Call To Preserve | The End Is Only The Beginning
Written By: Joanna Lugo

“What you go through and what you feel is valid and no one can take those experiences away from you.” Within this cognitive statement lies the essence of Validation. There tends to be a frequent commonality among humans to desire a degree of affirmation from creation. We are in constant battle against how precarious our lives really are when in fact there is meaning and depth to be discovered. An intricately woven web of emotions and experiences ornately fashioned for the purpose of catching the proverbial prey of desirability. However there is hope and ultimate validation through Him. Call To Preserve has certainly evolved into a beautiful mirage of obedience, being set free from the weakness of creation, and finding their identity and validation in Christ who lives. The end is only a beginning.

Though the name Call to Preserve may have transpired by mere accident, how has it transformed in meaning and significance over the past eight years?

CTP: Honestly I hardly every think about our name or what it means, but if I had to categorize every meaning of it, I would say that at first we just thought it sounded cool and it was from the Bible so it worked. As we wrote songs it probably said a lot about finding strength in our values and foundation in Christ. That we were a band with strong convictions, mainly referring to our faith and being straight edge. Now I’d say the name probably speaks to the idea of searching for justice and clarity in a messed up world, and even though our hope and strength comes from the same ideals, I think it’s more about finding out what that looks like in a world that values the opposite of what we value.

Can you discuss the rhetoric behind Validation?

CTP: We chose the title for a couple different reasons. For one, it felt like a good send off title and it kind of says we’re still putting in our all even in our last few months as a band. The 2nd is that the overall theme of the 7″ is that what you go through and what you feel is valid and no one can take those experiences away from you. That it’s ok to be uncertain about things and ask questions, if that makes sense.

What has been your overall intent in these final musical transcripts of CTP’s history and legacy?

CTP: I think this was a chance to really showcase our full evolution as a band and have this be our one last chance to grow and make something we could be proud of. We’ve also really wanted to put out vinyl for a long time and have  tried without much success to get our past records pressed to vinyl, so since we would only have the time and energy to put out a couple more songs, a 7″ seemed like the perfect thing to do.

With a plethora of emotions encompassing the end, how have you begun to cope with and transition into this rather prolific season of your life as individuals and part of a greater whole?

CTP: Luckily this has been planned out for a while now and even before that we could definitely see it coming. “Thank-you for supporting us all these years and it really means a lot to hear about what our music has meant to you.”And we’ve had a lot of time at home, so all that has made the practical transitions much easier.  In some ways it’s easy to move on because we’re all ready to do other things with our lives. On the other hand its scary living in a completely different way than how we’ve lived the past few years and planning for that and knowing you could fail at that transition is very tough. And I feel like there will still always be that itch that wants to go on tour and see new places and meet new people. And when a band has taken up this much of your time and thoughts its hard to just turn off. Like, I think it will be months from now before I stop thinking “Oh it’d be cool to tour with this band,” or just other aspirations that take up a lot of your thoughts when you’re in a band.

The music content in Validation seems to have an unadulterated vulnerability attached to the lyrical depth of the album. How did you go about forging such a relationship between the two?

CTP: I feel like if you’re going to write a song and not be vulnerable then what’s the point. We write about things we deal with and it’s not always perfect when it comes out. We just try to be honest in our songs and there’s really not much of a method behind it except that.

Hebrews 10:36 also references the call to persevere stating “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” How has this verse played out in your pursuit of music over the course of the birth and departure of CTP?

CTP: We’ve really had to focus on what our original intent and purpose was during times that were tough and it didn’t look like ends were going to meet. God has been faithful and we’ve been able to get through a lot of stuff that should have been the end of the band, but by the grace of God we’ve been able to keep going this long.

What has this type of obedience looked like for the band in the past few months and how do you intend on preserving the work and promises of God?

CTP: I think it’s been knowing that it was our time to step down and being obedient in that sense. And making sure we still put our best effort out there even though we have a short time left.

Is there anything specific you would like to address concerning Call to Preserve and your loyal and loving fans?

CTP: Thank-you for supporting us all these years and it really means a lot to hear about what our music has meant to you. It’s been a lot of fun and maybe we’ll see everybody again one day in some other musical form.