Lo Tom is indie rock made in a time when pop music is giving rock the throw down. Lo Tom has enough geek-factor in its musical compositions to be both cool and pleasantly complicated. Nowadays, the Christian indie rock scene is comparable to a worn-out battle axe cockroach barely surviving in a pristinely clean kitchen, with no other homes to invade within miles. That cockroach can attest to the fact that it was not always that way. The crumbs were plentiful between 1995 to 2006.
I have this profound theory about Christian pop star Amy Grant. My theory is that Amy was the original Christian Contemporary Music (CCM) upstart that got the ball rolling for what would much, much later evolve into the identity known as Lo Tom. Does this sound like a ridiculous conclusion to make? Let me elaborate.
If you were born in the 1970s, you might recall there was a time when kids sat around campfires and sang “Kumbaya.” In today’s societal norms, it would be way more desirable to sit at home and watch Netflix reruns. But back in the day, kids actually did that, at least some did. That is because there was this riptide phenomena known as the Jesus Movement, which allegedly started when a young man with long blond hair raised his index finger into the air at a religious rally. (Try that now and you might get another finger raised back at you.) The 1970s were a unique time. The smoke from the Vietnam War slowly dissipated and people were searching for meaning. Many in that time found meaning in religion and spirituality. I can remember as a kid there were scads of Christian Bookstores. I walked in one when I was eleven years old, looking for something that sounded like Kiss. I came out with an Andrae Crouch album.
The CCM entity was alive and well as a successful commercial enterprise from approximately 1970 to 1991. Why 1970? Because that was the year when a straight-laced pastor shook hands with long-haired Jesus freaks and said it was ok to be hippies and go to his church. The band Love Song got the ball rolling in 1970 and smoothed over the rough edges for other groups to do the same. And why did it end in 1991? Because that is the year that God and the Devil waged a bet on CCM pop singer Amy Grant. Here is how it went down:
Devil: You know, I’m getting tired of this Jesus hoopla lasting as long as it has. Why do your followers need their own music and festivals? Don’t you think it’s time to give it a break and let them do music for EVERYBODY for a change? I mean, how many uninspired albums does Larry Norman have to put out before people realize he should have hung it up a decade ago?
God: Look, I know there are some embarrassing personalities out there. But you have to see it from my perspective. A lot of my people are having extraordinary epiphanies, and that brings me joy. Mind you, some of the music does sucks.
Devil: Ya think?!? That’s an understatement! I *do* wish you had not taken Bob Dylan from my camp….
God: Bob Dylan?!? I never *had* Dylan. He only came on board for a few years.
Devil: Yeah, he’s always been an independent thinker. Better off that way.
God: Now if I could get my hands on Robert Plant….Whooo-Whee, that dude can sing….
Devil: Not a chance. Robert is too mystical. ….Hey listen, I have something I want to get your input on. Sort of a game-changer.
God: What do ya have in mind? This better be good, Snake Eyes!
Devil: You know that sexy pop singer of yours from Georgia? What’s her name, Amy Green?
God: Grant. What about her?
Devil: Well, you know that none of your followers are getting on the mainstream charts.
God: There seems to be some walls up preventing that. Now what is your point?
Devil: Christians have their own music charts. How can they make it big if no one is making the plunge? They can stay happy on their own little charts. In the world, not of it, right?!?
God: Hey, easy there! I didn’t make those charts. They were created by people. Of course they are going to be flawed. If I had my way, I would have…..
Devil: Now just hear me out. You and I both know that this religious hysteria is responsible for a lot of the sub-par music in circulation. How are we going to put an end to this? What if we get that hottie Amy to make it big-time? She’s got moves and charisma and a voice and…..
God: C’mon, you know I’m not going to surrender her to your side.
Devil: You don’t have to. I just want her to swim with the big fish rather than in the fish bowl. How about we place a bet on her? If Amy can land a platinum hit, then you let this Jesus Movement hoop-la go down the same path as 8-track tapes and tupperware parties. Deal?
God: I kind of like tupperware. Uggghh….Fine! Some of that music is lacking. And I do value honesty and integrity. I really do hate scandals, which are inevitably going to happen. All I ask is that you do not mess with Amy.
Devil: Now we’re talking, G.
God: And if Amy does not make it big, I get Robert Plant.
Devil: Are you kidding me? You think Plant is that naive?
God: What makes you think you have any divine insight anyways? …Now about that King’s X band..??
Devil: yeah, no kidding… they should be the next Rush….
So God and the Devil talked long into the night about music, tattoos, and politics. Soon after, Amy met with a talented songwriter who gave her a catchy dance tune. Then she wrote lyrics about her young baby daughter that sounded like it could have been written for her lover. The song had a large appeal, even for all the guys who ever got a stiffy thinking about Amy. Not long after Baby, Baby climbed the charts to number one, other CCM artists also received mainstream popularity.
At this point, you may be questioning the reliability of that conversation between God and the Devil. However, my source is a friend of a sister’s cousin who confided with me that she was privy to this conversation. This time-honoured tradition of truth-telling may be the most authentic account we have for this event. God and the Devil wagered a bet and the deal went down. End of story.
Around the time CCM artists began getting more popular, alternative music became the next big music genre. With alternative music, there was no obvious stigma over one’s religion or culture in relation to the product. If your music was good, you got a chance to be heard. If your music sucked, it made the trash heap. What mattered was that you were on a label, got good distribution, had a kick-ass sound, and enough people thought your music was worth listening to. Take for example Mike Knott, who went under the moniker of Michael Moret. Mike released a dance track, “Want Me,” that did well in the dance clubs. Do you think the gatekeepers researched his religious affiliation before the song charted? No such thing happened. Knott was embarrassingly stuck with a dance hit he had not ever envisioned.
Now what does all this have to do with Lo Tom? When Amy’s Baby, Baby gained nationwide airplay and video exposure, this became the sperm needed to shoot life into bands like Lo Tom decades later. No one back in the early 90s knew the shit storm that would take place. From 1991 to now, the hands of time have moved prevalently towards more cultural and global awareness. We have been introduced to 9/11 & weapons of mass destruction, cloning, Facebook, LGBT civil liberties, ISIS, artificial intelligence, the iPhone, crystal meth, Nickleback, Rob Bell, Brexit, craft beer, and Lo Tom. But remember one thing; what pre-empted all of these was the deal God and the Devil made. That one insular event catapulted everything towards the wheels of post-modernity rolling ever more rapidly. You can blame God for conversing with the Devil. Or you can blame the Devil for coming up with the deal. You can even blame me for risking to share the truth. But the fact remains Baby, Baby went big time in 1991. So if you are going to place blame on something material, it might as well be Amy.
I blame Amy for Chagall Guevera and Prayer Chain breaking up prematurely. I blame Amy for Vengeance Rising growler Roger Martinez disavowing thrash and selling his soul for real estate profits. I blame Amy for the Aunt Bettys’ outrageous and short-lived tour debauchery. I blame Amy for Jennifer Knapp kissing a girl & liking it and not responding back to my love note in 2001. I blame Amy for dozens upon dozens of Christian metalcore bands that decided they had enough of the “Christian” label and not bothering to tell their fans. I even blame Amy for Carman, even though I am having a hard time finding something to blame her for on that one. Last but not least, I blame Amy for the existence of Lo Tom twenty-six years later.
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