The Choir (alternative rock band)
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| The Choir | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Orange County, California |
| Genres | Christian alternative rock |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Labels | Broken Records Shadow Myrrh LA / A&M Myrrh / Epic Glasshouse R.E.X. Tattoo Galaxy21 |
| Members | |
| Steve Hindalong Tim Chandler Derri Daugherty Dan Michaels Marc Byrd |
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| Past members | |
| Robin Spurs Mike Sauerbrey |
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The Choir is an atmospheric Christian alternative rock band, led by Derri Daugherty on guitar and vocals, Steve Hindalong on drums—who also writes most of the band's lyrics—along with Tim Chandler on bass guitar, Dan Michaels on saxophone and lyricon and Marc Byrd on guitar (since 2005).
Each band member has worked on numerous projects outside The Choir: Hindalong produced the successful City On A Hill series of worship albums, co-writing the well-known song "God of Wonders" with band-mate Byrd. Daugherty has been a member of the contemporary Christian "supergroup" The Lost Dogs since 1991, with Hindalong recently joining the group. Chandler has been the bass guitar player for Daniel Amos for many years, pre-dating his work with The Choir. Byrd was a member of Common Children, recorded with his wife Christine Glass as Glassbyrd, and is currently half of the post-rock duo Hammock.
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[edit] History
The Choir was originally formed as Youth Choir in the early 1980s by Derri Daugherty and Steve Hindalong. The two songwriters had been introduced by a mutual friend, the bass guitarist Tim Chandler, who was touring with Daniel Amos along with Daugherty, who was the band's roadie and sound man at the time.[1] Hindalong and Daugherty quickly became friends and a songwriting team. Youth Choir became part of the Calvary Chapel Christian punk and alternative music scene, which also included the bands Undercover, Crumbächer, Altar Boys and 4-4-1.
The Choir's music has been described by the Los Angeles Times as "magical songs that combine strains of murky psychedelia with pure pop". Billboard praised the band for its "dark poetic leanings, effects-laden guitars and strong melodic hooks". In 1984, Youth Choir became the first band to play at the Cornerstone Festival, the pre-eminent Christian arts and music festival in the United States. By 1986, the band dropped the "Youth" from its name and began calling itself simply The Choir. Hindalong began writing most of the lyrics for the band at this point, songs that are known for their vulnerability and honesty, particularly about the challenges inherent in romantic relationships and the simple joys of family life.[1]
Although the band has long had a cult following among listeners of Christian alternative music, that did not translate into financial success within the contemporary Christian music (CCM) industry, nor did it lead to a successful mainstream crossover experienced by later groups like Jars of Clay, Switchfoot and Sixpence None the Richer, who have pointed to The Choir as a significant musical influence. As a result, the band nearly called it quits in 1996 after their final U.S. tour, a few years after Daugherty, Hindalong and Michaels moved from their homes in Southern California to Nashville, Tennessee, since much of the CCM industry is now based there. The difficulty of this move also made its way into the lyrics of the band's songs, primarily Speckled Bird. Nevertheless, the band continued recording, and received a Grammy Award nomination for their album, Flap Your Wings, released in 2000.
In spring 2005, The Choir returned to the dreamlike rock sound of Chase the Kangaroo and Circle Slide with the album, O How the Mighty Have Fallen, thanks to the influence of new band member Marc Byrd. He also produced the album, which was released independently on the band's own Galaxy21 label. Two months later, on August 19, 2005, The Choir played a 20th anniversary concert at Mariners Church in Irvine, California, along with 4-4-1, Altar Boys, Crumbächer and Undercover, in order to acknowledge the birth of the Christian alternative music scene under the aegis of Calvary Chapel in the early 1980s. Although The Choir had essentially ceased touring, the overwhelmingly positive response to this one-off concert led to a short series of tour dates to support O How the Mighty Have Fallen in the early part of 2006. A DVD of the Irvine concert was promised, but has yet to be released.
After a five-year recording hiatus, The Choir released two full-length studio albums in 2010. On June 29, The Choir released Burning Like the Midnight Sun, which received some of the most positive reviews of the band's entire career. Jeff Eibel, writing for the Spin Control column in the Chicago Sun-Times, called the album "a late-career triumph" and remarked that Midnight Sun was the band's "second exceptional album in a row, and its best since 1990’s landmark Circle Slide”. As of November 14, 2010, Burning Like the Midnight Sun has earned aggregate five-star reviews from consumers on both Amazon.com and the iTunes Store. In response, Daugherty and Hindalong went into the studio again, this time with cellist Matt Slocum of Sixpence None the Richer, to record de-plumed, a collection of acoustic reinterpretations of one song from each of their 12 prior studio albums. de-plumed was released on November 9, shortly after the band embarked on a multi-city acoustic tour.
