Guardian is an American
Christian hard rock and
metal
A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...
band. The band has released seven studio albums, three additional albums in Spanish, and toured extensively worldwide. There are also numerous compilations, independent releases, live records and bootlegs available.
History
The early years
The band was founded in 1982 under the name ''Fusion'', by bassist David Bach and singer, songwriter and guitarist Paul Cawley.
The original band lineup included drummer Steve Martinez and guitarist Gene Thurston.
The group stood out in the burgeoning Los Angeles metal music scene due to their unconventional futuristic body-armor stage outfits, whose concept Cawley derived from the biblical passage in Ephesians 6 regarding "putting on the full armor of God". Member changes in 1984 included drummer Rikk Hart and guitarist, James Isham. In late 1984, Isham departed, and the trio of Cawley, Bach & Hart recorded an EP of six Cawley-penned tunes called ''Rock in Victory''. During early 1985, the band experimented with some pop textures and were temporarily joined by keyboardist Brent Jeffers and vocalist Pat Dewey, who left shortly thereafter to form a band called The Deacons. After much searching, Cawley, Bach & Hart recruited guitarist David Caro. Caro arrived just in time for one of the first of many shifts in the band's trajectory.
The band managed to strike a
record deal with
Enigma Records
Enigma Records (also known as Enigma Entertainment Corporation) was a popular rock and alternative American record label in the 1980s.
History
Enigma Records launched as a division of Greenworld Distribution, an independent music importer/dis ...
in 1985, after Hart's high school friend, Eric Blair, (who worked for the Christian metal band Stryper) pitched the ''Rock in Victory''
EP to Enigma Records President, Wesley Hein. When they found out there was a Spanish band also going by the name Fusion, they changed the band name to ''Gardian'' – intentionally misspelled to have 7 letters. In early 1986, Caro left the band and was replaced by guitarist Tony Palacios. With Palacios, there surfaced a bootleg EP, ''Voyager'' in 1987—which were really just pre-production demos recorded in the backroom of an Orange County music store.
In 1988, the band abandoned the space armor and added the "U" to their name—while continually touring throughout California and recording demos for their record label. In 1989, Enigma/Capitol finally released their first official album, ''
First Watch'', produced by
Stryper
Stryper is an American Christian metal band from Orange County, California. The group's lineup consists of Michael Sweet (lead vocals, guitar), Oz Fox (guitar), Perry Richardson (bass guitar), and Robert Sweet (drums).
Formed in 1983 as Roxx ...
's
Oz Fox
Richard Alfonso Martinez (born June 18, 1961), better known by the stage name Oz Fox, is the lead guitarist of the Christian glam metal band Stryper. Martinez' high school friends called him ''Oz'' in honor of Ozzy Osbourne due to his ability t ...
. This release featured a melodic metal sound in a similar vein as
Stryper
Stryper is an American Christian metal band from Orange County, California. The group's lineup consists of Michael Sweet (lead vocals, guitar), Oz Fox (guitar), Perry Richardson (bass guitar), and Robert Sweet (drums).
Formed in 1983 as Roxx ...
or
Van Halen
Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead gu ...
and was followed by extensive
touring through the United States and Japan. Rikk Hart departed the group in the fall of 1989 and was replaced by drummer Jason Souza for the Japanese tour. Souza was then recruited by John Alderete and John Corabi for the original lineup of The Scream and was replaced by drummer Karl Ney. In early 1990, founding member Cawley left the band.
The new Guardian
After Cawley's departure, Bach and Palacios asked to be freed of their Enigma contract, requesting a more Christian-focused label. After they were released, former Tempest singer Jamie Rowe joined the band. The new band lineup started working with new producers Dino and
John Elefante
John Elefante (born March 18, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, and record producer. From 1981-1984, he was lead vocalist of the rock group Kansas and is currently touring with several groups that have featured members fro ...
on their second album, finally releasing ''
Fire and Love'' in 1991 on Epic Records through the Elefante's Pakaderm label imprint.
The response to the album was overwhelming and the video for the song "Power of Love" was included in the
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
's
Headbangers Ball
''Headbangers Ball'' is a music television program that consisted of heavy metal music videos airing on MTV and its global affiliates. The show began on MTV on April 18, 1987, playing heavy metal music videos from both well-known and more obs ...
rotation. After extensive U.S touring throughout 1991 and a European tour with
Stryper
Stryper is an American Christian metal band from Orange County, California. The group's lineup consists of Michael Sweet (lead vocals, guitar), Oz Fox (guitar), Perry Richardson (bass guitar), and Robert Sweet (drums).
