The Insyderz

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The Insyderz
Origin United States of America Detroit, Michigan, USA
Genre(s) Ska, Punk, Ska-core
Years active 1996 – 2005
Label(s) Squint Entertainment
KMG Records
Floodgate Records
Former members
Joe Yerke
Beau McCarthy
Bram Roberts
Pedro Zapata Hernandez
Michael Lloyd
Nate Sjogren
Alan Brown
Kyle Wasil
Sang Kim
Mike Rowland
Todd Miesch

The Insyderz were a Christian ska band from Detroit, Michigan. They formed in 1996 and disbanded in 2005.

Contents

[edit] Band history

The Insyderz began from Joe Yerke and Nate Sjogren who led worship together at their church.[1] The band found their break at the 1996 Cornerstone Festival.[2] They began playing on their campsite, and wound up garnering the attention of Michael Sean Black and Gene Eugene, who signed them to his label Brainstorm Artists International. While that label folded soon after, the band's first album, Motor City Ska (1997), effectively established a presence in the Christian music marketplace and garnered the attention of Steve Taylor's Squint Entertainment.[3]

Their subsequent release, Skalleluia, would become their most successful album and ranked the highest in record sales for the band. The album consisted of contemporary praise and worship songs in ska and ska-punk renditions. Guest performance included Gene Eugene, Terry Scott Taylor, and Steve Taylor.[4] The album faced criticism for "jumping on the bandwagon" on praise and worship music's growing commercial appeal.[5] Beyond charting on Billboard's "Hot 200", "Heatseekers", and "Top Contemporary Christian" charts, their rendition of Rich Mullins' song "Awesome God" won the band a Dove Award for "Hard Music Recorded Song Of The Year" in 1999.[6] Some commercial success for the album was due in part to the use of recently written and widely known contemporary worship songs.[7] Covers on the album included Twila Paris's "We will Glorfiy" and Keith Green's "Oh, Lord, You're Beautiful".

Skalleluia became an unexpected hit for the band but differed from the sound Insyderz had displayed on their own original material.[8] Later the same year they released their third album, Fight of My Life, which contained original songs and returned to their previous sound.

The Insyderz appeared on 7ball Magazine in January of 1999.
The Insyderz appeared on 7ball Magazine in January of 1999.[9]

In 2000 Skalleluia Too! was released. Within the next few years the band's website featured rare updates and touring seemed to halt which led to rumors of the band's demise. However, The Insyderz had become tired of record label politics and until business had been sorted out continued to perform on a much smaller scale. Many of the members of the band married including Nate Sjogren (drums), Bram Roberts (Trumpet), Beau McCarthy (Bass), Kyle Wasil (Guitar), and Joe Yerke (vocals). The band decided to spend more time working and ministering through other projects while never fully disbanding.

In 2001 a compilation CD entitled The Greatest & The Rarest (or alternately Tails of a Comet) was released, which consisted fifteen popular songs from their first four albums and six rare songs.

In 2003 they re-activated, appearing at Cornerstone[10], and releasing an album entitled Soundtrack to a Revolution. After the release the Insyderz went through another lineup change adding Royce Nunley (Suicide Machines) and Dan Powers(Blueprint 76) on bass.

In the first half of 2005, the band announced on their website that they would be playing their last three shows in August and September of that year, which lead to confusion on whether they were the band's last three shows or the tour's last three. Later, in August of the same year, the site was updated to announce that the band would be breaking up after their final show on September 24, 2005, as a part of the I'll Fight Fest presented by The Salvation Army. The show was performed with The O.C. Supertones who were also in the midst of a final tour.

Nate Sjogren has played drums in several other projects including Dead By Sunday, The Paper Sound, and the singer/songwriter James Stephen.

Joe Yerke continues to work on a side project called The Bulldog Spirit as well as a solo project entitled Joe Insyder in 2006.

Todd Miesch went on to become a substitute teacher for Rochester Community Schools for the 2006-2007 school year, where he had a year-long substituting job for Robert Moore, who had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, and has since passed away on July 17th 2007. He taught Freshman and Junior English, and was the Rochester High's Yearbook advisor. Mr. Miesch recently had an interview for a full time teaching position at RHS, which he did not receive.

In December 2007, Todd, along with wife Sarah, welcomed their first child, a girl named Harper Rose Miesch. Both mother and baby are doing fine.

In January 2008 Todd Miesch received his first official teaching job teaching for Stoney Creek High School in Rochester, Michigan.

Michael Lloyd now lives with his wife Coco in Los Angeles, and is currently working in the film business.

[edit] Members

Beau McCarthy

[edit] Discography

[edit] Charts

Billboard (North America) [1]

Year Album US Hot 200 Heatseekers Top Contemporary Christian
1997 Motor City Ska - - 23
1998 Skalleluia! 200 15 8
1998 Fight of My Life - - 33
1999 Skalleluia Too! - - 25

[edit] References

  1. ^ (4/23/99). Interview with Bram Roberts at Jesus Freak Hideout.
  2. ^ Bumgarner, David (May/June 1997). "The Insyderz" (reprint). 7ball Magazine. 
  3. ^ "SQUINT ENTERTAINMENT REACHES AGREEMENT WITH THE INSYDERZ". Squint Entertainment press release, archived at sockheaven.net.
  4. ^ Mendonca, Joe (March/April 1998). "The Insyderz" (reprint). HM Magazine. 
  5. ^ Urbanski, Dave (November 1999). "Sequel Act" (reprint). CCM Magazine. 
  6. ^ "Dove Award Recipients for 1999". Published by the Gospel Music Association. Retrieved November 15, 2006.
  7. ^ Powell, Mark Allan (2002). Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music, First printing, Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 435-436. ISBN 1-56563-679-1. 
  8. ^ Zhito, Lisa (January/February 1999). "Going Outside" (reprint). 7ball Magazine. 
  9. ^ "" (January/February 1999). 7ball Magazine (22). 
  10. ^ Wilkinson, Aaron (2003). "Cornerstone FL 2003". HM Magazine. 

[edit] Further Reading

  • "the Insyderz" (May / June 1997). 7ball Magazine (12). 
  • "the Insyderz" (March / April 1998). 7ball Magazine (17). 
  • "the Insyderz" (January / February 1999). 7ball Magazine (22). 

[edit] External links

Official

Interviews

Other

Languages