I believe in music

"I believe in music the way some people believe in fairy tales, open your heart and listen and you will believe too,” a brief but strong statement that one Caleb Oslyn chooses to live his life by. Caleb Oslyn, age 21, is from the north suburbs of St. Paul, Minnesota in a small town called Centerville. Oslyn is a musician that says, “Music is more than just a hobby for me, it is a way of life.”

Oslyn has had an interesting life from having troubles at home to having troubles dealing with his disability. “The day I found out, I was too little to comprehend what it really meant, but I knew that I was a little different than the other kids,” Oslyn explains. Oslyn suffers from a learning disability, something he admits to having a great impact on his life, but it has not kept him from his true passion. “Music is something that just felt natural to me, so I decided a long time ago that I am not going neglect the gifts that God has given me and I am going to use them fully, to do music for Jesus as a career,” he says. Oslyn is gifted in knowing how to play drums, bass, guitar, vocals and keyboard however, his primary instrument is guitar.

Oslyn has been in many bands in the past, and all of them different styles, genres and different musical journeys. Oslyn explains, “I have tried a lot of different things, from pop music, to hardcore music, to metal, and to just straight up rock music.” When asked what Oslyn’s favorite style of music to play is he said, “I like them all to be honest, but I would like to draw my influence from all styles of music and to do something new that people have never heard before.” Oslyn is a part of a band that is doing just that. “Our name is Heart like a Hero I just kind of joined and we are kind of going through a transitional period with members but we are already entered in this year’s Club 3 Degrees tournament,” Oslyn says.

Club 3 degree is a famous music venue in down town Minneapolis, which has held a Christian music tournament for over 30 years and has gotten many bands signed, such as Children 18:3, Write this Down, and Sara Runner. Oslyn’s dream is to win the tournament so his band could have a shot at the big time. “I am not just some kid from one of those inspirational music movies looking for a happy ending; this is real life for me,” he explains.

When ask why Oslyn is so set on being a musician for a living he explained, “Well I tried the whole college thing and that did not work, unless it was a music class and I just do not have the attention span to do it. I have also tried to just get a job and just hope that I fall into something that I love, but that has not happened yet and I keep coming back to music as being my life’s calling.” Oslyn is currently Unemployed much like most people living in Minnesota, but he says he is not just sitting around on Facebook and playing video games, he says he is practicing like crazy. ”I write at least one to three songs a day. Usually I end up getting rid of half of them because to me, they are not good enough. I also am learning new cords and scales daily to try and expand on my musical knowledge. Sometimes I just watch YouTube videos of music videos, and guitar videos just to see other stage moves and other guitar playing techniques,” Oslyn expresses.

Despite Oslyn’s Unemployment situation or his disability he is set on not ever giving up improving on his musical skills and trying to live his Dream. I asked Oslyn if there was anyone out there with disabilities or other life problems, that were trying to pursue a career in music, how you would tell them to stay positive and have the attitude of never giving up. Oslyn replied, “Just believe in yourself and the gifts that God has given you. I always remember a quote from one of my favorite movies August Rush ‘I believe in music the way some people believe in fairy tales, open your heart and listen and you will believe too.”’