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1.0 History

1.1 SaGoh 24/7 & the inception of Anberlin

1.2 Debut album: Blueprints for the Black Market

1.3 Never Take Friendship Personal

1.4 Cities and Lost Songs

1.5 Major label debut: New Surrender

2.0 Origin of name

3.0 Status as a Christian musical group

4.0 Side projects

4.1 Anchor & Braille

5.0 Members

5.1 Album personnel appearances

6.0 Discography

6.1 Studio albums

7.0 References

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Anberlin Wiki Information

Anberlin is an American alternative rock band from Winter Haven, Florida, formed in 2002. Since the beginning of 2007, the band has comprised lead vocalist Stephen Christian, bassist Deon Rexroat, lead guitarist Joseph Milligan, drummer Nathan Young and rhythm guitarist Christian McAlhaney.

Members of Anberlin originally formed a band under the name SaGoh 24/7 in the late 1990s, releasing two studio albums before having a change in musical direction and name. Anberlin was formed in 2002, within a year of forming they had signed with semi-independent record label Tooth & Nail Records and released their debut album, Blueprints for the Black Market . In 2005, the band released their second album, Never Take Friendship Personal , selling in excess of 150,000 copies. ^[1]

Anberlin continued its rise to prominence whilst enjoying a loyal MySpace following and averaging well over 200 live shows per year. ^[2] The band's third album was released in 2007, Cities became their first album to reach the top 20 of the Billboard 200, selling 34,000 copies in its debut week. ^[3]

After three studio albums and five years with Tooth & Nail Records, Anberlin announced their signing with major label Universal Republic Records in August 2007. The band's first album on the major label was released in 2008, entitled New Surrender . The album peaked at number 13 on the Billboard 200, ^[4] with the first single, "Feel Good Drag", claiming number one on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart, after 29 weeks in the chart. ^[5] Prior to the release of their fourth studio album, Anberlin had sold over 400,000 albums.

ANBERLIN TICKETS

EVENT	DATE	AVAILABILITY
Phase Fest: Taking Back Sunday, New Found Glory, Hawthorne Heights & Hoobastank Tickets 6/20	Jun 20, 2025 Fri, 3:00 PM
Anberlin Tickets 7/31	Jul 31, 2025 Thu, 6:30 PM
Anberlin Tickets 8/1	Aug 01, 2025 Fri, 8:00 PM
Anberlin Tickets 8/2	Aug 02, 2025 Sat, 7:30 PM
Anberlin Tickets 8/3	Aug 03, 2025 Sun, 7:30 PM

History

SaGoh 24/7 & the inception of Anberlin

Lead singer Stephen Christian met bassist Deon Rexroat while they were both in middle school, and they formed a Christian punk band called SaGoh (Servants after God's own heart) 24/7. Drummer Sean Hutson and guitarist Joseph Milligan were then added to the group. ^[6] The band released two albums, Servants After God's Own Heart (1999), and Then I Corrupt Youth (2001), both under Rescue Records. ^[7] After the albums sold only 1,300 units, Hutson left the band to start a family, and Nathan Young was brought in as a replacement.

Christian and Milligan began working on an acoustic side project, marking the end of SaGoh. The side project transmutated into Anberlin's sound after Milligan suggested that they develop more of a rock sound. They used money left over from shows they had performed previously and teamed up with producer Matt Goldman to record five demos. These songs were then posted on PureVolume (which was mp3.com at the time), and sparked attention from record labels, both major and independent. However, with advice from friends including Chad Johnson, and Timmy McTague from Underoath, the band signed with Tooth & Nail Records.

Out of the five demos recorded with Matt Goldman, three were eventually chosen to be reworked for the band's debut album, the lead single "Readyfuels", "Driving" (later renamed "Autobahn") and "Foreign Language". Another song, "Embrace the Dead", was also recorded as a demo track and is often mistaken as an Anberlin song, however, the song didn't make it onto the band's debut album as it didn't constitute the stylistic direction the band wanted to head in.

