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| − | {{Infobox_band |
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| − | band_name = Resurrection Band <br />''aka'' Rez Band <br />''aka'' REZ|
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| − | image = [[Image:REZphoto.jpg|240px]] |
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| − | caption = |
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| − | origin = [[Chicago, Illinois]] |
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| − | status = |
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| − | years_active = [[1972]] – [[2000]] |
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| − | music_genre = [[Christian rock]] |
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| − | record_label = [[Star Song Records]]<br />[[Light Records]]<br />[[Grrr Records]] |
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| − | current_members = ''Left to Right:''<br />Roy Montroy<br />Stu Heiss<br />Wendy Kaiser<br />John Herrin<br />Glenn Kaiser |
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| − | }}
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| | '''Resurrection Band''', also known as '''Rez Band''' or '''REZ''', is one of the most well-known and respected [[Christian rock]] bands in the history of [[Contemporary Christian music]]. They were based out of the [[Jesus People USA]] Christian community in [[Chicago, Illinois]], and most of its members continue to be part of that community to this day. | | '''Resurrection Band''', also known as '''Rez Band''' or '''REZ''', is one of the most well-known and respected [[Christian rock]] bands in the history of [[Contemporary Christian music]]. They were based out of the [[Jesus People USA]] Christian community in [[Chicago, Illinois]], and most of its members continue to be part of that community to this day. |
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| | Led by the husband-and-wife team of [[Glenn Kaiser|Glenn]] and [[Wendi Kaiser]], the band has been the preeminent example of how to evangelize using Christian rock, but the quality musicianship of Resurrection Band has also been a driving force in the development of the [[Christian music industry]] at large. Glenn Kaiser also has an established solo career as a blues musican and is also a well-known speaker on various spiritual issues to youth and adults. | | Led by the husband-and-wife team of [[Glenn Kaiser|Glenn]] and [[Wendi Kaiser]], the band has been the preeminent example of how to evangelize using Christian rock, but the quality musicianship of Resurrection Band has also been a driving force in the development of the [[Christian music industry]] at large. Glenn Kaiser also has an established solo career as a blues musican and is also a well-known speaker on various spiritual issues to youth and adults. |
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| − | ==Band History==
| + | {{returnto}} [[Christian music]] |
| − | ===The 1970s: Breaking new ground===
| + | [[Category:Christian bands]] |
| − | The band originally played together under the name "Charity" in 1972 with Jesus People Milwaukee, based out of [[Milwaukee, WI|Milwaukee]]. When the community split into four groups, and one became the "Jesus People USA Travelling Team" before their relocation to [[Chicago, Illinois|Chicago]], the name "Resurrection Band" was chosen and the band became a primary focus of the community's ministry. After arriving in Chicago, the band recorded two independent [[cassette]]s that were given away after their concerts, which were performed anywhere Resurrection Band was allowed to play, from schools to prisons to street corners. The first cassette, ''[[Music to Raise the Dead]]'', featured [[hard rock]], while ''[[All Your Life]]'' comprised only their [[Acoustic music|acoustic]] numbers, which was a reflection of the [[folk music|folk]]-oriented sets they would play at more conservative venues such as nursing homes and churches, the latter of which were deeply skeptical of [[Christian rock]], especially the borderline [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]] that Resurrection Band specialized in.
| + | [[Category:Christian rock groups]] |
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| − | Four years later, thanks to a generous $8000 gift from a friend, Resurrection Band recorded their first album, ''[[Awaiting Your Reply]]'', over a two-week period in marathon all-night sessions. Although the band had completed the album, including the cover art, no Christian record label would risk releasing it, as the [[Led Zeppelin]]/[[Jefferson Airplane]] inspired music was considered much too controversial for the Christian market at that time. Although [[Star Song Records]] was warned away from the project by other [[gospel music]] executives, the tiny label had nothing to lose, so they signed the band and released the record as it was. To everyone's surprise, ''Awaiting Your Reply'' hit big in the Christian market, and reached #6 on the Gospel album sales charts. Although misunderstood by many critics at the time, the album has been reevaluated and highly praised in recent years, and is now listed at #91 in the book, ''[[CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music]]'', released in 2001.
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| − | The band followed up the success of that album with ''[[Rainbow's End]]'', which continued in the same progressive hard rock/metal vein akin to [[Black Sabbath (band)|Black Sabbath]] and [[Aerosmith]]. Although the band was pleased with the effort, Star Song was not, and the band was forced to find another label shortly after its release. ''Rainbow's End'' is significant for being the first album by an American rock band to address the racist system of [[apartheid]] in [[South Africa]], a full year before [[Peter Gabriel]] brought the issue to the world's attention with his classic song, "[[Stephen Biko|Biko]]." Resurrection Band would eventually become known for grappling with a variety of social and political ills in its music, from the evils of the [[military-industrial complex]] to the corrupting influence of American [[materialism]] to [[racism]], [[homelessness]], [[AIDS]], [[drug addiction]], [[prostitution]] and many other issues that the band personally confronted in their ministry to their surrounding urban community in Chicago.
