Who Are They?
The Violet Burning is a rock band that formed in Long Beach, California. The band has essentially become the primary project of Micheal Pritzl, the vocalist and guitarist of the band. Other members of the band have changed frequently, but Pritzl remains the sole constant in the band. Unlike many Christian bands, The Violet Burning draws influences from unlikely bands such as The Verve or The Cure as well as more common influences such as U2 and Smashing Pumpkins. The Violet Burning has remained essentially independent of the music industry, Christian or mainstream, releasing albums and touring on their own. Much like The Psalms, individual songs by the Violet Burning portray hope or despair, but taken as a whole, also much like Psalms, the body of work reflects the Christian who wears his heart on his sleeve.

Brief History
The Violet Burning emerged from the Vineyard Church music scene in 1989 and released their first album Chosen a year later. The band released Strength in 1992. Both albums are reflective of late 80’s/early 90’s music and are very upfront in their declaration of Christian faith. Afterwards the band went through a dark period professionally and personally. While some demos were recorded, the band was dormant until 1996 when Pritzl pulled in the assistance of guitarist Andrew Prickett (The Prayer Chain) and drummer/percussionist/producer Steve Hindalong (The Choir) and released an album originally titled Lipstick and Dynamite Wonder, but the label balked at the album title and released it as the self-titled The Violet Burning. The album dredged the depths of despair and hopelessness and might well be one of the saddest and bleakest Christian albums ever released.

The experience proved cathartic and in 1998, The Violet Burning reemerged with the more hopeful album Demonstrates Plastic and Elastic which incorporated more electronic drumming. In 2000, the band re-recorded several songs from their earlier albums with a slower tempo and more relaxed feel and released it as I Am A Stranger In This Place: Experiments in Vibe and quickly returned to the studio to release Faith and Devotions of A Satellite Heart a worship album that has enjoyed some popularity in worship circles, particularly in the Vineyard churches. Both albums feature female vocals by Melissa Barnett accompanying Pritzl’s vocals.

Pritzl then joined the independent album label Northern Records, headed up by former members of The Prayer Chain, for subsequent releases. In 2002, Pritzl took a break from the band to release a more electronica sounding solo project under the name The Gravity Show. Many of the songs from the album, Fabulous Like You have been folded back into The Violet Burning in their live shows. In 2003, Pritzl reunited with Andrew Prickett, longtime bass player Herb Grimmaud Jr., and Sam West (Stavesacre) to release This Is The Moment, an album of decidedly shorter pop songs. A year later, Pritzl released acoustic versions of many Violet Burning songs as a solo project titled Hollow Songs. The band released a live album in 2005 titled The Loudest Sound of My Heart and in 2006 released their most recent album Drop Dead

Where Are They Now?
Presumably, still alive and kicking. Of all the bands I’ve covered so far, The Violet Burning remains the most active, though they haven’t toured extensively since 2006. Micheal Pritzl joined 77’s singer/guitarist Michael Roe to tour as a duo titled “Roe vs. Pritzl” during 2007. The duo has recorded an album worth of songs together, but no release date has yet been given. Also, during 2007, The Violet Burning released many songs online through their website, including demos from various eras of the band and an entire Christmas album. The band has posted European tour dates on their website and Pritzl has mentioned he has other projects in line to work on, but no further information has been given to date.

If You Bought Only One Album….
Of all the bands I’ve covered, The Violet Burning has been the most consistent in quality and has really only improved as they’ve gotten older. Chosen and Strength are classics, but have a dated sound. The self-titled album is a little dense to for a first impression of the band. Both Faith and Devotions… and I Am A Stranger In This Place are good, but not very representative of the band, unless you are seeing them during one of their worship sessions. I think I’m going to have to go with their most recent album, Drop Dead which sounds incredible. You can read a short review of the album by me here on this site.

Get Thee to iTunes! Or Make Your Own Mix Tape for 10 bucks
Unfortunately, it appears only four of the Violet Burning’s albums are available on iTunes, so we’ll limit the mix tape to just those albums, but there are great songs from other albums that will be missing here.

