Michael Roe
Sacramento, California6 reviews across 5 releases
Michael Roe is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist whose work grew out of Sacramento's Christian music community. He helped form the Scratch Band there in the late 1970s; it became the 77s, whose early records placed direct Christian writing inside rock rather than the safer language of inspirational music. As a solo artist, Roe kept the emphasis on uncomfortable self-examination. Safe as Milk, his 1995 Via Records release, moved without warning from sunshine pop to muted jazz and gospel, with guitar-centered songs about love, hypocrisy and dependence on God. The quieter The Boat Ashore followed on Innocent Media in 1996, using acoustic textures and a subdued soft-rock setting. By Say Your Prayers in 2002, Roe had reduced the arrangement to layered vocals and guitar, giving the songs a peaceful, prayer-like plainness.
In 1991, Roe formed Lost Dogs with Terry Scott Taylor and musicians from The Choir and Adam Again, adding an acoustic American outlet while he remained the 77s singer and guitarist. The 77s had already undergone a major reset. Mark Tootle and Jan Eric Volz left in 1992; David Leonhardt and Mark Harmon then joined, while Bruce Spencer later replaced Aaron Smith. Roe's solo work also became a vehicle for live reinterpretation. The 2002 release It's For You came from an all-request tour, where he mixed 77s and solo songs with covers and took requests from the stage. After 2002, he continued with the 77s. He also recorded with Lost Dogs and used the 7&7is name for further projects with Mark Harmon.
5 releases reviewed
Safe as Milk
The Boat Ashore
It's For You
Say Your Prayers