Retro Insider - "The Insyderz"

*Listen to the podcast of the Retro Insider’s biography of The Insyderz with Parker on RetroSwitch Live to the right of this blog!

It’s time to discuss one of the largest ska bands known in the Christian music industry.  They hail from the Motor City (Detroit, MI) and they are responsible for one of the most unique praise albums of the 1990’s.  This band is The Inzyderz.
The Insyders started in the mid nineties when vocalist Joe Yerke and drummer Nate Sjogren did worship in their church.  They had ties to the Salvation Army and the band eventually played Salvation Army events.  They got their break when they were playing at a campsite at  the Cornerstone festival in 1996 and were noticed by industry officials.  They were signed originally to Brainstorm Artists International.  When that label folded, they went to Squint Entertainment, owned by Steve Taylor.   Their first record, Motor City Ska, came out in 1996.  In 1998, they released what would turn out to be their most popular and influential album.  Skallellia was a collection of contemporary praise and worship songs composed in ska.  It was truly one of a kind.  Songs included “Lord You’re Beautiful” and “Lord I Lift your Name on High.”  It would be their hard rendition of Rich Mullins “Awesome God” that would be the highlight.  It would be the version that fans of the singer would either love or hate.  It earned The Insyderz a Dove award for best hard rock recorded song 1999.  The album broke them into the church population but the band always saw the vision of their ministry being the unsaved.
In 1998, they released another album called Fight of My Life.  This returned them more to their original sound.  In 1999, the band toured with Plankeye.  They also toured with ska seculars, the Skeletones, two members of which became Christians through The Insyderz’ daily Bible studies with them.  In 2000, they went back to their goods and released Skalleluia 2.  It was not as popular as their first praise album.  The band scaled down and just did smaller shows over the next few years, as rumours of their demise were abound as they became intolerant of the politics of the record industry.  Most of the band got married during this time also. 
In 2001, they released The Greatest and the Rarest.  In 2003, after an appearance at Cornerstone, they released what would be their final album, Soundtrack to a Revolution.  In 2005, it was announced that they would be playing their last three shows in September.  On Sept 24, 2005, sharing the stage with the OC Supertones, they played their last concert.  In August of 2010, they reunited for a show.  Apparently a new record is in the works called The Sinner’s Songbook.
For more information, visit their website at www.myspace.com/theinsyderz.