Chagall Guevara is an American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band formed in 1989 by solo artist Steve Taylor, guitarists Dave Perkins and

Lynn Nichols Lynn Arthur Nichols is an American songwriter, producer,(January 24, 2009New 'Day' Dawns ''Billboard (magazine)'' (identifying Nichols as a producer with associations with Phil Keaggy and Switchfoot) and musician from New York who now resides in ...

(from the 1970s Phil Keaggy band), bassist Wade Jaynes, and drummer

Mike Mead Mike Mead is an American drummer, working from the mid-1980s to the mid 2000s with artists in the Christian rock and Contemporary Christian music (CCM) genres. Mead's first credit is on Rick Cua's 1985 CCM album ''You're My Road''. In additi ...

. The band was named after Communist revolutionary

Che Guevara Ernesto Che Guevara (; 14 June 1928The date of birth recorded on /upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Ernesto_Guevara_Acta_de_Nacimiento.jpg his birth certificatewas 14 June 1928, although one tertiary source, (Julia Constenla, quot ...

and painter Marc Chagall to imply the meaning "revolutionary art". All of the band members had histories within the

Christian music industry The Christian music industry is one aspect of the broader music industry, with a focus on Christian music and subgenres such as gospel music, southern gospel, contemporary Christian music, contemporary worship music, and even traditional church mus ...

, but the band was an effort to depart from the CCM industry. Despite this, the band still performed at the exclusively Christian music festival Cornerstone, and had their music (albeit against their wishes) distributed through Christian bookstores. The group formed in 1989 and broke up in early 1993. A Kickstarter drive appeared in August 2020 to release unavailable and rare live and studio material, resulting in the release of two new albums. Following the successful Kickstarter campaign, the band performed its first live show in 30 years on July 2, 2022 at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN.

Background

The band was originally formed by Taylor, Nichols, Perkins, Mead and

Daniel Amos Daniel Amos (aka D. A., Dä) is an American Christian rock band formed in 1974 by Terry Scott Taylor on guitars and vocals, Marty Dieckmeyer on bass guitar, Steve Baxter on guitars and Jerry Chamberlain on lead guitars. The band currently c ...

bassist, Tim Chandler - although Chandler quit during rehearsals DanielAmosco
''Daniel Amos Timeline 1989''
''DanielAmoscom'' retrieved 2019-5-21 and was later replaced by Rick Cua who played bass on the band's first recorded track, "'Tale O' The Twister'" and later, Wade Jaynes who recorded with the band for their first album. The band first appeared on the soundtrack to the motion picture '' Pump Up the Volume'' with a song called '"Tale O' The Twister". The band's only album, the self-titled '' Chagall Guevara'', was released on

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 w ...

in 1991. The band's only music video, for the song "Violent Blue", received a few plays on MTV. Several CD and LP singles were released off the album, including a UK release of "Violent Blue" with an unreleased B-side track titled "Still Know Your Number By Heart". Several songs from the band's 1991 performance at the

Greenbelt Festival Greenbelt Festival is a festival of arts, faith and justice held annually in England since 1974. Greenbelt has grown out of an evangelical Christian music festival with an audience of 1,500 young people into its current form, a more inclusive f ...

in England appeared on the official video "Four Days in Summer." Work on a second album began, but the group broke up while attempting to be released from their contract with

. Several tracks for the second album were recorded, including "Halcyon Days" and "A Bullet's Worth A Thousand Words". These songs, along with a November 15, 1991 concert recording, remained unreleased. In 1994, a track titled "Treasure of the Broken Land" appeared on the

Mark Heard John Mark Heard III (December 16, 1951 – August 16, 1992) was an American record producer, folk rock singer and songwriter from Macon, Georgia. Heard released sixteen albums, and produced or performed with many artists, including: Sam P ...

tribute album ''

Strong Hand of Love ''Strong Hand of Love: A Tribute to Mark Heard'' is a compilation of songs by various artists in tribute to songwriter, Mark Heard. Recorded and released in 1994, after Heard's death in 1992. Proceeds benefit the Heard Family Fund. In 1994, wit ...

'' and the ''

Orphans of God ''Orphans of God'' is a 1996 two-CD compilation of songs performed by various artists in tribute to songwriter Mark Heard. Recorded and released after Heard's death in 1992, proceeds from the album benefit the Heard Family Fund. This album was li ...

'' double-CD, which were sold mainly through Christian bookstores and similar outlets. The band reunited again in Nashville at a private industry party in October, 2005. In November 2014 the band partially reunited (with

John Mark Painter John Mark Painter (born c. 1967) is an American multi-instrumental musician, composer and arranger. He is best known for his role, with his wife, singer Fleming McWilliams, in the rock duo, Fleming and John. Painter grew up in Miami, and beg ...

standing in for Wade Jaynes on bass) at the Cannery Ballroom in Nashville at the end of a set by Steve Taylor & The Perfect Foil. On August 1, 2020, a live Kickstarter appeared to release the band's November 15, 1991 concert, entitled ''The Last Amen''. The album would also be accompanied by a collection entitled ''Halcyon Days'', to include rare and previously unreleased studio material as well as three new recordings. On February 12, 2022, the band announced that bassist Wade Jaynes was leaving the band. He would be replaced by John Mark Painter again. The nine-track ''Halcyon Days'' was made available to Kickstarter backers in mid-May 2022, with a public release date set for June.

Discography

* '' Pump Up the Volume''

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack ...

, 1990. * '' Chagall Guevara'', 1991. * ''

'', a tribute to

, 1994. * ''

'', a tribute to

, 1996. * ''The Last Amen'', live album, 2021. * ''Halcyon Days'', studio collection, 2022.

References

External links

Chagall Guevara: The Last Amen
- Kickstarter launched August 2020 to release live and rare recordings by the group
Sock Heaven
- The longest-running Steve Taylor and Chagall Guevara fan site and archive

with more information about their music video, break up, and unreleased tracks
Kevin: The Chagall Guevara Newsletter
{{Authority control Musical groups established in 1989 Musical groups disestablished in 1993 Musical groups from Nashville, Tennessee Alternative rock groups from Tennessee