80s New Wave Pioneers Announces One Night Only Reunion

By the mid-1980s, Contemporary Christian Music was changing. The pioneering Jesus Music movement had matured. Arena rock was arriving through bands like Petra and DeGarmo & Key. Artists like Steve Taylors were proving Christian music could be creative, clever, and culturally relevant. Meanwhile, a new sound was emerging from across the Atlantic. New wave, with Read More

By the mid-1980s, Contemporary Christian Music was changing.

The pioneering Jesus Music movement had matured. Arena rock was arriving through bands like Petra and DeGarmo & Key. Artists like Steve Taylors were proving Christian music could be creative, clever, and culturally relevant. Meanwhile, a new sound was emerging from across the Atlantic. New wave, with its shimmering synthesizers, angular guitars, and infectious pop melodies, was reshaping mainstream music through artists like Tears for Fears, The Cars, Duran Duran, and Simple Minds.

Christian music needed its own answer.

In 1986, Bash-N-The-Code arrived. Now the band is ready to celebrate. Four decades after the release of their groundbreaking self-titled debut on Myrrh Records, Bash-N-The-Code is reuniting for a single, one-night-only concert celebrating the album that helped redefine what Christian pop and new wave could sound like.

The Bash-N-The-Code 40th Anniversary Reunion Show takes place Saturday, October 3, 2026, at the Roy E. Barberi Theatre in Brentwood, Tennessee, just outside Nashville, and only a few nights before the Gospel Music Association’s Dove Awards, making it a fitting gathering point for Christian music fans from across the country.

And to be clear: this is not the start of a reunion tour. This is the only show currently planned.

The evening reunites the original lineup for the first time in 40 years, featuring Greg Sparks, Rebecca (Ed) Sparks, Mark Lee Townsend, Keith Lancaster, Scott Carmichael, Chris Kearney, and Trent Dean performing the songs that made Bash-N-The-Code one of the most innovative acts of the 1980s Christian music movement.

Long before alternative Christian music became commonplace, Bash-N-The-Code fused shimmering synthesizers, soaring guitar work, and infectious pop hooks into a sound that felt fresh, daring, and unlike anything else happening in CCM. Their debut became a cult favorite among fans who were looking for music that pushed creative boundaries while remaining rooted in faith.

CCM Magazine supporters may recognize one member in particular.

If you’ve enjoyed the exclusive live performances we’ve produced since relaunching CCM Magazine, you’ve already experienced the work of Mark Lee Townsend. As CCM Magazine’s Music Producer and Engineer, Townsend has been the driving force behind the pristine audio quality heard in every CCM Cover Story and Spotlight session we’ve released. His work has helped define the sound of this new chapter of CCM Magazine. Seeing Townsend return to the stage alongside the band where so much of that journey began is something special.

“It’s going to be really exciting and kind of surreal to reunite with the band I came into the Christian industry with as a 21-year-old kid. The seven of us haven’t been in a room together, let alone played together, since back in the day, and I’m sure that will be both scary and fun at the same time. We were such a high-energy, almost party-atmosphere band, and I think we’re all secretly hoping to recapture some of that—even though we’re all a bit older now. I’m pretty certain it will be soulful, unique, and focused on honoring God.”

This is also an opportunity, if you’ve never heard BASH, to discover one of Christian rocks most important hidden gems.

Bash-N-The-Code: 40th Anniversary Reunion Show

Saturday, October 3, 2026
7:30 p.m. CDT
Roy E. Barberi Theatre
Brentwood, Tennessee

For tickets and additional information, visit BashNtheCode.com