Celebrating 20 years in the music industry with a 20-city tour, the popular Grammy-winning Christian rock band Casting Crowns is scheduled to play at TPAC on October 6th. We talked with Megan Garrett, vocalist and keyboard player, about this special anniversary tour.
TCL: You are one of the original members of Casting Crowns. How did you get started in the band?
Garrett: I was playing in a youth band at a church in Atlanta when Mark Hall, (lead singer) came from Daytona Beach to be our youth pastor. He brought some of his band members with him and they just sort of engulfed me in who we are and here we are 20 years later.
TCL: You said the group never sought out fame.
Garrett: No. The way we got started was a total God thing. We were just a church band in Atlanta and the families in the church liked our music so they paid for us to go to a recording studio so they could have the songs for themselves. Then, one day, Mark Miller, the lead singer for Sawyer Brown visited a basketball camp and got a CD from one of the kids who was attending. He was just starting a record label, Beach Street Records, and he popped it in the car and listened to it on his way to the beach. He liked it and we became the first group he signed to the label. Nobody is chasing the dream out here. We’re just saying “Yes, Lord” and going where He takes us. It’s been an incredible trip!
TCL: The band will be joined on tour by a live orchestra. How did that come about?
Garrett: We did an acoustic tour 10 or 12 years back and it was just so awesome. Getting to hear the music live adds emotion and depth to the songs. I think the fans are gonna love it. We love it!
TCL: What do you like best about being part of Casting Crowns?
Garrett: We’re just a bunch of normal people. There’s no rock-star mentality or the stress that comes with that. We just have a dynamic and talented group of people and we are all truly best friends.
TCL: What can fans expect?
Garrett: We’re just so grateful for all the fans. We’ve heard so many stories over the years of how these songs minister to people’s hearts. This concert is going to be a celebration of those people, like sitting down with friends and reflecting on how good the Lord is. We’ll share personal stories and all of the songs that we know they want to hear. It’s going to be really special.
Casting Crowns tickets are on sale at topekaperformingarts.org/events.