Poor Old Lu | |
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Origin | Vashon Island, Washington, US |
Genres | Alternative, Christian rock, pop punk |
Years active | 1990–1996, 2002 |
Labels | Alarma, KMG, Tooth & Nail |
Website | www |
Past members | Scott Hunter Jesse Sprinkle Aaron Sprinkle Nick Barber |
Poor Old Lu was a pioneering alternative Christian band based in the American Northwest. The band experimented with a variety of sounds and genres, particularly grunge, funk and psychedelic rock. The band consisted of Scott Hunter (vocals), Jesse Sprinkle (drums), Aaron Sprinkle (guitar), and Nick Barber (bass). Hunter was the lyricist who wrote on philosophical, metaphorical, and spiritually oriented topics. Common themes in the lyrics include introspective struggles with identity and spirituality, struggles with a superficial, secular, and modern society, and hope for life abundant. The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music calls the band "One of the most accomplished and creative Christian bands of the '90s".
The name refers to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, in which Lucy ('Lu'), returns from Narnia and tells her brother, Peter. Peter doesn't believe her story, however, and responds patronizingly, "Poor old Lu, hiding and nobody noticed."
While sophomores in high school, Barber, Aaron Sprinkle, and Hunter started a band called "Bellbangvilla," composed an album named 'In Love with the Greenery,' and performed shows around the Seattle, WA area. A few months later, Jesse Sprinkle joined the group, and the band changed its name to Poor Old Lu, and recorded its first album under the new band name, entitled Three Song Demo.
In the spring of 1992, they recorded their first full-length release, Star-Studded-Super-Step in three days in an empty classroom in their church. The Sprinkle's father gave the recording to Randy Stonehill, who in turn passed it on to Terry Taylor, who approached Frontline/Alarma Records. In the summer in 1993, the band recorded Mindsize. This album, produced by Terry Taylor and Derri Daugherty, turned out to be their breakthrough.