Formed in 1983 as Roxx ...
in 1992,
the band released their third album, ''
Miracle Mile Miracle Mile may refer to:
Places in the United States
* Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California, a district of Los Angeles
* Miracle Mile (Coral Gables), a shopping area in Coral Gables, Florida
* Miracle Mile (Manhasset), New York, a premium sh ...
'' in 1993. The album was a departure from their first two releases as the band began to integrate
R&B and acoustic elements into their music.
The album quickly rose the charts, and reached the CCM Top Five.
After a new record deal with
Myrrh Records
__NOTOC__
Myrrh Records (also known as Myrrh Worship) was an American Christian music record label.
According to ''Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music'', the label was instrumental in developing a popular following for contemporary Christian ...
, they followed with an
experimental
An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when ...
acoustic album ''
Swing, Swang, Swung'' in 1994. The album was recorded in producer's (
John & Dino Elefante) garage and featured a stripped down,
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
based sound.
Also, the band's first Spanish album ''
Nunca te diré adiós'' (I Will Never Say Goodbye) was released in 1995—rising the band's popularity in Latin America.
The band then switched to veteran Christian producer/artist
Steve Taylor
Roland Stephen Taylor (born December 9, 1957) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, music executive, film maker, assistant professor, and actor. A figure in what has come to be known as Christian alternative rock, Taylor enjoyed ...
, after sharing the bill with Taylor on his worldwide Squinternational tour. Under his direction they returned to a harder sound and released ''
Buzz'' in 1995.
They supported the release with yet another worldwide tour—including extensive dates in Latin America. In 1997, the band released the Taylor-produced ''
Bottle Rocket'' and their second Spanish album, ''
Promesa
The Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA) is a U.S. federal law enacted in 2016 that established a financial oversight board, a process for restructuring debt, and expedited procedures for approving critical in ...
'' (Promise).
With growing shifts in the Christian rock genre and their ever-growing families (Note: Palacios has six children. Bach, Ney and Rowe have four children each, for a total of 18), the band decided to take some time off from their grueling tour schedule and dedicate time to other personal projects. During this time, Bach temporarily stepped down as a full-time touring member and the band released a self-produced tribute to
Stryper
Stryper is an American Christian metal band from Orange County, California. The group's lineup consists of Michael Sweet (lead vocals, guitar), Oz Fox (guitar), Perry Richardson (bass guitar), and Robert Sweet (drums).
Formed in 1983 as Roxx ...
called ''
The Yellow and Black Attack Is Back!''. The album is a direct remake of
Stryper
Stryper is an American Christian metal band from Orange County, California. The group's lineup consists of Michael Sweet (lead vocals, guitar), Oz Fox (guitar), Perry Richardson (bass guitar), and Robert Sweet (drums).
Formed in 1983 as Roxx ...
's ''
The Yellow and Black Attack
''The Yellow and Black Attack'' is the first release and debut studio album from the Christian metal band Stryper. It was originally released as a six-song EP, and fewer than 20,000 copies were pressed, as their label, Enigma Records, was unsure ...
''. The band continued to play dates in the U.S. and abroad with touring bassist Brent Denny. In early 2001, Rowe, Palacios and Ney released a third Spanish album called ''
Dime''. It featured nine songs written in Spanish exclusively for this album and one in English.
The later years
In mid-2001, Guardian (including Bach) joined other legendary Christian hard rock bands (including
Bride
A bride is a woman who is about to be married or who is newlywed.
When marrying, the bride's future spouse, (if male) is usually referred to as the '' bridegroom'' or just ''groom''. In Western culture, a bride may be attended by a maid, bri ...
) on the ''
HM'' Stage at the
Cornerstone Festival
Cornerstone Festival was a Christian music festival put on by Jesus People USA and held annually around July 4 near Bushnell, Illinois, drawing some 20,000 attendees each year. In a given year, many artists that played at Cornerstone also playe ...
near Bushnell, Illinois. The show was intended to be a tribute to the Christian metal heyday of the 80s and early 90s, however Guardian made the show a reunion of sorts and performed songs spanning their entire catalog.
