Christian Punk & Post-Grunge?!
“Nirvana had a big influence on this generation musically, but lyrically it definitely rubs me the wrong way”- TobyMac (DC Talk, The Gotee Brothers)
It`s interesting how rock and punk music deemed as the devils music (whether for its use of the devil's interval, the tritone, the triad or subversive lyrical messages) has been adapted by the religious. Contemporary Christian music (CCM) ‘‘is a primarily market-driven genre and is positioned to appeal to the largest identifiable sound’’(Horn and Shepherd,2012,p. 140). The genres and music of CCM have mirrored stylistic trends of the general market of popular and mainstream music. Whilst, strictly using non-confrontational and universal themes. Leading to a lack of single identifiable sound, which is the case with Christian rock.
However, Christian metal band Stryper and Christian punk band Altar Boys provide ‘‘a stark sonic and lyrical contrast to the AC vocal pop of top selling CCM artists such as Amy Grant and Sandi Patty’’(Horn and Shepherd,2012,p. 140). It was the Altar Boys who brough punk to Christians and Vengeance Rising created Cristian thrash metal. Likewise, the Christian rap and rock band DC Talk ‘’undid the stereotypes, creating a grungy masterpiece that would lay out a blueprint for bands that came after them’’(Durlin, 2020).
Christian punk bands The Altar Boys, The Crucified, Scattered Few, Nobody Special, One Bad Pig, The Lifesavers, Chosen Ones, ‘‘may not have fully embraced their secular counterpart`s rejection of religion, but that did not prevent them from identifying more broadly with secular punk`s ‘‘outsider’’ status in relation to mainstream culture’’ (McParland and DiBlasi, 2019,p.70). The fact that this subgenre adapted and rejected some practices of punk, marks it as ‘‘a unique form of the genre, and one that was alienated from its secular counterpart’’(McParland and DiBlasi, 2019,p.70).
Robert McParland and Alex DiBlasi conclude that the emergence of Christian punk during the early 1980s and the first term of the Reagan presidency, was ‘‘likely in response to the candidate`s courtship of the Religious Right’’(McParland and DiBlasi, 2019,p.69). Christian punk challenged self-appointed authority. The political hierarchy that empowered Evangelical leaders (such as Jerry Falwell) reflected the practice of exclusion, which contradicted Christianity.
‘‘Christian punks pushed back against the inherent contradiction in Evangelical politics, in which ‘‘the core evangelical belief is that love and forgiveness are freely available to all who trust in Jesus Christ…
For those who coalesced into the Christian punk subculture, some of the more exclusionary and repressive political objectives of the Reagan Presidency would seem to stand in diametric opposition to the teachings of Christ, which made the growing political aspirations of the newly empowered New Christian Right anathema to Christian punks….
Evangelical leaders who allied themselves with the Republican Party became a common subtext in Christian punk, where it was observed that politicians aligned themselves with religious leaders, in the words of one punk, ‘‘only for personal and political power and gain [and] not to spread the true teachings of Christianity, which they are very far from’’ (McParland and DiBlasi, 2019,p.69).
For this posts, let`s talk about Christian punk bands The Altar Boys & Knights of the New Crusade, as well as Christian rock/post-grunge bands DC Talk and Poor Old Lu. Check out this previous post on Reagan, Moral Majority, punk and televangelists. Find out what brought down prominent televangelists Oral Roberts, Jim Bakker, and Jimmy Swaggart here:
West Coast Hardcore Punk & Grunge: Protest Against Police, Religion and Reagan
ALTAR BOYS
Altar Boys were a Christian punk band from California formed in 1982. Their lyrics were encouraging kids to become "rebels for Jesus’’. The band sounds like The Replacements to me, almost like Paul Westerberg is singing. Just listen to ‘‘Rebel Rock’’(2018) or ‘‘Fallen World’’ (1987).
Anyways, ‘‘I`m Not Talking About Religion’’(1986) states that talking about religion, going to church or just talking about a belief is not Christianity:
‘‘I'm not talking about science
I'm not talking about politics
I'm not talking about shaving your head
I'm talking about God and
That's relationship ah yea!’’
However, ‘‘Do I Stand Alone’’ is a departure from typical celebration of faith of most songs. The song illustrates the personal struggles of frontman Mike Stand. In an interview for Los Angeles Times in 1988, rocking a “Jesus One Way” patch and the logo of punk trio Husker Du, he explains: “I found out a lot of the things I’d been told weren’t true. I was told, read the Bible and everything will be fine’’(Boehm, 1988). In the song he expresses: ‘‘I kissed yesterday goodbye, goodbye dreams and promises’’, ‘‘I`ve taken disappointments one by one’’, ‘‘All I wanna know is do I stand alone?’’.
In the interview, the band notes that labels can be misleading. Christian rock or gospel rock can be discouraging as “people think of a guy who gets on stage and waves a Bible and yells at people’’ explains drummer Jeff Crandall. Bassist Ric Alba remarked that “We don’t take ourselves quite so seriously that we can’t have some fun”(Boehm, 1988).
KNIGHTS OF THE NEW CRUSADE
Controversial in secular and the Christian music scene, Knights of the New Crusade (San Francisco, California) is a Christian hardcore punk band signed on Jello Biafra`s Alternative Tentacles label. The label clarifies that the band`s objective is to:
The band shows exactly what punk is all about: it`s non confirmative of any authority, challenges self-appointed authority and its social constructs. It`s free in every sense of the word and it`s not afraid to be individualistic or political.
