Tag: Houston

The name A.G. McIntosh may not be familiar to many of our readers, but those who have been following the punk underground for a while might have seen his name on a couple of different compilations. He had an entry in 2022’s Songs We’ve Been Trying to Tell You About Vol. II from Jesus Freak Hideout, and 2023’s Valley Churches United Benefit Compilation via Thumper Punk Records. And while the Houston native has enlisted the help of Kris Klein (Squad Five-0), ironically, he has shifted away from punk for his new material focusing on a singer-songwriter based rock approach with lyrics that are both introspective and reflective.… Continued →

Along with the 80s alternative rock bands like U2, Midnight Oil, The Alarm, and Simple Minds, King’s X were the ultimate “Christians in a band” scenario. Despite numerous Christian labels and festivals trying to get the band on board, they always felt their audience was much wider. And yet, their lyrics always hinted at faith in bountiful ways. Musically, the band often functioned as a ‘band’s band.’ They were praised and recognized by members of Pearl Jam, and tons of others as an influence. They played a strange mix of classic rock, funk, heavy metal, and alternative in a unique concoction of progressive metal that predated genres like grunge, alternative metal and even post metal.… Continued →

The Awful Truth–the best band that (almost) never was! In the late 80s I was huge into King’s X and what would soon become known as the “Houston sound.” It was part progressive metal, part groove, part rock, and lots of harmonies thrown in. I’d started hearing about this new band (at the time) called The Awful Truth, who had recorded their debut album for mainstream Metal Blade Records, and sadly broke up before it even came out. In fact, by the time the album was released, two thirds of The Awful Truth had formed a new band with two other members, the now-legendary Galactic Cowboys, increasing that groovy-metallic Houston Sound to yet another band.… Continued →