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ARTIST of the MONTH:

I’m just gonna come right out and say it: Stryper is the August Artist of the Month. When you think about it, how could they not be? Are there other ‘artists’ more deserving of being the artist of the month? Absolutely! But, the reformation of one of Christian Rock’s most successful and infamous bands means something else that most bands can’t touch. I can hear you now...what the hell is this guy talking about? Stryper’s message has always been very simple. Essentially the message has always been Jesus is the way! Jesus - good; the Devil - bad. Pretty straightforward stuff. And honestly I don’t suspect the new album; entitled “Reborn” (Out August 16th.) will be
much different. Early word has it that the overall sound of this new album is very much in the classic Stryper sound demonstrated so well on their first four albums of the mid to late '80’s. A fifth album showed Stryper experimenting to sound more like other '80’s hard rock bands of the time and sounding less like themselves. That sound: dual screaming and melodic lead guitars, heavy crisp, clean rhythms, pounding, intricate and always fun to listen to drums and the high, convincing lead vocals of Michael Sweet all wrapped up in a yellow and black spandex covering is what Stryper brings to the hard rock table. As a teenager, growing up, listening to the likes of Motley Crue and WASP, Stryper always posed the alternative. They were literally the brightness amidst the darkness. The sound and the look is
completely of a bygone era. But I pose the question, what is this music of our past if all we do if dispose of it just because it’s deemed ‘old’? I don’t go around listening to Stryper on a regular basis, but I know what they meant to me as a young teenager coming of age. I needed to know there was something else out there, some Good, some Positive to reach out for. And that it was okay to embrace it! Stryper fit that need very nicely. And knowing the times we live in today and the absolutely vile sounds that pass for ‘music’ today, if the reformation of a band like Stryper can be passed down to a new Generation, well, then maybe the kids of today can see some alternative to the nihilistic, pessimistic views that are forcefed today’s youth. This works for us adults too as a reminder. To me, Stryper was never
about some kind of evangelical vehicle although maybe that is what the band means to the members themselves. To me, it was just an alternate view to a world that many times looked so dim. The pessimistic view says the band is just reforming to cash in, the alternate view says the youth of today needs this music now more than ever...and for that, Stryper is The Crossing’s Artist of the Month for
August 2005. 

Get set. Get ready. Tons of music and quite a few DVD's to choose from...
 

Recently released and not mentioned in last edition:

• Luka Bloom - “Innocence”
• Jeff Black - “Tin Lily”
• Emmylou Harris - “The Very Best Of”
• Bruce Cockburn - 3 reissues; “Sunwheel Dance”, “Circles In The Stream” and “Big Circumstance”.
• Iron Maiden - “Essential” (2 CD set)

• Doug Pinnick - “Emotional Animal” (King’s X vocalist/bassist)
• Michael Penn - “Mr. Hollywood, Jr. 1947” 
• Careen - “Crash Couture” (reissue.) 
• Earth, Wind & Fire - “Illumination”
• John Wetton & Geoff Downes - “Icon” (U.S. release.)
• Emery - “The Question”
• Bliss - “Quiet Letters”
• Blind Arvella Gray - “The Singing Drifter”
• Darrell Scott - “Live In North Carolina”
• Richard Hell - “Spurts: The Best Of”
• Faith Hill - “Fireflies” 
• Johnny Cash - “The Legend: 1955-2002” (4 CD Boxset.)
• Various Artists - The Dick Cavett Show: 1969-1975 (3 DVD set includes appearances by Paul Simon, George Harrison, David Bowie, Joni Mitchell, Janis Joplin and Jefferson Airplane, etc.) 
• Alexander - DVD
• Downfall - DVD
• Guess Who? - DVD

• Nickel Creek - “Why Should The Fire Die?”  
• Carrie Newcomer - “Regulars And Refugees: More Stories From The Diner”  
• Richard Thompson - “Front Parlour Ballads”
• Juliana Hatfield - “Made In China”
• Eliza Gilkyson - “Paradise Hotel” 
• Cursive - “The Difference Between House and Home” 
• Spill Canvas - “One Fell Swoop”
• Hootie & The Blowfish - “Looking For Lucky”
• Charlotte Church - “Tissues & Issues”
• Michael McDonald - “Ultimate Collection”
• The Ramones - “Weird Tales Of The Ramones” (3 CD’s and 1 DVD Boxset.)
• Because Of Winn-Dixie - DVD
• Kung Fu Hustle - DVD

