The Klog

Learning To See - The Christian Radio Letters Episode 10

2011-10-10T17:21:00.000-04:00

I listened to a sermon today from the old testement about Samuel. I had to go back and listen to the this one line that resonated with me on a very deep level:

If you want to learn see things in a new way, you can't play it safe.

Of course the line that immediately comes to mind is the line in The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe speaking of Aslan, "Of course He's good. But He's not safe. He's not a tame lion!"

Sometimes I wonder if I've let the definitions for safety and clean get mixed together in my mind. Yes, the station that I worked at was safe for the whole family to listen to, meaning we had no vulgarity or lewdness or explicit material. But the life that Jesus calls us to is anything but safe. It is good, but it certainly isn't safe. I read an article this week that surmized that we've turned Jesus into nothing more than another pop culture figure. A nice guy who's example we should all follow.

But the truth is there's a lot more to Jesus that that. The shedding of His blood for the forgiveness of our sins is anything but "nice" or "safe". The way Jesus lived his life was not safe, the people he spent time with weren't safe folks. Postitues and known crimnals make me uneasy now, I have no reason to think they wouldn't have been the same way then.

I finished a book last week that it seems like everyone's been talking about here lately, Radical by David Platt. And Platt is right, there's no way around it when you look at scripture: the American Dream of having the house with the picket fence and the 2.5 kids and a boat in the suburbs just doesn't line up with God's call on our lives. I sometimes wonder is that's where the quiet desperation that is so deep within the last three generations of Americans is coming from. Maybe somewhere deep down we know we were meant for more than that. I felt it at 28 years old, in a steady Christian radio job that allowed me to pay the bills. As I lay my head on the pillow at night there was a gnawing deep inside that questioned "is this all there is? Is this all His plan is for me?"

Thank God the answer is "No" God told us plain as day what we are here for: To Make Disciples. That doesn't mean getting people to sign up and buy some Gospel sales pitch and pray some prayer. It's getting to really know people and really care for them and really walk with them, study with them, celebrate with them, and hurt with them the way Christ would. That's not a safe life, but it certainly sounds like something with a real lasting meaning.

So what does this mean for radio? I think I always came into things on air tentatively, with an "I Hope this doesn't make her turn us off" mentality. I was petrified that I would do something to tick her (our target listener) off. She was my one singular focus. I see now that while having a target is good and very effective, my focus first and foremost, should have been on Jesus. I was always afraid to say anything challenging or anything that wasn't upbeat or super-positive. Because if she turned us off, then she wouldn't give, and then I wouldn't have employment. I really believe if I had the confidence and understanding to say those things I would have been better at my job. Not because I would have been this great challenging speaker, but because I would have been real. During our fundraisers we always say that WE are the only way some people will ever hear about Jesus. And with that being true, I worry that sometimes I didn't give the people the full story on Him.

Following Jesus is the greatest desicion I've ever made, but in making that decision I'm only now finding that it means that all the stuff of the American dream probably won't be in my future. And that what Jesus often calls us to isn't always comfortable or safe, but it is good...really really good.

Challenge this week:

Pray over your playlist. Pray over your adds. It's something I failed to do in my time as a programmer, that I wish I had been better about.

(Full disclosure: I feel weird saying that now, doing what I do. I have some fear that it comes acoss as manipulative. Please know that's not what I'm getting at and certainly not how I mean it.)

-Kris

To The Cloud! The Christian Radio Letters - Episode 9

2011-06-01T17:22:00.000-04:00

I swear it seems like I do more interesting stuff since leaving radio. I was always looking to do interesting stuff so I could talk about it on the air, and now it seems the interesting stuff is just coming to me. So I just will squeeze those stories and lessons out on ya'll in this little column I reckon.

Last night I went to an event that one of the bands I work with. Life Wide Open was playing at a small church on a literal foothill of the smokey mountains. They had 400 people crammed into a room built for 300. To give you a better picture of the kind of church this is, the members put out a garden every year, they call it God's Garden. The members tend to it, and they use the food they grow to help the poor folks in thier little mountain town.

Life Wide Open played thier worship set and then a fella by the name of Dwight strolled to the front. Dwight was an African American gentleman, dressed in a suit and tie...at a youth event (this was the second night of a youth crusade type thing)...I was pretty interested to see what was about to go down.

I consider myself a pretty hip guy when it comes to church stuff. I like Louie Giglio and Andy Stanley and, and the pastor at my church uses a glass table with a metal truss for support. Pretty hip stuff.

What I experienced at that little country church that night was something I hadn't seen in years. It was real, old school, truth tellin, high energy, loud yellin preachin. Only made better by the Denzel Washingtonesque stutter that Preacher Dwight had that only came out when he got excited.

He preached Hebrews 12:1. He aimed to preach on 12:1 and 2, but ran out of time. Hebrews 12:1 is the "run the race" and "Cloud of Witnesses" that I've seen on many a bookmark and t-shirt. He spoke, excitedly about the great cloud of witnesses, which includes the folks talked about in Hebrews 11. People like Noah, and Moses, and Enoch, and Issac, and Jacob, and Abraham. He spoke about how they and others are all part of the cloud of witnesses that cheer us on at this very minute.

As I had always understood it, they they were just yelling and clapping for us, like I do for the UT football team. But he said something I'd never grasped before. He started giving examples of what the folks in the cloud were saying, singing and screaming. Things like "it's worth it!" and "Keep Going!" But the sentence that stood out was:

HE CAN BE TRUSTED!

I'm still working out why that particular sentence resonated so deeply with me. But the Bible says that right now we are surrounded by a could of people who have waked the same road we are walking now. Having finished thier race the folks in the cloud scream out HE CAN BE TRUSTED! He can be trusted through finanncial uncertainty. He can be trusted through medical issues in both you and your family. He can be trusted in your broken relationships. He can be trusted in fundraising season. And he can be trusted with every last detail of your life.

And that's pretty doggone good news.

-Kris

What's Our Mission? The Christian Radio Letters Episode 8

2011-05-23T17:15:00.000-04:00

I've been thinking a lot about missions this week.

My mission as a person who follows Jesus. The mission of Shamrock Media. And the mission of radio stations all across America.

I had the chance to talk with Sal April at WXHL this week, and he got into unpacking the reason the Reach Fm network exists and their over all mission for me. And I have to say it was refreshing.

Above all else, they are there to tell people about Jesus. He told me about an event they do call "The Day Of The Cross" where they, as a station and its listeners, serve the poor in the cities they broadcast to and use the station to present the gospel to the people whose physical needs were met at the events. It sounded incredible.

I then got to thinking about my time in radio and what our mission statement was in Knoxville. Sure, spreading the gospel was in there, but it wasn't the first thing in the mission statement paragraph, or even the second. And as I think back on my five years, yes, we did do some great evangelistic events that lots of folks trusted Christ at; but I can't remember a single event where we sought out lost and hurting people in order to serve them and use the incredible tool of a radio signal we'd been given to tell these people about Jesus.

I was genuinely convicted after our conversation about how I spent my time there. I fear I became so focused on "pyro marketing" and only going after the most likely listeners (Church people, particularly church moms) I totally forgot about Matthew 28:19-20.

My 1st reaction is to make excuses about how busy I was and how we had to be focused on a certain thing for the organization to be successful. I'd say to myself, "that's just not what we do."

But deep down, I know that's just what they were: excuses.

It's fine that outreach wasn't our primary mission, but I felt like an organization full of bible believing Christians perhaps missed some opportunities to bring new folks into the Kingdom for fear of it hurting our listener base. Am I saying I wish I had done more "Hard Ask" gospel presentations on the air? No. It's more that I wish my mind had been coming at my job from a little different angle.

My small group at church has been reading the book Radical by David Platt. This week's chapter built a case for why we should have extreme urgency for telling people about Jesus.

The bottom line is: there is no plan B for making new disciples. We're it. If we don't carry out the great commission no one else will.

Is encouraging people in the church wrong? Absolutely not. The bible talks about encouragement a ton. It's a great and wonderful and needed thing in North American Church today.

I think where my conviction is coming from is not that I didn't give the 4 spiritual laws and an invitation everyday on the air. I think it's more that often times I misunderstood what 'encouragement' really is. In my mind 'encouragement' was making our target feel better about herself. Giving her a good "it'll all be okay" feeling, hopefully after a heartwarming story I had just told. Turning her day from negative to positive. Every time I would say something like "it'll be ok, you'll make it through" the words always rang hollow as they left my lips. Mainly because they were. The Bible promises nothing close to that.

