NewYearsDayProject | a song a day blog

BadChristian started as the provocatively-titled book, Bad Christian, Great Savior , written by three friends, Pastor Joey Svenson and Emery ’s lead vocalist Toby Morrell and guitarist Matt Carter . BadChristian quickly grew into a brand--a podcast and a record label--that pushed back on the conservative, family-friendly branding of Christian entertainment that had been curated for years by Christian bookstores, radio, and other Christian media outlets. Emery began releasing their music through BadChristian. In 2018, they released their second LP on their own label, and just like Matt & Toby's edgy podcast, Eve was the most interesting conversation pieces to come out of Christian Rock that year. CALL IT TRASH, I CALL IT PEARLS.  From its controversial cover (pictured above), a nude woman on her knees showing a naked buttocks, to its lyrical content addressing alcohol and drug use, profanity, lust, divinity, and homosexuality, Eve doesn't leave listeners with definitive

" Wonderful Christmastime " was rated as the worst Christmas song by Ultimate Classic Rock . Recorded when 37-year-old rock legend Paul McCartney was recording his polarizing second solo record, just before the disbanding of his second band, Wings , McCartney II  was a synth-pop, new wave record in a time when former Beatles fans were yelling, "stick to the classics." Recently, critics have come to understand and even praise McCartney II for its pioneering in electronic music. The intentionally simple lyrics help to draw attention to the synths and the overall Christmasy atmosphere of the song. THE CHILDREN'S CHOIR SINGS A SONG. "Wonderful Christmastime" has been covered by many artists, including Diana Ross, Demi Lovato, Hillary Duff, Jump5, Chicago and Dolly Parton, Pentatonix, Family Force 5 , Jars of Clay , Eleventyseven, and so many other artists. In 2000, the Christian Rock band Earthsuit recorded the track for Tooth & Nail Record's hol

Last month I talked about Eisley , the named-for- Star-Wars  sister-cousin band from Tyler, Texas. Their major label debut garnered indie cred, but due to some issues in the music industry, the band's label de-prioritized their sophomore release, delaying it almost a year from its recording and mastering. As for promotion, the record label pulled radio support as they weren't sure which format to market the band and canceled plans for a second music video to the band's only non-radio single " Invasions "  and never released the video for today's song, " Many Funerals ." Eisely can be added to the list of Christian-adjacent bands, such as MuteMath , Copeland , Mae , The Juliana Theory , and Anberlin , that were failed by major labels. Some of these groups saw initial success, whether radio, video, or touring, but ultimately they were left abandoned by the major label. Although RadioU plays some of their latest singles, by the end the  Room Noises cy

I have to admit I have a love-hate relationship with this band. I've been a listener to The BadChristian Podcast since 2015, but there's something about their musical structure that I fail to resonate with most of the time. What The BadChristian Podcast did for me, though, was opened up a dialogue about faith beyond the Family Christian/Lifeway brand. I'm sure I'll talk more about this as the year goes by. I'd like to talk about a few themes that this song brings to my mind. I STAY IN MY DREAMS, BUT I DON’T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS. Reality is a theme that Matt and Toby talk about a lot on The BadChristian Podcast. How do we know that life isn't just a simulation? How do I know that I am real? How do I know that you are real? Are you just a program in the simulation? Am I?  I've spent a lot of time wondering about these things myself. We only really get one perspective in this life. And the human experience is at most 100 years out of thousands of years in ear