Hard-rock Christian bands raise big-label interest

A rock ‘n’ roll revival? Better believe it. Soaring sales mean that Christian rock is elbowing its way onto the forefront of the Christian music industry. The rest of the music world is also paying attention, as big labels in New York and Los Angeles come calling on now-unheard-of acts they hope will become tomorrow’s P.O.D. or Switchfoot.
   
Hard bands Skillet, Pillar, Day Of Fire and Disciple; pop rockers The Afters; innovative rock/electronica act MuteMath and their current tourmate Mat Kearney, a singer/songwriter/rapper — all have scored mainstream deals.
   
They’re not alone.
   
Screamo band Underoath has racked up 200,000 sales on word-of-mouth and touring. DJ Andy Hunter hasn’t been ringing the record store register — but his aggressive electronica tracks have appeared in dozens of movies, TV shows and commercials. If you saw an action movie trailer last year, you’ve likely heard his inescapable song “Go.” His newest release hit iTunes’ top 10 electronica albums.
   
Improved musical chops, impressive fan bases cultivated by constant touring and artists who don’t trash hotel rooms are all part of the draw, according to label execs like Capitol Records’ Jaime Feldman. He snatched up Relient K’s new record, “MMHMM,” after their previous disc sold 400,000 on a small Christian label. “MMHMM” has equaled that already — and now both records have gone gold.
   
“They recognize that when a band plays several hundred shows a year and has a base of 100(,000)­–200,000 units, they have a number of things already working for them,” said Zach Kelm, Skillet’s manager. “If they sign a brand new band, they don’t have any of that, and you have to get a huge hit (to succeed).”
   
While pop artists Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith and R ‘n’ B siblings BeBe and CeCe Winans led the crossover charge in the late ‘80s, much of the success Christian rock acts like Skillet and Kutless are tasting today is because of a couple of groundbreaking bands.
   
“Switchfoot dramatically changed the landscape,” noted Brad O’Donnell, a vice president for EMI Christian Label Group, the band’s Christian label home for seven years. “They weren’t the only one: Jars (of Clay) knocked on the door. P.O.D. knocked it part way open. Switchfoot knocked it down. They changed what we think is possible for a Christian rock band.”
   
Switchfoot’s success — a double platinum record (2 million copies) and two monster radio hits — is notable in part because of their record’s lyrical approach. Rather than preaching, or dodging faith issues, songwriter Jon Foreman lobs questions at the listener: “This is your life/Are you who you want to be?”
   
For Christian artists, the answer increasingly means having a foot in both secular and sacred worlds — typically without changing their message.
   
Both O’Donnell and Kelm say eight of 10 acts they talk to now want to be signed in both markets. “It’s not that they don’t want to be in the Christian market,” Kelm said. “They just want to look beyond that.” In addition to Skillet, he’s working with two new bands that will each debut in both.
   
Steve Ford of S/R/E Recordings, home to the group Disciple, said, “More artists want to follow that Switchfoot model. There’s an amazing band in Dallas (called) Radiant. I call their management and asked ‘How can I be involved?’ He said, ‘Get us a general market deal.’”
   
Because of the current climate, Ford said, “More bands are going ‘OK, the Christian market, that’s great — but tell me about general market.’ That excites me.”
   
Pop-oriented Christian labels have had to rethink relegating rock music to a niche. According to radio analyst Rick Welke, the target audience for the two largest Christian radio formats — “Adult Contempory” and “Christian Hit Radio” — grew up on rock. “Now they’re 20, 30 and even 40-plus years old, and it is part of who they are.”
   
O’Donnell’s company is responding with an imprint, Credential, a label dedicated to breaking what he describes as a new breed of artist. 
   
“There’s a new generation of rock acts that needs a different kind of marketing.” He said they’re defined by their touring schedule. 
   
“There used to be more of a distinction between a band that plays clubs, or plays youth groups; now, they may play a club Friday night, a youth group Saturday night, and a worship service Sunday. Now the lines are a lot more blurry. We need a new label that can accommodate that.” (RNS)