Tag: Tooth and Nail Records

March 13, 2023

Song of the Day: Don't Know - Helium

Early Tooth & Nail bands were awesome-what the heck happened? The label has a wide variety of artists back in the day whose sounds were not heard of really in the CCM industry. Hence we have Don’t know: a hybrid of funk, punk & metal that sounds akin to Primus or Mr. Bungle. Members of this band have a very long discography with other bands such as Blenderhead, 90 Lb Wuss, Roadside Monument, etc… Check em out & their reviews on Amazon!   Continued →

February 22, 2023

February 20, 2023

January 6, 2023

Song of the Day: Coolidge - Trapped

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 →

November 23, 2022

Song of the Day: Morella's Forest - Voices Carry

Who besides me think covers can be awesome? Well MF did a great cover of ‘Til Tuesday’s classic song. Sydney has a unique voice & it does carry throughout this song. I listened to their Hang out EP for hours as a kid. I loved the shoegazing aspects of fuzz from MF & Starflyer. Tooth & Nail were putting out very different music sounds from the rest of the “Christian” market back then & I was fully on board. Before joining the military I had dreams of going to work for the label.… Continued →

November 19, 2022

September 7, 2022

Song of the Day: The Supertones - Little Man

So what is the actual name of this band? The Supertones, Supertones, OC Supertones! Anyways, they got the whole Christian industry into 3rd wave ska music. The other 2 Five Iron Frenzy & The Insyderz caught on right afterwards if I remember correctly. My acquaintance from high school was actually trying to bring them to Bloomington/Normal Illinois, but from what I gather they got stuck in a snow storm. Pretty sure this was circa 1995. Anyways, the bass lead is fun to play & not that difficult if you want to learn it.… Continued →

August 15, 2022

Song of the Day: Sometime Sunday - Blue

Sometime Sunday’s first LP on T&N is one of my fave albums of the 90s. They spun off into a few different directions such as Tragedy Ann, Rock N Roll Worship Circus, Tomfest, etc… This song may sound cool, but its a harsh reality to those of us who have ever dealt with lust. If one needs a good book to read on the subject, check out Ted Robert’s Pure Desire. Looks like I already wrote a SOTD on Tragedy Ann if you want to read it in the archives.… Continued →

August 13, 2022

July 31, 2022

REVIEW : Ronnie Martin - From the Womb of the Morning, the Dew of Your Youth Will Be Yours

Most of you will know that Ronnie Martin has been making music since the late 80s (at least) with Morella’s Forest 1988, Dance House Children, and most famously Joy Electric, not to mention a host of side projects like Ronald of Orange, The Foxglove Hunt, The Brothers Martin, and so forth. While there’s a lot of history with Martin’s expertise in making quirky, electronic pop music, in a sense none of that matters. Not that the history isn’t respectable–but what we really want to know is, is this record going to be good?… Continued →

July 22, 2022

Song of the Day: Joy Electric - The Cobbler

I’ve been listening to Ronnie Martin’s music since the late 80s, when he and brother Jason (of Starflyer 59 and many others) were known as the duo Dance House Children. That group reveled in synth-pop, but with a super quirky edge. There was nothing in the Christian nor secular markets quite like it. After two underrated albums, the pair split. Jason started the legendary indie rock monster Starflyer 59, while Ronnie carried on with synthesizer-created music in the form of Joy Electric. Picking up where Dance House Children left off, Joy Electric took the quirkiness to extreme new levels.… Continued →

July 18, 2022

July 13, 2022

June 27, 2022

Song of the Day: Slick Shoes - Fulfilling

This band is cool. I remember seeing them back in the day & I was impressed. I’d consider them pop punk & they were one of the early T&N bands that I had collected. Chose this one as I always understood the lyrics. The life’s torn from you, there is nowhere to turn. You’re all alone, you feel hollow and empty. Nothing you do can suppress the heartache that you feel. The only strength you have is used to cry in misery. Could you fill the hole you’ve made inside your heart, when you can’t erase your past mistakes?… Continued →

