my head. As I thought about that line I got a picture in my mind of a little girl, and her father watching her.
I already had the basic melody line in my head from a few weeks earlier. It really seemed to fit the picture well because it kind of sounded like a lullaby.
As I was writing I was just trying to imagine what it would feel like to have a daughter. In a lot of ways that thought scares me to death. The impression that I got from this father picture in my head was that raising this child would be the best and most important thing he ever does. It was like he was looking at her with such amazement because he never knew that he could love something so much.
It's crazy to think that the best thing I'll ever do with my life, is love and teach and raise a child. It really makes all the busyness seem less important.

Song of the Week 08.11.08 - Psalm 5

2008-08-11T23:20:00.000-07:00

This week was challenging for me. I have to admit that I must have started two or three songs before I eventually decided to stick with this one. It all started out when I began to read through the book of psalms. I had a strong feeling that I was supposed to read through the book very intentionally and not just rush through it like I sometimes have a tendency to do.
One of the things that intrigued me very quickly after I started reading was that the writer knew God in a very different way then I did. He was not in the least bit ashamed of the fact that God hated Evil. I decided to try and put one of the psalms to music and as I did a started to get very uncomfortable. There were a lot of phrases that I had a hard time singing. Phrases like, "You destroy all who tell lies" Psalm 5:6a., or " the arrogant cannot stand in your presence. You hate all who do wrong."Psalm 5:5
As I finished the song I was pretty unimpressed. I decided to show it to Lauren to get a second opinion and I was surprised with what I herd. After I finished the song she looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, THAT IS TRUE ABOUT GOD.
I don't hate evil like God does. God hated evil enough to do something about it. In the middle of Psalm 5 the writer says, "but I, by your great love, can come into your house; in reverence i bow down toward your holy temple." The writer knew the intensity of Gods love because he saw the reality of his hatred. It gives me chills to think about the punishment that Christ received. He took upon himself the evil that God hated so much. When Christ prayed in the Garden he must have really new what he was up against.
Luke 22:42-44
"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

technical difficulties

2008-08-11T18:50:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to write you all a quick note to tell you that I'm having technical difficulties. I have my song for this week recorded but I can't get it into mp3 format right now. I hope to have it up by tomorrow. Sorry,

Love you guys,

Casey

Song of the Week - I am Free - 08.05.08

2008-08-05T12:35:00.000-07:00

So this song has kind of got a long story to it. I first started writing music because I was looking for a way to express a lot of the hurt and frustration that I had inside. My songs were raw and genuine and that's where I found most of my inspiration. The only problem was that pain became my only inspiration. It seemed like I was getting myself into bad situations just to have some sort of material. I know that sounds awful but unfortunately it's true. I don't think that I did it intentionally, but I did it non the less.
Then one day I reunited with a beautiful young woman. She was smart, funny, and full of joy. She, over time was able to teach me what it was like to enjoy life and eventually we got married.
All sounds great, right? I've got one problem though. I don't know how to write songs when I'm happy. I eventually learned how to look to God and to the people around me for my inspiration but the one thing my wife always kept asking me was why I never wrote a song for her.
My excuse was that she was in every song I wrote, which was true but I was still having a hell of a time writing songs that were happy. Over the past six months I began to realize that even though being happy might not be in style, it's still worth writing about even if at times it seems cheesy or cliche'
So with all that said, I dedicate this post to her. I finally leaned how to write a happy song, and this songs for You. Happy Anniversary!

- Casey

Ode to Camas, WA

2008-08-04T10:12:00.000-07:00

I had a great time in Camas, Washington this weekend. Met some really great people, and I'll definitly be coming back soon. A huge thanks to Twilight Pizza Bistro for everything they did this weekend. Love you guys.
- Casey

Song of the Week - Come to me - 08.01.08

2008-07-31T16:08:00.000-07:00

The song of the week is called Come To Me. Sometimes writing a song can take me hours, even days to do, and other times it just comes out in minutes. This was one of those time. I just sat down at the piano and it gushed out of me. I think that I was inspired by that invitation Jesus gave to the broken people around him. I realized how broad that invitation was, it could include almost anyone. My initial picture of someone who is burdened or heavyhearted is very glum. I picture a homeless man or an orphan or something like that. I know that those people are included in his invitation but I guess what I realized is that I'm around burdened people everyday. A lot of them don't even know it. Hell, I don't even know it sometimes. I suppose we all have baggage, and I would guess that we're all looking for a place to set that baggage down from time to time. My problem is that i've become very attached to my baggage, and I don't like to trust people with it. In fact, I think I might find some of my Identity in my baggage. I guess that's what makes Christ's invitation so hard. He not only wants me to lay down my baggage, he actually want me to leave it. He says. " Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light"

For me, this song is an invitation to find my identity in Christ, not my own issues.

The start of something new...

2008-07-30T19:52:00.000-07:00

So, I'm officially breaking the rules with this one. I know that media says I'm supposed to be dark and mysterious, that I'm not supposed to let my songs be heard until they are completely polished but I say, the hell with it. Since I started writing songs, (which was at the age of 13 for anyone who cares) I've always been about being honest with my audience. Now I'll admit that some of that came from the huge influence that Dashboard had on me ( pre-cover of spin magazine) but most of it came from family and close friends. I was fortunate enough to have a family that challenged me to be honest at all times, even if I was scared. I guess I started wearing my heart on my sleeve because it felt like the most natural thing to do. It also didn't hurt that more women paid attention to me.

Anyway, I'll try and get to the point.

I want this to be a place where you can be invited into my journey as a songwriter. I can't promise that it will be neat and polished, in-fact I can almost guarantee that it wont be. But one thing I will say is that I'll be honest about the process, even if it sounds like madness.

My plan is to write one song a week and then post it for you all to hear. I'll try as best I can to explain what inspired it, but I must warn you that some of it might seem dark.

Don't be afraid. It's only art. And who knows, I might learn how to write a happy song somewhere along the way.