| Blonde Vinyl | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 1990 |
| Founder | Michael Knott |
| Defunct | 1993 |
| Distributor(s) | Spectra, Diamante Music Group |
| Genre | Christian rock |
| Country of origin | U.S. |
Blonde Vinyl was an independent record label founded in 1990 by Michael Knott. The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music describes the label as "one of Christian music's first true indie labels." [1]
Blonde Vinyl signed bands with styles that were viable in the underground of the general market but rarely found their way into the Christian market [1] —old school punk, garage rock, grunge, gothic, EBM/industrial, synthpop/house, spoken word, acoustic pop.
A gambit in 1991 which saw Blonde Vinyl release 10 albums proved successful for a short period of time, with the company having a major fanbase among Christian teens and 20-somethings. [2] It would release albums for a two year period and carried the caption "New Alternative," which may have also introduced the official use of the word "alternative" to describe a style of music. [3]
Blonde Vinyl folded in 1993 when its distributor Spectra Distribution, Inc. went bankrupt [4] after owing Knott a great deal of money. [3] [1] After bankruptcy, Knott attempted to resurrect Blonde Vinyl under the name Siren Records. [5] Siren managed two releases before going bankrupt: World Tour by LSU Cash in Chaos and Beautiful Dazzling Music No. 1 by Rainbow Rider (Dance House Children). After the failure of Siren, Knott started the band Aunt Bettys. [6]
Three sub-labels were created to further classify the diverse musical styles that were being released on Blonde Vinyl: Voice of the Youth, SLAVA Music, and Blonde Vinyl Inspirational.
Voice of the Youth was created for the edgier alternative releases on Blonde Vinyl. Six albums were released under this imprint: product # bvcd 3482 (love gift) by Breakfast with Amy, Go, Fluffy, Go! by Fluffy, Screaming Brittle Siren by Michael Knott, The Grape Prophet by L.S. Underground, Plague of Ethyls, and As Blue as the State Allows by Sass o' Frass Tunic.
SLAVA Music existed as an underground industrial music-focused label before joining with Blonde Vinyl for distribution. Three albums were released under this imprint: Digital Priests - the Remixes by Deitiphobia, Revelation 1921 by Wigtop, and the SLAVA compilation.
Blonde Vinyl Inspirational was created for praise and worship music. The only release on this imprint was Quiet Assurance by N Side Out.
Christian alternative rock is a form of alternative rock music that is lyrically grounded in a Christian worldview. Some critics have suggested that unlike CCM and older Christian rock, Christian alternative rock generally emphasizes musical style over lyrical content as a defining genre characteristic, though the degree to which the faith appears in the music varies from artist to artist.
Christian rock is a form of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith, often with an emphasis on Jesus, typically performed by Christian individuals. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands. Many bands who perform Christian rock have ties to the contemporary Christian music labels, media outlets, and festivals, while other bands are independent.
Masaki Liu, sometimes referred to as "Saki", is the engineer and producer operating One Way Studio, a digital recording studio in Benicia, California. Liu has recorded and produced music for many bands, including Five Iron Frenzy, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Echoing Green, The W's and Yellow Second.
The Orange County Supertones were a Christian ska band from Orange County, California. The band was signed to Tooth & Nail Records and its imprint, BEC Recordings, before becoming an independent band. The band temporarily disbanded in 2005, reunited in 2010 to resume touring and recording, and permanently disbanding in 2017. The OC Supertones were one of the first widely successful Christian ska bands.
Dance House Children was the early 1990s musical group of Ronnie Martin and Jason Martin that was the precursor to The Brothers Martin. In the liner notes of Jesus, Ronnie described its music as trendy, club-oriented music. The group was signed to the Blonde Vinyl label and released two albums, Songs & Stories (1991) and Jesus (1992). Jesus was rereleased by Millennium Eight Records for a limited time.
Scaterd Few was a Christian punk band originating from Burbank, California. CCM magazine described their music as "pure punk for dread people," stating that it was a cross between Janes Addiction and Charlie Mingus.
Michael Gerard Knott was an American singer-songwriter and frontman for various bands, many of whom performed in the Christian rock genre. He released about 35 albums, including solo albums and albums with bands such as LSU and Cush. He has been credited for pioneering the "alternative Christian rock scene".