June 24, 2022

The Ongoing Concept, Fallstar, The Undertaking!, and Meadows Fall 2022 Tour

A very special Solid State Records / Facedown Records mashup, mixtape in the form of a tour is taking place this fall. The bands – The Ongoing Concept, Fallstar, The Undertaking!, and Meadows, will all be playing together for a few dates this fall. This will be the first time The Ongoing Concept is touring in over 6 years!. The Ongoing Concept, Fallstar, and The Undertaking! will all have new music out in 2023 via their respective labels. Check out the dates and tour graphic, below.… Continued →

May 16, 2022

Song of the Day: Acceptance - Fire & Rain

Acceptance is a pop punk band from Washington state. I remember their song Different on mainstream radio back when emo ruled the airwaves in the early to mid 2000s. They had originally broke up in 2006, but reunited in 2017 & released albums on the label that I have always wanted to work for: Tooth & Nail. They have toured with Anberlin, Finch, Further Seems Forever & The Julian Theory all of whom I have seen live. The band has had several catchy songs including Take Cover, Not Afraid & this SOTD.… Continued →

May 13, 2022

Song of the Day: The O.C. Supertones - Adonai

No, The Supertones weren’t the first Christian ska band. The Israelites’ first album pre-dated them by a year. But in the UK, Rev Counta and the Speedoze* (another incarnation of Ishmael United) had released a full-length as early as 1980! And perhaps some Jamaican bands that didn’t fit into the CCM/CBA mold had been active earlier than that, it’s hard to say. However, the Supertones were the first Christian ska band to release an album on a nationally-distributed label, releasing The Adventures of the O.C. Supertones just a few months before Five Iron Frenzy dropped Upbeats and Beatdowns.… Continued →

April 16, 2022

April 15, 2022

Song of the Day: MxPx - Want Ad

Y’all better to get ready to put your boxing gloves on. You ready for this? Pokinatcha is the best MxPx (Magnified Plaid) album. Why? It was melodic, but still very much punk–bordering even on old school hardcore at times. It’s by far their most unique record, before they settled into the more polished pop-punk sound that everyone remembers. To be clear, I have no problem with the direction they later took (except for maybe moving further away from Christian spirituality and theology as the years went by, but that’s another post altogether).… Continued →

April 11, 2022

February 23, 2022

Song of the Day: The Letter Black - Believe

The Letter Black is a modern female fronted rock band from Pennsylvania. Originally known as Breaking the Silence, they have released a few LPS at this stage of their career with the latest being on Seventh Day Slumber’s Joseph Rojas’ Rockfest records. Anyways, hope you like this symphonic esque rock song about believing in Jesus even though we cannot see Him. Sometimes I feel like I’m alone Hoping, praying You hear me Screaming inside to ease the pain Save me, keep me alive I’m not afraid anymore Of what I don’t know Believe, in the unknown (I put my faith, in the unknown) Believe, in God alone (I put my hope, in God alone) Have faith in what you don’t know Sometimes I feel like I have to cry Until my emotions have run dry I’m breaking inside to hide the pain Save me, keep me alive I know you’re here I can feel you now I know your love embraces me Give up all your sorrow Have faith in what you don’t know In God alone Have faith in what you don’t know You don’t know Continued →

February 11, 2022

Song of the Day: Driver Eight - Cheers

This band was the epitome of one of those all-too-common scenarios in 90s Christian music: the frustratingly great one-album wonder. Driver Eight released Watermelon via Tooth and Nail Records in 1996, to high acclaim from fans and critics alike, and then disappeared into the . . . well, that’s just it–we don’t know what happened! The album featured a highly-effective mix of alternative rock styles including Britpop (even though the band was American), quasi-shoegaze, and jangle pop. It seemed that they were channeling equally such disparate influences as Smashing Pumpkins, Catherine Wheel, R.E.M.,… Continued →

