Issue #15
08-11-2003
by Michael Janke

Got a burning question? Trying to understand recent events? Need clarification on a rumor? Want to know how and why things happen the way they do? Ask CMCentral!

Welcome back to everyone's favorite Q&A section of CMCentral.com, Ask CMCentral. Currently on my hot list: Amy Grant's Simple Things, Michelle Tumes' Center of My Universe, White Heart's Emergency Broadcast an album by Michael Buble, and Petra's "Jekyll and Hyde."

Breaking News: For all you Susan Ashton fans, apparently she is back. Capitol just serviced country radio with a new single from her, called "She Is." I haven't heard it yet but now am really looking forward to it.

Last week's Stumper about Tragedy Ann elicited a ton of responses, so thanks to each and all who wrote in. What we know: Gabe Wilson is now singing for The Rock & Roll Worship Circus, Mikee Bridges is currently handling Portico (formerly Tomfest, www.porticofest.com), and I received no information on guitarist John Bronco. Apparently the band just dissolved after their record label shut down.

Reality television update. So I'm a bit ashamed to say I'm being sucked into For Love or Money 2 a bit. Apparently they're bringing back the guy from season one and the idea of that just baffles my mind. How will he fit in? The show is still mediocre, though. I'm excited to hear that casting for American Idol 3 has already begun. Finally, The Amazing Race. We're down to the final three, with the clowns finally being eliminated. I'm going to go against my previous inclinations here and predict that Kelly and Jon will win this one. Reichen and Chip seem to make too many boneheaded errors - they're lucky their penalty didn't cost them the game last episode - and I have to believe that will hurt them in the end. Kelly and Jon have pulled it together recently and there's something about their weird non-chemistry that actually works for them. I think they'll beat out the Goats and take this one home, which will make it two annoying couples in a row to win. This has been a good season, though. The last episode had me on the edge of my seat, which is all I ask from a show like this.

On with the questions.

Q: I was wondering what GRAMMY nominations Amy Grant has received over her career. I know she won five in the 80s, but it's surprising she hasn't won any since Lead Me On.
    Elijah

A: Perhaps things will change with the upcoming release of the superb Simple Things. Here's a list:
1994 Children Spoken Word, "Lion and the Lamb," (Nomination)
1992 Album of the Year, Heart In Motion (Nomination)
1992 Song of the Year, "Baby Baby" (Nomination)
1992 Record of the Year, "Baby Baby" (Nomination)
1992 Pop Performance Female, "Baby Baby" (Nomination)
1988 Best Contemporary [Gospel] Album, Lead Me On (Award)
1986 Best Gospel Performance, Unguarded (Award)
1985 Best Gospel Performance, "Angels" (Award)
1984 Best Gospel Performance, "Ageless Medley" (Award)
1983 Best Contemporary [Gospel] Album, Age To Age (Award)

Q: I am looking for a copy of the first Love Song album. I will take it on good, clean vinyl or on CD if it was issued in that format. I have checked numerous sites and can't find it anywhere. Do you know of any place that might carry old CCM stuff?
    Bryan

A: Well, eBay would be my first suggestion. But other than that, radrockers.com seems to have the best selection that I've noticed. Give it a try.

Q: In honor of the new Petra praise compilation and everything else Petra is working on, and in honor of Louie recently leaving the band, how many different people have been members at one point or the other?
    WaterOz

A: Well, umm, WaterOz, there's been a lot. Oh, don't forget to honor the upcoming (8/19) Jekyll and Hyde album! It's super-terrific; better than anything they've released in years and much more musically relevant as well. Okay, here's a breakdown of the past band membership. We'll do our best to stick with only official band members here (i.e. Peter Furler doesn't count, even though he's playing drums on the new record), though the band's most recent history is a bit of a haze to me so some of these names may not have been official. This information comes from a plethora of online and offline sources. Dates are general - sources have conflicting info at times. Also, at certain points in the band different members have had multiple musical roles; the role listed here is the primary one.

