Justin McRoberts (born January 1, 1974) is an American author, speaker, retreat leader and songwriter from the San Francisco Bay area. McRoberts began his career writing and releasing two albums with 5 Minute Walk before the label disbanded in 2001. Since then He has released eleven studio projects, several EPs, and three books.
Since 1999 Justin McRoberts has been a constant and noteworthy presence on the independent music scene. A songwriter, storyteller, teacher and an advocate, he is one of those rare artists who blends artistry, honesty and humor seamlessly.
”In and through art," Justin writes "we learn to see ourselves and our world as part of a cohesive, Divinely-orchestrated story." Sharing stories and songs with an audience is where Justin's gifts are most fully realized. His live shows strike a delicate balance between intellect and emotion; between inspiration and a call to action.
Central to Justin's work is advocacy on behalf of the poor and oppressed through Compassion International. "Not only do the poor need us," he writes "we need the poor to remind us what being human is about. In the same way that the poor learn to identify themselves with their lack, the wealthy learn to identify themselves with their wealth. It is in the meeting of the two that we can recognize ourselves and one another as human."
Early career
Before working as an author and musician, McRoberts spent four years on staff with Young Life.[1] During this time he wrote songs without industry support in 1998 he was signed to 5 Minute Walk Records.[2] His debut album Reason for Living (1999), was written primarily about his experiences with Young Life. The following year, he released Father (2000) which deals with the darkness surrounding the May 1998 suicide of his father.[3] McRoberts comments that the theme of the album is "letting God fill in the space" created by personal loss.[4]
During this time, McRoberts toured nationally with artists such as Five Iron Frenzy, The W's, Caedmon's Call, Jennifer Knapp, and others, and made appearances at the Cornerstone Festival.[4][5][6] Since leaving 5 Minute Walk in 2000 McRoberts has continued to produce records independently. According to McRoberts, the manner in which his label had supported his work, primarily through heavy touring, set him up to continue his career as an independent artist after the collapse of the label.[5] Through his work he has continued to support and promote community outreach programs such as Young life.[7]
Independent albums
In 2001, McRoberts released his first independent work, The Untitled EP (2001), a collection of devotional songs. McRoberts purposely left the recording nearly entirely unedited, writing that, "The simplicity of the recording is intended to highlight the human side of faith, wherein life is not often refined."[1] It is perhaps this stripped-down approach to music that he is best known for.[8] In concert, he often appears on stage with only his guitar and no backup support.
His next work, Trust (2002) was the first full length album he had released as an independent artist. Aimed primarily at the non-church going crowd, the album touches on the stories of those disenchanted with American Christianity. McRoberts says, "My hope is to inspire believers to understand those who do not recognize God in their world."[1]
Next came Intersections (2003), dealing with the opportunities that intersections in life provide for change. McRoberts says, "Much of the album's content deals with renewing the way I see the world around me; learning to recognize the eternal value in every moment, every relationship, every song, trying to cut through the utilitarian perspective I am so used to bringing to my everyday."[1] McRoberts released Live At Grove City (2004) the following year.
In October 2005, McRoberts released Grace Must Wound. The album deals primarily with the desire for life to be easy, focusing on the Flannery O'Connor quote and title of the album, Grace Must Wound, telling us that pain is essential to a Christian's spiritual journey.[9]
McRoberts released Deconstruction in early 2008. "We really wanted to limit the instrumentation to what was essential; let the songs breathe on their own." The record's feel supports its theme in limiting or even tearing down what is superfluous to more intimately engage in what is real.
In 2010, Justin released Through Songs I Was First Undone, a collection of song covers of songs that have touched his life.
His next project, called CMY(K), was a series of three EPs released every few months. The C EP was released in July 2011, then M EP was released in September 2011, and the Y EP released in February 2012. Following the release of the C, M and Y EP's was the artist's first published book, entitled, "CMYK: The Process of Life Together. The book released in tandem with an album entitled, K in June 2013.[citation needed] The CMYK Project is an examination of Life Together, a nod to Dietrich Bonhoeffer's book, Life Together, and is composed of letters, songs and reflections written over the course of two years.[citation needed]
↑ Mackle, David (December 1999). "In Concert: Five Iron / The W's / The Insyderz / Justin McRoberts, The Crush, Birmingham, Alabama". CCM Magazine. 22 (6): 61.