January 24, 2022

Song of the Day: Kids - Golden Road

Kids is a relatively new indie rock band out on Tooth & Nail records. Today’s SOTD is an upbeat love song that will get stuck in your head. Check out the lyrics below. Well I don’t know the future so I wonder How to know if a golden road will end And the dreams we dream may lead to certain failure But where the road goes lead me to her All I know is I’m gonna marry that girl I’m gonna marry that girl I’m gonna marry that girl Can’t wait to tell her I will I’m gonna marry that girl No time for anyone else I’m gonna marry that girl Gone the days are all the pain and heartache Gone the dames and all failed attempts Cause the dreams we dare to dream are being granted I’ll claim forever until it happens All I know is Continued →

December 10, 2021

Song of the Day: Blindside - Nerve

I remember when I first heard this song. It was on the Tooth & Nail Songs from the Penalty Box compilation, amidst other songs ranging from pop-punk to hardcore and everything in-between. But Blindside was hard to peg. It was heavy and raw, and kind of hardcore, but not really. There was a mild rap influence in the delivery, but it wasn’t really rapcore either. Post-hardcore hadn’t really occurred to me as a category yet. The band put the song on their debut, self-titled, full-length album and a year later released a second–both albums on Tooth & Nail/Solid State.… Continued →

December 8, 2021

Song of the Day: Ghoti Hook - Ooklah The Punk

Ghoti Hook was a fun Virginian punk band that came out the same time Value Pac did from what I remember. My friend from high school & I had certain faves. I liked The Insyderz & he liked the O.C. Supertones while I liked Ghoti Hook & he liked Value Pac. I always liked this song of the day & thought of it as a good one for this primarily punk website.   Continued →

October 30, 2021

October 15, 2021

Song of the Day: Slick Shoes - Last

Among the plethora of pop-punk bands in the Christian scene, Slick Shoes were one of the best, probably top 5 out of hundreds. Formed in 1994 in Southern California (like most Christian pop-punk bands), they released their debut EP for Tooth & Nail in 1997, then proceeded to release 6 full-lengths, a split with mainstream band Autopilot Off (FKA Cooter) and a live album. The band won a lot of points with me by taking their name from one of my favorite movies of all time, The Goonies.… Continued →

October 6, 2021

Song of the Day: Hangnail-All That You Wanted

Hangnail is a pop punk band hailing from Wisconsin. I did have a chance to see them at Carowinds which is a theme park in the Carolinas along with several other artists such as KJ-52 & Beanbag. Forming in the early 90s, it appears they rebanded in 2020 & working on new material. This SOTD has always been my favorite due to its lyrical content & catchy sound. I have indeed felt the way that this song talks about. It does not make sense to us broken humans how God will forgive us they way He does & will.… Continued →

October 1, 2021

Song of the Day: Havalina Rail Co. - I Change My Clothes

Havalina Rail Co. was a delightfully quirky, eccentric, genre-fusing and genre-bending experimental band from California. Across their 10-year career (give or take), the band dabbled in folk, ska, jazz, ragtime, blues, Americana, surf, and multiple internationally-themed genres. No two albums in their canon treads the same ground, and yet each successive opus is clearly recognizable as Havalina. The band stopped recording as HRC somewhere in the early 00s, but members have turned up elsewhere. Most notably are Matt Wignall who is a renowned photographer and is perhaps now best known as the producer for several Cold War Kids albums.… Continued →

September 11, 2021

Diving Deep into Shoegaze

So a new friend or acquaintance finds out you’re into music. The inevitable question follows: “what kind of music do you like?” How honest are you? Do you simply say, “I like a little bit of everything?” You know that’s not true. You can’t stand Matchbox 20. Do you try something a little more honest, but still generic, like, “mostly rock stuff.” No, that won’t work either–they might think you mean Lynyrd Skynyrd. Or are you blatantly honest with them, knowing they are unlikely to have a clue what you mean: “my favorite genre is probably shoegaze.”… Continued →