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"Aggressive Smile Pop" is how founder Joey Belvile described his sound. The band was founded in 1992 in the music mecca known as Albuquerque, NM. Don't laugh. Evanescence (Little Rock, AR), Fireflight (Orlando, FL), Switchfoot (San Diego, CA), and Third Day (Atlanta, GA) are all headlining bands which have their origins in less than Music City USA. Belville credits being discovered by Wally Shaw of deitiphobia, and has become part of the industrial triumvirate of Deitiphobia-Aleixa-Echoing Green.
Other than Belville and the joyful sound, one of the biggest halmarks of the Echoing Green "sound" is awesome, and at times haunting, female vocals. For the first five years of the bands existence that part was in constant flux, as six ladies: Riki Michele, Carrie Connelly, Rachael Hadley, Sherri Youngward, Robyn Standridge, and Jennifer Ancog. In 1998 they finally got things sorted out and Chrissy Jeter (nee Franklin) took over as female vocalist, and has been in charge for the last five albums.
Of course it should be no surprise. The Echoing Green has always been a band in motion. Joey has been the only constant (as well as Chrissy since 1998). Two Drummers, Five Keyboardists and three guitarists have also gone through the revolving doors of this band. Despite the changes, they did manage to put out six studio albums and one live album during act one.
I am proud to say that of the seven albums in this list I have six of them in my possession (I only lack Music From the Ocean Picture). The last of these albums marked TEG's entry into Darkwave music (think Voxis), though it still is the cheeriest darkwave you can imagine.
After The Winter of Our Discontent was released, The Echoing Green disappeared, though they never officially broke up. Belville produced other groups, among them Leiahdorous , Argyle Street , Pristina, and Vertigo Venus, and Jeter raised a family. Then, without notifying The Night Beat first, they come out with In Scarlet and Vile (2011). It's a bit darker than TWOOD, but you can't take the joy out of these guys. I just checked out the last two bands and I won't be recommending either Pristina or Vertigo Venus on language. I guess you get producing jobs where you can. I am going to share a youtube audio for Away from the latest album.
That's it for this edition of Flashback Friday. We complete another rotation next Friday when we will be talking about DC Talk. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.
"M-U-R-D-E-R" "K-I-L-L". Not your typical Christian song lyrics. Even less typical when done as a cheerleader chant. If you want happy cheerleader banter, then FM Static is more your cup of tea. Aleixa (pronounced Uh-Leek-Uh) isn't your typical Christian Band, so that kind of evens things out. Originally known as Sorrow of Seven, Aleixa, hailing from that industrial mecca known as Virginia, was formed by Deitiphobia guitarist Kevin Gutierrez (under the stage handle Kevin 131). with the vocals handled by two chicks, April Lassiter and Laurel Snapper.
Originally discovered by Carson Pierce of the Canadian Industrial Label Flaming Fish Music (I could do a post on that label by itself), I originally heard of them via the song Unloved on the Electro Shock Therapy sampler in 1995. April and Laurel sing "I'm one of the unloved", but more surprisingly they add that "I want to be unloved".
Honey Lake (1996) was their big debut, and it had unloved and the song I could murder, which contained that chant and the following lyric:
I could murder, I could kill, there is something inside of me
Or what about this from non-self:
The person you see is not the one that I'm supposed to be. An eternity of perfection has been destroyed by my sin. Cursed in blackness, showered in pain, is he who created me. With willing reservations I crucify him again and again and again.
How about a little more
I pound the nails into his hands, I pound the nails into his feet. I spit in his face and watch him die and repent at my convenience.
A little hard to take. Sometimes tough talk is necessary so that, as they say "God is able to love, comfort and save us from ourselves, if we only let him."
Over the next three years Aleixa retooled from merely an industrial band to more of a trance/synthpop band in order to get a more mainstream audience (or as the band put it at the time, to execute a plan for World Domination). April Lassiter left the band and was replaced by Stephanie Pummill. Kevin had additional help with his brother Timothy Gutierrez of Kill Villains and Agent X filling in as well.
Disfigured (1999), with its opening lyric "If you know me, you know what's coming" was completely different from what you would have expected from Honey Lake. The title cut referred to the act of recreation that goes on in Salvation.
