Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Independent Artist Of The Week Is Back With 9th Hour

I have been having a lot of computer problems lately, so I haven't been posting as much as I would like to and I apologize. I also haven't been doing well keeping up with the Independent Artist Of The Week, but that is about I change! Independent Artist Of The Week is back! So to kick it off check out this independent artist "9th hour". As part of the problems I am having I can't add pictures or video to this post, but make sure you YouTube these guys! Also remember if you are in a indie band or you know of a good one, shoot me an email at thechristianmusicjunkie@gmail.com. Below is a little bit about "9th hour" from their website. "A message of Hope wrapped in an Acoustic Rock package" characterizes the sound and purpose of 9th Hour. This Smithville, MO based Adult Contemporary Rock group has been performing throughout the Midwest since 2004. 9th Hour has been recognized as a front runner in the Kansas City Christian music scene having received awards at the KC Christian Music Awards for "Contemporary Group of the Year" (2006-2007), Acoustic Rock Group of the Year (2007), Group of the Year (2008). At the 9th Annual KCCM Awards (2009), 9th Hour was honored to be named "Rock Group of the Year", "Worship Group of the Year", "Best Live Performance" and received honors of "Album of the Year" with their full length CD release of "Perfect Timing". Discography: 9th Hour EP - 2005 Perfect Timing - 2006 Cover Me - 2009 With dynamic vocal harmonies and a solid guitar driven sound, 9th Hour delivers a positive and faith-based message through thought provoking lyrics and inspired songwriting. Motivated by a blended style of musical influences rooted in Classic Rock, Pop, Country, Blues and Jazz, most mainstream musical tastes will find a strong connection with 9th Hour's sound. "This is not your Granny's Gospel Band!" David Lin - vocals, guitar Dee Dee Lin - vocals, percussion Dan Allen - vocals, lead guitar, keys Ben Richards - Bass guitar Mike Allen - drums

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Allan Scott Band - Blameless And Free Review

A newly discovered favorite EP of mine in called "Blameless And Free" by Allan Scott Band. My review of the EP is below, and I think you should check it out! Also sorry there isn't a picture, for some reason I can't upload one. :/

The EP starts off with the song "Great Things". This song is an upbeat worship song, with really great vocals. I love finding a This song will be on repeat on my iPod for awhile! I would say my favorite song on the EP would be "Perfect Love" and that is good considering it is on here twice, the regular version and the acoustic version. To pick which version is my favorite would be difficult because I love both, but I do really love the beat of the regular (Christ alive) version, so I guess I would go with that.

The other song on the EP is "Shine". This song is another fun worship song that I would love to hear people sing in church. The chorus is easy to sing along with and the lyrics are great. The chorus says "Open our eyes Lord to see your glory / Reveal your grace Lord your love and mercy / Shine you shine / Open our eyes Lord to see your promise / Reveal your Lord Rain down upon us".

I love EP's, they are a great way to get a taste of the music and if it is a good EP it makes you want to hear more. A little advice for a band is leave the audience wanting a little more because you don't want them to get tired of the album. The Allan Scott Band nailed this EP, because they left me wanting more, but yet I still felt like it was worth it for them to make the EP. I would definitely recommend checking out this band, I think you will be pleasantly surprised. I would give this EP 4.5/5.


1. Great Things
2. Perfect Love (Christ Alive)
3. Shine
4. Perfect Love (Acoustic Version)

Friday, May 11, 2012

Mikeschair - A Beautiful Life Album Review

Mikeschair released their newest album "A Beautiful Life" last August, but I am just getting around to reviewing it. I am not sure why it took so long though, this album is great!


The Album starts with the self-titled song "A Beautiful Life". Starting off slow this song grows into a beautiful song, with a catchy chorus and a message that is encouraging. I really enjoyed  the next song "Love Won't Quit On Us". With another hopeful message, this song also has an upbeat and fun sound, which was nice to listen to. This song will probably be on repeat on my iPod for awhile. The next song on the album is "Save Me Now". As the title suggests this song is about crying out to God asking him to save us.

The next song "Someone Worth Dying For" is one of Mikeschair's most popular songs, and I can see why. The message of this song is incredible and powerful. The chorus of the song says "Am I more than flesh and bone / Am I really something beautiful / I want to believe, I want to believe / That I'm not just some wandering soul / That you don't see and you don't know / I want to believe, Jesus help me believe / That I'm someone worth dying for". With more of an upbeat sound comes the next song "You Loved Me First". Musically this song sounds quite similar to the song "Love Won't Quit On Us". Lyrically this song is a good reminder about how much God loves us, it is something we should remind ourselves of often.

