J Church

• Genre: Pop Punk
• Hometown: Berkeley

About

Since the early 1990s, J Church have been carving out a comfortable place for themselves between the Punk and Indie Rock scenes. Born from the demise of Los Angeles Punk band Cringer, guitarist/singer Lance Hahn and long-time bass player Gardner Maxim have written countless gems rooted in Punk yet packed with a catchy pop punch. J Church may hold the record for the most releases in the '90s -- fans have to run to keep up with their feverish output of three-minute wonders. Never content to sit still, Hahn (the only original remaining member of the trio) and J Church helped define Bay Area Punk-Pop, and they continue to push the envelope while not abandoning their tried-and-true formula. Their late-1990s material has moved into the realm of Indie Rock, drawing from Hahn's time spent as guitar player for Beck and extensive touring with Scottish darlings Bis. J Church still have a good set of sharp teeth, however, and their songs can bite with pure Punk energy. Whichever way you approach them -- as a Punk or Indie Rock band -- J Church don't seem to be going anywhere. And we're all the better for it.

- Mark Murrmann