Had a bit of a health scare today. Upon investigation and after making a few phones calls, I was advised to see a doctor immediately.
While driving to the doctor’s office I found myself stressed out, anxious and full of uncertainty.
At one point, I turned off the radio and started praying.
“Lord, it would be great if you healed me of whatever this is but if you don’t end up doing that would you just hold my hand through this? I can make it through if you are with me.”
And the funny thing– as I prayed those words in silence and total privacy while driving my car through winding country roads– I found myself amazed that I actually believed what I was saying to my Maker.
Ever had a thought like that? Or a moment where you caught yourself off guard by the honesty of your own words?
What looked like potential melanoma ended up being a nasty spider bite. It’ll be an ugly few days but I’ll be fine.
I’m thankful for today. While I don’t wish any illness upon myself, I am happy for the reminder that my Maker is my shepherd, brother, friend. My prophet, priest and King.
I don’t usually share so bluntly here about my faith. But there you have it.
Truth bares out its weight and glory over time and Jesus, as it turns out– is everything.
I am His. I could be sick or healthy. Rich or poor. I am always His.
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We’ve updated & upgraded the look and ease of use for the tour page. Check it out! See you on the road friends!
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Jeremy was interviewed recently by Daryl Smith of Saving The Setlist. The conversation focuses on his new music, community and insights into the creative process.Part One.Part Two.
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Still have Christmas shopping to do? Great deals on my latest album RCVRY.
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We’ve updated the tour page with the full list of ‘09 Fall concert performances. Tell your friends! Tell your Mom! New tour dates are here!
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Hello friends. It’s sunday morning, and I’m sitting in my office starting up the day with coffee and music blasting in my headphones.
My wife and nearly three year old son are still asleep upstairs.
There is another little baby inside my wife’s womb (a girl!! due in November!!) and after many months of work, prayer, sleep, work and then more work– our 110 year old farmhouse is starting to feel like home. There are still projects abounding (and sometimes that is all I see– my wife tells me to take stock of how far we’ve come on this place and I know she’s right) but there is no doubt we’re mostly settled in and are able to return to whatever normal life looks like post major-renovation.
Normal life. I guess I just mean more of the common pace that our lives took before we bit off this giant project of a house. I’ll leave it there– I have much to report so here goes:
– I’m back on the road this fall, all over the northern and southeastern US (with one visit for shows in Ireland), as well as some shows in the southwest & midwest. I’m excited to get back out there and will post the shows this week on the tour page. We’ll have all the info, directions, dates, times etc. I haven’t counted the number of total shows because we’ve added so many in the past few weeks but I think we are well over 25 concerts. busy busy!
I love touring in the fall and can’t wait to sing these songs for you. Come on out and say hello!
– Faith & Heartache (my second independent album) will be on itunes by the end of September. It originally released in 2002 — I still love that record and really believe in the songs on it: “Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah”, “Walking On Water”, “Lazarus”, “Best Intentions”. So it will finally have its digital fair shake on itunes alongside of 10k Angels and RCVRY. ah, technology.
– wheels are turning in the area of new music. I have been gathering new songs for 10,000 Angels EP part two. It will be recorded in our living room (like the last one) and will feature some old friends and a few new ones. I’ve always felt like 10k Angels part one acted as a sort of photograph of life around here in 2004. Simple, honest music recorded in the living room with basic gear and mics. The focus (as always) is one the songs and going after the beautiful and the vulnerable. I’m older now and hopefully wiser/more experienced so I am anxious to record and go after the beauty in the same type of simple format 5 years later. I’ve noticed my voice sounds different since I’ve done RCVRY. Or maybe I just hear it differently now. Maybe I just hear more now. Who knows– I don’t know what to call it but I know how it feels and something beautiful and true is brewing in the new music.
With the fall tour schedule and our little baby being born this November, I think sessions will start just after the new year and aim for a Spring ‘10 release. We’ll keep you posted.
Life is rich and deep with blessings. See you on the road.
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Square Peg Alliance concert featuring all members! here’s the info:
June 30
7:00 PM
Grace Community Chapel
7661 Mexico Rd
St Peters, MO 63376
(636) 970-1311
Tickets $5
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We are currently scheduling concerts for the Fall touring season.
We’ve got dates open for September, October and the first part of November as we are looking to schedule performances in colleges, churches, conferences, coffeehouses and even house shows.
Interested in having Jeremy share his music in your town?
Email booking@jeremycasella.com for more information.
