Christ, Lord

The lights dim and music notes sound here and there as everyone gathers around one side of the small, white-washed room. The audience hushes in anticipation. Suddenly, a rush of music erupts from the focal point of the crowd. A slow and hypnotizing accordion, a powerful upright bass, a burst of trumpet, and a heart-wrenching violin capture the emotions of everyone in the room. Christ, Lord is playing, swaying with the crowd, as a part of the crowd, in a captivating unison. The music is much more than music, it’s an experience.

Christ, Lord plays at GFloor

Christ, Lord formed in August of 2009 and now consists of six members: Christian Ballew, 23, on accordion and vocals, Brandon Camarda, 22, on trumpet, Adam Mincey, 24, on upright bass, Ryan Gregory, 27, on violin, Billy Mitchell, 30, on drums, and Ryan Lamb, 22, on guitar.

Christ, Lord recently reformed, adding Billy Mitchell, former drummer from the Back Pockets, another Atlanta band. Mitchell has since taken on responsibility for booking the band.

The band played at Dashboard Co-Op's "Ground Floor" while images from the film "Holy Mountain" were projected onto a blank brick wall behind them, on Oct. 8. 

Christ, Lord’s next tour is scheduled for New Year’s, where they plan to travel around the Southeast, playing a New Year’s show in New Orleans.

The band plans to release their second full-length album in November. The new album is expected to have ten new songs which will be “much more musically developed and organized,” according to Camarda, with an “upbeat and energetic” feel, but still moving through a sequence of emotions. Their previous album was recorded entirely from improvised live sessions.

Christ, Lord plays at GFloor

Their most recent tour was in March, a small tour with The Back Pockets. Over the summer, the band played house shows, including the Living Walls Fundraiser at The Big House in mid-July.

Christ, Lord’s latest album, titled “Magnalia Christi” is made up of dark, eclectic songs eliciting a wide range of emotions. Each track has a Latin title, or is named after a mythological creature. The album itself has what Camarda calls a “dark, slow, sad mood.”

“It takes you through these ups and downs, powerful moments, a very wide span of emotions,” described Camarda.

Camarda says he’s most excited for Christ, Lord’s future. “I think this is the first time in Christ, Lord’s history that I feel confident. It’s been a collective movement of everyone in the band to make the band work, and everyone’s really excited.”