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Texan Bloodlines is a cross between metalcore/deathcore/djent. They have even tapped into the Mainstream with Colder. Anyways, my son & I like this song & it was my ringtone for about 6 months. Also check out the lyrics. I’m giving in, giving in once again Cause I can’t keep up I’m caving in to my sins and I feel like I’ve lost all hope I keep on fighting this war Thatdoesn’t seem to end And now I’m broken inside I think I’ve lost my mind When does it end, when does it end?… Continued →

Let the Day Perish is an awesome up & coming metalcore band from the Chesapeake Virginia area. I moved down here about a month ago now & actually attend the church guitarist Juan attends. Their name comes from KJV Job 3:3 “Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said., There is a man child conceived.” The band is comprised of 3 military veterans & resonates with me as I spent almost 8 years in. Check out their Bandcamp where the lyrics for both hard hitting songs are housed.… Continued →

This pop punk band only released 2 full lengths, but obviously caught the punk scene by surprise as they were an all girl band on their first LP. They added a guy for their 2nd. This song reminds me of ska band Bob’s (Bunch of Believers) Mission Trip to Mexico for obvious reasons as tunes referencing mission trips.   … Continued →

The best way I can describe Coolidge is as a sort of ‘prequel supergroup.’ All of the members are now well-known for their contributions to indie rock, though none of them were very well-known at the time, and Coolidge remains a fairly obscure blip on the map of alternative music. Formed in 1992, the band featured Damien Jurado on bass and vocals, David Bazan (Pedro the Lion, Headphones, Lo Tom) on drums, and Eben Haase (Blenderhead, Don’t Know) on guitar. They played an intense and unique form of emo-core that interweaved lo-fi indie rock into the mix.… Continued →

This is a blues rock band from Massachusetts. They remind many of ZZ TOP due to the look & their sound. Anyways check out this SOTD which is vocalist/guitarist fave of their discography.   … Continued →

New Zealand’s Enoch has been on the scene since 2016. They remind of groovy djent metal whose comparison artists could be Azusa or mainstream Arch Enemy. Check em out if you haven’t already.   … Continued →

I have dug this song from when I first heard it when it came out. The 2 piece is a brother & sister duo that primarily did pop rock that explored CCM radio back in the early 2000s. They were in their mid teens when they started. The band resonates with me also as both were homeschooled just like me. Both pursued soloist careers after they released 3 LPs together. Check out these lyrics. & hope y’all have a great safe New Years! It’s a beautiful pain When Your grace shines and touches my face I know Your love I’ve heard it sung a thousand times before But still I cry for more Surrender to my Lord And tonight and the rest of my life I want to live for You Still I cry for You … Continued →

Haven was a heavy metal/power metal band from New Jersey active in the late 80s and early 90s. The band released two stellar full-length albums for R.E.X. and a third independent release that moved away from heavy metal into hard rock and alternative territory. Fans were often divided on Haven, particularly over the vocals. They were kind of a love ’em or hate ’em thing. Personally, I really enjoyed the unique style. There were enough similarities to Geoff Tate (Queensryche), Mike Lee (Barren Cross), or Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) to draw comparisons, and yet there was a roughness to the high-pitched vocals that made them stand out.… Continued →

So this band reminds me of Memphis May Fire. Yeah, I saw them around, but never listened as they never landed on anything Christian related that I saw. Until maybe 10 years ago for both bands. Thrice is very well known obviously so I started to listen to their back discogs. They got some great stuff & this is my face from them, but please check out their other stuff. And yes, their songs are in the mainstream. Also, Check out their vocalists Dustin’s solo stuff   … Continued →

Pop punk Philmore were a band that released some fun songs back in the early 2000s era. Most would remember Our Finest Hour, but my friend loves Fishy. The members currently work in a few different fields. One is a fireman, one realtor & one photographer. Enjoy my fave!     … Continued →

Merry Christmas, Friends! I’m going to type up some thoughts on bands that should most definitely reunite in 2023 to 1) Play an anniversary set, 2) Re-Release a classic album on either vinyl, tape, or cd with bonus features (and band commentary) and 3) Throw some new and/or unreleased tracks at us that we most definitely need to hear. Thoughts and ideas can be found below…. Oh, and Tim Taber if you’re reading this, I hope you’ll consider the words below and incorporate them into future plans with Transparent Productions here in Orange County and Southern California in general.… Continued →

This 4 piece Canadian band released a demo & 1 LP. They sound pretty tight to me & I’ve heard thousands of bands. The Chrisman tape underground has a little info on them if you want to check that site out. Anyways, enjoy from 1993.   … Continued →

Honestly I think this is a song that only Half-Handed Cloud could write. Aside from the ever-present pop bliss is a song about a baby trying to reach shiny Christmas ornaments that are out of reach, and yet so desirable. But Ringhofer makes a point that only he could make, about humanity’s incessant need to grasp for shining things that are always slightly out of reach and that we really don’t need after all. Merry Christmas IVM friends–may you find the true joy of Christmas this year–the baby in the manger!… Continued →

All In released 2 LPs on & then fell away into obscurity from what I gather. Their 2nd cd was very different in that every song is titled after someone in basketball’s Olympic dream team. They are hardcore & appears to have had 5 members. Anyways, love this song.… Continued →

The WWMT has so many good dance songs. They changed their name to The Tribe & influenced so many Christian EDM artists. Beth is actually worship artist Matt Redman’s wife. My fave member of the band is Andy “Heavyfoot” Hawthorne. His voice is very unique. Also check out the other projects LZ7, & thebandwithnoname.   … Continued →

NT was a band from Cali who released 3 LPs of energetic pop punk tunes circa the late 90s. Appears the bass player went on & played w/ Eager Seas & Lakes that I’ve seen around. Their drummer was also in Upperhand. This jam is my fave.   … Continued →

Emotional, ambient, heavy, screamo act out of Detroit, MI. Featuring members of Kept on Hold.

