This brilliant alternative rock band formed in Santa Barbara, California in the 1990s. They released one full-length album Way Before the Flood and a follow-up EP 5 Years, 50,000 Miles Davis, before changing the band name to Model Engine and releasing one more album, The Lean Year’s Tradition. All three releases came out through 5 Minute Walk and/or SaraBellum Records (the latter an imprint of 5MW).
The band’s sound was unique. They played an earthy, rootsy form of alternative rock but also had some progressive tendencies–more so later on as they morphed into Model Engine. I was privileged to catch the band live three different times in the era and was always amazed by how much sound they got from just three members on stage and no special effects or frills whatsoever. If you missed out on these guys, you really missed something special.
Lyrically, the band showed strength as well. Their verses were faith-filled, witty, substantial, and intelligent, all at the same time. Take “WBF” from the debut album, for instance:
To love God and serve Christ
Need be the only thing
If God has called you to be a missionary
Don’t stoop to be a king
Is it busy up there?
Is it busy up there?
We’re waiting
There are so many souls down here
Just waiting, we’re waiting
I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise that a band called Black Eyed Sceva would have a little more lyrical depth than the average band. The name itself is a reference to Acts chapter 19, where “the seven sons of Sceva” (sons of a Jewish priest of that name) got beat up by a demon while trying to cast him out of someone, but doing it in their own strength. Again, it’s no surprise that the band showed a certain vulnerability in their own struggles, coupled with a sincere faith.
Sadly, the joke was lost on many, and due to recurring misinterpretation of the name as well as simple mispronunciation, they changed it to the much simpler Model Engine. I, for one, was mildly disappointed in the name change, as I thought the original reeked of a playful creativity. Nonetheless, the band didn’t consult me and carried on as Model Engine. In the end it was an appropriate move as the band’s sound shifted somewhat, as the new iteration also carried some member changed. Sadly, drummer Erik Herzog died in 2016, RIP.
