Journey to No Substitute * Video #11 * 12/28/17 * No Substitute Telecaster Overdubs* Altar Boys

Altar Boys Official website: https://www.altarboys.net &   / altarboys.net   * Journey to "No Substitute" - Video short #11 documents the progress of guitar overdubs on both the songs "No Substitute" and "Revolution of Love." The completion of the long lost Altar Boys project abandon in 1991 is nothing short of a miracle and a labor of love.
Altar Boys Official Youtube channel:    / @thealtarboysofficialyoutub7553   * Altar Boys 6th album "No Substitute" available on Lo Fidelity Records: https://thealtarboys.bandcamp.com * AND* on iTunes:   / altar-boys   * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7bN5ft... *
#christianmusic #telecaster #recording

Altar Boys Lineup:
Altar Boys 1982 - 1983: Mike Stand, Jeff Crandall, Steve Pannier and Ron Baca
Altar Boys 1983 - 1990: Mike Stand, Jeff Crandall, Steve Pannier and Ric Alba
Altar Boys 1990 - 2025: Mike Stand, Jeff Crandall, Steve Pannier and Mark Robertson
(1992: Mike Stand , Jeff Crandall, Bob Wohler, Dave Brighton)

No Substitute – The Story Behind the Album
In early 2017, I began experiencing severe vocal fatigue and constant throat pain. Singing became nearly impossible, and even speaking was a struggle. On June 7, I saw my ENT, who diagnosed a massive hemorrhage on my vocal cords. I was placed on immediate vocal rest for two weeks—but the damage didn’t improve. After three difficult months, surgery was my only real option.

The thought of vocal surgery was terrifying. I had heard the horror stories—singers losing their voices permanently. But with the support of my family, friends, and Calvary Church, I underwent surgery at UCI on September 25, 2017, to remove multiple lesions from my vocal cords. Thankfully, the prognosis was excellent.

I was forced to take three weeks off work for recovery. Strangely, around that same time, people started reaching out—asking whatever happened to the unfinished Altar Boys project from 1991. At first, I brushed it off. It seemed absurd: I could barely talk, and people wanted to know about finishing a record we’d abandoned 25 years earlier?

But with time on my hands, I got curious. The day after surgery, on September 26, I pulled my old analog tape machine out of the garage. My son Keith and I spent nine hours getting it working again. When we finally listened to the tapes, our jaws dropped. What we heard was a perfectly preserved musical time capsule: 12 original songs, complete with lead vocals and guitars.

We transferred everything to digital, did a rough mix, and quietly sent it to the rest of the band and a few trusted friends with a simple note: “Have a listen.” The response was unanimous—the music was strong, timeless, and deserved to be finished.

From there, we took things one step at a time, prayerfully and carefully. We added drums, bass, additional guitars, and background vocals. The process was long and challenging, but deeply rewarding. Throughout, we kept the project under wraps—knowing that if word got out, there’d be no turning back.

We wrestled with a lot of questions. Was this just nostalgia? Or was God actually calling us to finish what we started all those years ago? Slowly, the answers came—not just through encouragement, but through an inner peace and purpose. It became clear: this wasn’t just about music. It was about completing a chapter we never finished.

In early 2018, we announced that the long-lost sixth Altar Boys record—No Substitute—was finally going to be completed. With help from Lo Fidelity Records, we launched a Kickstarter campaign. By then, the recording and artwork were nearly done. Our longtime friend Ronnie Lara stepped in and created stunning visuals for the album.

In June 2018, after hundreds of hours of work, we delivered the final masters and artwork for duplication. And yes—miraculously, my voice made a full recovery.

Looking back, it’s hard to believe how far we came. Just a year earlier, I stood at what felt like an impossible mountain—unsure if I’d ever sing again. Truthfully, I would’ve preferred to avoid the pain and uncertainty of that season. But I now see how God used my brokenness for something greater.

As Proverbs 18:14 says: “The spirit of a man can endure his sickness, but as for a broken spirit who can bear it?” In my brokenness, God brought restoration—not just to my voice, but to something long dormant in our hearts.

Finishing No Substitute wasn’t easy. But in the end, it brought closure—not only for us as a band, but for our fans and supporters who had been part of the journey all along. It cemented our ministry and musical legacy, and most importantly, reminded us all that with God, all things are possible