With musical preferences ranging from jazz to disco to heavy metal, it’s easy to see why Caedmon’s Call is difficult to categorize.

“We play everything from electric guitars to banjos,” vocalist Danielle Young said. “I think it’s kind of hard to classify what we are.”

Band members have found influences everywhere — lead acoustic guitarist/lead vocalist Derek Webb is an ex-Van Halen cover band member, drummer Todd Bragg loves The Police, rhythm acoustic guitarist/vocalist Cliff Young prefers praise music and percussionist Garett Buell is interested in Eastern music.

Despite these differences, members of Caedmon’s Call have united their tastes and talents to form one of the most eclectic bands in the Christian music industry.

In order to keep the band’s unique sound and personality, it has had to undergo special recording contracts and changes in management. It was not until four years into the band’s career when it decided to sign a record deal with Warner Brothers.

According to Young, everyone who approached the band before Warner Brothers had an agenda to change it in some way.

“We felt like we knew what our ministry was, and we hadn’t found a record label that would let us do that,” Young said.

Last December the band signed a new recording agreement with Essential records. Young said band members are excited about the new agreement because it gives them more freedom to do exactly what they think God wants them to do.

“They’re going to do everything they can to let us stay in the college market,” Young said.

Because the band’s main focus is the college market, Young said the band is using new strategies to reach the entire range of the college crowd, both Christians and non-Christians.

Caedmon’s Call’s new deal states its new album will include both secular and Christian songs.

“If you can reach more people then why not,” Young said. “Jesus said to go to the ends of the earth.”

Young said band members have received a lot of criticism and “nasty e-mails” for their decision to pursue the secular market. Although a lot of people think Christian bands add secular music to its list of songs only for the money, Young said “that’s a big myth.”

“As Christians, God has given us a platform and opportunity to speak to large numbers of people,” Young said. “We wouldn’t be able to play in a secular setting had God not wanted it.”

According to Young, the band wouldn’t have even started without God’s initiative. Six years ago at Texas Christian University, Aaron Tate, one of the band’s songwriters, and Cliff Young began writing songs together. The duo eventually composed enough songs to have a collection and began asking some of their friends and acquaintances to play with them.

“We all met through mutual friends,” Young said. “It was a random gathering.”

After they were established as a band, Young said they had a hard time agreeing on a name, however God showed them through a significant occurrence what He wanted the name to be.

Tate, Cliff Young and Danielle Young had all heard the story of a man named Caedmon who lived in the 7th or 8th century — the odd thing was, they all heard the story in the same week.

According to Young, Caedmon was a man who didn’t like to sing because he didn’t think he had any vocal talent.

While he blatantly avoided every instance where he thought he might have to sing, God told him that he should sing. When Caedmon finally opened his mouth, he sang things that had never been heard before.

“Caedmon brought the word of God to the people,” Young said. “He translated it from written Latin to spoken English.”

As for the future, Caedmon’s Call plans to bring the word of God to as many people as possible. Young said that while it’s hard to tell what the future will hold for the band, she is sure God has it all under control.

“I don’t think we’ve ever known what will be in the future. God’s never shown us in advance,” Young said. “It’s like having a flashlight instead of a spotlight. It’s like you can never see the next step.”

Caedmon’s Call will be playing at the North High School Auditorium in Des Moines Friday night at 7. Call (515) 222-1520 for ticket information.