Summer recording session with christian artist finally released
Brooke Long | Contributor
After nearly a year of recording and producing, local band, Calling Jonah, released its new extended promo, Eden, on April 8.
The ensemble recorded the five-song album with grammy-winning guitarist Jason Hoard of the popular Christian band, Third Day. The band’s bassist and guitarist, Jace and Wade Beason, are both MSU students.
Wade Beason said that, while the band recorded the songs fairly quickly, it took eight months for them to release the EP.
“There was a huge gap in between recording the first song and the other four,” Beason said. “Then there’s the mixing process where they change the levels, and it takes months.”
An unexpected problem with the CDs pushed the release date of Eden back even farther.
“We ordered a thousand CDs, and every single one of them was messed up, so we had to reorder them,” Beason said.
According to members of the band, Eden is more musically advanced than their first EP, Making Sense of Me.
“It is definitely more lyrically advanced,” Beason said. “It’s like the natural-evolution process of our music. The first one was good, but these are just a step up.”
He said the band found its identity, and it helped produce a higher caliber of music than they previously had.
“We didn’t know who we were for the first one,” Beason said. “Now we know who we are, and we’ve just nailed it in to our niche.”
All of the members of the band say that they enjoyed recording the album with Hoard. Drummer Michael Johnson said he particularly enjoys playing “Waiting.”
“It is a huge song,” Johnson said. “It’s lively and fun to play for the whole band, and it’s a good song to have fun with.”
Beason also added that the song was upbeat and fun to play.
The members of Calling Jonah all agreed that “Always Have Me” is their favorite song to perform together.
“It’s more fun and energetic,” Johnson said. “It’s a perfect concert song to end a set list on.”
According to band members, one of their biggest influences is contemporary Christian band Third Day. Lead singer Tanner Hodges said that Third Day has influenced them in more than one way.
“Both of our EPs that we’ve released have been recorded by somebody in Third Day,” Hodges said. “We were also influenced by The David Crowder Band who helped record ‘Always Have Me,’ the song that we all love.”
Wade Beason said that the band’s biggest musical influence isn’t a Christian band, but a country group.
“Lady Antebellum,” Beason said. “ [The song] Here sounds just like something by Lady Antebellum. We just sound like them.”
Eden is available as a download on iTunes and on CD. The EP costs $4.95 on iTunes. A copy of the CD is costs $8 due to the cost of the cover art and materials. The CD can be purchased at callingjonah.com.