What it’s all about

Christian rock is a relatively new phenomenon. Its roots began in the midst of the turbulent ’60s. As young people came to know the Lord, they brought along the music that they claimed as their own, rock & roll. The only change that took place was the preference for lyrics that described their new-found faith. The beat of the music remained the same.

The purpose of this blog is to speak about my thoughts and feelings of this “genre” of music. Is it truly a defined genre? No. The breadth of Christian rock is as broad as that found in the secular (non-Christian) market. Every style from folk to hardcore metal will be lumped under the same title of Christian rock in this blog. What makes it “Christian”? It includes music from performers of the Christian faith. Lyrically that may mean that their faith is not reflected in the words, but may only reveal their Christian worldview. Performers such as Alice Cooper, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Cockburn may not be considered “Christian” artist in the traditional sense, but they do claim the Lord as their saviour. Other musicians may still include the archaic view of how many JPMs (Jesus’ name per minute) can be inserted into their lyrics.

My own introduction to Christian rock took place in the early ’80s. I was introduced to performers such as Randy Stonehill, Mark Heard, Mylon LeFevre & Broken Heart, and Larry Norman. I became a Christian when I gave my heart to the Lord at a Petra concert in 1983 (yes, I’m really old). I have zero musical training, so I can’t make an analytical analysis of a piece of music. I do have an on-going interest (read: obsession) with Christian rock. I attend numerous Christian concerts every year. Photos and reviews of these shows will appear in future posts. I collect music constantly. iTunes tells me I have 34 days of music on my computer. Album reviews will also take place. Questions of the day will be yet another topic.

Please give me your views and input. Feel free to submit your comments to this blog.

Thanks,
Dave