In December 2005, the band recorded an updated version of "Never Say Goodbye" with producer
Phil Madeira
Philip Kamm Madeira (born 1952) is an American songwriter, producer, musician and singer. He was raised in Barrington, Rhode Island, and attended Taylor University, graduating in 1975. His songs have been recorded by The Civil Wars, Buddy Mill ...
.
In April 2006, producer Dino Elefante told Jesus Freak Hideout that Guardian would release ''Triple Five'', a compilation with some new songs on the Selectric Records imprint that he had partnered with Bach.
Jamie Rowe said that there may be a complete CD of all new material rather than ''Triple Five''. However, these plans were put on hold when Selectric Records was sold to Weston Entertainment.
In October 2006, Guardian made a rare live appearance at the ARPA Awards in
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
where they performed a medley of some of their Spanish hits.
In February 2007, Guardian joined fellow Christian-metal veterans, Bride and
Tourniquet
A tourniquet is a device that is used to apply pressure to a limb or extremity in order to stop the flow of blood. It may be used in emergencies, in surgery, or in post-operative rehabilitation.
A simple tourniquet can be made from a stick an ...
onstage in Germany at the Legends of Rock festival.
In December 2008, the band appeared at Rock & Vida in Buenos Aires, Argentina—playing before over 100,000 with newly added guitarist Jamey Perrenot.
In 2009, the band released ''House of Guardian''—a live video documentary—as well as a complementary website: houseofguardian.com
Guardian again appeared in Europe at the Legends of Rock festival in Germany in 2010 with Perrenot solely handling all guitar duties.
The band appeared live in a series of Latin American shows in Guatemala, Argentina and Paraguay in 2011.
In early 2012, the band successfully funded a new recording though crowd sourcing. The album was christened ''Almost Home'' the day after the funding was successful.
In 2017, Guardian members Jamie Rowe (Vocals) and David Bach (Bass) partnered with Whitecross members Rex Carroll (Guitar) and Michael Feighan (Drums) to record an EP that included both Guardian and Whitecross songs. The resultant album release was entitled "Revival" and was released under the band name "The Great Whitecross & Guardian" Most notable was a remake of the Whitecross classic "Enough is Enough" as well as a cover of Jimi Hendrix "Spanish Castle Magic".
In 2019, the core Guardian line up of Rowe, Palacios, Bach & Ney reunited for a live performance and interviews for the TV show, ''Music Moments and Memories'', which aired on the TBN network.
Post-Guardian
After the band went on semi-hiatus in the late 90s, bassist David Bach served as VP of A&R for five years with EMI's
ForeFront Records
ForeFront Records is a contemporary Christian music and Christian rock record label founded in 1987 by Dan R. Brock, Eddie DeGarmo, Dana Key, and Ron W. Griffin. It was purchased by EMI in 1996 from Dan R. Brock and Eddie DeGarmo, and is a divis ...
. He also served in the same capacity for
Sony/BMG
Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout ...
-owned
Reunion Records before reuniting with veteran producers
John and Dino Elefante to serve as label chief in a production/record company called 3.1 Productions, which included the Selectric Records imprint that Bach solely oversaw.
Bach currently works for Apple Inc., overseeing Business Development for key markets in the southeast U.S.
Guitarist
Tony Palacios
Tony Palacios is the lead guitarist of the Christian hard rock band, Guardian. Palacios joined the band in 1986 and has remained with them since, releasing nine studio albums, including three in Spanish.
In 1998, Palacios released his first ins ...
mixes and produces records for a diverse blend of both CCM and mainstream acts.
Karl Ney is owner of The Bennett Company, an Artist and Business Management Firm which represents international CCM and mainstream recording artists
Jamie Rowe
Jamie Rowe (born April 7, 1970 as Earl Wilson Rowe, Jr.) is a musician best known as the lead vocalist of the Christian hard rock band, Guardian. He has also been vocalist for New York-based AdrianGale, power pop band, London Calling (which br ...
remains active as both solo artist with several solo albums plus band projects for power pop bands London Calling and The Ruled as well as melodic rock band AdrianGale. He also works as a part-time youth minister while running a successful viral marketing business. He is currently Marketing Director for the musical equipment company, Visual Sound. Rowe released his first country album, This is Home, in 2019.
Jamey Perrenot is a record producer/session guitarist in Nashville, TN.
Former guitarist David Caro currently plays guitar at his church in
Hesperia, CA
Hesperia is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is located north of downtown San Bernardino in Victor Valley and surrounded by the Mojave Desert. Because of its relatively high elevation and the unique and moderate we ...
