Running on Adrenaline

Well it is true, the Zombie Apocalypse is here. Unfortunately it is in the music industry. I never thought you would hear me say this, but sometimes a band has to know when to hang it up. It's especially hard when it is a band that I have been with from the start.

The Year was 1993. The place was Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Worcester, MA. A Hip Hop radio station out of Boston, Jam'n 94.5  FM was the sponsor. The Headliner was this little unknown band by the name of DC Talk. I know that sounds strange now, but they were a relative unknown at the time. This was the tour that made them.

Opening for the trio was a real unknown. They were about to release their sophomore album which was to be called "Don't Censor Me". In addition to the title cut, the big hit off that album was "We're a band", which really rocked down the house. Of course the fan favorite that would go down in history was called "Big House". That band was called Audio Adrenaline, or in New England vernacular Wicked Loud.

Audio Adrenaline lived up to their name, and that was a good and a bad thing for the band. Every kid loves loud music, but it does take a toll on the voice, and it did to Lead Vocalist Mark Stuart. Considering that the name was Audio Adrenaline and not the Mark Stuart Band, you would think that they could have plugged a new Lead Vocalist into the mix and kept on going. They chose not to do that, so after a run of eight studio albums in 13 years, plus a few live albums and compilations, the band broke up in 2007. Music Trivia Fact: They outlived their headliner that day by 7 years, as DC Talk broke up in 2000. 

Here at +The WENC Night Beat we put a hiatus limit of 5 years on a band. If there is no activity within that time they are, at least unofficially broken up if there has been no official announcement. There was an official announcement, but just about the time we would have done it anyway, in 2012, there was movement. The band was 're-forming', but without Stuart. Former DC Talk crooner Kevin Max was the new lead, and we were skeptical to say the least. Kings and Queens dispelled the skepticism as the band was tailored to his "shimmering vocals". It did very well at the Platinum Vinyl Awards. Unfortunately it was a one and done for Max. 

Now it is time for Version 3.0, one too many for my taste. Nobody from the original is left, and we are breaking up bands left and right. Abandon, Stellar Kart. Time to put the zombie out of its misery. The sound, just like any other band, and that's a shame. Let us remember the good old days with nostalgia before even that is gone. I am Awaiting Your Reply.

You Can't Have Your Cake...

...and eat it too. At least that's what They would have you believe. For the most part it is true, but that doesn't mean that people will stop trying.

I remembered this truism while recollecting the number of "Reunions" that have happened in the CCM world lately. Stryper, Petra, Miss Angie, Bleach, even Grammatrain was reported to have toyed with the idea. When an artist or band decides to come out of retirement the results are usually for the best. Usually. The rest of the story after the jump.