Tag: song of the day

Imagine a pop punk solo artist. There have been a few over the years, but Sam seems to have entered the scene with an air that he has been doing this for years. TBH, I found out about him through this site & Jesus Freak Hideout. I jumped on the bandwagon so check out his whole LP Out of Isolation as it’s way nifty! … Continued →

Here’s a funk pop punk band that I have enjoyed a few tunes from over the years. They released 1 LP & an EP that I know of. They hailed from Kentucky & were produced by none other than Dale Thompson of Bride fame!    … Continued →

Let me get my opinion out of the way right off the bat–there is not enough good, quality Christian doom metal. The list gets even shorter when it’s as unique and well-executed as this track is. Memorium is the braindchild of Duane Keith, label-owner and -founder at Vision of God Records and its subsidiary, Christian Metal Underground. The band is just a two-piece: Duane on drums and vocals and Mike Shinn on bass and guitar. Sadly the band is currently on hiatus. “A New Dawn” comes from a 3-way split with The Arbiter (from Hungary), and Lucifer’s Doom (from Brazil).… Continued →

This band was one of my faves back in the 90s. Had a few of their cassettes. Hailing from a church youth group in Washington state, many would know Jeremy Enigk from emo Sunny Day Real Estate who moved on from a pre band name change. Scott Hunter’s vocals set the band apart from many of the 90s alternative rock bands. Anyways, enjoy one from their early career to their last (that I know of).    … Continued →

This song goes out to all those like myself who have thought life is hopeless sometimes. I think we all feel that way sometimes. Remember to lift your head & talk to the God who created us. He is just a prayer away.  I totally want that dude’s dreads also! Also, check out prior drummer Patrick Madsen’s solo stuff. Goes by his creative last name reversed Nesdam! He’s also married to Zahna who is awesome live. I know the truth, It’s not hard to deny, But somewhere, My heart got lost in the lies, My faith, Is dying to see like you see, I’m on a one-way ticket, To the dark side of me.… Continued →

This pop punk band also went by The Adventures of Johnny Respect. They hailed from Michigan & early 90s punk aficionado’s like myself found them on a lot of comp cds at Christian Bookstores before they went extinct. This song is a Social Distortion cover. Hope y’all like it. Also, happy Labor Day!   … Continued →

Modern rock band CoI has its roots in Myrtle Beach, SC where I used to hang out a lot back in the day. They have released a slew of singles over the past few years & I keep anticipating a full-length, but have yet to seen one arise. From what I gather the band history branched from 2 different artists: Hands of Elohim which released the awesome song Never Alone & Voices at Midnight (you can read my review of their song Open Wounds on this site also).… 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 →

This band released one devastatingly heavy album in 1999 for indie upstart Takehold Records, and then like so many other metalcore bands, disappeared after only one album and one split (with fellow-Floridians Set Apart) never to be heard from again. A few members turned up elsewhere–some in the mysterious metal band Yeti, while drummer Nathan Warshowsky served as a studio drum tech for artists as diverse as Forever Changed, Underoath, Day of Fire, and even Paramore. Deathmask Grin came out just as metalcore as a genre was really taking off, and it was a significant contribution to the genre musically, despite it being heard by so few people.… Continued →

I was listening to my old Live at the Strand CD recently. It’s a compilation of artists who played at the legendary Strand Theater in downtown Marietta, GA, just outside of Atlanta. It had been years since I heard the CD and only remembered a few of the tracks on there, and then this absolute banger came on! I looked through all of their albums to see which one it came from, so I could find the studio version to feature here, but I couldn’t find it.… Continued →

Alternative folk-pop trio Lies Damned Lies formed in Glasgow in the late 1980s. Alternately flirting with Scottish modern rock sounds (a la fellow Scots Simple Minds) or with literate folk stylings, the band had a lengthy career through the 1990s and into the 2000s, though they were fairly unknown this side of the pond. They were regulars at the UK’s Greenbelt Festival, and while their lyrics pointed to their Christian faith, several of their releases were on mainstream pop-rock record labels. “The Divine Image” comes to us from their 1993 full-length The Human Dress.… Continued →

