Juan
Guitar and Vocals
What was the first Christian album that you bought or where given?
I got a $1.99 sampler from a Christian bookstore when I was in college and it had bands on it like Switchfoot, Bleach, The Waiting and Plankeye. I remember thinking, “THIS is CHRISTIAN music?”. I was hooked. I had been told that Christian Rock was wrong and missed a lot of great music until that CD. I am still a fan of all those guys and it has made all the difference about the music I listen to. That is unless you count the John Starnes cassette with “Lighthouse” my parents let me listen to, then that was the first Christian music I had.
What was the most influential person in your life during your High School years?
In my high school years it had to be my dad. Even though I would glaze over and go to a happy place every time he would lecture me, he would still motivate me to be a man. No teacher, no coach, no youth pastor did for me what my Popa did.
How hard is it to manage your life on the road vs. your life at home?
For Melodee and I, life on the road is life at home, because we bring our kids with us. Currently, the challenge is working their schedule with ours. WE go to bed about 2 in the morning and it doesn’t matter when THEY go to bed because THEY always get up at 8 am. Forget about when we cross a couple of time zones and they get up at 4 or 5. We have, however, taken advantage of afternoon nap time by...napping. The only other survival technique is to find a playground/children’s museum as soon as possible for my 2 year old
What is the funniest thing that has happened you while on the road with Casting Crowns? Every day with Crowns is a silly cavalcade of shenanigans. Just check out the backstage videos on the site
Who is your favorite super hero?
Captain America. He doesn’t shoot things from his hands or control metal and he never fell in any ooze. He just punches and kicks....hard.
Who is your current favorite musical artist/group? Why?
I’m not allowed to say aloud or put into print any band or artist that I like. Every time I have done that, they either have to quit or break up. For example: Bleach, Benjamin Gate, Plankeye, Earthsuit, Grammatrain and Chasing Furies.
What is a largely unknown skill that one of the other Crowns member that should be shared with everyone?
Chris Huffman is able to recall any piece of information from any entertainment medium. This usually surfaces as movie quotes, but dig a little deeper, and you’ll see he can remember names of producers, years the movies were made and the names of all the secondary actors in the background and what shows they were on. Think of him as the human IMDB.com and CCM.com
What is the best advice someone has given you about working with youth groups?
I guess the best thing I learned wasn’t a piece of advice, but a way that someone lives. The name Roger Glidewell might come up a lot, but the way he loves teenagers is the way I found out I want to be. There’s a big push to be “relevant”, but no one seems to say in what way. If you’re an older person, or you don’t feel like watching MTV all the time how are you supposed to relate? That’s what Roger taught me. He doesn’t wear designer clothes and I don’t think he watches TV let alone any reality shows. He loves people and he loves Jesus. If you’re an adult and you have no idea how to connect with teenagers, that is how you do it. Christ’s love will shine through you, and even if some of them don’t seem to care, that love is very attractive, and for some of them, that is the only place they see it.
Who do you enjoy following on Twitter?
Jim Gaffigan (@jimgaffigan) a funny and pretty much clean comedian and Jaguars Insider (@jaguarsinsider) and Vic Ketchman (@ask_vic) both Jaguars info for my team. One more would be Oswald Chambers (@oschambers) I know he lived around the turn of the century, but he posts stuff from “My Utmost for His Highest”.
If you weren’t in Casting Crowns, what would you be doing now?
There are, of course because of my multitude of talents, a multitude of possibilities. Might be in a bluegrass band with Melodee, might be flying airliners because my degree was in that, might be making movies because I like writing and shooting video, might be teaching, might be leading worship. Other jobs would be: Odor Tester, Hair Boiler, Waste Station Worker, Citrus Fruit Dyer, Crocodile Wrangler, Fortune Cookie Writer, Pet Detective , Cheese Sprayer, IMAX Screen Cleaner, Chimney Sweeper , Light Bender, Odd Job Journalist, Professional Whistler, Fountain Pen Repairer, Snake Milker, Wrinkle Chaser, Rodeo Clown, Cow Hoof Trimmer, Ostrich Babysitter, Furniture Tester, Cartoon Mascot, Oyster Floater, Air Bender, Braille Translator, Ski Slope Illustrator, Dog Food Tester, Gum Buster, Golf Ball Diver, Nasty Stunt Producer, Forest Fire Lookout, Weed Farmer, Carney and Dice Inspector
