5 Minute Walk
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

5 Minute Walk was an
independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small and medium-sized enterprise, small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels ...
founded by Frank Tate in April 1995. Operations were based in
Concord, California Concord ( ) is the most populous city in Contra Costa County, California, Contra Costa County, California, United States. According to an estimate completed by the United States Census Bureau, the city had a population of 124,016 in 2024, maki ...
in the back offices of The Screem, a music club operated by Tate. They only carried Christian bands and considered themselves to be a
Christian ministry Christian ministry is the vocational work of living and teaching about faith, in the hopes of increasing the population of God's people done by the church, church officials, congregational members, and Jesus followers. The '' Cyclopedia of Bib ...
. Most records were produced by
Masaki Liu Masaki Liu, sometimes referred to as "Saki", is the engineer and producer operating One Way Studio, a digital recording studio in Benicia, California. Liu has recorded and produced music for many bands, including Five Iron Frenzy, Black Rebel Moto ...
at Masaki's One Way Studio and executive produced by Frank Tate.


Operations

Records released under 5 Minute Walk were distributed by
Diamante Music Group Diamante Music Group was a Newport Beach, California–based independent record label distributor active from 1993 through 2004. Diamante was home to several dozen small independent record labels, some of whose artists later gained worldwide reco ...
until September 1998. They then struck a deal with
Forefront Records ForeFront Records is a contemporary Christian music and Christian rock record label founded in 1987 by Dan R. Brock, Eddie DeGarmo, Dana Key, and Ron W. Griffin. It was purchased by EMI in 1996 from Dan R. Brock and Eddie DeGarmo, and is a divis ...
to distribute through
EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...
-owned Chordant Distribution in Christian markets and directly by EMI Distribution in mainstream markets. They also had a sublabel, SaraBellum Records, founded in 1997. Records released on the SaraBellum imprint were targeted at the general market, and distributed by the
Warner Music Group Warner Music Group Corp., commonly abbreviated as WMG, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment and record label Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the "Record label#M ...
. Albums were often released on both labels simultaneously. Sarabellum was folded back into 5 Minute Walk in 2001 as the label changed distribution to EMI. Their first release was ''Deeper Than Skies'' by My Brother's Mother in 1995. In approximately 2001 the label dropped all artists from its roster except
Five Iron Frenzy Five Iron Frenzy is an American band which formed in Denver, Colorado, in 1995. Best known for playing ska punk music characterized by an offbeat sense of humor and prominent Christian themes, Five Iron Frenzy was one of the pioneering figure ...
. When Five Iron disbanded at the end of 2003, lead singer Reese Roper signed under the name "Roper." The group released one album, '' Brace Yourself for the Mediocre'', in late 2004 and toured nationally before disbanding.


