In the 80s, glam metal band Stryper said “To Hell with the Devil.”
Not only did Stryper pioneer a cross-genre movement of Christian rock, but the band paved the way for acts like P.O.D., UnderOath and most recently Flyleaf who have received their share of success with secular audiences.
These bands play music with a message, filled with conviction and absolution that reaches the ears of millions of mainstream listeners.
Now more and more acts are following in these footsteps (As I Lay Dying, Norma Jean, The Devil Wears Prada and Confide to name a few) not shying away from their core beliefs but not actually force-feeding the word of God either.
“The music speaks for itself,” said Larry Lozano one-fourth of the Christian rock band Obscurity who is set to open for Flyleaf tonight at Dodge Arena.
“We write from our heart and it’s something that’s very organic for us.We appeal to the secular crowd also because it’s how we carry ourselves as people. God has given us this gift to write and play music and we consider ourselves vessels to be used.”
The guitarist says Christian bands owe it to Stryper for facing and overcoming harsh criticism back when the cross-genre was born.
“It takes a lot to go out and do that and it takes a lot of courage,” he said. “A lot of our influences come from different styles of music so people who never really knew we’re a Christian band are surprised.”
Here in the Rio Grande Valley, it’s common to find Christian acts like Obscurity, First Born From the Dead, and The Requested embedded in the secular scene. Many of them have built a solid following based on the quality of music, not necessarily for their convictions, Lozano said.The guys in Obscurity are also amped for their chance to share the stage and their message with Flyleaf. The band earned a spot on the bill by competing in the on-line Band Smackdown sponsored by Q 94.5 FM rock station and in the Borderfest Battle of the Bands late last month. They will join first and second place winners The Jericho Machine and Methmare Motorcade in the lineup.
“We embrace those perhaps turned off by the Christian tag,” he said. “It happens. They’re not drawn to us at first but the word of God is in us and they’re drawn to that anointing. There will be people turned off by that but we love them. We have Jesus first in the center of our lives and therefore in the center of our band. That’s real important to us to be able to reach out to people through our music.”
United in Faith
Santos Acosta, lead singer for the alternative rock band, Flood 23 created Valley Bands United, an on-line assocaition of local Chrisitan artists who share the common thread of faith-based ideals.
On a national scale Temple, Texas natives, Flyleaf have taken commercial radio by storm.Their self-titled debut album was recently certified platinum and their third single, “All Around Me” is their highest-charting song to date, crossing over at Top 40 radio.~
With over 25 million plays on MySpace and 300,000 spins to date, the band has already spawned two hit singles, “I’m So Sick,” and “Fully Alive” both of which were played on major market active rock radio, modern rock radio, MTV 2, Fuse and Yahoo Music.~
The hard-driving rock outfit has been compared to Evanescence, not only because of its makeup (a lone brunette female vocalist surrounded by a bunch of guys) but also because of their inspirational message. But Flyleaf is more clearly inspired by the divine: Lacey Mosley has discussed a previous addiction to drugs and alcohol and how Christ helped lift her out of depression and thoughts of suicide.
Mosley started the group with bandmates Sameer Bhattacharya, Jared Hartmann and James Culpepper (Seals joined later) as a way to musically express some of the thoughts she had written about her experience.
"We wanted to do whatever God wanted us to do with our lives, with our work, with our music, just every part of our lives and I guess the miracle of this we credit to that," said Mosley.
The group has a pastor that travels with them and study the Bible regularly, so they don't succumb to temptations while living the rock life. But while they are happy to share their beliefs. They are also quick to point out that their music is not geared only for one audience.
"If you mean a band for Christians, no, we're for everybody," said Seals.
Debates that pop up about whether the band is a Christian act are "silly," Mosley said.
"We're not embarrassed . . . We just want to be honest with who we are."
After headlining their own two- month Justice & Mercy Tour, harvesting a multitude of new fans on the 2007 Family Values Tour, and opening for Korn on their European tour this past winter- the band is now gearing up to co-headline their cross country, multi-city tour with Seether- kicking off April 8 in Denver.~
The band makes its first of two stops here tonight and returns April 26.
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Flyleaf
with Obscurity, The Jericho Machine and Methmare Motorcade
WHEN: 7 p.m. tonight
WHERE: Dodge Arena, Hidalgo
COST: $15, $25, $35 (plus convenience charge)
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Miriam Ramirez covers features and entertainment for The Monitor. You can reach her at (956) 683-4468.