What I'm starting to realize is that 'encouragement' is so much more. It's pointing people to the good King and Father who has adopted us as His sons and daughters. A father who longs to walk with us as we walk with each other through both the positives and negatives. It's the news that he accepts us as we are in the middle of our junk, and that He loves us enough to pick us up and turn us around. And to give us an incredible purpose and for the rest of our lives. And that when we invite Him in, He is there and present in every mundane, seemingly boring part of our lives. The ordinary becomes Holy.

And so, I'll end with that, kudos to Sal and the Reach Fm folks for doing great work and ministry. And for reminding me to rearrange my priorities so that Jesus is where He should be: at the very top of the list.

And I want to say how proud I am to be a part of the Shamrock team. The heartbeat of this organization: to reach people, and to serve radio and artists, is also very much my own personal heartbeat.

Thanks as always for reading my ramblings. Thank you for the incredible life changing work you all are involved with every single day. It's an honor to serve with you.

-Kris

We Breathe Because He Allows It - The Christian Radio Letters - Episode 7

2011-05-20T12:37:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, my wife and I had the opportunity to go see Francis Chan speak. In case you're not familiar with him, he's the guy that wrote the book, Crazy Love. I'm not sure what I expected going into it, I suppose an exciting, slightly guilt inducing message about living radically and giving up everything for the cause of the kingdom (because that's what the book is about).

What he brought though was something completely unexpected. It was a simple message, right on the level of the audience: high school students. It was a simple presentation of the Gospel mixed with a very real and personal bit of his testimony. About how he grew up with an abusive father and how because of his being an immigrant from Hong Kong he always felt isolated. 2 things I specifically remember about his story: the vivid description of an episode of abuse, and this sentence: in third grade, I finally got one, I made a friend.

Not having a single friend for in 3 years of school would normally be something embarassing. But in this case it was used for the Kingdom, his isolation made him relatable to a room full of 15,000 kids.

After his personal story he dove in to Isaiah 6 in a way that had never really soaked in with me. It's the chapter that describes God. After reading it the simple question was asked: Do you really believe all this is happening right now? It's a really simple question, but one I've never really spent much thought or time answering. The follow up question really put things in perspective for me: Isn't it amazing that all that is happening right now, at this very minute, that everything that's happening right now is happening because He allows it? Take a deep breath. You were able to take that breath because a Holy God allowed you to.

See, I get so busy with my own tasks, I forget that stuff. Perhaps that's why I get so busy, so I don't dwell on my own smallness. But the cool thing is, it's that very smallness that makes God's love even more amazing. For a people seemingly so small and so insicnificant in the scope of the universe, He sent his Son to die in our place.

So how do these lessons translate into encouragement specifically for radio folks? 2 things I think: Tell your story, your real story. Not all at once of course (I know you're music stations!), but drop in real life tidbits about your victories AND your stuggles. Every week in some way I'm reminded that when we are real and we let people see our warts and inperfections, they are encouraged, because then they know they are not alone. There are tons of people quietly drowning in the Church. With thier husbands working blue collar jobs, the late 30s mom of two that works an adminstrative job at the local college thinks she's the only one having trouble in her marraige. She feels like she's the only one in her mega church that's struggling with the feelings she has about taking care of her aging parents. She thinks she's the only one who has kids that misbehave. That's where we get to step in and be that reminder that she's not wierd and she's not a failure, and that she's not alone.

The other thing, read Isaiah 6 and let it be a reminder to slow down. Be reminded that all that stuff it talks about is happening right now.

Every week, the most common phrase I hear from radio folks is, "Its just so busy here lately."

I know it is. You're short staffed many of you, you've got remotes to get to, logs to make, meetings to have, spots to produce, money to raise, calls to answer (!) and shows to do. I know as good as anybody how busy you are. But might I make the humblest of suggestions: take 1 minute, right now, and do nothing but think about God as described in Isaiah 6. It might change your whole day.

-Kris

Prom Of The Stars and Secret Millionaires - The Christian Radio Letters Episode 6

2011-05-02T16:14:00.000-04:00

Prom of The Stars, and Secret Millionaires

So this past weekend I had the opportunity to volunteer at an event here in Knoxville called "The Prom Of The Stars."

It's a prom thrown every year for mentally handicapped adults, ages 16 and up, in the Knoxville area. And it's awesome.

Tuxes and dresses are donated, Hair and make-up are done for free, the music is loud and thumpin, and the guests all get a free meal and pictures. My job was to be a table host. There wasn't much to it really. Just check everyone in and make sure they are at the right place, and get this or that if needed. In fact, now that I think about it, it's one of the easiest volunteer gigs I've ever had, the most taxing thing I did all night was help crack the glow necklaces all the guests recieved.

But the lack of actual work really gave me time to sit back and observe what was going on. Most of these folks were coming from group facilities and it was very likely that this was the one time of year they would have the opportunity to get dressed up and have thier picture made and go out for a "night on the town."

The thing that stuck with me was the look a gentleman named Alvin had on his face when one of the ladies in our small group asked him to dance. But I'll get back to that in a minute...

There was a new reality show that premired this past weekend called Secret Millionaire where a millionaire goes undercover at different non-profit organizations and then at the end of the week, writes some big honkin checks in support of those organizations. My town, Knoxville, TN was feautred in the 1st episode (and there was a CCM connection too! see left).

And as with any gooey reality show worth its salt, there are lots of tear-jerkingly happy moments throughout the whole hour-long ordeal. But I noticed someting, something that was freshly familiar in my mind.

It was the look, The look the guy in the show had when he recieved a check for ten thousand dollars to take care of his family, was the very same look Alvin had on his face when the lady from our small group asked him to dance.

Generosity is a powerful thing, and I'm not just talking about money. Being generous with our time can make just as large an impact.

The lady from my small group didn't have ten thousand dollars to give, but she did have 5 minutes to look another human being in the eyes and ask him to dance, and I don't think Alvin would've traded his dance for it anyway.

That look. The one on Alvin's face as he strolled to the dance floor with Lori on his arm; the one on the faces of the people in Secret Millionare and they recieved thier checks; It's the look of pure undignified joy that we all get when we recieve a huge gift we can't repay. It's the incredible power of generosity and acceptance. It's the same look that a husband and wife get when they give thier vows to each other and say, "I choose you and love you even with all your screw-ups and imperfections", they give thier lives to each other.

I think all of these things, these situations, are little glimpes into the heart of our King. That's why stories of great generosity resonate so deeply with us.

Because He's given so much to us.

-Kris

I was going to try and tie this back around to radio and fundraising in some way, but I think I'll just leave it at that.

Libya, Christopher Lloyd, and Asking the Right Questions - The Christian Radio Letters Episode 5

2011-04-26T15:49:00.000-04:00

I was talking with a friend this weekend who had just filled his car's tank and was angry at having to pay so much for it. Most folks seem to be blaming the high gas prices on the ongoing instability in the middle east and specifically Libya. The conversation then led to us thinking about how long Libya has had issues. 40 years thier dictator has been in power. And if I'm not mistaken, it was Libyan terrorists that shot Doc Brown in Back to the Future in 1985 (after he sold them a fake nuclear bomb made of pinball machine parts of course).

I'm not really sure where I was going with that, I just really wanted to get a Back to the Future reference in here this week. Oh yeah, I remember...

The situation in the Middle East, I'm starting to realize, is a pretty big, historic deal. These revolutions we hear about on the nightly news are the things kids in the not too distant future will be reading about in thier World History Class.

So what, if anything, is Christian Radio supposed to do with these events? I have no idea but, I think it's a valid question to ask. The easy thing would be to just say, "she" doesn't care about it and just move on to the next thing. But I think there's another way. There's a way to come at it that "she" does care about, and "she" does find compelling.

I think of the great Brant Hansen and the way he took the ugliness and seemingly un-target-friendly things happening in Afganistan, and turned it into an incredibly compelling and impactful campaign to have listeners knit and crochet clothes for these little babies at a Cure International Hospital in Afganistan.

That made me think, maybe all those years I spent in radio I had been asking the wrong questions. Or at least asking them in the wrong order. I racked my brain everyday to figure out what "she" would be interested in, what "she" would connect to. And while that is a very important thing, perhaps I should have first been asking, "Where is Jesus in this story?"

Because there's something in all of us, male and female, that's naturally drawn to the Father and what He's doing. And it may not always be obvious. Sometimes we have to pull back the spin and really dig in and do some serious research to find where the Father is working.

And it may not always work for radio. But I can tell you, I would have skipped over a lot less show prep stuff if I had been looking for Him in the stories first.

-Kris

Settling in & Hope - The Christian Radio Letters - Episode 4

2011-04-25T10:46:00.000-04:00

A month and a half in to this adventure of music promotion and I'm still excited to pick up the phone. There are instresting and friendly people all over the country that make desicions on music and programming that I have the priveledge to communicate with almost every week. That Is a blessing.

