News

Letter Kills which were a emo-indie-pop-punk band from the early 00’s that dropped some independent songs, signed to Island Records, released a huge sounding record called “The Bridge”, played around the country for a few years then just disappeared as quickly as they appeared. Lead Vocalist Matt Shelton went on to record with The Wedding as well some great solo songs and recently formed “Panther City Riots“. As a band they were strong and their delivery was just as good as ANY other band at that time.… Continued →

I didn’t want this news post to slip through the cracks (my news roundup probably did just that). Too Bad Eugene just released their first ever music video and it’s for the song “Non Grata” off their most recent full length “Distance” which is out now! Check out the music video below. You can purchase the album on Vinyl/CD right here and trust me it’s totally WORTH IT!… Continued →

After browsing social media for a very important rock band that our scene has been blessed with, a legacy artist if you will, Stavesacre will return soon with new music (I hope). I think the band posting in studio pics is enough confirmation of new music, right? What is your favorite Stavesacre album/ep? SO MANY GOOD SONGS…28 years later… Continued →

CPR317 have dropped a “Best Of” album that spans the punk band’s 2014-2020 years. The album boasts 17 tracks, 3 are brand new, while the rest are selections from the band’s previous releases, “Turn It Up”, “In the Business”, and “Live At Fuzion”. All tracks have been remastered and the release sounds great! A great album that fans of punk rock across the board will love, you can grab yourself a copy HERE.  … Continued →

Lauren Daigle is back with a brand new song titled “Thank God I Do” and new “Self Titled” album due out May 12th 2023. Check out a lyric video for the new song, below. This sounds oh so good. What do you think?… Continued →

Rock & Metal

• Bennett Hughes – Kick Ton
• Chase Tremaine – Accidental Days
• Sacrificium – Oblivion

Pop & CCM

• Nightbirde – It’s OK
• Zachary Ray – Unafraid

Folk & Singer/Songwriter

• Benjamin Torrens – I Love You, Light EP
• Ian Zumback – Abeline EP
• Schuyler Kitchin – solstice

Hip Hop & R&B

• adamariz – NEED 2 HOLD ON 2 THE TRUTH EP
• BigGucciDame – A Liars Perspective EP
• Celly Da Kidd – Into The Trenches EP
• Issac Mansfield – From A Boy To A Man, Vol. 1 EP

Worship & Gospel

• Anna Palfreeman – Certain
• Ascent Project – Come And See EP
• Courtney Raley – Union Vol.

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Happy March everyone! After a long absence I’m back and ready to throw down, well from my own office that is. I’ll rumble with this keyboard and toss a mouse through your screen. I’m the A.I. of your nightmares. Yes, creepy I know. Let’s get rolling with some great February music news for this new year of 2023. Oh and yes, my “Best of 2022 List” is indeed coming soon or something like that. *This has been assembled sporadically over the past month or two so some items might seem “dated” but that’s ok because more is on the way.… Continued →

I first heard of this LA punk band when I was running distro in the early 2000s. They had an EP out on The Legion (short-lived label that only released 3 titles), which I began stocking, and then they put out another release on the upcoming Clumsy Records (also home to Combat Junkies, The Stivs and a few others). I had the chance to catch them live at Cornerstone 2002, which was a fantastic show! In fact, that year was a great year for punk at the festival, as I also saw Huntingtons, The Remnants, One Bad Pig, World Against World, and Headnoise that year among others.… Continued →

Rock & Metal 

• Earth Groans – Tongue Tied EP
• The Jericho Harlot – Voices EP

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I’ve been looking forward to Jesus Revolution (Film) for a year or two. I remember when I first caught word that the story of the “Jesus Movement” about this Southern California place I call home, would become theatrical production. Greg Laurie even announced it at Harvest Crusade back in 2021 and we got excited. I took my entire family to see this film on Feb. 22nd which was an “Early Access” screening. It began with an introduction about what we were about to watch from the filmmakers and writers themselves plus insight from Anne Wilson who contributes a new song to the film.… Continued →