One Bad Pig is a Christian punk and metal crossover band from Austin, Texas, which formed in 1985. The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music describes them as "quite possibly the most popular hard-punk act ever to arise within the Christian music scene." They were known for their mischief and irreverence on stage, as reflected even in their reunion at Cornerstone in 2000.
Vengeance Rising was an American Christian thrash metal band from Los Angeles, California. Fronted by vocalist Roger Martinez, they originally formed as Vengeance in 1987, but changed their name in 1989 to avoid conflict with another band from the Netherlands. Band members Larry Farkas, Doug Thieme, Roger Dale Martin, and Glen Mancaruso left following Once Dead and formed the band Die Happy. Roger Martinez stayed on to record two more studio albums, but aside from him, Vengeance Rising's lineup changed for each subsequent album. While the group was a ground breaking Christian metal band, today Vengeance Rising is known for vocalist Martinez's turning from Christianity to Satanism to atheism. AllMusic describes Vengeance Rising's history as "one of the most entertaining and bizarre stories in the realm of heavy metal."
Holy Soldier was a Christian glam metal band from Los Angeles formed in 1985.
Spy Glass Blue is an American post-punk/new wave/Britpop band formed by Allan Aguirre of Scaterd Few, credited for legitimizing and authenticating the post-punk genre in Christian alternative music (ACM) much in the same way that Scaterd Few defined punk rock in Contemporary Christian music (CCM). In the words of the Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music, Spy Glass Blue is a "rare example of Christian goth music." As Allan's solo effort shows Allan's artier side where Scaterd Few showed his edgier side. Aguirre likens the band's presence to the restructuring of other Christian Alternative bands: Mortal to Fold Zandura or the Crucified to Stavesacre.
DigHayZoose was a Christian funk and modern rock band from Kansas City, Missouri. The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music describes them as "One of the first Christian alternative rock bands of the 1990s". Their name, when spoken, is audibly similar to saying "Dig Jesus" in Spanish.
Frontline Records was a Christian rock record label, founded in 1986 by James Kempner in Santa Ana, California. The label focused primarily on modern rock, rap, dance-pop and hip-hop. The label closed in the early 1990s, and then resurfaced in 2010 to digitally re-release its music catalog.
Flap Your Wings is the tenth studio release, and ninth full-length studio album, by alternative rock band the Choir, released in 2000. It earned the band its first Grammy Award nomination.
Deitiphobia is a Christian industrial, electro and techno band from the United States formed in 1990 consisting of the duo of Wally Shaw and Brent Stackhouse. Known originally as Donderfliegen, the band changed names to Deitiphobia in 1991 to better clarify the band's focus on Christianity. The band's name means "Fear of God".
Prints of Darkness is the 1990 debut album by Dead Artist Syndrome. Originally released independently on Public Records and later by Blonde Vinyl Records, It was the first album released on a major label to introduce gothic rock to the Christian music industry gaining Brian Healy the title "The Father of Christian Goth". CCM Magazine categorically stated "The best example of what Christian Alternative Music is".
Breakfast with Amy was an American Christian alternative rock band, formed in 1986 in La Habra, California at the La Habra Four-Square church. At that time, the band consisted of vocalist David Koval, bassist Jeff "Tennessee Beans" Beahn, guitarist Christopher Colbert, and drummer Paul Pellegrin. The pastor of the church was throwing a Saturday night concert. A band had backed out and he needed a replacement. David, Christopher, Paul and Jeff quickly formed "Friends of Amy" to perform.
Lust Control is a Christian thrash punk band, originally formed in 1988. They are known for their explicit lyrical content, which is devoted to matters of sexual purity and sin, including abstinence, masturbation, pornography, sex ed, and related topics. For their unwavering views on sexual purity, CCM magazine has called Lust Control "the Josh McDowell of the Christian rock world." Musically they have been likened to The Ramones or The Dead Milkmen. The band formed as a joke and was not meant for long term exposure, which has led some to refer to it as a Christian version of Spinal Tap. Lust Control received the title of "The Worst Christian Band of the Decade" for the 1990s from HM.
Christian ska is a form of Christian alternative rock, and subgenre of ska and ska punk which is lyrically oriented toward contemporary Christian music. Though ska did not constitute a genre within the Christian music industry until after third wave ska had peaked in the general market, Christian ska continued to thrive independently into the early 2000s.
