Tag: Oregon

The Bell Jar is comprised of 3 friends, 2 of whom were in the original Showbread line up. You can definitely hear Showbread’s influence on TBJ’s sound. Josh Porter aka Josh Dies is a music genius imho. Check out his Church of Agony project as well & his site. This SOTD is a reminder that hurting people hurt people so try & be kind as Jesus would. https://www.joshuasporter.com/ … Continued →

My favorite Christmas songs tend to be the traditional carols. Sure, I love a good cheesy secular holiday tune every now and then (“Let it Snow” anyone?), but I find the deep theology of the carols to be particularly meaningful, and therefore apropos for the season. Having said that, there are also some wonderful contemporary renderings of the traditional tunes. Viva Voce was an indie rock band, centered on wife-husband duo Anita and Kevin Robinson. Originally from Alabama, they transplanted to Portland, OR somewhere along their musical (and geographical) journey.… Continued →

This punk rock supergroup features ex-members of Crux, Empty Tomb, Cicero, and Gov’t Hate Mail. So you can see why I was excited about hearing this disc. The EP contains 7 songs, clocks in around 17 minutes, and comes as a pro-CDr in a standard jewel case with a single panel insert with credits and no lyrics. Musically what we have here is no frills punk rock and roll. It’s not quite as spastic as Crux, and doesn’t have the hardcore/thrash leanings of Empty Tomb. When comparing to its members previous projects, it’s probably closest to Gov’t Hate Mail, but just slightly heavier than that project.… Continued →

The Empty North is a new rock band that focuses on a sound straight out of the 1990s–grunge/alternative rock with an independent aesthetic. While the recording took place in Juneau AK, the band is comprised of members from Juneau, Portland OR, and Chicago IL. There are two tracks available for streaming now, and another will be available for streaming in a week or so. There are also split releases in the works with The Proper English, Australia-based NoiseArt Collective, and Robochill. For now, check out “Appendage Angles,” a song based on the personal testimony of founding member Justin William Price (The Proper English, ex-Cicero).… Continued →

This Christian hip hop group is comprised of seasoned rappers: producer Courtland Urbano, Braille, & Odd Thomas. Check out these thought provoking lyrics We are in this world not of it, not to be scared and run from it We shine light in the darkness, that’s why He left us here Calling out to all the exiles, the Lord will not forsake you His kingdom can’t be shaken, hold strong the end is near We are the light of the world, so, shine on Hey, I thought we won the battle but it really looks like we losing it What we do seems insignificant, so limited in our influence They don’t listen to our message, we scream and yell it, they say it’s irrelevant It’s the greatest story ever told but a television ain’t telling it So often they just mock our faith and it makes me wanna hide my face Why we sitting on our hands with no plans like we got time to waste?… Continued →

Dennis Childers has deep connections to the Christian indie scene, going all the way back to the 1980s and Flock 14, the most excellent new wave band he played in at the time. However, when Flock 14 morphed into World Theatre, Dennis went underground/disappeared and not much was heard from him musically save for a few album credits here and there. Nate from Destroy Nate Allen/Good Saint Nathanael got in touch this week to let me know that Dennis had a new album dropping–literally just 2 days ago.… Continued →

Rapper Braille (born Bryan Winchester) has been making hip-hop since at least 1998, first as a solo artist and then additionally as a member of Lightheaded (featured in an earlier Song of the Day), Acts 29, and most recently the worshipful project Beautiful Eulogy. The Portland-based rapper has released just under a dozen albums, including independent releases, a Japanese import, and a collaboration with Symbolyc One, not including his work in the aforementioned cyphers. Although I’d heard of him through his association with Syntax Records, it was his 6th album Box of Rhymes where I was first introduced to his music.… Continued →

Hailing from Portland, OR, Cicero began in the mid-00s and called it quits a few years later, only to reform last year. Greg Dimick (Crux, Empty Tomb, Govt Hate Mail) got me a copy of their new album so I could review it, and I’m grateful for the opportunity. You Can’t Outrun Your Mouth is being advertised as 90s emo, but in some ways that’s a disservice to the band. While there are certainly hints at Midwestern emo, particularly the more subdued Christie Front Drive-take on the genre (listen to “Monsters in Masks” and tell me you don’t hear it), YCOYM is more nuanced than that.… Continued →

