Timothy Gaines thinks Stryper confused and alienated their fans during ‘Against The Law’ period
Timothy Gaines thinks Stryper confused and alienated their fans during ‘Against The Law’ period
Former Stryper and current Of Gods And Monsters and Faithesdge bassist Timothy Gaines was recently interviewed by Mick Michaels for The Cosmick View. The bassist was asked whether diversity offers relevancy and whether it’s easy to get caught up in a particular routine and style causing one’s self to “miss the boat” on other opportunities.
Gaines replied (with slight edits): “At this point in my career, I am just trying to make music that appeals to me personally. I see relevance as a sell out if there is no growth musically. We saw that with certain artists during the Disco era, that suddenly changed to conform to what was popular during the time. You saw that with Stryper during the Against The Law period where we changed our look and sound to conform with what was going on at the time, although musically I believe it was growth in the right direction, our fans were confused by the change and were alienated. Today, fans are more appreciative of Against The Law than they were back then. As a bass player, I try to be diverse. I can easily cross genres skillfully because I continuously practice or perform those different styles of music that challenge my brain. Over this last year, I have played on 80s type metal, Hard Rock, Pop Rock, and Pop Jazz albums.”
Wikipedia states the following about Against The Law: “Against the Law is the fifth release, and fifth studio album, from the Christian metal band Stryper, released on August 21, 1990 (see 1990 in music). Three singles/video were released for this album including “Shining Star”, “Two Time Woman” and “Lady” but received minimal airplay.
This album marked a radical change in the musical and visual direction of the band. Gone were the yellow and black spandex outfits, the bold evangelical lyrics and the familiar yellow-and-black band logo with Isaiah 53:5. In their place were leather outfits, and lyrics more focused on rock n’ roll and relationships, although arguably from a Christian worldview. The album was praised by many critics as the band’s strongest work to date, but a large percentage of Stryper‘s Christian fanbase felt betrayed by this unannounced creative metamorphosis, and many of them accused Stryper of selling out their image and message for greater mainstream acceptance. As a result, Against the Law sold poorly compared to the band’s previous gold and platinum releases.”
Gaines is now part of the group Of Gods & Monsters which also features drummer Deen Castronovo (The Dead Daisies, Revolution Saints, ex-Hardline, ex-Journey, ex-Ozzy Osbourne), guitarist Joey Tafolla and lead vocalist Kevin Goocher.
In terms of whether playing with experienced musicians such as in Of Gods And Monsters is easier to connect to than joining a group of unknown musicians, Gaines opined: “Of Gods and Monsters has been a lot of fun. We all get along great and enjoy each other. The album is going to blow a lot of people away when it’s finally released. Yes, It is easier to connect with other players who are established because we all have connections to each other in some form or another, and it’s what we do for a living. It’s just easier to book shows and make some money with players who have an established name than it is with unknown players. For most of us nowadays, we all have many projects going on. Unless something takes off and gains some popularity on a large scale, you have to keep your eggs in several baskets.”
You can read the rest of the interview with Timothy Gaines at The Cosmick View‘s website.