Tell me about Christian rock music

[ZipperJJ]

For some reason, even though I'm a Christian myself, I really don't like Christian rock (or pop?) music. You know, the stuff you hear on Christian radio. I'd say I downright hate it.

My mom listens to it occasionally, but I've found myself not riding in her car so much anymore because I really don't want to hear it. I think it's mainly because it sounds like secular rock/pop that I can't stand either (I can be pretty picky about music).

I have also concluded that it seemed to me that the subject matter for the entire genre is about how much the singer loves God and/or Jesus, or how the singer needs more God/Jesus. Now, I realize that most secular rock/pop music is about how much the singer loves some man or woman...but still, there's some variety in there.

So...anyone here a fan of Christian music? What do you like about it? What do you dislike about it? Are there more topics other than love of God/Jesus or is that about it?

And please, no threadshitting in this thread. If you just want to come post about how you don't like Christian music, maybe start your own thread. If you used to be a fan but now are no longer a fan that's cool to talk about but let's try not to diss other people's tastes.

I'm just wondering how widespread the popularity of Christian music is and why people enjoy it. And maybe see if there's anything more complicated than Amy Grant.

[Lazlo]

I'm a big fan of MxPx (http://www.mxpx.com/). They're a pop-punk Christian band, but they don't gush about religion. Instead, they generally have fun, upbeat lyrics.

I also remember hearing a Jars of Clay song or two that I liked, but I can't speak much about them.

Other than that, I'm ignorant about Christian rock.

Edit: I think ReliantK is a Christian band as well. I do know that High of 75 (http://www.leoslyrics.com/listlyrics.php?hid=V%2BHY4DlNAxY%3D) will get me out of a bad mood and the lyrics seem to be talking about either God or a girl.

By the way, I'm pretty much an aethiest these days.

[ZipperJJ]

Heh...I forgot to mention my secret love for MxPx. But if I admitted I liked them then I couldn't tell people I hate Christian music so *ssshhhh* ;)

You're right tho - their lyrics, at least on the album I have, are nearly completely devoid of "I love Jesus."

[Garfield226]

I used to be a pretty big consumer of Contemporary Christian Music. I didn't really go for the loud hard-rock stuff (either Christian or secular -- just not my sound), so I may not be what you're looking for. But I'll pitch in my experience anyway.

I'd say the "rockiest" Christian music I listened to entire albums of was Audio Adrenaline. Some of their stuff was good. Particularly liked "Chevette" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-naQsBRoWb4&mode=related&search=), which is not overtly Christian. I listened to a lot of Chris Rice and Andrew Peterson who are more pop, less rock, and have more than a few songs with pretty decent lyrics. Relient K is a pop-punk band that did some good stuff and has turned semi-mainstream, last I heard.

The scene has likely changed -- my experience was mainly in the late 90s, early 2000s, so there are probably others who have come along, but it's not all crap.

[Argent Towers]

Sufjan Stevens and Danielson are vaguely Christian groups, though everyone I know who's even heard of the latter is an atheist hipster.

[DfrntBreign]

Not a big fan, myself, but there was a thread not too long ago about Christian music. I was really surprised to find so many different kinds of music represented. This is the earlier thread. (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=420556) Maybe you can find something you and your mom both like. (Hey, she's your mom, you can't avoid riding with her forever. :) )

You didn't say what kind of music you do like. You might find someone here can recommend a comparable Christian band.

[Noone Special]

Disclaimer -- I am not a Christian. I am not even of Christian heritage (Jewish...)

That said:

1. Evanescence (http://www.evanescence.com/). Definitely started out as self-proclaimed "Christian Rock." Have become mainstream while, AFAIK, still carrying something of a Christian message (not overt) in their music.
2. This one is a lot more "iffy" -- my own favorite band, NightWish (www.nightwish.com), is not by any stretch of imagination "overtly Christian." You probably won't find anything "Christian" on their web-site. Their leader and songwriter, however, is a (small-b) believing Christian, and there is a lot of Christian symbolism in their music. Plus, they're really good! (IMHO, YMMV)

Hope this helps!

