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Christian music that breaks the mold (of consistently being less-than-great)
By Ryan | October 26, 2007
OK, so after our talk about pop music, my good buddy Kevin LaPorte said he felt like I shortchanged “Christian” music, and he’s probably right. The slightly ironic twist on my taste in music, being that I’ve recorded and traveled around the country writing and playing “Christian” or “Catholic” music, is that I generally can’t stand to listen it. Maybe I’m a snob, maybe I’m just bitter because I don’t have Michael W. Smith knocking down my door begging to sign me, or maybe it’s because I’ve been disillusioned by my stint “on the inside.” More than anything, I think it’s the feeling I get that the vast majority of Christian stuff is akin to those fake colognes you see in the gas station that promise to smell “just like” the real thing. This is most evident by a quick Google search that will find you a virtually unlimited number of “comparison” lists to help you kick the habit of listening to the devil’s rock and roll.
Any way you shake it, it’s worth mentioning that there are bands out there that have Christian members and songwriters that are creating great music. Most of them aren’t signed to a label that’s a member of the Gospel Music Association, many of them aren’t signed to a major label at all, but they are in fact out there. This list will probably be more worthwhile to the Joshes, Zehras, Alexes, and Charleses of the group, and I don’t mean to discourage any of you guys that are into some more mainstream Christian bands from listening to them. Everyone’s got their own tastes, and that’s what makes us beautifully and uniquely human. That being said, here’s the list of some of our brothers and sisters in the faith that are creating great music.
- Andrew Osenga*
- The Afters
- Anberlin*
- Athlete
- Jon Black
- The Choir
- Copeland
- Dave Barnes*
- The Fold
- Griffin House*
- Innocence Mission
- Tyler James*
- Mae
- Matt Wertz*
- Mute Math
- Pedro the Lion / David Bazan
- Sufjan Stevens*
- Derek Webb
- Joseph Arthur
See? Let it be known and spread across the land that I have given you a good list of bands that are composed of believers. The stars are the ones that I would consider myself a real fan of. The rest of them I enjoy on occasion, and usually have at least 2 or 3 of their songs on my MP3 player at any given time. That being said, any person who says that they love music and doesn’t have at least one Sufjan record on their device is a liar. Yeah, I said it.
So all you music-lovers (I know that’s most of you since we probably had 800 music questions last night!) let me know what you think about those bands. I’d be super suprised if you didn’t find something you liked. Unless you only like hip-hop, because there’s nothing there for you. Again with the differences in tastes… Not to mention that, sadly, most of the innovation in the musicality of hip-hop is happening outside the Church. Of course, you’re bound to be able to find someone who smells just like…
Anybody else know of some bands that are Catholic or Christian? Let’s hear ‘em!
Topics: Sacred Heart Youth Ministry |
One Response to “Christian music that breaks the mold (of consistently being less-than-great)”
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October 26th, 2007 at 11:45 am
Oh, and I forgot Joseph Arthur! Redemption’s Son is an absolutely killer album!