Relient K Biography

Since 1998, Relient K has been a staple in the Christian music industry.  Through many member changes, three gold albums, two Christmas records, a Grammy nomination, two Dove awards, and performances on Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, and numerous television shows, this group has exploded in popularity over the last ten years.  Throughout their history, Relient K has been known for their pop/punk sound fused with humor, witty lyrics, and Jesus Christ.

Relient K first formed in 1997 in Canton, Ohio with Matt Thiessen, Matt Hoopes, and Brian Pittman.  Drummer Stephen Cushman later joined the group.  The band is named after Matt Hoopes’ old car, which was a Plymouth Reliant K.  After an independent album, Relient K caught the attention of Gotee Records, and released their first album on Gotee in 2000.  The self titled project features Relient K singing fun, punk rock songs mixed with many pop culture references including Back to the Future, Marilyn Manson, and even staples.  The first video is of the song My Girlfriend.  This song is about Marilyn Manson and MTV.  But more specifically, it is about a girl who is corrupted by the world around her.  The official music video is a funny take on the song.




Shortly after their debut album, drummer Stephen Cushman left the band, and Dave Douglas filled his position.  In 2001, the group released their second album, The Anatomy of Tongue in Cheek.  This album once again was filled with many humorous songs and pop culture references, but it also included many soft, spiritual tracks.  From meaningful worship ballads to the Sadie Hawkins Dance to even criticizing Christians for fighting among themselves, this album featured a little bit of everything lyrically.  Five years after the release, The Anatomy of Tongue in Cheek was certified gold.  Pressing On is the second track on the album.  This song is about pressing on through the hardships in life and striving to be with Jesus Christ.




In 2003, Relient K released their third album entitled Two Lefts Don’t Make a Right…but Three Do. This album mixed together elements from their first two albums:  pop culture references and meaningful worship ballads.  From mood rings to pink tuxedos to college kids, this album was filled with funny and comedic takes on the world.  Plus, like their previous album, Relient K also embraced their serious side with songs such as Forward Motion, Trademark, I Am Understood?, and Getting Into You.  For Two Lefts, Relient K released multiple album covers featuring different vehicles in car crashes.  This album was also certified gold.  The song I want to share with you is the lead track entitled Chap Stick, Chapped Lips, and Things Like Chemistry.  This simple and fun video features the band performing the song and taking care of the elderly.  Overall, Two Lefts was probably the most pivotal album in Relient K’s career.  After this record, Relient K slowly disregarded humor and comedy in their lyrics, and embraced a more mature punk rock sound.




Shortly before the release of their next album, Mmhmm, original bassist Brian Pittman left the group.  Filling his shoes was former Ace Troubleshooter member, John Warne.  Jon Schneck also joined the group to play guitar, banjo, and bells.  Mmhmm was released in late 2004, and in less than a year was certified gold.  Arguably Relient K’s most popular album to date, Mmhmm spawned two very popular singles: Be My Escape and Who I am Hates Who I’ve Been.  It was also the major label debut for them on Capitol Records.  On Mmhmm, Relient K fully embraced a mature sound.  The group definitely progressed from their previous efforts, and the album really shines musically and lyrically.  This next song is one of my all time favorite songs by Relient K.  Who I am Hates Who I’ve Been is a song about a person regretting their past choices.




Three years after Mmhmm, Relient K was poised to release their next album.  Five Score and Seven Years Ago pays homage to the beginning of the Gettysburg Address (Four Score and Seven Years Ago).  The album title also comes from the fact that this record was their fifth album, and their debut was released seven years earlier.  Featuring a mixture of emotions, happiness and cynicism, this album had it all emotionally.  The Best Thing and Must Have Done Something Right are pure, pop, love songs.  Other tracks like Devastation and Reform and I Need You are simple cries out to God asking for help.  This album also ended with a rather unique song entitled Deathbed which features Jon Foreman, lead singer of Switchfoot.  The eleven minute song details the life of a man who is near death.  In my opinion, this is Relient K’s most unusual, but also most fascinating song to date.  Shortly after the release of this album, Relient K experienced tragedy when their tour bus caught fire.  Thankfully no one was injured, but the group did lose personal items, including Matt Thiessen’s laptop computer which held 100 unfinished songs.  The next song is Must Have Done Something Right.  The video features a very cool concept about a relationship and a soccer ball.