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| − | ===1980-1982: Acceptance and critical respect===
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| − | Once signed by [[Light Records]], Resurrection Band shedded its [[progressive rock]] leanings and went for a more radio-friendly hard rock/metal sound. Both ''[[Colours (Resurrection Band album)|Colours]]'', released in 1980, and ''[[Mommy Don't Love Daddy Anymore]]'', released in 1981, were solid collections of music that alternately addressed larger social issues such as [[poverty]] and [[divorce]] as well as personal spiritual issues of [[salvation]] and discipleship, along with the intersection between the two. While the mainstream Christian press was still adapting to the idea of Christian hard rock, alternative Christian music newspapers highly praised both albums, and their leading publication, ''Harvest Rock Syndicate'', awarded both five stars. In addition, Resurrection Band begain receiving greater airplay on radio stations that played Christian rock, and combined with their reputation as a powerful live act and effective [[Evangelism|evangelistic]] ministry (thanks to the fiery sermons preached at the end of Resurrection Band concerts by [[Glenn Kaiser]]), the band gained a positive reputation among church youth leaders as well as an enthusiastic and devoted fanbase. In spite of the increased attention, Resurrection Band funneled any and all profits back into the [[Jesus People USA]] community, as members held all monies in common according to the example set by the [[New Testament]] church.
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| − | In an attempt to be more efficient stewards of those monies, Resurrection Band built their own [[recording studio]] in the heart of their community, later nicknamed "Tone Zone." Although put together on a shoestring budget (with old mattresses on the walls in the studio's early incarnation), it was there that the band recorded its next album, ''[[D.M.Z. (album)|D.M.Z.]]'', during the summer of 1982. A transitional work, the album was half [[Van Halen]]-inspired hard rock featuring blistering guitar solos from [[Stu Heiss]], while the other half took a much more [[New Wave music|New Wave]]-driven approach, a controversial musical direction the band would pursue with greater vigor on future releases. The split personality of the album was not well-received critically, although it generated two tracks that became live staples for years to come: "Military Man" and "White Noise."
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| − | To that end, those songs appeared again on the band's next release, ''[[Live Bootleg]]'', a live album recorded before an enthusiastic local audience at the Odeon in [[Chicago, Illinois|Chicago]] in October of 1983. This was the band's first release for [[Sparrow Records]], one of the largest and most successful Christian record labels, which at that time was seeking to sign more Christian musical acts with ministry as their primary focus. ''Live Bootleg'' was the first album to be released under the band's shortened moniker "Rez Band," a [[colloquialism]] created by fans, and it also featured a number of songs that directly addressed issues of concern to [[high school]]-aged listeners. The latter focus would continue for as long as the band recorded music.
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| − | ===The mid-1980s: From New Wave to MTV===
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| − | After a number of successful tours throughout the United States and Europe in the early 1980s with a variety of Christian hard rock acts--including a high-profile tour in 1982 with [[Sweden|Swedish]] quartet [[Jerusalem (band)|Jerusalem]]--Rez Band was viewed by both fans and music critics as the preeminent Christian hard rock band. As a result, when Rez Band released ''[[Hostage]]'' in late [[1984 in music|1984]], listeners were caught completely off guard. Heavily keyboard-driven, the album reflected the band's increasing interest in New Wave music, and to that end, the first single from the album, "[[S.O.S.]]," features almost no guitar whatsoever (although it does feature a [[Speak & Spell (game)|Speak & Spell]]). No matter. "S.O.S." shot to the top of the Christian rock singles chart and stayed there for several weeks, and in doing so, the band attracted an entirely new audience. Still, the move was controversial, and the critical reaction was highly divided.
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| − | Rez Band hadn't completely abandoned its hard rock sound, though. The next single, "Crimes"--sung by co-lead singer [[Wendi Kaiser]]--is a traditional [[headbanging]] Rez Band number about inner-city violence, a topic that band members and the [[Jesus People USA]] community know first-hand. "Crimes" was even more popular on Christian radio, and received airplay on some mainstream rock stations as well, thanks to the music video, one of the first from the [[Contemporary Christian music]] industry to be broadcast on [[MTV]].
