Indie Vision Music posted a great interview with Ted Bond, lead singer from Craig's Brother, last night. Here's a small excerpt;
"The only difference is that I am more convinced than ever. I think when we first started the band I had this view that Christian music was somehow less sincere. I think often it is, but what I’ve come to realize is that being a Christian gives me a specific cultural vantage point that is powerful and worth leveraging. When it comes to ethical issues, Christians are speaking from within a 2000 year old tradition that has had profound influence on western culture. Whether or not the culture we live in likes us, or what we think about morality, when we say something about it, they pay attention. That means that when I step out as a Christian and a Punk rocker, I am more easily engaged by the listener, Christian or not, than if I were to step out as only a Punk Rocker.
Just to be clear the central message of CB for Christians has been that we have failed to use Christian music as the mission field we want to claim it is. That is, it is a different audience that attends a Christian Punk show than the one that attends a secular show. This is not the case everywhere, but mostly that is what I have observed. The reason for this is not because the world has rejected the church, but vice versa, the church does not want to participate in the culture of the world. Rock and Roll, and especially Punk is dangerous. There’s sex and drugs and violence and Christians are mostly just plain afraid of that stuff. So instead of teaching our youth, who would be punks, to go out into the world and represent Christ by being different, we have made a safer version within the confines of what we can control. We have brought the punk into church while leaving the punkers out. I think that’s a shame.
Of course participating in the culture of the world means writing music that non-Christians would want to listen to, and that means that you can’t write songs that speak in Christian-ese, and church lingo (though I have to admit I break my own rule by mentioning “the fall” twice on the new album). It also means you are held to a higher standard of quality. For us that’s what its all about. The standard is the highest standard ever; it’s the glory of God. We want to be the band that’s so good that the non-Christian can’t help but love it even if they hate God."
So Ted talks about 2 things that I absolutely love. First he talks about a higher standard of quality in music (he discusses this more in the interview). For a while christian music was really a breeding ground for shitty wannabe bands. Christian music was just an alternative source for christian kids who couldn't (or wouldn't) listen to secular music. If there was a non-christian band you liked, there was a less talented crappy christian version. Of course there were bands with talent and were making quality records but for a period of time, and even still to an extent, Christian labels were signing bands that sounded like the current trend and popular bands in the non-christian music scene.
This has gotten better over the years as bands like Underoath, As I Lay Dying, Flyleaf, Anberlin, Norma Jean, Emery, and a slew of other bands have found a lot of success in the secular music world. And artist like Owl City and The Fray, who are christians, have had tons of success and most people don't know they're christians.
The second thing Ted talks about that has been a pet peeve of mine. Look, I loved the christian hardcore/punk rock clubs and churches that put on shows when I was in junior high and high school. Without the Cave and Mt Oak church, I wouldn't have spent my high school years going to shows and being an active part of the hardcore and punk rock scene. But the idea that christian rock as a ministry when they only play in churches has always rubbed me the wrong way. And yes, I know people will go see shows at churches if bands they like are playing, or just because they like being part of the scene, but the impact isn't the same.
I know youth groups have changed the landscape of the average christian teen has changed since I went to high school but I know there's still a lot of in this world, not of it that has the church creating their own version everything. Yes the scene has changed and you're really hard pressed to find christian bands only touring with other christian bands, only playing churches. Even the big all christian tours have moved into the club scene, so this point is probably less relevant now a days, but it stuck to this aging punk rocker.
You can read the entire interview here http://www.indievisionmusic.com/2010/07/20/ted-bond-of-craigs-brother/
And if you want to hear a classic christian punk record, you should get Craig's Brother's "Lost at Sea." http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/lost-at-sea/id14466597
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