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2008 was quite a year for me. Our family moved into a new home and we spent the first few months doing major renovation and then the rest of the year trying to settle in. Work-wise, I spent most of my time in the recording studio producing for other artists and co-ordinating Worship & Arts for a church plant of the Nashville Presbytery with a few gigs here and there.
Overall, two words sum it up for me: Patience and Perseverance. Here’s the run down of the 12 things I learned in ‘08:
1. Measure twice, cut once– a great thing to remember in carpentry and life in general.
2. Giving changes me. It’s not my money and giving some of what I have away keeps my heart and head in tune with reality. It feels like the more I give, the less control money has over me.
3. Running is still a great way of getting rid of stress, but just make sure you get the right shoes, even if they cost more…and never underestimate what a run will do to get you out of a funk.
4. Artists reflect the world that is and create the world that ought to be.
5. Publix, though a tad more expensive, is vastly superior to Kroger.
6. Two very cool things happened to me this year:
#1. Fat Tire (my favorite beer in the entire world) is now available in Tennessee.
#2. I’ve discovered an amazing beer called Old Chub. Thank you to Cason Cooley, Paul Moak and Matt Slocum. I am a changed man.
7. Celebrate the people you love. My friend Billy Cerveny celebrated his 40th birthday last fall with a gathering of family and about 20 close friends. It was a great evening full of laughter and stories of how much we all love Billy and what a gift he is. It was beautiful and I was moved to tears a few times hearing folks speak (right in front of him) about how much they loved him. After everybody got to share, a bunch of artist people (myself included) got up one at a time and each performed a cover of their favorite Cerveny song. I chose “Heaven Knows” and sang it basically unplugged because my old J-45 didn’t seem to want to plug into the PA. It got me thinking about funerals (hang with me here…) and how we all share about the person once they are gone, instead of blessing them with the knowledge of how much they are loved while they are with us. I don’t want to miss an opportunity to tell people how much I love them.
8. I can’t stand Jack Johnson. He’s like an island
version of Kenny G.
9. Though technically it didn’t happen in 2008, I nonetheless have been quite anxious for U2’s new album No Line On The Horizon which comes out on March 3rd, 2009. This is huge for a number of reasons–and U2 is always important in the scope of one’s yearly reflection– First, this will undoubtedly be the best album of 2009. I’ve got a feeling it will rank among The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby… maybe higher! (deep breath of anticipation) Second, the other day my friend asked me my favorite records of 2008-ish and I gave him the obvious list– Coldplay’s Viva La Vida, Robert Plant & Alison Kraus’s Raising Sand and Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago but honestly– all of these records just point to the real and present vacuum in 2008 (and whatever other year for that matter) that is created by the passage of time between U2 albums. Absence makes my heart grow fonder– so bring it on guys.
10. 2008 will surely go down in history as the year The Truman Show ended for the US economy. The drunken-spending-fest fueled by low mortgage rates and endless consumer credit card debt has come to a giant halt. 2009 will be a year of continued re-adjustment for many many folks as they learn to live within their means again or even for the first time. And just for the record, everything I was ever told about “needing” a credit card was wrong. Forget what the culture tells you. Think for yourself and live debt free. It’s not always easy but it is more than worth it.
11. Perseverance - seeing things through to the very end while renovating our 110 year old house this year. We have some great plans for this old bag of bones but it will take a few years to get there. Kierstin constantly reminds me that it is worth it. I agree with her even though I refuse to admit it, because I tend to get overwhelmed with tasks to complete. We’re making good progress though and I hope our family enjoys this place for many years to come. We’ll plant a nice garden this Spring and get some new trees in the ground as well. I’d also like to add a hedge or two of Rosemary. It’s hardy and beautiful– like this old house! Oh and I also hope to add a wood stove to our living room this year, but we’ll see.
12. Patience - holding steady during the renovation process, staying focused on the goal and moving towards completing all the projects we had going– new drywall, hardwood floors, light fixtures, tile, etc etc… quite a long list. I’m actually tired just having typed that out…
And so, looking forward into the new year, I am busy writing and recording for various projects I’m involved with. A hymns collection, an EP for a great new artist named Esther Ellis, and possibly 10,000 Angels EP Part 2.
I’ve been experimenting with beats and sounds trying to feel my way forward into new creative territory. When I have something to report I will surely let you know. I’ll know when I get there. So far it’s just building on itself. I loved RCVRY but want to push forward and lean into things a bit more. Grow and reach a little further. I want to add joy into the mix of truth and beauty for my music. Joy is sort of elusive I think. You can’t fake it. So we’ll see where it all goes…
Happy New Year, friends.
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