Daily Inspiration: Meet Caleb Christopher Edwards

Today we’d like to introduce you to Caleb Christopher Edwards.

Hi Caleb, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
My name is Caleb Christopher Edwards and I am a singer-songwriter, mandolinist, and writer. I am originally from a small canal town called Metamora located in the south-eastern region of Indiana. I grew up in an incredibly musical family and was singing in our church by the time I was ten or so which was when I discovered how to sing harmony. Nobody was formally educated in music so passing the baton was very much a hands-on experience and I find it very difficult to teach someone how to sing harmony even though I know the theory behind it now.

Music was very instinctual and it has remained that way. I ended up going to college in Hyden, KY at a small school called, HCTC’s Kentucky School of Bluegrass and Traditional Music where I studied mandolin performance under some of the genre’s heavyweights. The experience, combined with living in the heart of Appalachia, led me to start writing. I was writing songs mostly but poetry and short stories were common as well. After graduating, I was married to my beautiful wife, Anna, and we made the move to Nashville where I started playing in a semi-professional bluegrass band. It was a great way to learn the ins and outs of the industry and I eventually moved on to work on my debut album, Metamorphosis.

Metamorphosis (released in 2020) is a concept album that depicts the events of my life between the ages of 18 and 22. I really started to sharpen my skills as a writer as I recorded songs about leaving Indiana, getting married, my wife’s diagnosis of her rare kidney disorder, and the miscarriage of our baby. It was an incredibly emotional and difficult experience as one can imagine, but a project that I am so proud of.

As I worked on this album, I began to tour with a world-music band called RUNA for the next four years. The band was based on traditional Irish music and so I had to learn a lot of tunes, different rhythms, and even learned to sing in multiple languages including Irish Gaelic, French, and Latin. It was a wonderful experience and this past spring was my last tour with them.

These days I am working on my first novel (an allegorical fantasy), my next album (a sequel to Metamorphosis), and working as a producer and freelance musician touring all over North America!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I have always considered the touring industry with an equal infatuation and disdain. I suffer from a lot of social anxiety and issues with overstimulation which makes touring very difficult sometimes and has even cost me certain touring jobs. After the world started to open back in 2021, I realized that these issues I have always been able to hide or ignore were far greater than ever and I sought help.

Through a few wonderful organizations such as Porter’s Call, Musicares, and Nashville OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center, I was able to find life-changing answers and was diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsion Disorder and placed on the Autism Spectrum. I have always felt very foggy about my place in the world and through rigorous therapy, counseling, and these diagnoses, I have never felt more at ease with such a clear image of who I am:
Fearfully and Wonderfully made in the image of God.

While I still struggle with these issues on a daily basis, I have been blessed to be surrounded by friends, family, and professionals who are accommodating and have been such a huge help. I believe my Autism specifically is a gift and I am incredibly thankful (not all of the time, mind you!) for it.

In the same theme of Metamorphosis, I have composed an entire album that documents this entire process and I am calling the project, Metanoia. My hope is that it will reach the ears of anyone going through the very same things that I have gone through and I hope to launch a Kickstarter campaign in the next month or two. You can keep up with the process of making the album and even donate by visiting calebchristopheredards.com/newsletter

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
When you hear the term, “singer-songwriter” you usually think of a James Taylor or Joni Mitchell type with their guitar and soft, acoustic ballads. Since I play the mandolin, it looks a little different for me. I am usually the “bluegrass guy” at songwriting festivals and the “songwriter guy” at bluegrass festivals. I have been incredibly fortunate to have been able to really dive into different genres and study them instrumentally and lyrically.

I think being an artist who is a competent instrumentalist, singer, and lyricist is actually sort of rare, even in Nashville. For as much as I identify as an instrumentalist, I also identify as a writer which means I consume a lot of literature and I think that may set me apart as well. I am incredibly proud of my first album, Metamorphosis. I think it showcases a solid attempt at capturing emotion and allowing the genre to be a second thought. There are songs on that album that, to me, sound like a bluegrass band, a classical composition, or an indie rock band. A lot of those songs started off as poetry and the melodies came second and I think it is unique in that way.

I enjoy studying the human condition which means I am usually drawn to more authentic interactions more so than the ones you may find on Facebook or Instagram. I started a monthly newsletter last fall and it has been a fun way to practice my writing skills as well as a document of my spiritual journey. I think it is a wonderful way to get to know an artist.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up.
Being a member of a musical family, all of our holidays were spent being musical in some capacity. Singing hymns or carols, jamming on bluegrass or blues standards, or harmonizing on an old southern gospel song is usually what Christmas or Thanksgiving ended up being. My father was and is a huge influence on me. He was always patient and eager to have me join the family singing.

I was also taught a lot of conservation lessons through my grandfather who was a farmer and avid outdoorsman.

He taught me a lot about trees, wildlife, and most importantly, how to be a good steward of such things. Every time you cut a tree down, plant another in its place sort of thing. I think it is important to be good stewards of the gifts we have been given whether it is music, the forest, or grace.

Contact Info:

• Website: Calebchristopheredwards.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calebchristopheredwards/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCXkLUeEhniDl0s4tctKV3sg
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6lJ17pn7bHC8vMtyfM5YrP?si=E1OsCS0MQ9W79CPukJNNfA

Image Credits
Shelby M’Lynn Mick