In A Road without Any More Detours, Erick Duran Manard delivers an intensely personal journey through his life’s struggles and spiritual rebirth. Released on October 12th, 2024, the album blends progressive rock and orchestral influences, creating a message of resilience and hope.
1. Your
new album, released on October 12th, 2024, chronicles a deeply personal
journey. Can you tell us more about the events that inspired the album and how
they shaped your music?
Sure. This
Album has a generous backstory, but I can only hit high points and emphasize
certain themes during the span of ten songs. My mom always says, "Everybody's
got their story." Well, I've got mine. My life fell apart from early
2020-'21: I experienced marital separation/divorce, COVID lockdowns,
bankruptcy, job loss, living on unemployment, demonic oppression, suicidal
ideations, months of debilitating gastric ulcers, and I nearly died with
Pancreatitis with two weeks to live. Topping things off, I was diagnosed with
Tinnitus--an inconvenience for a musician who needs his ears--along with
cataracts in both eyes. Everybody's got problems. Just another challenge to
conquer.
I found with Jesus, there's no turning back because He's been able to gradually (and painfully) transform me from the inside out. The struggles in my life were necessary in God’s Providence. In A Road without Any More Detours, I take a risk and put myself "out there" publicly, exposing my past and present sins, vulnerabilities, flaws, and weaknesses, but also exulting in my victories and triumphs. Why so? I have a story worth sharing, and I can't keep quiet. Maybe someone else will resonate and be encouraged. By showcasing my story and struggles, I'm creating a human connection with listeners and spreading hope in a fallen world.
2. You’ve described a moment of spiritual rebirth that occurred in 2020. How
did this pivotal experience influence your approach to songwriting and music
creation for this album?
Yes, I was
reborn a “warrior for Christ on June 14, 2020, a solemn Sunday night. Today, I
am a broken and humbled man, maybe even dysfunctional with tethered baggage;
but I'm not destroyed nor defeated. Many saints in the Bible battled
depression, but they knew where to go for consolation: a living God. I've been
redeemed for this time and place. I am a work in progress, as we all are.
I'm
certainly not proud of my past much less do I think I'm anybody special; but my
story testifies of the manifest transformative deliverance the spirit of Jesus
has wrought in me, and His obligation rests on me to testify to "every
creature" about that life-shattering experience. I was a former wretch,
drunkard, abuser, heretic, blasphemer, and immoral pervert with little
self-control over his thoughts, behavior, and tongue. I've been on the opposite
side of God, and I paid dearly. It's not worth it. The "pleasures" of
sin last only for a season, then the baked-in consequences come due.
God doesn't promise to remove all ramifications which may stem from our bad choices in life; but He does promise to turn all things for good and His glory (Rom. 8:28). The release of my testimony via this new record is proof of God's promise being fulfilled in me. I can take God at His Word, as consistently verified by real life experiences and not hocus pocus. Faith is divine sight into the unseen realm, not blind belief in wishful thinking. Thus, I write and sing. The result is A Road without Any More Detours. The emotional output is palpable.
3. The album features a variety of instruments and musical styles. How did
you decide which elements to include, and how do these diverse sounds reflect
your personal and spiritual journey?
I might write songs differently than some, but I reinvented my entire approach for songwriting, recording, everything with this Album. I quit overthinking and planning things out in my head. I usually have no idea which instruments exactly I might feature or which direction I might take until the song has taken on a life of its own and it starts telling me what it needs according to mood, tempo, particular nuance, or whatever. The thing is, I’m never restrictive in my sense, intuition, and feel of the bounds of creativity. I have more of a synergistic relationship with my songs. The Holy Spirit in me is the inspirational force which motivates everything I pour out in the recording process, and then it manifests accordingly.
4. You’ve mentioned that the album has a 'progressive rock and orchestral'
feel, drawing comparisons to bands like Petra. How do these genres help convey
the messages of faith and resilience in your music?
I’m heavily influenced by prog rock, earlier bands more than modern. Within much prog comes orchestral elements. Rush, Dream Theater, Spock’s Beard, Riverside are examples. I’ve always liked Classical music. So, for me, whichever tones or sounds work coherently within the larger context of musical thought, is usually an experiment to see whether the idea contributes or detracts from the overall unity of flow. Music is about coherence. Music that’s not well structured or thought out is annoying to me.
5. 2 Corinthians 12:9 plays a significant role in your album’s theme. How do
the ideas of weakness and Christ's power shape the lyrical content across the
ten tracks?
Two years
in the making, this album, A Road without Any More Detours, chronicles
my journey with Jesus in ten chapters (musical vignettes), an accurate and
dramatic portrayal of my life's struggles and victories, while trodding that
"narrow road" (Matt. 7:14) and stepping toward an "upward
call," at the end of which is heavenly light and no more detours!
(Hence the
album cover concept.)
I openly sing about my weaknesses and triumphs to testify of Jesus and so that Christ's power may rest on me (2 Cor. 12:9). That means when I sing publicly about my weaknesses and struggles, the power of Christ rests on that humility and empowers me to do things I had never imagined, and He gets all the credit for who and what I am today. This record is my joyful, visceral, and authentic testimony, while encouraging listeners to keep pressing forward no matter the detours ahead.
