The foursome Christian pop-punk band Hangnail is made up of guitarists and vocalists Matt Wendt and Nick Radovanovic, vocalist, bassist, and songwriter Mike Middleton, and drummer Jacob Dosemagen, all musically talented and spiritually devoted young men. Hangnail's musical style takes the best rhythms from older raw metal and pours on melodic... [+] Read More

The foursome Christian pop-punk band Hangnail is made up of guitarists and vocalists Matt Wendt and Nick Radovanovic, vocalist, bassist, and songwriter Mike Middleton, and drummer Jacob Dosemagen, all musically talented and spiritually devoted young men. Hangnail's musical style takes the best rhythms from older raw metal and pours on melodic punk rock with a touch of pop and honest, praise-oriented lyrics to come up with a unique sound that rocks wildly with metal riffs and power chords.

Radovanovic and Dosemagen formed a group called Say What when they were only eight years old. In 1993, as members of the Bullen Junior High Jazz Band in Wisconsin, they became friends with Middleton. Together they called themselves Hangnail. The trio became a group of four in high school with the addiction of Wendt.

Right after graduation in 1997, Hangnail appeared on the Cornerstone New Band Showcase stage. With that break, performing grew from a fun pastime to a potential career.

The group toured a lot, becoming known and growing a strong fan base along the way. In 1999, after signing with BEC Records, Hangnail recorded its first-class self-titled debut album. The album carries powerful tracks like "Friendly Advice," "An Apology," "I'm Only Human," and "Making History." ~ Charlotte Dillon, All Music Guide [-] Hide

The Denver-based punk group the Smiley Kids play aggressive but melodic skate punk along the lines of Five Iron Frenzy and Switchfoot, both of whom the band toured with on the Pants Across America Tour. They released their debut album ,Don't Get Bored, in 1999. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide

The Denver-based punk group the Smiley Kids play aggressive but melodic skate punk along the lines of Five Iron Frenzy and Switchfoot, both of whom the band toured with on the Pants Across America Tour. They released their debut album ,Don't Get Bored, in 1999. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide [-] Hide

The Christian-themed punk-pop outfit MxPx was formed in Bremerton, WA, in 1993 by vocalist/bassist Mike Herrera, drummer Yuri Ruley, and guitarist Andy. Originally dubbed Magnified Plaid, at the time of the group's formation all its members were still in high school. Their moniker was later shortened to just MxPx after Ruley abbreviated their... [+] Read More

The Christian-themed punk-pop outfit MxPx was formed in Bremerton, WA, in 1993 by vocalist/bassist Mike Herrera, drummer Yuri Ruley, and guitarist Andy. Originally dubbed Magnified Plaid, at the time of the group's formation all its members were still in high school. Their moniker was later shortened to just MxPx after Ruley abbreviated their name on some show flyers, but poor handwriting saw the periods being interpreted as x's instead; the name stuck. By the time they got their driver's licenses, the trio had already released several 7" singles and their debut album, Pokinatcha, for Tooth & Nail Records in 1994. It quickly became the label's best seller and prompted the release of the band's sophomore effort, Teenage Politics, late the next year. By this album, Andy had been replaced by band friend Tom Wisniewski, who dropped his drumsticks and picked up a guitar in order to join the band. Popular with the skate/surf community as well as the punk underground (with a snowboard sponsorship to their name), MxPx broke out of the underground in 1996 with their classic third LP, Life in General. The album included such fan favorites as "Chick Magnet" and "Move to Bremerton." Though dubbed a Christian punk band, religious themes were never an overbearingly dominant force in the band's songs, as they usually relied on universal themes of growing up and trying to figure life out. As MxPx progressed in their career, their songs began to gravitate more toward the secular side of things as well. Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo, their debut for major label A&M, appeared in 1998. That fall they also released the compilation album Let It Happen back on Tooth and Nail, which contained B-sides, demos, and other stray tracks. The live At the Show trailed a year later. The Broken Bones EP came out in 2000 before their next full-length, The Ever Passing Moment, appeared in the spring. Two years later, MxPx commemorated their time together with the greatest-hits release of Ten Years and Running. Their next official studio effort came the next year in the form of Before Everything & After, an album that alienated many veteran fans with its overly slick, pop-oriented nature. Late 2004 saw the release of the career retrospective DVD B-Movie; jumping back to the indies and their punk roots, Panic next surfaced in June 2005 on Side One Dummy. ~ John Bush & Corey Apar, All Music Guide [-] Hide