Debut album: Blueprints for the Black Market

thumb After hearing demos from the band Acceptance, Anberlin chose to record their debut album with the same producer, Aaron Sprinkle, a relationship that would last the entire duration of their time with Tooth & Nail Records. Barely a year after their formation, their first album as a new band was entitled Blueprints for the Black Market (2003). It failed to chart, but spurred on by their debut single, "Readyfuels", the album sold over 60,000 units. ^[8] Through steady touring with other bands in their label and heavy internet promotion, Anberlin was amassing a dedicated fan base early on.

Rhythm guitarist Joey Bruce was eventually ejected from the band. According to Christian, he was "all about sex and drugs", and was going in a different direction than the rest of the band. After several failed replacements, Nathan Strayer from The Mosaic took over rhythm guitar duties.

Never Take Friendship Personal

Anberlin released their follow up to Blueprints , Never Take Friendship Personal , in early 2005, again produced by Aaron Sprinkle. Charting at #144 on the Billboard 200, ^[9] the album brought the band a step closer into the mainstream. NTFP was generally more well received by critics than Blueprints for the Black Market , and garnered favorable reviews. Before its release, the band promoted the album by releasing a track per week on their PureVolume and MySpace website accounts, as well as on their own website. Two singles were released from the album: "A Day Late" and "Paperthin Hymn". Both were reasonably successful on alternative rock radio, with the latter peaking at the #38 position on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart. ^[10]

Anberlin participated in a number of compilations during this time, recording covers of Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone", Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence," and the song "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)".

Cities and Lost Songs

Anberlin's third album produced by Aaron Sprinkle was released in early 2007 under the title Cities . It sold 34,000 copies in its first week of release, debuted at #19 on the Billboard 200 chart, and, like their previous album, received fairly positive reviews from critics. Before the release of Cities , the band released Godspeed EP exclusively on iTunes in late 2006 to give a preview to the new album. In support of the album, Anberlin held their first headlining tour, supported by Bayside, Meg & Dia and Jonezetta.

In an interview about the album, Christian commented that the lyrics throughout the band's discography are progressively becoming more mature. "The first CD (Blueprints for the Black Market ) was childish in the manner that it was Man vs. World in the lyrics. The second (Never Take Friendship Personal ) was Man Vs. Man. Cities is more adult in the manner that it's Man Vs. Self. ^[11] ^[12] Cities was the #1 most anticipated album on Jesus Freak Hideout's Most Anticipated Albums of 2007. ^[13]

Three to four weeks before the release of Cities , it was announced that guitarist Nathan Strayer amicably left the band to go back to The Mosaic and that Christian McAlhaney, formerly of the band Acceptance, would take over as the new guitarist. ^[14]

A compilation album of unreleased material, called Lost Songs , was released on 20 November 2007. It features B-sides, demos, covers, and acoustic versions of their previous songs as well as other tracks recorded at AOL Sessions. ^[15]

Major label debut: New Surrender

The band signed to Universal Republic Records on 16 August 2007, and soon after began to write material for their major-label debut, entitled New Surrender , which was released on 30 September 2008. ^[16] This is the band's first album to not be distributed through Tooth & Nail Records or produced by Aaron Sprinkle. The first song to be heard from the new album was tentatively titled "Bittersweet Memory" during its initial live performances; it was later renamed to "Breaking" with an acoustic remix of the song included on USB wristbands sold exclusively during the 2008 Warped Tour. On 11 July 2008, the band showcased a second new song called "Disappear" on their MySpace profile. ^[17] The first actual single from the album was the re-recorded "Feel Good Drag" which was set to go to radio on 18 August ^[18] - eventually being released on 26 August. ^[19]

