Interview: Caspar McCloud Band
The Caspar McCloud Band are back with their brilliant and inspiring new album 'Back to Back'. Regular visitors to Louder Than The Music will already know that Pastor Caspar is a treasure trove of Biblical knowledge and scientific theory - and in our latest interview with this exceptional singer, songwriter and guitarist, he doesn't disappoint as he delves into everything he sees happening in the world today. We also chat with each of his talented band mates to find out their views on recording music, and how they came to work with Caspar. Buckle up and read on for an eclectic and insightful interview...
Caspar, you're back with a brand new album titled 'Back to Back', give us a little intro to this album?
Caspar: We read in places like Colossians 3:23 - And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
In the Old Testament, we read in Psalm 33 about rejoicing in the Lord and playing skillfully unto him with a new song.
Therefore I think it is safe to conclude that our Lord Jesus encourages us to sing and play unto him skillfully, and do it with new songs.
For me writing songs unto the Lord helps to continually draw closer to Christ daily, and I pray it helps others who connect with us to do likewise. Whoever wants to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus must still deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow after him.
We also need to understand that we live in a supernatural world, and there are things we see happening and things we don't see happening that carry on behind the scenes. There is the visible world and an invisible world, and some things don't appear to be what they truly are. At the moment we are seeing one of the biggest deceptions in history playing out on the world stage that the Holy Scriptures forewarned us would happen before the Lord Jesus who is physically forever alive returns for us.
Many of us are now aware of the fact we are living in perilous times as we are observing ancient prophecy unfolding before us, with the spirit of fear which God did not give us, driving this agenda from propaganda news covering the entire world. How is it so many, especially in the church today willingly submit to such things without looking at the fact that the handful of people pushing this global agenda have openly stated what they plan on doing to depopulate the world, give you a brain chip implant before the end of this decade that people like Elon Musk are working on, and as Klaus Schwab head of the World Economic Forum who was raised from a family linked to the Nazis is going about making statements that soon you will own nothing and be happy about it?
I believe our music on Back To Back reflects these issues we are all concerned about whilst still bringing a message of peace, hope, and joy in Christ. We Christians are supposed to help go make disciples. They will know we are Christians by our agape love and respect for each other. If you love the Lord Jesus/Yeshua and love people we are to share the Gospel with them and supernatural signs and wonders shall follow after you.
If I may give you a wee bit longer introduction, let me share this as well, because back in 2014, an international team of researchers, from the Institute for Quantum Optics of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, along with several other associated organisations managed to create an entanglement of 103 dimensions with only two photons. Before this scientists had only been able to establish 11 dimensions. The discovery of 103 dimensions meant this world system is much more complex than we can understand whilst these scientists are advancing in their efforts toward the construction of quantum computers with much higher processing speeds than those in current use, with encryption of the information that would boggle most people's minds. Yes, they are recording too much personal information on you, but I would be more concerned about how the Lord is recording every little thing we think, say, and do up in Heaven.
Consequently, we find our Holy Guide Book to the Supernatural, (the Holy Bible) speaking of multiple heavens. I believe the Lord gave us science to reveal how glorious his creation is.
For example, the Holy Scriptures refer to the third heaven.
I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know - God knows (2 Corinthians 12:2). We sing together Lord let us see things the way you do on Back to Back.
If there is a third heaven, it seems logical there must also be the first and second heaven. Interestingly, however, the Holy Scriptures do not specifically mention the first and second heavens, but as we study to show ourselves approved of the Lord we can gain a perspective on this and how it will play out in the grand finale.
Another example is: Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession (Hebrews 4:14). Passing through how many heavens would that imply for us?
We also discovered that as a band we can share a message through our music that probably not be allowed to be shared today in other formats if we simply said such things. We are observing many freedoms we once took for granted being suppressed by those who embrace an Orwellian perspective with a world run by Artificial Intelligence. A friend of mine doing a major film has already asked about using our song Freedom for their project. As we sing together, For without freedom you have nothing to hold on to and you become like a slave in Babylon. Nevertheless where the Spirit of God lives there is freedom and no chains can hold you down. (2 Corinthians 3:17)
Just as we were forewarned much of the modern church has been leading God's sheep astray with false doctrines and smoke and mirrors so they no longer search the Holy Scriptures to find the answers. They no longer understand what the Lord Jesus accomplished for us on the Cross whilst just tickling people's ears.
Nor do they inquire what are the ingredients in certain substances before they willingly agree to become part of a global experiment. Once you receive something like a needle of deception which changes you at the molecular level you can't go back and undo it any more than if you fall off a building, as you can't go back and undo that experience.
