Mormon Musicians Who Wear Their Faith on Their Sleeves
Music plays an essential part in Mormon life. The Church provides over 300 hymns in their hymn book and the Tabernacle Choir has graced stadiums around the globe.
LDS musicians are making waves in the music industry. Lindsey Stirling has amassed an extensive YouTube following and performed at Utah’s CVX Live festival.
Neon Trees
Neon Trees quickly rose from being a local Provo club band to major-tour opener and Billboard chart-topper within two short years. Tyler Glenn (lead vocalist), bassist Chris Allen and drummer Branden Campbell hailed from Southern California but soon found a home within Provo’s music scene.
The group has released four albums since 2004, most recently Picture Show. Glenn recently revealed himself as gay in one of his songs; he also talks about his Mormon background, including some interesting stories from touring.
Dishwalla
Dishwalla made waves in 1996 with their most-played radio track “Counting Blue Cars,” yet their debut album Pet Your Friends failed to follow up with any follow up hits.
After taking a brief hiatus from touring, the band reconvened three years later with guitarist Rodney Browning Cravens, bassist Scot Alexander and drummer George Pendergast reuniting three years later for another three year tour – recording Juniper Road at producer Sylvia Massy’s home in Mojave Desert where one of their rock and roll heroes lived.
The Aquabats
Since 1994, The Aquabats are an American comedy rock band renowned for their signature ska-punk/pop-punk sound with influences from other genres like doo-wop and tango. Furthermore, The Aquabats created and star in their own children’s television show entitled “The Aquabats! Super Show!.”
Lead singer MC Bat Commander, bass guitarist Crash McLarson, trumpet player Boyd Terry and EagleBones FalconHawk (a former Devo member), have all adopted superhero personae for their band. Its music features a distinctively goofy aesthetic which has often been compared to that of Devo.
Noteworthy
Noteworthy and Gladys Knight & The Saints Unified Voices are among the more well-known Mormon artists, but many more artists incorporate religious values into their music and lives without making headlines. These bands and artists bring religious beliefs into their music as well as daily living practices.
Noteworthy is an a capella group made up of BYU students in Utah that competed on NBC’s The Sing-Off and has released many YouTube videos that have gone viral; their cover of “Amazing Grace” being one of their most watched clips on YouTube.
Vocal Point
Vocal Point was formed at Brigham Young University in 1991 by Dave Boyce and Bob Ahlander who were inspired by contemporary a cappella sound heard at eastern universities and wanted to bring that style westward. Auditions were held and Jill Petersen-Lex was hired as Vocal Point’s first artistic director.
Anglesey achieved great success during their seven years with Vocal Point (VP), winning three Pearl Awards and placing fifth on NBC’s The Sing-Off (the same season Pentatonix won). Crockett credits James Stevens with helping him join VP as its previous musical director and accept his offer to join Vocal Point.
Mormon Guitar
Many Mormon musicians don’t shy away from showing their religion. Neon Trees frontman Tyler Glenn made headlines with his confession in Rolling Stone magazine; Brandon Flowers of The Killers served a mission; convert Gladys Knight is performing on Broadway.
Mormon composers have an impressively long and distinguished cultural legacy. Leigh Harline made waves when she made a transition to Hollywood; B. Cecil Gates wrote an oratorio chronicling Mormonism’s founding; yet other composers from within this faith tradition have had less widespread success, which now appears to be shifting.
GENTRI
GENTRI, or The Gentlemen Trio, consists of Casey Elliott, Brad Robins and Bradley Quinn Lever. This group wears pocket squares and suits while performing “cinematic pop.”
Their signature sound combines epic orchestral elements with contemporary pop vocals in stunning harmony harmonies that float high above.
GENTRI’s award-winning music videos have garnered international acclaim and are popular on YouTube, drawing thousands of views daily. Their performances span the country; recently headlining a Christmas tour at Harris Fine Arts Center in Provo.
Due West
Tim Gates, Matt Lopez and Brad Hull first united under the moniker Due West when they sang together at a party. Their incredible three-way harmony vocal blend–usually only found within families–drew immediate notice.
Due West has signed with Dean Dillon’s Unwound Records. Dillon, known for writing eleven No.1 hits for George Strait, notes “Adding Due West into our Unwound Records family is exciting”. Their first single “Things You Can’t Do In a Car” debuted at #43 on Mediabase country charts.
