Falling Up

Christian metal outfit Falling Up emerged under the wing of the more prominent act Kutless, whose members shared an upbringing with them in the Portland-area community of Albany, Oregon; that established group first steered Falling Up toward BEC Recordings and CCM veteran Aaron Sprinkle as producer. In contrast to Kutless’s conventional Christian take on metal-inflected emo, Falling Up pursued a more radio-friendly direction that fused electronica and hip-hop elements—including an early full-time programmer and DJ—with their nu-metal foundation. The project originated in Albany during 2000 and gradually settled into a roster featuring primary songwriter Jessy Ribordy on vocals and keyboards, guitarists Tom Cox and Joseph Kisselburgh, bassist Jeremy Miller, drummer Josh Shroy, and turntablist-programmer A-Dub. Taking their name from an unreleased early composition, the band joined the Tooth & Nail imprint BEC Recordings in 2003 and delivered its first full-length effort, Crashings, in February 2004. After Cox and A-Dub exited, the remaining quartet shifted toward a more straightforward metallic approach on the follow-up Dawn Escapes, issued in autumn 2005. Further personnel upheaval in 2006 brought guitarist Micah Sannan in place of founding member Kisselburgh and introduced dedicated keyboardist Adam Taylor, freeing Ribordy to concentrate solely on vocals. While lineup disruptions postponed work on a third album, the group issued an unconventional collection of electronic, industrial, and darkwave reinterpretations—crafted by assorted producers and DJs—of material from its initial two releases; that remix set, Exit Lights, appeared in September 2006.