Love Is Underrated: Undercover (+ What’s Shakin’ & Reality Rock on the Jukebox)

On this episode, we are joined by keyboardist and songwriter Ojo
Taylor, guitarist and writer Gym Nicholson, long-time lead
vocalist Sim Wilson, and drummer Gary Olsen of the Orange County
rock band Undercover for an expansive conversation recorded in
front of a live audience at the Audiofeed Festival in Illinois.
Undercover emerged in the early 1980s at the pole position of the
frenetic “second wave” of Jesus Rock that saw an explosion of New
Wave, Punk, Rock, and pop bands like Lifesavors, Altar Boys,
Lifters, Common Bond, Crumbacher, Youth Choir, and others fill
high school auditoriums, bowling alleys, parks, and church youth
halls with a righteous racket that thrilled teens, worried some
parents, and eventually set the stage for the big business era of
Christian rock in the 90s. Ojo Taylor not only led Undercover,
though, he was also a curator of this bourgeoning scene –
managing labels, producing albums, and putting together one of
the most important early compilation albums – which spins when we
crank up the now sticker-covered Jukebox for an overview of those
heady, loud, formative years.


 


Ojo made more waves in what’s left of this underground community
when he publicly admitted that he no longer holds the same
religious beliefs for which he rocked so passionately back in the
day. Like others, his personal spiritual journey has taken him in
a direction that does not include the Evangelical faith of his
younger years. But earlier this year, when a Christian music
festival invited the long-defunct band to reunite for a special
show, they agreed – and rocked Audiofeed (and before that, the
Anaheim House of Blues) quite successfully. Why would a band with
differing beliefs agree to gigs like those?


 


As Ojo says, “Belief is overrated. Agreement is overrated. Love
is underrated.”


 


Find full Show Notes, including photos and video from
Undercover’s set at Audiofeed HERE or at TrueTunes.com/Undercover