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| − | That brief taste of mainstream success had a major influence on the band's next album, ''[[Between Heaven 'N Hell]]'', which jettisoned most of the New Wave stylings of ''Hostage'' in favor of radio-friendly hard rock more akin to their ''[[Colours (Resurrection Band album)|Colours]]'' period. Shortening their moniker even further to "REZ," the band took advantage of the fact that [[Capitol Records]] now handled [[Sparrow Records|Sparrow's]] distribution. While the lyrics on the album represent a strong Christian worldview, explicit references to [[God]] or [[Jesus]] were almost non-existent. The catchy "Love Comes Down" was chosen as the band's first single, and the music video--featuring lots of [[dance]] [[choreography]]--was a far more polished effort, and as a result, received far more airplay on MTV than "Crimes" ever did. However, the band's most controversial decision was to eliminate their traditional [[altar call]] at the end of their concerts as a concession to playing more secular venues for the tour that supported this album, leading some to accuse the band of selling out their message for greater mainstream acceptance.
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| − | ===1988-1993: Incorporating the blues===
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| − | It would be three years before REZ returned to the studio to record their next album, and much changed in the [[Contemporary Christian music]] industry during that time. REZ was no longer the dominant force in [[Christian rock]]; instead, [[Stryper]] had burst onto the scene in all their yellow-and-black glory, bringing [[Christian metal]] to the mainstream with ''[[To Hell with the Devil]]'' in [[1986 in music|1986]], which sold millions of albums and made the band a mainstay on [[MTV]]. [[Amy Grant]] had scored her first #1 US pop hit the same year with "The Next Time I Fall," a duet with former [[Chicago (band)|Chicago]] lead singer [[Peter Cetera]]. Even [[Christian alternative music]] had made inroads into the mainstream when [[The 77s]] signed with [[Island Records]] and their [[The 77s (album)|self-titled album]] received a favorable review in ''[[Rolling Stone]]''. In addition, the [[Jesus People USA]] community established the annual [[Cornerstone Festival]] during this period, which would serve as a springboard to mainstream success for future Christian artists like [[Sixpence None the Richer]] and [[P.O.D.]]
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| − | Even the lineup of REZ changed during this time as well. Bassist [[Jim Denton]] left to attend [[Seminary|theological seminary]], and was replaced by long-time REZ [[roadie]] and songwriter [[Roy Montroy]], who would soon become a major creative force in the band.
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| − | Although REZ had been left out of the mainstream success which the band had arguably spearheaded for others, REZ was nevertheless more interested in using its music to speak plainly to both non-Christians about the reality of God, and to [[Christian]]s about their responsibility to the disenfranchised and hurting in the world around them. To that end, REZ returned to the studio in [[1988 in music|1988]], and the result was ''[[Silence Screams]]'', a hybrid of [[blues]], [[hard rock]] and [[heavy metal music|heavy metal]] that served as a musical blueprint for all of the band's successive releases. Sporting unsettling cover art, ''Silence Screams'' deals forcefully with social concerns such as [[abortion]], greed, [[racial profiling]] and even [[terrorism]], proving that--as they did with confronting [[apartheid]] in 1979--the band was once again ahead of the curve. The album is also unique in that it is the first to have been released on the band's own record label, Grrr Records, a wordplay on [[Myrrh Records]], the most successful Contemporary Christian record label at that time. Now, the band could exercise complete creative and financial control over their music.
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| − | Creatively invigorated, REZ released a new studio album every 18 months on average. ''[[Innocent Blood (album)|Innocent Blood]]'', ''[[Civil Rites]]'' and ''[[Reach of Love]]'' continued the formula first begun on ''[[Silence Screams]]''. Each album dealt with current topics of social and spiritual concern, and each release contained more and more blues influence, thanks to lead singer [[Glenn Kaiser]], who was beginning a new career as a blues artist outside of REZ. With Kaiser focusing more of his attention on his solo work, Roy Montroy became a greater contributor to REZ, and for ''Reach of Love'', he wrote every single track, a feat never accomplished before by any member of the band. However, there was a growing sense--not just among music critics but also within the band itself--that the formula was growing stale and that REZ had fallen into a creative rut. As a result, for the first time in the band's history, REZ reached outside the [[Jesus People USA]] community for creative inspiration, which came in the form of [[Ty Tabor]], co-lead singer of [[King's X]].
