Common Children one of the few true great bands of our time
Common Children was formed about eleven years ago. Lead singer and guitarist Marc Byrd and bassist Drew Powell met at a Bible college in Arkansas.
After they graduated, they connected with drummer Hampton Eugene. The group played clubs for about three years before finding a manager and moving to Nashville. At the 1995 Cornerstone festival, they played the 7ball stage, making a big impression. Shortly after Cornerstone, Derri Daugherty and fellow Choir members Steve Hindalong and Dan Michaels (who had recently started working with Tattoo Records) saw the band, and Michaels eventually offered Common Children a contract.

Track Listings
1. Absence Of Light
2. Entertaining Angels
3. Last Display
4. So Mysterious
5. Celebrity Virtue
6. Morning Star
7. Always On The Outside
8. Free
9. How Many Times
10. Inbetween Time
11. Redemption
12. Crashing Down

Discography
The Inbetween Time (2001)
Delicate Fade (1997)
Skywire (1995)



Album Reviews

It seems 2001 is the “Year of the Comeback” for bands we all thought had disappeared forever. Weezer, Presidents of the USA, Daniel Amos, the Toadies, Poor Old Lu . . . and now, Common Children. Thank God for musicians who just can’t stop the rock. Except the Children have now almost completely left said rock. They began their career with the well-received post-grunge pop of Skywire, then continued with the critically-acclaimed, Choir-ish Delicate Fade. They return on The Inbetween Time even further out, treading the narrow walkway between the solid structures of pop and the drifting fog of space rock. This may be one of the most accessible dream pop albums ever, due to the balancing act they pull off between the two traditionally opposing approaches to music. For every upbeat “So Mysterious” (about a girl who “keeps me curious when she talks about her dreams”), or “Free” (with solid drums / bass and deep fuzz guitar), there’s a double dose of warm, slowly blissful guitars and minimal vocals. They never go loopy like Pink Floyd, or get lost in themselves like Radiohead, though. Their lyrical rocketship is full of strong starlight, day / night, light / dark, and waking imagery. They’re definitely trying to send a clear transmission of hope through the darkness of space to a stranded mankind: “Hold on, help is on the way.”
. . .The album ends with the killer title track, for once dispensing with vocals and going completely psychedelic, leaping off in zero gravity and seeing just how far they can spread their atoms without coming apart completely. The atmospheric acoustic ballad, “Crashing Down,” ends the album reminding us, “You should know by now, it’s going to hurt like the first time and this won’t be the last time your heart comes crashing down,” but “one day, face to face, you will find your resting place.” Then it’s over, and you realize you just heard the perfect soundtrack to set your heartbeat by, and you feel as though you’re under a full moon and starlit sky, on a cliff overlooking city lights, with tears running down your face.
. . .Like Cush, the Violet Burning, the Prayer Chain, and even the Choir, Common Children have proven you don’t need chemical substances to take a trip. You’ve already got the right mix inside you; you just need the right music to start your spirit swirling. [Galaxy 21/ Josh Spencer]    - Hm Magazine                           

Whether you're in between jobs, in between relationships, or even just in between classes at school, there's a lost sense of direction--"Where do I go from here? What do I do now?" We live each day suspended between pain, doubt, failure and the unconditional love and grace of God. It is from within the middle of this unsettled vibe that the reformed Common Children created their latest release, The Inbetween Time.

Two years after their announced break-up and three years after releasing their last album, Delicate Fade, original members Marc Byrd (lead vocals/guitar), Drew Powel (bass) and Hampton Taliaferro (drums), accompanied by Andrew Thompson (guitar), have joined forces again to explore the stark contrast between dark and light, agony and love, on this their third album.

Unlike their aggressive, heavy-footed debut Skywire, Common Children's newest effort finds them swirling in moody atmosphere rather than stomping out pure emotion. The album opener, "Absence of Light," is a song of encouragement that hits struggling believers where they may be cowering, in the shadows. Byrd sings to those who are, "Searching for shelter / From the cold absence of light," telling them, "It's gonna be okay / Just a little bit longer / You will find your way."