[Achren]

I really enjoy Rich Mullins (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Mullins)' music. Think celtic-ish pop.
I like The Normals (http://www.thenormals.com/) and Five O'Clock People (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=106632848) and I think the music would be described as alternative (I'm not too good at assigning music genres).
Nichole Nordeman (http://www.nicholenordeman.com/) does some fantabulous stuff. Her first album is the one I like best - sounds like just her and her piano, whereas the others have a more production-y sound.
And there's Ginny Owens and Jennifer Knapp.
And then there's 80s-era CCM, which I grew up with - early Michael W Smith, Amy Grant (I still think Lean on Me is a good album), Twila Paris, Out of the Grey (another group I still like), Whiteheart...And then there's all the songs I remember but no one knows what they are. :)

[scotandrsn]

Former Christian and brief Petra fan checking in...

If you really think about it, any band that feels a deep need to advertise something other than their music is probably hurting in the music department.

Let's face it. Music fans will give an artist who produces music they lke as much leeway as they please in their personal beliefs. U2 have not exactly been villified for their religious beliefs, which are no secret to anyone. If Cat Stevens had not stopped writing music, no one would have cared if he were a Muslim (at least until all that stupid shit he said about Salman Rushdie).

Petra used to advertise in the 80s that their light show was as big as Genesis'. So why not just go see Genesis, other than price? Because it's Jesus' light show. There is an audience who has decided that warmed-over top 40 that sings about God is automatically of better quality than better-sounding music about something else.

So "Christian Contemporary" music is meant to appeal mainly to those who think they are not "supposed" to listen to anyone who does not proclaim their Christianity from the rooftops. Hence, these bands essentially have no choice but to sing about God and Jesus and not much else. Because they have chosen to say that what makes them special is that they sing about Jesus.

It's not even simply a modern issue. The early days of rock and soul are filled with stories of artists who had to make a hard decision whether to leave the "gospel circuit", and some were shunned forever by their early fans because instead of singing about God and Jesus all the time, they chose to sing a song or two about a girl or a car.

ETA: Back in the day, I used to like Steve Taylor a lot, because he wasn't afraid to get political

[Achren]

...The early days of rock and soul are filled with stories of artists who had to make a hard decision whether to leave the "gospel circuit", and some were shunned forever by their early fans because instead of singing about God and Jesus all the time, they chose to sing a song or two about a girl or a car...
Or blue combs (http://www.lyricstime.com/five-iron-frenzy-blue-comb-78-lyrics.html). (Couldn't resist, sorry)

[Hung Mung]

The only Christian rock band I could ever stomach was Jars of Clay. They were less repititive lyrically and broader musically than any other band I heard. I'm sure there were some other groups who were just as talented, but I never heard them.

I went to a Christian high school and I've heard a lot of Christian rock. Most of it was bland, terrible or gussied-up terrible punk music.

[Mahaloth]

Saviour Machine (http://www.saviourmachine.com/)

On July 7, they end their ten year Legend experience. It's worth buying.

[Thudlow Boink]

Your beef may be not so much with Christian rock as with Christian radio, whose target audience is, I'm guessing, people like your mother. Judging by what little I've heard of it, I can't stand Christian radio either—but then, I don't listen to the radio much at all.

Yes, there's definitely stuff out there that's more complicated and challenging than Amy Grant. See the thread DfrntBreign linked to, and the earlier thread that it linked to, for numerous examples.

[Larry Borgia]

Obligatory Hank Hill quote:

"Don't you see you're not making Christianity better, you're just making rock and roll worse."

(sorry, couldn't resist. please return to your regularly scheduled thread.)

[Garfield226]

Your beef may be not so much with Christian rock as with Christian radio, whose target audience is, I'm guessing, people like your mother. Judging by what little I've heard of it, I can't stand Christian radio either—but then, I don't listen to the radio much at all.
Yeah, this is an important point. In my (admittedly limited) experience with Christian radio, it always felt like they were aiming for the "Christian mom" demographic (and there were even commercials for the radio station directed the same way..."Don't want to worry about what your kids hear while you're listening to the radio in the car?").

[Revenant Threshold]

1. Evanescence (http://www.evanescence.com/). Definitely started out as self-proclaimed "Christian Rock." Have become mainstream while, AFAIK, still carrying something of a Christian message (not overt) in their music.
2. This one is a lot more "iffy" -- my own favorite band, NightWish (www.nightwish.com), is not by any stretch of imagination "overtly Christian." You probably won't find anything "Christian" on their web-site. Their leader and songwriter, however, is a (small-b) believing Christian, and there is a lot of Christian symbolism in their music. Plus, they're really good! (IMHO, YMMV) I'll have to add you to my list of "Dopers whose taste I agree with". :)

Only problem I have with Christian rock is that rock is very much about emotion, and a lot of Christian bands don't really sound all that.. into it, if that makes sense. I'm not questioning their faith, but it can sound pretty by-the-numbers when really they have every reason to feel it.

