What's the story behind Wise Up and Rock?

Our 19th CD, Wise Up and Rock, was first released on download on October 31, 2011 and had its official CD release on November 12, 2011:

We loved the 80's. We lived the 80's. So we thought we'd revisit them with a biblical perspective -- something most of us lacked in the 80s.

As you may have guessed, Wise Up and Rock is a play on words referencing Luke 5:23, where Jesus said, "Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?"

In fact, we were so used to saying "Rise up and walk," that when we first named this CD, the quote from Jesus was actually much easier for us to say than the CD title.

Incidentally, when our lead singer, J. Jackson, joined his first Christian group in 1986, his solo was a song called "Wise Up." He spent the rest of the '80's in secular rock bands, so his singing career for that decade could be summarized as "Wise Up" and Rock.

It also summarizes what we try to get people to do -- learn (wise up) while they're rocking and rolling. Like the guy on the cover of this CD, the Bible is behind everything we do. As our bassist, Keith Haynie, says: "Wise up and rock. I have been telling people that for years."