Resurrection Band
Encyclopedia
Resurrection Band, also known as Rez Band or REZ, was a Christian rock
band formed in 1972. They were part of the Jesus People USA
Christian community in Chicago and most of its members have continued in that community to this day. Known for their blend of blues-rock
and hard rock
, Resurrection Band is credited as one of the forerunners of the Christian metal
genre. Christianity Today
called them "the most influential band in Christian music history.". Following their debut
in 1978, the band's greatest popularity was during the early 1980s, but later in the decade they received some crossover success when they had two music video
s featured on MTV
.
Led by the husband-and-wife team of Glenn
and Wendi Kaiser, the band sought to evangelize using Christian rock, and addressed a variety of social ills in the lyrics of their music. While the group is officially disbanded, they occasionally play one-off dates at the Cornerstone Festival
, which members of the band helped establish. Currently Glenn Kaiser has an established solo career as a blues musician and is also a speaker on various spiritual issues to youth and adults.
. Before their relocation to Chicago, the name "Resurrection Band" was chosen and the band became a primary focus of the community's ministry. After arriving in Chicago, the band recorded two independent cassette
s that were given away after their concerts. These were performed anywhere Resurrection Band was allowed to play, from schools to prisons to street corners. The first cassette, Music to Raise the Dead
, featured hard rock
, while All Your Life
comprised only their acoustic
numbers. These were a reflection of the folk
-oriented sets they would play at more conservative venues such as nursing homes and churches. The churches were deeply sceptical of Christian rock
, especially the borderline heavy metal
that Resurrection Band specialized in.
Four years later, thanks to a $8000 gift from a friend, Resurrection Band recorded their first album, Awaiting Your Reply
, over a two-week period of marathon all-night sessions. Although the band had completed the album, including the cover art, no Christian record label would risk releasing it, as the Led Zeppelin
/Jefferson Airplane
inspired music was considered much too controversial for the Christian market at that time. Star Song Records were warned away from the project by other gospel music
executives, but the tiny label had nothing to lose so they signed the band and released the record as it was. To everyone's surprise, Awaiting Your Reply hit big in the Christian market, and reached #6 on the Gospel album sales charts. Although misunderstood by many critics at the time, the album has been re-evaluated and highly praised in recent years and is now listed at #91 in the book, CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music
, released in 2001.
The band followed up the success of that album with Rainbow's End
, which continued in the same progressive hard rock/metal vein akin to Black Sabbath
and Aerosmith
. Although the band was pleased with the effort, Star Song was not, and the band was forced to find another label shortly after its release. Rainbow's End is significant for being the first album by an American rock band to address the racist system of apartheid in South Africa
, a full year before Peter Gabriel
brought the issue to the world's attention with his classic song "Biko
." Resurrection Band would eventually become known for grappling with a variety of social and political ills in its music, from the evils of the military-industrial complex
to the corrupting influence of American materialism
, racism
, homelessness
, AIDS
, drug addiction, prostitution
and many other issues that the band personally confronted in its ministry to their surrounding urban community in Chicago.
, Resurrection Band shed its progressive rock
leanings and went for a more radio-friendly hard rock/metal sound. Both Colours
, released in 1980, and Mommy Don't Love Daddy Anymore
, released in 1981, were solid collections of music that alternately addressed larger social issues such as poverty
and divorce
as well as personal spiritual issues of salvation
and discipleship, along with the intersection between the two. While the mainstream Christian press was still adapting to the idea of Christian hard rock, both albums were highly praised by alternative Christian music newspapers and their leading publication Harvest Rock Syndicate awarded both five stars. In addition, Resurrection Band began receiving greater airplay on radio stations that played Christian rock. Combined with their reputation as a powerful live act and effective evangelistic
ministry (thanks to the fiery sermons preached at the end of Resurrection Band concerts by Glenn Kaiser
), the band gained a positive reputation among church youth leaders as well as an enthusiastic and devoted fanbase. In spite of the increased attention, Resurrection Band funneled any and all profits back into the Jesus People USA
community, as members held all monies in common according to the example set by the New Testament
church.
In an attempt to be more efficient stewards of those monies, Resurrection Band built their own recording studio
in the heart of their community, later nicknamed "Tone Zone." Although put together on a shoestring budget (with old mattresses on the walls in the studio's early incarnation), it was there that the band recorded its next album, D.M.Z.
, during the summer of 1982. A transitional work, the album was half Van Halen
-inspired hard rock featuring blistering guitar solos from Stu Heiss, while the other half took a much more New Wave
-driven approach, a controversial musical direction the band would pursue with greater vigor on future releases. The split personality of the album was not well-received critically, although it generated two tracks that became live staples for years to come: "Military Man" and "White Noise."
