Morella's Forest | |
|---|---|
 Promo photo, 2002 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Dayton, Ohio |
| Genres | Noise pop, shoegazing |
| Years active | 1992–2002 |
| Labels | Tooth & Nail |
Morella's Forest was a band from Dayton, Ohio which formed in 1992. They released three albums on Tooth and Nail Records and one with an independent label. Their signature sound is noise pop or space music comparable to Starflyer 59 or the Breeders. [1]
Before signing to Tooth and Nail, Morella's Forest produced two works: a demo called Bass, and an EP entitled Bozur. [1] Their 1995 debut, Superdeluxe, was produced by Steve Hindalong (The Choir) and Chris Colbert (Fluffy). Its sound was characteristic of 1980s style new wave [2] or 1990s shoegazing. [1] Sonically it featured noisy, "dreamy, hypnotic" melodies, and featured Bill Campbell of the Throes as a guest. [3] Morella's Forest appeared on the cover of 7ball magazine in September, 1996. Ultraphonic Hiss and From Dayton With Love were produced by Keith Cleversley. Ultraphonic features a sound which moves the band slightly away from the noise of their debut. [4] Dayton features some electronic elements—keyboard and drum machine— [1] [5] and moves their sound to an even more sugary guitar based pop sound, [6] which one reviewer referred to as "space age garage pop." [7] Some found this sound to be lacking of "solid melodies," [8] while others found the voice of Sydney Rentz layered over the background lively and fluid. [7]
The band struggled with the Christian music marketplace, finding the struggle between artistic integrity and profitability hard to maintain. After a half-cancelled tour in 1996 the band reported that although they were still "100% about fashion" [9] they would direct their efforts toward the general market and emphasize a radio friendly sound. [9] They told 7ball magazine that the only way to make money was to be like dc Talk or Audio Adrenaline, and as for themselves "We don't want to be some innovative, cool band that's doing something really weird for the Christian market." [9]
Following their 1998 release drummer Nate McCorkle left to join the Christian rock band Johnny Q. Public. [5] The band went through several drummers and played Cornerstone sporadically, but did not generally tour. [10] In 2002 they produced an album entitled Tiny Lights of Heaven. On this album the writing responsibilities were taken by Shawn Johnson instead of long-standing writer Sydney Rentz. [11] With production help from Jesse Sprinkle and Kevin Jackson their music departs a bit from their signature sound, taking a lighter and more indie pop influenced, radio friendly tone. [11] [12]
The Insyderz were an American Christian ska-punk band from Detroit, Michigan. They formed in 1996 and disbanded in 2005. The band reformed in 2009, but have not been actively playing shows in the last few years. The Insyderz are one of the "big three" bands which represented the Christian ska scene, alongside the Supertones and Five Iron Frenzy.
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.
Supertones Strike Back is the second studio album released by the O.C. Supertones. One reviewer described the album as a "no-hold-barred modern day revival meeting".
Tooth & Nail Records is a record label founded by Brandon Ebel in California in November 1993. The label later moved to Seattle where it is today. Tooth & Nail has an imprint Solid State Records. BECRecordings is Christian rock record label that is an imprint of Tooth & Nail Records. The label was formed in 1997 in partnership with EMI Christian Music Group.
Poor Old Lu was a pioneering Christian alternative rock band based in the American Northwest. The band experimented with a variety of sounds and genres, particularly grunge, funk and psychedelic rock. The band consisted of Scott Hunter (vocals), Jesse Sprinkle (drums), Aaron Sprinkle (guitar), and Nick Barber (bass). Hunter was the lyricist who wrote on philosophical, metaphorical, and spiritually oriented topics. Common themes in the lyrics include introspective struggles with identity and spirituality, struggles with a superficial, secular, and modern society, and hope for life abundant. The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music calls the band "One of the most accomplished and creative Christian bands of the '90s".
The W's were a Christian ska and swing revival band, formed in Corvallis, Oregon in 1996. Success came quickly to the band and their first album, Fourth from the Last, was a sleeper hit, unexpectedly having had the strongest debut of any Christian album to date for its distributor. They toured the United States several times with a variety of artists. Touring highlights include Pope John Paul II's 1999 visit to St. Louis and dc Talk's Supernatural support tour.
