Music & Rituals

I love rock and roll music. That is one of the foundations of the Caston House of Rock, which is in my brain and soul. As a sixteen year old kid I would spend hours in my room trying to figure out countless classic rock solos, which truthfully sounded like a sloppy pentatonic box that was brutally mauled by a pack of wolves. One song in particular that I remembered "mastering" was "Hit Me With Your Best Shot", which has a killer guitar solo in it that sixteen year old Isaiah thought made him sound like a shred god. It didn't, but hey I can play it now!

Anyway, rock, gritty guitar, heavy music. That style holds a special place in my heart. And because of that whenever I could play that in style, I would jump all over it. By the age of fifteen I was playing guitar at my grandfathers church, where he led the praise team. Every year we would put on a Christmas service which consisted of performances from both the choir and praise team. The music we played was more complex because Christmas music is so fun and challenging sometimes, but I didn't mind the challenge.

Months of planning would go into the Christmas services. One day late in the summer my grandfather brought up the idea of us covering a snippet of Lincoln Brewster's "Miraculum" and I absolutely jumped on board. I remembered thinking how awesome it was and how cool it would be that I would play some Christmas classics reimagined as heavy rock music. And oh boy it was superb. Well at least in my mind it was. I spent months preparing, learning as much and getting as close to the original as I could. I wont lie, it wasn't that bad considering that I hadn't been playing much more than a year and a half at the time. I'll never forget playing that song, being there with my grandfather, and learning how to serve God with music. 

Yeah I know... bad ass right?

Im going to keep the church music train rolling, because my musical roots are imbedded in church and I am very grateful and proud of that. Im going to share with you my all time favorite hymn. "How Great Thou Art". The song has a hold on me, it always has and it always will. It's one of those songs that has been covered by so many artists across countless genres, and every version is wonderful. It fits any style of music like a glove. The lyrics and melody are timeless. I've played this song at church, on my porch, and in nursing homes. It's timeless. I still get chills when I hear the song.

The particular version that I have shared is my all time favorite. Yes Carrie Underwood is insane, she is a beast of singer, but that is not why I love this rendition. It's because of Vince Gill, one of the most overlooked musicians today. Listen to those harmonies he is adding, just smooth. And his guitar solo is out of this world. The tone, the phrasing, its just God given talent and I am so here for it. 

Good luck not tearing up and please enjoy :)