To that end, those songs appeared again on the band's next release, Live Bootleg, a live album recorded before an enthusiastic local audience at the Odeum in Villa Park, IL in October 1983. This was the band's first release for Sparrow Records
, one of the largest and most successful Christian record labels, which at that time was seeking to sign more Christian musical acts with ministry as their primary focus. Live Bootleg was the first album to be released under the band's shortened moniker "Rez Band," a colloquialism
created by fans, and it also featured a number of songs that directly addressed issues of concern to high school
-aged listeners. The latter focus would continue for as long as the band recorded music.
quartet Jerusalem—Rez Band was viewed by both fans and music critics as the preeminent Christian hard rock band. As a result, when Rez Band released Hostage
in late 1984
, listeners were caught completely off guard. Moderately keyboard-driven, the album reflected the band's increasing interest in New Wave music with the first single "S.O.S." featuring almost no guitar whatsoever (although it does feature a Speak & Spell). "S.O.S." shot to the top of the Christian rock singles chart, staying there for several weeks and in doing so, the band attracted an entirely new audience. Still, the move was controversial and the critical reaction highly divided.
Rez Band hadn't completely abandoned its hard rock sound, though. The next single, "Crimes" - sung by co-lead singer Wendi Kaiser - is a traditional headbanging
Rez Band number about inner-city violence, a topic that band members and the Jesus People USA
community know first-hand. "Crimes" was even more popular on Christian radio, and received airplay on some mainstream rock stations as well, thanks to its music video, one of the first from the Contemporary Christian music industry
to be broadcast on MTV
.
That brief taste of mainstream success had a major influence on the band's next album, Between Heaven 'N Hell
, which jettisoned most of the New Wave stylings of Hostage in favor of radio-friendly hard rock more akin to their Colours
period. Shortening their moniker even further to "REZ," the band took advantage of the fact that Capitol Records
now handled Sparrow's
distribution. While the lyrics on the album represent a strong Christian worldview, explicit references to God
or Jesus
were almost non-existent. The catchy "Love Comes Down" was chosen as the band's first single and the music video - featuring lots of dance
choreography
- was a far more polished effort and as a result, received far more airplay on MTV than "Crimes" ever did. There was some controversy concerning this particular song as the guitar riff is almost exactly the same as AC/DC's "Whole Lotta Rosie." However, the band's most controversial decision was to eliminate the traditional altar call
at the end of their concerts as a concession to playing more secular venues for the tour that supported this album, leading some to accuse the band of selling out their message for greater mainstream acceptance.
during that time. REZ was no longer the dominant force in Christian rock
; instead, Stryper
had burst onto the scene in all their yellow-and-black glory, bringing Christian metal
to the mainstream with To Hell with the Devil
in 1986
, which sold millions of albums and made the band a mainstay on MTV
. Amy Grant
had scored her first #1 US pop hit the same year with "The Next Time I Fall," a duet with former Chicago
lead singer Peter Cetera
. Even Christian alternative music had made inroads into the mainstream when The 77s
signed with Island Records
and their self-titled album
received a favorable review in Rolling Stone
. In addition, the Jesus People USA
community established the annual Cornerstone Festival
during this period, which would serve as a springboard to mainstream success for future Christian artists like Sixpence None the Richer
and P.O.D.
Even the lineup of REZ changed during this time as well. Bassist Jim Denton left to attend theological seminary
and was replaced by long-time REZ roadie and songwriter Roy Montroy, who would soon become a major creative force in the band.
Although REZ had been left out of the mainstream success which arguably the band had spearheaded for others, REZ was nevertheless more interested in using its music to speak plainly to both non-Christians about the reality of God and to Christian
s about their responsibility to the disenfranchised and hurting in the world around them. To that end, REZ returned to the studio in 1988
, and the result was Silence Screams
, a hybrid of blues
, hard rock
and heavy metal
that served as a musical blueprint for all of the band's successive releases. Sporting unsettling cover art, Silence Screams deals forcefully with social concerns such as abortion
, greed, racial profiling
and even terrorism
, proving that—as they did with confronting apartheid in 1979—the band was once again ahead of the curve. The album is also unique in that it is the first to have been released on the band's own record label, Grrr Records, a wordplay on Myrrh Records
, the most successful Contemporary Christian record label at that time. Now, the band could exercise complete creative and financial control over their music.
Creatively invigorated, REZ released a new studio album every 18 months on average. Innocent Blood
, Civil Rites
and Reach of Love
continued the formula first begun on Silence Screams
. Each album dealt with current topics of social and spiritual concern, and each release contained more and more blues influence, thanks to lead singer Glenn Kaiser
, who was beginning a new career as a blues artist outside of REZ. With Kaiser focusing more of his attention on his solo work, Roy Montroy became a greater contributor to REZ, and for Reach of Love, he wrote every single track, a feat never accomplished before by any member of the band. However, there was a growing sense - not just among music critics but also within the band itself - that the formula was growing stale and that REZ had fallen into a creative rut. As a result, for the first time in the band's history, REZ reached outside the Jesus People USA
community for creative inspiration. It came in the form of Ty Tabor
, guitarist and co-lead singer of King's X
.