We’re digging deep into the archives for this one. Azitis was a psychedelic rock band from Sacramento, originally formed as “Help” in 1966, but they had to change the name for legal reasons because of a British band by the same name. The band’s name was taken from the Lord’s Prayer: “Thy will be done on earth ‘azitis’ in heaven.” Having come up through the late 60s garage rock scene, by the time they recorded their debut, there was a plethora of original material to choose from.… Continued →

Rock & Metal

• Mercy – The Powers That Be
• Stryken – Once Lost now Found
• Then It Ends – Solace (Instrumental) EP

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Greg Minier, the famed guitarist of The Crucified (and later of grunge/alternative/metal project Applehead) released a solo EP of straightforward thrash metal (the yin to The Crucified’s crossover yang), under his last name. The mini-album contained 7 songs and featured Greg playing all the instruments as well as handling the vocal duties. I remember talking with several metalheads at the time and we all agreed it was unfair for the Lord to bless some individuals with so much talent, while others of us got so little!… Continued →

Hailing from the tri-state area of West Virginia/Pennsylvania/Ohio,this metalcore band only released one cassette demo and one split CD with emocore band Pensive. What is interesting about that split–that is, besides being a spectacular release from two very good and rather unique bands–is that both bands featured members that would soon after go on to join the more well-known Zao. Pensive featured Brett Detar and Martin Lunn, as well as other members who joined Detar’s later band The Juliana Theory. Seasons in the Field featured Russ Cogdell on guitar, and future Zao screamer Dan Weyandt.… Continued →

Rock & Metal

• Diamonds to Dust – Amidst the Hallowed and Vanquished (Instrumentals)
• Skillet – Dominion: Day of Destiny

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Rock & Metal

• Zahna – Stronger Than Death

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This folk-punk band was formed as a sort of atypical worship band. Their purpose was to create “authentic church music devoid of hype.” Hailing from Pittsburgh, the band features members of Last Hope and Timbre, its roots firmly embedded in the punk scene. Their one and only album was self-released in 2010, but saw a digital re-release in 2019 via Zap Records (home of 2 Minute Minor, Voice of the Mysterons, October Bird of Death, and others). I reviewed the album in 2019, here, and really enjoyed it.… Continued →

Dr. Onionskin has a long and somewhat interesting history. Born Shane Ries, he had a brief career in the 80s in mod and power pop bands (a fact I only recently discovered), but first came into CCM prominence with the oddly effective project Hymn Jim’s Gospel Gems (1995), which fused traditional hymns with dance music. He re-branded a year later as Dr. Onionskin and changed styles to acid jazz, releasing the quirky, instrumental and semi-brilliant Split Pea Soup. Then in 1996 he changed styles again, though still building on jazz-electronica fusions, and emerged with Bully and oh my gosh, what a record!… Continued →

Rock & Metal

• Colony House – The Cannonballers

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Hip-hop stalwarts Illect Recordings, brainchild of Josh Niemyjski (Sphere of Hip Hop, Illect, Uprok), have released a brand new playlist on YouTube of all instrumental, jazzy, turtablist hip-hop. Great for studying, background sounds, or even to practice your own rhyming skills over the top of the beats. Check it out below.… Continued →

Rock & Metal… Continued →

90s alternative. People either love it or hate it. Despite the excesses of the genre, or the just plain slackness of it, I still love it. 3 Car Pile-Up was never going to win any awards for their musical contributions–unless it was maybe the high school talent show. Their one and only album is raw, somewhat sloppy, and even kind of juvenile in its approach to both music and lyrics. However, that is exactly what I love about it. If you can’t relate to the lyrics of “Dweeb” then I’m not sure you actually lived through American Christianity in the 80s/90s: When I was in grade school, my friends made fun of me They used to call me stupid names, like “Jesus Boy” or “Freak” But I knew come Sunday, that I’d be number one ‘Cuz I knew all my verses, and I would get some gum I’m a dweeb!… Continued →

Perhaps better known as the bassist/vocalist of hardcore punk cum crossover thrash band The Lead, Nina (full name Nina Llopis) released her debut album No Shadow of Turning for R.E.X. Music in 1991. As my friend and fellow fan Tim “Greybeard” Henderson (ex-Warlord) said, “This is a perfect example of 1991 music!” He’s so right. The album had hints of goth rock/post-punk, alternative rock, and jangle pop–a description which doesn’t make logical sense unless you lived through the early 90s. Musically similar to other early 90s female-fronted alternative bands like The Darling Buds and Concrete Blonde, the effort was a huge departure from her previous material with the hardcore/thrash band from which we’d come to know her.… Continued →

