Category: hidden gems from the b-side

Posted on

Hidden Gems from the B-Side — Flyleaf (Week 18)

So I Thought ♬ Cassie

Hey yall… happy Sunday… today I have two more from Flyleaf for you.

Both of these songs carry a lot of emotional weight. Cassie was inspired by Cassie Bernall, one of the students killed during the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, and reflects on the courage of standing firm in faith even in the darkest moment. So I Thought looks at a different kind of struggle — that painful realization when someone you trusted turns out not to be who you believed they were. Together, they show two sides of Flyleaf’s writing: faith under fire… and truth after betrayal.

♬ So I Thought
Album: Flyleaf
Year: 2005

♬ Cassie
Album: Flyleaf
Year: 2005

John 16:33 (KJV)

“In the world ye shall have tribulation…  but be of good cheer… I have overcome the world.”

© 2026 bryanforchrist | All rights reserved.

`’.,°~                         …t…

Posted on

Hidden Gems from the B-Side — Drivin N Cryin (Week 18)

Honeysuckle Blue ♪ Straight To Hell

Ok yall… get ready for greatness.

If you don’t know these awesome dudes yet… you soon will.

I grew up in the same town as them and have seen them live many times over the years. They remain one of my all-time favorite bands — and one of the most underrated to ever come out of the South.

Atlanta’s own Drivin N Cryin formed in 1985 and quickly became one of the South’s most distinctive rock bands, blending Southern rock, folk storytelling, and punk-edge energy into a sound completely their own. Led by singer-songwriter Kevn Kinney, the band built a loyal following through heartfelt lyrics and powerful live performances.

Their 1989 album Mystery Road produced enduring fan favorites like “Honeysuckle Blue” and “Straight to Hell,” two songs that perfectly capture the band’s mix of grit, heart, and Southern storytelling.

Songs Featured

🎶 Honeysuckle Blue — from Mystery Road (1989)

🎶 Straight to Hell — from Mystery Road (1989)

These are two of their more popular songs… later on we’ll dig into the hidden gems.

Hope you enjoy.

The black widow and the
Ladies man
Met down at the laundromat
And tried to make me
Understand ♪

© 2026 Bryan Loia Hudson | All rights reserved

`’.,°~                                           

Posted on

Hidden Gems from the B-Side — Flyleaf (Week 17)

Circle 🎶 Again

..For this week’s Hidden Gems from the B-Side, I’m digging into the catalog of Flyleaf — a Christian rock band that brought raw emotion.. powerful spiritual themes into the rock world in the mid-2000s. Led by the incredible voice of Lacey Sturm, one of my favorite singers, their music never shied away from pain, redemption, and the search for truth.

The band came out of Texas — the same region that gave us rock legends like Pantera and ZZ Top — proving that powerful music can rise from the same soil in very different ways.

🎶 Circle
Album: Memento Mori
Year: 2009

🎶 Again
Album: Memento Mori
Year: 2009

Both songs come from their 2nd studio album…

As a bonus, I’m also adding a video of Lacey’s testimony, where she shares the powerful story of how Christ transformed her life.

Hope y’all enjoy… 🎸

👇 💯

2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV)

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

© 2026 bryanforchrist. All rights reserved.

`’.,°~

Posted on

Hidden Gems from the B-Side — Life Side (Week 17)

Matthew Sweet 🎶 I’ve Been Waiting 🎶 Walk Out..

For this week’s Hidden Gems from the B-Side, I’m digging into the catalog of Matthew Sweet.

Today’s picks come from two different moments in his career — 🎶 I’ve Been Waiting from the 1991 album Girlfriend, and 🎶 Walk Out from 100% Fun (1995). Both tracks show why Sweet became such a cult favorite in the alternative scene — melodic, guitar-driven songs that still sound just as good decades later.

As a bonus, I’m also sharing a video of Matthew during his recovery after suffering a stroke in 2024. Watching a musician fight their way back through therapy is powerful — a reminder that music isn’t just something we listen to… it’s something that lives deep inside a person. Seeing that strength and determination makes these songs hit even harder.

Hope y’all enjoy… 🎸

Special Bonus 👇 Recovering From A Stroke…

…

© 2026 Bryan Loia Hudson. All Rights Reserved.

`’.,°~

Posted on

Hidden Gems from the B-Side — Faith Side (Week 16)

BarlowGirl 🎶 Song for the Broken 🎶 Sing Me a Love Song…

This week I’m digging into two deeper cuts from BarlowGirl — “Song for the Broken” from How Can We Be Silent (2007) and “Sing Me a Love Song” from Love & War (2009), their fifth and final studio album.. also nominated for a Dove Award for album of the year…

These ladies have so many deep cuts.. as a musician.. I really enjoy and appreciate them.. I listen much.. it’s good stuff..

I also added a bonus interview vid… I hope you enjoy and have a blessed Sunday…

Bonus interview 👇

Lauren.. Alyssa.. Becca..

🔥 Acts 4:12 (KJV)

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

© 2026 bryanforchrist. All rights reserved.