Guitar
Bob Hartman (1974-1995, 2003-current)
Quinton Gibson (2002-2003)
Pete Orta (1997-2000)
Kevin Brandow (1997-1999, 2000-2001)
David Lichens (1995-1997)
Rob Frazier (1979-1981)
Greg Hough (1974-1979)

Bass
Greg Bailey (2002-current)
Mike Brandenstein (2001)
Lonnie Chapin (1997-2001)
Ronnie Cates (1988-1997)
Mark Kelly (1981-1987)
John DeGroff (1974-1979)

Keyboard
NONE (current)
Bryce Bell (2000-2003)
Trent Thomason (1999)
Jim Cooper (1994-1997)
John Lawry (1984-1994)
John Slick (1981-1984)

Drum
NONE (current)
Louie Weaver (1981-2003)
Bill Glover (1974-1977)

Vocalist
John Schlitt (1986-current)
Greg X. Volz (1979-1985)

Hopefully that's everyone. By my count that makes 22.

Q: Hi, I am so glad you all have this column. I was wondering if you could tell me if there is a Christian artist out there who would be a folk/country/rock alternative to say someone like Kasey Chambers (a Victoria Williams and Alanis Morissette type). And would Julie Miller be a good one?
    Amy

A: I'll be honest. I've never heard Kasey Chambers. Maybe I should remedy that, as William Wallace might say. But if you want some good folk/country/rock the first woman who comes to my mind is Ashley Cleveland. Specifically, Lessons of Love and Big Town (called the #27 Greatest Christian album of all-time, by CCM Magazine). Julie Miller has never struck me as the type of artist you seem to be looking for here, but I haven't heard anything from her recently so perhaps she has changed. She has always been incredibly talented, though.

Q: Hey, I was surfing around Tooth and Nail's website and discovered The Juliana Theory. I thought their sound was quite enjoyable, and the fact that they are Christian is all the better. They are also in the CMCentral artist database. However, when I surfed around their site I began to question whether or not they are still Christian or whether their mainstream fame has gotten to their heads. That would be majorly disappointing... Their new album is on a mainstream label and there is no mention of God or their faith ANYWHERE. The people on their message boards are definitely not Christian either. Can you tell me what the scoop is?
    Ben

A: Ben, that's a complicated question. The first thing I would do is throw out the message board - it's really irrelevant to the band itself since it's composed of other people. I think we need to define terms. What is a Christian band? Is it just a band signed to a Christian label? Is it a band simply made up of Christians? Is it a band made up of Christians which sings explicitly about "Christian things?" There are quite a few ways we can go with this. Actually, though The Juliana Theory wouldn't really fit into any of the above categories anymore. They are now signed to a mainstream deal. And only one member of the band (from my understanding), Brett Detar, is a Christian (he used to be in Zao). Is their value in their music, though? Enough that a Christian could and should listen to it? therebelbase.net said this about their album, Emotion Is Dead: "This album is like a trip 'into the dark.' It's not exactly the feel-good album of the year - The Juliana Theory explores such issues as suicide, breakups, and some even darker subjects. My favorite track on the album is 'If I Told You This Was Killing Me, Would You Stop,' a song that is angry and seemingly self-righteous, though also full of biting truth. Discernment is advised on this CD, but I think it's ultimately a piece of music that many Christians should be able to learn from."

Q: Good day! Just wanted to know what happened to my favorite artists, Leslie Philips and Benny Hester?
    Angel

A: Leslie left the Christian music industry after her groundbreaking album, The Turning, and has been recording in the mainstream under the moniker Sam Phillips ever since. Benny did work on the awesome kids show, Roundhouse. Some more news from a previous issue of AskCMC: "Benny still makes concert appearances here and there, usually with the Christian band, Shaded Red. Benny is currently producing and supporting the multitalented brothers who make up the rock band, Indio. Indio can be heard playing on various nights at clubs along Los Angeles' famous Sunset Strip. Benny met Indio when they arranged and performed a cover version of Benny's mega hit, 'When God Ran'." Here's a good Benny Hester site.