The band booked eight weeks of recording sessions with famed producer Neal Avron (New Found Glory, Yellowcard, Fall Out Boy) in early February 2008. Stephen Christian stated in an interview, "We're very excited about working with Neal; I think our fans are going to be pleased when they hear the final result." ^[20] Christian also discussed the difficulties in writing this record. "When you try to write 29 songs lyrically you find yourself topically working in circles; I only go through so much in one year, but needlessly I have dedicated myself to begin searching books, art, and friends for new directions." ^[21] During the recording process, the band set up a live webcam in the studio so fans could watch them record the album via the band's MySpace profile. New Surrender was placed at the number two spot on Jesus Freak Hideout's 25 Most Anticipated Albums of 2008. ^[22]

In the week of its release, the album sold 36,000 units, entering the Billboard 200 chart at number 13. ^[23] It also placed at Number Five on the Top Current Rock chart, according to a Universal Republic press release. ^[24]

In support of the album, the band embarked on a fall headlining U.S. tour alongside Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Straylight Run and There For Tomorrow. Kyle Flynn, formerly of the band Acceptance, joined the band while on tour doing keys, loops, acoustic guitar, and background vocals. The band then traveled to the United Kingdom where they supported Elliot Minor and played a handful of headlining shows with Furthest Drive Home and Data.Select.Party.

Anberlin is currently touring in support of Taking Back Sunday throughout May and June. The band revealed that they plan to start writing the follow up to New Surrender in the summer, but the release date is likely to be early 2011, as the band plans to give the new material the time and effort that it needs. ^[25] They have also announced an Australian tour in August, alongside The Academy Is.... ^[26]

In the summer of 2009 the band went into the studio to record several tracks, the purpose of which is still unknown. However, one of the recorded tracks; a cover of the New Order song 'True Faith' can now be purchased on iTunes. The band also recorded a cover of the Danzig song, "Mother", which they performed during an interview with Billboard . ^[27]

Origin of name

Anberlin lead vocalist Stephen Christian has stated different origins of the band's name in various interviews, for example that he had long planned to name his first daughter Anberlin. Struggling to find a name for the band, Stephen suggested it; "We were all sitting around trying to come up with a name. None of us were married or had kids, but one day I was going to name my daughter Anberlin, so I figured we could name the band that until we thought of something better. So we chose Anberlin and no one has thought of anything better.". ^[28] He stated he was no longer going to use Anberlin to name his first daughter, however he said, "If I ever have a daughter and name her Anberlin, she'll think she was named after the band instead of the other way around.". ^[29] Christian had also stated in another interview that the band's name was created when he was thinking about cities in Europe he wanted to visit. In his mind he listed "London, Paris, Rome, and Berlin." Christian thought that "And Berlin" would be an appropriate name for a band and so when the band was looking for a name Christian suggested "And Berlin," which was then modified to "Anberlin." ^[30] ^[31]

Christian has since retracted those comments admitting that when the band first started, in interviews they "would take turn making stories about how it came to be" as a joke, as he believed the actual origin of the band name wasn't interesting enough. Christian said there was a story about how his grandfather had "saved a little girl from a World War II bombing... her name was Anberlin" and that they had hit a dog, which had the name Anberlin, with the stories getting more diverse, it was decided they reveal the true origin. ^[32] He has said the "real" name came from the Radiohead song "Everything in Its Right Place", stating that "There are several stories that have circulated on the internet, but the actual story is when I was in college my favorite band was Radiohead; on one of their songs off the record Kid A there is a background noise on the song "Everything in Its Right Place" (about 2 minutes 31 seconds into the song). While Thom (Yorke) is singing try to say I always thought the background noise sounded like Anberlin , I always thought that Anberlin would have been a great band name and well ... it was/is." ^[33] ^[34]

Further adding to the mystery, in a podcast with Alternative Press Magazine (#29), it was revealed that there is actually no story behind the name Anberlin, when the band sat down to think of names, 'Anberlin' just came to lead singer Stephen, and it was decided that would be the band name until they could think of something better.