Falling Up is a  band even mothers can like lol! My mom actually likes this band for real. They were quite different as they played a experimental variety of alt-rock as they continued in their discography. They have many good ones but this is my fave. It was co-written with Family Force 5 & try not to sing along with “Let Go Now!” … Continued →

The 1990s saw a huge revival of ska music–that funky fusion of reggae and punk, or so it seemed at the time. The real history of ska was much deeper than that. Unbeknownst to the general populace, ska actually pre-dates reggae, going back to at least the 1960s. It fused traditional calypso beats with horns and sounds gleaned from New Orleans jazz. Reggae emerged in the 70s, as tempos slowed down and the overall feel became more relaxed. In the 1980s, amidst emigration from the Caribbean to England, ska mixed with punk and/or new wave to create the “Two-tone” scene, a sign of racial integration amongst working class punks and skinheads represented with the ever-present black and white checkerboard imagery.… Continued →

The W’s were a short lived swing revival/ska band whose 2 full lengths garnered a lot of airplay on Christian rock stations back in the day. They are well known for their first hit The Devil is Bad but also check out the superb Moses. I did not know, but 2 members of the band formed a band BenDixon that I have been starting to follow lately. Today’s SOTD though is in homage to one of my fave songs to play on bass guitar. … Continued →

Mat Kearney is who I’ve been listening to most the past few years. hailing from Oregon. He has so many songs that I relate to. This love song is dedicated to my girlfriend Mindy whom I had been waiting for my entire life. Also check out One Black Sheep, Heartbeat & Moving On, etc…! When you stopped me in my tracks The very first time Had me going The very first night Waved goodbye, your keys locked inside I knew you were the only one With your crazy voice mail, seen your spotted toes Way funnier than anyone knows With your daddy’s eyes and your grandma’s gun You’re the only one That little crook in your teeth and your 5 inch feet When you tie your hair up in the bun Whatever the weather, we’ll stick together forever ‘Cause you’re the only one Seven billion in the world baby I only wanna be with you I don’t want another girl baby I only wanna be with you Waiting for you all my life I can’t wait another night Seven billion in the world And you’re the only I want, it’s true Yeah, yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah yeah I only wanna be with Only wanna be with Yeah, yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah yeah Only wanna be with you You put too much salt on everything you eat Wake up freezing ’cause I stole the sheets And you talk to the wall, pop your gum in your sleep You’re the only one And you worry about your dad on his motorbike The way your voice cracks when you wanna fight And you never wanna sleep so I talk all night To the only one Turn out the lights and hold me tonight We don’t need the sun Whatever the weather, we’ll stick together forever ‘Cause you’re the only one … Continued →

Pulling from the archives, Oregon’s The Clergy had a sound that was a cross between the Go-Gos & old skool punk rawk. With only one album under their belt & songs on several compilations, this seemed to be a one-off in Christian music. One of the band members even went on to start the quirky art rock band Yum Yum Children who found themselves eventually on 5 Minute Walk records. I remember this song on an indie college rock station that played Christian music every once in a while & has stuck with me as memorable over the years.… Continued →

Veio is a crossover Oregon band that has a progressive metal sound akin to Tool & Deftones & being a fan of Maynard’s voice, I was happy when I found about this band on another Christian online radio site. Their mainstream song was Flare of Defiance & they have toured with other crossover bands Red & Starset . They formed in 2010 through Craigslist when the 2 originating brothers decided to start a band with their name being inspired by a Da Vinci sketch. Today’s SOTD is in prep for the new album that they are starting to write, but also, check out their cool cover of Filter’s Hey Man, Nice Shot.… Continued →

If you asked me what the heaviest Christian release of all time was, a strong contender would be the self-titled EP from Portand’s Warlord (not to be confused with the secular heavy metal band of the same name). One of the earliest releases on the Tooth & Nail imprint, Solid State Records, their debut EP featured deep, dark, heavy riffs and lengthy songs. In fact, this 4-song effort clocks in at longer than some full-lengths, due to the longevity of the tracks. Often overlooked and underappreciated, the release was the first of its kind in the Christian market.… Continued →

I woke up this morning with this song in my head, so it clearly has the be the Song of the Day. Classic metal. You either love it, or just don’t really get the appeal. It’s 1986, and the only Christian metal that most people are aware of is Stryper. But hairspray and over-the-top production was not all that Christian metal had to offer in ’86. The same year the glam kings released To Hell with the Devil, Saint was dishing out their best album, Time’s End (in fact, it’s in the top 5 Christian metal albums of all time, IMO).… Continued →