1.) Silver - self-titled
2.) Goldmine - self-titled
3.) Moon Radio (including the fade, which is a separate track) - Demonstrates….
4.) Berlin Kitty - Demonstrates…
5.) Oceana - Demonstrates….
6.) Radio Jesus Superstar - This Is The Moment
7.) Heaven Holds My Heart - This Is The Moment
8.) Do You Love Me? - Drop Dead
9.) Already Gone - Drop Dead
10.) One Thousand Years - Drop Dead

It’s not often that I get to go out to concerts anymore, but Adriene and the girls were out of town visiting her parents so I decided I needed to get out of the house for the evening. Fortunately, Paper Route was playing a show at the Masquerade so I had my plans set. This was a band that I saw at Cornerstone Festival a year ago. I have confess, they are a really hard band to describe. There are only four members of the band, but they play about ten instruments between them. In addition to guitars and keyboards, there are bells, a xylophone, electronic drum triggers, a slide guitar, and more littering the stage. The best description I’ve heard for them is “Americana meets electronica” and that doesn’t seem too far off. I guess they compare to the similarly named Postal Service.

I really wish more people were there Friday night to see this band, but the crowd was small. Maybe I’m on the cutting edge and more people will discover this band. One can only hope. Friday night’s performance was even better than the Cornerstone show I saw as they seem to have more stage presence and confidence on stage and the addition of a live drummer only added to the strength of the music. They played the songs from their new ep, Are We All Forgotten and some from their earlier self-titled ep. After listening to the new ep, I really see a jump in quality in their music with more diverse instrumentation and incredible vocals. They seem poised to gain mainstream attention really soon.

The night was augmented by a full lineup of bands. The first two bands were ok, but the pleasant surprise of the evening was a Nashville friend of Paper Route named Brooke Waggoner. She brought along friends on cello and guitars who were joined by Paper Route’s drummer. Her songs were lively and poignant all with a light sense of humor.

When I was younger, I didn’t hesitate to head out to some dirty, tiny club to see some band I’d never heard of, hoping to catch “the next big thing”, sometimes seeing a great show and sometimes seeing a bust. I don’t do that quite as much any more, but it was fun for one evening and maybe someday I can tell people about the time I saw Paper Route with 30 other people in a bar.

The best part of this year’s run was that Adriene decided to join me. It’s a lot more fun to run these races with someone than being alone, especially at the starting line where you wait hours to actually start running. She even talked her cousin into running it with us.

Like past years, I wanted to take pictures, but didn’t want to drag my camera around so I bought a cheap little disposable camera.

Here we are at the starting line!

Adriene’s cousin called us while we were on MARTA heading down to Lenox to start and told us she had overslept. We told her that she could probably still make it if she hurried and sure enough, she showed up right as they called our numbers to move up to the starting line. She had already gotten her exercise before the race even started.

So, here I am. Running the Peachtree. I’m hoping all the blur in this photo implies that I was moving really fast…. at least try to think that in your mind.

Here I am nearing the finish line! Because of the drought in Atlanta, the race ended in a different location than Piedmont Park. Instead of finishing downhill into the park, it turned and went uphill on Juniper Street. I was…. displeased with the new uphill finish.

The best part of the race is getting the t-shirt! Adriene here shows off her shirt. Everyone in Atlanta knows what the shirt implies when you wear it. “Lazy people of Atlanta! I ran while you slept on the 4th of July! Regard me with honor for my desire to keep fit!”

Seriously, though, we had a lot of fun, even if we limped around the house that evening and the next day. It’s always a good fitness goal to train for and now we have to find our next goal. Savannah Bridge Run, maybe?

The concept is brilliant. You can obtain the album either by telling three of your friends about the album by including their e-mails or you can purchase the album and name your price, anywhere from $1 to $25. Webb believes that buzz about the album is as important as actual sales and he’s included some other artists and friends in the concept, too. It will be interesting to see how this works.

Click some samples above to hear some samples or read my review of the album.. Regardless, you have no excuse not to try the album out!