's influence was Lament, released in 1995
. Unlike any of the band's previous work, Lament is the band's first concept album
, a song cycle about one man's disillusionment with the harshness and cruelty of life and his growing realization that things cannot change unless he experiences spiritual redemption. Recognizing the importance of how the songs are ordered, Resurrection Band (which had now reverted back to its original moniker) played the entire album from beginning to end on the tour which supported this album. This was rare enough in rock music—save for The Who
and Styx
—but unheard of in Christian rock. As a result, the creative rebirth of Lament was highly praised among long-time fans of Resurrection Band as well as prominent Christian music critics, with some calling the album the finest the band ever recorded.
Despite the praise the band received for Lament, Resurrection Band called it quits at the end of the tour; however, it would play an annual live set at the Cornerstone Festival
, which had become one of the Christian music industry's pre-eminent events. Then, in 1997
, the band returned to the studio for one last recording. The MTV Unplugged
craze was at its highest pitch, and Resurrection Band felt it was an appropriate time to reinvent some of its hard rock material in an acoustic format. The result was Ampendectomy
, featuring 15 selections pulled from the band's history. The reviews of the album were mixed.
, and a platform upon which future Christian musicians could build.
In July 2008, the group reunited for the 25th anniversary of Cornerstone Festival. That same year, Grrr Records released Music to Raise the Dead 1972-1998
; three CDs with 52 re-mastered songs, an 80-page full-color booklet detailing the history of Rez Band with scores of photos, and one DVD with over an hour of previously unreleased live concert video footage and special features.
In April 2010, the group reunited once again for the annual Easterfest Christian music festival in Toowoomba, Australia.
Christian rock
Christian rock is a form of rock music played by individuals and bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands...
band formed in 1972. They were part of the Jesus People USA
Jesus People USA
Jesus People USA is a Christian intentional community in Uptown, on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 1972, coming out of Jesus People Milwaukee in the Jesus Movement, and is the largest of the few remaining communes from that movement...
Christian community in Chicago and most of its members have continued in that community to this day. Known for their blend of blues-rock
Blues-rock
Blues rock is a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles. The core of the blues rock sound is created by the electric guitar, piano, bass guitar and drum kit, with the electric guitar usually amplified through a...
and hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
, Resurrection Band is credited as one of the forerunners of the Christian metal
Christian metal
Christian metal, also known as white metal, is a form of heavy metal music usually defined by its message in a song's lyrics as well as the band's dedication to Christianity...
genre. Christianity Today
Christianity Today
Christianity Today is an Evangelical Christian periodical based in Carol Stream, Illinois. It is the flagship publication of its parent company Christianity Today International, claiming circulation figures of 140,000 and readership of 290,000...
called them "the most influential band in Christian music history.". Following their debut
Awaiting Your Reply
Awaiting Your Reply is the debut album by American Christian rock band Resurrection Band, released in 1978.- Recording history :The album was recorded for only $8000 US over a period of two weeks in marathon all-night sessions ending on Easter Sunday morning...
in 1978, the band's greatest popularity was during the early 1980s, but later in the decade they received some crossover success when they had two music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s featured on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
.
Led by the husband-and-wife team of Glenn
Glenn Kaiser
Glenn Kaiser is a Chicago-based Christian blues musician, singer-songwriter and pastor. He was the leader of Resurrection Band and is currently the leader of The Glenn Kaiser Band.-Childhood:...
and Wendi Kaiser, the band sought to evangelize using Christian rock, and addressed a variety of social ills in the lyrics of their music. While the group is officially disbanded, they occasionally play one-off dates at the Cornerstone Festival
Cornerstone Festival
Cornerstone Festival is a Christian music festival put on by Jesus People USA and held annually around the 4th of July near Bushnell, Illinois. In a given year, many artists that play at Cornerstone also play at other events such as Creation Festival and mainstream festivals and tours such as the...
, which members of the band helped establish. Currently Glenn Kaiser has an established solo career as a blues musician and is also a speaker on various spiritual issues to youth and adults.
