NewYearsDayProject | a song a day blog

  When Aaron Gillespie announced his solo project would be the band The Almost , it began with the Underoath drummer recording demos and uploading them to MySpace under the moniker The Almost. In 2006, while recording Define the Great Line , Gillespie started writing the album Southern Weather , which he would then take to Aaron Sprinkle and record in ten days, releasing the album in 2007. Gillespie played most of the instruments on the album. Before the release of Southern Weather, Gillespie formed a band to tour and promote the album, including Dusty Redmon and  Jay Vilardi   on guitars, Alex Aponte   on bass, and Kenny Bozisch on drums. I GET IT, I NEED TO FALL. The Almost’s Southern Weather was a successful record released on both Tooth & Nail and Virgin Records. The lead single, “ Say This Sooner ” peaked at number 7 on the Alternative Airplay chart. The band’s second album, Monster Monster , was also jointly released through Tooth & Nail and Virgin Records.  Gillespi

Since Larry Norman asked in 1972, “ Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music? ” Christian music was taking shape into what would eventually become a multi-million dollar industry.  A big part of the industry became the testimony of the bands and artists who participated in the genre. The Christian musician was a poster child of what the evangelical message taught. The mostly clean-cut musicians didn’t smoke, drink, or use bad language. Because CCM doesn’t have a particular denomination, a Christian star neededn’t talk about belonging to a certain faith tradition--the less specific, the better. Inevitably, scandals befell the industry, but musicians would disappear from radio rather than having the scandal addressed. This created a kind of idolatry surrounding the faithful in the industry. CASTING A SHADOW TEN FEET TALL. Tooth & Nail Records was always on the rougher end of Christian music, but the bands signed to the label were to a lesser extent, subject to morality policing

In 2017, Aaron Sprinkle released Real Life , his last release on Tooth & Nail Records . The legendary producer had released solo work sporadically since the ‘90s; however, being the go-to producer for some of the most successful bands in Alternative and Hard Christian Rock was time-consuming, and Sprinkle felt that producing great records was more successful than trying to promote a solo career. Sprinkle’s production always felt cutting-edge when he recorded, whether for Anberlin , Acceptance , Demon Hunter , Falling Up , or a host of other bands. Real Life, however, feels very 2017. Today, let's explore the album, track by track. 1. Invincible kicks off the album with that 2017 electronic sound. Featuring Poema ’s Elle Puckett contributing a spoken-word/ rap part, the song sounds nothing like what you’d expect from either artist. The lyrics seem to be the speaker coming to realize that he is not invincible. Puckett tries to convince the first speaker that he never needed to

The Cure 's " Lovesong " peaked at number 2 on Billboard's Hot 100 in October of 1989. Hit Parade 's 2019 episode " Lost and Lonely Edition ,"  detailing the British Post-Punk movement, views this unlikely pop hit as a kind of peak of the movement that continued into the early '90s.  Of course, The Cure's commercial success came after years of songs that didn't chart and even the invention of a music chart for Alternative Rock bands, at the time called Billboard's Modern Rock Chart.  HOWEVER FAR AWAY, I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU. When Billboard launched the Modern Rock chart in 1988, "left of the dial" college radio stations began reporting the songs that they were playing. Some of the bands included on the predecessor to today's Alternative Airplay chart were established on other charts-- U2 , Elvis Costello , Tears for Fears had mainstream rock and pop hits prior to charting on the Modern Rock chart. However, other acts like

When Eisley began their career, they were the indie band that had the opportunity to open for Coldplay on the North American leg of A Rush of Blood to the Head tour. Soon, the band "became too big" for RadioU and Christian rock radio. The only problem is that Eisley came up in a time when every major label was trying to suck up indie talent, but the indie talent rarely made it to radio. Hence these bands actually didn't keep their major label deals. YOU WON'T TAKE THE BREATH FROM THROAT. I'm sure there's a backstory to Eisley's second record, 2007's  Combinations, especially regarding lead singer Sherri DuPree-Bemis . My intention today is to tread respectfully with the dating dynamics that the Christian-adjacent indie scene, particularly as it relates to two up-and-coming bands in 2007: Eisley and Paramore  and how they are related. Both female-fronted bands had gained acclaim both in and out of the Christian circle. In 2007, Paramore had just rele

In the story of  Tooth & Nail Records , which became the definitive Christian Rock label in the early ‘00s,  Aaron Sprinkle  became the main producer for record after record for the label. Sprinkle is not only responsible for producing records, but he also stylized bands and artists who would have otherwise been nothing alike. So, when he wasn’t busy launching successful bands into the scene, what was he doing in his free time? Sprinkle recorded a number of solo records and two with his band, Fair . Sprinkle’s solo efforts were never as successful as the bands he recorded, and life in the studio took a toll on the musical genius.   WHERE IS IT THAT YOUR PEACE COMES FROM?  " Disappearing World " was the only hit from  this 2010 album  named after the title track. Whenever Fair--three of Sprinkle's friends from his previous band, Poor Old Lu --put out a project, it was a limited release. One single to Christian radio, a video, and a couple of local shows. And then it

When Acceptance released their 2017 record, 12 years after their cult classic Phantoms, the band's fans had mixed feelings about Colliding By Design . On the hand, listeners thought it was great to hear the vocals of Jason Vena and the riffs of Kaylan Cloyd and the moody atmospheric rhythm guitar of Christian McAlhaney all produced by the band's "sixth member" Aaron Sprinkle . But some listeners didn't like the pop direction the band took. In 2020's Wild, Free the band offers less guitar, but Sprinkle takes the band further into the pop world, making the band feel even more distant from their 2005 classic.  1. " Midnight ." The album starts with a slightly musically underwhelming track. It seems that the record deals with Jason Vena's romantic history, "Midnight," perhaps addresses his divorce and how the singer was put in the spotlight when his ex became a constant on The Bachelor. The band filmed a video for the song. 2. " Col