I like a few of Long-view's (http://www.longviewmusic.com/) songs (the British band, not the American one), though they're more spiritual than outright Christian.

[Diogenes the Cynic]

I think the problem with Christian rock is not the Christianity but the monotony of the subject matter. Any cause or ideology starts to become tedious and strident after a while. A band that does nothing but berate its audience about saving the rainforest or women's rights or ending all wars gets annoying just as quickly. It's artistically limiting and can't help but become repetitive.

Having said that, Stryper's To Hell with the Devil is a guilty pleasure of mine. 80's hair band candy metal all the way but with a persistent edge and some pretty cool riffs all through it.

[Gukumatz]

The only band I can stomach who are overtly Christian would be Kaizers Orchestra - and mostly only 'cause they turn out the best live shows I've ever been to. I mean, you have to be good to sing in only Norwegian and have fans in Germany, the Netherlands, Russia, England, France and Spain sing along with your lyrics perfectly. Try this video on for size: http://youtube.com/watch?v=zt9Dpd0rTig

[Mister Rik]

I think the problem with Christian rock is not the Christianity but the monotony of the subject matter. Any cause or ideology starts to become tedious and strident after a while. A band that does nothing but berate its audience about saving the rainforest or women's rights or ending all wars gets annoying just as quickly. It's artistically limiting and can't help but become repetitive.
*heh* It's kind of like message boards. I can't count how many message boards I've signed up on over the last ten years — every one of them on a topic near and dear to my heart. And yet, the SDMB is the only one I still visit regularly. The problem with the others? They're all "single topic" boards (bands, hobbies, games, fetishes, etc). With a single topic board it gets to the point, sooner or later, where I've discussed everything I can think of on that topic — whether I've started the threads myself or participated in somebody else's threads. And then from there on out every thread seems to be a repeat of something that's already been discussed, and it seems pointless to me to keep repeating things I've already said. So I stop visiting those boards. The SDMB, however, covers so many topics that it never gets boring.

Christian rock is the same way. It's mostly one topic over and over again, though there is the occasional burst of something different. Sadly, though, I've found little to spark my interest over the years. I've still found precious few bands with lyrics like the Resurrection Band:

"American Dream"

The complexity of life is a label I must bear
Snarled visions of a dreamer condemned by his own dare
As a child I asked the questions, but only for their sake
Believin' there were answers became my one mistake

The holy morning paper slaps the steps at dawn
America's doors open — let's see what's goin' on
Confusion with our coffee, fear and Frosted Flakes
The dollar takes another dive, another bubble breaks

A shuffle offstage, a change of scene
The expose of the American Dream
Watergate bunglers, comedy relief
Laugh at ideals, survivin' our grief
It's fool's gold for gilded fools
Playin' daily with twisted rules
Hail to the families in the TV rooms
Suicide, genocide, abortion, cartoons
Terrorism, violence, starvin' refugees
Conscience crucified, reality recedes
Nuclear tyrants, computerized plan
Holdin' hostage every man ...

[FriarTed]

I think the problem with Christian rock is not the Christianity but the monotony of the subject matter. Any cause or ideology starts to become tedious and strident after a while. A band that does nothing but berate its audience about saving the rainforest or women's rights or ending all wars gets annoying just as quickly. It's artistically limiting and can't help but become repetitive.

Having said that, Stryper's To Hell with the Devil is a guilty pleasure of mine. 80's hair band candy metal all the way but with a persistent edge and some pretty cool riffs all through it.

Our beloved Cynic is actually a fan of the Yellow and Black Attack!?!

Just... Wow!

[FriarTed]

Yeah, this is an important point. In my (admittedly limited) experience with Christian radio, it always felt like they were aiming for the "Christian mom" demographic (and there were even commercials for the radio station directed the same way..."Don't want to worry about what your kids hear while you're listening to the radio in the car?").

You're talking about the K-LOVE network there (which a "thinking Chirstians" site referred to as K-LOATHE). While on one hand, yeah- it is a dumbing-down of the airwaves, I can see a valid reason for it. Why shouldn't there be a radio station that parents don't have to worry about the kids listening to?

Anyway, I listen to K-LOVE regularly. Usually when I want to get to sleep- and that's not a put-down. That's usually why I have a music station on the radio.
Otherwise, I listen to news/talk stations.

