In a world that (I believe) is lacking in Christian contemporary music that is also creative and vibrant, I have been working to highlight different artists that I believe are using their creativity to help further the Kingdom of God. I’ve already covered one artist, and now I want to focus on one that is probably a little less known: Remedy Drive.

Note: This post is one of a series on creativity in Christian music. If you haven’t yet, check out “The Problem with Christian Music,” which started the series, or the post covering Josh Garrels music which is linked in the paragraph above.

For those that don’t know, Remedy Drive is an alternative rock band based out of Lincoln, Nebraska, that was formed in 1998. Their current lineup consists of frontman/lead vocalist and guitarist David Zach, bassist Corey Horn, and drummer Timmy Jones.

The current lineup for Remedy Drive

Remedy Drive is kind of like the Christian equivalent to the love child of Switchfoot and Rage Against the Machine. Yeah, I know – Weird combo, but it oddly fits.

One of the things I really appreciate about Remedy Drive is their humanitarian work. I feel it is often too easy for Christian bands to give off a “holier-than-thou” feel and thrive off of their newfound fame and wealth, all while not really doing anything for the kingdom with their wealth. Remedy Drive has (so far) challenged that standard.

Remedy Drive has partnered with The Exodus Road, a non-profit organization that specializes in staging rescues from alleged human trafficking, including raids of brothels and other sex work establishments. Remedy Drive’s frontman, David Zach, has worked with The Exodus Road on multiple deployments as an undercover operative into red-light districts or brothels in Asia or South America to find evidence of sex trafficking. The Exodus Road then uses the evidence gathered during those undercover operations in rescue girls trapped in the sex trade and partners with local authorities in order to make raids on the establishments that result in the arrests of traffickers. To hear more about David Zach’s experience with The Exodus Road, check out this video.

Remedy Drive has released multiple albums whose themes center around modern-day slavery. Their latest album, The North Star, is one of my favorites of theirs. The lyrics within the album address everything from the sex trafficking trade to corrupt business practices and everything in between.

You can’t take the prophets out of context

You can’t love mercy if you love conquest

Remedy drive, “Warlike”

This is where my earlier comment about Remedy Drive being similar to Rage Against the Machine comes into fruition. Their song “Warlike” emanates the firey and in-your-face energy and lyrics found in songs like Rage Against the Machine’s “Testify.” Check out the song below to get a feel for it before reading on.

Here’s the opening to their song “Warlike”:

Keep your microchips out of my kid's skin
Keep your chemicals out of my oxygen
Keep your GMO out of my blood stream
Keep your oil fields and your war machine
Must we be the first and the strongest?
Industrial military complex
You can't take the prophets out of context
You can't love mercy if you love conquest

What I love about Remedy Drive is that they don’t just call out the darkness in the world we live in. They bring light to those who use the Christian label for personal gain. They draw attention to the common, although underlying, tendencies of the American consumer. 

You don't look a thing like Jesus Christ to me
You look like self-righteous apathy
You look like entitlement and supremacy
Ye who tread on the weak to defend the wealthy
You talk so casually
Of endless battles, factions and schisms
Can't you see the causalities
Of your hyper nationalism?

It’s pretty convicting stuff.

“Warlike” is my favorite song off the album, but my second favorite is their song “Sunlight on Her Face.” The song takes the perspective of a girl stuck in the sex trafficking trade. She is never named but is given many identities through the song. The girl is contrasted with various faithful women from the Bible (Mary, Martha, Rahab); she’s a handful of nationalities from around the world. She’s praying to God, even though she doesn’t know him, asking for an escape. The whole song is, in a sense, addressed to God, asking for an explanation and an escape.

Here’s a stanza from “Sunlight on Her Face” – the Biblical references and imagery evoked is beautiful:

Alabaster perfume on Your feet from her hair
She's the last in the room and the first to care
She held You at the tomb with the dew in the air
Cruel spears in Your side on the hill, she was there
On the wall with the spies under pale moon
Hidden there by her side in the back of the room
She's a child and a bride in Sahara dune
She's a daughter of Syria and Camaroon
From the streets of Brazil,
To the hills of Thailand
On the bullet-strewn fields of Uganda sand
She's maybe fifteen, she's American
She's praying, "Are You listening?
Do You understand?"

And in between each verse, a reminder appears: “She wants to feel sunlight on her face.” It is a beautiful and haunting reminder of the lives that others around the world live, and the need for them to escape to a better life.

Remedy Drive has proven themselves as deep and capable songwriters. It’s one of the main reasons I love listening to their stuff. If you are at all interested in listening to more of their discography, here’s a sampling:

If you want to listen to more, check out Remedy Drive’s website, their Spotify, or their YouTube channel. I absolutely love listening to these guys and hope they can bring you the thought and reflection that they have brought me.

Happy listening!

Want to read more about Christian Creatives? Click on this tag.