The 1970s: Breaking new ground
The band originally played together under the name "Charity" in 1972 with Jesus People Milwaukee, based in Milwaukee. When the community split into four groups, one became the "Jesus People USA Traveling Team", working primarily in FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. Before their relocation to Chicago, the name "Resurrection Band" was chosen and the band became a primary focus of the community's ministry. After arriving in Chicago, the band recorded two independent cassette
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
s that were given away after their concerts. These were performed anywhere Resurrection Band was allowed to play, from schools to prisons to street corners. The first cassette, Music to Raise the Dead
Music to Raise the Dead
Music to Raise the Dead is the first independent cassette from American Christian rock band Resurrection Band, released in 1974. Although technically the band's first release, the album Awaiting Your Reply four years later is considered by most to be the band's official debut.- Recording history...
, featured hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
, while All Your Life
All Your Life
All Your Life is the second independent cassette from American Christian rock group Resurrection Band, released in late 1974.- Recording history :...
comprised only their acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
numbers. These were a reflection of the folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
-oriented sets they would play at more conservative venues such as nursing homes and churches. The churches were deeply sceptical of Christian rock
Christian rock
Christian rock is a form of rock music played by individuals and bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands...
, especially the borderline heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
that Resurrection Band specialized in.
Four years later, thanks to a $8000 gift from a friend, Resurrection Band recorded their first album, Awaiting Your Reply
Awaiting Your Reply
Awaiting Your Reply is the debut album by American Christian rock band Resurrection Band, released in 1978.- Recording history :The album was recorded for only $8000 US over a period of two weeks in marathon all-night sessions ending on Easter Sunday morning...
, over a two-week period of marathon all-night sessions. Although the band had completed the album, including the cover art, no Christian record label would risk releasing it, as the Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
/Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
inspired music was considered much too controversial for the Christian market at that time. Star Song Records were warned away from the project by other gospel music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
executives, but the tiny label had nothing to lose so they signed the band and released the record as it was. To everyone's surprise, Awaiting Your Reply hit big in the Christian market, and reached #6 on the Gospel album sales charts. Although misunderstood by many critics at the time, the album has been re-evaluated and highly praised in recent years and is now listed at #91 in the book, CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music
CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music
CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music is the title of a book, edited by Thom Granger and published in 2001 by Harvest House Publishers....
, released in 2001.
The band followed up the success of that album with Rainbow's End
Rainbow's End
Rainbow's End is the second full-length album by American Christian rock band Resurrection Band, released in 1979.-Recording history:Resurrection Band continues in its Led Zeppelin-inspired rock vein with this record...
, which continued in the same progressive hard rock/metal vein akin to Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
and Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
. Although the band was pleased with the effort, Star Song was not, and the band was forced to find another label shortly after its release. Rainbow's End is significant for being the first album by an American rock band to address the racist system of apartheid in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, a full year before Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
brought the issue to the world's attention with his classic song "Biko
Biko (song)
"Biko" is a protest song by British rock musician Peter Gabriel. The song was included on Gabriel's third album, Peter Gabriel . It is about Steve Biko, a noted black South African anti-apartheid activist. Biko had been arrested by the South African police in late August 1977...
." Resurrection Band would eventually become known for grappling with a variety of social and political ills in its music, from the evils of the military-industrial complex
Military-industrial complex
Military–industrial complex , or Military–industrial-congressional complex is a concept commonly used to refer to policy and monetary relationships between legislators, national armed forces, and the industrial sector that supports them...
to the corrupting influence of American materialism
Materialism
In philosophy, the theory of materialism holds that the only thing that exists is matter; that all things are composed of material and all phenomena are the result of material interactions. In other words, matter is the only substance...
, racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
, homelessness
Homelessness
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...
, AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, drug addiction, prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
and many other issues that the band personally confronted in its ministry to their surrounding urban community in Chicago.
1980-1982: Acceptance and critical respect
Once signed by Light RecordsLight Records
Light Records was a gospel record label founded in 1966 by Ralph Carmichael as a joint venture with the Waco, Texas-based Word Records.-History:...
, Resurrection Band shed its progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
leanings and went for a more radio-friendly hard rock/metal sound. Both Colours
Colours (Resurrection Band album)
Colours is the third full-length album by American Christian rock band Resurrection Band, released in 1980.-Recording history:Colours was Resurrection Band's first release for Christian label Light Records, which had up to this time been known as the primary record label for Andrae Crouch and...
, released in 1980, and Mommy Don't Love Daddy Anymore
Mommy Don't Love Daddy Anymore
Mommy Don't Love Daddy Anymore is the fourth full-length album by American Christian rock band Resurrection Band, released in 1981.-Recording history:...