So Lecrae is a decent gospel rapper that has done pretty well in the industry. I saw him live & talked to him in Chicago a few years back where he autographed a book I bought that was about his story. I like tons of rap genres & artists, but all of them have come from the Christian industry. That’s just my choice & I think it’s a good thing for Christians to be crossover artists as many people can relate & an artist’s dream is then a ministry.… Continued →

Today’s song is from none other than Too Bad Eugene. The Santa Cruz, CA. based pop-punk band was known as the offshoot of Craig’s Brother when Adam Nigh and Andy Snyder quit the band shortly after the release of “Homecoming” and went on to start a band of their own with a unique sound. This song “Everybody’s Gone” appears on the band’s debut in 2000, “At Any Rate”, and is an emotional one for me. It’s the ultimate song of nostalgic yearning and a look back at youth.… Continued →

This old-school punk rock band The Combat Junkies, hailed from North Carolina, and featured a classic hardcore punk sound mixed with hints of oi/streetpunk and new school punk. To be honest, I’m not sure why this band didn’t make it bigger than they did. Their raw yet appropriately produced sound would have appealed to fans of 7-10 Split, Squad Five-0, One-21 and the like, and yet they seemed to fly underneath the radar of most fans. The Combat Junkies released two full-length albums. The War Within came out in 2002 on Clumsy Records, and Fight or Die .… Continued →

NoiseArt Collective is essentially David Schmidt, an Australia-based experimental artist who creates “industrial-tinged synth rock with goth undertones.” From that base, he branches out, dabbling in various forms of experimental, electronic based rock music from extreme metal (synth-based) to noisy hip-hop to weirdo/freakout pop music. The project is incredibly prolific, releasing multiple albums per year. In fact, since the project’s genesis in 2017, they’ve released over 30 recordings, including one recording of Schmidt reading his own poetry. When a band has this much material, it’s hard to choose an appropriate introduction point for the new listener.… Continued →

Everyone has their gateway. That first band or artist that got them into a particular style of music. I got into Christian rock in 1988, first hearing and enjoying artists like Petra and Russ Taff, and then quickly moving on to Jerusalem and Whitecross. But this band right here–Sacred Warrior–was my gateway to true Heavy Metal with a capital HM. They had no pop songs, no sleazy hooks or glammed-out looks, but their debut album Rebellion was full of heavy riffs, melodic (but not glam) vocals, and super-heavy and dark chord progressions.… Continued →

Warning: this is a perfect pop song. If you haven’t ever heard one, brace yourself. The simplicity of pop, yet the nuance of alternative music. Lyrics that long for something deeper, more meaningful in life, reflected in the writer’s interaction with art . . . Words that form a sentence Words that form a phrase In a poem, or a letter Could not convey the meaning Of what this man has done In a painting, on a canvas Bear in mind these guys wrote most of their debut album when they were still in high school.… Continued →

Destroy Nate Allen is a fun, energetic band that mixes the simplicity and energy of punk rock with the acoustic sounds of folk, making for an interesting take on folk-punk. Quirky but sincere lyrics and vocal styles combine with straight-forward messages–usually on subjects other artists don’t want to touch–make for both a challenging and entertaining listen. Take “Boobie Bar” for instance. On the one hand it’s a crude song whose title I had to censor, just so it doesn’t get picked up by filters. On the other hand, the intent behind the song is just about as pure as it gets: Don’t go down to the boobie bar If you want a real relationship, you won’t get far Don’t go to that boogie bar The song comes from their 2012 album, With Our Powers Combined.… Continued →

Finally saw this band live last year around this time. But, by then they are called The Huntingtons. The wannabee Ramones band played some very catchy punk music that seemed to influence so many bands. This one is dedicated to my dad Peter Cuoco whom I love very much.   … Continued →

This band started out as Uzziah after a king in 2 Chronicles. They released music on labels such as Facedown, Dwarf, Bulletproof, Flying Tart, etc… Their style was a mix, behind pop & oi! punk. Have a gander & check this band out if you haven’t already. … Continued →