[Garfield226]

While on one hand, yeah- it is a dumbing-down of the airwaves, I can see a valid reason for it. Why shouldn't there be a radio station that parents don't have to worry about the kids listening to?
I think it's useful to have a radio station that parents don't have to worry about the kids listening to...but if the kids don't WANT to listen to it, its usefulness is pretty limited, isn't it? Much better to have good, thought provoking Christian music than bland praise songs all day, IMO of course.

Also, I did a little looking and the one I'm familiar with isn't actually part of the K-LOVE network (as far as I can tell), it's WBGL (http://www.wbgl.org/index.php). And I guess their slogan is "Family Friendly Radio" so I can't really say I didn't know what I was getting into.

[RandMcnally]

Is "Lifehouse" considered Christian music? I could never really tell.

[FriarTed]

I think it's useful to have a radio station that parents don't have to worry about the kids listening to...but if the kids don't WANT to listen to it, its usefulness is pretty limited, isn't it? Much better to have good, thought provoking Christian music than bland praise songs all day, IMO of course.

Also, I did a little looking and the one I'm familiar with isn't actually part of the K-LOVE network (as far as I can tell), it's WBGL (http://www.wbgl.org/index.php). And I guess their slogan is "Family Friendly Radio" so I can't really say I didn't know what I was getting into.

I do agree about having quality deep C'tian music (and even on K-LOVE there is some challenging "social justice" C'tian stuff), but I should have qualified - the "safe for kids" angle actually seems to mean "safe for little kids around the house when Mom is listening". That is definitely a market that doesn't have a wide choice of listening options.

[Autolycus]

I started a thread about this just a few months back. It has some good suggestions:
Christian rock that does not suck donkey balls (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=420556)

[Cluricaun]

Our beloved Cynic is actually a fan of the Yellow and Black Attack!?!

Just... Wow!

Hey, Stryper might have been a little goofy but Oz Fox could wail. I always hid my Stryper tapes from the other metal heads, but some of it was pretty good.

[Diogenes the Cynic]

Hey, Stryper might have been a little goofy but Oz Fox could wail. I always hid my Stryper tapes from the other metal heads, but some of it was pretty good.
Heh. I did the same thing but I know I wasn't the only one. Their musicality was actually pretty decent and some of their deeper, non radio cuts had some balls.

[dangermom]

I do agree about having quality deep C'tian music (and even on K-LOVE there is some challenging "social justice" C'tian stuff), but I should have qualified - the "safe for kids" angle actually seems to mean "safe for little kids around the house when Mom is listening". That is definitely a market that doesn't have a wide choice of listening options.Yeah, it is a pretty narrow range of acceptability. I cope with folk music, classical, and stuff, and pop in the Oingo Boingo while I'm driving alone.

I do own a couple of Jars of Clay albums, and one of older hymns sung by modern bands--some are pretty good, a few I skip. I also bought a sort of collection CD because I liked a few songs on it, and it's mostly pretty good, but I was also appalled by one song that called the day of the Crucifixion "that wonderful, scandalous night" as if it was a romantic one-night stand or something. :eek:

On the whole, I don't care for Christian rock/pop, (or the LDS flavor thereof). But I'm willing to listen to it if it's really good; it's just that most of it seems to be both shallow and repetitive. So, I guess I'm listening for good recommendations too.

[Cardinal]

Christian radio is built for the kind of people who listen to Christian radio, in all respects and formats. If it's talk, then you have to basically be Republican and be a creationist. If you're a DJ, you have to play, um, I basically have no idea who is popular in Christian pop now, uh, Steve Green?

In my older years, I've drifted out of the "scene", because it seems sort of more pointless in general to me, but there were Christian bands that were actually good. You can't take a population of 50 million (or whatever) and not have some talented people in there. From the Annals of the Paaaaaaassst:

Bloodgood: Detonation (yes, it's hair metal, but on this one, they scored)

Crucified: The two "actual" albums, not the demos. "Pillars of Humanity" still sounds heavy and intricate at the same time.

77s: Basically anything

Daniel Amos: Terry Taylor is a major talent whether he's trying to be the Eagles or trippy New Wave or Johnny Cash. There's a reason he's the last remaining member.

King's X: They're not a Christian Band any more in the way they were (if they were) earlier, but they can really hit the ball out of the park sometimes.

Scaterd Few: A truly punk album from your average pot toking Christians.

Undercover: Managed some enjoyable but sort of immature albums, then put out Branded, which is what opera might sound like if it were written by Ramones fans.