Tonight my wife and I finally watched the movie "Precious." I had seen the clips and knew a little about what I ws getting into. That the movie was heavy and even somewhat dark.

The award shows were right to give Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress to the ladies in this movie. Thier performances really were art. But the thing on my mind coming out of the film is hope. The movie was a great reminder of the power of hope. It colors the way we see the world. And the movie portrayed that well. In the beginning all the scenes are dimly lit and clautrophobic, and as her life begins to comes together the movie becomes brighter and more open.

That's kind of what we do in this indusrty too ya know? God works through the songs you play, and the words you say to make your listener's lives a little brighter and a little more open.

I don't have any great deep revelations about this, but I did think it was a nice way to look at what we get to do.

Thanks for allowing me to serve with you.

-Kris

Growing Up In The Middle - The Christian Radio Letters Episode 3

2011-04-22T12:01:00.001-04:00

This Is a series of letters written to Christian stations across the country as part of my weekly updates to them. And it's a pretty decent snapshot of my journey so far.

I Guess This Is Growing Up... In the Middle

So last night, I went to a youth event here in Knoxville, it was called the Datable: Sex and God Tour. About a 1100 Middle and High Schoolers packed into a room built for 1000 to get the straight truth on the huge issue in thier lives of relationships. Both Roger Williams and the AMUQ and BrightGray lead the kids in Worship at the event and both were incredible.

But that's not what I want to focus on in this little column I'm not even sure anyone other than the uber-kind Terry Van Veen at CJGY and my wife reads.

See, in the years prior to going into radio I was a long-term youth worker. I had attended many of these kinds of events and knew of the incredible effects they could have on the kids. But after being out of youth ministry for sevral years, I saw last night that I had a new perspective on teenagers that I had never noticed before, probably because in my youth ministry days I was always busy chasing down some misbehaving kid, or separating some couple that was sitting together on the church van after the sun went down, I'd never just sat back and watched the kids interact with each other.

What I saw was that in a lot of ways they are just like us (and by "us" I mean adults of any age inclusing you and your target listeners). They have the same issues and worries and brokeness as we do, only, the cool thing about teenagers is that many of them aren't very good at hiding thier brokeness yet. Yes, there's a ton of stuff in our culture today that steals thier innocence, but there's still something in teenagers that seems easier for the Holy Spirit to break, and then heal. There's something uniquely powerful when you see a gawky, awkward, acne covered 8th grader really get and understand and internalize for the 1st time that the God of the Universe made and loves and forgives and actually cares about them in a real way.

Perhaps, it's the cycle of failures and dissapointments we all go through in life that eventually hardens us and wispers the lie to us that we need to hide our brokeness and failures in order to be loved, rather than take them to the Father so He can heal them.

In the last two weeks I've seen people at rock bottom, caught up in lives riddled with addictions and pain, finally stop trying to hide thier brokeness and turn it over to the Father at Celebrate Recovery. And I saw the same thing last night as kids turned over thier lives, thier relationships, their problems at home, all of it; to Jesus. Its a powerful memorable, connecting thing.

My fear is that most of us live somewhere in the middle of those two. We are able to hold it together enough to keep everyone from seeing our mess, but we have failed and been failed by others enough to be hardened.

Its where up until 2 months ago, I found myself. Playing the game, wearing the mask, doing the job. That's when who God is became real to me. He is a good Father. And he sees us for who we really are. He doesn't identify us as Kris the radio host or programmer (even though it seems everyone else does). He just sees us. All our faults and insecurites, our desparate need to be liked, everything we try and hide, and not talk about, He sees and loves the whole package.

That's more grace than I ever imagined. And after repenting of all my junk, I'm living in a freedom I've never known before. And I found this freedom in meeting with a few guys once a week, and simply getting real. Its something I never really found or sought out during my time on the air, because I thought I had to keep up some sort of Christian image. That was a lie. The image wasn't the Gospel, and in fact I think it probably hindered my effectiveness in ministry.

Why do I tell you all this? My hope is that none of you are in the position I was in, but knowing the day in day out grind of radio, I get that it's extremely easy to fall into the routine of just going through the motions. I pray every week for you kind folks and your ministries. For your teams, for your families, and that maybe, just maybe, God can use us and our industry to start a revolution of reality in the American church. Where people outside the Church see us being real, admiting our brokeness and also seeing that we are still loved and cared for by an incredible God.

Please know that when I say I appreciate what you do, I mean it. Thank you for giving my songs a chance.

-Kris

Tough Job - The Christian Radio Letters Episode 2

2011-04-21T09:42:00.000-04:00

This Is a series of letters written to Christian stations across the country as part of my weekly updates to them. And it's a pretty decent snapshot of my journey so far.

Your Job Is Tough

This week I start off by letting you know that I'm honored to be joining the team of Chris Chicago and Chris Laney at Shamrock Media Group. They are true innovators, and we share a vision and heart for this music and indistry. Next week, It'll be thier fine logo alone you'll see at the top of this here email.

Your job is hard. Please know that I understand that. I come from radio, so I know that at almost every one of your stations, there are multiple people wearing multiple hats. Folks doing 2 or 3 or more jobs just to keep things running and on the air.

I know that somedays it feels like you're running a race...and loseing.

Please, let this email be a reminder of the difference you, yes you, are making for the Kingdom.

I'm sure none of you stuggle with this, but so many times I'd get so busy and focused on a task, or I'd get so mad at a complaint or a malfunctioning piece of equpment, I'd let the truth, that what we get to do is an incredible blessing, slip from my mind.

We get to bring life impacting music about our King to a mass audience, be it 3 million or 3 thousand. WOW!

It's been neat these last 3 or four weeks to see His hand at work in our industry. So many people using thier gifts so effectively, from artists, to on-air talents, to programmers, and even us music promoters. It all comes together to form an incredible machine that not only encourages millions, but takes the Gospel in a real and relevant way into the hearts and minds of people around the world.

I'm pumped to be part of it!

Thank you for allowing me into your lives and your ear on a weekly basis. It is an honor I don't take lightly.

Also, thank you for reading this and for giving my songs a chance :)

-Kris

PS. I'll probably be asking you what your favorite superbowl ad was this week.

I loved this one so much. The drama, the slobber, the slapstick, it had it all.

Owning The Brokeness - The Christian Radio Letters - Episode 1

2011-04-18T17:04:00.002-04:00

Today I begin posting a series of letters I've written to radio stations across the country as part of my weekly promotions update... I thought they might encourage other folks too.

From February 1, 2011

As I write this I've just gotten home from my first ever Celebrate Recovery worship service.

Through my years on air at WYLV in Knoxville, I must've been invited at least 5 times by interviewees to experience their services. And tonight I finally took them up on it. They were right, what happens there is powerful. As I sat and watched and took in what was happening around me, It looked an awful lot like your everyday, garden variety, worship service. There was upbeat praise and worship, a solid message and even a "Shake-the-hand-of-the-person next-to-you-time." But something just felt different, I couldn't put my finger on it, but something was definitely different.

What that was became clear at the end of the night. Whereas in most services, things end after an invitation or a benediction, this service ended with them bringing out a box of chips. And right there in front of all 1000 people they asked, "who would like to take one of these blue chips, meaning tonight is the night you start your road to recovery?" And right then, as people, one by one came up to get their chips (to thundering applause and cheers) it was clear, what I was witnessing was a very rare thing in church, at least in my experience. It was people publicly telling saying that they were broken, they they had problems they couldn't fix, and that they needed Jesus. The process went on as they handed out 30 day and 60 day and year long chips and the celebration grew louder as things progressed, as people saw tangibly what God had done in the people lives.

So many times, I think we do whatever we can to save face in church, even when our own lives, our marriages, and our families are falling apart, because we are (or at least I am) scared of how others will react toward us. (ie. that guy was on the radio, he's supposed to have it together). But the truth of the situation is that when we are real, and we own our brokenness, that's when all of us is stripped away and then the Good King is glorified in us. And the opposite of what we thought would happen, happens, instead of condemnation and shame, cheers and celebration commences.

That's why I'm excited to be working these songs. All 3 of them in different and artistic ways are very clear in owning our brokenness and then pointing to the Good King and His Grace toward us.

As for you, I hope this note encourages you to be real with your listeners. I used to think "I'm supposed to be "positive and uplifting" and me talking about something I struggle with is anything but that!" but later on, toward the end of my time on the air, God began to show me that when we are real it takes away one of Satan's biggest ploys; Which is to make us think that we are the only one who doesn't have it all together. And that is way more encouraging than any trite quote from some theologian or celebrity I could look up.

Thank you for doing what you do. It is my honor to serve with you!

