The Choir

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The Choir is an atmospheric alternative Christian Rock band, led by Derri Daugherty on guitar and vocals, Steve Hindalong on drums--who also writes most of the band's lyrics--as well as Tim Chandler on bass, Dan Michaels on lyricon, electric flute and saxophone and Marc Byrd on guitar, the latter of whom is a relatively recent addition to the band's lineup.

Each band member also has a depth of musical history outside of The Choir: Hindalong produced the wildly successful City On A Hill albums in the last few years, writing the well-known song "God of Wonders" with fellow band-mate Byrd. Daugherty has been been a member of Christian-alterna-pop-supergroup The Lost Dogs since 1991, with Hindalong recently joining the group. Chandler has been the bass player for years for Daniel Amos. Byrd was a member of Common Children, and recorded with his wife Christine Glass as Glassbyrd.

[edit] History

The Choir was originally formed as Youth Choir in the early 1980s, by Derri Daugherty and Steve Hindalong. The two songwriters had been introduced by mutual friend, bassist Tim Chandler, who was touring with Daniel Amos along with Daugherty, who was the band's roadie and sound man. Hindalong and Daugherty quickly became friends and a prolific songwriting team.

The music of The Choir has been described by the Los Angeles Times as "magical songs that combine strains of murky psychedelia with pure pop." Billboard praised the band for its "dark poetic leanings, effects-laden guitars and strong melodic hooks." In 1984, they became the first band ever to play at the Cornerstone Festival, the preeminent Christian arts and music festival in the United States.

By 1986, the band dropped the "Youth" from their name and began calling themselves simply The Choir. Hindalong began writing most of the lyrics for the band at this point, songs that are known for their vulnerability and honesty, particularly about the challenges inherent in romantic relationships and the simple joys of family life. Some fans and music critics consider this period — between 1987's Chase the Kangaroo and 1990's Circle Slide — as The Choir's artistic height, although others have argued that their most recent trio of albums represents an even greater creative resurgence, evidenced by the band's first Grammy Award nomination for their next-to-newest release, Flap Your Wings.

Although the band has long had a passionate cult following among listeners of Christian alternative rock, that did not translate into great financial success within the Contemporary Christian music, or CCM, industry, nor did it lead to a successful mainstream crossover experienced by other groups like Switchfoot and Sixpence None the Richer, members of which have pointed to The Choir as a creative influence. As a result, the band nearly called it quits in 1996 after their final national tour, a few years after Daugherty, Hindalong and Michaels moved from their homes in Southern California to Nashville, Tennessee, since much of the CCM industry is now based there. The difficulty of this cross-country move also made its way into the lyrics of the band's songs, primarily Speckled Bird.

The Choir's tenth and most recent full-length studio album, O How the Mighty Have Fallen, is a return to the dreamlike rock sound of Chase the Kangaroo and Circle Slide, thanks to the influence of producer and new band member Marc Byrd. Released independently, the album deals with more personal topics than much of their later work, touching on some painful subjects in the recent lives of the band members.

On August 19, 2005, The Choir played a 20th anniversary concert in Irvine, California along with 4-4-1, Altar Boys, Crumbächer and Undercover, in order to acknowledge the Christian alternative music scene which developed under the aegis of Calvary Chapel in the early 1980s. Although The Choir had essentially quit touring, the overwhelmingly positive response to this one-off concert led to a short series of tour dates to support O How the Mighty Have Fallen in the early part of 2006. A DVD of the Irvine concert is also forthcoming.

[edit] Personnel

[edit] Current lineup

• Derri Daugherty - Lead vocals, guitars
• Steve Hindalong - Drums, vocals
• Dan Michaels - Saxophone, lyricon, electric flute, esteemed pet owner
• Tim Chandler - Bass guitar, vocals
• Marc Byrd - Guitars, vocals

[edit] Former members

• Mike Sauerbrey - Bass guitar (Voices in Shadows recording and tour; Circle Slide partial recording and tour)
• Robin Spurs - Bass guitar, vocals (Chase the Kangaroo tour; Wide-Eyed Wonder recording and tour; Circle Slide partial recording)
• Wayne Everett - Percussion (Free Flying Soul tour)
• Billy Wilde - Guitars (Circle Slide tour)
• Matt Slocum - Bass guitar, cello (O How The Mighty Have Fallen tour)
• Bill Batstone - Bass guitar (occasional live dates on Diamonds and Rain tour)
• Bill Campbell - Guitars (occasional live dates post-Circle Slide)

[edit] Discography

[edit] Non-Album Singles

• 1985 "I Can't Take It" b/w "Here in the Night (live)" (7" single)
• 2004 "Travelin' Light (demo)" (digital download)
• 2006 "The Sun Also Rises" (MySpace music stream)

[edit] EPs

• 1986 Shades of Gray

[edit] Studio Albums

• 1985 Voices in Shadows
• 1986 Diamonds and Rain
• 1988 Chase the Kangaroo
• 1989 Wide-Eyed Wonder
• 1990 Circle Slide
• 1993 Kissers and Killers
• 1994 Speckled Bird
• 1996 Free Flying Soul
• 2000 Flap Your Wings
• 2005 O How the Mighty Have Fallen

[edit] Live Albums

• 1997 Let It Fly
• 2000 Live at Cornerstone 2000: Plugged
• 2000 Live at Cornerstone 2000: Unplugged

[edit] Compilations

• 1995 Love Songs and Prayers: A Retrospective
• 2001 Never Say Never: The First 20 Years

[edit] Video appearances

• 1989 Wide-Eyed Wonder Videos (includes two music videos and feature-length documentary)
• 1996 Sled Dog concept video
• 1996 Tattoo Video Hoopla (includes an entire live performance from Cornerstone '96)

[edit] Appearances on Other Works

• 1983 What's Shakin' ["It's So Wonderful"]
• 1989 The Myrrh Radio Collection, Volume 1
• 1993 Brow Beat: Unplugged Alternative ["Wilderness" (acoustic version)]
• 1993 Third Wave ["Kissers and Killers"]
• 1994 Can You Dig It? ["Kissers and Killers"]
• 1994 Strong Hand of Love ["Tip of My Tongue"]
• 1995 Contemporary Adult Music for the 90's ["Wilderness"]
• 1996 Orphans of God ["Tip of My Tongue"]
• 1996 Seltzer: Modern Rock to Settle Your Soul ["The Ocean"]
• 2003 Contemporary Christian Hits: A Collage ["Grace"]

[edit] External links

• The Choir's official website
• The Choir at MySpace
• Voices in Shadows - fan website