Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Onward, Christian Rockers

Destroy the Runner, a Carlsbad metal-core band, just returned from a six-week tour that followed the release of Saints, their first CD on Solid State. The Seattle indie label distributed by EMI is known for its roster of Christian rock artists. Two other Solid State bands (Haste the Day and August Burns Red) joined Destroy the Runner on the 42-city tour. Another band on the bill (Scary Kids Scaring Kids) was the only one not on Solid State. Scary Kids partied on the road; the other three bands did not.

"We definitely couldn't have done this tour eight years ago," says Scary Kids keyboardist Pouyan Afkary. Destroy the Runner's Duane Reed (guitar/vocals) agrees that not long ago Christian rock and secular rock rarely intersected; he says that rock audiences nowadays are more open to Christian bands.

Sponsored
Sponsored

"Underoath is huge right now," says Reed. "I think they sold 100,000 [copies of their latest CD]." About Christian rock bands in the past, Reed says, "A lot of it was real crap. Most of the bands who were claiming Christian stuff were awful. Now a lot of [Christian] bands are coming out with really good music."

While on tour, there were no conflicts between Scary Kids and the Solid State bands; however, Scary Kid Afkary says...

"It's tough to be on a totally Christian bill and be well received.... I like to come up to people in the crowd and dance sexually with them. I wrap my shirt around them and caress their face. Some of the crowds had no problem. But there was one occasion where this girl came up to me and said we lost their devotion as fans because of the way I acted onstage.... I'm an atheist, and we also have a Mormon in the band, but we don't want to say as a band we are this or that religion....

"If you are on Solid State, the day your record comes out you can expect to sell X amount of records just because you are on that label. The bad thing is, the second those fans find out you did something that doesn't go along with their interpretation of the Bible, they will turn on you."

Reed says Destroy the Runner's spirituality is subtle.

"I've been to P.O.D. shows where they would preach from the stage, saying they are representing Jesus Christ. We're not that kind of band. We all share beliefs that are portrayed in our lyrics, but we're not out to be a ministry band. We don't want to make anybody uncomfortable."

Scary Kids Scaring Kids appear November 4 at Soma. Destroy the Runner departs for another six-week tour tomorrow.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Making Love to Goats, Rachmaninoff, and Elgar

Next Article

San Diego Reader 2024 Music & Arts Issue

Favorite fakers: Baby Bushka, Fleetwood Max, Electric Waste Band, Oceans, Geezer – plus upcoming tribute schedule

Destroy the Runner, a Carlsbad metal-core band, just returned from a six-week tour that followed the release of Saints, their first CD on Solid State. The Seattle indie label distributed by EMI is known for its roster of Christian rock artists. Two other Solid State bands (Haste the Day and August Burns Red) joined Destroy the Runner on the 42-city tour. Another band on the bill (Scary Kids Scaring Kids) was the only one not on Solid State. Scary Kids partied on the road; the other three bands did not.

"We definitely couldn't have done this tour eight years ago," says Scary Kids keyboardist Pouyan Afkary. Destroy the Runner's Duane Reed (guitar/vocals) agrees that not long ago Christian rock and secular rock rarely intersected; he says that rock audiences nowadays are more open to Christian bands.

Sponsored
Sponsored

"Underoath is huge right now," says Reed. "I think they sold 100,000 [copies of their latest CD]." About Christian rock bands in the past, Reed says, "A lot of it was real crap. Most of the bands who were claiming Christian stuff were awful. Now a lot of [Christian] bands are coming out with really good music."

While on tour, there were no conflicts between Scary Kids and the Solid State bands; however, Scary Kid Afkary says...

"It's tough to be on a totally Christian bill and be well received.... I like to come up to people in the crowd and dance sexually with them. I wrap my shirt around them and caress their face. Some of the crowds had no problem. But there was one occasion where this girl came up to me and said we lost their devotion as fans because of the way I acted onstage.... I'm an atheist, and we also have a Mormon in the band, but we don't want to say as a band we are this or that religion....

"If you are on Solid State, the day your record comes out you can expect to sell X amount of records just because you are on that label. The bad thing is, the second those fans find out you did something that doesn't go along with their interpretation of the Bible, they will turn on you."

Reed says Destroy the Runner's spirituality is subtle.

"I've been to P.O.D. shows where they would preach from the stage, saying they are representing Jesus Christ. We're not that kind of band. We all share beliefs that are portrayed in our lyrics, but we're not out to be a ministry band. We don't want to make anybody uncomfortable."

Scary Kids Scaring Kids appear November 4 at Soma. Destroy the Runner departs for another six-week tour tomorrow.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Top Websites To Buy Instagram Likes + Bonus Tip!

Next Article

20 Best Online Casinos USA For Real Money (2024 List)

USA Online Casinos: Top 20 Online Casino Sites of 2024
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.