Who Are They?
The 77’s are a rock band that emerged out of the Sacremento Warehouse scene in the 80’s. Michael Roe is the only member of the band to be in the band for the duration. Roe is the singer, guitarist and primary songwriter, though Roe has always maintained that the 77’s is a collaborative effort as he also has a solo catalog of his own. The 77’s were primarily a new wave band in the 80’s but slowly turned towards their roots of influences from classic rock artists such as Elvis Presley, The Beach Boys, Led Zepplin, the Rolling Stones with an additional influence of blues music.

Brief History
The 77’s originally started as The Scratch Band in the early 80’s and released their first album, Ping Pong Over The Abyss under their new band name in 1982. Original drummer Mark Proctor left after the first album and was replaced by Romeo Void’s drummer, Aaron Smith. THe band released their next album All Fall Down and earned enough recognition to be signed to Island Records. In 1987, the 77’s released their self-titled album and had the unfortunate timing to release the album at the same time as U2’s The Joshua Tree. When The Joshua Tree exploded in popularity, Island Records diverted all their promotion to U2’s album and the 77’s album withered on the vine.

The band continued to tour in the late 80’s but entered a nebulous time where very little material was released. Roe released a solo album under the moniker “Seven And Seven Is”, a name he would reuse time and again for projects outside of the 77’s. By the end of the 80’s, guitarist Mark Tootle and bass player Jan Eric Volz departed the band. Roe and Smith joined forces with David Leonhardt and Mark Harmon of the band The Strawmen to form the second iteration of the 77’s. During this time, the band released a live album from 1988 appropriately titled 88 and also a collection of b-sides and demos called Sticks and Stones.

The band signed to Word Records in 1992 and encountered resistance from the label when they wanted to title their album Pray Naked and thus released a second self-titled album (though fans still refer to this album by its original name). During this time, Roe began collaborating with Derri Daughtery of The Choir, Gene Eugene of Adam Again, and Terry Taylor of Daniel Amos to form the supergroup Lost Dogs. The band encountered troubles in the year after when Leonhardt was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease. The band channel their dispair and frustration and once again found the label censoring their music on their next album Drowning With Land In Sight. Shortly after the album was released, Leonhardt left the band and Aaron Smith also left the band to tour with Rich Mullins.

Roe hired former Vector drummer Bruce Spencer to form along with Harmon a power-trio that is essentially the core of the band today. The band released Tom Tom Blues in 1995 and Roe released solo albums, Safe As Milk and The Boat Ashore. Spencer and Harmon joined an assortment of other musicians to tour as the “Safe As Milk Band.” Roe also toured frequently as a solo artist in the following years.

In 1999, the 77’s regrouped and released an ep simply titled ep and resumed touring on a regular basis with the addition of Scott Reams on guitar, keyboards, and percussion. The band released A Golden Field Of Radioactive Crows in 2001 and then a series of leftover songs from that session on an ep titled Direct in 2002. The band then entered a period of dormancy, though Roe and Harmon did collaborate together, releasing an instrumental album titled Orbis and a Seven And Seven Is album titled Fun With Sound in 2004.

Where Are They Now?
The 77’s are in a period that Roe likes to call “semi-retirement.” The band performs infrequently, though they have just released a new album Holy Ghost Building which is based off old blues songs. The band is touring (as of June 2008) with David Leonhardt joining the band. Roe continues to tour as a solo musician and also still works with the Lost Dogs. Bruce Spencer still performs as a touring drummer with several musicians. Mark Harmon still performs on bass on occasion, but also works in the corporate world outside of music. Jan Eric Volz is probably best known for the trials that his son Eric Volz underwent in Nicaragua for conviction for murder and subsequent release on appeals.

If You Bought Only One Album….
The later albums in the 90’s and 00’s each have moments of brilliance but tend to be uneven. The best of those albums are probably either Pray Naked or Drowning With Land In Sight. However, the 80’s material tends to be stronger and the strongest album might actually be the collection of demos, Sticks and Stones. However, this album can be difficult to find, so I will recommend the first self-titled album The Seventy Sevens as the place start.