The Choir continues to maintain an active online presence with their own website and Facebook page.[2]
[edit] Personnel
[edit] Current lineup
- Derri Daugherty - lead vocals, guitars
- Steve Hindalong - drums, vocals
- Dan Michaels - saxophone, lyricon
- Tim Chandler - bass guitar, vocals
- Marc Byrd - guitars, vocals
[edit] Former members
- Mike Sauerbrey - bass guitar
- Robin Spurs - bass guitar, vocals
[edit] Discography
Voices in Shadows (as Youth Choir)
- Released: 1985
- Label: Broken Records
- Producer: Thom Roy
- Released: 1986
- Label: Shadow
- Producer: Derri Daugherty, Steve Hindalong
- Released: 1986
- Label: Myrrh LA
- Producer: Charlie Peacock
- Released: 1988
- Label: Myrrh
- Producer: Derri Daugherty, Steve Hindalong
- Released: 1989
- Label: Myrrh
- Producer: Derri Daugherty, Steve Hindalong
- Released: 1990
- Label: Myrrh / Epic
- Producer: Derri Daugherty, Steve Hindalong
- Released: 1993
- Label: Glasshouse
- Producer: Derri Daugherty, Steve Hindalong
- Released: 1994
- Label: R.E.X.
- Producer: Derri Daugherty, Steve Hindalong
Love Songs and Prayers: A Retrospective
- Released: 1995
- Label: Tattoo
- Producer: Derri Daugherty, Steve Hindalong, Mark Heard, Charlie Peacock
- Released: 1996
- Label: Tattoo
- Producer: Steve Hindalong, Derri Daugherty
- Released: 1997
- Label: Tattoo
- Producer: The Choir
- Released: 2000
- Label: Resolve Records
- Producer: Steve Hindalong, Derri Daugherty, Tim Chandler
Live at Cornerstone 2000: Plugged
- Released: 2000
- Label: Millennium Eight
- Producer: Bradley S. Hamilton
Live at Cornerstone 2000: Unplugged
- Released: 2000
- Label: Millennium Eight
- Producer: Bradley S. Hamilton
Never Say Never: The First 20 Years
- Released: 2001
- Label: Galaxy21
- Producer: Thom Roy, Derri Daugherty, Steve Hindalong, Charlie Peacock
- Released: 2005
- Label: Galaxy21
- Producer: Marc Byrd
3-Song "Rough Mix" New Song Sampler
- Released: 2005
- Label: Galaxy21
- Producer: Marc Byrd
- Released: 2010
- Label: Galaxy21
- Producer: Derri Daugherty, Steve Hindalong
- Released: 2010
- Label: Galaxy21
- Producer: Derri Daugherty, Steve Hindalong
[edit] Non-album tracks
- "I Can't Take It" b/w "Here in the Night (live)" (7" single) (1985)
- "Travelin' Light (demo)" (digital download) (2004)
- "The Sun Also Rises" (MySpace music stream) (2006)
- "Babe in the Straw" (digital download) (2010)
[edit] Appearances on other works
- 1983 What's Shakin' ["It's So Wonderful"]
- 1989 The Myrrh Radio Collection, Volume 1 ["Someone to Hold Onto"]
- 1993 Brow Beat: Unplugged Alternative ["Wilderness" (acoustic version)]
- 1993 Third Wave ["Kissers and Killers"]
- 1994 Can You Dig It? ["Kissers and Killers"]
- 1994 Strong Hand of Love ["Tip of My Tongue"]
- 1995 Contemporary Adult Music for the 90's ["Wilderness"]
- 1996 Orphans of God ["Tip of My Tongue"]
- 1996 Seltzer: Modern Rock to Settle Your Soul ["The Ocean"]
- 1998 Grab Bag Candy Sampler, Volume 1 ["Flowing Over Me" (demo version)]
- 2003 Contemporary Christian Hits: A Collage ["Grace"]
[edit] Video appearances
- 1989 Wide-Eyed Wonder Videos (includes two music videos and feature-length documentary)
- 1996 Sled Dog concept video
- 1996 Tattoo Video Hoopla (includes an entire live performance from Cornerstone '96)
[edit] Solo releases by members of The Choir
- 1991 Reveal [EP] - Dan Michaels
- 1998 Skinny - Steve Hindalong
- 2002 A Few Unfinished Songs [EP] - Derri Daugherty
- 2003 Open Wide This Window - Glassbyrd (Marc Byrd and Christine Glass)
- 2011 Clouds Echo in Blue - Clouds Echo in Blue (Derri Daugherty)
[edit] References
- ^ a b Thompson, John J. "Bio of The Choir, originally published in True Tunes magazine". http://thechoir.net/index.php/main/bio/. Retrieved 2009-11-13.
- ^ "Facebook: The Choir". http://www.facebook.com/TheChoir?v=info#/TheChoir?v=wall. Retrieved 2009-11-13.
[edit] External links
- The Choir - official website
- The Choir - official Facebook page
- The Choir - official MySpace page
- Voices in Shadows - fan website (not updated since 2000)
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