The Word of God has a great deal to share with us about the great end-time deceptions, like in 2 Thessalonians 2 where the Lord tells us about Satan's lying signs and wonders and how all those who refused the Gospel will receive a strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
How many today choose to stay ignorant of the truth and are perishing from lack of knowledge? (Hosea 4:6) Even a blind bat that Ozzy Osborn wants to bite the head off can see the nefarious plans that are unfolding on the world stage.
The music on Back to Back reflects many of these concerns whilst surrounding us in a place in which we worship the Lord Jesus and trust him for every detail. Should I mention researchers have revealed some of the substances in these new so-called medicines injections have been found to contain fetal cell lines. Read the ingredients on the labels of many well-known processed foods and drinks which often contain an additive called HEK293, which is added in to help boost sales by enhancing the flavours of these fast food and drinks. HEK293 stands for “Human Embryonic Kidney Cells” meaning these were taken from the kidney tissue of a healthy electively aborted human fetus. Is this a sacrifice to Moloch that the Gates of Hell Foundation is trying to force on the world? You tell me?
Do any of those pushing their products of genetic modifications have your best interest at heart?
Name one other product that has caused thousands of people to die within three days of being injected and has left thousands of people injured in numerous ways worldwide with such adverse effects that are allowed to stay on the market and are still being pushed on people today? The only passport we need is to be received in Heaven.
We read in places like 1 Peter 4:17- For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
The Lord Jesus/Yeshua often spoke in parables to get his messages to us, possibly because the ruling classes of his time who served the kingdom of darkness were also hindering freedom of speech. If the Lord Jesus just spoke without parables chances are they would have tried deplatforming him for breaking their made-up community standards. The parables of the Ten Virgins are a serious warning to each one of us today, it is a warning to believe and obey the commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth. There are no second chances after your life in this dimension ends. We cannot believe the Gospel and be a doer of the Word after we have died, that option is not available.
The Ten Virgins is a parable about the kingdom of God and consequently the Lord Jesus’ physically returning in his glorified body in his second coming. Now is the time to get right with the Lord Jesus whilst you still are able. Anyone who dies between now and then and does not believe in Jesus for your salvation is eternally beyond foolish. After death, there will be no second chances.
I believe as much as we are trying to encourage people through our music we are also issuing a vital message that judgment is coming and we can not afford to sit on the fence. We must choose which side we belong to. And don't even get me started on the Transhumanism agenda and one-world government that is quickly forming in front of us. As for me and my band mates we shall serve the Lord Jesus.
For this album, you're going by the name 'Caspar McCloud Band' rather than just your name, what's changed?
Caspar: Working and ministering with Renae, Donovan, and Carlos has become a group effort. In times past I tended to be more like a classical composer wanting the musicians recording with me to play precise parts that I composed. On Back to Back, I still sang 3 and 4 part harmonies on the basic tracks to present my ideas of how I thought the songs should flow, which the band later replaced with their signature personalities. All of them are extremely gifted, skillful, and very talented, and devoted to the Lord Jesus. I discovered it was best to let their musical expressions be given free rein. Renae, Donovan, and Carlos all contributed wonderfully anointed parts as in much the same way Michelangelo was quoted as saying " Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it."
Let's meet your fellow band members and find out how they met you...
Renae: My name is “Renae’ Truex” and I’m from Moundsville, West Virginia. A small town just south of Wheeling. I grew up playing music in my family. I moved to Nashville Tennessee in 1995 and have been so blessed to be able to play professionally since moving there.
I met Caspar at a “Hear The Watchmen” prophecy conference in March 2019. I was there to take in the conference and to play for some of it as well, though not exactly sure where I would be placed. Such a blessing from the Lord that Caspar and I ended up being paired up to play together! From the very first song, we knew that our pairing was heaven-sent. When the virus hit, I set up the ability to be able to record tracks from my home. I felt led to reach out to Caspar to record. The first song he sent me turned into an entire record henceforth “Black Swan” was created! Now we are so pleased to bring our newest record “Back To Back.”
This has been such an amazing journey and we are only beginning. Did I mention how much I love being in this band?
Carlos: My name is Carlos Merced I was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. I've known Caspar for about 18 years. I was playing at a church and the bass player there mentioned to me that this British guy was looking for a drummer for his band and gave me Caspar's information. I contacted Caspar and went and auditioned... I guess he liked what he heard. As I now call him my brother from another mother.
Donovan: My name is Donovan, I briefly met Caspar at a coffee shop in the late ’90s. It was a short but memorable introduction. Fast forward to 2015, Caspar showed up at a community prayer gathering where I was leading worship. I had my marching orders and knew he was coming but we didn’t have any time to rehearse; Caspar just showed up, plugged in, and seamlessly added his signature guitar to our equation. I was impressed for sure! I guess he was impressed enough with our synergy to reach out to me and see if we could collaborate. That was 2015 but it wasn’t until late 2019 when Caspar’s Game Changers album was coming out that I was able to start coming around and cranking out some rehearsals with him and Carlos. So it’s been about 2 years of active collaboration.