Travis Wyrick on the AMUQ

2011-02-22T09:47:00.000-05:00

2010 New Christmas Music Round Up

2010-11-15T12:15:00.004-05:00

Top 10 New Christmas Singles
(This covers both new originals and new covers, also none of these songs are on a full length record, they are mostly download only releases or on compilations)

1. Matthew West - One Last Christmas
The comparisons to "Christmas Shoes" will be sure to come, but one super important fact separates these two tear-jerking Christmas songs, this one is based on an ACTUAL TRUE STORY. (It's always irked me that the "Christmas Shoes" story was completely contrived)
http://articles.cnn.com/2009-11-18/living/decorate.dax_1_christmas-lights-cancer-treatments-family?_s=PM:LIVING
That story alone, I think, will have this song on Christmas playlists for years to come. It's a powerful song, and I'll admit it, I got the lump when I first heard it. Also my mom called after our first time playing it on the air and told me she had to pull in to a McDonald's parking lot she was crying so hard.

2. James David Carter - Do You Hear
This one is kind of a hybrid of that modern worship sound that's all over the place these days, and a Christmas Carol, and I for one, can't get it out of my head. It's also this year's theme song for Operation Christmas Child. It comes out of Northpoint Church in Atlanta, who's definitely made a name for themselves this year already having released an excellent worship project and now having produced what (judging by the single) looks to be an excellent Christmas record to be used in the modern church.

3. Kerrie Roberts - O Holy Night
The likely new artist of the year turns in what I think is the best new cover of the 2010 Christmas Class. There's nothing overly different about this version of the Christmas classic. Its just a very well done traditional rendering of the song, with an incredibly talented singer in the middle of it. And sometimes, that's all you need.

4. Matt Brouwer - Better Days
I always liked this tune when the Goo Goo Dolls sang it, and I do believe it works even better as a Christmas song. And I think Brouwer's vulnerable vocals are perfectly suited to the piano and violin sound scape of the song. It just feels like a cold, still night around Christmas time. It's a really beautiful piece.

5. Lara Landon & Brian Weaver - Behold The Lamb of God
Folks have been re-recording songs from Andrew Peterson's epic "Behold The Lamb Of God" CD for the last couple of years with varying success (I still don't think there's a better version of "Labor Of Love" than Jill Phillips' original. It's dang near perfect.) But this pair took a song from that record that could benefit from a little more production (orchestra strings and such) and they did it right.

6. Me In Motion - Give It Away
The normally super high energy trio is a little mellower in this holiday offering from the Bethlehem Skyline 2 compilation. And that mellowness serves the song well. Plus, Me In Motion gives us something a little different for an original Christmas song, a call to action. With so many schmaltzy sentiments being thrown around it's really kind of refreshing.

7. Jason Gray - Love Has A Name
From the same Bethlehem Skyline 2 compilation, Jason Gray shines with this gentle and pleasant song that simply and artfully tells the old old story and relates it to our present day situation.

8. Beckah Shae - It's the Most Beautiful Time Of Year
This one was a little unexpected, but certainly a pleasant surprised. The normally super slickly produced Shae shows up here with a stand-up base and jazz style drums. Shae even brings to mind Ella Fitzgerald a couple of times through out the happy little holiday tune. High praise indeed.

9. Toby Mac - Christmas This Year
Toby's Christmas tunes have been hit (the great "This Christmas") and miss (the much less than great "O Come All Ye Faithful"). This one falls on the side of hit. Though it doesn't have the emotional punch of some of his previous work, its a good happy break from the typical Christmas song with a nice beat. (note: skip the Leigh Nash version and go for the one with the kids singing the bridge)

10. Chris August - Come Now Our King
It's a good original Christmas song form this new artist with a very bright future. It stays true to that "Christmas" sound and the story.

Honorable Mentions:

Thousand Foot Krutch - Snow Miser
From Happy Christmas 5
Hawk Nelson - The Chipmunk Song
From Happy Christmas 5
Revive - The First Noel
From An Essential Christmas Collection
The Museum - What Child Is This
From O Come All Ye Faithful
Phil Whickam - Christmastime
From Songs For Christmas

2010 New Christmas Music Round Up

2010-11-12T13:40:00.001-05:00

2010's Top 5 New Christmas Albums

(This is nothing but my opinion that I've come to after listening to the new stuff in preparation for the Love 89 Christmas Celebration.)

1. Dave Barnes - Very Merry Christmas
This Album is head and shoulders above any other entry into the Christmas Music cannon this year. Dave has mixed his considerable blue eyed soul charm with a classic, timeless sound for the holidays. Barnes displays a great mix of originals and favorites. The disc is balanced a little more to the secular side of Christmas music, but the sacred side isn't completely ignored as it is in many Christmas albums, so it's a small beef.
Standouts include: the gospel tinged "I Pray On Christmas", the gentle ballad "Family Tree", the super bubbly take on "All I Want For Christmas" and finally, the vintage bouncy-happy Dave Barnesy "Very Merry Christmas" (complete with plenty of "babys" as in "Merry Christmas Baby").
Dave does get a little hokey sometimes on the romantic tunes, but the only real misstep seems to me to be "Christmas Tonight", his duet with Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum. That song was just a little too cheesy for me (and I loves me some cheese!). And on top of that the video for the song stars Jennifer Love Hewitt, which isn't a bad thing, but it all just comes off as a little too sweet. Also I think the last scene is a little creepy (and a little funny at the same time). Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUgfLwBPVR0
But overall the strengths far out weigh the weaknesses and make this an album that will be played around the Love home for years to come.

2. Jadon Lavik - Christmas
I know this is two singer songwriters in a row, but these two albums couldn't be more different. The relaxed feel of this one brings to mind a more diverse Jack Johnson. And I dare say that no one mixes piano and acoustic guitar more pleasantly than Jadon. I think this would make excellent holiday road trip music.
Standouts include: The just different enough "O Come All Ye Faithful", A refreshingly up-tempo take on "Silent Night", the original "Hallelujah, the Lord has Come" and the very Hawaiian Over The Rainbowy "Mele Kalikimaka".
The only misstep was an unnecessary, snoozy take on "Joy To The World".

3. Seabird - Over The Hills And Everywhere
It's safe to say the new digital only Seabird Christmas record takes more risks than any other new Christmas release this year. And with those risks, comes a lot of reward. Somehow, Seabird manages to strip away all the old melodies and reform old favorites like "Angels We Have Heard On High" and "Joy To The World" in to fresh brand new sonic experiences. And while it doesn't always completely work ("Hark The Herald Angels Sing"), when it does work its wonderful. A lot of these songs I think would sound good on the Christmas episodes of cool shows like Chuck.
Standouts include: The happy and singable and different "Go Tell It On The Mountain" and the surprisingly tender and emotional "O Come O Come Emmanuel".

4. Matt Brouwer - Merry Little Christmas 2 EP
I wasn't expecting much from this little release, I was a big Matt Brouwer fan years ago but haven't really been drawn in by his work in recent years, and I was very pleasantly surprised by this one. It, again, has a stripped down, yet cool indie sound to the melodies (that again would fit well on TV).
The Standout far and away is the beautiful, excellently re-purposed for Christmas, old Goo Goo Dolls hit. "Better Days"
It's only drawback is it's short length.

5. Newsboys - Christmas! A Newsboys Holiday EP
This one took awhile to grow on me, and it's still not perfect. "Jingle Bell Rock" flat doesn't work and I think "Winter Wonderland" is just a little too slick and poppy to be considered good. But overall, the positive outweighs the negative on the first Newsboys Christmas release. The Standouts: "All I Want For Christmas Is You" ranks right up there with the old All Star United tune "I Wish It Would Be Christmas Every Day on the happy scale. And (I know it's old, but so what) if anyone has ever made a closer version of "The Christmas Song" to Nat King Cole's standard, both vocally and in production, I've not heard it. That song proves that Michael Tait is one of the most talented (if under used) singers in CCM today.

Honorable Mentions:

Sarah Groves - O Holy Night Live - The Prison Show - A fascinating live album recorded in an Illinois women's prison. It might get a little old on repeated spins, but it well worth an hour of your time to actually Hear ministry take place. And It's FREE! Just go to saragroves.com to download it. really well done stuff.

Andy Gullahorn & Jill Phillips - Christmas - Some nice humor and back and forth between the folky husband and wife. JP's Vocals sound awesome.

Randall Goodgame - A Slugs and Bugs Christmas - Kids Christmas music with a folky charm that keeps it from driving you nuts

Stuff I Just Couldn't Get Into:

Mariah Carey - Ehh. I just didn't hear any heart.

Glee Christmas - This may have had more to do with my disliking the show. I can't support anything that supports the show.

Brooklyn Tab Christmas - Just too "Broadway musical" sounding for my tastes.

Next post: I'll look at what some of the top new Christmas Singles are this year.