Get Thee to iTunes! Or Make Your Own Mix Tape for 10 bucks
Amazingly, there is no music by the Seventy Sevens on iTunes or Amazon.com, so you will have to do some hunting on your own:
1.) Caught In An Unguarded Moment (All Fall Down)
2.) Do It For Love (Seventy Sevens)
3.) MT (Sticks And Stones)
4.) Nowhere Else (Sticks and Stones)
5.) The Lust, The Flesh, The Eyes and The Pride of Life (88)
6.) Self-Made Trap (Pray Naked)
7.) Nobody’s Fault But Mine (Drowning With Land In Sight)
8.) Don’t Leave Me Long (Tom Tom Blues)
9.) Unbalanced (ep)
10.) Dig My Heels (Direct)

The rules of the “game” are simple:
1. list your top ten favorite films (in no particular order).
2. if you’re tagged, you’ve got to post and tag 3-5 other people.
3. give a tag back (some link love) to the one who tagged you in your post
4. give a hat tip (HT) to Dan

I’m not really as much a movie buff as some of my friends, but I do have some favorites. My Top Ten Favorite Films (in no particular order):

1. Star Wars Trilogy (the original three)
Is there anyone that grew up in the 70’s or 80’s that wasn’t profoundly affected by these movies? It’s a story old as time set in a fanciful sci-fi setting. No one had done a series of movies on this scale before this. Quotations from these movies have been in my conversational vernacular throughout high school and college much to the annoyance of my friends.

2. Lord of the Rings Trilogy
The scale and scope of these movies are mind boggling. I feel like Peter Jackson was mostly true to the story and he really respected what Tolkien was trying to tell. There are several scenes like Helm’s Deep and The Fields of Pelannor that give me goosebumps.

3. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
So much to love about this movie. I love that the bluegrass soundtrack helped bring bluegrass music back into the mainstream. I love the parallels between Ulysses Everett McGill and The Odyssey. I love the redemption story of his character, too. Plus, the movie is utterly quotable. This is my favorite Coen Brothers movie by far.

4. So I Married An Axe Murderer
Certainly not Mike Myers’ most famous work (or maybe even his best work), but the movie has such a silly charm to it and (I’m sensing a theme here), the movie is fun to quote. It’s so delightfully absurd with Charlie’s Scottish parents and his police friend, plus cameos by people like Steven Wright and Phil Hartman.

5. Swingers
I’ve blogged about Swingers before and how much I love it. It’s the ultimate insight into guys’ relationships and how they deal with failure and disappointment, both romantic and career-wise. It’s the pinnacle of Vince Vaughn’s acting career still, also.

6. Raising Arizona
Another Coen Brothers movie and my favorite before O Brother Where Art Thou? was released. The facial expressions in this movie (especially by Nicholas Cage) are priceless. The sequence of scenes when Cage robs the convenience store is one of the finest moments in cinematic history.

7. This Is Spinal Tap
Cinematic genius. The movie skewers the rock culture from the 70’s and 80’s. Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer make the movie. The Stonehenge scene kills me every time.

8. Elizabethtown
This movie and Garden State came out about the same time and have similar stories, but something about Elizabethtown keeps drawing me back. Even though Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst are pretty wooden in their acting, they do come through from time-to-time in the movie. The ending scene where Bloom makes a cross-country trip with his fathers’ ashes listening to CD’s is poignant and touching.

9. Miracle
I love the story of the 1980 US Hockey Team and this movie does a nice retelling of the story. The US-USSR opposition was a big part of my childhood and I can just barely remember the real event.

10. Apollo 13
I’m also a big space exploration nut. Ron Howard’s movie stays mostly true to the story and why not? It’s a compelling story without any embelleshment. Visually the movie is a treat and I particularly love Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, and Ed Harris in this movie.

Tagged:
Adriene, Hubbs, Geof (let’s see if he does it!), Scott, and…….. Brandi and Brandy

Last week we travelled out to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for a week of being useless while sitting on the beach. For the most part, it was your pretty typical family vacation. We swam around the pool. I played some golf. We ate way too much. We did it all with the girls and it was pretty fun seeing them play in the ocean for the first time.

