Having grown up in the south, David Crowder is a big fan of front porches. To him, they’re a part of the American identity, a place that symbolizes home. That’s why he’s bringing the front porch to his upcoming show at the Space at Westbury.
“It’s a place that isn’t inside, but is as close to inside as you can get. So I’m bringing the porch to the people,” says Crowder. “We’re going to have a sing along and dance party.”
It’s going to be hard to keep your feet still during Crowder’s songs, which are a blend of folk and electronic music. That may seem like an uncommon pairing to some but Crowder says it was a “marriage just waiting to happen.”
“I love the idea of group singing and community. When people come together, music seems to find itself in the mix of things. And the EDM scene has the same emphasis on community,” says Crowder. “It’s more about what’s happening among the crowd than the song being played and picking the right tonality to keep the party going. The strong suit of the DJ is putting their pulse on the crowd, so those two ideas seemed to go well together.”
Crowder notes that some of his unique folktronica sound comes from childhood influences.
“I’m a product of East Texas and the ‘80s. I got the old school country Gospel thing and growing up around Ataris and Nintendos. There’s nostalgia in electronic sound and the folk,” he says.
It’s a sound he was able to explore fully on his latest CD Neon Steeple, which is the Christian music veteran’s first solo project. Crowder’s no stranger to the music scene, having been lead vocalist in the award-winning David Crowder Band for over 12 years. The band released their final album in 2012 and Crowder released Neon Steeple in May 2014.
Having full creative control of the record without any collaboration was a bit nerve-wracking, Crowder says.
“Previously the sounds and themes and tones were all a collective effort. But here it’s all your fault, there’s no one to blame but yourself,” Crowder says with a laugh. “But that was fun because I get to the end and everything I’m hearing is everything I want to hear.”
One of the messages Crowder wanted to deliver with Neon Steeple is the idea of home.
“We’re a displaced people. One of the themes you see in the Bible is a return to God. There’s so many storylines that have to do with exile and return,” says Crowder. “We all experience a want for acceptance and belonging, so one of the major themes is that whatever you’ve done you’re not too far to come home and you’ll find that love and acceptance and belonging.”
The message of return rings loud and clear on tracks like “Come As You Are” which encourages the listener to “lay down your hurt, lay down your heart, come as you are.”
“I’m attached to these songs more than any collection I’ve been a part of putting together. “Come As You Are” is a hymn of return. It’s one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written,” says Crowder.
Whether it’s with a banjo on a porch or through a CD, Crowder says the root desire with his music is to authentically tell people who God is.
“I can’t help but tell [the story] in an authentic way and use things that have shaped me and use these things that are a part of who I am as a human to tell the story. I feel like as long as I am announcing what is most truthful in my own chest, atleast I know my feet are falling where they should fall,” he says.
Crowder comes to the Space at Westbury with Capital Kings and Ellie Holcomb on Thursday, Oct. 9. For more information visit www.thespaceatwestbury.com
