Tag: California

Tonio K. was one of those hard-to-classify artists. He employed elements of rock, alternative, new wave, singer-songwriter, and more. He was too alternative for the mainstream, but not quite weird enough for indie rock. Let’s just call it rock and roll, shall we? Born in Southern California, the son of Armenian immigrants (born Steven Krikorian), K began his career with garage rock band The Raik’s Progress (who opened for Buffalo Springfield), then played a stint with Buddy Holly’s band the Crickets, but he got his first real break with a publishing deal for Intersong.… Continued →

The folks at Thumper Punk Records have released a new compilation featuring a staggering 21 tracks! The comp’s contributions range from unsigned/unheard of bands to the mighty prolific, and include multiple subgenres from folk-punk to pop-punk to hardcore and even black metal. Best of all, all proceeds go towards the Valley Churches Together Food Pantry project based in Santa Cruz, California! Download and support the project here: https://thumperpunkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/valley-churches-united-food-pantry-benefit-compilation… Continued →

While the alternative rock revolution was exploding all over the 90s, another musical genre was becoming ever more expansive in the same decade–electronica. Faith-based artists were pursuing new subgenres from house to techno/rave to EBM and lots of other styles. One pioneering artist in the house genre was Rhythm Saints, comprised of husband Stephen Nixon and wife Lee-Jane Nixon. Although Stephen was British born, the couple were based in Los Angeles, whence their inspiration for this track emerges. While most of the album channeled house and progressive house sounds, this track (incidentally the only one I could find from their debut via YouTube) dabbles pleasantly in ambient as well.… Continued →

This band from Southern California was one of the first wave of bands who set the foundation for what was known as “Spirit-filled hardcore.” A wave which also included Focused, Strongarm, Six Feet Deep and a handful of others, many of which remained unsigned. The scene was characterized by ‘new school’ or ‘chugga chugga’ or metallic hardcore of the early to mid-90s, combined with lyrics that were bold and unapologetic about faith issues. The first time I heard Unashamed was actually a live show as they were the opening band at the first Tooth and Nail Weekend in 1994, a mini-fest at the Where-House in Bartlesville, OK featuring all Tooth and Nail bands (also on the bill were Focused, Chatterbox, Plankeye, Starflyer 59 and Wish for Eden who sadly had to cancel due to a broken down van).… Continued →

California’s nu metal band Prone released one 2006 EP. They also have a girl drummer which is different. Check em out & good luck with finding the full EP as I have tried to track it down for years. Also, here is a great site that I use & this link has a bunch of verses that deal with hypocrisy. My fave verse on the subject is 1 Peter 2:16. https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/bible-verses-about-hypocrisy/ … Continued →

This band released one demo in 2008. Appears they were labeled as spirit filled hardcore & were from Sacremento, Cali. Check this rarity out.  … Continued →

Blah (fka Childhood) was a punk rawk band from California that released 2 LPs on Rescue & Bulletproof after a couple demos. Bulletproof housed a plethora of great bands back in the 90s.This tune has a rockabilly sound akin to Ruby Joe & appears is drawn from Psalms 145. … Continued →

Cast in Stone was a hardcore band from California, who recorded their first cassette demo in 1998. Their early material was that old school meets new school subgenre sometimes called “tough guy hardcore.” It’s no surprise then that some of the members also did stints in Sleeping Giant, xDEATHSTARx, mainstream Bleeding Through, Point of Recognition and hardcore supergroup Dodgin’ Bullets. They recorded an EP for indie Warfare Records in 2000, a 3-way split release with Point of Recognition and Torn in Two for Facedown in 2001, and then a final cassette demo in 2001.… Continued →

One of the larger, more legendary cyphers in Christian hip-hop, L.A. Symphony came to us from where else but Los Angeles. They emerged in the late 90s with a few 12″ singles and a full-length album on member Flynn Adam Atkins’ own independent label Eartube Empire, via which Flynn had also released a full-length solo album earlier. The group’s breakthrough came in the form of 2003’s The End is Now for Gotee Records. I had the privilege of booking/hosting the group for a youth event in Atlanta in the mid-2000s.… Continued →

British-born poet/artist/performer Steve Scott has been involved in or connected with Christian alternative music since 1983, having emerged from Croydon (South London) via the Bowery (New York City) before winding up in Sacramento, CA with the Exit Records scene there (Seventy Sevens, Charlie Peacock, etc.) where his debut album Love in the Western World was produced by Steven Soles (of Alpha Band fame). His solo work was a gleefully artistic take on new wave and/or post-punk with literate lyrics that pointed to his art school upbringing.… 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 →

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 →