, released in 1981, were solid collections of music that alternately addressed larger social issues such as poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
and divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
as well as personal spiritual issues of salvation
Salvation
Within religion salvation is the phenomenon of being saved from the undesirable condition of bondage or suffering experienced by the psyche or soul that has arisen as a result of unskillful or immoral actions generically referred to as sins. Salvation may also be called "deliverance" or...
and discipleship, along with the intersection between the two. While the mainstream Christian press was still adapting to the idea of Christian hard rock, both albums were highly praised by alternative Christian music newspapers and their leading publication Harvest Rock Syndicate awarded both five stars. In addition, Resurrection Band began receiving greater airplay on radio stations that played Christian rock. Combined with their reputation as a powerful live act and effective evangelistic
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
ministry (thanks to the fiery sermons preached at the end of Resurrection Band concerts by Glenn Kaiser
Glenn Kaiser
Glenn Kaiser is a Chicago-based Christian blues musician, singer-songwriter and pastor. He was the leader of Resurrection Band and is currently the leader of The Glenn Kaiser Band.-Childhood:...
), the band gained a positive reputation among church youth leaders as well as an enthusiastic and devoted fanbase. In spite of the increased attention, Resurrection Band funneled any and all profits back into the Jesus People USA
Jesus People USA
Jesus People USA is a Christian intentional community in Uptown, on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 1972, coming out of Jesus People Milwaukee in the Jesus Movement, and is the largest of the few remaining communes from that movement...
community, as members held all monies in common according to the example set by the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
church.
In an attempt to be more efficient stewards of those monies, Resurrection Band built their own recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
in the heart of their community, later nicknamed "Tone Zone." Although put together on a shoestring budget (with old mattresses on the walls in the studio's early incarnation), it was there that the band recorded its next album, D.M.Z.
D.M.Z. (album)
D.M.Z. is the fifth full-length album by American Christian rock band Resurrection Band, released in 1982. It was the band's final release for Light Records.-Recording history:...
, during the summer of 1982. A transitional work, the album was half Van Halen
Van Halen
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
-inspired hard rock featuring blistering guitar solos from Stu Heiss, while the other half took a much more New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
-driven approach, a controversial musical direction the band would pursue with greater vigor on future releases. The split personality of the album was not well-received critically, although it generated two tracks that became live staples for years to come: "Military Man" and "White Noise."
To that end, those songs appeared again on the band's next release, Live Bootleg, a live album recorded before an enthusiastic local audience at the Odeum in Villa Park, IL in October 1983. This was the band's first release for Sparrow Records
Sparrow Records
-Background:Sparrow Records was founded in 1976 by Billy Ray Hearn, then A&R director at Myrrh Records. Purchased by EMI in 1992, it is now part of the EMI Christian Music Group, and has been named by Billboard Magazine as "America's Best Christian Music Record Label"...
, one of the largest and most successful Christian record labels, which at that time was seeking to sign more Christian musical acts with ministry as their primary focus. Live Bootleg was the first album to be released under the band's shortened moniker "Rez Band," a colloquialism
Colloquialism
A colloquialism is a word or phrase that is common in everyday, unconstrained conversation rather than in formal speech, academic writing, or paralinguistics. Dictionaries often display colloquial words and phrases with the abbreviation colloq. as an identifier...
created by fans, and it also featured a number of songs that directly addressed issues of concern to high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
-aged listeners. The latter focus would continue for as long as the band recorded music.
The mid-1980s: From New Wave to MTV
After a number of successful tours throughout the United States and Europe in the early 1980s with a variety of Christian hard rock acts—including a high-profile tour in 1982 with SwedishSweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
quartet Jerusalem—Rez Band was viewed by both fans and music critics as the preeminent Christian hard rock band. As a result, when Rez Band released Hostage
Hostage
A hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor. The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security for the carrying out of an agreement, or as a preventive measure against certain acts of war...
in late 1984
1984 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1984.-Janury-March:*January 21 – "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood reaches number one in the UK singles chart, despite being banned by the BBC; it spends a total of forty-two weeks in the Top 40.*January 27 – Michael Jackson's...
, listeners were caught completely off guard. Moderately keyboard-driven, the album reflected the band's increasing interest in New Wave music with the first single "S.O.S." featuring almost no guitar whatsoever (although it does feature a Speak & Spell). "S.O.S." shot to the top of the Christian rock singles chart, staying there for several weeks and in doing so, the band attracted an entirely new audience. Still, the move was controversial and the critical reaction highly divided.
Rez Band hadn't completely abandoned its hard rock sound, though. The next single, "Crimes" - sung by co-lead singer Wendi Kaiser - is a traditional headbanging
Headbanging
Headbanging is a type of dance which involves violently shaking the head in time with the music, most commonly in the rock and heavy metal music genres.-Origin:The term "headbanger" was coined during Led Zeppelin's first US tour in 1969...
