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At least one of the points, however, is how this show exemplifies a lot of what can be right about up & coming Christian-comprised rock bands outside music business metropolises going about the work of building names for themselves while benefiting a good cause.

That cause? Haitian earthquake victims, as administered via the World Relief Fund of the Christian Reformed Church, the denomination of the host venue. Book Club bassist/occasional singer Justin Douglas emphasized the point of the concert's goal by quoting a pertinent verse from Isaiah in the middle of his group's headlining set.

This was quite the change from the Club's slot opening for the Audioans a couple months prior. Then they were an acoustic duo comprised of Douglas and frontman Sam Sterk. Impressive enough as they were in that format, they became all the more powerful when plugged in with the addition of drums and another guitar.

It's a fairly commercial sound they make, rooted in various strains of alt, prog and grunge rocking, with a cry of electronic ambience (funny, that, since they don't have any keyboards, at least at this gig). To cite acts not among the many listed as influences on their MySpace site, they come off to me as a commingling of The Pixies, Smashing Pumpkins' leaner moments and Weezer's hookier ones.

Before the show, Sterk pointed out that if the Waupun/Appleton-based group isn't going to venture to specifically music-oriented venues in bigger cities much as they world like, the best they can do to polish their performing chops is to play churches and bars. Admirable attitude, that, yes? Lyrically, it makes sense that they should play out at such places themselves. As with some of the Christian-comprised acts that are listed on their MySpace (Pedro The Lion and Sunny Day Real Estate, among them), Book Club's Christianity is apparent to those with ears to hear and might make curious some listeners with auditory organs not so equipped.

Sterk has designs on producing an EP for Heart Strong in the same way he assisted on his own band's debut CD. Or so HS lead singer Shawna Harmsen told me after the concert. She led her male bandmates through remakes of songs made hits by Paramore and Flyleaf, and their originals find middle ground between the former's sass and the latter's earnestness. For all the rockiness of her band's sound, however, Harmsen has the kind of clarion soprano that she might do well to take to an American Idol audition.  Gal even bears some resemblance to Kelly Clarkson (and let me know next time you lead the praise & worship at your church, OK Shawna?).

New Hampshire soloist Matt Lindstrom was scheduled to open the evening. Blizzarding snow kept him from doing so. A quintet of Living Hope youth group members took up the slack by forming an ad hoc group, Name To be Announced (because they couldn't think of a better name in time, but that's OK). The results were surprisingly good. I can't tell you whether they were singing songs of their own composition. But what they did with their guitars/drums/keyboard (played by their only girl) managed to hit on a sweet spot simultaneously reminiscent of jangly indie rock (per early Byrds and Beau Brummels inspiration) and the more reflective side of early '70s Jesus hippie folkiness. Who knows whether the band members are at all versed in any of the music noted, but they shouldn't think of that as their first and last date.

The crowd looked to number somewhere around 100, many of them high schoolers. No dancing here, either by dint of denominational edict and/or kids simply unaccustomed to less encumbered rock & roll protocol. Either way, it's encouraging to witness what I hope is a burgeoning musical creativity among Godly younger folks in my neck of the proverbial woods.

Jamie Lee Rake
www.myspace.com/bookclubband
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=196196540683&ref=ts (for Heartstrong)