Dime Store Prophets was a Christian

modern rock Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. Radio format Mod ...

band which was active during the mid- to late-1990s.

Musical career

Singer/Songwriter Justin Stevens and Engineer/Producer/Songwriter Masaki Liu originally formed the band

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, a "roots" rock band with strong rockabilly influences. With Justin writing the lyrics, melodies and most chord progressions, Masaki provided the sound with an old Telecaster guitar. With the addition of Phil Meads on drums and Sam Hernandez on bass in 1993, the band changed its name to Dime Store Prophets. The name was taken from a lyric of a "Radiation Ranch" song called "Mercy Me" (the lyric was changed before Dime Store Prophets recorded the song on the first edition of their first cd). Dime Store Prophets often opened for secular acts such as

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, and

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. ''The Lighthouse'' described their sound as "rock music pulled from the ground, exposing its roots of folk and blues." The group's albums were released on SaraBellum Records and its subsidiary 5 Minute Walk, which were distributed by

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.Higher Ground
''

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'', December 7, 1996, p. 38. Dime Store Prophets disbanded some time in or before 1999, when lead singer Justin Stevens (aka Justin Dillon) formed his own band. It first took the form of the Justin Dillon Combo, then, Justin Dillon and the Brilliantines, and later Tremolo. Masaki became a producer, working with

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The W's The W's were a Christian ska and swing revival band, formed in Corvallis, Oregon in 1996. Success came quickly to the band and their first album, '' Fourth from the Last'', was a sleeper hit, unexpectedly having had the strongest debut of any ...

.Mark Allan Powell, "Dime Store Prophets". ''The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music''. Hendrickson, 2002, pp. 258-259.

Discography

References

{{Authority control Christian rock groups from California Performers of contemporary Christian music Musical groups established in 1993 1993 establishments in California