Altar Boys: Are we rock or punk? We can't decide, so we split the difference. I still like them. I don't care if you're throwing things.

Delirious: Mostly a flat out Modern worship band. Made a few very good albums. I've sort of lost track of them. I should try their more recent stuff.

Maybe the most obscure here: Dead Artist Syndrome/Brian Healy (DAS was an excuse for Healy to record). Some really nice stuff, for the psuedo-goths.

LSU: Wow, I forgot Mike Knott/LSU/Lifesavors. Mike is an authentic arteeeest. You never get the sense that it's fake or made so he'll sell product. He's a songwriter/singer, guitarist/painter/producer with lots of bands so he can make lots of product so he can support a family. He's one of those guys who's managed to be honest about his bad behavior in the past.

Proclaimers: What, those "500 Mile" guys? Listen to the albums after that. If they're not Christians, they need to have their recording contract revoked. Why did they cover "Lord, I Want to be a Christian"?

Resurrection Band: I don't know what they've been doing lately, but their first five or so albums have some pretty good blues/rock stuff.

Violet Burning: I don't know their early stuff from when they made a splash on the scene, but I think "Faith and Devotions of a Satellite Heart" is a major achievement. I usually don't like slow albums, but I bought this for my rocker buddy, and he enjoyed it. "This is the Moment" is also enjoyable.


Oh, yeah, Stryper: They actually have some good songs, but always have that at least slightly embarrassing gloss of hair metal. I tried their reunion album, but it didn't work for me. There are a few songs that do work from their main catalog, though.

I heard once that Lifehouse was essentially the Malibu Vineyard Worship Band. They happened to have a real songwriter, and made the leap.

[Thudlow Boink]

but I was also appalled by one song that called the day of the Crucifixion "that wonderful, scandalous night" as if it was a romantic one-night stand or something. :eek: That sounds like "Beautiful Scandalous Night," but I don't think I share your interpretation of it. For the curious, lyrics to the song, and a couple different downloadable versions, are available here (http://www.galaxy21music.com/thechoir/).

[Thudlow Boink]

Daniel Amos: Terry Taylor is a major talent whether he's trying to be the Eagles or trippy New Wave or Johnny Cash.You gotta love a guy who lists his heroes as Zorro, The Cure, Anne Lamott, The Ramones, T.S. Eliot, Willie Nelson, Larry David, Pancho Villa, Echo and the Bunneymen, Leonard Cohen, Brian Regan, JFK, Roger Maguine, The Kinks, Sitting Bull, Bob Dylan, both Elvises, Sandy Koufax, Martin Luther King Jr., Social Distortion, C. Philip Hoffman, Dennis Miller, Jon Stewart, Frederich Beuchner, Johnny Depp, Flannery O'Conner, Neil Young, Brian Wilson, C.S. Lewis, Rosa Parks, Wilco, Saint Paul, Phil Hendrie, Muhammad Ali, The Cohen Brothers, The Salvation Army, Emmylou Harris, David Mamet, Blaise Pascal, Jackie Robinson, Johnny Cash, Rembrandt, Modest Mouse, John Lennon, Aslan, Teenage Fanclub, Billy Graham, Vincent Van Gogh, the Founding Fathers, and that Latino guy who clerks over at the liquor store.

[Cardinal]

I went into iTunes and called up The Crucified, and especially for "Pillars of Humanity", I have to post again: Wow.

I wish I could have one artist achievement on my resume like that.

[I'm No Saint]

I'm not what you call a Christian, myself, but I enjoy stuff from Kutless, Skillet and 12 Stones. I believe they're all considered Christian-lite.

[furt]

Your beef may be not so much with Christian rock as with Christian radio...One more chiming in on this.

My problem w/ most overtly Christian music is the lame lyrics, but even there there are exceptions.

Rich Mullins has been mentioned, and Mark Heard and Steve Taylor were also absolutely brilliant songwriters, as good as anyone on the secular side IMO. Unfortunately, the first two guys are dead (as a freind once asked, "Why couldn't God take the ones who suck?") and Taylor confines himself to producing these days, but picking up a used album or two would be cheap. And I'll second anything from Terry Taylor/Daniel Amos/Swirling Eddies

Of course, since a lot of Phil Keaggy's stuff is instrumental, his lyrics are swell.



I'm always saddened that Chagall Guevara's name never comes up in these threads. I am far from alone in thinking their debut one of the best Christian Rock albums ever. * It says something about the Christian music market that they got no support and never did another.