Which songs on this album most speak to each of you personally and why?
Renea: Wow, this could be a long answer but will try to sum it up the best that I can for attention's sake. I must say that each of them holds a very special place in my heart.
To me, the Lord has worked so many blessings in this music. 2020 was a pretty low year for those on the musical front, and people are trying to get back on some even footing. Here out of the blue, He drops this blessing upon us. A very bright light amongst the darkness. This music. We are to share this light with others. I love that some are a major call to battle. Some are a wake-up call. Some of joy and humour. Some are reassurance that God is with us even in the darkest of times. It is our great commission to spread this on to others.
Carlos: For me, I would say "How Close We Are". As we look around at everything that is going on, you have to ask yourself how close are we to the second coming of Christ. Are we the chosen generation?
Donovan: I find myself singing quite a few of them even when band practise and gigs aren’t looming in the immediate viewfinder. As a keyboardist, a worship leader, and a lover of worshipful opportunities, I find myself drawn toward some of the more contemplative musical content that is laden with Scripture. For sure all of Caspar’s songs have the scriptural imprint, but some of my favorites on this one are “No Longer Conspiracy Now,” and “See Things the Way You Do.” For a pure musical vibe, I think I have to land on the provocative yet moody “Nanobots” (aka “All That’s Going ‘Round”) a single we put out recently not primarily because of its timely message but because of the moody layering of sound, I think we’ve achieved with that one. From the heavier rock angle, it would be “Meant for Good” - not only a great jam but also a powerful scriptural reminder that our All-Powerful God works all things together for good. Another scriptural principle that I base my life on.
Caspar: I rather love playing How Close We Are as our opening number in concert and hearing it as the first track on Back to Back. To me, there is also an element of Quantum Physics being alluded to in how we can be seated in Heavenly places at the same time we are still here on earth. As we read in Ephesians 2:6: “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” There were two quantum physicists Drs. S. Haroche and D. Wineland who independently proved in quantum mechanics that electrons can be two places at the same time and they were awarded the Nobel Prize for their work. In other words, quantum mechanics naturally predicts a multitude of universes, no matter how strange that seems. The Word of God told us this thousand of years ago. So if a proton can do this and an electron can do this, it stands to reason that even a moron can do this. We who love the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth then can be in two places at the same time. So I love the double entendres that happen in our music. I pray that our songs help take you away from entertaining the spirit of fear which God did not give you and helps you stay courageous in Christ.
There's a real range of styles on this album, classic rock, maybe a little pop, and some worship songs - was that intended from the outset?
Caspar: Thinking back and reflecting on this question, after the last release there were things you said Dave and talked to me about that helped shape and influence the direction I traveled in writing new songs. Things got started on the new album whilst we were doing a television show together and playing live. As the saying goes you are only as good as the sound engineer makes you. Probably a major reason why so many artists lip-sync on television shows as television sound engineers have a different mind and skill set than those who travel with a band or do studio sound recordings. We did a risk cost analysis and decided to trust the Lord for all things, might I add that Renae once skydived out of an aeroplane in times past, whereas I have only flown a few horses over fences and hedges sometimes not planning for that to happen. Laughs...
Anyway, Renae and I were both soloing in harmony on some song and stood back to back leaning on each other, we discovered later all the cameras zoomed in on us and people took screenshots and sent them to us. I started contemplating afterward about how our spiritual amour is all frontal and that we have each other's back as we go into daily spiritual battles. When we got home I ended up writing Back to Back and we all felt it was to be the title track for the new album. As skillful musicians playing unto the Lord Jesus, we want to be well-rounded and be able to play any style of music without losing our musical identity, especially knowing how some styles might appeal and connect to some listeners more than others. Just as some prefer us rocking them out and others prefer our acoustic sounds, some want both. I think of styles the way people might frame a work of art, or how so many seem to be dedicated followers of fashion. I recall when I was in Art school how all the popular art students would gather together on the weekends by the front hall and display how much of an individual they were, you could easily spot them because they were the ones who tended to wear all black.
Collectively as a band, we all bring in a wide range of different influences with all the things that have helped shape our lives with unique perspectives of sound offerings. Wait, is that another double entendre? I love those double entendre's when they happen in our songs because you know words can have multiple meanings and bands can have multiple reasons. Just as our opening track How Close We Are has multiple meanings. I must confess it has been very encouraging to get messages from people who tell us they want to keep playing our songs over and over again. Unless they live in Dover and then it be playing it in Dover and Dover again.
