Resurrection Band

    Resurrection Band

    Also credited as Rez

    Chicago, Illinois19 reviews across 13 releases

    acousticblues rockclassic rockhard rock
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    Resurrection Band, also credited as Rez, formed in 1972 within Jesus People USA, first in Milwaukee and then in Chicago, where it served as the community's touring music ministry. Its early recordings joined hard rock to blues, with a rough, heavy attack that made Awaiting Your Reply a notable 1978 debut. The band wrote about faith alongside social crises; its treatment of apartheid in "Afrikaans" and later "Zuid Afrikaan" became a recurring example of that approach. During the mid-1980s it tried new-wave textures, but Silence Screams in 1988 stripped most of the synthesizers away and returned to drums, guitar, and bass. The 1989 follow-up kept the thick blues-rock sound, while Lament in 1995 recast it as a concept album with acoustic passages and a more deliberate dramatic structure.

    In 1987, bassist Jim Denton left and Roy Montroy took his place. The band used the name Rez during much of the 1980s and early 1990s, then returned to Resurrection Band for Lament. After the Lament tour, the group stopped working as a regular recording and touring unit, but returned to the studio for the acoustic retrospective Ampendectomy in 1997. Glenn Kaiser continued as a solo blues musician, while Resurrection Band remained connected to Cornerstone Festival appearances. In July 2000, the band gave its farewell performance. It later reunited for one-off appearances, including Cornerstone's 2008 anniversary and Easterfest in Australia in 2010.

    13 releases reviewed