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Altar Boys were Christian punk rock band from California formed in 1982. The original members were Mike Stand (vocals, songwriting, and guitar), Jeff Crandall (drums), Steve Pannier (guitars) and Ric Alba (bass, background vocals). Mark Robertson would later replace Alba on bass.

Background

The Altar Boys helped pioneer Christian rock music. They were known for their Ramones-style punk music which was radically different than the Christian music common at the time of their formation. Especially in their early years, they were known for being explicit with their faith in their lyrics. Their sound was heavily influenced by the punk rock scene in Southern California, and they quickly became one of the best known Christian bands on that scene.

The Altar Boys' first album issued on various labels (e.g. Ministry Resource Center/MRC, Maranatha! Music, and Broken Records) sold over 7,000 copies with their second selling 20,000 units in its first two months of release.

Their third and fourth releases, Gut Level Music and Against the Grain, propelled them to national standing. Gut Level Music was explicitly aimed at a secular audience, and marked changes designed to enhance their credibility with that audience. Their lyrical approach changed toward a more subtle expression of their faith. They also refined their sound in an attempt to distance themselves from the punk "garage band" image that they had acquired early on.

Their final studio album, Forever Mercy, was released in 1989 and supported with another tour. Sometime after the tour, Ric Alba left the band and was replaced by Mark Robertson. Work had begun on a follow-up album, tentatively titled No Substitute, when the Altar Boys went on an "indefinite hiatus" in 1992.

The group did a number of reunion concerts; most notable was Cornerstone 2000 and 2002, and the Broken Records reunion event in July 2005. The group's final performance occurred in June 2006 at the Corona del Mar Fairgrounds.

The group of four performed live for their final show on September 16, 2018 at House of Blues - Anaheim for the new record release of the No Substitute album. At the sold-out performance, the Altar Boys performed crowd favorites Gut Level Music, a few new songs from No Substitute, and other well-known songs from their other albums. Mike Stand's son also made guest appearances on both drums and backing guitar. The show's opening act was Crumbacher, which was their first reunion since 2011.

Mike Stand continues to be an active artist in the Southern California area in a group "punktry" called The Altar Billies. Formed in 2010, The Altar Billies simply rearranged a number of songs by the Altar Boys in the rockabilly/country genre. Their first effort was released in 2010 and was simply called "The Altar Billies" In 2014 they released "Head'n out West" which contained only 2 songs by the Altar Boys ("World Burning," and "Ride this Train"), and 1 song found on Mike Stand's solo record "Full circle" ("Always on my Mind"). In 2016 the band released "Long, Long Road." Their song "Ballad of the Big Boy (Titan of the Wasatch)" has been unofficially adopted as the theme song for the Union Pacific Railroad steam locomotive "Big Boy 4014." In May, 2019 the group was invited by Union Pacific Railroad to be a part of the 150 year anniversary of the Golden Spike in Ogden, UT. "The Altar Billies: Head'n Out West". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-11-11.</ref>"The Altar Billies: Long, Long Road". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-11-11.</ref>

Drummer and Stand's cousin, Jeff Crandall, is currently a connector with Worship Catalyst in Tucson, Arizona who acts as a mentor, coach and trainer to worship leaders in Tucson and across the country.

Album discography

• 1984: Altar Boys (Ministry Resource Center)
• 1985: When You're a Rebel (Alarma Records)
• 1986: Gut Level Music (Alarma Records)
• 1987: Against the Grain (Alarma Records)
• 1989: Forever Mercy (Alarma Records)
• 1990: The Collection (Alarma Records)
• 2000: Live at Cornerstone (M8 Distribution)
• 2000: Mercy Thoughts (M8 Distribution)
• 2015: Gut Level Music (Girder Records)
• 2018: No Substitute (Lo-Fidelity Records)

References

1. ^ Newcomb, Brian Quincy (May–June 1998). "History: Altar Boys". 7ball (18).
2. ^ Powell, Mark Allan (2002). Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music (First printing ed.). Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers. pp. 34–35. ISBN 1-56563-679-1.
3. ^ Thompson, John J. (2000). Raised by Wolves. ECW Press. p. 122. ISBN 978-1-55022-421-4.
4. ^ Well, Chris (June 1986). "The Altar Boys Come Out of the Garage". CCM Magazine. 8 (12): 14–15. ISSN 0746-0066.
5. ^ Newcomb, Brian Quincy (December 1987). "Altar Boys Make A Human Sound". CCM Magazine. 10 (6): 25. ISSN 1524-7848.
6. Un (2011-11-01). "The Altar Billies | Gratis muziek, tourneedata, foto's, video's". Myspace.com. Retrieved 2012-02-01.

External links

• Altar Boys discography at MusicBrainz
• - Altar Boys Facebook page
• - Official Altar Boys YouTube channel
• - Altar Billies Facebook page
• - Altar Billies YouTube Channel

• Christian punk groups
• Christian rock groups from California
• Musical groups established in 1982
• 1982 establishments in California