Ministry

Many of their records and tours raised money for charity causes. Artists involved in these tours sometimes played without payment, and included off-label bands such as
Sixpence None the Richer Sixpence None the Richer is an American Christian alternative rock band that formed in New Braunfels, Texas, and eventually settled in Nashville, Tennessee. They are best known for their songs " Kiss Me" and " Breathe Your Name" and their cover ...
, the
Lost Dogs Lost Dogs are an American musical supergroup formed in 1991, comprising vocalists, songwriters, and guitarists from multiple Christian alternative rock bands. Their current lineup includes Terry Scott Taylor ( Daniel Amos, The Swirling Eddi ...
, and
Poor Old Lu Poor Old Lu was a pioneering Christian alternative rock 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), ...
. These operations were at the direction of Frank Tate who, previous to the label's founding and as manager for The Prayer Chain and
The 77s The 77s (alternatively spelled the Seventy Sevens, the 77's, or simply 77's) is an American rock band consisting of Michael Roe on vocals/guitar, Mark Harmon on bass guitar, and Bruce Spencer on drums. History The group was "formed at a ch ...
, raised money to send 72
HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...
infected children to
Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, ...
. Tours often took donations such as socks, blankets, and jackets and gave the collections to local
homeless shelter Homeless shelters are a type of service and total institution that provides temporary residence for homelessness, homeless individuals and families. Shelters exist to provide residents with safety and protection from exposure to the weather whi ...
s. Certain albums raised money for
world hunger In politics, humanitarian aid, and the social sciences, hunger is defined as a condition in which a person does not have the physical or financial capability to eat sufficient food to meet basic Human nutrition, nutritional needs for a sustain ...
related causes. The company also ran a food and medical center in
Tijuana, Mexico Tijuana is the most populous city of the Mexican state of Baja California, located on the northwestern Pacific Coast of Mexico. Tijuana is the municipal seat of the Tijuana Municipality, the hub of the Tijuana metropolitan area and the most popu ...
that fed upwards of 150 children each day and contributed to an orphanage in
Tijuana Tijuana is the most populous city of the Mexican state of Baja California, located on the northwestern Pacific Coast of Mexico. Tijuana is the municipal seat of the Tijuana Municipality, the hub of the Tijuana metropolitan area and the most popu ...
. Five Minute Walk tours were not restricted to "christian friendly" venues such as churches, as bars and non-traditional venues such as roller skating rinks were considered ministry opportunities. Typically their bands would not preach to the crowds, but let the music carry the message to the listener. The approach of the label was to ensure the bands were spiritually healthy so that they could effectively transmit the Gospel message. The labels lyrical approach, as explained by Frank Tate, was "...if you search the lyrics and ponder what they're saying, you'll hear the hope that they've found. But you're not going to come to one of our shows and get banged over the head with a
Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
." Five Iron Frenzy participated in the 1998 Ska Against Racism tour, which raised awareness of and money for
anti-racism Anti-racism encompasses a range of ideas and political actions which are meant to counter racial prejudice, systemic racism, and the oppression of specific racial groups. Anti-racism is usually structured around conscious efforts and deliberate ...
causes. Five Iron also participated in the
Vans Warped Tour The Warped Tour is a touring rock music festival that toured the United States and Canada each summer from 1995 until 2019, and returned in 2025 for its 30th anniversary. By 2015, Warped was the largest traveling music festival in the United S ...
in 2002.


Slogan

"Love God, Love Others, Take Time to Listen." :''Excerpted from an interview between Harmon Leon and Frank Tate:''