I need to be disfigured. I need to be torn apart. I need to be made brand new inside.
The lyrics were hard hitting and so was the music. Alas, just when they were poised on the brink of stardom, they disbanded. Such is life on the Fringes of CCM.
I usually try to give a video, but not surprisingly, there isn't much for Aleixa on YouTube. I did manage to find two covers in addition to Non Self. First Up comes from a Stryper Tribute Album, Sweet Family Music. This is Makes Me Wanna Sing.
Not sure if this next one was intended as a parody. This is Tennessee Christmas.
I wish we still had Aleixa here. There aren't any Chick Fronted Industrial Bands out there. Skillet doesn't even count. Though they are somewhat industrial, Korey isn't a singer.
That does it for this round of The Industrial Age. Next week we move back to Alternative, and our subject will be Bleach. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.
The Industrial Revolution begins today. This is the second of three rotating subjects in my all redesigned Flashback Friday. Last week was The Commonwealth of CCM, where I am tackling bands that originate in the British Commonwealth of Nations. Next week is "A Real Alternative", which will tackle the rise to prominence of the Alternative Music Scene.
This weeks topic is "The Industrial Revolution", where I will tell you about the explosion in the nineties which brought Industrial Music, along with its siblings Techno, Synthpop, Trance, and Ambient, to the Christian Music World.
The 60's and 70's gave CCM the Jesus Music Era. The 80's brought Arena Rock and Heavy Metal as well as the birth of the Alternative Scene. As the 90's began everything old became new again. Suddenly Christian Musicians discovered an instrument long used in the Mainstream Scene. That instrument was Robert Moog's Modular Synthesizer of 1965. The Industrial Revolution began.
Robert Moog may be the Father of Techno, but the fathers of Christian Industrial would be Wally Shaw and Brent Stackhouse. Together they founded Donderfliegen, which supposedly means Darn That Fly. They released their debut demo Digital Priests in 1990. Deciding to bring their Christian Faith to the forefront, they changed their name soon afterward to Deitiphobia, which means Fear of God. They released their Self Titled album in 1991 and Stackhouse left soon afterward. He brought his wife Sheri into the band for Keyboards and Vocals and things really took off afterward. It was a move successfully made by Skillet founder John Cooper when he brought Korey on board (for Keyboards and Vocals as well). Clean (1994) was the first album with the new lineup, which included live set guitarist Kevin Gutierrez (aka Kevin 131 of the band Aleixa). By the time their last album would be put out Lo:Fi vs Sci:Fi (1999), the band consisted of the Shaws and Wil Foster. There aren't any videos, but I pulled up an audio of Clean from Youtube, and here it is.
Considering all you need is a synthesizer, Techno is the easiest genre to create side-projects to indulge your creative side. (Skillet was itself a side project). Deitiphobia created Massivivid, which was more of a traditional synth-rock band, consisting of six members. The Deitiphobia trio was assisted in this case by Bob Carlton on Bass, John Hogan on Drums, and Tom Wilson on Guitar. Another Youtube Audio, this time of Massivivid and Flesh Wound, which came from Brightblur. From time to time the Shaw's were assisted by Mark Nash, former drummer for PFR and husband to Leigh Nash of Sixpence None The Richer. They are also credited with "discovering" Joey Belleville of The Echoing Green. All these bands will be featured in a future Flashback Friday, and when they do, this post will be updated with links.
I gravitated very quickly to Industrial and its siblings, actually about as quick as I embraced Metal. It seems as I get older, I get Harder, at least musically speaking.
We wil slow things down a bit next week, as our subject will be alternative legend PFR. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.
(1994)
(1997)
(1998)
(2000)
(2001)
(2005)
, Argyle Street
, Pristina, and Vertigo Venus, and Jeter raised a family. Then, without notifying The Night Beat first, they come out with In Scarlet and Vile
(2011). It's a bit darker than TWOOD, but you can't take the joy out of these guys. I just checked out the last two bands and I won't be recommending either Pristina or Vertigo Venus on language. I guess you get producing jobs where you can. I am going to share a youtube audio for Away from the latest album.
