The Insyderz began as a project of Joe Yerke and Nate Sjogren, who led worship at their church at the time. The band found their break at the 1996 Cornerstone Festival. They began playing on their campsite, and wound up garnering the attention of Michael Sean Black and Gene Eugene, who signed them to his label Brainstorm Artists International. While that label folded soon after, the bands first album, Motor City Ska (1997), effectively established their presence in the Christian music marketplace and garnered the attention of Steve Taylor's Squint Entertainment.
Their subsequent release, Skalleluia, was probably their most widely known and successful album. The album, which was devoted to ska-based praise and worship, included an all-star lineup of Gene Eugene, Terry Scott Taylor, and Steve Taylor. Despite the backing of well-known artists the album faced criticism from the outset. Praise and worship music, heralded by artists such as Hillsong, Rich Mullins, and Matt Redman, was experiencing substantial growth as a genre at the time, and some accused the band of "jumping on the bandwagon". Skalleluia was extremely well received; Beyond charting on Billboard's "Hot 200", "Heatseekers", and "Top Contemporary Christian" charts, their rendition of Rich Mullins' song "Awesome God" won the band a Dove Award for "Hard Music Recorded Song Of The Year" in 1999. Part of the reason for its success was that most of the songs on the album were fairly recently written, and were widely known as contemporory worship songs. Covers included Twila Paris's "We will Glorfiy" and Keith Green's "Oh, Lord, You're Beautiful". Their manner of playing worship songs is still relatively unique.
While Skalleluia was an unexpected hit for the band, the sound of the band was significantly different than they had displayed on their first album. For their next album, Fight of My Life, the band returned to their previous sound. The band also made a point of returning to their ministry roots by turning down several major record deals and choosing to tour in secular clubs with ska bands such as The Skeletones and Jeffries Fan Club.
It was widely rumored for awhile that the Insyderz, who apparently recorded their first album in a garage (sounded like it, but not true), had in fact broken up. The truth be known they were sick of record label politics and decided to go "underground" until things got sorted out. Their webpage, rarely updated, had few changes for several years after the release of Skalleluia Too! in 1999. In 2001 a compilation CD entitled The Greatest & The Rarest (or alternately Tails of a Comet) was released. Many of the members of the band married including Nate Sjogren (drums), Bram Roberts (Trumpet), Beau McCarthy (Bass), Kyle Wasil (Guitar), and Joe Yerke whose gravelly vocals mark the band. The band decided to spend more time working and ministering in other locations, and other projects.
Most of their fan base dissolved during this absence, yet in 2003 they re-activated, appearing at Cornerstone, and releasing an album entitled Soundtrack to a Revolution. This album received little hype but is considered by most to be the best to date. After the release the Insyderz went through another lineup change adding Royce Nunley (Suicide Machines) and Dan Powers (Blueprint 76) on bass.
In the first half of 2005, the band announced on their website that they would be playing their last three shows in August and September of that year, which lead to confusion on whether they were the band's last three shows or the tour's last three. Later, in August of the same year, the site was updated to announce that the band would be breaking up after their final show on September 24, 2005, as a part of the I'll Fight Fest presented by The Salvation Army.
They later reformed in 2009 for a European tour with Good Weather Forecast.
In 2012, The Insyderz launched a kickstarter campaign to fund their next album, The Sinner's Songbook, and succeeded in raising the funds to do so, and was released on September 3, 2012 independently at http://theinsyderz.bandcamp.com
Discography:
1996: Rockin' the Hubcat (7")
1997: Motor City Ska
1998: Skalleluia!
1998: Paradise CD Single
1998: Fight of My Life
1999: Skalleluia Too!
