Introduction of an Old Petra Fan / New Member Here

Talk about Petra albums, songs, and concerts.
Post Reply
Ron
Pethead
Pethead
Posts: 26
Joined: Wed Oct 29, 2014 10:53 pm
#1 Album: More Power To Ya
Pethead since: 1982
x 1

Introduction of an Old Petra Fan / New Member Here

Post by Ron » Thu Oct 30, 2014 2:54 am

Hello everyone,

My name's Ron and I've been a fan of Petra since about 1982. I can remember when I first heard the band. It was at a Christian summer camp for boys in Virginia during that year. I was only 11-years-old back then and the camp had a lip-synch contest for each cabin that housed about a dozen boys each. I remember one of the other youngsters doing a rendition of "Judas Kiss" and was immediately mesmerized by Hartmans' guitar rifts and Slick's keyboards, the steamy hooks and stadium-rock type melody was awesome for a kid that was back then listening to secular bands like KISS, Van Halen and Foreigner. I was like, "Woah, this is Christian music? I want this!"

Even though Judas Kiss was on the "More Power To Ya" album, my first purchased record was actually: "Not of this World" because that was the latest release at the time. It was the only cassette of Petra I could find at the record store! I immediately fell in love with the sound from this group and started buying every Petra record I could get my hands on. I started buying backwards from More Power To Ya all the way to the first album and then from that point just kept buying every release since. To this day, I own every Petra album ever produced. My first live concert was at the Warner Theater in Washington D.C. during the "Back to the Street" tour. I actually took my first date with a girl there.

On the two eras: I can remember when John Schlitt joined the band, and I have to admit it took me a while to adjust. The sound of the band to me changed a lot after Greg Volz left, but not necessarily in a bad way. For me personally there are two Petra bands and I love them both...just differently. I compare it mostly to the difference between your first love vs. the one you married. That's how I can best describe my feelings about Petra I & II. You love the new Petra with it's new sound and you are committed to it, but even so you never forget that first love and how amazing it really was. I still get emotional when I hear the "More Power To Ya" track to this day because it represents a transition time in my life when I made the commitment to following Christ.

Unlike many of the more recent fans who only know Petra after they were well-established, and while "Christian Rock" is a genre more or less accepted today, the kids of my era were ostracized for listening to "Jesus music" by our secular peers, and at the same time shunned as listening to the "Devils music" by our churches and family. Because of the hard time I had being part of the "in crowd" as a teenager, I held Petra as a security blanket during the very anxious and sometimes depressing high school years. I firmly believe that a combination of my faith, a close circle of friends, and the music I had in Petra kept me from turning to alcohol, drugs or worse.

I found this website as I was surfing the internet searching for information about the band. You see, I just recently bought a new vehicle and with it went my last cassette player. Many of my Petra collection were on cassette and I just now (through the help of ebay and Amazon) purchased CDs to replace them. So here I am reminiscing about my favorite Christian band with all of you. I know from the DVD interviews I've seen and stories I've read that my particular Petra story is not unique and is repeated over and over again by many fans, but I've always wanted to share it because it only really connects with PetHeads. Thanks for reading my diatribe...I just wish they were still together and more albums were coming. Oh well, every good thing has to end eventually and as the old saying goes: you never really appreciate what you got until it's gone.
Last edited by Ron on Fri Oct 31, 2014 5:42 am, edited 1 time in total.
0 x

User avatar
rexreed
Pethead Fanatic
Pethead Fanatic
Posts: 977
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 10:21 pm
#1 Album: Beyond Belief
Pethead since: 1991
Location: Houston
x 34

Re: Introduction of an Old Petra Fan / New Member Here

Post by rexreed » Thu Oct 30, 2014 9:29 pm

Welcome to The Petra Zone Ron! Great story.
0 x

Ron
Pethead
Pethead
Posts: 26
Joined: Wed Oct 29, 2014 10:53 pm
#1 Album: More Power To Ya
Pethead since: 1982
x 1

Re: Introduction of an Old Petra Fan / New Member Here

Post by Ron » Fri Oct 31, 2014 5:14 am

Thanks Rex, I love your missle command "This Means War" avatar, we must be from the same generation. 8)

Hey check it out. I found my old jean jacket I used to wear in high school back in the 80s hanging in a closet in my mom's house...still has my Petra buttons and the "On Fire" words I painted on the back. I've attached pics to this message...

Great to have found this place and it's nice to meet fellow PetHeads still lighting the flame and tending the fort...

-Ron
Attachments
Jacket2.jpg
Jacket2.jpg (268.06 KiB) Viewed 3458 times
Jacket1.jpg
Jacket1.jpg (344.81 KiB) Viewed 3458 times
0 x

Shell
Extreme Pethead Fanatic
Extreme Pethead Fanatic
Posts: 3242
Joined: Wed Oct 01, 2003 8:26 am
#1 Album: Beyond Belief
Pethead since: 1985
Location: L.A. area
x 43
Contact:

Re: Introduction of an Old Petra Fan / New Member Here

Post by Shell » Fri Oct 31, 2014 10:54 am

Welcome. That is a great story. I've been listening to Petra since 1984. I agree, the Volz and Schlitt years are special in their own ways, and these guys have unique voices that worked well with the musical styles when they were with the band. 8)
0 x

Thief
Pethead
Pethead
Posts: 271
Joined: Sun Jul 09, 2006 6:08 pm
Pethead since: 1990
Location: Puerto Rico
x 2
Contact:

Re: Introduction of an Old Petra Fan / New Member Here

Post by Thief » Sat Nov 01, 2014 7:01 am

Welcome Ron! Hope you like it here.
0 x

User avatar
rexreed
Pethead Fanatic
Pethead Fanatic
Posts: 977
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 10:21 pm
#1 Album: Beyond Belief
Pethead since: 1991
Location: Houston
x 34

Re: Introduction of an Old Petra Fan / New Member Here

Post by rexreed » Mon Nov 03, 2014 6:17 pm

Missile Command is one of the greatest games of the silver age! The box art is one of my favorites...
Back then it was not possible to beat a game, they always beat you in the end.
0 x

Ron
Pethead
Pethead
Posts: 26
Joined: Wed Oct 29, 2014 10:53 pm
#1 Album: More Power To Ya
Pethead since: 1982
x 1

Re: Introduction of an Old Petra Fan / New Member Here

Post by Ron » Tue Nov 04, 2014 5:40 am

Thanks for the warm welcome guys. I went back to my Mother's house last week and took some iPhone shots of the posters that still grace the walls of my old bedroom. My son stays in there whenever he spends the night at grandma's.
Attachments
Petra Poster2.jpg
Petra Poster2.jpg (1.1 MiB) Viewed 3329 times
Petra Poster 1.jpg
Petra Poster 1.jpg (1.1 MiB) Viewed 3329 times
0 x

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 78 guests