The Choir (alternative rock band)

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 a mutual friend, the bass guitarist Tim Chandler, who was touring with Daniel Amos along with Daugherty, who was the band's roadie and sound man at the time. Hindalong and Daugherty quickly became friends and a songwriting team. Youth Choir became part of the Calvary Chapel Christian punk and alternative music scene, which also included the bands Undercover, Crumbächer, Altar Boys and 4-4-1.

The Choir's music 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, Youth Choir became the first band to play at the Cornerstone Festival. By 1986, the band dropped the "Youth" from its name and began calling itself 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.

Although the band has long had a cult following among listeners of Christian alternative music, that did not translate into financial success within the Contemporary Christian music (CCM) industry, nor did it lead to a successful mainstream crossover experienced by later groups like Jars of Clay, Switchfoot and Sixpence None the Richer, who have pointed to The Choir as a significant musical influence. As a result, the band nearly called it quits in 1996 after their final U.S. 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 move also made its way into the lyrics of the band's songs, primarily Speckled Bird. Nevertheless, the band continued recording, and were awarded a GMA Dove Award for Best Modern/Alternative Rock Album for Free Flying Soul in 1997. Five years later, they received a nomination for Best Rock Gospel Album at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards for their album, Flap Your Wings, released in 2000.

In spring 2005, The Choir returned to the dreamlike rock sound of Chase the Kangaroo and Circle Slide with the album, O How the Mighty Have Fallen, thanks to the influence of new band member Marc Byrd. He also produced the album, which was released independently on the band's own Galaxy21 label. Two months later, on August 19, 2005, The Choir played a 20th anniversary concert at Mariners Church in Irvine, California, along with 4-4-1, Altar Boys, Crumbächer and Undercover, in order to acknowledge the birth of the Christian alternative music scene under the aegis of Calvary Chapel in the early 1980s. Although The Choir had essentially ceased 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 was promised, but has yet to be released.

After a five-year recording hiatus, The Choir released two full-length studio albums in 2010. On June 29, The Choir released Burning Like the Midnight Sun, which received some of the most positive reviews of the band's entire career. Jeff Elbel, writing for the Spin Control column in the Chicago Sun-Times, called the album "a late-career triumph" and remarked that Midnight Sun was the band's "second exceptional album in a row, and its best since 1990's landmark Circle Slide". As of November 14, 2010, Burning Like the Midnight Sun has earned aggregate five-star reviews from consumers on both Amazon.com and the iTunes Store. In response, Daugherty and Hindalong went into the studio again, this time with cellist Matt Slocum of Sixpence None the Richer, to record de-plumed, a collection of acoustic reinterpretations of one song from each of their 12 prior studio albums. De-plumed was released on November 9, shortly after the band embarked on a multi-city acoustic tour.

On April 17, 2012, the band released The Loudest Sound Ever Heard, to fans who pre-ordered it, a month before the album hit retail. In April 2012, the band embarked on a tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of Chase the Kangaroo, playing the album in its entirety, including tracks like "Cain" that had never before been performed live. It marked the first time in 16 years that bassist Tim Chandler toured with the band. In July 2012, The Choir was the last band to play at the final gathering of the Cornerstone Festival in commemoration of their inaugural 1984 performance.

In September 2013, The Choir began a Kickstarter campaign with the goal of releasing a new studio album and live album in 2014. To promote the campaign, the band hosted a live acoustic concert on Livestream on October 1 of that year, during which the band talked about plans for the new album, answered fan questions, and performed several songs from their music catalog. Derri Daugherty also performed a Livestream solo acoustic show on October 27 as a token of appreciation to Choir fans for their years of support. When the Kickstarter campaign concluded, the band had more than doubled their $25,000 goal, raising $54,268 from 791 backers. Because of the success of their campaign, The Choir recorded a 5-song Christmas EP, Peace, Love & Light, which was released on November 27, 2013 to Kickstarter backers who pledged $60 or more. The live album, LIVE and ON the WING in Music City, was released in 2014, and the audio version of the Lifestream concert was released in 2015.

The Choir continues to maintain an active online presence with their own website and Facebook page.

Other projects

Each band member has worked on numerous projects outside The Choir: Hindalong produced the successful City on a Hill series of worship albums, co-writing the well-known song "God of Wonders" with band-mate Byrd. Daugherty has been a member of the contemporary Christian supergroup Lost Dogs since 1991, with Hindalong recently joining the group. Daugherty also released an instrumental solo project titled "Echo in Blue". Chandler has been the bass guitar player for Daniel Amos for many years, pre-dating his work with The Choir. Byrd was a member of Common Children and recorded with his wife Christine Glass as Glassbyrd.

Current lineup

Former members

Studio albums

EPs

Live albums

Compilations

Non-album tracks

Appearances on other works

Video appearances

Solo releases by members of The Choir