“ Praise the Lord . Praise God in his sanctuary ; praise Him in his mighty heavens . Praise Him for his acts of power ; praise Him for his surpassing greatness . Praise Him with the sounding of the trumpet , praise Him with the harp and lyre , praise Him with timbrel and dancing , praise Him with the strings and pipe , praise Him with the clash of cymbals , praise Him with resounding cymbals . Let everything that has breath praise the Lord . Praise the Lord .” ( Ps . 150 , NIV )
For the most part , the bands of the early Southern California 70 ’ s Jesus Movement , emanated the sounds of the Singer Songwriter genre . In those earliest days there was little newly written contemporary Christian music . Sometimes mainstream songs were adapted for inclusion into the congregational song times . James Taylor ’ s . “ Fire and Rain ”, and Godspell ’ s “ Day by Day ” are a couple of good examples . Country Rock , Folk Rock , and Softer Rock stylings were the norm , with few exceptions , and the band , Love Song , is perhaps the best early band example from those early days . Agape , a power trio sonically reminiscent of The Jimi Hendrix Experience , and Psalm 150 , were among those very few Christian musical band alternatives in Southern California .
Early contemporary Christian music was not always allowed in churches , and because “ necessity is the mother of invention ”, and music that expresses a culture and a newfound conversion experience definitely is a necessity , Christian coffee houses and outdoor concerts began to spring up in almost every town . Sometimes these outreaches were held in churches themselves , but many times the coffee houses were annexed on church grounds away from the sanctuary , so as to not ruffle the feathers of older , tithe-paying church members . Sometimes they were located in strip malls or old rented houses . Evangelical concerts were also held in public parks with permission granted by local authorities . In my experience , it was possible for a Christian band to play almost every night ( or day ) of the week .
Live at Melodyland - 1975 Psalm 150 at a men ’ s prison As a writer for Andraé