At the end of 2007, Relient K went through another member change, as well as a musical shift.  Long time drummer, Dave Douglas, decided to leave the band in December of 2007.  He was replaced by Ethan Luck, former guitarist for the O.C. Supertones and Demon Hunter.  In 2008, the band released a double EP entitled The Bird and the Bee Sides.  The first of the two extended EPs featured 13 brand new tracks.  Relient K also delved into some brand new music with this EP, dabbling in pop, ska, and even country music.  The second EP featured B-sides of their former albums.  This EP had acoustic tracks, demos, and a few unreleased songs. Their latest album, Forget and Not Slow Down, was released in 2009.  Even more than their previous record, Relient K separated themselves from their earlier punk rock sound.  Featuring mostly straight rock music with many intros and outros, this album was vastly different than previous works.  This album also featured many guest musicians including Aaron Gillespie of the Almost and Matt McDonald of the Classic Crime.  For me, I definitely miss their old, witty lyrics mixed with punk rock music.  But, there is still a lot to enjoy with this record.  This was the first full length album that the band did not release a music video.

Relient K has also released two Christmas albums in their career:  Deck the Halls, Bruise Your Hand in 2003, and Let it Snow, Baby…Let it Reindeer in 2007.  Both of the albums featured classic Christmas songs with a punk rock twist.

Relient K has not announced any new music or upcoming albums.  But, the group will embark on the Vans Warped Tour this summer in 2011.  I want to end this biography of Relient K with one of their most popular songs of all time:  Be My Escape.  Off the Mmhmm album, this single went gold in 2005.  Also, this song boosted the band’s mainstream popularity by becoming a hit on MTV.  Here is the official music video for Be My Escape.   I hope you have enjoyed this look at Relient K’s career.

Skillets, Panheads, and Rock and Roll

Throughout their fourteen year career, Skillet has been a staple in Christian rock music. They have released eight albums, two of which were Grammy nominated. Skillet has sold over 1.5 million records worldwide, and their last two albums, Comatose and Awake, were certified gold. Skillet has also been widely used in the media today. Their songs have been featured in many television shows, video games, and films. Skillet’s music has been used on such shows as Joan of Arcadia, America’s Next Top Model, One Life to Live, WWE, MLB World Series, and Sunday Night Football. Skillet has also been featured in the video games: Guitar Praise, Rock Band, and Rock Band 2. Their music was also used in the trailers for the movie Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.

But, before their immense success, Skillet was formed in 1996 in Memphis, Tennessee. The founding members were John Cooper, Ken Steorts, and Trey McClurkin. John, Ken, and Trey were in different bands before Skillet, and they decided to start a side project. They named the side project Skillet because their band was like putting a bunch of ingredients in a skillet, mixing it up, and then seeing what would come out. To this day John Cooper still laughs at this name, and he claims that he still does not like the name of the band.

After being a band for only a couple of weeks, the band received major interest from the label Forefront Records. Soon after, they released their self-titled debut album on Forefront/Ardent Records. On this album, Skillet mainly played grunge rock music. This album was not huge on the album sales chart, but it was well received. For this record, Skillet made three music videos for the songs Gasoline, I Can, and Saturn.

This first music video is of the song Gasoline. This song is all about having God come into our hearts and consuming us. The video features a man trapped in a caged jungle, along with live shots of Skillet playing.




Skillet’s second album, Hey I Love Your Soul, came two years later in 1998. Skillet is known for constantly changing their sound musically from record to record. Unlike their debut grunge rock album, their second record featured a much lighter alternative rock style.

This next video is of the song More Faithful. This ballad is a simple song all about God’s faithfulness.




After the release of their second album, Skillet went through a number of member changes. Ken Steorts left the band and Kevin Haaland took his place as guitarist. John Cooper’s wife, Korey Cooper, also joined the band as keyboardist and back-up vocalist. Their third album, Invincible, once again featured another shift musically for the band. Invincible was more of an electronic album than anything they had done before. Shortly after the release of Invincible, Trey McClurkin left the band and Lori Peters filled in as new drummer.

Their fourth album was released less than a year after Invincible. Ardent Worship is a live album featuring the members of Skillet leading a worship service. The album features ten songs, five were written by Skillet, and five were covered from other musicians. This is Skillet’s first album where no music videos were recorded.