*(Actually, that might make a more interesting thread)

[furt]

t I was also appalled by one song that called the day of the Crucifixion "that wonderful, scandalous night" as if it was a romantic one-night stand or something."Scandal" is the English derivative of the Greek http://www.antioch.com.sg/cgi-bin/bible/vines/get_defn.pl?num=1964#A1 (skandalon , a word specifically used in Gal 5:11 to refer to the crucifixion.

[John DiFool]

Lyrics. Wouldn't it be better to let your faith sort of "permeate" your lyrical content without overwhelming it? That is, no matter what lyrical subject you are focusing on, wouldn't there always be an undercurrent of faith in there somewhere? So why force it and always sing about "Jesus is Great, God is Good, Praise them all" etc.? Don't grasp why the lyrics have to always be so narrowly focused. You could make an argument that U2, a band with devout Christians in it (as opposed to a Christian rock band), have done just that, even if you have grown tired of their shtick.

IANA Christian, but I do tend to end up with a number of bands who have a rather spiritual bent in one way or another, and the lyrical content for them is invariably much more rich, creative, and varied than that in a typical Christian rock band; not feeling the need to explicitly sing about God etc. (shut up you jokers) would appear to "free" a lyricist to truly shoot for the stars and not be held back. For one thing they aren't afraid to explore the "dark side of the faith" so to speak (no not Satan that's much too crude). Just my 2 cents.

[furt]

Lyrics. Wouldn't it be better to let your faith sort of "permeate" your lyrical content without overwhelming it? That is, no matter what lyrical subject you are focusing on, wouldn't there always be an undercurrent of faith in there somewhere? So why force it and always sing about "Jesus is Great, God is Good, Praise them all" etc.?I don't think there's anything wrong with writing specifically about spiritual issues, provided it's done intelligently and beautifully.

Of the ones I named, Rich Mullins has a somewhat contemplative, spiritual focus, and his songs have a poetic cast to them: e.g: This (http://www.kidbrothers.net/wabairi1.html#ja2w) and This (http://www.kidbrothers.net/wohsoe.html#wtw) The latter sounds - consciously, I'm sure -- a lot like an updated Gerard Manley Hopkins.


Mark Heard is also mostly about sprirtual issues, but is more oblique:

I will rise from my bed with a question again
As I work to inherit the restless wind
The view from my window is cold and obscene
I want to touch what my eyes haven't seen

But they have packaged our virtue in cellulose dreams
And sold us the remnants 'til our pockets are clean
'Til our hopes fall 'round our feet
Like the dust of dead leaves
And we end up looking like what we believe
...
Like bees in a bottle we are flying at fate
Beating our wings against the walls of this place
Unaware that the struggle is the blood of the proof
In choosing to believe the unbelievable truth


Steve Taylor and Chagall Guevara have larger interests and are less explicitly Christian. I was just looking at the Amazon reviews for Chagall Guevara and half of them didn't even recognize that they were a Christian band.

Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SwmdCEoBHQ)

[furt]

delete

[Hugh Mongoose]

It's been a long time since I've encountered a christian band I enjoy, but I recently re-discovered a band I'd seen about 5 years ago: House of Heroes. Their live show this time around was pretty rough around they edges (they just got out of the studio, so they may have been short on rehearsal time for live performances) but I checked them out on iTunes, and their album "Say No More" is excellent. Little bit of a weezer vibe in the vocals. Worth taking a listen.

[Thudlow Boink]

I was just looking at the Amazon reviews for Chagall Guevara and half of them didn't even recognize that they were a Christian band.Well, they weren't—depending on what you mean by "a Christian band." They were an attempt by the members to break out of the "ghetto" of Christian music and into the mainstream. They released their (sadly, only) album on a mainstream label and aimed at the mainstream market (MTV, Rolling Stone magazine, etc.), and there was nothing explicitly Christian in their lyrics (as there certainly was in lyrics Steve Taylor wrote for himself, the Newsboys, and Guardian).

[furt]

Well, they weren't—depending on what you mean by "a Christian band." They were an attempt by the members to break out of the "ghetto" of Christian music and into the mainstream. They released their (sadly, only) album on a mainstream label and aimed at the mainstream market (MTV, Rolling Stone magazine, etc.), and there was nothing explicitly Christian in their lyrics (as there certainly was in lyrics Steve Taylor wrote for himself, the Newsboys, and Guardian).Well, IMO Chagall Guevara's lyrics were not explicitly Christian, but if you're looking for it at all, the Christian worldview is pretty clearly there. With the exception of maybe one or two tracks each, Taylor's last three or four solo albums weren't explicitly Christian, either.

