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Biography
The band adopted its name from the model car of lead guitarist Hoope, which was a Plymouth Reliant K. In order to circumvent trademark infringement the band spelled their name in the alternative way Relient K. The group takes influence from the naive yet sincere pop of the Beach Boys and the upbeat and joking irreverence of Blink 182; however, they have never had a problem forging a sound of their own.
The group put out their first demo in 1998 entitled “All Work No Play”. The demo was recorded by Mark Lee Townsend the live guitarist of mega-Christian rock group DC Talk. Lead singer of DC Talk Toby McKeehan (tobyMac) caught wind of this recording and was so impressed with the group that he signed them to his label Gotee. Relient K put out their first release through Gotee in 2000, the EP “2000 A.D.D”. The following year the band issued their self-titled debut and within the same year put out their 2nd full length album “The Anatomy of the Tongue in Cheek”. The latter album was a giant success for the band and saw them entering in clothing line contracts and making musical appearances in highly publicized Christian TV series like Veggie Tales.
The band’s third studio album “Two Lefts Don’t Make a Right...but Three Do” came out in 2003. This album featured a change in style as the group let up on pop culture references and included more softer and emotionally heavy tracks. “Two Lefts” was also a critical success earning the band a Grammy nomination for “Best Rock Gospel Album”.
Relient K put out the Christmas album “Deck the Halls, Bruise You Hand” before releasing the highly accredited 2004 “Mmhmm”, which became the most commercially successful album of the band’s career. This release saw the band excluding their antics almost entirely from the mix and also saw the band delve further into sonic and stylistic experimentation. The album was certified gold in July 2005 for selling 500,000 copies and has since gone on to sell at least 796,000 copies. With the success of “Mmhmm” Relient K’s two previous albums skyrocketed in sales and reached Gold status as well. “Mmhmm” had been awarded a variety of accolades and two of its singles have appeared on both the Top 40 and MTV’s Top Ten.
The band hit the studios midway through 2006 to record their 5th studio album “Five Score and Seven Years Ago”. They recruited producer Howard Benson (of The All-American Rejects and My Chemical Romance fame) to help with the recording. Though the group had hoped for a 2006 release date the album came out in 2007, debuting at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 charts. 2007 was also the year that the band’s tour bus infamously caught on fire destroying a good portion of their equipment, merchandise and laptops with invaluable information. The band nevertheless had a great attitude about the situation and pressed on to finish the tour. To close off the year the band put out another Christmas album “Let it Snow Baby...Let it Reindeer”.
In 2008 the band put out a more experimental EP called “The Nashville Tennis EP”, which featured compositions from all the members and also included influences ranging from ska to country music. This EP accompanied the release of their B-sides rarities EP “The Bird and the Bee Sides” and received high critical praise.
The band went back to the studios with Mark Lee Townsend and released their 2009 album “Forget and Not Slow Down”. This album also included the bonus track “Terminals”, which was produced by Adam Young (aka Owl City).
The band’s 7th studio album “Is For Karaoke” came out in 2011 and they followed up this release with the “Collapsable Lung” album, which came out in 2013 and debuted at #16 on the Billboard 200.
Live reviews
I fell in love with Relient K when I heard their song "Sadie Hawkins Dance" off their second album "The Anatomy of Tongue in Cheek." I knew they were a band that I would have to check out live.
People think because Relient K is a Christian Rock band that they don't know how to rock out, but that's simply not true. I finally saw them perform April 2013, right around the time their new album they announced their new album Collapsible Lung.
Scraggly-haired singer Matt Thiessen is a true musician and amazing performer. His energy is infectious. He commands the stage when he stands feet apart with a such strong stance and he sings like this is his destiny. It was awesome to see him belt out these beautiful notes, then jump to the piano and play flawlessly, then jump around frenetically again like the music keeps him alive. I just loved hearing them live, their true essence.
Thiessen is also supported by amazing musicians, of course. Matt Hoopes, Jon Warne, Jon Schreneck. They all work together like a well-oiled machine. It was almost as if they were all connected by the same musical heart beat. They're the kind of band you have to hear live, for sure. You don't get a sense of their passion or their dedication until you see how hard they work for the audience to put on an amazing performance. I fell in love with them again when I saw them live. I can't wait to see them again.
Though I have been a fan for many years, this was my first opportunity seeing them in concert. It was so great to finally see them and it was an awesome experience, from beginning to end. Matthew Thiessen engages the audience from the moment he sets foot on the stage. I hoped they would play Deathbed, since Jon Foreman from Switchfoot ends the song as the voice of Jesus, and they did!!! What a great way to end their set as we anxiously awaited Switchfoot!!
InChrist939600
Awesome concert! Sound was great and the song mix covered old favorites and new releases from the upcoming album. Cardboard Kids and Run River North were also really good. The venue however was less than fabulous. Zydeco has a very low ceiling and short stage which meant if you weren't standing---yes standing only---in the first three rows you didn't see anything. At all. I never got the first look at anybody on stage. I won't go back there.
arley-cole
At the Relient K concert there was a crowd surfing yak????? and someone went to go crowd surfing and he got dropped and I caught it on film... Also some lady almost passed out r she did and the VIP seating was wonderful in the Filmore it was definitely worth my dad paying an extra $15 for each person so that I could get a great video of a bunch of songs and I got an awesome T-shirt
tabitha-slutter
It was awesome! Had a great time! :-) I would see them again. Good location. They were a great opener for Switchfoot. They started the crowd going for sure. I knew some of the songs that they played and enjoyed them. There were some luls in between songs where they were getting ready for the next song and it was kinda quiet, but that was fine.
robkoechl
Relient K was amazing as usual! I always love seeing them perform live. And Switchfoot, another one of my favorites, played after them. I had never seen Switchfoot but they were awesome as well! Definitely one of the best concerts I have ever been to!
brittany-lowery
Energy was high and crowd participation was great! Heard songs I hadn't heard before. The vocal mix for clarity could have been better, because Switchfoot's vocals who followed seemed to be a lot clearer. All in all though a fantastic show!
glen-shelley
this MMHMM concert was literally amazing. They played the entire MMHMM record and it seemed like the entire crowd knew every word. There was so much energy and it was awesome. There was even a giant buffalo passed throughout the crowd.
voldy
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