Skillet’s next album came in 2001. This was their third album released in a year and a half. Alien Youth proved to be their first huge hit. The album peaked at 141 on the Billboard 200, and the title track went on to be a number one single on the Christian radio charts. This is also the first album that featured Ben Kasica on guitar; he replaced guitarist Kevin Haaland.

The concept for the video Alien Youth is the band performing in the middle of a street. This song is all about the youth of America standing up for their beliefs in Jesus Christ and having a major impact on the world. Here is the music video for the number one single Alien Youth.




Skillet’s sixth album came out two years later in 2003. Collide is known as Skillet’s heaviest album. Unlike previous albums, this album features heavy guitars, driving bass, and a pounding drum beat, with very little electronic rock mixed in. Lead singer John Cooper is also known for screaming on multiple songs in this album. Collide did not do as well on the Billboard 200 as previous albums. It maxed out at 179 on the Billboard 200, but it did reach number five on the Heatseekers Chart.

This next video is of the hit single Savior. This video features two boys and their abusive father. In order to escape the pain of living at home with their father, the boys flee to a park.




Comatose was released three years later in 2006. This album is by far Skillet’s most important, popular, and influential album to date. Comatose debuted at number 55 on the Billboard 200 and it later went gold, by selling over 500,000 units. Skillet released six singles from the album, and two more Comatose cds were also released. A deluxe edition was released along with a live Comatose record. This album was also nominated for a Grammy award.

Comatose definitely proved to be another diverse album from Skillet. Collide dabbled in orchestra music along with hard rock, but this album dove headfirst in that concept. Many of the songs feature string instruments, including violin and cello, along with the driving hard music that has made Skillet so popular. For me personally, this is probably my all time favorite album. From start to finish, the album absolutely blew me away. I have never heard a perfect album before, but this record definitely came as close as possible to perfection.

Two years after the release of Comatose, drummer Lori Peters announced that she would be leaving the band permanently. She was replaced by eighteen year old Jen Ledger from England.

This music video is of the fifth single off the Comatose record called The Older I Get. This song is about John Cooper’s strained relationship with his father. After Cooper’s mother died, John and his father had a very hard time getting along. This song is all about the repaired relationship Cooper had with his father. This video features behind-the-scenes shots of the band recording the album Comatose. It is also the last video that features Lori Peters as drummer.




Skillet’s latest album, Awake, was released in August 2009. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, selling over 68,000 copies in its first week. In less than a year, this album went on to be certified gold. Skillet currently has three music videos for this album: Hero, Monster, and Awake and Alive. All three videos are doing very well on youtube. Hero has over 9 million views, Monster has almost 12 million views, and Awake and Alive has around 300,000 views.

This is the first album that Skillet did not make a drastic leap musically. For all their past albums, they always switched up each album musically. For Awake, Skillet mainly stuck to the same formula that made Comatose popular: using string instruments with driving hard rock melodies. This was also the first album that featured Jen Ledger on drums as well as back up vocals on the songs Hero and Awake and Alive.

This music video is for the song Hero. Lyrically, the song talks about how we as Christians should stand up for our beliefs and become true heroes in today’s world.




Skillet has also lent their talent to the Christian kids TV Show Veggietales. They were featured on the Veggie Rocks cd along with many other well known Christian rock artists including: Audio Adrenaline, Newsboys, Relient K, Sanctus Real, Superchick, O.C. Supertones, and many more. Skillet recorded the song Stand Up for the Veggie Rocks album.

Skillet has toured with many popular groups in the secular and Christian markets. In the secular market, they have toured with bands such as Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin, Seether, Shinedown, Puddle of Mudd, and Creed. They have also toured with many well known Christian rock bands including: Red, Disciple, Thousand Foot Krutch, Flyleaf, TobyMac, The Letter Black, Decyfer Down, and Hawk Nelson.

Skillet is known for having a very close relationship with their fans. Skillet is active on many social networking sites including Facebook and Twitter. They also have a special name for their fans. Skillet calls all their fans, panheads. Finally, Skillet is known for their podcasts. Skillet records many podcasts, throughout the year, that feature behind the scenes content of the band. All of these videos can be seen on Skillet’s youtube channel. Here is an example of one of Skillet’s behind the scenes podcasts.




For the last 14 years, Skillet has defined this generation of Christian rock music. Through many member changes and album releases, Skillet has been a staple in the Christian market. John Cooper said it best in the chorus of their hit song Awake and Alive when he described his faith as a Christian. “I'm awake I'm alive. Now I know what I believe inside. Now it's my time. I'll do what I want 'cause this is my life. Right here, right now, I'll stand my ground and never back down. I know what I believe inside, I'm awake and I'm alive.”