.
Former guitarist James Isham currently lives in Germany and performs under the name Jimi James.
Early band advocate Eric Blair currently hosts his own cable-TV music show in Southern California called the Blairing Out Show.
Former keyboardist Brent Jeffers later played keyboards with Stryper and has toured the world over with a diverse group of artists ranging from Natalie Cole to Tim McGraw. He has served as keyboard tech for the band Journey since 2002.
In 2011, Guardian founder Paul Cawley and former drummer Rikk Hart released a three-song EP called "Empire", under the band name Guardian 1.
Band members
Current
*David Bach – bass (1982–present)
*
Tony Palacios
Tony Palacios is the lead guitarist of the Christian hard rock band, Guardian. Palacios joined the band in 1986 and has remained with them since, releasing nine studio albums, including three in Spanish.
In 1998, Palacios released his first ins ...
– guitar (1986–present)
*
Jamie Rowe
Jamie Rowe (born April 7, 1970 as Earl Wilson Rowe, Jr.) is a musician best known as the lead vocalist of the Christian hard rock band, Guardian. He has also been vocalist for New York-based AdrianGale, power pop band, London Calling (which br ...
– vocals (1990–present)
*Karl Ney – drums (1990–present)
Former
*Paul Cawley – vocals, guitar (1982–1990)
*Gene Thurston – guitar (1983)
*James Isham – guitar (1983–1984)
*David Caro – guitar (1985–1986)
*Steve Martinez – drums (1982–1983)
*Rikk Hart – drums (1984–1989)
*Brent Jeffers – keyboards (1985)
*Pat Dewey – vocals (1985)
*Jason Souza – drums (1989)
*Brent Denny – bass (1998–2000)
*Jamey Perrenot – guitar (2008–2016)
Touring musicians
*Tracie Ferrie – bass
*Pete Orta – guitar
Timeline
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bar:JIsham text:"James Isham"
bar:DCaro text:"David Caro"
bar:TPalacios text:"Tony Palacios"
bar:JPerrenot text:"Jamey Perrenot"
bar:DBach text:"David Bach"
bar:SMartinez text:"Steve Martinez"
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bar:SMartinez from:1982 till:1984 color:Drums
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width:3
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Discography
Studio
* ''
First Watch'' (1989)
* ''
Fire and Love'' (1991)
* ''
Miracle Mile Miracle Mile may refer to:
Places in the United States
* Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California, a district of Los Angeles
* Miracle Mile (Coral Gables), a shopping area in Coral Gables, Florida
* Miracle Mile (Manhasset), New York, a premium sh ...
'' (1993)
* ''
Swing, Swang, Swung'' (1994)
* ''
Buzz'' (1995)
* ''
Bottle Rocket'' (1997)
* ''Almost Home '' (2014)
Live
* ''Live'' (2000)
Compilations
* ''
Smashes: The Best of Guardian'' (1999)
* ''Guardian: The Definitive Collection'' (2007)
Spanish albums
* ''
Nunca te diré adiós'' (1995)
* ''
Promesa
The Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA) is a U.S. federal law enacted in 2016 that established a financial oversight board, a process for restructuring debt, and expedited procedures for approving critical in ...
'' (1997)
* ''
Dime'' (2001)
* ''La Casa de Guardian: Volumen Uno'' (2009)
Independent releases
* ''Rock In Victory'' (1984)
* ''Kingdom of Rock'' (1996)
* ''Delicious Bite-Size Meat Pies'' (1997)
* ''
The Yellow and Black Attack Is Back!'' (1999, Reviews: ''HM Magazine'',
''The Phantom Tollbooth'')
* ''Sunday Best'' (1999, Review: ''HM Magazine''
)
* ''Live!'' (1999 Review: ''HM Magazine''
Later issued with two fewer tracks in 2000 by Forefront Records.)
* ''Live at Cornerstone'' (2001)
* ''Voyager and Fusion: The Early Years'' (2001)
* ''House of Guardian: Volume One'' (2009)
* ''Three to Get Ready'' (EP) (2011)
* ''Revival: The Great Whitecross & Guardian'' (EP) (2017)
Video releases
* ''Streets of Fire'' (1993)
* ''As Seen on TV'' (1995)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guardian
American Christian metal musical groups
Musical groups established in 1982
1982 establishments in California