ROCKER: Rocking to gospel tunes

Is it possible to be a rocker and play gospel music? Rock and roll music is famed for its ability to get its fans in touch with their uninhibited side.

Losing one’s inhibitions includes letting go of all things rational and going on freefall. A lot of pressure is placed on gospel artistes the world over, regardless of their genre of choice, to adhere to a  lifestyle that  is devoid of the materialism that is rife in the realm of music. They cannot party, they are not expected to be as openly rich as secular artistes often are and they cannot sing about anything other than the Gospel.

Truth is, it is an unfair stereotype that we place on our gospel artistes. The moment one of them swaps the altar for a slightly secular song, we condemn them as having backslid and regressed into the world as we know it. Most of the time, as fans, we find pleasure in mocking our artistes when they get to this point. 

When Tim Lambesis and the other four members of As I Lay Dying dramatically broke up in 2013, Lambesis  was quoted as saying the band members were never really Christians who professed and practised Christianity.

The falling out of the band was so bad that many of their fans, myself included, began to wonder if we had been taken for a ride. Many bands get to a point where they feel the need to switch their style.

Sure, the idea of forming As I Lay Dying was conceived in a small church in San Diego, in the US state of California, but they have never come out and said they were strictly Christian.

Perhaps that is why the remaining four members of the band are now in a new band, Wovenwar, which plays music with provoking lyrics.

There is nothing secular about Wovenwar or  their music, but the band deviates from the traditional inspirational music we are used to. It challenges ideals, and to some extent, even religious beliefs.

It is very possible to be an absolute rock star and be spiritual. The good kind of spiritual, that is. Skillet is a Christian band that goes on world tours.  In 2009, they released their  hit album, Awake, which  featured their most popular song to date called Monster. This is a badass rock and roll song that talks about the ugly side of human beings and how it beats on the surface, wanting to burst out. When Skillet released the song, there was a huge uproar as to what exactly it meant. People thought it was just another regressed band but when John Cooper took time to explain what the song meant, it turned out to be a great story of fighting the struggles of the flesh. They have always stuck to the basics of their faith and have garnered worldwide popularity as a result. Heavy metal bands have also stuck to their core beliefs in a genre submerged in demonic intimacies.

Bands like The Devil Wears Prada, Underoath, P.O.D, Red, A Plea for Purging, Demon Hunter and August Burns Red are some of the most popular bands in the world, and they are all Christian and their lyrics represent their faith.

Let’s tone it down a little and come back to the Gospel music we all know. Hillsong are the definition of success when it comes to what gospel music can do for careers.

Having been around for the nearly 15 years, this band produces music that everyone and their mum can sing to. They remain humble and grounded in their appearance and demeanor, regardless of their fame.

Seeing Taya Smith come out and belt Oceans Where Feet May Fail dressed in jeans and a sweater and seeing her again in the studio where no one can see her and still dress the same shows that the rock star status should come as a perk, and not as a defining characteristic.