Free show tonight 12/16/2022 in Canton, MI at The Barn! American Arson, Kept on Hold, Camino Kid, Ryley Kilby, and Rosemont!

This brilliant synth-pop band hailed from Sweden. They released one fantastic album in 1989, that hit the States the next year, then disappeared until 1994 when they re-surfaced–though just barely–with a Swedish-language album, that didn’t make much of an impact outside of their homeland. Their debut, the nearly-eponymous W.O.W., was beautiful, but sadly never got the attention it deserved. Recorded primarily in the synth-pop style, it also had hints of Europop and new wave. In short, it was too alternative to be mainstream pop or CCM, and too poppy to appeal to fans of alternative rock.… Continued →

So this has gotta be the heaviest song Andrew & co. has ever released. It is the first single for their last project (no pun intended!) entitled Omni that will be released in early 2023. I’ve seen them almost as many times as Norma Jean live & they are great in ever way with their musical finesse. I helped crowdfund their live album & have a unreleased pressing from it. Their eponymous album was the first cd I purchased when I joined the military at an army PX!… Continued →

This Arkansas band was a fave of mine when their The Scenario We Know So Well EP released. Prior songs from their Moments to Monuments were on my radar but this EP blew me away. They reeased a S/T LP that tbh I didn’t really care for which is I am guessing they went from the emoish modern rock sound to a rock n roll band.  Anyways hope y’all like it & here are some lyrics. I was lost at sea And your gentle touch rescued me You said you would stay but I was walking away I heard your voice say come to me It’s Our Time I feel so free tonight    … Continued →

This blues band has been one of my musical faves for years. I finally got to see them live & took my mom!  Check out their whole discography as they have released a lot over the years. This review will also run on a day when I will be travelling to my new job in another state so seems like a fitting title!   … Continued →

This 3 piece grunge band made one album & fell into obscurity from what I can tell. Their label is none other than Grrr which houses a lot of the Jesus People U.S.A artists. Check em out if you like the garage grunge that seemed to rule the early 90s. … Continued →

Embraced was a short-lived hardcore band from Florida, active in the early 2000s. I was able to catch the band live a couple of times at local gigs and mini-festivals, and enjoyed their shows. I always liked their semi-melodic take on hardcore (I mean, they were from Florida, after all!) They were clearly playing HC, but with hints of emo and indie rock at times. Perhaps in a similar vein to Bloodshed, Beloved, and Underoath, but with their own take on it. The band only released one mini-album, the 7-song An Orchestrated Failure, in 2002 for Theory 8 Records (who also an album by The Goodbye Letter and an early split with Copeland and Pacifico, among others).… Continued →

Mark Robertson has done a lot musically. This project is industrial w/ the 2 albums having a concept story, but he was also a part of the Ragamuffins w/ Rich Mullins & fronted This Train. He also played bass for the Legendary Shack Shakers. These 2 UM albums were faves of mine in high school.  Check out the rest of his discography-you won’t be disappointed. … Continued →

This SOTD is unfortunately a memorial to the vocalist from this band. He was sadly killed by a drunk driver. This song Reborn was featured on some Christian radio stations back in the day. The band’s name came from a lake in their hometown. If you want to know more about them, follow the following link. https://archive.org/details/HAMMERTOWN   … Continued →

I apologize in advance, but here is a very obscure band that I found through an old Christian online radio station playlist. Wish I had more, but from what I gather their only other song was called For What’s It’s Worth. This song is pretty catchy imho. Maybe someone someday reading this will know more about them than I do. I don’t even know if their name is spelled right.   … Continued →

Last week I shared my top 20 rock EPs of 2022 with you. This week I’m back with my top 10 pop EPs of 2022. 10. Margot Osborne – Motion This EP is short and maybe not the most original sounding but it’s very well done. “Motions” and “Technicolor (Open Up Your Eyes) are both earworms that have been stuck in my head for months now. 9. Olivia Grasso – Risk Risk delivers on it’s name with a somewhat quirky pop EP. It’s got a great lead single in “Sidelines”, a strong closer in “Disjunct”, and even some thoughtful commentary on “Late Night TV”.… Continued →

I’ve never been a huge fan of pop-punk–just dabbled here and there–but darn it all if this isn’t a catchy tune! I popped this into the car CD player earlier this week, having not listened to it in years, and that opening tune was so ridiculously familiar! I think I must have heard it on a compilation somewhere too for me to remember it so well. Anyway, Olivia the Band was originally from Hawaii, but eventually relocated to San Diego. They released their self-titled debut in 2005 on Essential Records.… Continued →

Who likes Black Chery Soda? 2 choices-Pop punk band or the drink. Band is from PA & lasted almost the whole 90s time period. They had a few songs that hit “Christian” radio & I’ve always liked this one the best. … Continued →