Coming up next is the rock influenced song "The More". Compared to most of the other songs on the album this one rocks out! This song has a lot of energy, and I think it would be a lot of fun in concert! :) The next song on the album is "All For You". This song is another one of Mikeschair's more popular singles, that you would hear on the radio. I really like this song, when ever I hear it on the radio I get excited. "Ignite" is the next song and it also more of a high energy rock sound. I just love the sound of this song, it has a fun beat and also some great guitars.


Starting with a cool techno sound is the next song "Pieces". This song continues with the infectious energy, and a sound somewhat similar to the two previous songs. The next song "Come Alive" slows things down a bit for more of a worship feel. The drums are especially good in this song. Then finishing off the album is the song "Gonna See Your Kingdom". This song has a middle of the road sound, it isn't a high energy rock song, but it isn't a slow worship song either. The end of this song is my favorite though with the clapping and "ohs".

This album was really good, their were a couple parts that were just okay, but for the most part it was all really good. The entire album is very encouraging and hopeful, and the vocals are amazing. I would give this album 4 stars
  1. A Beautiful Life
  2. Love Won't Quit On Us
  3. Save Me Now
  4. Someone Worth Dying For
  5. You Loved Me First
  6. The More
  7. All For You
  8. Ignite
  9. Pieces
  10. Come alive
  11. Gonna See Your Kingdom

Warr Acres - You Are Joy Music Video

Check out this new video by Warr Acres called "You Are My Joy". This song is really beautiful, and just nice to listen to!


If you liked that song you will probably enjoy Warr Acres self-titled album which is out now! You can find out more info on the band's Facebook page.

Monday, May 7, 2012

Thousand Foot Krutch And P.O.D. On Rockstar Energy's Uproar Tour

Thousand Foot Krutch and P.O.D. announced a couple days ago that they are going to be a part of the Uproar Tour which is put on by Rockstar Energy Drinks!


They will be playing along side some big mainstream bands including: Shinedown, Godsmack, Staind & Papa Roach. This tour will be hitting the streets this August and September. For more info on tour dates check out the tour website.

This is a great opportunity for both bands to reach out to a lot of people who wouldn't normally listen to "Christian" music. They may even be able to connect with the other bands and the tour, and share their faith with them as well!

Kyle Leaving Anthem Lights?

Today as I got on Twitter I was informed of some sad news.....Anthem Lights posted on their Facebook and Twitter pages that Kyle Kupecky feels like God is calling him in another direction, so he is going to be leaving the band. What Anthem Lights posted on Facebook is below.


"It has been a blessing to have Kyle as a part of this ministry. However, he feels God calling him to other things. We love him and wish him God's best.
-Alan, Caleb, and Chad"

I do not know if Anthem Lights will now only have 3 singers, or if they will be adding a new member to the band. I will keep you guys updated on any new developments or changes.

Anthem Lights just posted this on twitter: "Thank you all for your encouragement! Excited to introduce you to the newest member of Anthem Lights later this week! Stay tuned! -the guys".

I am excited and curious of who it could be! I will continue to update! :)

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Ilia - We Were Shipwrecks EP Review

It was suggested to me by a reader that I should review something by Ilia, so here it is! Below is the review for their EP "We Were Shipwrecks".


The EP starts off with the rock song "Ezekiel". This song introduces listeners to more of a hard rock sound that they will hear throughout the entire album. You also get just a taste of the great female vocals on this EP. The next song is the self titled track "We Were Shipwrecks". This has some sweet guitars and strong vocals, but the drums are my favorite part! I just love the beat in this song! Along with a great sound this song also has really good lyrics. My favorite line of the song is "We were shipwrecks drowning by the tide, But a voice revived us saving our lives".

The next song on the EP is "Reaching". This song is probably my favorite song on the album, mainly because of the message and the chorus! I really enjoyed listening to the entire song, a kind of song you can listen to again and again. I appreciated how the lyrics seemed very honest and raw. Once again I really enjoyed the beat of the next song "Fall On Us". This song wasn't my favorite on the EP, although it definitely wasn't bad, it just seemed to be quite repetitive. Finishing out the EP is the song "We Will Rise". This song is a little slower and although I normally like the more upbeat songs, I really, really enjoyed it. There are also two bonus acoustic versions of the songs "Reaching" and "We Were Shipwrecks" on the EP. I actually really enjoyed the acoustic versions of the songs, maybe even better than the original version! It was a nice bonus to the EP!