Let me remind you the Word of God says in Psalms 119:99 - I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.
The Lord tells us he will teach us all we need to know. (John 14:26)
Caspar, you're best known for your amazing guitar playing, and this album really showcases that with some long intros and solo, and even a fully instrumental track - talk us through some of the guitar sections.
Caspar: We read in 2 Peter 1:21 - For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. I believe as the Holy Spirit dwells in the heart of every true believer and so the Holy Spirit inspires us and moves on us what to sing and play too. I spent years studying classical guitar, along with playing rock, pop, jazz, and fusion, etc, and a lot of that training transfers into my music. I was working on the idea for our song Meant for Good and just laid down the basic track, at the time I just wanted to play a quick solo
(Double entendre) to fill up the spaces to help map out and reserve for the guitar and violin to exchange melodic phrases. As I recall the level was not set quite right so I could not hear my guitar jolly well enough, but I felt lead to keep playing for the feel of it and recorded the solo anyway on my old Gibson 345, through one of my custom-built Trainwreck amps. Next Renea listened to the track and started recording her ideas down and I made mention to her that I will play a proper solo later after she does one as it was just a ruff idea. One of the advantages of working with your bandmates is they can speak logic and reason and give you their insights and perspectives in a similar way our producer Glenn Taylor will help us shape our sound and arrangements at times. We also worked with Mark Fisher and Mix-Mike Pritchard on this album who offered several good suggestions through the process.
Working with Renae especially for me is like having a younger twin sister, seriously we are so much alike, my wife Joan who has an identical twin even refers to Renae affectionately as my younger twin sister. Renae also has what we call perfect pitch and she picked up on the emotionalism and passion in my playing that original guitar solo has and convinced me to keep it. Once she, Donovan, and Carlos played on the track it all came together and I love the way we exchange musical phrases together. One of the moments that captured my attention was how we played a question and answer theme again in the solo section of Hold That Line and then brought instrumental harmonies that the guitar and violin play together as we developed the ending part in a rush of 64 notes. Don't try this at home kids without parental supervision.
Renae's violins are also really notable in several of these songs - how were those parts composed and blended so well into the tracks?
Renae: Each song I sit down to track is carefully crafted. Sometimes I will hear one particular line playing along in my head with something that Caspar has arranged and then from there it will grow. Sometimes it will begin with a basic rhythm accompaniment. Each song usually takes me 3-4 hours. There have been a few times in which I had spent a few hours on a piece only to go back and start over. I hear so many arrangement potentials in my head, it’s just weeding through all of that and picking the best ones that suit the piece. I am self-taught and do not read music very much. Ha, ha, I guess I would be what you would call a “refined primitive." So all of the parts that I create are put down free and clear. Making music with Caspar is always so easy. We are so on the same page.
Carlos really shines as the drummer on this album, can you tell us a bit about the approach to recording drums and any advice you'd give to drummers out there?
Carlos: The process begins with Caspar recording raw vocals and guitars, and maybe bass guitar, over a sample drum loop track. Once that is done, I get the samples and begin thinking and developing ideas on what to play for each song. Once at the studio, we then record the drums for each song. Trust me, there are always last-minute changes and decisions made before making those ideas come to life. As far as advice for drummers out there, I would say to always make the song the priority and not the drums. Sometimes, the drummer wants to shine by demonstrating all the "chops" that they might have and they end up overplaying. Don't try to overshadow the song; play the song!
It's fantastic to hear keyboardist Donovan producing such a range of sounds, can you tell us what equipment you use and how you achieve some of those sounds?
Donovan: What’s great about audio recording in the 2020s is the exponentially advanced processing software, along with all the whiz kid buttons and knobs that the genius engineers use to bring out our best. While I would love to deck out my gear space with racks and control panels, I’ve never been too much of a gear head. Just give me some keys and an amp and we’ll find the sweet spot. For now, I’m using a basic Yamaha keyboard from the DGX family with a 400+ bank of killer sounds (ranging from Acoustic & Electric Piano, Analog Synthesizer & Classic DX replications to Bass options for some great left-hand funk, and lastly pads for Orchestral Strings and Organ layering). Awesome sound is affordable these days. It’s an amazing time to do music. Our Studio guys have been great in maximizing and enhancing what I bring to the table. I like to think I’m able to bring that in live energy when we hit the stage.
What can people expect next from the Caspar McCloud Band?
Caspar: Hopefully, music that causes people to accept salvation and surrender all to the Lord Jesus and help motivate them to Go Therefore and help make disciples as we draw ever closer to the return of Christ our Lord.
We read in Titus 2:13 “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;”