The Life and Career of the Newsboys

Throughout their twenty-five year career, the Newsboys have been one of the most popular Christian rock bands of all time. They have twenty #1 Christian rock singles and been Grammy nominated four times. The Newsboys have been featured on many magazines including Newsweek, USA Today, Rolling Stone, Guitar Player, and Modern Drummer, and they have been featured on many television shows on channels such as VH1, CBS, ESPN, CNN, E!, and PBS. The Newsboys have five gold albums, and they have sold over six million records worldwide. They have also played a live show at The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

But, before they began their immense success in the Christian scene, the Newsboys were formed to humble beginnings in 1985 in Australia under their original name The News. They began their career playing local shows in church basements and pubs around Australia. They soon moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and changed their name to the Newsboys, in order to avoid conflict with the band Huey Lewis and the News.

In 1988, they released their debut album, Read All About It, on Refuge Communication Records. This album features the core members of John James (lead vocalist), Sean Taylor (bassist), Peter Furler (drums), and Phil Yates (guitarist). This album actually turned out to be a flop and the record company soon dropped the band.

The Newsboys were then picked up by the label Star Song, and the Newsboys released two more albums in the next three years. Hell is For Wimps and Boyz Will Be Boyz once again enjoyed little success for the band.

Here is the music video for the song Simple Man off the album Hell is For Wimps. This is the first video ever made by the Newsboys.




Finally, after a number of lineup changes, the Newsboys' big break came in 1992 when they released the album Not Ashamed. The title track went on to be their first number one single on Christian Radio.

After the popularity of Not Ashamed, the Newsboys' reputation continued to grow. Their next two albums, Going Public released in 1994 and Take Me To Your Leader released in 1996, both went on to be gold albums and each featured many number one hits. Going Public featured four #1 hits including: Shine, Spirit Thing, Truth and Consequences, and Real Good Thing. The album Take Me To Your Leader featured three #1 singles including the songs: Take Me To Your Leader, Reality, and Let Go. Both of these albums feature arguably their two most famous and popular songs of all time: Shine, and Breakfast.

Here is the music video for the #1 single Take Me to Your Leader.




After the immense popularity beginning to grow for the band, their lead singer, John James, decided to leave the Newsboys in 1998. Peter Furler, the drummer and back up singer for the band, decided to take his place.

In 1998, the Newsboys released their seventh album and first album featuring Peter Furler as lead vocalist. Also in the album, Step Up to the Microphone, Phil Joel, the bassist for the band, stepped in for backing vocals. The percussionist, Duncan Phillips, also moved his position in the band to full time drummer. With this album, the Newsboys combined the efforts of their last two albums. Step Up to the Microphone featured the ballads that made Going Public popular and it also featured the driving rock songs that made Take Me to Your Leader a national hit. This album featured four #1 singles on Christian radio charts including the songs: Believe, Woohoo, Step Up to the Microphone, and Entertaining Angels.

Here is the video for the hit song Entertaining Angels.




Their next album, Love Liberty Disco, came a year later in 1999. This album was very different stylistically and musically than anything the Newsboys had done before. As the title suggests, most of the songs fit into disco music stylistically. Not all the songs are disco songs, some of the tracks are vintage Newsboys pop rock songs. A Beautiful Sound, Good Stuff, and Forever Man are classic Newsboys songs.

This is the official music video for Love Liberty Disco.




After the Love Liberty Disco album, the Newsboys took their biggest break between records in their career. It took three years before they released their next album, Thrive. This was another very different album for the band. Yes, they had their usual driving pop rock sound, but they also incorporated worship music into their album for the first time in their career. Songs such as It is You, Thrive, and Lord I Don’t Know helped usher in a new worship era for the band.

This next music video is a song all about kissing your cares goodbye and giving them to the Lord. Here is Million Pieces.




For their next two albums, the Newsboys decided to delve into the world of worship music. Both, Adoration released in 2003 and Devotion released in 2004, were a major contrast to the Newsboys sound. These albums were free of driving pop rock music and in its place filled with meaningful worship songs. On these two albums, the Newsboys did covers of many popular worship songs including: Amazing Love, In Christ Alone, Blessed Be Your Name, Name Above All Names, and When the Tears Fall. Both albums weren’t all covers, each record also featured some of the most popular Newsboys songs of all time. He Reigns and My Heart’s Desire could rank up there in popularity with Breakfast and Shine. In 2003, after the release of Adoration, long time guitarist Jody Davis was forced to leave the band in order to take care of his sick daughter. Bryan Olesen took his place for only one album. After the release of Devotion, Olesen left the band to start his own Christian rock band called Vota.

