Tag: blonde vinyl

The world of Christian music has lost a true icon. Michael Knott was confirmed dead yesterday, March 12th. Knott was a true pioneer in independent Christian music, leading a plethora of bands, dabbling in multiple genres, engaging prolific solo work, in addition to being a visual artist. Starting in the 1980s, Knott joined existing band Lifesavors, a Southern California power pop/new wave band, but later took leadership of the band. Initially Knott continued the new wave direction, but things took a darker shade in 1987 when he rebranded the outfit LifeSavers Underground and released one of the most influential album our scene ever produced, Shaded Pain.… Continued →

Blonde bombshell Windy Lyre appeared seemingly out of nowhere in 1991 with her self-titled debut on Blonde Vinyl Records. Truth be told her connections to alternative Christian music ran deep, but on a personal level, which is not appropriate to go into here. The album was a refreshing display of acoustic alternative, which hinted at folk rock, jangle pop, and in a way preceded the dream pop/alt country craze that swept the middle part of the 1990s and beyond. Lyrics and music were all written by label owner Michael Knott (LSU, Lifesavers, Aunt Bettys, etc.)… Continued →

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 →

It’s been a while since I’ve featured any industrial music, so this seems like a good time to remedy that. globalWAVEsystem has been around since the early 90s, playing a harsh form of electronic industrial or EBM. At times the music is danceable, but it had a much harsher, darker edge than Deitiphobia or November Commandment. Yet the songs were more structured than Mental Destruction or Blackhouse and there were never any guitars present. In fact, their niche take on the genre is probably what kept them from getting broader exposure and more fans than their counterparts in Mortal, Circle of Dust, and the aforementioned artists.… Continued →

Some exciting news has just surfaced. A couple independent filmmakers have moved forward with their plan to document the 2nd big revival that took place 1980-1995 which featured a collection of Christian Artists on a mission to reach the lost and seeking youth who were very much looking for answers and in need of a savior. Click this link here for the GoFundMe campaign that seeks to raise funds to cover some production costs. This follows on the heels of the recent box office success of the “Jesus Revolution” film as well as others like I Still Believe, I Can Only Imagine, and the Jesus Music documentary.… Continued →

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 →

One of my all-time favorite record labels of the indie Christian scene was Blonde Vinyl. Run by Michael Knott (LSU/Lifesavers, and about a dozen others), it was one of the first truly indie, truly alternative record labels focusing on Christian artists. Knott never got rich off of the sales. (A few years later, Brandon Ebel would show us how to make a Christian indie label financially profitable.) Furthermore, not all of the releases on Blonde Vinyl were even that great–I won’t name any names–but all of them were charming in some way.… Continued →

San Francisco-based goth band BATZZ in the Belfry are relatively unknown in the mainstream, but that is a real shame. They combine “unashamed traditional old school goth” with ethereal dream pop, and even hints at shoegaze at times. I suppose this puts them in the realm of darkwave. Take “Touch the Stars” for instance. The song would easily be at home on a Metropolis or Projekt Records compilation alongside Sisters of Mercy, Love and Rockets, or Love Spirals Downwards. The song could almost fit on the Twin Peaks soundtrack as well.… Continued →

Fluffy’s debut, Fluffy Luvs You, was a fun punk rock record, even if it was a little predictable. Featuring 3 chord thrash goodness, and nonsensical lyrics, it stood out in the Christian punk scene for its lack of preaching. So fans and critics alike were a little puzzled when the band dropped their sophomore effort, Go, Fluffy, Go! In place of the fast, simple riffs, were long, slow songs that juxtaposed indie rock, sludge metal, and noise rock–something that wouldn’t be seen in CCM by another artist for another 5 years (yes, I’m thinking of Warlord’s EP, from 1997).… Continued →

I first heard L.S.U. in about 1991. I had been a pretty staunch metalhead, but a few alternative rock bands were starting to open me up to new colors in my musical palette. While the experimental This is the Healing was the first album I heard from them, The Grape Prophet is a favorite of fans and critics alike. The album was one of the first and only concept albums, or “rock operas” as band leader Michael Knott liked to call them. The Grape Prophet tells the story of Ellis, an orange picker who works for Col.… Continued →

Veil of Ashes was a college rock band from Oakland, California, who debuted with the critically-acclaimed album Pain on Graceland Records (an imprint of Frontline) in 1989. While they had started out as a post-punk outfit with goth leanings, most of that influence had faded by the time their debut hit. A second album The Young and the Reckless: The Regression of Veil of Ashes was released on Blonde Vinyl in 1992, but it was actually a retrospective release of earlier demos. That same year the band shortened their name to Veil and released their final studio album (before taking a long hiatus and re-forming in the late 90s) Mr.… Continued →

The year was 1990. I’d heard lots of buzz about this new “goth rock” band Dead Artist Syndrome. Even Roger Martinez from Vengeance Rising had been sporting their t-shirt at gigs. For those who don’t know, DAS was the first goth band to release an album on a Christian label. While being the first is always a good thing, it wasn’t the fact that they were an early representative of the subgenre that made them interesting. It was that they were so darn good at it.… Continued →

Jangle Pop. While the term might not mean much to most listeners today, it was the dominant form of alternative rock (on both sides of the Atlantic) in the late 80s to early 90s. As 70s punk gave way to 80s new wave and synth pop, underground bands were looking for more earthy sounds, moving away from sythesizers and often including acoustic guitars and instruments borrowed from folk rock. There was less emphasis on the lead guitar licks of glam metal and arena rock, and more emphasis on jangly guitar rhythms, hence the name.… Continued →

While metallic industrial became the dominant form of industrial music in the mid 90s and beyond, it was the dancier stuff that held my attention better. I liked the heavier stuff too (Circle of Dust, Mortal, Generation) because it gave a new spin on metal, but after the while the genre seemed to blend into one. Industrial-dance, or electro as it’s sometimes called (not to be confused with the hip-hop/funk genre from the 1980s) combined harsh vocals and samples with danceable beats into something altogether different.… Continued →