Bands

*
Brave Saint Saturn Brave Saint Saturn (stylized as braveSaintSaturn, brave saint saturn or BS2) is a Christian rock band formed in Denver, Colorado in 1999. The band is a side-project of members of Five Iron Frenzy started by Reese Roper. The band calls their mus ...
(Active, with Department of Biophysics) * Dime Store Prophets (Disbanded; members went on to form
Tremolo In music, ''tremolo'' (), or ''tremolando'' (), is a trembling effect. There are multiple types of tremolo: a rapid repetition of a note, an alternation between two different notes, or a variation in volume. Tremolos may be either ''measured'' ...
) * Dryve (Disbanded; members went on to join
Marjorie Fair Marjorie Fair is an indie rock/psychedelic United States, American band formed in New Jersey by musician Evan Slamka, and based in Los Angeles, California. The band is best known for their debut album ''Self Help Serenade'', released in 2004 on ...
and
Tremolo In music, ''tremolo'' (), or ''tremolando'' (), is a trembling effect. There are multiple types of tremolo: a rapid repetition of a note, an alternation between two different notes, or a variation in volume. Tremolos may be either ''measured'' ...
) * The Echoing Green (Active, with A Different Drum Records) * The Electrics (Inactive) *
Five Iron Frenzy Five Iron Frenzy is an American band which formed in Denver, Colorado, in 1995. Best known for playing ska punk music characterized by an offbeat sense of humor and prominent Christian themes, Five Iron Frenzy was one of the pioneering figure ...
(Active) * Justin McRoberts (Active, currently unsigned) *
Model Engine A model engine is a small internal combustion engine typically used to power a radio-controlled aircraft, radio-controlled car, radio-controlled boat, free flight, control line aircraft, or ground-running tether car model. Because of the ...
/Black Eyed Sceva (Disbanded) *
Mortal Mortal may refer to: * Mortal (band), a Christian industrial band * The Mortal, a Japanese band led by Atsushi Sakurai * ''Mortal'' (novel), a science fiction fantasy novel by Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee * ''Mortals'' (novel), a 2003 novel by Norma ...
(On Hiatus; members went on to join
Fold Zandura Fold Zandura is an alternative rock band from California. They released four albums between 1995 and 1999, plus one white 7" vinyl. Each album was released under a different label. The two premier members also founded the industrial band Mortal ...
and
Switchfoot Switchfoot is an American rock music, rock band from San Diego, California. The band's members are Jon Foreman (lead vocals, guitar), Tim Foreman (bass guitar, backing vocals), Chad Butler (drum kit, drums, percussion), and Jerome Fontamillas (g ...
) * My Brother's Mother (Disbanded) *
Philmore Philmore was a Christian rock band that formed in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the late 1990s, and was active until 2005. The band's original lineup consisted of brothers Justin (lead guitar and vocals) and Kayle Greiman (bass) with drummer Brett Schon ...
(Inactive) * Rivulets and Violets (Disbanded) *
Roper Roper is a craftsman who makes ropes; a ropemaker. It may also refer to: Places *Roper, North Carolina, USA *Roper River, Northern Territory, Australia People * Roper (surname) Other *'' Roper v. Simmons'', a decision of the United States Su ...
(Disbanded) * Rose Blossom Punch (Disbanded; members now in
Fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Fairs showcase a wide range of go ...
) * Seven Day Jesus (Disbanded; members went on to join
The O.C. Supertones The Orange County Supertones (a.k.a. The O.C. Supertones, or simply The Supertones) were a Christian ska band from Orange County, California. The band was signed to Tooth & Nail Records and its imprint, BEC Recordings, before becoming an indepe ...
, The Red Velvet, and
Audio Adrenaline Audio Adrenaline was an American Christian rock band that formed in 1986 at Kentucky Christian University in Grayson, Kentucky. The band gained recognition during the 1990s and received two Grammy Awards and multiple Dove Awards. Audio A ...
) * Sherri Youngward (Active, currently unsigned) *
Soul-Junk Soul-Junk is an experimental genre-hopping Christian rock and hip hop group from San Diego, California. Background The roots of Soul-Junk began in 1993 when Glen Galloway began experimenting while touring in Europe with his rock band Trumans ...
(Active, with Quiver Society! Records) * The Smiley Kids (Disbanded) *
The W's The W's were a Christian ska and swing revival band, formed in Corvallis, Oregon in 1996. Success came quickly to the band and their first album, '' Fourth from the Last'', was a sleeper hit, unexpectedly having had the strongest debut of any ...
(Disbanded; members went on to join
The O.C. Supertones The Orange County Supertones (a.k.a. The O.C. Supertones, or simply The Supertones) were a Christian ska band from Orange County, California. The band was signed to Tooth & Nail Records and its imprint, BEC Recordings, before becoming an indepe ...
, Bendixon, and Alpha Charlie) *
Yum Yum Children The Yum Yum Children, also known as YMYM FAM, are a Christian band originally from Portland, Oregon, now located in Oklahoma. Their music is similar to that of They Might Be Giants or 1970s style art rock. Background Prior to his involvement wi ...
(Active, currently unsigned)


See also

*
List of Christian record labels This is a list of notable Christian music record labels. Also see :Christian record labels List 0-9 * 5 Minute Walk * 7Spin Music A * Alarma Records * Alternative Records * Angelophone Records * Ardent Records B * BEC Recordings * Benson ...


References

* *


External links


Official site


- 1996 {{authority control Christian record labels American independent record labels Record labels established in 1995 Companies based in Contra Costa County, California 1995 establishments in California