Project 86 is the debut album of the American band Project 86. It was released on June 16, 1998 on BEC Recordings, the Christian imprint of Tooth & Nail Records. This album established Project 86 as one of the more promising hardcore/metal groups in the Christian music scene. According to one critic, Project 86 became "one of the few Christian acts to gain exposure to the general market" by the turn of the millennium. The album sold over 30,000 copies before the release of the band's second album in the year 2000.
Grandmother's Spaceship the third a studio album by pioneer Christian punk band Scaterd Few. Lyrically the album is themed, referencing "aliens, the cyber-age and other extra-terrestrial things," while staying centered on the ultimate truth of renewed life in Christ. Several lyrics draw their themes directly from scripture. Musically it is more diverse than most punk albums, encompassing reggae, aggressive punk, funk, and a "slight Gothic overtone" similar to Allan's alternate band, Spy Glass Blue. While at least one critic thought the album "failed to capture the essence" that Sin Disease displayed, most reviews were positive. The album was written over two years and recorded in three weeks.
Armageddon Massive is the debut full-length album from Californian ska band The Dingees. The album's sound moves between punk and ska, and its lyrics focus on the frustrations of life.
Squad Five-O is an American punk rock band from Savannah, Georgia no longer formally touring or recording, but rather only performing occasional weekend concerts. Like their initial ska-punk stylings, their name was derived from a cross between the television shows Hawaii Five-O and The Mod Squad. Between 1997 and 2006 the band grew lyrically and in popularity, and also shifted its style significantly. Over the course of their career they moved from a small indie Christian label to the major label Capitol Records and released five albums in the process.
Floodgate Records was a part of the East West Records family of labels. It was founded in 2000 and managed by Tim Taber. Distribution was through Word Records and marketing through Rocketown. Their first release was All I Have, a worship album by Rita Springer. The label ceased operations at an unknown point before mid-2008.
Massivivid was a Christian band founded by Wally Shaw and Mark Nash. Their sound was based in industrial rock and electronic pop, but with a hard edge and intensity similar to that of Nine Inch Nails or The Smashing Pumpkins. Massivivid was founded as a live side project to Deitiphobia. They released BrightBlur to critical acclaim, garnering a Dove Award.
Left Out was a Chicago, Illinois Christian punk supergroup that was active from 1995-2002.
Ruby Joe was a Christian band from Ventura, California. Their debut album was cited as psychobilly, but their second played squarely as swing revival due to the appearance of the horn section of Royal Crown Revue. Both were released on Sub•Lime Records, in 1998 and 1999. The bands' name is a combination of the founder's name and that of Ruby's Diner in Huntington Beach, where the band was formed.
KMGRecords was a Christian record label. The label was established in 1997 by Buddy Killen as a subunit of the Killen Music Group / Buddy Killen Enterprises and sold in late 1998 to Cal Turner III, who is related to the Cal Turner of Dollar General stores. Following the sale, Buddy Killen continued to consult for the firm.
Rod Laver was a Christian rap rock group that originated from Los Angeles. As the personnel lineup changed, the group wavered from a rock-grounded sound to hip hop, and then back again.
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.
The Miscellaneous was a 1990s alternative rock band composed of members from Europe and the United States. The band was fronted by a male and a female vocalist, and produced music that is said to "transcend the boundaries" of its genre in creativity. CCM magazine likened their music to that of Sixpence None the Richer, Jars of Clay and Out of the Grey.
Every Day Life, later simply known as EDL, was a Christian rapcore group. The band became identified with the straight edge movement, which advocates abstinence from sex, drugs and tobacco.
Miss Angie is a Christian music artist who released two albums on Myrrh Records, the final one in 1999. Her music was based in aggressive hard rock and pop sound with a feel that was described as "retro-eclectic", and vocals likened to those of Cyndi Lauper. Her portrayed image, one of the strong female rock star, was unusual in Christian music, but was offset by overtly Christian lyrics.
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