ANDERSON — Songwriter Jeff Caylor thought his career could move forward like any artist, by playing locally, then regionally and beyond.

Instead, he moved from Anderson to Colorado and to Hong Kong in July 2008.

“Moving to Hong Kong simply made more sense than staying in Colorado,” said Caylor, who grew up in Chesterfield and is a 1994 Anderson University graduate.

In fact, listeners to his second disc can sense this wanderlust in the song, “Change Everything,” where he leaves to make a total life alteration, “I might never get there if I stay here.”

It’s from his CD, “What Birds Dream,” an eclectic grouping of songs from acoustic soul to poppy alternative.

His first disc, “Okay,” was ranked fifth best CD of 2007 by “Christianity Today.”

Caylor will perform a “very chill” evening in a free concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Miller Chapel at Anderson University.

Through e-mail, Caylor answered a few questions for The Herald Bulletin.



Q: Can you give some memories of growing up in Anderson?

A: I have really fond memories of doing things outside as a kid. Whether it was planting a garden with my grandfather in the spring, fishing with friends in the summer, raking and jumping in leaves with my neighbors in the autumn or building snow forts with my brother and sister in the winter, each season is full of great recollections from childhood. One of my favorite summer memories is going to Gene’s Root Beer Stand for “Spanish hot dogs” and really foamy root beer. I loved that place.

In the winter, I went to a lot of high school basketball games with my family as a kid. Even while we were still in elementary school at Killbuck, my dad would take my family to watch the Highland Scots play their home games. I remember eating popcorn and cheering for “men” like Gary and Norm Delph. And I never met Coach Bob Fuller, but I know that his early passing had such a profound impact on our town that the new gymnasium was named after him. In fact, I recall playing a 45 single of a song called, “The Coach Bob Fuller,” written and performed by someone named Gary Price, over and over on my record player as a kid. I can remember the words even today. It makes me wonder if that’s when I started to gain an appreciation of the power of songwriting.

Q: What is it about the culture in Hong Kong that drew you to it?

A: I’m fascinated by the Chinese spirit, endurance and desire to be recognized for their past and future contributions to the world. Living here, you get the sense that things are changing for the better and to be an eye witness to it all is amazing.

Q: Can you summarize what you’ve learned in Hong Kong?

A: I think we all immediately notice differences. We see that other cultures have developed different ways of handling problems and there are more ways than one to understand the world in which we live. However, I’m learning that people everywhere are more alike than it appears. For instance, like many Americans, the Chinese people are very family-oriented. In spite of the fast-paced nature of Hong Kong, people everywhere need community and experience the same emotions. The business man in Central Hong Kong hates being away from his family at the holidays as much as the policeman in Chesterfield.

Q: What was your family’s reaction to the move?

A: My family was and always has been very supportive, even if they never understood my desire to experience something new. Prior to moving to Hong Kong, I lived in Colorado. To be honest, in some ways it was more difficult to change addresses from Anderson to Colorado Springs than Colorado Springs to Hong Kong.

Q: What do birds dream?

A: “What Birds Dream” is the name of my new CD. Once someone told me that being able to fly is the most common dream that people have. If that’s true, I started to wonder one day what birds must dream about. A friend quickly suggested “swimming” but I think there must be something more to it. I wrote a song called “Almost Flew” on my first album and it’s really about success and failure. But what if our sights were set on something besides success (at least as we know it)? Something beyond achieving? Something beyond worry? What if our focus was more eternal? I believe that the more we look at things that really matter, the more we actually will thrive as people.



Contact Scott L. Miley at scott.miley@heraldbulletin.com, 648-4230



If you go

Jeff Caylor in concert

* When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday

* Where: Miller Chapel at Anderson University’s School of Theology

* Tickets: Free