2001: The Greatest & The Rarest
2003: Soundtrack to a Revolution
2012: The Sinner's Songbook
Current Members:
Joe Yerke - vocals
Nate Sjogren - drums
John Miller - bass
Matt Darcie - Guitar
Alan Brown - cornet
Tim Reynolds - trombone
Past Members:
Beau McCarthy - bass guitar
Bram Roberts - trumpet
Pedro Zapata Hernandez - trombone
Michael Lloyd - guitar
Kyle Wasil - guitar (until 2000)
Sang Kim - trombone (until 2004)
Mike Rowland - trombone (until 1998)
Todd Miesch - drums (until 1997)
Oh Lord
The Insyderz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your face is all I see
And when Your eyes
Are on this child
Your grace abounds to me
Lord, please light the fire
That once burned bright and clear
Replace the lamp of my first love
Lord, You're beautiful
Your face is all I see
And when Your eyes
Are on this child
Your grace abounds
Your grace abounds
Your grace abounds to me
Brrr, stick 'em
Haha, stick 'em, stick 'em
(repeat 6X)
Lord, please light the fire
That once burned bright and clear
Replace the lamp of my first love
That burns, that burns
That burns with holy fear
The Insyderz's song "Oh Lord" is a song that exudes an intimate connection with God. It is a song that speaks about the beauty of God and the need for His presence in our lives. The opening verse, "Lord, You're beautiful; Your face is all I see," expresses the writer's desire to focus solely on God and to see only Him in every aspect of their life. The second verse then talks about how the writer has lost the fire that once burned bright and clear but is asking for that fire to be rekindled. They recognize that they need to replace the lamp of their first love, which burns with holy fear, meaning a reverential fear and awe of God.
The chorus, "Lord, please light the fire that once burned bright and clear, replace the lamp of my first love that burns with holy fear," repeats the idea of the need for God to rekindle that fire and to replace the lamp of their first love. The bridge then breaks the pattern of the verses and the chorus with the repetition of the phrase "brrr, stick 'em" and "haha, stick 'em, stick 'em." These are playful ad-libs that add a sense of fun to the song but could also be interpreted as an encouragement to "stick to" (or hold onto) one's faith in God, even when things get tough.
Overall, "Oh Lord" is a heartfelt song that expresses an intimate connection with God and a recognition of the need for His presence and guidance in our lives. It is a reminder to stay connected to Him and to hold onto our faith, even when things get tough.
Line by Line Meaning
Lord, You're beautiful
The writer marvels at the wonderful nature of God.
Your face is all I see
The writer is consumed by the image of God.
And when Your eyes
The writer believes that when they're in God's presence
Are on this child
They are considered an offspring of God.
Your grace abounds to me
By being a child of God, they get grace of God.
Lord, please light the fire
The writer is asking God to spark the fire in them once again.
That once burned bright and clear
The writer is referring to their passion and relationship with God that started brightly and faded over time.
Replace the lamp of my first love
The writer is asking God to renew their love and passion for Him.
That burns with holy fear
The writer is seeking for a fear of God that's considerate and reverent.
Lord, You're beautiful
The writer marvels at the wonderful nature of God.
And when Your eyes
The writer believes that when they're in God's presence.
Are on this child
They are considered an offspring of God.
Your grace abounds
The writer is expressing their gratitude for the abundant grace of God.
Your grace abounds
The writer is expressing their gratitude for the abundant grace of God.
Your grace abounds to me
By being a child of God, they get the abundant grace of God.
Brrr, stick 'em
This line is not meaningful and is likely just meant to be a fun interlude.
Haha, stick 'em, stick 'em
This line is not meaningful and is likely just meant to be a fun interlude.
Lord, please light the fire
The writer is asking God to spark the fire in them once again.
That once burned bright and clear
The writer is referring to their passion and relationship with God that started brightly and faded over time.
Replace the lamp of my first love
The writer is asking God to renew their love and passion for Him.
That burns, that burns
The writer wants the Lord's everlasting love that will never burn out.
That burns with holy fear
The writer is seeking for a fear of God that's considerate and reverent.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP
Written by: Keith Gordon Green
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind