Tag: California

Our feature today comes from two brothers who started making music in their teens, first as a new wave/post-punk band called Morella’s Forest (no, not that one), and then an immensely quirky synth-pop group called Dance House Children, before parting ways and forming two of the most legendary, creative, and prolific Chrindie groups ever–Joy Electric and Starflyer 59. Yes, we are talking about none other and Ronnie and Jason Martin. In the early 1990s an independent label emerged (technically started much earlier but with very limited distribution) called Blonde Vinyl.… Continued →

This band had the glammy looks and the flashy hooks, but their sound was heavier than the stereotypes led us to believe. Riding the line between glam metal and traditional heavy metal/power metal, the band played loud, melodic tunes with lots and lots of riffs. Hailing from Hollywood, California, the band came by their glam tendencies honestly. But listen to the riffs on “The Killer.” You won’t hear anything that heavy from Poison or Def Leppard. The band released a pair of cassette demos in 1988 and their only full-length album World Requiem in 1990 before calling it quits, with drummer Scott Ernest joining the ranks of another famed Christian melodic metal band, Angelica.… Continued →

Independent Christian music lost another legend recently. Jimmy Hotz (inventor/producer/solo artist/band member/producer/engineer/electronic music pioneer/author/multi-instrumentalist–and we’re not even exaggerating) died in June. Hotz first recorded in CCM in the 1970s with the group Dove, and then a handful of other mostly CCM artists before recording his solo album–and many would say his magnum opus–Beyond the Crystal Sea, released in 1980 on Oklahoma City-based Vision Records. Fortunately for fans, Born Twice (a division of Retroactive/Boone’s Overstock) re-issued the album in 2010. Hotz wasn’t content to release one of the greatest Christian rock albums of all time (this claim is verifiable too, repeatedly making appearances in all-time lists from reputable sources like HM, CCM, and various others).… Continued →

California band Minor Rockstar just released a five song Wasted EP today through Thumper Punk Records. The band feature a style of rock-n-roll that blends 90s alternative with a touch of punk rock. Their debut single “Wasted” can be streamed at: https://youtu.be/IToO7F8X5gk The full release can also be streamed or downloaded via the Thumper Punk bandcamp page: https://thumperpunkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/wasted… Continued →

This modern rock worship band made waves with their Love Riot album. To me they were kinda like Sonic Flood but, with a rockier twist & half female vocals. They changed their named to FearlessBND later. … Continued →

I love Blues Festivals. Darrel is probably the biggest blues musician along with Glenn Kaiser in CCM & has been around since the 80s. I actually saw on social media the other day that it was his Birthday! Also check out his Born to be Wild which contains a collection of blues covers.   … Continued →

This pop reggae artist has some cool dreads! For real, his music is very catchy & has gathered a positive following over the years. Currently he serves as pastor for worship life in Ventura, Cali.   … Continued →

This metal band has a no holds barred evangelism message & do not waver the Christian label. This tune is like a lyrical theme song to every Christian band’s message. Check out these lyrics & the reason behind the song. What better place than here What better time than now Every tongue will confess And every knee shall Bow We preach a message of love They shake their fists in the air Our light shines in the darkness It’s no wonder they’re scared I can hear them curse His name I feel spit hit my face Religion shoved down their throats They never experienced grace This crowd is our congregation And this stage is our pulpit Others think this is noise We’re praising God with heavy worship Other Christians can’t seem to get it They’ve shut themselves off from the truth They won’t reach out to the least of these But this is what I was called to do Let them feel Your love See Your face Hear Your Word Know Your name … Continued →

Since the genre first emerged in the early 1980s, hardcore (originally hardcore punk) has splintered into dozens of sub-sub-subgenres including melodic hardcore, beatdown, old school hardcore, new school/chugga chugga, d-beat, crust punk/crustcore, metalcore, emocore, and so forth. By and large my favorite artists have generally been those who kept closest to the genre’s origins, even if they took those beginnings in new directions. The old slogan (which I’ve often quoted here on this site) “loud, fast rules!” is apropos here. In the late 90s/early 00s a revival of the style emerged, sometimes referred to as “tough guy hardcore.”… Continued →

The most legendary holy hip-hop cipher of them all? Perhaps. Tunnel Rats’ debut Experience (1996) was truly mind-blowing. It’s one of those rare albums where the line between art and artist was completely blurred, if it even existed in the first place. The lyrics (as well as the passion behind them) reflected absolute love of hip-hop music and culture, and absolute love of God and his Gospel. Very few artists, very few albums or artistic endeavors reach that climax of full integration where neither the message nor the artistic medium was compromised in any way whatsoever.… Continued →

Hailing from Cali, this punk band released 1 EP, 1 LP & a split with Hanover Saints. They were on Bettie Rocket Records when I heard them. This fast SOTD is my fave.   … Continued →