Here is one of their most famous worship songs, He Reigns.




After delving into the world of worship, Newsboys decided to combine worship and rock and roll for their next two albums. Go released in 2006 and In the Hands of God released in 2009 featured both pop rock and beautiful worship ballads. Go features pop rock songs like Wherever We Go and Your Love is Better than Life and worship songs such as In Wonder and I Am Free. In the Hands of God features rock songs like The Way We Roll and My Friend Jesus and worship songs such as Glorious, and Lead Me to the Cross.

Paul Colman replaced Olesen in the album Go as the lead guitarist. But, after a short stint with the band, he soon leaves to pursue his own solo career. After his daughter’s recovery and a six year hiatus from the band, Jody Davis returned to the Newsboys in 2009. He was the guitarist for the In the Hands of God album and he is currently the Newsboys lead guitarist. In the Hands of God is also the first album that did not feature long time bassist and back up singer Phil Joel. He left the band shortly after the release of Go to pursue a solo career.

This next video is from the album Go, it is called Something Beautiful.




Newsboys have also lent their musical talents to the Christian kids television show Veggietales. They were featured on the Veggie Rocks cd along with many other well known Christian rock artists including: Audio Adrenaline, Skillet, Relient K, Sanctus Real, Superchick, O.C. Supertones, and many more. The Newsboys recorded the song In the Belly of the Whale for the Veggie Rocks cd. The song is also featured on the Jonah Veggie Tales official soundtrack.

Not only are the Newsboys known for their pop rock albums, they are also known for their amazing live shows. The Newsboys started the traveling Christian music festival in 2001 called Festival Con Dios, which means Festival with God. The tour ran for three years, until 2003, and featured many well known Christian bands including Audio Adrenaline, Switchfoot, Pillar, TobyMac, Skillet, Plus One, and more.

Throughout their career, the Newsboys have toured with many well known Christian bands including Code of Ethics, Plankeye, Third Day, Sonicflood, Jeremy Camp, Rebecca St. James, Kutless, Stellar Kart, Rush of Fools, DecembeRadio, and Seventh Day Slumber. In their live shows, they are also known for an amazing drum solo. The drummer, Duncan Phillips, will play a drum solo while on a platform that rises in the air, tilts downward 90 degrees and spins around. Since the platform is tilted downwards, Duncan is forced to wear two different harnesses in order to keep him strapped to his seat.

Here is a short video of Duncan Phillips performing the drum solo live.




In 2009, the only founding member remaining in the band, Peter Furler, decided to leave the Newsboys after a twenty-four year career with the group. He wanted to take a more supportive role and write and produce songs for the band.

According to Stereotruth.com, this is what Peter Furler had to say about his departure. “Newsboys to me has always been a mission, and I entrust Mike, Jeff, Jody and Duncan to continue all that is in store for us as a band. I’m looking forward to focusing on the band’s studio career and spending time in my own bed after many years in a tour bus and hundreds of thousands of miles on the road.”

Since his departure, Furler has also gone on to be a professional oil painter. He has many paintings on regular canvas and he also has many paintings on drum heads. Many of his works are featured in offices and recording studios across the country.

His replacement was a long time friend of the band, Michael Tait. Michael Tait is a former member of the highly awarded and publicized Christian rock band DC Talk and he was also the lead singer of the band Tait.

The Newsboys have announced their latest album will be released on July 13, 2010. This will be the first album with Michael Tait as the lead vocalist.

Here is the title track off their album, it is called Born Again.




The Newsboys’ career has defined this generation of Christian rock music. Through many member changes, six different guitarists, two bassists, two keyboardists, and three lead vocalists, the Newsboys are still going strong after twenty-five years.

Peter Furler said it best when he described the Newsboys in their official biography. He said, “If you aren’t making music from the right place, then it won’t be authentic, people will not connect with it, and your record will be sitting on a shelf. On the other hand, if you write from that place of true passion, without trying to make something commercial or forced, then the result will be natural. People will be drawn to it.”