Rock & Metal Pop & CCM Electronic & EDM Folk & Singer/Songwriter

• Stephanie Staples – Love Broke Through
• Zach & Maggie – The Elephant in the Room

Hip Hop & R&B

• Canton Jones –  WORSHIP & 808’S EP
• Common Hymnal – We Outside
• CS LIT – NASHUA
• Eshon Burgundy –  Lost Sheep
• justmarkg – Holy Ghost Pressure
• Kkah$o –  UNCHAINED EP
• Paul the Messenger – The Lone(ly) Wolf EP
• Rell Riley – FOREVER EP
• TLS – The Listening Session, Vol 1

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6X4RTpfLorsilE29QnMbzv?si=5f69b94fd9384244 Worship & Gospel

• Hannah Foster – Who You Are EP
• NewSpring Worship, Lauren Vaughan – Even in the Quiet EP
• Ocean & The Ghost – Ocean & the Ghost EP

Instrumental & Other

• Amanda Danziger, Filipe Michael – Seasons (Instrumental) EP

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Geoff Mann was a fairly well-known prog rock artist in the UK, but unfortunately his renown didn’t quite make it across the Atlantic. Having been the vocalist in an early incarnation of famed UK prog rock band Twelfth Night, he effectively left the band when they moved to London and he decided to remain in Manchester. Sometime in the early 80s, Geoff became a Christian through a “deep and lasting Christian conversion” (for more info, check out this article). At this point Geoff begins making very creative, even experimental prog rock.… Continued →

Rock & Metal

• HolyName – Holyname

Pop & CCM

• Bien – Covers EP
• Blessing Offor – My Tribe

Electronic & EDM

• Deep Al Brindle – Late Night, Early Morning EP

Folk & Singer/Songwriter

• Frankie Orella – Sad In Paradise EP
• Josh Adams – Bed of Thorns EP

Hip Hop & R&B

• Childlike CiCi – 4 Friday EP
• Desciple – P.P.P. (Pandemic Power Pack) EP
• DH Bob – Pocket EP
• Jopo Da Son – E X O D U S EP
• T-Strike, Constance – Something Greater EP
• Yung Drew, Gavin the HotRod – HomeTown Heroes EP

Worship & Gospel

• Ginny Owens – Be Still and Know EP
• NLC Worship – Song of Heaven
• River Valley AGES – an ep of some songs u can read ur bible + journal to EP
• TAYA – TAYA
• Tim Pepper – The Outpouring Worship Project
• Victory Worship – Living Breathing Miracle (Live)

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“Florida”, the brand new song by this incredible band – Names Without Numbers, is OUT NOW! This is underground indie/emo rock that doesn’t sound so underground. This is a polished and slick sounding new song and from a production standpoint, is as perfect as any of today’s best new rock songs. Listening to this and you just know you’ve stumbled on to something great. Listen to “Florida” by Names Without Numbers now on your digital streaming service of choice. Make sure to share the good news with friends and ADD it to all your playlists.… Continued →

This Swedish death metal band formed in 1996, and has been active ever since. They immediately began recording cassette demos, initially focusing on traditional death metal and morphing over time into more a melodic and progressive take on the genre. Of course, Sweden is known for its melodeath sound, centered in Gothenburg, but Pantokrator are from the opposite side of the southern peninsula. Lyrically the band tend to feature songs about biblical mysteries, not your typical Christian metal fare. Rather than topics of salvation and judgment, they tell stories about obscure characters like the Nephilim, the legendary and quasi-biblical Lilith, and Melchisedec, featured here.… Continued →

The Christian Music Universe is back with their second annual playlist. The project was started last year to bring together Christian music lovers from across the universe to create a collaborative playlist of their favorite songs of the year. This year’s team included Brandon Jones and myself as well as eight others. Give the playlist a listen on Spotify and YouTube and share you’re favorite songs of 2022 with us in the comments. … Continued →