While The Inbetween Time floats on a steadily rolling wave of low-spirited, Cure-like guitars and big, airy keyboards, there are a few glimpses of upbeat hope and glimmers of bona fide frustration. "Entertaining Angles," the album's first single, soars like a high-flying bird brushing wings with rising spirits. "Celebrity Virtue," a condemnation of those "selling out" in the Christian community, is a mid-album tremor of turmoil that shakes listeners out of their suspended daze.

The Inbetween Time does not look or sound like an uplifting album, but to anyone already stuck in the dimness of doubt or pain, Common Children reach out with a handful of heavenly hope. ~ A music fan from Nashville, TN

Track Listings
1. Stains of Time
2. Delicate Fade
3. Indiscreet
4. Eyes of God
5. Burn
6. Firefly
7. So Dream
8. Pulse
9. Reprise
10. Whisper
11. Strange Rain
12. Drift
13. Blue Raft
14. Storm Boy
15. Eyes of God II


Discography
The Inbetween Time (2001)
Delicate Fade (1997)
Skywire (1995)

Album Reviews

Fans of the debut album from Common Children will be surprised to find a new album far removed from the original sound of this trio. A possible step away from the Nirvana comparisons garnered from Skywire, Delicate Fade is an album which swings wildly from jangly-guitar modern rock to heavy post-punk to fuzzed out moodiness in the style of Pink Floyd. Although the combination of different sounds would not seem to work, the Children have somehow fused together these diverse sonic landscapes to craft an album of great impressiveness. The overall gist of the album is the grace and love of God in the midst of the pain we experience in life. In reference to the old desert island, three albums question, this particular cd would definitely make my final cut. The maturation of Marc Byrd's lyrics and the intricate guitar work draw me back to this album again and again. It is unfortunate that such talented bands receive such little recognition. I definitely recommend this album to the devotee of serious musical enterprise.
~ jason l merritt

I'd agree with the other reviews for this CD. It's hard enough for a band with this much creativity to break through in Christian circles, but that "tag" probably makes it doubly hard to make it outside CCM. And it's a big fat shame, too. "Delicate Fade" is one of those recordings that is still going to sound great 10 years from today. The music is so much more mature than their debut. It's truly one of the greatest rock recordings I own (and I have around 2000 CDs). If anyone out there wants to hear an album similar and just as good they need to buy Christine Glass' "Love and Poverty". Marc Byrd from Common Children helped produce the CD and it sounds like the female compliment to "Delicate Fade" (not a big surprise since Glass sang on "Delicate Fade"). I actually think Glass' recording is better and that is a HIGH compliment. I will never understand why these 2 recordings were practically ignored. I would pit them both against anything else available.

Track Listings
1. Throw Me Over
2. Wishing Well
3. Drought
4. Skywire
5. Duel Lens
6. Man
7. Hate
8. Treasure
9. Domesticity
10. Drown
11. Broken Smile
12. Last Time Out

Discography
The Inbetween Time (2001)
Delicate Fade (1997)
Skywire (1995)

Album Review

From the minute CC burst onto the Christian Music scene they had an instant admiration from myfriends and I. This album is representative of all facets of the group. Their surreal sounds (broken smile) are accompanied by some flat out moshers (I hate myself) that all make for a well balanced attack on your senses. The band's newest album Delicate Fade is phenominal. This band is only going to get better. If your looking for that Smashing Pumpkins sound then you have found it in these UNcommon artists, they are a real find. ~ Jerry Smith

People at first classified this band as a typical grunge band--riding on the coat tails of others. This album as well as their masterpiece of a second album reveal that this rationalization does not even begin to characterize CC and their music. First of all, Marc Byrd is a lyrical genius. He crafts images in your head that don't leave when the song is over and at the same time the words delve into your emotions. Secondly, the music is brilliant, intense, hard, soft, and...well it
covers a vast array of music. Every track is a highlight although I like some less than others. "Broken Smile" is one of those ballads that will never go away, "Treasure" is a happy rocker, "Last Time Out" is a surreal journey while "hate" is a acid thrash song. They offer a tremendous variety, deep, thoughtful lyrics,
beautiful vocals and harmonies and driving rifts and beats. This album is a must in any Christian alternative or just alternative collection.

Common Children (homepage)