Taking road trip of life

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Aug 12, 2006

Topekan Kyle Moreland is doing what any young man in his mid-20s who is single and unattached ought to do.

He is planning to take a road trip this summer, hitting spots in Indiana, Chicago and St. Louis.

An aspiring singer-songwriter who recorded his first album as much to help a friend as himself, Moreland hopes to perform a few concerts along the way.

For the 25-year-old Moreland, life is unfolding like a giant road trip before his very eyes.

Moreland, a 1999 graduate of Shawnee Heights High School and 2003 graduate of Kansas State University, works at the World Cup coffeehouse at S.W. 21st and Washburn by day, making espressos, cappuccinos and mochas for the regulars who venture through the doors.

At night, he practices with his band, fine-tuning songs he has written about his own experiences. While not always front and center in his music, a spiritual element is present that is hard to miss.

On a recent afternoon at the World Cup, Moreland sat at a table and explained his music and what's behind it.

First, this on his CD, titled "Build Yourself a Boat."

"I didn't really have plans to make a recording," Moreland said. "But a friend, Jason Lutz, who is interested in the recording end, wanted something to show people. So we got an album out."

The album was released this past spring and Moreland has found it has opened doors for concert opportunities.

Most of the recording was done on a Macintosh computer, Moreland said. "In basements and a few clubs," he said. "We did vocals at Randy Wills' studio."

All the songs were written during Moreland's college days at K- State, which coincidentally is where he began his faith walk.

"It was a process of many, many things, as it usually is," Moreland said of his decision to commit his life to Christ. "A couple of select people in my life, at the right time, was really what was pushing me toward it.

"I had broken up with a girlfriend, was confused and was very ripe for direction."

Moreland, who now attends Fellowship Bible Church, said he grew up considering himself a Christian but looking back found out he didn't have much of relationship with God.

"I read C.S. Lewis' 'Mere Christianity,' and it blew me away," Moreland said. "That was one of the starting points."

Equipped with his newfound faith, Moreland couldn't help but integrate his new outlook on life in his music.

Yet, as one who had kept God at a distance in his own life, Moreland was hesitant to be overly assertive about his faith in the songs he wrote.

"The term 'Christian artist' or 'Christian music' has a real stigma for me," Moreland said. "It's made for Christians, but people who aren't Christians view it as horrible music, most of the time."

A lot of Moreland's songs don't mention God specifically, yet, he said, "they all have touches of spiritual undertones. That's my world view and I see everything through that lens."

For more information, go to www.kylemoreland.com.

Phil Anderson can be reached

at (785) 295-1195

or phil.anderson@cjonline.com.