Desperation Band

Emerging from a 2001 Christian student ministry conference organized by New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the alternative CCM outfit Desperation Band took form. The group pursued an alt-rock, U2-like stadium approach to praise & worship themes and initially revolved around three praise & worship songwriters—Jon Egan, Jared Anderson, and Glenn Pakiam—each of whom already maintained successful careers and firm standing in the CCM community. While remaining committed to praise & worship themes, Desperation Band forged a fresh, modern sound for the genre by fusing Brit-pop and Peter Gabriel-like soundscapes with grunge-inflected hard rock. The debut album Desperation surfaced in 2003, followed by From the Rooftops in 2004, Who Are You in 2006, and Everyone Overcome in 2007, every one of them captured during live praise & worship gatherings. Light Up the World, released in 2009, became Desperation Band’s first studio recording, yet the band returned to live settings for Update: Live in 2011, Center of It All in 2012, and Banner in 2014.