Tuned Up has spent its existence showcasing many of the perpetual underdogs of the music industry. One such band is Seattle, WA’s The Myriad. An alt-rock act that some have proclaimed as the “Christian Muse,” some folks holding their tongue in cheek more than others.

My history with The Myriad, like many, starts with RadioU and my high school days. The summer of 2005 was a formative time for my music journey. My own faith journey was expanding beyond the scope of my parents’ church and I was forming my own expression of it. That summer, I would have my first true concert experience at Ohio’s Alive Festival (featuring Relient K and Switchfoot at their respective peaks of their crossover phases) and I was immersing myself in all things Christian alternative rock. I made a burned CD that year of mostly Christian songs that I took with me on a Boy Scout high adventure camping trip. After a day full of kayaking, canoeing or what have you, I’d put in my earbuds and listen to some combination of Kids in the Way’s “Apparitions of Melody,” Project 86’s “A Shadow on Me” or the cliche-for-a-reason “Shine” by Newsboys. After my return from those two camping trips, I was on a weird high, processing being an upperclassman in high school, and looking for any excuse to soak up Christian Rock bands.

“Perfect Obligation” by The Myriad hit me straight in the heart at that time. Many an evening or afternoon I’d be sitting on the floor of my bedroom, RadioU cranked in my headphones at near-max volume, listening on repeat. The signal of 88.7FM was mostly good but a little finicky at times, the pounding bass of “Perfect Obligation” would trigger static that would cut in and out in rhythm with the song. To this day, I kinda miss that imperfection that was injected in. But, because I was a moody teenager who was a little afraid of his feelings, I wasn’t quite ready to commit to the band. In any case, that song would blend in with a mental playlist of tracks that were often stuck in my head as I became more involved with student Christian groups in high school. The weird mix of deep feelings related to high school crushes (which may or may not have had something to do with my branching out to other Christian groups) and my expanding paradigm of what it meant to be a believer created an overarching mood for that time that The Myriad seemed to, well, mirror.

Fast forward to my college years. I had been hearing rumblings of The Myriad being featured on MTV. Even performing on TRL, which I used to watch religiously when I was in middle school (it’s hard to believe, in retrospect, my parents let me watch that, but I digress). During my first winter break home from school, in between binges of The Office on DVD I was putting together a new batch of songs to binge on my iTunes. Among them were “xoxoxo” by Secret and Whisper, “Wake Me Up” by Number One Gun and “A Thousand Winters Melting” by The Myriad. The latter two songs in particular reflected that moment in time; the brightness of the post-Christmas and snowy landscape, and the melancholy of having to return back to campus. The following summer, “A Clean Shot” began to grow on me and by the fall of my sophomore year The Myriad’s sophomore record With Arrows, With Poise was on regular rotation for me.

Arguably, that autumn was the most pivotal period for me, regarding my perception of what Autumnal music was. Death Cab’s classic Plans soothed me in the late night hours regularly, Deas Vail’s White Lights EP was a gorgeous accompaniment to a life transition period, and The Myriad was right there to mirror my feelings of disquiet about adjustment to the college years. “You Waste Time Like A Grandfather Clock” became one of the coolest songs ever in my mind; “A Clean Shot” was wonderfully moody and eerie; “Throwing Punches” was a pretty, chill track interspersed with the occasional glitchy production to keep me from getting too comfortable; “Don’t Let Them See You!” was a creepy, groovy journey; and “Forget What You Came For” always got my adrenaline going with its build-up toward the final chorus. I had a chance to see The Myriad play at the nearby Union student run music venue at North Central College in Naperville, IL; but at the time I was pretty timid about going to live shows alone. This is something I would later come to regret.

Like many others who followed the band, I was sad to read of drummer Randy Miller’s cancer diagnosis and subsequent passing. It honestly feels like a story that isn’t mine to tell – any attempt at commentary on such a raw period of the band’s history feels inadequate, mostly because I wasn’t the primary one impacted. I did begin to get an impression of how this impacted those left behind several years later with the release of “Signs,” the comeback single of the group.

Now, when I first heard the backstory of “Signs” being that of loss and grief, I wondered whether I would like it. However, the song gave me a different kind of catharsis than I was expecting and if we’re being frank, it picks up where their story left off. It was downright spooky and carries with it a big attitude that gets my heart rate up. I knew I could get down with this new era of The Myriad.

Fast forward to today. The Myriad has fully embraced an eerie, dreamy, more atmospheric sound. From the anthemic “We Are”, to the movie-trailer ready “Time” which feels like it was written for a Christopher Nolan film, to the Radiohead-esque “Something’s In the Water,” the band seems to be back for good, with a fresh lineup and no shortage of creative energy. This makes their Audiofeed appearance poised as one for the books.

The Myriad in their new era is Jeremy Edwardson, Scott Davis, Jamie Beaudoin, Norman Williams, and Eli Schweyer. Expect more new music to come from the band. As for other plans? We’ll see. But everyone involved is excited.