One of the highlights for me during the week, though, was when Adriene and I drove downtown into old part of Myrtle Beach. As we drove down the Ocean Boulevard, Adriene would point out some of the older hotels nestled in between the monolithic towers and tell me where they stayed on past family vacations. For just a moment, my mind’s eye was opened to her past and I could almost see her as a young child with her parents, playing on the beach, much like my sister and I did when we went to Panama City Beach when we were children.

At the heart of downtown, we parked near the vacant lot that was once The Pavilion. Fortunately, I had seen the old amusement park when we came to Myrtle Beach a couple years ago. It’s a sad sight as the property owners tore the park down last year intending to build high-end condos and subsequently ran out of money. So, there’s nothing there now but grass and a couple trees.

I could close my eyes for a moment though, and I could see Adriene’s past summer vacations or her parents’ honeymoon and I could hear the organ music, smell the fried food, and hear the screams as the rollercoaster rattled above me.

Who Are They?
Whiteheart is a rock band that combined strong vocal harmonies with a rock sound that became progressively more complex from album to album from 1982 to 1997. The main band members throughout the history of the band were Billy Smiley (guitars, vocals) and Mark Gersmehl (keyboards, vocals). Rick Florian (vocals) joined the band in 1986 and became a principal member of the band. The rest of the roles were filled by a revolving door of musicians on drums, bass, and electric guitar. While Whiteheart enjoyed quite a bit of success on their own, the band became a springboard for many of the members to go on to successful session musician careers.

Whiteheart’s music became progressively better with each album, delving deeper lyrically as they moved away from common Christianese lyrics to more thoughtful and questioning thoughts. The band also benefitted from more and more complex arrangements from the musicians that performed on each of their albums. The band perhaps peaked in 1992 or 1993 when rock music changed in response to grunge music. Whiteheart unsuccessfully tried to adapt the sound, but it never truly fit within their oeuvre.

Brief History
Whiteheart formed in 1982 from musicians performing for Bill Gaither. Smiley and Gersmehl were members of the original band along with vocalist Steve Green and brothers Dann (guitars) and David Huff (drums). Green left after the first self-titled album saying that rock was not his preferred music and went on to a successful CCM career. Vocalist Scott Douglas joined the band for the next two albums. Dann Huff left after next album Vital Signs and David Huff left after Hotline and the two brothers formed the band Giant, which enjoyed brief success in the 80’s.

Whiteheart was rocked by scandal in 1986 when Douglas was arrested as a sexual offender. Fortunately for the band, the members discovered that their roadie and bus driver, Rick Florian, was a more than capable replacement and he became the vocalist for the rest of the band’s duration. Florian became notable for spelling his first name differently on every album (Ric, Rickq, etc.) Florian’s first album Don’t Wait For the Movie featured Gordon Kennedy on guitar and Chris McHugh on drums. Tommy Simms joined the band on bass for Emergency Broadcast. The band experience a quantum leap in quality with their next album Freedom in 1989.

After Freedom, the band left their original label, Sparrow Records, and joined Starsong Records. McHugh, Simms, and Kennedy all left the band at this time to become session musicians. Whiteheart debuted a new lineup with Mark Nemer (drums), Anthony Sallee (bass), and Brian Wooten (guitar) on the album Powerhouse in 1991. McHugh returned to play drums on the next album Tales Of Wonder in 1992 and during the tour the band hired Jon Knox, formerly of Adam Again, to play drums. In 1993, the band released their last album on Starsong titled Highlands

The band released a couple of new songs on a couple of Best Of releases before ending their contract with Starsong. John Thorn joined the band on bass, replacing Sallee. The band joined Curb Records with anticipation of greater mainstream appeal, but when Inside was released in 1995, the musical climate had change for rock music and the album was a disappointment. The band underwent another upheaval as Wooten, Thorn, and Knox all departed the and. Gersmehl and Florian each also has personal crises as Gersmehl lost his father to death and Florian divorced his wife. Gersmehl, Florian, and Smiley hired session musicans to release one last album, Redemption before they announced they were entering a “dormant stage” for the band in 1997.