New Music for The Week of 11-15-10

2010-11-11T15:20:00.000-05:00

Love 89

Ryan Stevenson – Yesterday Today And Forever

From The Album coming in early 2011

About Him: For seven years, Ryan has been leading worship and writing original music in Boise, ID. His music can be described as rhythmic pop meets worship – vertical worship lyrics with sounds influenced by mainstream artists such as Owl City and the Black Eyed Peas. His new EP will be available early 2011 and will feature his debut single “Yesterday, Today, Forever”!

About The Song: It’s an expression of joy; a song celebrating the fact that no matter what difficulties we experience in life, Jesus will never change! His love is endless and unconditional. We are free and because we have Jesus, we have hope!

Life 88.3

Lincoln Brewster – Reaching for You

From The Album Real Life

About the Song: “When I write songs, I always picture my church and wonder if they would connect with God through that song,” he says. “And I really felt like ‘Reaching For You’ is a great wrap-up in the day of a the life of a believer.”

The Best Places to Eat In Knoxville

2010-11-11T14:44:00.000-05:00

#2 - Copper Cellar / Cumberland Grill on Wednesdays

Known far and wide as "Burger Day". I'd say that over the last 9 years (seeing that I started at UT 9 years ago) I've eaten more times at this establishment than any other in Knoxville. That's because almost every week of college that's where me and my friend Dusty ate. We ate at the bar most weeks and even got to know the bartenders there well enough that we gave them Christmas gifts one year. For about 6 bucks you can get a burger AND fries HOWEVER you want.
For me the words I've said, and continue to say over and over again are, "bacon Cheddar Burger, medium, no garden, with a side of ranch (for the fries)". And this is not just another 6 Dollar Burger as Hardee's would lead you to believe, It's an experience. If there's a juicer, tastier burger on the planet, I've not seen it. And I've seen a few in my day.
And the fries are heavenly too. They have some sort of seasoning on them that is just indescribably good. I'll just say this, my friend Cap once paid five bucks for a take-home bowl of just that seasoning, and he doesn't cook.
Could I tell you 3 other things on the menu at the Copper Cellar? No.
Is the burger alone good enough to warrant #2 on the list. You better believe it is.

New Music for the week of 11-8-10

2010-11-04T16:55:00.000-04:00

Love 89

Chasen – One In A Million
From The Album That Was Then This Is Now

Philmont – You Will Remain
From The New EP

Story behind The Song -
“You Will Remain" is a testament to God's infinite and divine nature, a realization that the only thing in life that matters is that which is permanent and unfailing. Despite what we so often tell ourselves, our troubles, our possessions, and our achievements on Earth are but fleeting glances in the eternal scope. The kingdom of heaven is close at hand, and this song is an imploreation to spend your time down here focused on the things above! "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall never pass away." - Matthew 24:35 (NIV)

The City Harmonic – Manifesto
From The Album Introducing the City Harmonic

About the band: You know, without audio I’d swear this crowd was at a seriously great hard rock show,” suggests the Bible camp’s video producer as he watches footage from a worship concert played by The City Harmonic the night before. The crowd pulses along to the band’s piano hook-laden “Manifesto” with hands and fists raised in worship while they swing back and forth like a hammer to its steady, driving beat. And even when the band puts down their instruments the crowd takes over, raucously singing again and again the chorus to a tune they have only just heard. Before long the band stand shoulder-to-shoulder with each other, and eye-to-eye with their audience, gathering whatever instruments they can find and leading the room in a rowdy, folk-tinged rendition of “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.” In the middle of the stomping, clapping and shouts of “comin’ for to carry me home,” it’s clear that for the crowd, this moment isn’t only shared with God, but also each other.

When listening to The City Harmonic, you instinctively turn up the volume and join the chorus as the music dynamically bounces from sparse intimacy to soaring celebration and back again. It’s a musical metaphor for the band that plays it—with their feet in the dirt and their eyes toward the heavens. It isn’t long before you find yourself singing along and not because you ought to, but because you want to. Like a spontaneous outbreak of “Hey Jude” around the campfire, you want in on the moment. And getting people in on the act—hearts pounding and feet moving—is at the core of what The City Harmonic is about.

The Canadian band’s six-song EP debut, Introducing The City Harmonic, is a nostalgic Brit-pop meets campfire sing-along mix that features raucous, gang vocals along with agile, soaring anthems crafted to include the listener. The band, consisting of front man Elias Dummer, bassist Eric Fusilier, guitarist Aaron Powell and drummer Josh Vanderlaan, isn’t as interested in finding fans as they are looking for participants in the journey. “Both art and worship are participatory acts—not consumptive acts,” says Elias. “What is meaningful for people is the experience, that creative moment when art is shared. To us, it’s almost as though these songs just don't sound right without everybody involved.”

The songs on the self-produced EP seem to embrace the horizon line between the wonder of God and every-day life, and nowhere is this more evident than the opening track, “I Wonder.” A pulsing chant-a-long driven by Aaron Powell’s soaring, echoey lead guitar and accompanied by a sweeping string arrangement, it is a song that captures the band’s fascination with the overlap between this world and the next. Front man Elias shares, “There’s this old Celtic proverb that I love: ‘milking the cow is Holy.’ It reminds me that everyday moments are profound and that we worship with our lives, not just a couple of songs. Just think about that first ‘true love’ moment in your life. People have written more songs about that moment than any other event. How much more profound will our first face-to-face moment with God be? ‘I Wonder’ is really about approaching these moments with wonder and knowing it’s a glimpse of even better things to come.”

Even the band’s name is partly derived from the sense that in communal worship we catch a fleeting glimpse of the world that we pine for. Elias explains: “C.S. Lewis said this thing that's always stuck with us: ‘If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.’ It's like there's this hopeful nostalgia within us all for the way things ought to be. It’s great when coming together feels like that - like it’s the unveiling of something bigger and better than ourselves. If we can somehow spark in people a dream, something they just can't shake, then that will inspire them to sing like every word matters, to live like every day matters, and having tasted heaven they’ll get on with helping this world feel more like home.”

For much of the past decade the band members have worked with TrueCity, a movement of local churches in their hometown of Hamilton, Ontario working together for the good of the city. Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord Your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘love your neighbour as yourself.’” “Sure, we hear this all the time – but there are six important words that are often overlooked: and the second is like it,” says Elias. “God doesn’t separate our ability to love our neighbour from our capacity for loving Him. It doesn’t matter how much so-called religious fervour we muster up if we’re living selfishly. It’s no wonder, then, that we should care about social justice if the thing most like loving God is to love my neighbor. It’s a no-brainer. It just makes sense.”

With a sound informed by mainstream acts like Arcade Fire, Coldplay and The Beatles, The City Harmonic seek to create music they enjoy themselves “I guess we didn’t worry too much about whether these songs were ‘singable’ or not,” admits Elias “People don’t sing along to old hymns because they’re ‘singable’ – the songs move them and mean a lot to them. They weren’t simple in the way that people sometimes suggest worship songs should be, but people connected with them anyway. We can’t make worship music formulaic, we have to move and inspire people. I hope we can write songs that are creative and honest. The kind of songs that capture people’s hearts and minds - then I believe their voices will follow. I pray people can connect with them and make them their own. Hopefully they aren’t worship songs simply because we say so, but because they come from honest, worshipful lives and inspire the same in others.”

Introducing The City Harmonic is just a taste of what’s to come from this creative Canadian foursome. The band’s upcoming full-length album will continue the journey—songs and stories that tell of hope, unity and seeking a greater kingdom, and music fans are already pulsating and singing along at the top of their lungs as they eagerly await this highly anticipated debut.

New Music for The Week of 11-1-10

2010-10-28T11:49:00.001-04:00

Love 89

Kimber Rising – Soon
From the Album Here We Go

Heart Behind the Music: Rory Noland paints a description of living an authentic Christian life that we absolutely adore. He says, "The Bible refers to authenticity as living a life of truth in our " innermost being" (Ps.51:6 NASB). In other words, we are who we say we are. We're living what we sing about. We're living what we write about. People won't listen to what we say until they have watched what we do and found consistency."

It is a joy to lay before you the offering of Kimber Rising. We offer it, because we are fully aware that this creative, musical, ministry endeavor is not about us but for Him. In lieu of a perceived idea of what we're about... here's the truth, straight from us. You will find that we are not a picture of perfection, but instead, hopefully, refreshingly relatable. We understand the grace of our Father because we need it daily. Our separate journeys marked with joy, heartache, laughter, loss, growth, and pain have prepared us for the task at hand; to point our fellow journeymen (and women) to the Author of our stories. Speaking of stories, this whole musical process has been a thrilling unexpected surprise for the three of us! Our music, mainly a flare of pop with a dash of soul, will be available shortly as we are currently working away in the studio. We can't wait to share it with you!

