Rick Altizer
Nashville, Tennessee7 reviews across 3 releases
Rick Altizer is an American Christian singer-songwriter whose recording career began in 1998 after work in Los Angeles and a move to Nashville. His music combines power-pop hooks with glossy rock production, Beatles and Tom Petty influences, and lyrics that move between worship, satire and everyday humor. On Blue Plate Special, he played nearly every instrument and sang every part, with Adrian Belew contributing several guitar solos. The album's one-man construction was reflected in its fictitious band-member photographs and its playful "dead fish on a plate" concept. Neon Fixation added heavier fuzz but was less consistent, while Go Nova broadened the arrangements with more varied guitar textures and Arabic-influenced passages. Across the three records, Altizer's sound remained melodic and densely layered, even as his songwriting became more assured.
A prospective Sony deal collapsed before Altizer established himself in Nashville, where he became the first artist signed to KMG Records. The label later closed, and he and KMG president Kent Songer formed Fuseic Music. Altizer continued recording after Go Nova, releasing All Tie Zur through Not Lame in 2001 and John Lennon's Glasses in 2002, followed by scripture-based music and later independent projects. He also developed the children's music line Worship Jamz. In the 2010s and 2020s, his work extended into film directing, including documentaries about Chonda Pierce and Russ Taff, along with the feature film Show Me the Father.
3 releases reviewed
Blue Plate Special
Neon Fixation