Famed Jamaican reggae artist Lieutenant Stitchie already had a lengthy career as a dancehall reggae artist beginning in the late 1970s. His first album hit in 1987, and he released 7 full-length albums and nearly 50 singles (yes, 50!) all before becoming a Christian. As the story goes, he was on his way to perform in Montego Bay, but was injured in a car crash. Against the advice of doctors, he proceeded to perform anyway. After the show he was given a Gideon’s Bible and as a result of reading the Bible in his hotel room, he gave his life to the Lord.… Continued →

Here is a rare band that came out on this comp. They seemed to have done some stuff under Boot To Head records also before disbanding, but didn’t seem to find the Christian niche market that other bands on the comp did. Took me circa 25 years to track this one down so enjoy!  And my son Tyler will be flying down to see me in a few hours EST! … Continued →

This 90’s pop/hxc punk band was awesome. This song came out on a very rare comp called Sam.antha on Dwarf records along with old version of the Huntingtons & One-21. Enjoy!   … Continued →

One of the few rockabilly bands in the Christian rock scene, This Train was even more rare in that they focused on more traditional rockabilly sounds, as opposed to its faster, punked-up cousin psychobilly, which was better represented in our scene (The Calicoes, Ruby Joe, Prophecy, Blaster the Rocketman). I’ve always found it curious how certain subgenres really catch on in faith circles (metalcore, metallic industrial, emo), while others go largely untouched (EBM, post-rock, folk-punk, etc.) Maybe someone could analyze that and write a PhD dissertation on it!… Continued →

Ambient Theology was an (wait for it . . . ) ambient side-project from the people behind Virus and The Bubblebaby Experience. It wasn’t ambient in the Brian Eno elevator music sense–having a much more rhythmic feel to it–but it was ambient electronica nonetheless, perhaps more akin to the “ambient techno” genre. This project only released one self-titled album in 1995, although there were at least 5 other full-length albums released via the various other projects. Ambient Theology was an interesting concept. Since electronica is more often than not dominated by instrumental music (sans vocals), the ‘theology’ portion came in the form of well-written, deeply thought out devotionals.… Continued →

This reggae song released in 1999 was music to my ears literally. I didn’t know too many people back then who was into reggae & if they were knew only about Christafari which was rare. Of the 2 rappers, one actually hails from Jamaica which is probably the reason for the influence. Anyways, uploaded to YouTube so check out this SOTD.   … Continued →

Trance master DJJireh aka DJ Jireh aka HeavenlyTrance aka Mauritz has quite a catalog under his moniker. Find his stuff on Beatport site under Deepsink Digital Records. Originally hailing from London, he now resides in South Africa. Most, if not all, his music is composed on dance music to phrases from the Bible. This one appears to contain portions of both John 1 & Ephesians 1.   … Continued →

This Christian modern rock band has been heard around the country with songs such as Evil Never Sleeps & Change. This catchy SOTD was released back in 2021 so here’s to hoping to hear more. As far as the lyrics go, they hit hard: Can I show you my monsters Can I show you my pain And the addictions that strangle the life from my veins Can I tell you my secrets and confess every sin I don’t need another hero I just really need a friend You don’t need all of the reasons You don’t need the right words to say Sometimes the hardest part of reaching out is when your hand gets pushed away But I’m begging you to hear me now while there’s still a little time If you care enough to listen friend You might just save my life   … Continued →

This thrash metal band hailed from Brazil in the region of Belford Roxo, just outside of Rio de Janeiro. They were active in the mid-90s, playing a form of thrash that was occasionally influenced by related styles like death metal, groove metal, and metalcore. They broke up in the late 90s and then re-formed in 2001, and have been active on and off. This video was posted in 2017, but I’m not aware of an accompanying album to go with it. Nonetheless, the band has had at least one full-length and one EP, both on the Brazilian indie label Força Eterna Records.… Continued →

Just releasing in April, this artists is Jason Martin’s son. Jason & Ronnie Martin have put out some of imho the best music the world has & will ever hear. Find the EP on Jeff Cloud’s Velvet Blue Music label. Also, check out Brandon’s take on July 30, 2022.   … Continued →