Red

An award-winning alternative CCM outfit, RED’s positive message and versatile sound, which incorporates elements of post-grunge, nu-metal, alternative rock, Christian metal, and hard rock, have earned them a loyal following since their debut in 2006 with the Grammy-nominated End of Silence. Since then, the band has brought home six Dove Awards, earned 17 nominations, and issued a string of chart-topping LPs to the delight of secular and non-secular audiences alike, including Until We Have Faces (2011), Of Beauty and Rage (2015), and Declaration (2020).
RED first got their start in Pennsylvania playing contemporary Christian covers to area youth groups. They soon grew tired of pop songs, however, and began crafting their own hard-edged rock tunes that often confronted their own personal issues. According to lead singer Mike Barnes, the name RED was chosen as a symbol “for the blood of Christ and what it represents: passion, pain, but ultimately, redemption.” Comprising Barnes, Jasen Rauch (guitar), Hayden Lamb (drummer), and identical twins Anthony Armstrong (guitar/vocals) and Randy Armstrong (bass/piano/vocals), the group cited influences from bands like Chevelle, Linkin Park, and Muse.
Spearheaded by the single “Breathe Into Me,” RED’s first nationally distributed album, End of Silence, was released in June 2006 on Essential Records. Always wanting to directly connect with fans through their energetic live show, the band spent the summer touring nationwide, including dates at multiple festivals. A van crash put injured drummer Hayden Lamb on the sidelines for their 2007 headlining tour, but RED soldiered on, gaining mass appeal with their rapidly growing CCM fan base. Later in 2007, the band took home the Rock Recorded Song of the Year award at the 38th annual GMA Dove Awards. Innocence & Instinct appeared in 2009, followed by Until We Have Faces in 2011. In supporting the latter LP, the band made their television debut, appearing on both the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Late Show with Conan O’Brien. 2013 saw the release of the band’s fourth full-length effort, the hard-hitting Release the Panic. A remix version, Release the Panic: Recalibrated, preceded the arrival of the group’s fifth long-player, 2015′s Of Beauty and Rage, which was promoted with a graphic novel telling the story behind the album. September 2017 saw the band drop a pair of singles, “Still Alive” and “Losing Control,” in anticipation of the release of the full-length Gone, which added electronic elements to the band’s sound, and arrived in October. 2020′s Declaration marked the studio debut of new drummer Dan Johnson, who officially joined the group the year prior. The ten-song LP saw the band looking to capture the energy of their live shows. ~ Corey Apar