The Choir

Emerging from Los Angeles roots yet headquartered in Nashville, the atmospheric alt-rock band the Choir has navigated numerous shifts across its extended history. Established in 1984 initially as Youth Choir and centered on Derri Daugherty’s distinctive guitar and vocal work, Steve Hindalong’s evocative drumming and lyrics, Marc Byrd’s inventive ambient post-rock guitar textures, plus contributions from Dan Michael on saxophone and Lyricon alongside bassist Tim Chandler, the group early on wove a spiritual dimension into its characteristic fusion of shoegaze textures, soaring alternative rock, and melodic pop. Though prolific and widely praised by critics, the outfit struggled to close the commercial divide separating contemporary Christian music from broader audiences, even as faith-based alternative acts including Jars of Clay, Switchfoot, and Sixpence None the Richer have acknowledged the Choir’s formative impact. After moving operations to Nashville and issuing its ninth studio album, Free Flying Soul, the members briefly weighed disbanding in 1996. They ultimately persisted, earning a Grammy Award nomination for the independently issued Flap Your Wings in 2000; that recognition paved the way for further well-received projects such as O How the Mighty Have Fallen in 2005, Burning Like the Midnight Sun in 2010, The Loudest Sound Ever Heard in 2012, and Shadow Weaver in 2014—the last of these marking a shift toward more secular material. Maintaining their independent course through the following decade, the Choir strengthened direct ties with listeners via social and direct-to-fan platforms while delivering varied releases including the emotionally intense Bloodshot in 2018, the confident and energetic Deep Cuts in 2021, and the fully instrumental Translucent LP in 2024.