With the members of These 5 Down putting behind their excess lifestyle of sex, drugs and felony charges behind them, the message of sobriety and God comes before the music. But with their fuel of metallic hardcore to enforce their Christian straight-edge message, Andy Hittle (drums), Brandon Whitlock (guitar), Nathan Bauman (guitar), Justin... [+] Read More

With the members of These 5 Down putting behind their excess lifestyle of sex, drugs and felony charges behind them, the message of sobriety and God comes before the music. But with their fuel of metallic hardcore to enforce their Christian straight-edge message, Andy Hittle (drums), Brandon Whitlock (guitar), Nathan Bauman (guitar), Justin Bauman (vocals) and Rob Brunell (bass) signed on to Absolute Records. Through the financial backing of this Christian label, These 5 Down eventually debuted with the first self-titled full-length in 2000. ~ Mike DaRonco, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Formed in the autumn of 1991, the Washington D.C.-based pop-punk outfit Ghoti Hook comprised singer Joel Bell, guitarists/cousins Conrad and Jamie Tolosa, bassist Christian Ergueta and drummer Adam Neubauer. After developing a strong fan following in the northeastern U.S., in 1996 Ghoti Hook issued their debut LP Sumo Surprise; after the release... [+] Read More

Formed in the autumn of 1991, the Washington D.C.-based pop-punk outfit Ghoti Hook comprised singer Joel Bell, guitarists/cousins Conrad and Jamie Tolosa, bassist Christian Ergueta and drummer Adam Neubauer. After developing a strong fan following in the northeastern U.S., in 1996 Ghoti Hook issued their debut LP Sumo Surprise; after the release of Banana Man the following year, Conrad -- also the group's primary songwriter -- exited to return to school. A covers project, Songs We Didn't Write, appeared in 1998. Two Years to Never followed two years later. A retrospective of their work, simply titled Retrospective, appeared in 2002 on Tooth and Nail. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide [-] Hide

One of the most intriguing developments in Christian music in the '90s has been the appropriation of punk rock -- a genre with one of the most rabidly anti-authoritarian ideologies on the pop-culture landscape -- as a tool to spread the message of the Gospel to younger audiences. Some Christian punk bands use punk's oft-repeated themes of... [+] Read More

One of the most intriguing developments in Christian music in the '90s has been the appropriation of punk rock -- a genre with one of the most rabidly anti-authoritarian ideologies on the pop-culture landscape -- as a tool to spread the message of the Gospel to younger audiences. Some Christian punk bands use punk's oft-repeated themes of outsider alienation and personal integrity as a framework to present their spirituality as an alternative to mainstream materialism. The Smiley Kids, however, true to their name, are more happy-go-lucky, blasting through a series of hyperactive skate-punk anthems on Don't Get Bored, with the occasional ska-punk number tossed in for good measure. Even if the fastest sections sometimes threaten to fall apart, it's a testament to how well the group has mastered the style that their music contains no hint of the sunny, wide-eyed naïveté that the unconverted will likely detect in scanning through the accompanying lyric booklet. (In fact, the contrast between sentiment and delivery is often quite amazing.) The only real displays of intense scorn are reserved for Christians timid about preaching to others ("Useless") and those who concentrate on symbolism and ritual at the expense of religious substance ("Imitation Cross," which contains a pretty pointed attack on Catholicism in its first verse). But overall, the Smiley Kids' simple credo of godly love, faith and good times is an appealing enough message for the converted. A more interesting question, given their skilled mimicry of punk sound and style, is whether their music has a chance of winning fans from outside their obvious Christian audience. It's a debatable proposition, but what ultimately might prove decisive is, well, the "smiliness" factor. The group's "just be happy, everything will be OK in the end" philosophy does stem from their faith, and its simplicity may find some takers; however, when they acknowledge the existence of depression and alienation, it tends to come off as lip service and betrays a lack of understanding about where those feelings come from and how deeply they may run. Then again, if their social commentary is reserved for other members of the religious community, it's doubtful that their target audience lies on the outside. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide [-] Hide

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