Rez Band number about inner-city violence, a topic that band members and the Jesus People USA
Jesus People USA
Jesus People USA is a Christian intentional community in Uptown, on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 1972, coming out of Jesus People Milwaukee in the Jesus Movement, and is the largest of the few remaining communes from that movement...
community know first-hand. "Crimes" was even more popular on Christian radio, and received airplay on some mainstream rock stations as well, thanks to its music video, one of the first from the Contemporary Christian music industry
Christian music industry
The Christian music industry is a small part of the larger music industry, that focuses on traditional Gospel music, Southern Gospel music, Contemporary Christian music, and alternative Christian music. It is sometimes called the gospel music industry, although this designation is not a limitation...
to be broadcast on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
.
That brief taste of mainstream success had a major influence on the band's next album, Between Heaven 'N Hell
Between Heaven 'N Hell
Between Heaven 'N Hell is the ninth release, and seventh studio album, from American Christian rock band Resurrection Band, released in 1985...
, which jettisoned most of the New Wave stylings of Hostage in favor of radio-friendly hard rock more akin to their Colours
Colours (Resurrection Band album)
Colours is the third full-length album by American Christian rock band Resurrection Band, released in 1980.-Recording history:Colours was Resurrection Band's first release for Christian label Light Records, which had up to this time been known as the primary record label for Andrae Crouch and...
period. Shortening their moniker even further to "REZ," the band took advantage of the fact that Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
now handled Sparrow's
Sparrow Records
-Background:Sparrow Records was founded in 1976 by Billy Ray Hearn, then A&R director at Myrrh Records. Purchased by EMI in 1992, it is now part of the EMI Christian Music Group, and has been named by Billboard Magazine as "America's Best Christian Music Record Label"...
distribution. While the lyrics on the album represent a strong Christian worldview, explicit references to God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
or Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
were almost non-existent. The catchy "Love Comes Down" was chosen as the band's first single and the music video - featuring lots of dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
choreography
Choreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
- was a far more polished effort and as a result, received far more airplay on MTV than "Crimes" ever did. There was some controversy concerning this particular song as the guitar riff is almost exactly the same as AC/DC's "Whole Lotta Rosie." However, the band's most controversial decision was to eliminate the traditional altar call
Altar call
An altar call is a practice in some evangelical churches in which those who wish to make a new spiritual commitment to Jesus Christ are invited to come forward publicly. It is so named because the supplicants gather at the altar located at the front of the church building. In the Old Testament, an...
at the end of their concerts as a concession to playing more secular venues for the tour that supported this album, leading some to accuse the band of selling out their message for greater mainstream acceptance.
1988-1993: Incorporating the blues
It would be three years before REZ returned to the studio to record their next album and much changed in the Contemporary Christian music industryChristian music industry
The Christian music industry is a small part of the larger music industry, that focuses on traditional Gospel music, Southern Gospel music, Contemporary Christian music, and alternative Christian music. It is sometimes called the gospel music industry, although this designation is not a limitation...
during that time. REZ was no longer the dominant force in Christian rock
Christian rock
Christian rock is a form of rock music played by individuals and bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands...
; instead, Stryper
Stryper
Stryper is a Christian glam metal band from Orange County, California. The group's lineup consists of Michael Sweet , Oz Fox , Tim Gaines , and Robert Sweet...
had burst onto the scene in all their yellow-and-black glory, bringing Christian metal
Christian metal
Christian metal, also known as white metal, is a form of heavy metal music usually defined by its message in a song's lyrics as well as the band's dedication to Christianity...
to the mainstream with To Hell with the Devil
To Hell with the Devil
To Hell with the Devil is the Grammy Award nominated third release, and second full-length album, by the Christian metal and glam metal band Stryper, released in 1986 . It was both the first Contemporary Christian and Christian metal album to achieve Platinum status, selling over one million copies...
in 1986
1986 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1986.-January-June:*January 23 – The first induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame takes place...
, which sold millions of albums and made the band a mainstay on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
. Amy Grant
Amy Grant
Amy Lee Grant is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, media personality and actress, best known for her Christian music. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christian Pop"...
had scored her first #1 US pop hit the same year with "The Next Time I Fall," a duet with former Chicago
Chicago (band)
Chicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had...
lead singer Peter Cetera
Peter Cetera
Peter Paul Cetera is an American singer, songwriter, bassist and producer best known for being an original member of the rock band Chicago, before launching a successful solo career...
