A St. Albert Juno nominated pop artist has strayed into new territory with the release of his sixth worship album in eight years.
Jon Bauer, a former local teacher in the days before he ventured into music, released the indie-folk-worship project Roots of Worship on July 16.
Produced by Dove Award-winning producer of the year Rusty Varenkamp, the 10-track’s CD cover displays what looks like a huge oak and its tentacled roots extending through the soil.
This acoustic album is a mix of beloved traditional songs and hymns flavoured with a folk-country-bluegrass vibe.
“I’d wanted to do a folk rootsy album for years. Four months ago when I was touring the United States, I started to think of the different genres I have grown to love,” said Bauer.
He describes the new sound as a cross between Mumford & Sons, Lumineers and The Civil Wars. To create the special textures, Bauer brought in different instruments including mandolin, bouzouki, dobro, dulcimer and banjo.
“For me it’s still worship songs, but it’s about hearing the songs in a new way and it has a deeper meaning. It didn’t feel like I took a risk when I switched from pop to this sound. It was something I needed to do as an artist.”
One song he’s particularly pumped about is the old hymn Blessed Be The Name/Power in the Blood, a chart that also showcases the talents of Christian band High Valley fronted by Brad Rempel.
Bauer is a big fan of Chris Tomlin, a worship artist Time Magazine writes has “millions” of people listening to his songs every week, and has added three of his tunes to the playlist.
For instance, the ever-popular Amazing Grace was reworked into Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone).
“It’s the same verse, but a new chorus was added by Tomlin. It’s acoustic guitar, shaker and bass guitar.”
In the past year Bauer has toured Canada, the United States, Germany, the Philippines and Vietnam and discovered audiences were most receptive to his concerts.
Always a man who walks the walk – he and his wife sponsor 11 children in third world countries – Bauer discovered new meaning in life when he travelled to the Philippines.
One experience that had a profound impact on his life was a late-night walk in Manila when he dropped into a McDonald’s for a cheeseburger.
“I looked across the street and there were five or six boys crouched and they looked like they were playing a game. I shrugged it off and got my cheeseburger, fries and Coke. But when I looked closer, they were ripping open bags of garbage. They were about six years old, the age of my son Emerson, and they were scraping food off the street so they could have something to eat.”
Leaving his food untouched, Bauer went to the counter and ordered 12 cheeseburgers.
“When I passed them out, their eyes opened up like it was Christmas. They grabbed the food and ate it as fast as they could because they were so hungry. People in desperate situations do desperate things. It is hard to experience.
“If I could have, I would have helped everybody. But because you can’t change the entire world, doesn’t mean you can’t change the world for one person.”
And that’s what he’s hoping his music will do – lift someone’s spirits. To hear a sample of the music visit www.jonbauermusic.com.
