Jyro Xhan is the stage/pen name of Filipino American musician GD La Villa. He lives in California. He is a singer, songwriter, producer, guitarist and keyboard player. He has been in several bands such as Jyradelix, Cush, Juggernautz, but most notably Mortal and Fold Zandura. He was the main songwriter and lead singer for both bands. He first used his pen name in 1988 on a demo tape but spelled it "Gyro" until the release of Fathom where it became Jyro. He is married to Carla Joy Phillips. The title track from Mortal's 1995 album Pura is dedicated to her.
Cross Rhythms is a Christian media organisation based in Stoke-on-Trent, England. It operates an FM and online radio station, produces radio shows sent internationally, and its website has resources about contemporary Christian music.
Sin Disease was Scaterd Few's first full-length studio album. CCM magazine described the release as "pure punk for dread people," stating that it was a cross between Jane's Addiction and Charlie Mingus.
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."
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.
Grits is a Christian hip hop group from Nashville, Tennessee. Their name is an acronym, which stands for "Grammatical Revolution In the Spirit". GRITS is made up of Stacey "Coffee" Jones and Teron "Bonafide" Carter, both of whom were DC Talk dancers.
Sanity Obscure is the second studio album by the American Christian thrash metal band Believer. It was initially released in 1990 on R.E.X. and later in 1991 on Roadrunner, marking the band's label debut for Roadrunner. Several mainstream magazines praised the album.
Shout was an American rock band formed in 1987 by Ken Tamplin. Musically, the band was similar to Journey and Styx, with the Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music describing them as "more competent than Stryper". Cornerstone magazine wrote that Shout was more straightforward than other Christian metal bands such as Bloodgood. The band garnered a Dove Award after their breakup in 1989.
Sacred Warrior is a Christian heavy metal band formed in 1988 and based in Chicago, Illinois. Their music is often compared to that of Queensrÿche or Iron Maiden.
Mortal was a Christian industrial/dance band fronted by Jerome Fontamillas and Jyro Xhan. Both members went on to found the alternative rock group Fold Zandura, and for a time were members of both bands simultaneously. The band is known for its lyrical intelligence, incorporating advanced theology with what has been billed as "Industrial Praise and Worship." According to CCM Magazine "Mortal has had a much greater influence... on industrial music than its modest output would suggest."
A Christian music festival is a music festival held by the Christian community, in support of performers of Christian music. The festivals are characterized by more than just music; many feature motivational speakers and evangelists, and include seminars on Christian spiritual and missions topics, service, and evangelism. They are often viewed as evangelical tools, and small festivals can draw 10 times the crowd of traditional revival meetings. While the central theme of a Christian festival is Jesus Christ, the core appeal of a Christian music festival remains the artists and their music. Critics point out that the dichotomy of business and religious interests can be problematic for Christian festivals. In similar ways as the Christian music industry in general, festivals can be drawn away from their central theme and gravitate toward commercialization and mainstream acts in an attempt to draw crowds.
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 as "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.
Scott Blackwell is a Christian dance music artist, generally credited with being the first artist to produce such music for the Christian marketplace. In addition to releasing his own albums, Blackwell has produced many other albums, and has founded several record labels.
Tony Cummings is the founding editor of the magazine Cross Rhythms.
The Woven Whisper is the first studio album by Sarah Brusco. Brusco alongside Vineyard released the album on August 13, 2014. Brusco worked with her husband, Eben Brusco, and Bob Spangler, in the production of this album.
Among the Thirsty is an American contemporary Christian music and worship band based out of Clearwater, Florida. Formed in 2005, their members include lead vocalist and acoustic guitarist, Ryan Daniel, guitarist and background vocalist, Brian Scott Henderson, bass guitarist and background vocalist, Brock Douglas and pianist, Alan Pelno. They released, Wonder, with Rev Music Group in 2008, and their song, "I'd Need a Savior", appeared on various Christian Song charts published by Billboard magazine. Their second album, Who You Say I Am, was released by BEC Recordings in 2015, this album saw two songs, "What Love Looks Like" and "Completely", appear on various Christian Song charts.
Unashamed is the ninth studio album by Building 429. Reunion Records released the album on September 25, 2015.
Andrew Mark Marcus is a Canadian worship musician. He has released five studio albums, Salvation and Glory (2007), Emptiness Speaks Volumes (2009), Our Conversation Behind the Veil (2011), When Winter Falls Summer Springs (2013) and Constant (2016).
Mari Burelle-Valencia, who goes by the stage name stylized as MARi, is an American Christian musician and pianist, who primarily plays a style of Christian EDM. She has released one musical work, Treasure (2016).
Ryan Daniel Squitieri is an American recording artist, singer, songwriter, and lead singer of the band Among the Thirsty. It was announced on October 31, 2016, that Daniel is now an artist rep for music compilation company Mattrix Mixtape presented by Matthew Rix.