• The BoDeans - “Homebrewed: Live at the Pabst Theater” (2 CD live set from New Year’s Eve 2004.) 
• Cowboy Junkies - “Early 21st Century Blues” (Retail release.)
• Stryper - “Reborn” 
• 311 - “Don’t Tread On Me”
• Rodney Crowell - “The Outsider”
• Jimmie Dale Gilmore - “Come On Back”
• Jimmy Webb - “Twilight Of The Renegades” (Import.)
• Shemekia Copeland - “The Soul Truth”
• The Click Five - “Greetings From Imrie House”
• 10 Years - “The Autumn Effect”
• The Wedding Date - DVD 
• The Brown Bunny - DVD

• Yes - “The Word Is Live”
• Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - “Howl”
• Smash Mouth - “All Star: The Smash Hits”
• The Math & Physics Club - “Movie Ending Romance”
• Beautiful Creatures - “Deuce”
• Daniel Powter - “Daniel Powter” 
• Amy Rigby - “Little Fugitive”
• Josh Joplin - “Jaywalker”
• Judd & Maggie - “Subjects”
• Ozomatli - “Live At The Fillmore”
• Sawyer Brown - “Mission Temple Fireworks Stand”
• Delbert McClinton - “Cost Of Living”
• Gram Parsons - “Complete Reprise Collection”
• A Lot Like Love - DVD
• The Ring 2 - DVD

• Death Cab For Cutie - “Plans”
• Eric Clapton - “Back Home”
• Bob Dylan - “Live At The Gaslight 1962” (Available at Starbucks only.)
• Cory Morrow - “Nothing Left To Hide”
• Journey - “Generations” (import.) 
• Iron Maiden - “Death On The Road” (Import; 2 CD live set from Germany.)
• Our Lady Peace - “Healthy In Paranoid Times”
• 30 Seconds To Mars - “A Beautiful Lie”
• Herbie Hancock - “Possibilities”
• Jamie Oldaker - “Mad Dogs & Okies”
• Various Artists - “Austin City Limits 2004 Highlights” 
• Sahara - DVD
• Monster In Law - DVD

• The Rolling Stones - “A Bigger Bang”
• Sarah McLachlan - “Bloom” (Remix album.)
• The Police - “Synchronicity Concert In Atlanta” (First time on DVD.)
• Bruce Springsteen - “VH1 Storytellers” (DVD.)
• Crash - DVD
• Toy Story - DVD (10th Anniversary.)

• Charlie Sexton - “Cruel And Gentle Things”
• David Gray - “Life In Slow Motion”
• Switchfoot - “Nothing Is Sound”
• Dar Williams - “My Better Self”
• Tracey Chapman - “Where You Live”
• Paul McCartney - “Chaos And Creation In The Backyard”
• The Waterboys - “Karma To Burn” (Import; Live CD.)
• Simple Minds - “Black And White 010105”
• Sigur Ros - “Takk”
• Santana - “All That I Am”
• Rusty Anderson - “Undressing Underwater”
• The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy - DVD
• Fever Pitch - DVD
• Rock School - DVD

• Neil Young - “Prairie Wind” (w/DVD.)
• Calexico - “In The Reins” (EP.)
• Jerry Douglas - “The Best Kept Secret”
• Bon Jovi - “Have A Nice Day”
• Born Into Brothels - DVD
• The Longest Yard - DVD
• Mindhunters - DVD

• King’s X - “Landscape” 
• Natalie Merchant - “Greatest Hits” (Available in 1 and 2 CD versions.)
• Ryan Adams - “Jacksonville City Nights” (Import; a honky-tonk, country type album.)
• Big Star - “In Space”
• Sheryl Crow - “Wildflower”
• Ric Ocasek - “Nexterday”
• Robert Pollard - “Music For ‘Bubble’” (Soundtrack EP.) 
• Roger Waters - “Ca Ira” (A 3 Act Opera about the French Revolution.)
• Robots - DVD

• Liz Phair - “Somebody’s Miracle”
• Nickelback - “TBA”
• Cinderella - DVD (the Disney classic.)
• The Interpreter - DVD
• Amityville Horror - DVD

• Jackson Browne - “Solo Acoustic Volume 1”
• Kingdom Of Heaven - DVD
• Kicking And Screaming - DVD

• Bryan Adams - “Stripped” (All acoustic.)

• TNT - “All The Way To The Sun”
• Guided By Voices - “Suitcase 2: American Superdream Wow” (4 CD Boxset.)

• Bob Seger - “Face The Promise”
• Live 8 Concerts - Four DVD Set.

• Polar Express - DVD

Let’s find what we thought could never be found.
Stryper from the song “Two Bodies (One Mind, One Soul)” off the album Against The Law.

Have a great month. Stay cool! See you in September.

Chris Barlow