Where Are They Now?
Florian is a now a real-estate agent. Gersmehl and Smiley remain involved in the music business as Gersmehl still performs as a solo artist and Smiley works for a label called Devotion. Many of the other musicians remain in high demand as session musicans for Christian, country, and mainstream rock and pop albums and artists. Though the band has never officially broken up, there are no plans for any future touring and albums. The band did, however, reunite in 2006 for an awards show with a lineup of Gersmehl, Smiley, Florian, Knox, Simms, and Kennedy. The band performed two songs (Video of “Freedom” here on YouTube) for the show.

If You Bought Only One Album….
The real peak of Whiteheart’s music in terms of songwriting and musical quality are the albums between and including Freedom and Highlands. The albums before Freedom are mostly hit-and-miss with each one progressively becoming slightly more hit than miss, but are not essential and the albums afterwards lack some of the musical strength of the peak albums. Freedom would be a fine choice as it features some fantastic songs (”Sing Your Freedom”,”Over Me”,”Let The Kingdom Come”) but it is a little uneven. I would probably pick Tales of Wonder as just slightly above Freedom. Tales of Wonder is a rare album that I can listen to the entire way through without skipping a single track.

Get Thee to iTunes! Or Make Your Own Mix Tape for 10 bucks
Unfortunately, Highlands is not available on iTunes, which is criminal, so I had to leave two fantastic songs (”Heaven of My Heart” and “The Flame Passes On”) off the list, but if you can find them somewhere, add them to this list.

1. How Many Times (Seventy Times Seven) (Souvenirs)
2. Montana Sky (Souvenirs)
3. Sing Your Freedom (Freedom)
4. Let the Kingdom Come (Freedom)
5. Over Me (Freedom)
6. Powerhouse (Powerhouse)
7. Unchain (Tales of Wonder)
8. Who Owns You (Tales of Wonder)
9. Find A Way (Inside)
10. Fall On Me (Redemption)

Who Are They?
The Choir is a rock band originally based out of California known for atmospheric sounds and quirky lyrics that plumb deeper subjects than many Christian bands wanted to touch. Many times the lyrics were also self-referential, referring back to previous albums or songs on the album. The primary members of The Choir are Derri Daugherty (vocals, guitar), Steve Hindalong (drums, percussion, vocals) and Dan Micheals (saxophone, lyricon). Tim Chandler (bass) appears on many of the albums, though he entered and exited the band several times to tour with other bands and artists and his role was sometimes filled by other bass guitarists. The band has been joined by Marc Byrd (guitars) of Common Children during recent years.

Hindalong and Daugherty collaborated on a series of albums titled “City On A Hill” that is probably their most successful music commercially. Hindalong and Byrd penned “God of Wonders” which is now a popular worship song sung in many churches.

Brief History
The Choir formed in 1983 as the result of a friendship between Hindalong and Chandler. Chandler was playing bass for the pioneering Christian rock band, Daniel Amos, and introduced Hindalong to Daugherty, who would working as a roadie for DA at the time. Originally, the band was titled Youth Choir, but changed their name to The Choir when they released Diamonds and Rain in 1986. Chandler soon left the band to tour with DA and Hindalong and Daugherty produced a couple albums together, hiring Micheals to play saxophone. Micheals also introduced the lyricon into the sound of The Choir, a signature sound of the band, particularly at live concerts.

The Choir’s early albums bear heavy influence from 80’s new wave bands, particularly bands such as The Police and Psychedelic Furs. After recording Diamonds and Rain with producer Charlie Peacock, the band subsequently recorded and produced all the rest of their albums themselves. Self-production and recording proved to be highly beneficial to Daugherty and Hindalong as they have earned a living recording and producing albums for other bands and this allowed them to truly give The Choir its own unique sound.

Chase The Kangaroo was their first self-produced album, released in 1988 and was recorded with Tim Chandler. However, Chandler left after the recording of the album, and the band hired Robin Spurs. The Choir gained some attention as “the band with the female bass player” which may have helped put them on some music magazine covers. Spurs recorded Wide Eyed Wonder and parts of Circle Slide in 1990 with the band before leaving. Circle Slide signaled a bit of a transition bringing Hindalong’s percussion and drums to the forefront and is perhaps the bands’ best album.

