More Than Talk Christian Band Has New, More Alternative Sound

The last time DC Talk entertained Spokane, the trio played a mixture of pop, hip-hop and R&B at the Opera House.

In essence, the group was a Christian equivalent of Boyz II Men.

When the combo returns to play the Arena Sunday, it will be belting out alternative-style rock a la R.E.M. and Nirvana.

Could this really be the same band? Yes and no.

The group’s members - vocalists Toby McKeehan, Michael Tait and Kevin Smith - have stayed the same.

But the sound on DC Talk’s new album “Jesus Freak” is quite a departure.

“I guess it’s primarily being affected by our culture,” McKeehan said by phone last week regarding DC Talk’s new direction. “Some people look at it as a drastic change. We look at it kind of just as a growth.

“If you look at the discography, you can see them all pointing in the direction of the next record.”

To DC Talk’s credit, it’s not an awkward progression - even though the group mined the same pop genre in its first three albums and then relased one that’s a rock album.

In fact, the band appears to be more comfortable as a rocker than it is a dancy hip hop unit.

Judging from “Jesus Freak’s” sales, the band’s fans agree. The album is rapidly approaching platinum sales, with 800,000 copies moved since its release last November.

Even the industry has taken notice. DC Talk (DC stands for Dedicated Christian) picked up three Dove Awards two weeks ago, including artist of the year - a first for a rock band.

“I think for us,” said McKeehan, “on every record, especially this record, we walked in the studio and said, ‘Let’s throw the formula away. Let’s start right here and do something immediate. Let’s make this be an outpouring of our immediate lives.’ “

Although DC Talk has amassed comparisons to Nirvana with “Jesus Freak,” McKeehan isn’t bothered by the tag but he feels there’s a significant difference between the two bands.

“Our music is a little different than everything else,” he said. “We’re not crying out in the voice of angst or despair. We go through struggles, but we have some hope in our lives.”

Still, DC Talk wasn’t sure how its fans would react when “Jesus Freak” was released.

“We have a really loyal fan base, a great fan base,” said McKeehan. “Most people are stretching with us. But there’s been a few people that have written us and said, ‘You’ve lost any sort of groove roots you were once part of.’ I have to disagree.”

To record “Jesus Freak,” the band bought a house in Franklin, Tenn., and built its own studio. This was much to the dismay of their new next-door neighbor, Mrs. Morgan, who complained incessantly about the pounding drum noise.

“She made me promise that there wouldn’t be too much noise,” McKeehan said. “So we put all this insulation in the walls and we triple-paned the windows.”

But it wasn’t enough. Mrs. Morgan still heard the pounding.

DC Talk eventually befriended her and asked her to recall the story atop a music track for the disc’s sixth song, aptly titled “Mrs. Morgan.”

“We shot a video with her. She thinks she’s a star so she’s all right with (the noise) now.”

McKeehan hopes DC Talk and its Christian message will one day appeal to the masses, secular and Christian audiences alike. At the moment, that goal seems within reach.

“We’ve never wanted to be a subculture in this Christian bubble over here,” he said. “We’ve always focused on the mainstream. Our goal has always been to be out there making a difference when it comes to our culture, causing our generation to think … about spiritual things and think about God.”

DC Talk’s first headline tour for its latest album concludes in a couple of weeks. Throughout the 60-date tour, the band has been headlining arenas, drawing crowds ranging from 3,000 fans to 11,000. “It’s doing really good, man,” McKeehan said. “It’s doing well beyond our greatest expectations.”

The group will hit the road again in the summer.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 Color photos

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: CONCERT DC Talk and Audio Adrenaline perform at the Spokane Arena at 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $17.50 and $12.50, available at all G&B Select-a-Seat outlets or by calling 325-SEAT.