City Slang: Christian prog rock at the Ritz

Christian rockers Sweet Crystal play the Ritz in Warren on February 4, with Medisin Wheel and Quick Ritual. Doors are at 7.

The band, which won the 2011 DMA for “Outstanding Gospel/Christian Act”, has a classic rock sound that can be enjoyed by Christians and non-Christians alike. While Christian rock gets roundly mocked thanks to Stryper with their yellow spandex and Creed with their lack of integrity, Sweet Crystal have genuinely rocking songs.

According to the website, “Sweet Crystal was formed in the winter of ’71/’72, as the three young men were leaving high school and choosing their individual life-paths. As it happens, they were destined to spend the next four decades together, and Sweet Crystal would spend the ’80s opening for bands as diverse as Bob Seger, Nazareth, Steppenwolf, Foghat, Rare Earth and Stryper.”