I guess the record label is a good dividing line, though, so by that measure I guess you could say that they were "secular."

[kung fu lola]

Disclaimer -- I am not a Christian. I am not even of Christian heritage (Jewish...)

That said:

1. Evanescence (http://www.evanescence.com/). Definitely started out as self-proclaimed "Christian Rock." Have become mainstream while, AFAIK, still carrying something of a Christian message (not overt) in their music.

Not since Ben left. Now it's standard pseudo-goth Top 40 songs about breakups and tortured love, all the way.

Signed,

kfl, whose brand new gf is a devoted Ev-head.

[Diogenes the Cynic]

I think it's interesting that no one has yet mentioned Creed. I think that says a lot about Creed.

[Mister Rik]

Well, they weren't—depending on what you mean by "a Christian band.
There was an article in GQ magazine a couple years back where a guy attended and reviewed a Christian Rock festival. He came up with an interesting distinction, that a "Christian Rock band" is a rock band that plays music targeted at Christians, while a "Christian band" is a rock band that just happens to be composed of Christians. The writer had considerably more respect for the latter than the former.

[Talon Karrde]

I used to be a pretty big consumer of Contemporary Christian Music. I didn't really go for the loud hard-rock stuff (either Christian or secular -- just not my sound), so I may not be what you're looking for. But I'll pitch in my experience anyway.

I'd say the "rockiest" Christian music I listened to entire albums of was Audio Adrenaline. Some of their stuff was good. Particularly liked "Chevette" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-naQsBRoWb4&mode=related&search=), which is not overtly Christian.
I used to listen to a lot of Christian music too. My parents like it a lot. I kind of grew out of it, but some of it is still good.
I kind of like Audio Adrenaline too, especially their album Underdog. The lyrics are good for a mainstream Christian band and the music isn't bad either, though not as good as when I was 13.

The only Christian rock band I could ever stomach was Jars of Clay. They were less repititive lyrically and broader musically than any other band I heard. I'm sure there were some other groups who were just as talented, but I never heard them.
I used to love Jars of Clay. I still like them but I don't listen to them much. Some of you might have heard their song "Flood", which was a hit in the mid-90's. I think they were mildly controversial among some Christians for being more than "Praise Jesus!" in every song. They are an example of a mainstream christian band with lyrics that could be broad topically. The song Art in Me (http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/lyrics/new/track.asp?track_id=524) had very poetic lyrics.
They started out as sort of a basic mid-90s mainstream alternative band and then progressed from there. Their first three albums are good, but their fourth was mediocre. After that they reinvented themselves as a sort of Gospel band, which they do well.

I think the problem with Christian rock is not the Christianity but the monotony of the subject matter. Any cause or ideology starts to become tedious and strident after a while. A band that does nothing but berate its audience about saving the rainforest or women's rights or ending all wars gets annoying just as quickly. It's artistically limiting and can't help but become repetitive.
It doesn't have to be like that, but that generally is the case.

Rich Mullins has been mentioned. Is he the guy that wrote "Awesome God"? It is a pretty good song, but the verse lyrics are terrible. The first two lines are:
"When he rolls up his sleeve he ain't puttin' on the ritz
Our god is an awesome god"
:confused:


[for some reason my brain just mashed that song together with REM's "Man on the Moon"- "Moses went walking with a staff of wood/ Our god is an awesome god. . . "

[Hunter Hawk]

Nick Cave's music is, of course, chockablock with Christian themes, and can even to some extent be divided into his "Old Testament" and "New Testament" phases. You might find it interesting to check out the album The Secret Life of the Love Song & The Flesh Made Word: Two Lectures by Nick Cave.

[Lizard]

Wow . . . seen some bands I recognize mentioned, but mostly this thread just reminds me just how OLD my experience with Christian rock really is. I grew up in a very conservative area of Ohio, and my family and friends bought the first albums ever put out by Petra, Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, Rez Band, and Steve Taylor. This was back when Christian Rock was considered something of an oxymoron. Stryper's secular success was cause for a lot of controversy, and looking back at it now, it's hard to argue that they weren't using Christianity as a bit of a gimmick.