Psalms 119:74 says, "Those who fear You rejoice when they see me for they know I have put my hope in Your Word." Hope. We were told that's what Americans are lacking right now. There is an old hymn written by Edward Mote that reads, "My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly trust in Jesus' Name". All we can do is sit back and marvel at what an honor, privilege, and joy it is to sing and minister in His name and solely for His glory. Understand that we do not take this responsibility lightly, but realize that you are trusting us as you press play, sift through our blogs, and worship with us as we travel to you. We are left raw and exposed before you, friends, and are excited to grow with our listeners as we learn to lead by His Word, love by living His example, and inspire through His creativity.

Danielle, Amanda, & Brianna
Kimber Rising

About the Song: "Soon" is all about waiting on the Lord. We all know that when you're in a trial it never seems to end, but God tells us to hold on because He is and always will be taking care of us.

David Crowder Band – SMS (Shine)
From The Album Church Music

SMS has two meanings:
1. SMS as in text message, as in sending a message.
2. SMS stands for “send me a sign”
Behold, the best music video of the year, no special effects, no computer help. Just a lite bright and 700,000 pegs.

Shonlock – Something In Your Eyes
From his upcoming album

About him: SHONLOCK
Illinois-bred, urban rock/ hip hop crooner, producer and writer Deshon Bullock a.k.a. Shonlock canvasses a form of artistry which resonates into a discerning lesson in the art of translation... The former dancer and choreographer for Arrested Development and R and B princess Aaliyah is a multi-instrumentalist, serving up the type of production, lyricism, and performance stamina that leave fans yearning for more. Lock’s genius has garnered him an eclectic space in the arena of emerging spiritually-conscious artists; however the Atlanta-based lyricists resume rivals that of most veteran artists. “I started my career in the clubs of Chicago, during a time when hip hop soul was establishing a platform. I studied the type of artists that made good music. My evolution from a dancer to a lyricist/performer came from years of hard work with the ultimate goal of becoming the all-around artist/performer.“
After his spiritual transformation and short stint with Aaliyah, Lock began to choreograph shows for some of the Christian industry’s most noted talent. He added the electrifying spark to shows for Grammy nominated duo Grits, Word recording artist Nicole C. Mullen and The Katinas. It was during this transition period that Lock was picked up by industry veteran Toby Mac as a touring artist and choreographer, a position which he still holds today. While on the road with the industry’s top headlining artists, Lock recorded a self-produced project which sold more than 15,000 units. The out-of-the-trunk numbers Lock obtained were solid enough to grab the attention of several labels and the bidding war began. However, in December of 2005 Lock signed with Nashville-based Word Records, making him the first urban rock artist signed by the label.
While significant anticipation of Lock’s inaugural release Nobility, creative differences with the label ensued. Upon completion of the project, which included strong collaborations with V3, John Katina and Trinitee 5:7, Lock was let out of his contract and the record never released.

Lock continued to make significant contributions, scoring hits with the recording industry’s most bankable artists. His lyrical credits are showcased on: EMI’s Kierra ‘KiKi’ Sheard’s Just Until remix CD, Mandisa’s Love Somebody, Toby Mac’s Renovating Diverse City, Verbs Unlocked CD, and EMI upstart group V3’s single Take Me There.
In 2009, Shonlock signed a major label deal with Arrow/Universal Records and began work on his highly anticipated forthcoming yet titled CD, scheduled for 2010. While Lock continues to tour with Forefront/EMI artist Toby Mac, he released a duo of radio charted singles. The tremendously successful Avert featuring label mate Canton Jones and V3 and Fire Away from the Hip Hop Remixed CD (Aarow/Universal). Additionally, Lock and his band The Monsta continue to tour around the country.

Lyrics:
THERES NOT A MAN WHO COULD NUMBER THE SANDS OF THE OCEAN
CONTROL THE BREEZE SEND A RIPPLE THROUGH THE SEA FOR MOTION

AND IT FEELS JUST LIKE YOUR SHOWING ME A LOVE SONG
AND IT FEELS JUST LIKE YOUR TELLING ME TO HOLD ON

I SEE SOMETHING IN YOUR EYES TONIGHT AND IT GLOWS
LETTING ME KNOW IM NEVER ALONE

I SEE SOMETHING IN YOUR EYES TONIGHT WHAT A SHOW
I'LL NEVER LET GOT
NEVER LET GOT

MENDED THE PEICES TO MY HART WHEN MY HART WAS BROKEN
PUT ME TOGETHER AGAIN THE DOORS OF GRACE WHERE OPEN

WHEN IM FEELING LIKE THE WORLD IS ON MY SHOLDERS
WHEN IM FEELING LIKE I JUST CAN NOT GO ON

I SEE SOMETHING IN YOUR EYES TONIGHT AND IT GLOWS
LETTING ME KNOW IM NEVER ALONE

I SEE SOMETHING IN YOUR EYES TONIGHT WHAT A SHOW
I'LL NEVER LET GOT
NEVER LET GOT

WHEN I LOOK INTO THE SKY
I FEEL SO ALIVE
WHEN I LOOK INTO YOUR EYES

WHEN I LOOK INTO THE SKY
I FEEL SO ALIVE
WHEN I LOOK INTO YOUR EYES

Life 88.3

Britt Nicole – Hangin On (Acoustic)
From The Album Britt Nicole Acoustic

Kutless – Everything I Need
From The Album It Is Well

Behind the Song - Hebrews 12:1-2 (NKJV)
"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

"In the book of Hebrews, Paul likens our Christian lives unto a race. As we run this race of life, we often find ourselves fatigued, exhausted, and sometimes even filled with despair and discouragement. He encourages us, however, to run with "endurance...looking unto Jesus." When life becomes difficult, when we are fatigued and feel like we can't take another step, when all hope seems lost; we can look unto Jesus, the author and FINISHER of our faith. He is our strength when we are weak. He is the only source that we need in our lives to sustain. He will carry us through, and when we are weak, He is strong (2 Cor. 12:6) Jesus alone, is everything we need." - Jon Micah Sumrall (Lead Singer)

New Music for The Week of 10-18-10 and 10-25-10

2010-10-22T12:02:00.000-04:00

Love 89

Roger Williams and The All Mixed Up Quartet – Smile Everyday
From the Album A Different Road (Out November 15)

David Dunn – This Is For You
From The Album – David Dunn

About Him: David Dunn, a funny, loud-mouthed kid from West Texas, started his music career in college while obtaining a Petroleum Engineering degree from Texas Tech University. Before graduating, he had already finished a full length album entitled Eye Sore. After graduation, he took a break from music and spent a year in Zambia, Africa doing humanitarian and mission work.
Upon return to the States, David relocated to Oklahoma City, assembled a band, and began work on his second album; the self-titled David Dunn EP. His second record broke away from the acoustic rock feel that made up Eye Sore and went after a sound that included elements of pop, rock and R&B.
After finishing his newest project, David Dunn and Co. have continued traveling, performing, and expanding a fan base in Texas, Oklahoma and the surrounding states, being blessed enough to share the stage with performers like: The Afters, Sanctus Real, Skillett, Dave Barnes, Ben Rector, Shawn Mcdonald, MAE, Casting Crowns, Sea Bird, Remedy Drive, John Mclaughlin, Family Force 5, Run Kid Run, and many more.
With new material on the way, a new album in the foreseeable future, and a growing fan base, David Dunn's marketable sound and desire for continued growth will continue to open doors for this talented young artist.

Hawk Nelson – Crazy Love
From the Album Crazy Love (Out Early 2011)

Behind The Song: “Crazy Love is inspired by Francis Chan's book Crazy Love. After reading through his novel, it made me realize how much God loves each and every one of us. We are sinner's saved by grace and we deserve nothing yet God gave us His Son! I pray that this song will open your eyes and see all that God has done for us through His Son Jesus!” (Jason Dunn – Lead Singer)

The Museum – Never Look Away
From The Album Let Love Win

Behind “Never Look Away” with Ben Richter (Lead Singer):
“I wrote the song "Never Look Away" as I was going thru a season of my life where I was praying & seeking God for direction & felt like he was completely silent & I couldn't see one step in front of me! I'm a guy who always likes to keep moving forward & I think sometimes God just likes to stop me to make me dependent and have to wait on him.
As I slowly learned to surrender my own will and plans to Jesus and he began to unveil His will and purpose in my life it was completely like a light shining into what had felt like darkness! I began writing this song in a moment of just being overwhelmed by God's love and faithfulness towards his children. As I was writing I remembered a verse in Psalm 139... Verse 12 says "Even the darkness will not be dark to you, the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you."
It's so amazing to know that God constantly watches over us even when we feel like the we're walking thru darkness, it's like light to Him. Psalm 121 tells us "He who watches over you will not slumber." It just encourages me to know through any season of life, no matter what I'm up against the God is watching over me, and he will never look away.

