By
Dan Macintosh
For Aaron Sprinkle, whose creative reach can be likened to an ever-expanding
universe, even the seemingly infinite sky is no real limitation. So the
decision to give his new project the ambitious moniker of Moontraveler
should come as no real surprise to anyone.
Though still a young man, Sprinkle has been recording music for almost
a decade. From the pioneering band Poor Old Lu to the more recent Rose
Blossom Punch, and now with his solo debut, his creative energy has simply
been unstoppable. While artistic identities may change, the same high quality
work always remains the same.
In addition to being an established recording artist, Sprinkle is also
a successful producer, having manned the board for artists Sherri Youngward,
MxPx, Grammatrain, and Squad Five-O just to name a few. In fact, he has
ambitions of one day owning his own state of the art recording studio,
where he can harness all of his many talents in one place. But for now,
he's concentrating solely upon sharing his heart in his own songs.
Moontraveler has Sprinkle's unique signature all over it. Yet in many ways
its very different from anything he's ever done before. "This is a really
new thing for me," he says, "because I recorded it myself. I played everything.
I just sat in a room by myself, and created stuff on my own."
While Moontraveler showcases Sprinkle as a kind of modern day one-man band,
the guitar is still His most skillfully played musical tool. "The guitar
feels the most comfortable in my hand," he says. "But I can hack my way
through a bass part or a keyboard part."
This results in music that artfully mixes the emotionalism of a Neil Young,
with the moodiness of The Cure. For Christian music listeners, comparisons
can also be drawn between Moontraveler and the groundbreaking recordings
of The Choir.
At times, there's a tangible sadness to this music. But as The Choir once
unflinchingly pointed out, a sad face can sometimes be good for the heart.
"I always write 
kind
of melancholy-ish stuff," says Sprinkle. "But I don't think people who
know me would think of me as a sort of melancholy, dreary person. It just
kind of comes out in my music."
But facing the sadness in this life can actually be therapeutic, according
to Sprinkle. "I think people need to recognize the sadness in this life.
The more honest I am with myself, and the sinner that I am, and what I'm
really capable of, the more it makes sense as to why Christ died. It makes
it that much more real to me, that that was the only option. Maybe that's
why I'm so optimistic; because I acknowledge these things," he continues.
"In fact, my wife almost gets mad at me about how optimistic I am. As always,
though, I also try to convey a sense of hope, because I have such a strong
sense of hope."
Above all, Sprinkle intends to be honest with himself. "My artistic mission
is that I want to maintain an honesty in everything. If you're so immersed
in your sorrows, and aren't really looking at the hope, that can be a dangerous
thing. But on the other hand if you're too into the kind of candy-coating
on the outside mentality that sometimes comes along with Western Christianity
it can really blind you as well. I think both extremes really get in the
way of God's undying grace."
If you've ever heard radio personality Casey Kasem, you're aware he always
ends his program by admonishing listeners to keep their feet on the ground,
but to keep reaching for the stars. Sprinkle has seemingly taken that advice
to heart, because Moontraveler is one more giant step in his musical journey
of combining a solidly planted faith with an unlimited artistic ambition.
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