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)
Weebles
The Insyderz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The light of my life, to Him weary eyes focus
Hung on the cross for the whole world to see
I have the light of the world burnin' insyde of me
He let the lame to walk and the blind to see
A little fish and some bread, a million people to feed
Three days later he arose from the ground
You can knock us over, but we won't stay down
We're like weebles, but we won't stay down
You better listen up good, we ain't fooling around
We're like weebles, but we won't stay down
I once was lost but now am found
He's the Miracle Worker, the great I Am
Known for many throughout the land
He talked to people about what was right
To save my soul, His life was sacrificed
He saved my soul from a darkened life's end
Always with me He defined a true friend
He opened his hands and let love run free
I stood in the sun and let it pour on me
The Insyderz's song Weebles is an upbeat song that emphasizes the resilience of believers despite the challenges they encounter. The song's beginning states that God is the King, and the light of our lives and hope. This conviction stems from the fact that Jesus Christ hung on the cross for the whole world to see, and now the light of the world burns inside those who believe in Him. This act of love was exemplified through various miracles such as letting the lame to walk, the blind to see, feeding millions from a little fish and some bread, and resurrecting from the grave after three days. Therefore, despite hardships, believers stand firm and cannot stay down – a trait similar to Weebles toys that always stand back up even when they fall over.
The chorus reiterates the ability of believers to persevere, urging people to listen carefully as they are not kidding around. The second verse identifies God as the Miracle Worker and the great I Am, with many knowing His works in various lands. Jesus Christ's teachings were about righteousness that saves souls, hence the need for His sacrifice on the cross. Through this, He saves people from a dark life end and befriends those who believe in Him. Through the pouring of His love, He illuminates the path towards a righteous life that stands firm in the face of obstacles.
Line by Line Meaning
My Father is the King but I already know this
I acknowledge that God is my Father and the ruler, and I have an understanding of this fact
The light of my life, to Him weary eyes focus
God is the driving force in my life, and my tired eyes find comfort in Him
Hung on the cross for the whole world to see
Jesus suffered and died publicly for everyone to witness
I have the light of the world burnin' insyde of me
I possess the light of the world - Jesus Christ - within me, it's my guiding light
He let the lame to walk and the blind to see
Jesus performed miracles like helping the lame walk and the blind see
A little fish and some bread, a million people to feed
Jesus multiplied small amounts of food to feed large crowds of people
Three days later he arose from the ground
Jesus resurrected three days after His death and burial
You can knock us over, but we won't stay down
We may get knocked down, but we will not stay down in defeat
We're like weebles, but we won't stay down
We may wobble and stumble, but we will not be kept down permanently
You better listen up good, we ain't fooling around
Pay attention because we are serious and not joking around
I once was lost but now am found
I was lost in sin but have been saved by God's grace and am now found
He's the Miracle Worker, the great I Am
God is the one who performs miracles and is the almighty creator
Known for many throughout the land
God is renowned and known by many throughout the world
He talked to people about what was right
God taught people about right and wrong
To save my soul, His life was sacrificed
Jesus gave up His life to save my soul
He saved my soul from a darkened life's end
Jesus saved me from a life of darkness and destruction
Always with me He defined a true friend
God is always with me and He is the definition of a true friend
He opened his hands and let love run free
God offered His love to us freely and openly
I stood in the sun and let it pour on me
I received God's love with open arms and allowed it to shine on me
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
7vgitz
played with these guys multiple times. miss those days!!!!
Big Daddy
a shout out to Joe Yerk of the insyderz! hope your doin good bro it's been 19 years since you came to my youth group and yet you and your music still have an impact on my life as well as I still listen to this album! :) love this album