Dave Barnes – What I Need
From The Album What We Want, What We Get

Shawn McDonald – Closer
From the Album – Closer (Out Early 2011)

Life 88.3

Brenton Brown – Joyful (The One Who Saves)
From The Album Our God Is Near

Behind The Song: Joyful” has pretty great pedigree. The verse melody was penned by Beethoven in 1785, the verse lyrics were penned by Henry van Dyke (US ambassador to the Netherlands and Professor of Literature at Princeton in the early 1900's) and the bridge was written with Jason Ingram, who helped produce the track. (Give Me Your Eyes - Brandon Heath; By Your side - Tenth Avenue North). The verse melody is 225 years old! And yet it still feels fresh. That's writing!

Van Dyke, wrote of the hymn, 'These verses are simple expressions of common Christian feelings and desires in this present time—hymns of today that may be sung together by people who know the thought of the age, and are not afraid that any truth of science will destroy religion, or any revolution on earth overthrow the kingdom of heaven. Therefore this is a hymn of trust and joy and hope'.

This hope is as true as it was a century ago. As much as has changed in the last century, what remains true for today, even during this economic downturn is that Jesus Christ is the hope and Savior of the world. He is the One whose hand lifts us from the grave. He is our rescue.’We know that this man really is the Savior of the world' (John 4.42) and because our lives and hearts are held in His, we can be joyful!

New Music for the weeks of 10-4-10 and 10-11-10

2010-09-30T16:27:00.000-04:00

New Music for the week of 10-4-10

Carlos Whittaker – We Will Worship You
From The Album Ragamuffin Soul

About Carlos:
It’s a familiar story: A worship leader is called to extend his platform. He records a debut release, filled with songs birthed in ministry. He creates online environments to connect with an audience and he’s invited to lead worship at prominent churches and conferences.

And then there’s Carlos Whittaker. A worship leader for Andy Stanley’s Buckhead Church in Atlanta. Worship leader at events such as Catalyst. A reality TV appearance (more on that later). And an online presence that reached thousands before he recorded a single note. It’s the usual story, just in reverse.

This story begins in Los Angeles. As the son of a Southern Baptist pastor, Carlos was raised in his father’s church, where his musical journey began in a less-than-rocking fashion.

“I was in the church hand bell choir, complete with an Afro,” he says with a laugh. “I learned music by playing the A and C bells.”

He would also learn about singing. Equipped with a tenor voice, Carlos would often find himself performing the choir’s solo. It was then he first encountered his passion for leading worship.

“I loved helping to carry the moment,” he says. “I enjoyed leading people somewhere through music.”

Handbells soon gave way to guitars, and Carlos began to lead worship in his teens. After a brief detour from his spiritual roots—what Carlos jokingly refers to as standard preacher’s kid rebellion—he returned with a passion for his calling. And after being lost and found in his faith, Carlos chose to create permanent signposts for his journey.

“I have three tattoos,” he says. “They all have huge significance to me.”

One of these would become bigger than a personal reminder. While having one tattoo documented by the hit reality series L.A. Ink, Carlos found a unique platform to share the Gospel.

“That tattoo is about Paul’s journey to Damascus,” he says. “It’s about Paul’s blinding moment. So I got to talk about my own blinding moment. It was unbelievable that they let me share my testimony on television.”

From television Carlos moved into a different medium, online social media. Originally created as a forum for worship leaders, his RagamuffinSoul.com blog has become a dynamic, worldwide conversation where thousands of people daily exchange thoughts, ideas, and insights.

It was through his blog that Carlos would connect with Integrity Music. As he began recording his debut with renowned producer Jason Ingram, Carlos was clear on what he wanted to say to the church.

“My desire is to create a movement of authenticity among Christians,” he enthuses. “A movement that pushes people into a place of being real with themselves, others, and God. It’s all about authenticity. And in that authenticity, finding God.”

As for the music itself, Carlos was committed to being uncommitted to any particular style.

“I didn’t have a specific sound,” he notes. “I just had an attitude. An energy. I was trying to find the essence of who I am, and get that inside the music. I think we did it.”

The result of this mission is Ragamuffin Soul, a record that alternates from arena-sized powerhouses to intimate songs of faith, with a sound that’s both fresh and familiar.

Features include “Rain It Down,” an epic plea for God’s quenching presence, “Jesus Saves,” a soaring track carrying a simple, yet powerful, message, and “Can’t Start This Fight,” a jam best described as hip-hop meets Jack Johnson.

Another standout, “No Words,” encourages people to move from singing to action.

“There are no new words we say that can impress God,” Carlos says. “What impresses Him is the attitude of our hearts. The heart of a servant, being a true worshipper, so that our words or sounds are wrapped in obedience.”

“God of Second Chances” would have a special public debut, connecting with someone long before the record’s release. While Carlos performed the song for a video shoot in an Atlanta park, a stranger spontaneously joined him, adding his own lyrics to this personal, first-person view of God’s limitless grace.

“Having that guy sing along and adlib with me was a highlight of my life,” Carlos shares. “God isn’t just the God of second chances. He offers third, fourth, and fifth chances. This guy looked like he was on chance 1,000. And he got the song.”

Having played that song for a crowd of one, Carlo will next share his music with larger audiences at Catalyst West, Creation Festival, The One Day Conference, and tour dates with Shane & Shane and fellow Integrity artist John Mark McMillian (“How He Loves”).

In addition to music, Carlos is helping to plant a new church in downtown Chicago. As with everything he’s involved in, he has a unique vision for what Soul City Church will look like.

“We want to do church seven days a week, through continual ministry,” he enthuses. “We don’t want to pour all of our resources into one day of the week. And it’s easier to do this in the inner city, because when you leave your place, you’re immediately in the middle of great need.”

No matter the outlet, whether it’s through a worship service, a revealing song, or an insightful blog entry, Carlos is committed to encouraging people to express the spiritual through the creative.

“You don’t have to be a worship leader to be creative for the Lord,” he notes. “God has put His divinity and creativity in us, and it’s our responsibility to put that divinity back into things.”

And it’s this continual desire to connect and share with others that fuels both his music and ministry.

“Pastoring and worshipping are the same thing to me,” Carlos says. “Leading worship is just a piece of my life.”

Besides, he adds, “People don’t know me as a worship leader.”

That’s about to change.

Caleb – We Will Wait
New Album Coming soon

About the band: Introducing CALEB, a four piece independent rock band out of Franklin, TN with founders songwriter/frontman Caleb Chapman and drummer Will Chapman. CALEB is musical parts alternative, rock, and pop with pondering lyrics that ask and answer big questions in life and do so with inspiring melodies that easily get caught in your head. Ultimately the heart of the band beats to create music that’s accessible to everyone while maintaining artistic integrity and honesty.

A little more about them:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBKtOx3n5qA

Life 88.3

Third Day – Lift Up Your Face
From The Album Move

About The Song: “From a lyrical standpoint, I feel like there’s two views of the church,” Mac Powell says of the songs on “Move.” “There are a lot of songs that [come from] a believer talking to people outside of the walls of the church and then there are several songs that find people outside of the walls of the church looking in through the windows of the church, trying to see what’s going on and asking those questions. “Lift Up Your Face” is a church song. . . The message is encouragement. I think that really sums up a lot of what we were going for with this record. The country is going through hard times and there are doubts and insecurity. [The song] is definitely dark, but the message is a hopeful, encouragement through hard times.

Nicole Sponberg – All Things New
New Album coming soon

Week of 10-11-10

Love 89

Tenth Avenue North – You Are More
From The Album Light Meets The Dark

2 Perspectives on the song: “Every time we play it, people come up to us and say that’s the first time they’ve ever heard anything like what the song says: ‘You are more than the problems you’ve made, the sum of your past mistakes.’ People don’t believe that. They believe the choices that they’ve made make them who they are and who they will continue to be until the day they die. The gospel doesn’t work on that scale and that’s what a lot of non-believers and believers don’t know about the gospel is that Christ has made you a new creation and you are known as a child of God. That song has been really powerful and so we’re excited.” (Jeff Owen)

“This song might have the most important message of the whole album. It says: ‘This is not about what you’ve done or what’s been done to you and it’s not about where you’ve been but where you’re brokenness brings you.’ This is not about what you feel. In a world where our validation and our acceptance is based upon what we do, how well we perform, what we feel, I feel like that is just a really special statement to sort of negate all those false ideas that are going around. It’s not about what we do, or what we feel, it’s about what He did and what He felt. It’s about what Christ has done for us.” (Mike Donehey)

Lybecker – For Who You Are
From The Album Until We Feel Alive

About the song and the band: For Who You are is a song about God's love and the struggle we have in our lives to sacrifice for Him. God has given us more than enough to be worthy of our love for the rest of our lives. A lot of times we can be easily sidetracked, but then finding ourselves to be longing for that close relationship again. This song's message is saying, God you have given me everything I need to love You for the rest of my life and if there's anything in my life that is separating me from You, take it away from me so that I can feel close to You again.