I still own a lot of those albums. They were made by artists who were idealists, because there really was no money in Christian rock back then. (My experience is from the early 80s to the late-90s). What is called "Christian Rock" now has been homogenized into a saleable genre, and the artistic drive just isn't there. As others have noted, Steve Taylor was a brilliant songwriter, as was M.W. Smith and Bob Hartman of Petra in their prime. IMHO, they were the equals of mainstream secular artists working back then, although the Christian performers were a little more restrained in some ways because they considered themselves "message" artists.
Along with Rez Band (a bunch of inner-city Chicagoans who were as tough as any secular band) they wrote songs about suicide ("The Last Letter," Smith), racism ("We Don't Need No Color Code," Taylor) Third World poverty ("Hollow Eyes" by Petra) child abuse and homelessness ("Playground" by Rez Band, which also recorded several songs about apartheid.)

The key difference that I can see from these artists and secular music then and now is the message of hope the Christian stuff contained. "Playground," and Rez Band in particular were and still are inspirational to me. Rez didn't apologize for their faith; they were streetwise in the literal sense, as people who were Christians but had (sometimes first-hand) experience with drug abuse, poverty, and crime. They sang about these things as people whose faith wasn't a fad, a trend, or a social club, but as a force that literally changed their lives and saved them from the gutter. A quote from "Playground" will illustrate what I mean:

I see them every day
with holes all in their clothes
dirty faces, matted hair
snot running from their nose
I wonder what they had to eat
I wonder where they sleep
glue bags, porn and suicide the Devil sells you cheap

They say God lives in the sky
Does he really care?
Maybe he's got lots to do
Don't want us in his hair
But I can tell you first hand
He took me in his arms
God don't beat his children, or leave them all alone.

Powerful stuff, and they had a lot of songs like that. If the OP wants Christian music that really takes Christianity seriously, he should forget just about everything made in the last 10 years, and start with these albums. They will be hard to find; some aren't even on CD, and all were released before 1987:

Petra - Beat The System
Michael W. Smith - The Big Picture
Rez Band - Live! Bootleg (One of my favorite live albums by any band, ever)
Stever Taylor - Meltdown (His "I Predict 1990" album is good too)



Sorry I got long-winded. Christian music, and what has happened to it, are very personal issue for me.

[Achren]

...Rich Mullins has been mentioned. Is he the guy that wrote "Awesome God"? It is a pretty good song, but the verse lyrics are terrible. The first two lines are:
"When he rolls up his sleeve he ain't puttin' on the ritz
Our god is an awesome god"
:confused: ...
*climbs on soapbox*
Yet another reason Christian radio sucks - this is the only song people know by Rich Mullins. Yeah, he wrote it. No, it's not good. But the majority are much better (http://www.kidbrothers.net/lyrics.html). Please don't judge the man by 'Awesome God'.
*climbs off soapbox*

[Kozmik]

1. Evanescence (http://www.evanescence.com/). Definitely started out as self-proclaimed "Christian Rock." Have become mainstream while, AFAIK, still carrying something of a Christian message (not overt) in their music.I did not know. I know of them as Gothic.


I was looking in Borders Books & Music for Sixpence None The Richer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sixpence_None_the_Richer). I went through the popular music section to no avail. Then I did a computer search -- Christian contemporary. I didn't know.

For some reason I feel that it is better to say: "Evanescence and Sixpence None the Richer are my favorite bands...oh yeah, years later I discovered that they are Christian rock" versus "Evanescence and Sixpence None the Richer are Christian rock and I love their songs"

[Autumn Almanac]

As a Christian and a rock fan, I have to admit, I almost always find explicitly religious lyrics to be trite and cheesy. George Harrison and Bob Marley are about the only people I trust to sing unabashedly about God and still sound cool. I guess they call it the devil's music for a reason.

[Lizard]

As a Christian and a rock fan, I have to admit, I almost always find explicitly religious lyrics to be trite and cheesy. George Harrison and Bob Marley are about the only people I trust to sing unabashedly about God and still sound cool. I guess they call it the devil's music for a reason.
This is a result of lack of sophistication in the Christian artists, not because of the material or genre. Early Christian rock was thematically and theologically complex, far more so than what is being made today. (The song I quoted in my post above was published circa 1982.)
A lot of so-called "Christian" groups today are provincial bands playing to a provincial audience. It was not always so.

[OneCentStamp]

and pop in the Oingo Boingo while I'm driving alone.
Hehe...you're so Mormon. ;)

Speaking of which, did you ever see or hear of the Mormon-produced film The RM? It was by the same company that did The Singles Ward.