Feature: If I Were Alive

i received an email from Jordan, who plays guitar in the band called If I Were Alive. it's not my style of music, but i figured i need to be fair to all genres of Christian indie music, so here it goes. :) If I Were Alive is a heavy metal core band, based out of good ol' Lynchburg, VA. i'm assuming they're Christian, but honestly i couldn't understand a word they were saying in the song i heard off they're myspace.com site, http://www.myspace.com/ifiwerealive. i'm sure if you're used to hearing this style of music though, you'll be able to decipher what they're saying just fine. :) you can hear the song at that site. they're main website is http://www.ifiwerealive.com/. so for all you heavy metal fans, there you go, check 'em out!

The guys of If I Were Alive, rockin' out

News: Jake Holman opening for Delirious

hey all -

indie artist, Jake Holman, will be opening for Delirious? at the upcoming Delirious? concert at Liberty University on March 5th. pretty awesome opportunity for an indie artist who's just starting out with his first album.

LU students can get tickets ahead of time for $7 (remember your ID when you go to buy your tickets) and the general public can get tickets for $10, which is still a great price to see Delirious? in concert. they're an amazing group, but i can't go into great detail about them because they're not indie. and this spot's for indies. :)

again, the show's March 5th, 2005 and starts at 7:30pm in the Schilling Center at Liberty University.

Feature: Caleb Carruth

Caleb Carruth

i have yet to find someone who has heard of Caleb Carruth, besides myself. :) Caleb's actually only come out with 1 album by himself, and it's called Darkness Falls. he used to record with Shane Barnard, and they recorded Salvation Still Remains back in 1998. Caleb's music has a laid back, acoustic feel and part of the songs on his album are remakes of worship songs. though they're not original songs, he still puts his own style on them and does a great job allowing the song to feel and sound fresh to the listener. Shane Barnard also sings with Caleb on a couple of the songs, which just makes the CD all the more great. because Shane Barnard just plain rocks. my favorite song on Darkness Falls is titled "I Will Call You (Blessed)". this beautiful song is a song Caleb wrote for his wife, and it is the perfect song for weddings. i do a lot of video taping weddings and editing them into DVDs, and i originally used this song for my sister's wedding DVD. i've shown that DVD to quite lot of people and everytime they hear this song, they want to know who it is, what it's called, and how they can get his CD. yeah, it's THAT good. :) Caleb's brother, Shane Carruth, is a movie producer and his newest indie film, Primer, is getting really great reviews. i've yet to find a way to view the movie, but if anyone knows where i can find it, let me know. for more info on Caleb Carruth, hit up his website at http://www.calebcarruth.com/ and purchase his CD there or go directly to http://www.independentbands.com/cd/calebcarruth/darknessfalls.html, which is the site you end up going to anyway if you go thru Caleb's site. :)

Feature: Jake Holman

one of the newest indie artists on the scene is one of Liberty University's own, Jake Holman. this guy has got amazing vocals and can play the guitar equally as well. he's written the words and music for all 5 of the songs on his debut album, Far and Few Between, which was recently released in mid-February.

holman's lyrics deal a lot with relationships, both humanly speaking and spiritually speaking. the chorus of the song, Closer, capture the heart of many Believers regarding their relationship with God: "Just to be closer to You is all i want to do. 'cause just by knowing who You are, won't get me very far. so no matter how deep i dig, or how far i get, i want to be closer."

and for just a bit of random information, holman's dad is the pastor of Landmark Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. pretty cool.

for more info, check out www.jakeholman.com where you can hear the first track on the album. you can get his cd off of his website or at the Liberty bookstore on campus. or i guess if you go to Liberty and see him on campus, ask him if he's carrying any extras in his backpack. just kidding.

and, as always, check back for news on any artists mentioned on this blog. also, if you have some Christian indie bands you're diggin', shoot an email to me with the band's name and website (or info about the band if they don't have a site). if you tell me why you love their music, it increases the chances of the band getting featured on the blog. :)

Feature: 10th Avenue North

i must start out with my personal favorite indie band, 10th Avenue North (Shane & Shane were first, but they've signed with Inpop now, so they aren't technically indie. however, because they were originally indie, you can be assured that you will hear plenty about Shane & Shane on this blog. but i figured it was only fair that i start off with a true & current indie band). the guys of 10th Ave have been playing together for four years and their style is kind of a mix between rock and acoustic. their current album out, Don't Look Back, features 10 songs that each have their own unique sound and message. if i knew how to post sound files, i'd upload a clip or 2 for you all to hear. hopefully in the future i'll learn how to do that and then i'll share the music on here. :) 10th Avenue North is one of those bands i love listening to in my car on warm, sunny days with my windows rolled down and sunroof open and blaring the music. especially while listening to the first track, No Telling Why. the lyrics of that song include "Come with Me, leave your hate, your fears, and don't look back - leave the past behind you. Come with Me, bring your heart, your dreams, don't look back." the song's like an invitation from God to leave behind what's happened in your past and pursue Him without looking back. 10th Ave has one of the best "about us" pages i've ever read. check out an excerpt from their website:

"Whatever it is they're playing, and whoever it is they're playing for, the prayer remains the same. That the audience of this world would one day be enthralled, not with music, or bands, or a siren's song, but with the infinite beauty and the abounding love pouring forth from the image of God Himself. He alone is the source of music, the source of freedom, and the source of joy forever and ever amen.
He is why they love, how they breathe, and the reason for them to sing."
(you can read the full background of their band on http://www.tenthavenuenorth.com/aboutus.html)

check out more about 10th Ave for yourself at http://www.tenthavenuenorth.com/
stay tuned for updates about this band!

Mike D, one of the members of 10th Avenue North

welcome!

welcome to Indie Launch - THEE blog for discovering new music talent and creativity in the realm of Christ-honoring music. Indie Launch features Christian indie artists (indie: independent artists, those who have not signed with labels) with the intent of getting great music out there for the masses to enjoy. let's be honest - unless a group has a former lead singer of a famous band, most indie artists rely on fans of their music to get their name out there. this is what this blog seeks to do, all the while seeking to share great, Christ-honoring music that will challenge Believers to follow passionately after Him. it's not about world-renown fame of ourselves, it is about world-renown fame of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

"Yes, Lord, walking in the way of Your laws, we wait for You;

Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts"

- Isaiah 26:8

"Not to us, O Lord, not to us,

but to Your name be the glory,

because of Your love and faithfulness"

- Psalm 115:1