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| − | ===The late 1990s: Creative reinvention===
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| − | The result of [[Ty Tabor]]'s influence was ''[[Lament (album)|Lament]]'', released in [[1995 in music|1995]]. Unlike any of the band's previous work, ''Lament'' is the band's first [[concept album]], a song cycle about one man's disillusionment with the harshness and cruelty of life and his growing realization that things cannot change unless he experiences spiritual redemption. Recognizing the importance of how the songs are ordered, Resurrection Band (which had now reverted back to its original moniker) played the entire album from beginning to end on the tour which supported this album. This was rare enough in rock music--save for [[The Who]] and [[Styx (band)|Styx]]--but unheard of in Christian rock. As a result, the creative rebirth of ''Lament'' was highly praised among long-time fans of Resurrection Band as well as prominent Christian music critics, with some calling the album the finest the band ever recorded.
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| − | Regardless of the praise the band received for ''Lament'', Resurrection Band decided to call it quits at the end of the tour. As the band's final album of original material, it is a fitting [[swan song]], given that Resurrection Band's entire reason for existence was to inspire listeners to seriously consider their own spiritual condition and their need for [[Jesus|a Saviour]].
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| − | Despite this announcement, Resurrection Band would get together once a year and play a live set at the annual [[Cornerstone Festival]], which had become one of the Christian music industry's preeminent events. Then, in [[1997 in music|1997]], the band decided to go back into the studio for one last recording. The [[MTV Unplugged]] craze was at its highest pitch, and Resurrection Band felt it was an appropriate time to reinvent some of their hard rock material in an acoustic format. The result was ''[[Ampendectomy]]'', featuring 15 selections pulled from the band's entire musical history. In spite of the humorous cover art which indicated the fun, relaxed atmosphere of the recording session, the reviews of the album were surprisingly mixed. Regardless, the band continued to play live sets each year at Cornerstone.
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| − | Finally, in July of 2000, Resurrection Band brought almost 30 years of music and ministry to a close with a farewell performance, leaving behind them a transformed [[Contemporary Christian music]] industry, and a platform upon which future Christian musicians could build.
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| − | ==Personnel==
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| − | * [[Glenn Kaiser]] - vocals, guitar, dulcimer, harmonica
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| − | * [[Wendi Kaiser]] - vocals
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| − | * [[Stu Heiss]] - guitar, keyboards
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| − | * [[Jim Denton]] - bass guitar, keyboards (1974-1987)
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| − | * [[Roy Montroy]] - bass guitar, keyboards (1987-2000)
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| − | * [[John Herrin]] - drums
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| − | ==Discography==
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| − | ===Independent Cassettes===
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| − | * 1974 ''[[Music to Raise the Dead]]''
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| − | * 1974 ''[[All Your Life]]''
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| − | ===Studio Albums===
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| − | * 1978 ''[[Awaiting Your Reply]]''
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| − | * 1979 ''[[Rainbow's End]]''
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| − | * 1980 ''[[Colours (Resurrection Band album)|Colours]]''
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| − | * 1981 ''[[Mommy Don't Love Daddy Anymore]]''
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| − | * 1982 ''[[D.M.Z. (album)|D.M.Z.]]''
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| − | * 1984 ''[[Hostage (album)|Hostage]]''
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| − | * 1985 ''[[Between Heaven 'N Hell]]''
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| − | * 1988 ''[[Silence Screams]]''
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| − | * 1989 ''[[Innocent Blood (album)|Innocent Blood]]''
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| − | * 1991 ''[[Civil Rites]]''
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| − | * 1993 ''[[Reach of Love]]''
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| − | * 1995 ''[[Lament (album)|Lament]]''
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| − | * 1997 ''[[Ampendectomy]]''
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| − | ===Live Albums===
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| − | * 1984 ''[[Live Bootleg (album)|Live Bootleg]]''
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| − | * 1992 ''[[XX Years Live]]''
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| − | ===Compilation Albums===
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| − | * 1984 ''[[The Best of REZ: Music to Raise the Dead]]''
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| − | * 1988 ''[[REZ: Compact Favorites]]''
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| − | * 1995 ''[[The Light Years]]''
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| − | == External links ==
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| − | * [http://www.resurrectionband.com ResurrectionBand.com]
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| − | * [http://www.glennkaiser.com Glenn Kaiser]
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| − | * [http://www.askwendi.com Wendi Kaiser's advice column]
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| − | * [http://www.stuheiss.com Stu Heiss]
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| − | * [http://www.jimandjeanne.us former bass player Jim Denton]
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| − | * [http://www.cornerstonefestival.com Cornerstone, a Christian rock festival run by Herrin]
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| − | * [http://www.cornerstonemag.com Cornerstone Magazine]
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| − | * [http://www.grrrrecords.com Grrr Records (band community's own label)]
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| − | * [http://www.jpusa.org Jesus People USA]
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| − | [[Category:Christian rock]] | |
| − | [[Category:Musical groups founded by married couples]]
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| − | [[de:Resurrection Band]]
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