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Like many of my friends, I grew up in an era when the seeds of Christian rock challenged a new generation to throw off the vesture of Christian mediocrity. Such legends as Larry Norman, Randy Stonehill, Daniel Amos, and Resurrection band opened the doors to a new era in Christian music, where Christians were challenged to take the Gospel seriously, letting it lead them into the darkest corners of the earth as bearers of the Good News. I remember how enchanted I was with the Seventy-Sevens when they came along. They were in my mind the best thing since Daniel Amos. They and folks like Steve Taylor together challenged Christians to take the Gospel seriously, and to go beyond the superficial life of many Christian Churches. So it was with a warm sense of nostalgia and appreciation that I went to see a little concert by Crumbs 4 Puppy last Saturday night (Feb 9, 2002). Crumbs 4 Puppy is a band started by Theo Obrastoff in the tradition of the greats of Christian Rock. Theo has been playing the guitar for twenty five years in small groups, but for a little over a year he has had the opportunity to play with Terry Scott Taylor (Daniel Amos, and Lost Dogs), M. Roe (The Seventy Sevens, and Lost Dogs) and others. I was not disappointed. Theo can do amazing things with the guitar, and his voice could blend right in with a chorus of angels. With lyrics as stimulating as the rhythm, and a stage presence that keeps you enchanted from start to finish, they were a great deal of fun to watch and listen to. They played several Daniel Amos (DA) / Terry Scott Taylor selections, along with a few of Theo's own, and some classic old favorites. One of Theo's new songs, "Girage Band" is a tribute to the greats of Christian Rock: Norman, Stonehill, DA, Rez Band, Steve Taylor, and others, who could (in my opinion) have become multi-millionaire rock stars in the secular world of Rock-n-Roll with the talent they posses, yet chose instead to appeal to and challenge Christians to live up to their calling. Crumbs 4 Puppy began as an offshoot of Theo Obrastoff's tribute to his son Andy called Andy's Angels. Andy left to be with the Lord this past year as his life-long struggle with cystic fibrosis came to an end. Several of the songs at the Feb 9 concert were Theo's love songs for his son, or songs written in celebration of Andy's life. Crumbs 4 Puppy will be on the Andy's Angels CD produced later this year (with Andy's Angels as executive producer and Terry Scott Taylor as producer) with such greats as The Lost Dogs, Terry Scott Taylor, Mike Roe, Randy Stonehill, The Choir and others – proceeds to go for cystic fibrosis research. For those who love a rock-n-roll sensation with a message, Crumbs 4 Puppy is the ticket. For more information see www.andysangels.org ~ Basil Other great related links:
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