`’.,°~

Posted on

Hidden Gems from the B-Side — Life Side (Week 16)

Matthew Sweet 🎶 Evangeline 🎶 Not When I Need It…

🎸 Matthew Sweet — Hidden Gems
Two deep cuts worth the spotlight.. “Evangeline” and  “Not When I Need It.”
“Evangeline” comes from Girlfriend (1991), Sweet’s breakout power-pop classic. It wasn’t a single, but it became a fan favorite for its hooks and guitar fire—and it was inspired by the comic-book character Evangeline, blending sci-fi imagery with aching pop romance.

A few years later, 100% Fun (1995) kept the melodic magic rolling. “Not When I Need It” is one of those perfect deep cuts—bright, punchy, and emotionally honest. Together, these tracks show Sweet’s sweet spot: killer hooks with real heart.

Discovering Matthew Sweet in the early ’90s was a blast for me—cranking his CDs, guitar in hand, playing along in my room. Hope you enjoy this little trip back 🎸

Also, I love the guitar riffs in “Evangeline”… many of his songs have it like that.

👇 bonus Paste Studio tracks

© 2026 Bryan Loia Hudson | All rights reserved

`’.,°~

Posted on

Sierra Hull – Mad World (Tears For Fears) | DelFest (2022)

…….👥👥→🧓😔→🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️🌅→🚧❌→💧🥃→😶‍🌫️→🙈🧠→🌊😔→🚫🌅→😂😞→💭⚰️→😶‍🌫️💬→↻↻↻→🌀🌍→🧒⏳→🎂🙂→🪑👂→🏫😰→👤❌→👋👩‍🏫→🫥→😂😞→💭⚰️→😶‍🌫️💬→↻↻↻→🌀🌍

Sierra is incredible… stick around for her solo…

© 2026 Bryan Loia Hudson. All Rights Reserved.

`’.,°~

Posted on

Hidden Gems from the B-Side — Faith Side (Week 15)

Barlowgirl 🎶 Enough 🎶 Grey

“Enough” and “Grey,” both from Another Journal Entry (2005), show two different sides of BarlowGirl’s heart. “Enough” is actually a cover of the worship song made well-known by Chris Tomlin, and BarlowGirl’s version leans into rich harmonies and a more rock-leaning sound while keeping the focus on God being all we truly need. “Grey” is an original that wrestles with living in the in-between — not fully cold, not fully on fire — calling out compromise and the pull toward lukewarm faith. Together, they capture both worshipful surrender and honest self-examination in the same breath…

Hope you enjoy the music and hope you have a blessed Sunday…

Bonus track 👇 BDW feat. Barlowgirl

Psalm 73:26 (KJV)

“My flesh and my heart faileth… but God is the strength of my heart… and my portion for ever…”

`’.,°~

Posted on

Hidden Gems from the B-Side—Life Side (Week 15)

Matthew Sweet 🎶 We’re the Same 🎶 I Almost Forgot…

As I was putting this piece together, I got raptured back to 1995 — on the edge of my bed by the window… that little apartment in Riverdale, GA… guitar in hand… as was always the case… learning these next two songs. The story behind this album’s title is heavier than the sound.

Matthew Sweet’s 100% Fun — the 1995 album that includes both “We’re the Same” and “I Almost Forgot” — gets its title from a surprisingly heavy rock history footnote. Sweet lifted the phrase “100% fun” from Kurt Cobain’s 1994 suicide note, where Cobain wrote: *“The worst crime I can think of would be to rip people off by faking it and pretending as if I’m having 100% fun.”*

That ironic origin gives the album title a bittersweet edge — a record full of bright hooks and jangly guitars, but named after a line born out of real emotional struggle. 100% Fun stands as one of Sweet’s most loved power-pop records — catchy, melodic, and quietly reflective beneath the shine.

So yeah — without further ado… here’s the music.

🎵 “We’re the Same” — 100% Fun (1995)


🎵 “I Almost Forgot” — 100% Fun (1995)

…

© 2026 Bryan Loia Hudson

`’.,°~

Posted on

Hidden Gems from the B-Side — Faith Side (Week 14)

BarlowGirl 🎶 I Need You To Love Me 🎶 No One Like You…

BarlowGirl got their start playing together in the late 1990s as their father’s backup band — their dad, Vince Barlow, was a children’s worship musician, and the sisters performed with him at events across the U.S., eventually writing their own material during that time.

They became known not just for their music, but for their public commitment to sexual purity, modesty, and waiting on God for a future spouse — a stance that shaped their message and deeply connected with a lot of fans walking similar faith paths.

They were active in the Christian music scene from around 1999 until they retired in 2012, closing out more than a decade of ministry through music.

Over the course of their career, the band sold over a million albums and passed a million digital downloads, making them one of the more impactful female-led groups in 2000s CCM.

I have two songs for you today..

🎵 I Need You to Love Me — Another Journal Entry (2005)

🎵 No One Like You — Another Journal Entry (2005) David Crowder Band cover

Hope you enjoy and have a blessed Sunday

Isaiah 58:14 (KJV)

“Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD… I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth…  feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father… for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it…”

© 2026 bryanforchrist. All rights reserved.

`’.,°~