The Altar Boys and Clash of Symbols are two bands created by the musical genius Mike Stand. Mike's journey began in 1980 when he made a personal commitment to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. From that moment on Mike was intent on serving the Lord with his music. Soon doors began to open. In 1982 he and his cousin Jeff Crandall formed the Altar Boys.

As Altar Boys' chief songwriter, vocalist and guitarist, Mike led the band on to produce five hit records, Altar Boys, When You're A Rebel, Gut Level Music (GLM), Against The Grain, Forever Mercy, (in addition to three compilation albums and the recent, The Collection), film countless videos, including the package, Mercy Is What We Cry For and tour the globe.

In 1988, while simultaneously continuing with the Altar Boys, Mike released his first solo effort, Do I Stand Alone. He followed this up with the 1990 release Simple Expression.

After 10 1/2 years of continually touring and recording, Mike and the other band members felt that the Altar Boys had accomplished their goals and mission. It was time to move on. Many of the band members, along with Mike, decided to finish college.

In 1994, after receiving his degree in music and liberal studies, Mike formed Clash of Symbols. The band released two projects, Sunday Is An Altogether Different Proposition and Begging At The Temple Gate Called Beautiful.

Today, Mike continues to perform both with Clash of Symbols and as a solo artist. Currently, he is performing at churches (including Calvary Church of Santa Ana, his home church of 13 years),coffeehouses and clubs throughout the Southern California area.