Status as a Christian musical group

Over the years, many fans, critics, and other members of the media have consistently characterized Anberlin as a Christian band. However, Stephen Christian stated in an interview that their faith is more complicated than a simple label: "I think we're categorized like that a lot because we're on Tooth & Nail Records, which, years ago, was known as a Christian label and never lost that reputation. I don't care who listens to our records. If it helps people in whatever circumstances they're in, that's amazing, but I definitely don't classify us as a Christian band." Elsewhere, Christian has remarked, "[My faith] affects every single aspect of my life, but I'm not a preacher, I'm an entertainer." ^[35]

Despite these statements and others of the like, multiple sources list the band as part of the Christian rock genre, and some Anberlin song lyrics do contain religious references. Furthermore, the band appears at Christian music festivals such as Parachute Music Festival and their songs have been included on Christian rock compilation CDs ^[36] and DVDs. ^[37] They are also played on the Gospel Music Channel. ^[38]

Anberlin has also been repeatedly featured in Christian rock magazine HM (Hard Music , which was originally the fanzine Heaven's Metal ). Christian submitted a letter to the magazine, criticizing the avowedly Christian punk band the Knights of the New Crusade for a promotional image that represented a "black mark on the face of Christianity". ^[39]

Christian has also said in an interview with Lightforce radio how the band tries to "step out of the bubble" and referred to themselves as being part of Christian music. He discussed in detail what Christians should do in their lives: love and embrace others as Jesus would as well as show God's grace to others. He mentioned as well how the band Fall Out Boy said in an interview that they did not really know much about Jesus until Anberlin toured with them. ^[40]

In an interview with Smartpunk, drummer Nathan Young commented, "The thing is, some bands that are trying to get out of the Christian market, they get bummed out by questions about it. I don’t really mind it, because I’m a Christian, and I’m okay talking about it. With the whole term 'Christian Band,' I don’t understand how a band can be Christian. We get the question, 'Is Anberlin a Christian band?' and it’s like, yeah, Anberlin is — as humans". ^[41]

Side projects

Anchor & Braille

Stephen Christian formed an acoustic side project, Anchor & Braille. The project was originally a joint venture with Aaron Marsh of the band Copeland; however, Marsh will reportedly not feature on the upcoming debut album, which has been entitled Felt although he did produce it. ^[42] The project first yielded a 7" vinyl, followed by a full album on August 4, 2009. ^[43]

Members

;Current

Stephen Christian – lead vocals (2002-present)
Joseph Milligan – lead guitar, backing vocals (2002-present)
Deon Rexroat – bass (2002-present)
Nathan Young – drums (2002-present)
Christian McAlhaney (formerly of Acceptance) – guitar, backing vocals (2007-present)
Kyle Flynn (touring member, formerly of Acceptance) – guitar, keyboard, backing vocals (2008-present)

;Former

Nathan Strayer – guitar, backing vocals (2004-2007)
Joey Bruce – guitar (2002-2003)

Album personnel appearances

Member	Studio album				Instrument
Member	Blueprints for the Black Market	Never Take Friendship Personal	Cities	New Surrender	Instrument
Stephen Christian	Y	Y	Y	Y	Lead vocals
Joseph Milligan	Y	Y	Y	Y	Lead guitar
Joey Bruce^[A	N	N	N	N	Rhythm guitar
Nathan Strayer^[A	N	N	N	N	Rhythm guitar
Christian McAlhaney	N	N	N	Y	Rhythm guitar
Deon Rexroat	Y	Y	Y	Y	Bass guitar
Nathan Young	Y	Y	Y	Y	Drums / percussion

Notes

A ^ Joseph Milligan stated in an interview with Ultimate Guitar: "We had never had a rhythm guitar player play on one of our records before (New Surrender ). I (Milligan) had always done it all." ^[44]