From CCM Editor:
Forget the past? Not if we can help it! Five of the ’80s most beloved
Christian alternative bands reunited in Irvine, Calif., this past August for a historic concert. As enamored fans looked on, their all-time favorite artists took the stage one by one: 441, Crumbacher, Altar Boys, The Choir, Undercover. And now, The Choir’s drummer—Steve Hindalong— takes our stage for this report...
The Beat Goes On (by Skinny)
To risk honesty – when The Choir was asked to perform at a reunion concert this summer in Orange County, a couple of questions prompted anxiety. “Will The Altar Boys blow us off the stage? Again!?” And secondly, on a more personal level, “How will I fare along side the other drummers?” Then I remembered…I’m way over all that now.
Here’s a bit of context. It was a scene like no other, back then and there – So Cal in the eighties. We were fortunate to be a part of what could be called a “family” of bands – 10 or so – playing a circle of venues, mostly churches. Undercover was the main attraction. Those guys were originals – Gym’s awesome hair style – Ojo’s intense charisma. They ruled! (Well…okay, God rules…but I’m not talking about that right now).
So, the nostalgic gig was slated for August 19. The line up and order of performance was to be: 441, Crumbacher, The Altar Boys, The Choir and Undercover. Here’s how it went down – from one drummer’s perspective.
Evidently the other groups had day job conflicts or something because we were scheduled to sound check first – Friday at 11:00 AM. (We’d flown into John Wayne Airport from Nashville the evening prior). Jimmy, from Crumbacher, had volunteered the use of his vintage Gretch kit, which was quite nice. Only trouble was, he had 4 rack toms set up. I prefer a basic rock kit with just two mounted toms – tried and true. Otherwise my hi-hat would be too far to the left. I’d surely hit rims, drop sticks, or worse, whack my left hand with my right. The soundman didn’t want the kit altered…not enough time between bands etc. I changed it anyway knowing full well the other drummers would do the same. I also took the liberty of loosening all the bottom heads so the toms would “sing more.” (My philosophy since the early seventies has been to tune the bottom heads just slightly higher than the top heads…which I’m certain The Choir’s listeners has been aching to learn).
We went back to the hotel where I sat by the pool with a breeze in my face and the 405 freeway droning behind me, and pondered things I missed and didn’t miss about Sunny Cali. When we returned to the hall at 5:30 PM, 441 was still sound checking. I observed at once that their drummer, Steve Giali, had his ride cymbal set up to his left, and I thought, “What the heck!?”
All five groups gathered together just before the concert and Dale Wisner, (father of Dawn and Jim from Crumbacher, and Beth, who promoted the event) offered a few inspiring words referring to the text where Jesus changed water into wine. Mr. Wisner focused on the important role of the servants who were required to carry all those barrels of water. It was a profound and relevant insight.
The music started at 7:00. I’d forgotten how good of a singer John McNamara was. Is I should say. 441 sounded great – hooky melodies – passionate pop grooves. “Is it Enough” is such a moving song. It floated in my head for days after. Their sound brought to my recollection The Fixx. Remember “Saved by Zero”? Steve Giali is an excellent drummer. His beats are energetic and inventive. No rust there. The audience of a thousand or so was clearly appreciative of 441. A fine fun time was underway.
When Crumbacher kicked into their “Abba meets The Cars” techno pop, it felt other- worldly – surreal, one might say. Everybody in the building was at once transported back to the heart of 1984. Steve Crumbacher was more animated than I remembered him. “He’s watching you with his infrared eyes…” So many clever, catchy songs. The vocal blend between Steve and Dawn was also impressive. And all those toms sounded good. Jimmy plays effortlessly in sync with a sequencer (I tried that once in the early eighties with disastrous results). He’s smooth, brisk and tight. His pressures are even (That’s studio lingo for hitting the drums at a consistent velocity – a quality celebrated by audio engineers). Yes, and I was impressed by the tangerine sparkle finish on Chris Duke’s custom guitar. Crumbacher was highly entertaining.
Next up was Jeff Crandall…err…I mean, The Altar Boys. I was somewhat concerned for Jeff. I mean, he was always a fiery drummer, but nobody’s getting any younger – except Mike Stand, that is. The guy looks fit – runs miles a day. I knew those guys were going to ROCK – hard and fast. And they did. The crowd was euphoric. I’m not kidding, The Altar Boys sounded better than ever! Jeff didn’t slow down one bit, though – and he smacked ‘em plenty hard. His heart had to be racing but… (And I should mention that he stripped the kit down to a basic rock ‘n roll set with a single mounted tom, which I appreciated). Mike Stand’s sincerity of heart has always been obvious. That night I detected peace in his eyes, more than before. “Life begins at the cross…” Yeah, I still believe that too.
Then it was our turn. I only needed to add one tom and swap out the cymbals. The techs on stage were like a NASCAR pit crew. I was so grateful to those guys. Every adjustment was made in less than 10 minutes, and stress subsided. Our songs are mostly slow, and I don’t play anything terribly difficult. Nobody in The Choir does. The pressure is on Derri to remember the lyrics; but otherwise it’s a relatively tranquil journey. I felt fortunate just to be there with my good friends – Derri, Buckeye Dan (from Akron Ohio), Marc Byrd and Matt Slocum – offering love songs and prayers as if to the wind. A pair of lovers in the front row embraced during our romantic songs. We talked about that in the van around midnight on the way to In ‘n Out Burgers. It’s so much about individuals.
Undercover mesmerized the audience. The night’s highlight had to be when Bill Waldon, their original singer, performed along side Sim Wilson. The unity was a beautiful thing to share. I recalled the first time I ever watched Undercover in 1983. I was amazed how Joe Taylor could bring a frenzied crowd to a hush. People truly listened to Joe, and the Holy Spirit stirred in their hearts, no doubt. It was like that again on August 19, 2005.
Finally now, for the sake of consistency, I’ll describe Gary Olson’s drumming. What comes to mind is a hovercraft crossing the English Channel. His timing is relentless. Every so often he’ll throw in a unique flourish, like striking a crash cymbal from the underside – but mostly he just provides his band with a very solid vehicle to ride in. He broke the rules by setting up his own kit – but he had a good reason. Here’s the story. Only a few weeks before the concert, Gary flew home from Iowa where he’d been visiting his ailing father in the hospital. Upon arrival, Gary’s wife surprised him with a brand new maple Gretch kit – a sweet balm of a gift, it seems. Three days later his father passed away. By all means, play that set, Gary! (He also uses several Zildian “K” cymbals like I do…but that’s beside the point, I suppose).
There wasn’t near enough time to reminisce and catch up with old friends before, after or during the show. But the conversations, it seemed, were mostly about the important things – like how our children are doing and so forth. After more than twenty years, matters of love and loss, success and failure, life and death – have humbled us all. It remains joyous to play music; but it’s not the main thing anymore. For a bunch of well worn guys, we’re still pretty good! Perhaps we are indeed akin to those servants, carrying barrels of water from the river so that Jesus will turn it into wine.
Anyhow, I feel blessed to be rockin’ on. Sonny Bono, tragically, is gone. Yet his words ring true: “Drums keep pounding a rhythm to the brain. La de da de de, la de da de da. The beat goes on.”
-steve hindalong
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