Mike Roe of The 77s joins Shayne Brian on Beyond the Chorus: Classic CCM Rewind for a deep dive into more than four decades of one of Christian alternative rock's most influential and fiercely individual bands.

From their beginnings as a church-backed outreach project in Sacramento to albums including Ping Pong Over the Abyss, The 77s, Sticks and Stones and the controversial Pray Naked, Mike looks back at a band that consistently refused to fit comfortably inside the traditional Christian music industry.

Unlike many bands from the classic CCM era, The 77s never really went away. Their music moved through new wave, alternative rock, blues, psychedelia, power pop and roots music, building a loyal audience that continues today.

Mike explains the unusual story behind the name The 77s, his early work on the radio program Rock and Religion, and how the band gradually learned to focus on great songwriting rather than forcing a message into the music.

For Out of the Crate, we return to the band's 1982 debut Ping Pong Over the Abyss and explore the early sound and identity of The 77s. Mike also reveals why Sticks and Stones may be the best place for a new listener to start.

We also revisit Pray Naked and the controversy surrounding its title, Christian bookstore censorship and the tension between faith, creativity and the expectations of the Christian music industry.

Then we move to the new album 7. Mike explains why the record took around 12 years to complete, why "Heart Back" made him want to create another 77s album, and how "Hand to God" evolved from a hard-driving new wave arrangement into the slower, psychedelic version heard on the finished record.

Mike also talks about how The 77s audience has changed since 1982, his overlooked solo and instrumental work including Daydream and Orbis, and what could be coming next from The 77s.

For fans of The 77s, Mike Roe, Lost Dogs, The Choir, classic CCM, Christian alternative rock and 1980s Christian music, this is a conversation about faith, creativity, survival and more than forty years of refusing to fit neatly into anybody else's box.

00:00 - Why The 77s still matter after four decades

03:18 - From Sacramento church outreach to The 77s

08:46 - The dream that gave The 77s their name

12:00 - Mike Roe on Rock and Religion

21:43 - Ping Pong Over the Abyss and the early sound of The 77s

25:39 - Pray Naked, censorship and Christian music

31:47 - Why the new album 7 took 12 years

36:44 - How "Heart Back" restarted The 77s

40:02 - How The 77s audience has changed since 1982

45:01 - Mike Roe's overlooked solo and instrumental albums

Official website:

http://www.77s.com/

The 77s music:

https://the77s.bandcamp.com/

New album 7:

https://the77srock.bandcamp.com/album/7

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@BeyondTheChorusClassicCCMMusic

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/BeyondTheChorus

Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/cw/BeyondTheChorus

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Drop the needle. Press play. We're going beyond the chorus.