Honest, But Not Despairing
An Interview with Sons of Timaeus
Interview by John Michael Heard
Jordan Butler and Trent Gaddie of the band Sons of Timaeus recently spent a week recording an album to be released this fall. In this interview, they discuss the inspiration behind their music, their experience in the studio, and their hopes for the new album.
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John Michael Heard: What is the story behind this record? How have your faith journeys shaped your songwriting efforts?
Jordan Butler: The record is a collection of songs that Trent and I have written over the course of the last few years. In our first year as a band we’ve brought dozens of songs to each other and not all of them have worked. In the songs we’ve chosen, we’ve uncovered many shared themes from our lives. This record is a reflection of the wrestling Trent and I have each done and are still doing with generational (trauma) and faith. The tension between the good and bad that we have been given and the journey to reconcile relationships and have compassion for those who have gone before us. Our prayer is that this record might be an invitation into that tension for those who have yet to wrestle and a hope for those who might be still struggling to reconcile these things, and to bring healing to our families and communities.
Trent Gaddie: I think faith is the through-line for all of these songs and for Sons of Timaeus as a whole. We are who we are no matter what types of songs we are writing, and our faith is an integral part of who we are. Whether we’re writing songs about love, life, or our dreams for our hometowns, I think who we are as followers of Christ underpins and informs everything we say and how we say it. I don’t know how to say anything anymore without conviction. I think that’s why we believe in these songs so much, because they come from the very same foundation on which we have built or are trying to build our lives.
JMH: Both of you have worked and toured as solo musicians prior to joining up as a duo. What has it been like working on this record together?
TG: It’s been so fun. You have no idea. Jordan and I have known each other for almost a decade now, and only in the last year and a half or so have we started actually playing music together. Previously, we had just supported each other from afar, which was great; I think that gave us the chance to get to know each other well, and that made the decision to do this together feel a lot more comfortable and natural since we knew in some ways what we were getting into. That said, there were certainly growing pains too! Co-creating is hard work, but I wouldn’t trade it. We both approach things very differently, but I think that really lends itself to creating something that ends up being more than just the sum of its parts.
JB: I’ve attempted to work with others many times and I have always felt like my vision for a project wasn’t fully understood or somehow compromised in order to “work well” with others. What’s beautiful about working with Trent is I feel like we’re on the same page and have been given a similar mission or vision from the Lord about what we should be creating. I have a deep trust in Trent’s artistic ability and taste but also in his heart for what we are doing. It’s a gift to have a partner who I feel confident yielding to.
JMH: You were in the studio a few weeks ago to record your new album. How did it go?
TG: It went great! We spent five days in Iowa working on the first batch of songs. In some ways they are shaping up to be what we had dreamed of and in other ways they are totally different. This is the fun part of the process where you throw everything at the wall and see what sticks. Some things stuck that I wouldn’t have expected to, but that’s what makes it so exhilarating. You never know what you’re gonna come out with on the other side.
JB: We also got to bring in some friends to play on the songs and there is an uncomfortable surrender necessary to let go and allow people have some ownership in the songs. God has been showing me the beauty of collaboration in letting these songs become something beautiful and go in a direction I alone would never have travelled creatively. There were also many moments and opportunities for deep conversations with the musicians we worked with. I felt like we were able to listen to the struggles and circumstances of our new friends and bring hope and clarity in some ways. From the beginning of Sons of Timaeus the Spirit has revealed that the music is a means by which God might be inviting us to minister to real people. And I think this time in the studio confirmed that in a deeper way. Even the creative process presents opportunities to love people.
JMH: What are your hopes and dreams for this album? Who did you write it for? How do you hope God will speak to people through it?
TG: I’ll speak specifically for the songs I wrote, but I think that this has come to be true for the ones Jordan wrote too. First and foremost, these songs are for me, my family, and my community. Like I said before, I can’t say anything without a firm conviction that it is indeed true, and these songs don’t stray from that. They lend themselves to being personal devotions in a lot of ways. They come from lived experience, and they’re written for and about people with real names and real stories that I have real love for. That being said, I believe in a God who can use anything to build his Kingdom and to edify his Church. I certainly hope that others may be able to use them as instruments of reflection as I have, and I hope that in doing so they will be brought face to face with him, but more than anything my goal has just been to be faithful in taking every step the Lord has asked me to take. I believe that he opened this door to make a record for a reason, and my hope is that, whatever that reason is, we’re patient and quiet enough to respond when it comes.
JB: Our prayer is that the same Holy Spirit who was present when we wrote, practiced, and recorded these songs would be present to those who listen to the album and that God would speak and move through the music however he might choose. There is a comfort and freedom found in embracing that mystery and believing that God wants to be a part of not just the creation of the music but also its sharing.
This album is for the Christian and non-Christian. It’s for the addict and the sober person. It aims to be honest in a way that invites honest reflection while not giving into despair. I pray it can bring a hope in which people can find comfort but is also honest about the brutal realities we face—hope that doesn’t remove the tension but eases you into it.
Jordan Butler is a singer-songwriter from Winfield, Kansas. After graduating Asbury Theological Seminary in May of 2023, Jordan has continued to study the role of music in both art and worship. Jordan lives in Kansas with his wife, Victoria, and daughter, Bennie.
Trent Gaddie was born in Wichita, Kansas, and now resides in Kansas City. He has dedicated almost a decade of his life to the love and craft of songwriting and has had the opportunity to tour the country extensively because of it. You can find his band work under the name Sons of Timaeus and his solo work under the name Trent Gaddie anywhere music is streamed. He is also a student at Asbury Theological Seminary and lives with his wonderful wife, Brooke, and his corgi, Cali.
