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Catholic Rock with a
Purpose
An Interview with David Wang of Critical Mass
by Lisa M. Hendey,
www.CatholicMom.com
David Wang, founder and lead singer of the
highly regarded Catholic rock group Critical
Mass, is one cool Catholic dad. This husband,
university professor, and homeschooling dad of
nine makes time to practice his lead vocals
while driving or in the late night hours. His
dedication to his craft is impressive, and even
more so once you have the opportunity to sit
down and listen to one of Critical Mass’ CDs.
With their third project, Grasping for Hope in
the Darkness, this award winning band tells a
compelling tale. While each of the songs stands
on its own merit, the cumulative effect is a
saga of overcoming sin and temptation, a life of
tragedy and despair, and an ultimate turning of
the heart to find peace in God. Music fans of “a
certain age” will love the band’s cover of the
classic “Carry On Wayward Son” as much as their
kids will enjoy the updated take. As the mom of
a teenager, I’m always thrilled to find music
that my son and I can both enjoy. Critical Mass
has given us that gift with Grasping for Hope in
the Darkness – its musicality is awesome and the
storyline of the project is both gripping and a
message you’ll want to share with the young
people in your life.
In advance of their upcoming Fall Tour, I had an
opportunity to catch up with David Wang of
Critical Mass. He shared the following comments
on the band, their latest CD and Catholic rock
today.
Q: David Wang and Critical Mass, please
introduce us to the current members of the band
and give us a bit of history about your group.
A: I am the founder of Critical Mass.
Critical Mass has been around since 1997 and
we've released three studio albums. Faith Looks
Up was a demo recording but ended up winning
Best Modern Rock album awards from the United
Catholic Music and Video Association. Our
sophomore album, Completely, won Best Rock Album
honors from the Canadian Gospel Music
Association. That led to our being one of the
main bands for World Youth Day 2002 where the
band performed music ministry for almost 1
million people. If you were at the Papal
Welcoming or the Papal Vigil, you were listening
to Critical Mass. The song, Share it With the
World, was on the World Youth Day compilation
CD, which sold 40,000 copies. After WYD 2002,
there was a turnover in band members. The new
members of Critical Mass bring a fresh, edgy
sound to live performances and we are now
touring in support of the album, Grasping for
Hope in the Darkness, which is garnering very
good reviews.
Q: David, as a mom I have to ask, how
does a dad of nine and a university professor
find time to write and perform Christian Rock?
A: As with most Catholic musicians, this
is a part time endeavor. Most practices, studio
time and songwriting occur between the hours of
9pn and 1am. I practice a lot of my vocals in
the car whenever I am driving. Whereas some
people would take time to sit and watch
television, I take all my spare time and
dedicate it to my music. With 9 kids, a vacation
where we travel is not necessarily restful so we
often combine music tour dates with an
opportunity to travel. We home-school which
gives us the flexibility to hit the road
occasionally.
Q: What do your wife and kids think of
having a rock star for a dad?
A: The kids have grown up with this.
Jodie, my wonderful and incredible wife, was
part of the band until shortly after World Youth
Day 2002. She was one of the female vocalists on
the previous album. My kids sing a bit on this
album and are quite used to seeing their dad
jump around on stage. In terms of being a "rock
star", there really is no such thing in the
Catholic market. There is more of an attitude of
serving than in either the secular or
Evangelical Christian markets.
Q: I've read reviews calling your newest
CD Grasping for Hope in the Darkness a "concept
CD". What came first - the songs or the
storyline? Can you share the creative process
that went into writing and recording this CD?
A: This CD does indeed have a story line.
It is a concept album and every song ties into
the storyline. It has a very heavy Pink Floyd
"The Wall" influence. Some of the songs were
written first but it became very clear early on
that this could be morphed into a concept album.
It took a bit to convince the producer, Andrew
Horrocks, that I wasn't crazy but once he was
sold on the idea, everything clicked into place
very quickly. One unusual thing about this
album, however, is that most of the words were
written first. This is opposite to the way most
albums are written but it was a necessity for a
concept album.
Q: For our readers who haven't yet heard
the CD, give us an overview of the storyline you
present?
