Swinging That Rock ‘N’ Roll in the Midwest – Part 2The Pull and Spin Spin Coupling

Many Christian bands may privately joke around, singing songs you wouldn’t expect, (they’re not all as pious as it may seem), but few would put a snippet of studio outtakes as the lead track on their album featuring a little bit of grooving and singing the Spice Girls’ “Wannabe.” The Pull, the band which leads rock ‘n’ roll worship at Bethel Lutheran Church in Madison, Wisconsin, would dare.

Julia Hunt and Melinda Suarez sing, “If you wanna get with me, better make it fast.” It’s only a 10 second outtake, but it truly lays a foundation for Don’t Hesitate, their album of songs used in worship. The Pull know how to swing and groove, vamping on the stuff that brings funk into rock ‘n’ roll. That sets them apart from anything else that’s been called contemporary worship. Plus, you realize the band doesn’t take themselves so seriously that they no longer live in the world.

Solid Rock is the name of the rock ‘n’ roll worship service at Bethel, led in part by Pull band member and worship leader, Pastor Gretchen Weller. Following the basic order of service used in many Lutheran churches, Weller says the band leads the service while maintaining a focus on worshipping God.

“Time to Go” acts like a Call to Worship, a song to encourage the congregation to set aside the thoughts and concerns of the day. It sets the stage for the album with its groove led by Ally Chambas’ violin. The vocals of Hunt, Suarez, and Weller include spoken sections like Robyn Hitchcock or Spearmint. Suarez also adds thwips, you know, that water dripping sound made by flicking your cheek. It totally annoyed you when the guy in the back of the classroom did it every time you were trying to remember the vocabulary word on the quiz, but here it totally works, a classic percussion sound to accentuate the groove breaks.

Hints of Madison Greene’s organic Jam Band sound appear in the wistful beginnings of “Heavenly,” which then breaks down into a full Jam Band groove. Same with “Follow Me,” bringing out even more Gospel/R&B in the vocals. “Scarred” turns up the volume, bringing a Hard Rock edge to clear-voiced vocals. Weller mentioned using different styles in the Solid Rock services, showing how those styles can all contain the Gospel message. “Psalm 146” gets to the heart of the message of the biblical poetry through a bluesy tune. “Doubt,” written by bassist Paul Van Auken, comes from a down-tempo confessional place with an acoustic heart laid bare before the Lord.

Speaking of Paul Van Auken, his other band is Spin Spin Coupling. . .


Spin Spin Coupling has adopted the term “sensitive arena rock” to describe their evolving indie rock, but depending on what arenas you’ve been attending, this might make you think of Journey. “Oh, the lights go down in the city/And the sun shines on the Bay/And I wanna be there in my city.”

Spin Spin Coupling has hooks, pop, rock guitar, and all of that, but with more adventurous takes, organic at-home sound, and small club immediacy. SSC is better compared to Red Kross or School of Fish, with healthy does of updating the early 90’s sound. It’s just shy of having the full throttle of Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, while having whispers of Teenage Fanclub.

Like 54*40’s Sound of Truth which re-released two early EPs on a single disc, SSC’s six-track She Said EP includes the five-track One Train May Hide Another and the six-track Days of Clouds. The tracks follow the band’s progression backwards chronically on the album. The latest tracks are clearly the strongest, with the older EPs reminiscences of where the band’s been and how disparate influences converged into a more unified sound on She Said. For instance, the band has mentioned a Wilco/AltCountry influence that appears on “Better Place” (OTMHA), an influence that takes a backseat on She Said.

Instead, She Said is like well-informed Guitar Rock, aware of other styles, using them to flavor their own stew. “The Rabbit” is the most Red Kross-like tune as it begins with a garage blues shuffle. The chorus is a bit off color, “I wanna a lover that’s truthful when she groans/I wanna a lover who means it when she moans.” Van Auken assures me this was meant tongue-in-cheek, but his explanation of SSC as being an outlet for the wacky side of “spiritually-flawed characters” probably serves as ample caveat. The band may be pushing the edges of art that expresses a Christian faith perspective on the world. . .but it’s that kind of art that should be celebrated. SSC doesn’t have tunnel vision—either thematically or sonically—which makes their music all the stronger.

Thanks to The Pull & Bethel Lutheran Church and Spin Spin Coupling for the review CDs.