38th Parallel was a

Christian rock Christian rock is a form of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith, often with an emphasis on Jesus, typically performed by self-proclaimed Christian individuals. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Ch ...

band formed in

Ames, Iowa Ames () is a city in Story County, Iowa, United States, located approximately north of Des Moines in central Iowa. It is best known as the home of Iowa State University (ISU), with leading agriculture, design, engineering, and veterinary medici ...

. Before being signed they received extensive airplay in Iowa markets alongside other CCM Artists. Unknown to them, they were entered into a talent search contest for Christian music giant

Word Records Word Records is a Christian faith-based entertainment company based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is owned by Curb Records, and is a part of Word Entertainment. It is distributed by Warner Records (the former Warner Bros. Records). History In 1 ...

created by former A&R Alvin V. Williams. Alvin Williams signed the group to Word Records, but they soon signed and released their first project on,

Squint Entertainment Squint Entertainment was a record label owned by Word Entertainment, started and run by musician and songwriter Steve Taylor in 1997. Squint pushed Sixpence None the Richer to mainstream success with their single "Kiss Me". The band had been in ...

. Their name is a play on the

38th parallel north The 38th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 38 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean. The 38th parallel north formed ...

, which divides

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

from

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. Their first album, '' Turn the Tides'', was released in 2002, following the band's nationwide tour with artists

Skillet A frying pan, frypan, or skillet is a flat-bottomed pan used for frying, searing, and browning foods. It is typically in diameter with relatively low sides that flare outwards, a long handle, and no lid. Larger pans may have a small grab ha ...

and

The Benjamin Gate The Benjamin Gate was a South African Christian rock band formed in 1998 by friends of musician Ben Herbert following his death in a traffic collision. Their name, which was also the name of one of the entrances into the original city of Jer ...

. The album received a

Dove Award A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards are presented annually. Formerly held in Nashville, Tennessee, the Dove Awards ...

nomination in 2003 for Rock Album of the Year. Following the disbandment of 38th Parallel, vocalist Mark Jennings, guitarist Jason Munday, and drummer Aaron Nordyke formed the

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...

-themed

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to r ...

band

Ministry of Magic The Ministry of Magic is the government of the Magical community of Britain in J. K. Rowling's Wizarding World, headed by an official entitled the Minister for Magic. The magical government in Britain is first mentioned in ''Harry Potter and t ...

. In 2005, 38th Parallel made available the demo tracks for their second album that were never finished or released. On August 2, 2006, band member Mark Jennings announced, via the band's MySpace blog, that it is unlikely that 38th Parallel will release another album. The decision was influenced by shifting priorities in the personal lives of the members such as marriage. On June 16, 2007, 4 out of the 5 members of 38th Parallel played 5 songs at Bash on the Farm in Garner, IA. Currently, Mark Jennings, Jason Munday, and Aaron Nordyke are all still involved with the wizard rock band called Ministry of Magic, along with Luke Conard, Ryan Seiler, and Jeremy Jennings. They currently have four albums (''The Tri Wizard'' LP, ''Goodbye Privet Drive'', ''Onward and Upward'', ''Magic is Might'', and "Songs from Gringott's Vault") and perform when possible.

Former members

* Mark Jennings — vocals * Nate Rippke — vocals * Shane Moe — guitars 2001–2003 * Jason Munday — guitars since 2003 * Jeff Barton — bass guitar * Aaron Nordyke — drums * Erik Holt — guitars 1998-2000

Discography

*2001: ''Let Go (EP)'' *2002: '' Turn the Tides''

References

External links

Live interview
- circa 2002 * 2000 establishments in Iowa 2006 disestablishments in Iowa Alternative rock groups from Iowa American nu metal musical groups American rap rock groups Christian rock groups from Iowa Musical groups disestablished in 2006 Musical groups established in 2000 {{US-rock-band-stub