A: Essentially, it is a story about a man who is
lured and tempted away from God by secular
things in his life, such as money, power and
pornography. He has a daughter, whom he
neglects, and she turns to a lurid lifestyle
because of this. She ends up getting pregnant is
her father tries to convince her to have an
abortion. However, a kindly priest intervenes to
save the unborn child. The father is furious and
confronts the priest with much anger. Years
later, however, the daughter dies suddenly in a
car accident and the father is distraught. Out
of despair, he returns to the priest and learns
that his daughter had found peace with God. This
causes his heart to finally melt. He is a
changed man when he takes up the responsibility
of raising his granddaughter. At his death, he
is finally reunited with his daughter in heaven
and with our Lord Jesus Christ.
Q: How did you decide to cover "Carry On
Wayward Son" and can you tell us about the rap
featured in this song? What type of reaction do
you get when you play this song live?
A: Carry On is a song that I have always
loved. The songwriter, Kerry Livgren of Kansas,
was searching for God during the time that he
wrote the song and he actually converted to
Christianity a few years later. I added a rap to
make it more relevant to the CD and I used it as
an overture for the album at the start. It was a
real challenge to remain faithful to the
original but also to give it a contemporary
feel.
Q: I have to ask you - what it was like
to perform at Toronto's World Youth Day for the
Holy Father, Pope John Paul II?
A: It was awe-inspiring. We were one of
the fortunate few that caught to witness our
Holy Father's suffering and strength from up
close. It was incredible how he drew strength
from the youth. Just when you thought he would
have to stop from exhaustion, the chanting from
the youth seemed to reinvigorate him and he
would continue on. I think this is a model for
how we should now interact with him now that he
is with God in heaven. I really believe that he
will be a powerful aid to the youth. I encourage
all youth to pray for intercession from this
holy saint. I picture the world's youth
continuing to reach out to JPII and I picture
him continuing to guide and lead the youth of
the world.
Q: What is the future of Catholic rock?
How can we help support and encourage more great
Catholic music?
A: We need more musicians to counter the
secular influences in popular culture. This
includes not only rock but other genres of music
such as hip-hop. It also includes not only music
but also television, movies and other art forms.
For centuries, the Catholic Church has
influenced the world through her music and art.
The Sistine chapel is such an example. It is now
the time to re-establish Catholic art as
second-to-none in quality. A recent example of
the influence of this would be Mel Gibson's
"Passion of the Christ". However, as audiences
did for this superb film, we need Catholics to
support Catholic musicians. It takes finances
and resources to produce music to compete with
the secular counterparts in terms of qualities.
Catholics need to start buying catholic music
and going to concerts.
Q: What do Catholic kids want in their
music? How can Catholic parents help their kids
tune in to music that elevates the soul and
spirit?
A: Catholic parents have to start to
understand the influence of music in the child's
life. I have had some parents refuse to buy
Catholic rock but are troubled when their kids
start to sing and listen to the garbage that is
not only on the radio but is everywhere around
us, from stores to the television to their
friend's mp3 players. They try to buy very
traditional Catholic music and force their
children to listen to it. What we have found is
the opposite. We produce rock that sounds and
feels like what they listen to now. We try to
touch their lives in a subliminal way, in much
the same way that secular messages seep into
their brains through repeated listening. If the
kids can maintain that contact, however frail,
with the messages of the Church, then we have
found that the kids eventually return to the
sacraments, particularly the Eucharist and
Confession. Surprisingly, at this point, many of
the kids do start to listen to more traditional
music (Gregorian chant, for example) and have a
deeper appreciation for the ancient traditions
of our faith.
Q: Some feel that rock music comes from
the devil and that one shouldn't use rock music
to try to glorify God. How do you feel about
this?
A: I believe that art is neutral. It is
the lyrical content that makes it either
spiritual or secular. There are some that say
that the rhythms of rock music are derived from
African tribal beats. That may be true but to
say that traditional folk music from Africa is
somehow evil is prejudice in its ugliest form.
One must remember that the organ and piano were
once considered by the church to be secular and
profane instruments. Even Gregorian chant, one
of Catholicism’s great contributions to music,
comes from Gregory the Great's time (590-604).
Music has always been in a state of change and
transition.
Q: Tell us about your upcoming Fall Tour.
We are touring Canada in the fall and we will be
doing many US dates in 2006, which will be the
focus of our ministry.
For more information on Critical Mass, upcoming
tour dates and their latest CD Grasping for Hope
in the Darkness visit www.CatholicRock.com or
Catholic Music Network
Lisa M. Hendey is webmaster of
www.CatholicMom.com a wife and mother of two
and a Catholic music fan and supporter.
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