Five Iron Frenzy is an American band which formed in Denver, Colorado, in 1995. Best known for playing ska punk music characterized by an offbeat sense of humor and prominent Christian themes, Five Iron Frenzy was one of the pioneering figures of the Christian ska movement which emerged with ska's mainstream revival in the 1990s. Since 2000, the band's music has shifted away from straight ska to include and embrace stronger alternative rock and pop punk influences, though it continues to create ska music and feature Christian overtones despite several members' changes in religious beliefs.
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.
Hawk Nelson is a Canadian rock band from Peterborough, Ontario. Formed in 2000, the band has released eight studio albums to date.
Michael Reese Roper is an American singer-songwriter, best known as lead singer for the Denver, Colorado-based Christian ska punk band Five Iron Frenzy, as well as fronting the rock bands Brave Saint Saturn and Roper.
Earthsuit was a New Orleans-based Christian rock band formed in 1995. The band consisted of guitarist Dave Rumsey, keyboardist/vocalist Paul Meany, bassist Roy Mitchell, drummer David "Hutch" Hutchison, and vocalist Adam LaClave. Earthsuit's sound was primarily rock, but also incorporated elements of hip-hop, electronica, reggae, soul, and experimental music.
Quantity Is Job 1 is an EP by the band Five Iron Frenzy. It was released November 3, 1998, on Five Minute Walk.
Five Iron Frenzy 2: Electric Boogaloo is the fourth full-length studio album of the band Five Iron Frenzy. It was released November 20, 2001 on Five Minute Walk records.
Jon Robert Gibson is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumental musician and record producer. Originally a blue-eyed soul singer, he switched from secular music to contemporary Christian music in the late-1980s.
Martin James Smith is an English vocalist, guitarist, songwriter, and producer. Smith was the front man of the Christian rock and worship band Delirious?. When Delirious? disbanded in 2009, Smith became a solo artist.
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.
5 Minute Walk was an independent record label founded by Frank Tate in April 1995. Operations were based in Concord, California in the back offices of The Screem, a music club operated by Tate. They only carried Christian bands and considered themselves to be a Christian ministry. Most records were produced by Masaki Liu at Masaki's One Way Studio and executive produced by Frank Tate.
Paul Colman is a British-Australian pop-rock guitarist, vocalist, pianist, and composer. He has made a name for himself as a Christian musician independently, with his band the Paul Colman Trio, as a solo artist, and as part of the Newsboys. His songwriting abilities have been acknowledged with a Grammy nomination and Dove Awards.
Gavin Castleton is a musician/songwriter/producer from Providence, Rhode Island. Originally known for his work with Gruvis Malt as keyboardist and singer, Castleton has released nine full-length albums and seven EPs as a solo artist. He has also released two full-length albums with action-adventure rock trio Ebu Gogo and two records with Orlando-based drum 'n bass hip-hop group One Drop. Castleton currently resides in Portland, Oregon.
Philmont was an American pop punk influenced Christian rock band based out of Charlotte, North Carolina. They were signed to Forefront Records / EMI CMG until Spring 2010. Their debut album, Attention, was released on August 25, 2009. They released two independent EPs before breaking up in August 2012.
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.
James Blake Litherland is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He first received recognition for a series of 2010 EPs including CMYK and Klavierwerke, and he released his self-titled debut album in 2011 to critical praise. His second album Overgrown was released in 2013, bringing him to international attention, and later was awarded the Mercury Prize. He released his third album The Colour in Anything in 2016, his fourth Assume Form in 2019, his fifth Friends That Break Your Heart in 2021, and his sixth Playing Robots Into Heaven in 2023.
We as Human was an American Christian rock band originally from Sandpoint, Idaho, United States, formed in 2001. They were discovered by John Cooper, lead singer of the band Skillet, in 2010 who introduced them to Atlantic Records, their current label. They moved to Nashville, Tennessee in September 2011, where they resided until they disbanded. They have played shows with Avenged Sevenfold, Skillet, Korn, Alter Bridge, Papa Roach, and Shinedown. Their music has been accepted in both the Christian and mainstream rock markets.
Engine of a Million Plots is the sixth studio album by American band Five Iron Frenzy, released independently on November 26, 2013. Released ten years after the band's previous album The End Is Near. Engine of a Million Plots marked Five Iron Frenzy's return to recording following an eight-year hiatus spanning from November 2003 to their reunion in November 2011.
Natasha Michell Owens is an American Christian musician, who primarily plays a contemporary Christian style of contemporary worship music. She released I Made it Through, in 2013, and No One but You, in 2015.
The Calm Before the Storm is the third studio album by Colton Dixon. Sparrow Records alongside Capitol Christian Music Group released the album on September 11, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