The first time I heard this band, I was completely blown away. The year was 1988. I was about 14 years old, and I had just started getting into Christian metal via bands like Jerusalem, Whitecross, and Barren Cross. Sacred Warrior was probably the heaviest I’d heard at the time. Then one night I was listening to KOKF 91FM out of Oklahoma City, a Christian radio station that had a late night metal show. I heard the most intense, loud, gnarly thing I’d ever heard in my life.… Continued →

Jimmy is none other than the vocalist for thrash groove band Deliverance & a few others. His solo work fell under the name Eraserhead & was kinda confusing, but pretty sure that was just the name of the LP. He has recently released another EP Novella which I believe will be 2 parts & the 2nd is up for pre-order now. Here is his cover of a Newsboys song. … Continued →

These 3 brothers & a friend band from California burst onto the scene in 2003. I had seen them on compilations, but when this SOTD came out, I immediately thought this is very catchy. It later appeared on one of the God’s Not Dead movies. Check out the album review on this site that posted September 14, 2012. … Continued →

This band mixed the sounds of doom versus indie rock. Band members ended up later working with bands The Emergency & Maps. Check the band out at Velvet Blue Records. Also check out Lloyds review of the band’s song Overload exclusively on this site.   … Continued →

Pete has been in the CCM music industry for years. Most know him from grunge band Grammatrain whose Lonely House LP is one of my fave. He also sang for The Accident Experiment which was a side project of Payable on Death’s Marcos when he temporarily left the band. Pete also worked with Mike Tait’s solo work. This SOTD comes from Pete’s first solo album which garnered several CCM radio airplay. He also served as the engineer/mixer for Mackelmore’s The Heist LP which had the annoying Thrift Store rap song.… 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 →

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 →

Getting their name from The Pixies, this band was all over the place with their indie rock sound. There’s at least one song from every album that I have enjoyed over the years. Check em out.   … Continued →

So apparently this band is releasing new music & there are other articles here on IVM on it.. Saw Orion back in July & TT him for a brief time. Pretty standup guy. Anyways, enjoy.   … Continued →

Welcome to the song that brought me a lifetime love for Christian Reggae. The band has been around since the mid 90s & still releases music almost every year. They have done a few worship albums & even some kid stuff! This is an example of a band that I label in the ministering category of “Christian” music as they are unabashed about the Gospel. From their LastFM site The name is pronounced CHRIST-AH-FAR-EYE, in Greek, the original language of the New Testament, Christafari is the name given to “a group of people who collectively represent Christ.”… 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 →

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 →

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 →

It was pretty hard to find this LP over the years. Finally tracked down a copy on Ebay If I remember quickly. They fall within the alt/nu metal/rapcore genre. They had another LP on CDBaby back in the day also. Anyways, check out Lately I’ve Noticed also. Appears they were from Cali. They remind me a lot of E-So whom I am still looking for their song The Game. … Continued →

I first discovered this band from Tim Henderson (Warlord/Mr Bishops Fist) one night as we were talking about obscure Christian bands from the past. Body and Soul was a one-off solo project from Daniel Amos keyboardist Rob Watson. Body and Soul released only one 7″ in 1983, and never did anything else. Side A featured “Something’s Going On Here,” which is a good song, but is more typical of 80s new wave/pop. It sounds like a track you’d hear in an 80s action comedy film, something akin to Adventures in Babysitting.… Continued →

Redline is a grunge/post hardcore band from the 90s that changed their name to Echocast then to Ironside & now to The Ironside Collective. I think I saw them live right as they changed to Echocast. The Ironside Collective is their name & will song be coming out with stuff on The Charon Collective record label. … Continued →

This very catch SOTD hearkens from way back in the day & had been released on Narrowpath Records. I first heard the song on a compilation & had to track them down thereafter. They even have a Facebook page which is interesting as a lot of these bands faded into existence in the early days of the internet. Check them out. … Continued →

If you’re of the opinion that only melodic music can be godly, then you might want to navigate your browser elsewhere. If, on the other hand, you see the possibility of the Spirit working and moving in the new, the avant garde, the experimental, and the downright weird, then Ganglia just might interest you. Sometimes stylized as GÅNGLÎÅ, this one-man project was started by David Smittcamp in Los Angeles in the late 1990s. He took the already experimental genre of grindcore (lightning-fast tempos and ultra-short songs fused into an extreme form of hardcore and metal), and flipped it on its head by utilizing only electronic instruments.… Continued →

The Stand was a 90s power pop band that played on the CCM radio scene when Petra, Wayne Watson, Hoi Polloi, Out of the Grey, Point of Grace, The Winans, Whitecoss were all on the same playlist. It was a way cool time in the scene as you could the radio friendly songs from hard rockers right along next to CCM mainstays. I found out when I got older the formats varied across the USA & I was pretty blessed to have a modern CCM station near me.… Continued →