6. The pandemic, financial struggles, and personal challenges like marital
separation are all part of your story. What role did music play in helping you
navigate those difficult times?
Music has become a self-therapeutic exercise, a cathartic process, where I can be alone with Jesus, and allow Him to stir my heart and words to express musically what my soul is experiencing during an existential crisis. This helps in healing. Music in a real sense saved my life, because through the creative process God reveals to me a purpose whereby I could use my talents as a steward to benefit and mister to others. People have all kinds of problems and need hope more than ever in this fallen world. Everybody likes music. I can offer that and try to fill a niche’. We all know something is wrong with the world, and that things should be a lot better. That’s where I can sing about the hope that Jesus alone offers to a hurting world of broken people, like me.
7. Your album has been described as an 'album within an album.' Can you
explain what that means in terms of its structure or concept?
Yes, I’ve
done something maybe unique. In our modern age of streaming, it seems the
experience of buying an album and listening to music is non-tactile, so
impersonal. I’m a tactile person, and I recall back in my day when you bought
an album, you were buying a musical listening experience, not just mp3s to
download. You got lyrics, band pictures, details about equipment used, personal
stories, even a booklet or sometimes posters! With an album, you were able to
engage with the album on a more intimate level. That care is lost today largely
but is what I’d like to see regained.
So, I decided to go back to old school and release an album (free CD) with an album (3-ring view binder), not settling for only digital streaming. I designed this album to be heard in one sitting, because it’s a concept album wherein each song reiterates certain themes and lessons. The album includes lyric sheets, a synopsis for each song, and my website provides access to the “cloud version” which further includes supplementary articles relevant to each song’s topical inspiration. I offer these albums free of charge. All someone needs to do is go to my website and ask. I don’t need money, I want listeners.
8. Faith is clearly a central theme in your music. What message do you hope
listeners, especially those facing their own challenges, take away from this
album?
Yes, my faith is central to this record, as with all my life since all of life is lived before God. With this album, I was able to take two years, take my time and gain reasoned and mature reflection on my past, refocus myself spiritually and musically, develop a strong foundation for life and hope, endure brutal learning experiences which taught me valuable lessons, and come to terms with who I was, who I am today, and who God wants me to be. The lyrics reflect a man living a life of pain and struggle, but never losing hope in his Lord Jesus who conquers all. One message to takeaway is that everybody has struggles and pain, but at the end of the day where do you turn for hope, comfort, solace, or salvation? The bottle, drugs, sex, money, the next fad? I’ve been there, done all that, and it’s a loser’s way to go because nothing but the hope of Christ ultimately satisfies our deepest longings.
9. You’ve been creating music since childhood, with a focus on eclectic
styles. How do you think your sound has evolved over the years, and how does
this album reflect that evolution?
For most of
my life, I’ve had a wide palette of musical interests. I like to add anything I
can make sound musical within the context of the song. I incorporate whichever
sounds I feel help accentuate the mood or ambience of the song. That may be
orchestral elements, bagpipes, trumpets, oboes, Celtic flutes, or a mandolin. I
know no limits.
My sound with the newest album is a radical improvement over my previous records—in every way possible, from songwriting to final production. That wasn’t by accident. I recalibrated musically at every stage, because I knew I had to evolve and get much better if anyone were going to take my message seriously. So, I feel the album reflects my evolution in that I’ve gotten more competent at the craft of songwriting, playing, mixing, production, and having a keener sense of what belongs where for optimum musicality. The writing is tighter, more focused, and lyrically is my best work because the words came from a deeper place of authenticity through a deeper refining of my personal faith.
10. With such a personal and faith-driven album, were there any moments
during the recording process that felt particularly cathartic or healing for
you?
Many moments but recording the vocal tracks for “Crucible of Loneliness” felt like releasing inner demons from the past and was for me a satisfying vocal performance that was appropriate to the intense and visceral subject matter.
11. You’ve expressed a sense of purpose in your music, stating that every
breath should be spent authentically. How do you stay grounded and aligned with
that purpose while working on new projects?
I never forget who I’m serving, and who gives me breath in the first place: the living Lord Jesus of Nazareth. Through my experiences in both trials and triumphs, God has taught me what truly grounded and authentic faith looks like.
12. As you prepare to release this album to the world, what are your hopes
for its impact on both your fans and those who may be hearing your music for
the first time?
First, I
prefer the term “listeners” over “fans.” Reason is that I don’t want focus on
or glory to me, but toward my message about hope in Jesus. My music is really
not about me, for I’m simply the tool, the messenger in the Potter’s hands. My
hope is that listeners would slow down, engage the album as it was designed,
resonate with an emotion, or a sentiment, or a scenario they hear in one or
more of the songs, and consider drawing hope from that same fountain which has
saved my life and eternity. Jesus is that hope for the world, no matter the
detours. This has been proved to me through time and experience. I write and
sing about what I’ve lived and am living daily. This record’s central theme is how
to have undying hope in a dying world.
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