House Of Heroes

by Corey Apar
Based out of Columbus, OH, the guys of Christian rock trio House of Heroes originally came together as a punk-pop band called No Tagbacks. Comprised of A.J. Babcock (bass/vocals), Colin Rigsby (drums/vocals), and Tim Skipper (vocals/guitar), the group built up a respectable grassroots following through constant touring. However, when various setbacks took place (problems with their record label and otherwise), the bandmembers took a step back and realized their punk-pop sound just didn't fit who they were anymore. The difficulties ultimately sparked a change in the guys, which led to a refined vision for their music and the band itself.
Changing the band's moniker to the more mature House of Heroes, the trio re-emerged to its fans with a more focused pop/rock sound that took influence from bands like Weezer and Jimmy Eat World. Recording some demos and hitting the road, House of Heroes independently released their debut album, What You Want Is Now, in 2003. The record brought House of Heroes to the attention of Gotee Records, but issues with their previous label caused eight months to pass before officially joining Gotee's roster. Making the most of a frustrating period, they used the down time to write their label debut, a self-titled effort that was issued in May 2005. They supported the record as openers on a subsequent tour with MxPx and Relient K. The album was repackaged, retitled, and reissued a year later on Gotee's sister label, Mono vs. Stereo; Say No More included two new songs and came enhanced with bonus multimedia material. House of Heroes continued touring through the summer of 2006.