I was a little surprised by this EP. Looking at the cover I thought it was going to be reviewing a very hard rock album or even a metal sounding EP. However once again I learned not to judge a book by it's cover or in this case an album by its cover. Although this EP did have quite a few hard rock elements, that wasn't all there was to offer. "We Were Shipwrecks" also had a softer side that is equally impressive as the rock side. This EP was very good it isn't perfect, but it is still a great one to pick up and listen to. I would give this EP 4 stars but keep an eye on Ilia because there is a lot of potential there!

1. Ezekiel
2. We Were Shipwrecks
3. Reaching
4. Fall On Us
5. We Will Rise
6. Reaching (Live Acoustic Version)
7. We Were Shipwrecks (Live Acoustic Version)

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Anthem Lights - Anthem Lights Album Review

Anthem Lights released their self titled album "Anthem Lights" on May 10th of last year! I am quite late reviewing it, but you know what they say "Better Late Than Never".



The album starts off with the popular Anthem Lights song "Can't Shut Up". This song introduces listeners to the four voices that make up Anthem Lights, and although each of the guys sounds good by themselves, they sound the best when they sing with each other. "Can't Shut Up" has infectious energy and a great beat, which makes it a hit in concert! The next song "I Wanna Know You Like That" is one of my favorite songs on the album, mainly because of the lyrics. The chorus of the song which is about crying out to God, says "I wanna know You like / To live to love / With everything I am, To give it all / I wanna know You like that / To become, a man after Your heart / and not look back / I wanna know You like that".

Starting off a little slower is the next song "Circles". This song has a nice sound with all the vocals fitting together perfectly and or course a nice beat. The message of the song is best summed up at the beginning of the chorus when it says "Before I even know it, I'm right back at the start / Doing what I what and breaking my own heart". Staying with more of a mellow worship sound is the next song "I Can't Get Over You". This song song has a great sound, and is an amazing worship song. When Anthem Lights plays this song in a concert, it is truly amazing all the fans who were just jumping up and down to "Can't Shut Up" will all be standing there with their hands raised praising God.

The next song on the album is "Stranger". This song more upbeat and fun than the two previous songs but it is still a very powerful worship song. This song talks about how as Christians we are called to be strangers to this world. The next song "Outta My Mind" is tied for my favorite song on the album. This song is upbeat and fun with a chorus that is easy to sing along with, which makes this song a blast in concert! Once again the message is also very good, challenging listeners to draw closer to God. "Lifeline" is the next song on the album. With a catchy pop / rock sound this song is another fun song in concert! The lyrics talk about how God is our lifeline when realize that we can't save ourselves. Starting off more calm with just piano is the next song "Lighthouse". This song slowly builds up to the chorus which is calling listeners to be the light of the world, by saying "It's up to you, It's up to me / To be the lighthouse / They should know they're not alone".


The next song "Freedom Into Slavery" is the other song tied for my favorite song on the album. Starting off with some cool whistling that is somehow catchy...I have caught myself whistling it quite a few times!  This song also has great vocals and just a nice sound. However the lyrics are the best part of this song, if I could quote them all and keep the review a reasonable length I would! This song is basically saying that sometimes knowing that God will forgive what you do, enables you to sin and not feel so bad, because you know He will forgive you anyway, hence the title "Freedom Into Slavery". With the album coming to and end, is the last song on the album is "Where The Light Is". With this song being slower, it helps to make the the message even more powerful. This song is very encouraging saying that no matter how bad everything seems, there won't be any darkness where the light is. This is a hopeful, but challenging way to end the album.

With this being the bands first album as Anthem Lights, it is surprising very professional. I honestly don't know how they will get better, but I am excited to see them try! This album has a great modern sound and the lyrics are incredible! I would recommend this album to anyone who needs encouragement or anyone who likes music with a powerful message. I would give this album 4.5 stars, that way there is a little wiggle room.

1. Can't Shut Up
2. I Wanna Know You Like That
3. Circles
4. Can't Get Over You
5. Stranger
6. Outta My Mind
7. Lifeline
8. Lighthouse
9. Freedom Into Slavery
10. Where The Light Is