Mosh For Jesus!
by Justin Carretta
Issue 3, Winter/Spring 2004
Underoath hit the stage with an all-out fury - some of the scariest dudes you'll ever see, and these ones are equipped with guitars, bass, drums, and mics. After playing about five songs, then-lead singer Dallas Taylor stopped screaming for a second and stated, "I don't know what you guys believe in, but we're up here [and] we're playing this music because of Jesus." From there, barely skipping a beat, they went into the blistering closer "When the Sun Sleeps."
Jesus? Since when has HE had a place in rock and roll? Especially music this aggressive and angry? It seems very out of place. In the 1950's, scared parents heard rock and roll and saw long hair and immediately branded it the devil's music. In the 1960's and 70's, satanic imagery in music became much more prevalent. Bands like Black Sabbath, AC/DC, and Kiss seemed to come straight out of hell itself.
The late 70's could be considered the second stage of rebellious music. This is when punk first broke. The Sex Pistols, the Ramones, and the Clash, among others, started a movement of underground music that is still going strong today. Through them, punk got angry and bands such as Minor Threat, Black Flag, and Fear played even faster and harder music than their punk counterparts, starting the hardcore movement. And none of these bands were about to have a Bible in their hands. Christianity is what they were rebelling against - structure and "rules."
Yet in the past few years, Christian music has become much more mainstream. And not just poppy bands like Jars of Clay and Sixpence None the Richer, but punk, hardcore, ska, and indie - you name it. Even if these genres were created to be the antithesis of Christianity, they are starting to be heavily impacted by it. Tooth and Nail Records was created in Seattle, Washington, by Brandon Ebel in the mid-90's. It was the first large independent music label catered to Christian punk music. Since that time, they have released over 200 CD's by bands including MXPX, the Juliana Theory, Further Seems Forever, and Slick Shoes. Solid State Records was created a few years later as a subsidiary of Tooth and Nail for hardcore and metal acts, and currently houses Stretch Armstrong and Living Sacrifice, among others. Bands on these labels are not necessarily 100% Christian, but usually have at least some Christian members. Most of the bands are not trying to evangelize, although a few are. Most of them just want to play good music. Christian acts aren't limited to just these two labels. For example, The Beautiful Mistake are signed to the Militia Group, and hardcore giants Hopesfall are on Trustkill Records. Yet if they are on a Christian label or a secular one, none of these bands want to be referred to as a Christian band.
The problem with the term "Christian music" is that it's too exclusive. No other religion has that kind of label: Do people call the Beastie Boys "Jewish Music?" No. Just because people in a band are Christian doesn't mean they want to play solely for Christian audiences. They want to play for anyone will like their music.
"We're not going to go in there and say 'Hey we're the Christian band' ...we're going to carry ourselves like a normal band," says Andrew Schwab, vocalist of the Southern California band Project 86. Very few bands will admit to being a Christian band. On deeper inspection, these bands break into two categories.
The first group is made up of bands that can be defined as "worship bands." The point of the band is to spread the teachings of the Bible, and although they would like to play for a mixed audience, most secular kids would never listen to them. The lyrics are usually pretty simple and are the kinds of words one would expect to hear in church. Yet most "Christian" bands fall into the second category, which are bands that are all Christians that write songs about all facets of life.
Matt Traxler from the band Brandtson says, "We're not looking to cater to any specific 'market' or 'genre.' We write songs that we like, stuff that sounds good to us, and whoever else likes it...we're really grateful for that." Their faith is going to be a big part of the lyrics, because it is a big part of their lives, but the music isn't all about that. There is a very big range of these bands too, from bands that don't talk about their beliefs much, to ones that talk about it in most songs, but neither are intending to push beliefs on anyone. The most common misconception is that to be a Christian band, every song has to be about Jesus, which simply isn't true.
"Whether we have songs that deal with God and songs that deal with cars, you know, and I don't think that makes us a Christian band one half of the record and a non-Christian band the other half of the record," states Jaime Tolosa from Tooth and Nail favorite Ghoti Hook.
It isn't that these bands are scared to admit their beliefs publicly. They want to reach a bigger audience, and because they know if many close-minded people will just ignore them if they claim to be Christian, they want to keep their mouths shut.
"Even if everyone in your band is a Christian and you sing about Jesus in all your songs, to call yourself a Christian band is to eliminate a lot of people who might be interested in your band or find something they like in your music," says Dustin Kensrue from the band Thrice. It isn't selling out; it's knowing your audience.
Scott Windsor from the Lyndsay Diaries encounters this problem constantly. He says, "I always find it weird to get an email that only says, 'Are you a Christian?' I always feel like 'Will you not listen to my music based on the answer I give?'" And it can be true. There are people who won't listen to a band if they hear they are made up of Christians.
The hardest thing about being in one of these "bands of Christians" is that people do try to pigeonhole you.
Dan Weyandt from Zao puts it this way, "You don't get any real respect in the secular scene because people think you're a close minded moron, and in the Christian scene you don't get any respect if you're not "Christian" enough. So that's where we are, that weird 'can't please anyone' slot." The problem is that there IS this distinction. Why should there be a Christian scene and a secular scene? It's the same music.
"I really don't know if there should be a separation, or if there should be any classification. Because in all honesty, where do you draw the line? With a band like U2 or Zwan and Smashing Pumpkins, Johnny Cash, people that have these kind of spiritual lyrics, but at the same time they're not out there trying to evangelize to the world," says Brett Detar of the Juliana Theory.
Another major problem is flack from other Christians. Many bands complain about getting more crap from them then by secular audiences, because more evangelistic bands give them problems for not preaching enough.
"It's almost like there's rules to follow, like 'you're a Christian band, these are your rules.' You can't just get up and play, after four songs you'd better say something," Dan Weyandt says. The truth is, most "Christian" bands don't preach unless they are at a Christian event. They know that their audience isn't looking for that. Just because they don't pray in the middle of their set doesn't make them worse Christians.
"We are all Christians in the band and none of us are ashamed of that fact. I think many 'Christians' interpret non-involvement with their scene as being mediocre about one's faith or being "lukewarm," tells Josh Hagquist of the Beautiful Mistake. Wanting to reach a secular audience isn't a bad thing; actually, it is a major part of the religion's basis.
The truth is, all bands believe in something. Whether a majority of a bands songs are about trying to achieve social change (Anti-Flag, Pennywise), love, for or against (New Found Glory, the Ataris), or just to have a good time, bands (especially indie bands) have a set of beliefs and ideas that they sing about.
"Music is music, and everybody, as individuals, stand for something," claims Mike Herrera of pop-punk poster-boys MxPx. As long as bands with religious beliefs aren't forcing these beliefs on people, what is the problem? If you don't like it, don't listen to it. Could a republican who campaigned for George W. Bush listen to NOFX? Sure. Could a proclaimed atheist listen to a Christian band? Yes, and many do. Not because they are agreeing with the message, but because it is good music. And in the end, that IS what matters.
(All quotes are stolen from Decapolis.com)