The band acknowledges the criticism they have faced in ‘‘Cowards of Christendom’’(2006) explaining that ‘‘Some people don't seem to like us’’, ‘‘We've even got Brothers in Christian rock bands that don't approve of our attitude too’’; ‘‘We preach the gospel and they say we're preaching hate, we're saving souls but they say they can't relate’’.
On ‘‘What Part of 'Thou Shalt Not Kill' Don't You Understand?’’(2006) the band challenges criticism: ‘‘Some of the people that get on our case for being knights, are under the influence of the same warmongering demons as the politicians that ignore the commandments that Jesus affirmed’’. They also call out self- appointed authority and those who mask their bad deeds under religion, as for whatever God did not say, ‘‘men thinks its up to him, so don`t call in his will, when its your sinful whim’’.
You said this war is good and you believe it still,
You say for brotherhood, and peace we have to kill.
What part of 'Thou Shalt Not Kill' don't you understand?
Alternative Tentacles is one of the best labels for discovering underrated, top-notch, quality music. As mentioned in the previous post, The Legendary Shack Shakers released albums on the label and they explode the Southern gothic concept and are not afraid to get political. Read all about it here:
DC TALK
On the other side, DC Talk is a Christian rap and rock trio which demonstrated that ‘‘one did not have to choose between performing music that was good…and music that was successful.”(Zilka, 2020). The band reinvented and rescued Christian music from the ‘‘contrived commercialism and derivative doldrums of the 80s’’(Zilka, 2020). Billboard claimed that the music video for DC Talk`s ‘‘Jesus Freak’’(1995) has a “slick style and in your face imagery’’ and ‘‘could easily fit between cutting edge videos from the likes of Nirvana and Nine Inch Nails’’ (O’Gieblyn, 2011). The fast pace editing, montages and flickers of white light is reminiscent of Pearl Jam`s music video for ‘‘Jeremy’’(1992). In regards to the boom of 90`s Seattle rock, the band “self-consciously worked to replicate and sanctify the sonic patterns and lyrical terrain of grunge and alternative music”(Loyd, 2020).
TobyMac from the band explains that “Nirvana had a big influence on this generation musically, but lyrically it definitely rubs me the wrong way”. However, they definitely have been influenced by Nirvana, as they sometimes cover Nirvana`s ‘‘All Apologies’’(1993) and change the lyrics from "Everyone is gay" to "Jesus is the Way." Likewise, ‘‘Jesus Freak’’ sounds like a grunge song. Sound Guy Moses on Youtube mixed the song with Nirvana`s ‘‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’’, explaining that one songs structure is based on the other`s.
In their own music, they lyricise the need for salvation. ‘‘In the Light’’(1995) expresses that ‘‘I despise my own behaviour, this only serves to confirm my suspicions that I`m still a man in need of a saviour’’ and ‘‘What If I Stumble’’ (1995) asks ‘‘What If I fall? Is this one for the people? Is this one for the Lord?’’.
Grunge music was adapted and interpreted by Christian musicians, and you can hear Seattle`s influence not only in DC Talk but also Christian post-grunge/alternative bands like Sometime Sunday and Seattleites - Poor Old Lu & Grammatrain, both which were signed on Tooth & Nail Records.
POOR OLD LU
Tooth & Nail Records is a Christian-affiliated Seattle-based label and bands like Underoath, Hawk Nelson, Plankeye and Emery, were signed on it. The success of Christian punk, ska, pop punk and metalcore ‘’is inseparable from the success of Tooth & Nail Records’’ and it ‘’became a focal point for Christian punk fans and musicians, launching a hardcore and heavy metal focused subsidiary called Solid State in 1997’’ (Partridge and Moberg, 2017,p. 244).
One of the bands that`s great is Poor Old Lu who was a pioneering Christian alternative rock band consisting of Aaron Sprinkle, Jesse Sprinkle, Nick Barber and Scott Hunter. The band is from Seattle, Washington and they are:
‘‘No less energetic than their fellow Seattleites Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, and nearly as melodic and accessible as Nirvana, the Lu gang used their talents to encourage hope rather than frustration.
They spoke to a wide range of folks with intelligent and poetic commentary on life and faith using music that was certainly crunchy like their colleagues but never short on creativity.’’ (The Phantom Tollbooth, 1999)
The Waiting Room (2002) is the only record that has been released on Tooth & Nail. Whilst, their first album Mindsize was released in 1993. Their lyrics and messages are not really about angst but spiritual solutions and faith. ‘‘A Month of Moment’’ asks ‘‘If I hate the sin and let it in, do I see His arms are open wide’’; Whilst ‘‘Praying For The Perfect World’’ vocalises that ‘‘I`m praying for the perfect world, where the darkest days are like the brightest skies’’; And ‘‘Revolve’’ encourages to ‘‘Pick up your feet and pick up your head, lift your voice and sing till the end, Lord I need your strength in me’’.
Aaron Sprinkle (Poor Old Lu, Fair), Paul Mumaw (Soulfood 76), Nick Barber (Poor Old Lu, Fair) and Terry Coggins also formed Post-grunge band Rose Blossom Punch. It was formed in Seattle in 1995. Check out ‘‘It All Comes Down’’ (2019).
Nirvana's lyrics rubbed me the right way ;)
Also worth noting, F4X's 1999 album was just released on streaming services for the first time:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nanlgnjG-VfdpTzSTDpS0IMCJIXzXH1t8