Q: Hello! Could anyone tell me what happened with Michelle Tumes. Her release for her new CD had been posted for September for quite sometime. Then one day I noticed she's not on the new release list any more. :( Is she still going to come out with an album this year? Please let me know. I love all of Michelle Tumes CD's.
    Amy

A: Unfortunately, Michelle is no longer with Sparrow Records. The latest news we have is in the Missing Artists section. Just a friendly reminder to everyone to please check that page before you write in with any "where is so-and-so" questions. Thanks. Oh, I did hear from a member in our Forum, though, that Jump5 is covering her song, "Do Ya." Interesting.

Q: Did anything ever come from the whole KJ-52/MTV TRL thing? The last I heard about it was Carson and the TRL crew was bashing KJ-52, saying he was dissing Eminem and all that. Did anyone say or do anything about it or was it just dropped?
    Nate

A: As far as I know, nothing else has been mentioned on TRL about KJ-52. I'm not sure they were bashing KJ-52 so much as not really understanding the point of his song and reacting defensively. I mean, they were ignorant to the point that they pronounced his name wrong. That said, "Dear Slim, Part II" could stir up a new batch of controversy soon.

Q: I've heard some people say that when counting record sales, sales from Christian outlets don't count. So if I was to say that P.O.D. sold x amount of records, that would only come from Best Buy, Sam Goody, etc. But it wouldn't include Family Christian, local Christian bookstores, etc. because they aren't on Soundscan. So I guess that makes me wonder at the reports that Christian music sales are down this past year, maybe they wouldn't be if Christian stores were counted too. Am I correct in thinking this? Thanks for your help!
    Joe

A: People are feeding you bad information, Joe. Who are these people? I'll report them to the proper authorities. Meanwhile, let's answer your question. Most Christian retail outlets do report to Soundscan these days. There are a small number that don't - mainly independents - but there are also a small number of mainstream outlets that do not report. From my understanding of Soundscan, there is a formula to make up for this and numbers are adjusted accordingly to reflect probable sales from these non-reporting stores. There was a time when Christian stores were not counted for the Billboard charts, but for almost a decade now that hasn't been the case. It was actually when the CBA (stores in the Christian market) began using Soundscan that Christian music on the whole began to be noticed by the mainstream media and the genre really began to explode in popularity.

Q: I was wondering who decides what songs will be released to radio? A couple of veteran artists, Gary Chapman & Bob Carlisle, (just to name couple) seem to have been snubbed lately. I thought their last projects had some strong radio potential but if a single was released it seemed to be the dud track not the strength of the CD. Just curious.
    Mark

A: It depends on the artist. Some artists will have more input on this than others. But in general it's a decision made by the label and the artist's management. As for Gary and Bob, their lack of airplay is due more to the radio side of things - lack of interest, or perhaps the material itself just not clicking with the audience.

Q: In the "Missing Artists" section there is mention of PFR bassist Patrick Andrew working on a worship album with another guy. I'm just wondering how recent that info is and if there is any new info on the project?
    Tim

A: Actually, the album is now out. The project is called More Than Words, by Summit242, also known as Waiting For Thursday. Check out Robin's review here.

Stumper of the Week

Q: In the late 80's or early 90's there were two young sisters who had an album, Heather and Kirsten (self-titled). I was wondering what happened to them.
    Virginia

A: Ahh, Heather and Kristen. I remember them. From Maranatha!'s short-lived foray into contemporary music with their Arcade label. Their album, Betcha Didn't Know, was one of the earlier attempts at dance-pop in the Christian market. The label didn't last, though, and Heather and Kristen disappeared. I don't know what happened to them. Anyone? For trivia buffs, Arcade did spawn at least one success story. A group of brothers known as The Katina Boyz recorded their first album on Arcade in 1991. They returned in 1999 as The Katinas, on Toby Mac's Gotee.

That wraps up this issue. Keep the questions coming, to ask@cmcentral.com. I'll be back next Monday with my opinion column, and AskCMC will return the week after.
          Michael Janke

There is a brand new section of CMCentral for Missing Artists. It's quite thorough and updated, so please visit there before you send me any new questions on missing bands. I will not answer any question that can be answered by clicking over to that portion of the site unless there is breaking news of some sort.

Please include your name with all submissions. No name, no answer. All questions are subject to editing. Not all questions can be answered due to editorial and other considerations, and personal replies are not possible.