Benson Records, Essential Records, and Parable Christian Stores have
 gripped the sails on something called "U-Turn," The Parking Lot Tour, which is a
 package tour featuring several cutting-edge Christian rock acts. The purpose of the
 tour is evangelistic in nature, and will be taking place in select parking lots across
 the country. The tour pendulum has already started swinging in all its shimmering
 glory. On December 14, a group of salespeople were treated to a taste of the tour
 at The Foundry, a marvelous Christian music venue in Nashville. The evening
 started off with a catered meal of TexMex delights, and, most notably, the
 availability of Snapple™. Free Snapple™ and food aside, these senses picked up
 a large dose of tasty music provided by the likes of Common Children,
 Everybodyduck, Eric Champion, and new act Rich Young Ruler. With a great
 sound mix, Rich Young Ruler occupied the nice-sized stage and broadcasted an
 agreeable blend of rock and roll that brought to mind the catchy pop hooks and
 vocal melodies of the 1960's. Rich Young Ruler's two guitarists traded lead vocal
 roles and in all, the six members of the band created a deluge of attractive sounds
 that showed why Benson signed the band. Marc Byrd and company came on
 next and showed why their band, Common Children, is one of the best hard
 music bands around. As usual, the band fed the audience their sonic
 dreaminess and sounded as if ten people played in the band, instead of just
 three. The band's short set consisted of all new material from their
 upcoming sophomore release, Delicate Fade. All four tunes possessed great
 hooks and were played with precision and passion. Veteran Eric Champion
 and band followed Common Children. With several synthesized pop elements,
 Champion was in a category all his own. His first tune started with a
 techno-sounding keyboard and drum machine and graduated into a full-fledged
 rocker with a dance undercurrent. Always the entertainer, Champion moved
 around enough and made enough body motions to hold the audience's attention.
 Somewhat similar to the material on Transformation, the new tunes show
 Champion again writing simple lyrics with a clear message. Last, but not least,
 Everybodyduck took the stage. Only this was not Everybodyduck, or was it?
 Apparently, lead vocalist, Darin McWaters and guitarist Tim Slovenic were the
 only original members, and had a new female vocalist, bassist, and drummer. As
 part of their set, the band included "Suzy's Diet" from their debut album. Darren
 explained that the song was about a girl named Suzy who worked at an
 all-you-can-eat buffet and was trying to diet at the same time. Needless to say,
 Suzy's attempts at dieting did not work. The point of the song, he stated, was that
 if you want to escape sin, you need to remove yourself from the temptation. Well,
 as far as showcases go, this one fared extremely well. While the first two bands
 could easily fit into any rock club, the last two seem more suited to a church or
 Christian camp setting. This provides a nice balance of bands for an audience that
 will most likely consist of Christians and non-Christians alike. While it's doubtful
 that the tour will feature free Tex-Mex dinners and bottles of Snapple™, it is
 nonetheless a good pairing of bands and should make for an nice evening out.

Interviews

7 Ball

Interviews

Hm Magazine

Mp3 (samples)

Galaxy21Music