. Even Christian alternative music had made inroads into the mainstream when The 77s
The 77s
The 77s are an American rock band consisting of Michael Roe on vocals/guitar, Mark Harmon on bass, and Bruce Spencer on drums.-Scratch Band:...
signed with Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
and their self-titled album
The 77s (album)
The 77s released their third self-titled album in 1987 on the Exit and Island Records labels.The album contains the band's biggest hit single to date, which was "The Lust, The Flesh, The Eyes and the Pride of Life." Years later, the song would be covered by Roe's other band The Lost Dogs , and the...
received a favorable review in Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
. In addition, the Jesus People USA
Jesus People USA
Jesus People USA is a Christian intentional community in Uptown, on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 1972, coming out of Jesus People Milwaukee in the Jesus Movement, and is the largest of the few remaining communes from that movement...
community established the annual Cornerstone Festival
Cornerstone Festival
Cornerstone Festival is a Christian music festival put on by Jesus People USA and held annually around the 4th of July near Bushnell, Illinois. In a given year, many artists that play at Cornerstone also play at other events such as Creation Festival and mainstream festivals and tours such as the...
during this period, which would serve as a springboard to mainstream success for future Christian artists like Sixpence None the Richer
Sixpence None the Richer
Sixpence None the Richer is an American rock/pop band that formed in New Braunfels, Texas, eventually settling in Nashville, Tennessee. They are best known for their songs "Kiss Me" and "Breathe Your Name" and their covers of "Don't Dream It's Over" and "There She Goes". The name of the band is...
and P.O.D.
P.O.D.
Payable on Death is an American Christian metal band formed in 1992. The band's line-up consists of vocalist Sonny Sandoval, drummer Wuv Bernardo, guitarist Marcos Curiel, and bassist Traa Daniels. Their Christian faith is an important part of their music.They have released seven studio albums and...
Even the lineup of REZ changed during this time as well. Bassist Jim Denton left to attend theological seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
and was replaced by long-time REZ roadie and songwriter Roy Montroy, who would soon become a major creative force in the band.
Although REZ had been left out of the mainstream success which arguably the band had spearheaded for others, REZ was nevertheless more interested in using its music to speak plainly to both non-Christians about the reality of God and to Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
s about their responsibility to the disenfranchised and hurting in the world around them. To that end, REZ returned to the studio in 1988
1988 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1988.-January-March:* January 1 – André Rieu's Johann Strauss Orchestra plays its first concert....
, and the result was Silence Screams
Silence Screams
Silence Screams is the 10th release, and eighth studio album, by American Christian rock band Resurrection Band , released in 1988.-Recording history:...
, a hybrid of blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
and heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
that served as a musical blueprint for all of the band's successive releases. Sporting unsettling cover art, Silence Screams deals forcefully with social concerns such as abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
, greed, racial profiling
Racial profiling
Racial profiling refers to the use of an individual’s race or ethnicity by law enforcement personnel as a key factor in deciding whether to engage in enforcement...
and even terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
, proving that—as they did with confronting apartheid in 1979—the band was once again ahead of the curve. The album is also unique in that it is the first to have been released on the band's own record label, Grrr Records, a wordplay on Myrrh Records
Myrrh Records
Myrrh Records, also known as Myrrh Worship, is a Christian music record label. According to Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music, the label was instrumental in developing a popular following for Contemporary Christian music as the label that first published music by Barry McGuire, 2nd Chapter of...
, the most successful Contemporary Christian record label at that time. Now, the band could exercise complete creative and financial control over their music.
Creatively invigorated, REZ released a new studio album every 18 months on average. Innocent Blood
Innocent Blood (album)
Innocent Blood is the 12th release, and ninth studio album, by American Christian rock band Resurrection Band , released in 1989.-Recording history:...
, Civil Rites
Civil Rites
Civil Rites is the 13th release, and 10th studio album, by American Christian rock band Resurrection Band , released in 1991.-Recording history:...
and Reach of Love
Reach of Love
Reach of Love is the 15th release, and 11th studio album, from American Christian rock band Resurrection Band, released in 1993. This would be the last time the band would use the shortened moniker "REZ."-Recording history:...
continued the formula first begun on Silence Screams
Silence Screams
Silence Screams is the 10th release, and eighth studio album, by American Christian rock band Resurrection Band , released in 1988.-Recording history:...
. Each album dealt with current topics of social and spiritual concern, and each release contained more and more blues influence, thanks to lead singer Glenn Kaiser
Glenn Kaiser
Glenn Kaiser is a Chicago-based Christian blues musician, singer-songwriter and pastor. He was the leader of Resurrection Band and is currently the leader of The Glenn Kaiser Band.-Childhood:...
, who was beginning a new career as a blues artist outside of REZ. With Kaiser focusing more of his attention on his solo work, Roy Montroy became a greater contributor to REZ, and for Reach of Love, he wrote every single track, a feat never accomplished before by any member of the band. However, there was a growing sense - not just among music critics but also within the band itself - that the formula was growing stale and that REZ had fallen into a creative rut. As a result, for the first time in the band's history, REZ reached outside the Jesus People USA
Jesus People USA
Jesus People USA is a Christian intentional community in Uptown, on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 1972, coming out of Jesus People Milwaukee in the Jesus Movement, and is the largest of the few remaining communes from that movement...
community for creative inspiration. It came in the form of Ty Tabor
Ty Tabor
Ty Tabor is the lead guitarist, songwriter, and co-lead vocalist for the progressive metal band, King's X....