During 1991, Hindalong and Daugherty collaborated on a acoustic worship album titled At the Foot of the Cross The album laid the foundation for much of their later work on the City on a Hill series and while it was critically acclaimed, the worship music fad had not emerged yet and it is even today virtually unknown. In 1993, Hindalong, Daugherty, and Micheals all moved to Nashville to be closer to many of the artists they were working with. Some of the struggles with the move are recounted in their independent release Kissers and Killers, much of which was repackaged and sold on a label as Speckled Bird

In 1996, the toils of touring took their toll on Hindalong and Daugherty, both now fathers, and they announced that the tour supporting their newest album Free Flying Soul would be their last one. The band went essentially dormant until 2000 when all four members recorded Flap Your Wings together and then released a boxed set of all their albums titled Never Say Never, a play on their declarations to not tour anymore, not record anymore, etc. which have all proved false. Hindalong and Daugherty then released the City On A Hill series in the following years. In 2005, the band recorded O, How The Mighty Have Fallen with Marc Byrd as the producer and followed with a short tour, their first since 1996.

Where Are They Now?
Steve Hindalong and Derri Daugherty are now members of Lost Dogs with Micheal Roe and Terry Taylor. They, along with Marc Byrd, still produce and record acts in Nashville, TN. Tim Chandler works as computer consultant while Dan Micheals works in public relations for a label in Nashville. There are no current plans to record or tour again, but as they say, “Never Say Never.”

If You Bought Only One Album…
Circle Slide is the creative peak of the band, in my opinion. It is a short album and there is relatively little filler. The sound is a little dated with heavy doses of reverb, but it seems like everything produced in the late 80’s and early 90’s has a lot of reverb. “Tear For Tear” and “About Love” are a combination of songs that perfectly combine the joy and ache of love that the Choir explored so much in their music. “Restore My Soul” is a fantastic groove, featuring some of Steve Hindalong’s best drumming.

Get Thee to iTunes! Or Make Your Own Mix Tape for 10 bucks
You can buy many of the bands’ albums and songs on iTunes, however I recommend purchasing them from The Choir Downloads where the money goes directly to the band and you can download the songs in DRM-free MP3 format.

1. Consider (Chase The Kangaroo)
2. To Bid Farwell (Wide Eyed Wonder)
3. Restore My Soul (Circle Slide)
4. Yellow Skies (Speckled Bird)
5. Love Your Mind (Speckled Bird)
6. The Ocean (Free Flying Soul)
7. Tear For Tear/About Love (Let It Fly)
8. Flowing Over Me (Flap Your Wings)
9. Beautiful Scandalous Night (Flap Your Wings)
10. To Rescue Me (O How The Mighty Have Fallen)

Much like the previous concert Adriene and I went to a couple weeks ago, Andy Gullahorn and Jill Philips are a married couple that produce music individually. However, both sometimes come together in concert to combine strengths and deliver a show of enjoyable music. Their marriage is a context that permeates the show and you realize immediately these are two people who have known each other a long time and know how to draw the best out of each other.

The show was located at the wonderful Acoustic Jeremiah, a small church venue in Canton, Georgia. The intimate nature of venue and the remote location give you the feeling you are participating in something special. The welcoming attitude of the hosts gives you the feeling you are entering into a community. It really does enhance the show. I’m hoping there are many more shows to come at this location.

Philips and Gullahorn provide a perfect foil to each other. They performed “in the round” which Andrew Peterson has always said means “if you don’t like one artist, you have to endure a couple songs before you can listen to the next one.” Performing in the round means that Philips tender, sometimes heartbroken songs meshed with Gullahorn’s clever, wry, and sometimes flippant songs. Philips would silence the crowd with a reverant air with a song like “I Am” and Gullahorn would elicit guffaws with a song like “Green Hills Mall.” The two combined voices and guitars for many beautiful songs by each of the two, ending the night with acapella renditions of “All Hail The Name” and the “Doxology.”

Great shows are more that just performances, they are the gathering of a community and the Square Peg Alliance and Acoustic Jeremiah always seem to deliver in that way.

Photos of the show here!