, guitarist and co-lead singer of King's X
King's X
King's X is an American hard rock band that combines progressive metal, funk and soul with vocal arrangements influenced by gospel, blues, and British Invasion rock groups. The band's lyrics are largely based on the members' struggles with religion and self-acceptance...
.
The late 1990s: Creative reinvention
The result of Ty TaborTy Tabor
Ty Tabor is the lead guitarist, songwriter, and co-lead vocalist for the progressive metal band, King's X....
's influence was Lament, released in 1995
1995 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1995.- January–February :*January 18 – Jerry Garcia crashes his rented BMW into a guard rail near Mill Valley, California, USA, but is not injured in the accident....
. Unlike any of the band's previous work, Lament is the band's first concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
, a song cycle about one man's disillusionment with the harshness and cruelty of life and his growing realization that things cannot change unless he experiences spiritual redemption. Recognizing the importance of how the songs are ordered, Resurrection Band (which had now reverted back to its original moniker) played the entire album from beginning to end on the tour which supported this album. This was rare enough in rock music—save for The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
and Styx
Styx (band)
Styx is an American rock band that became famous for its albums from the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Chicago band is known for melding the style of prog-rock with the power of hard rock guitar, strong ballads, and elements of American musical theater....
—but unheard of in Christian rock. As a result, the creative rebirth of Lament was highly praised among long-time fans of Resurrection Band as well as prominent Christian music critics, with some calling the album the finest the band ever recorded.
Despite the praise the band received for Lament, Resurrection Band called it quits at the end of the tour; however, it would play an annual live set at the Cornerstone Festival
Cornerstone Festival
Cornerstone Festival is a Christian music festival put on by Jesus People USA and held annually around the 4th of July near Bushnell, Illinois. In a given year, many artists that play at Cornerstone also play at other events such as Creation Festival and mainstream festivals and tours such as the...
, which had become one of the Christian music industry's pre-eminent events. Then, in 1997
1997 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1997.-January:*January 9 – David Bowie performs his 50th Birthday Bash concert at Madison Square Garden, New York City, USA with guests Frank Black, The Foo Fighters, Sonic Youth, Robert Smith of The Cure, Lou Reed, and Billy...
, the band returned to the studio for one last recording. The MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged is a TV series showcasing many popular musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show has received the George Foster Peabody Award and 3 Primetime Emmy nominations among many accolades.-Unplugged:...
craze was at its highest pitch, and Resurrection Band felt it was an appropriate time to reinvent some of its hard rock material in an acoustic format. The result was Ampendectomy
Ampendectomy
Ampendectomy is the 18th release and final studio album from American Christian rock band Resurrection Band, released in 1997.-Recording history:...
, featuring 15 selections pulled from the band's history. The reviews of the album were mixed.
2000 and Beyond
In July 2000, Resurrection Band brought almost 30 years of music and ministry to a close with a farewell performance, leaving behind them a transformed Christian music industryChristian music industry
The Christian music industry is a small part of the larger music industry, that focuses on traditional Gospel music, Southern Gospel music, Contemporary Christian music, and alternative Christian music. It is sometimes called the gospel music industry, although this designation is not a limitation...
, and a platform upon which future Christian musicians could build.
In July 2008, the group reunited for the 25th anniversary of Cornerstone Festival. That same year, Grrr Records released Music to Raise the Dead 1972-1998
Music to Raise the Dead 1972-1998
Music to Raise the Dead 1972-1998 is the 19th release from American Christian rock band Resurrection Band, released in July 2008 through . The box-set includes three CDs with 52 digitally re-mastered songs, an 80-page full-color booklet detailing the history of Rez Band with scores of photos, and...
; three CDs with 52 re-mastered songs, an 80-page full-color booklet detailing the history of Rez Band with scores of photos, and one DVD with over an hour of previously unreleased live concert video footage and special features.
In April 2010, the group reunited once again for the annual Easterfest Christian music festival in Toowoomba, Australia.
Personnel
- Glenn KaiserGlenn KaiserGlenn Kaiser is a Chicago-based Christian blues musician, singer-songwriter and pastor. He was the leader of Resurrection Band and is currently the leader of The Glenn Kaiser Band.-Childhood:...
- vocals, guitar, dulcimer, harmonica - Wendi Kaiser - vocals
- Stu Heiss - guitar, keyboards
- Deland Pelto - bass guitar (1972-1974)
- Jim Denton - bass guitar, keyboards (1974–1987)
- Roy Montroy - bass guitar, keyboards (1987–2000)
- John Herrin - drums