Chris (drummer) met Dan (bass) at a snowboarding ministry in France where dan lived for a while.

Dewey and Dan have both been in full time ministry working with youth and worship.

Lybecker will travel to China in September for a tour.

Lybecker mainly books tours around 'in and out burger' in California.

While touring, Lybecker tries to see how many peanut butter and Jelly sandwiches they can eat throughout the tour. Winner gets a Starbucks.

Dewey wrote a letter when he was 6 that said he wanted to play rock music for Jesus when he was older.

Life 88.3

Point Of Grace – There Is Nothing Greater Than Grace
From The Album No Changin Us

New Music for The Week of 9-20-10

2010-09-16T10:59:00.002-04:00

Love 89

Mercy Me – Beautiful

From The Album The Generous Mr. Lovewell

About the Song: "You are valuable just because you exist. Not because of what you do or what you have done, but simply because you are. Just think about the way Jesus honors you…and smile." - Max Lucado

Plans for MercyMe’s latest record first took shape last year after the band returned from a poverty-stricken province in the Dominican Republic where the guys met children they sponsor through Compassion International. “We always heard ‘you come back different’ from a trip like that, and sure enough, it turned our world upside down,” lead singer Bart Millard explains. “We came back disgusted with ourselves and what we had considered important in life. It was time to relate this to our audience — the church — and figure out how we might all do something about improving the way we love each other, at home or halfway around the globe.”

That message rings loud and true in “Beautiful”

Josh Wilson – I Refuse

From A New Album coming February 2011

Behind the song: "Most times, putting myself first feels like the most natural thing in the world. Because I have everything I need (and pretty much everything I want), it’s tempting to pretend that everyone else has the same. The reality, though, is that there is so much need in our world, both physically and spiritually. Because it’s so easy to put my own needs first, it takes a conscious decision to “deny myself, take up my cross, and follow Christ.”

As I pray for God to help those in need, I need to be fully aware that I might be the one

He calls to go and help. This song is a declaration that I want to be the hands and feet of

Christ, no matter what the cost"

Toby Mac – Hold On

From The Album Tonight

Life 88.3

Matt Maher – Christ is Risen

From The Album Alive Again

About the song:

"you can't have one without the other"

Of course, the above title mentioned is referencing a song made popular by Frank Sinatra - that being, "love and marriage"….an interesting thought..

"love and marriage, love and marriage

go together like a horse and carriage

this i tell you brother

you can't have without the other…"

What an amazing thought - you can't have love, true love, without a marriage, and vice versa. That they are synonymous with each other - this is an interesting thought - one that many would argue with at this point in our development as a culture and society - as marriage has become less and less dominant, we find ourselves more and more struggling with an accurate portrayal of love - and as love becomes less and less about other and more about self, it portrays an image that is distorted.

In a world where we prefer quick and easy answers and solutions, the Cross could stand out as an ideal expression of worship for us - that God dies and takes all our sins away. Without cost or desire to be sacrificial, how does it take image today? How can you have the resurrection without the cross?

Palm Sunday, and Holy week are around the corner. But we call one Friday a year "good",. It's the day that Jesus was nailed to a Cross for all man's transgressions; and on that particular day, most of us now celebrate what happens two days later, on Easter. By that, i mean we don't know how to enter into the Passion of Jesus, so we just party our way through good Friday. But Friday's not Sunday, and Sunday's not Friday. So why are we doing the same thing?

Why? i wonder if in our attempts to make this good Friday more "approachable", it's lost some of it's meaning - and in that, we lost a gift to give to the human race - what to do with their suffering. For it is in the midst of suffering, in the yelling at God, "Why? Where were You? How could You let this happen"…that we remember He is on the Cross in those times - suffering for us, but also suffering with us. The cross was a timeless act: once, for all, covering all of human kind as the blood of Jesus stretched out over all of human history. Jesus carried all of sin, but also in it, gave suffering meaning, because He Himself suffered.

SO when we enter to the reality of Good Friday, and allow ourselves to encounter Jesus crucified; we journey with Him into the tomb, and we rise with HIm 3 days later.

So on Easter……

we roll away the stone

we speak life into dead bones

we look at death and say, "where is your sting?"

God took death and destroyed it with death.

It was from this space of prayer that i wrote and recorded "You Were On The Cross", and "Christ is Risen"; from a space that firmly desires and believes in the need for the Church to see Christ crucified, dead, and risen on the cross. Without it, we deprive ourselves of one of the greatest gifts God has given us: the ability to endure suffering with hope. That would be something that an unbelieving world would find hard to believe, but would want to know how to. So maybe today, while driving in your car, and you get to the "slow song", don't skip over it. Don't try to avoid the silence, the darkness, the alone-ness. Instead, let God come to you there; know He is with you, and wants to lead you through it, not around it.

John Waller – Faith Is Living

From The Album While I’m Waiting

About the Song: “Faith is Living is more than a song to me, it is the way I want to live my life!” says John Waller when asked why he wrote the latest single from his most recent album, “While I’m Waiting”.

“The last few years have been like a journey through a dark tunnel. I would love to flip on the lights and see where God is leading me, but, He just keeps shining his light one step at a time, revealing the path as I take the next step.” John adds. “That’s what I’ve tried to say with this song. You can do things in your own strength or you can trust God. And, until you’ve tried trusting God, you’ve never really lived!”

From the album “While I’m Waiting”, which has achieved sales of over 50,000 units since its release in 2009, Faith Is Living is one of John’s most popular songs both in concert and through iTunes downloads. Listeners love John’s “sermon in a song” approach as evidenced by the tremendous popularity of the album’s title track, “While I’m Waiting”, which struck audiences of the Sherwood Films movie Fireproof with its timely message on perseverance.

John continues, “I want to see people embrace the message of this song. We are so blessed in the United States and have so many gifts. We can do so much in our own strength I am afraid we forget what it means to trust God. Faith Is Living reminds us all, especially me, to deliberately reject the path of self-reliance and walk back to the place where God reveals His path—one step at a time.”

The Best Places to Eat In Knoxville

2010-09-06T12:29:00.000-04:00

#3 Chandler's Deli - Housed in what used to be a Taco Bell this little restaurant on Magnolia is quickly becoming the stuff of legend. I think deli is a bit of a misnomer though. When I hear "Deli" I think cold cuts and sub sandwiches with chips, and that ain't Chandler's. Chandler's is more of a home cookin / soul-food meat and three outfit.
You can get a pulled pork sandwich that'll feed a big eater for 3 meals (I've seen it!). The vegetables are mostly fried or covered in cheese (I recommend the Mac and Cheese, Broccoli Casserole, and the Okra for a vegetable plate) that will fill you up and run you around 5 bucks. And you can get Chicken legs and Ribs that look like they belong on the side of Fred Flintstone's car.
The best thing about Chandler's, the thing that is quickly making it the stuff of legend, is they way they combine quality food with quantity. The foods as good or better than homemade and there is a ton of it. I've never seen anything resembling a small portion on anyone's plate at Chandler's. And did I mention that in addition to the regular drink options, there's red kool-aid, and not just any red kool-aid, this stuff has to have twice the sugar of the kool-air your momma made for ya. It's more a kin to syrup than beverage.
The walls have pictures hanging up of people who have actually eaten there, everyone from senators (like Lamar Alexander) to sports stars (like Peyton Manning). And it's been featured on ESPN college football's "Taste Of The Town"
Chandler's is a place that's oozes Knoxville and East Tennessee, and it really is one of the best places to eat in Knoxville

New Music for The Week of 9-6-10

2010-09-03T12:39:00.000-04:00

Love 89

Brandon Heath – Your Love
From the album Leaving Eden (Feb 2011)

Since his 2006 debut, Christian music’s beloved, two-time reigning Male Vocalist of the Year, Brandon Heath has won an Emmy Award, been nominated for two GRAMMYs and an American Music Award, and holds multiple Dove Awards. Heath’s soaring radio career includes three No.1 radio hits, “I’m Not Who I Was,” “Wait and See” and 2009’s blockbuster, Dove-winning Song of the Year “Give Me Your Eyes.” Today, Heath unveils his new single, “Your Love,” the first track written for his anticipated third studio album releasing Feb. 2011. Heath and acclaimed co-writing partner/producer Jason Ingram pens “Your Love” as a testament to God’s abounding love that never leaves us, gives purpose and lights our way. With his signature autobiographical style, Heath’s lyrics celebrate God’s heart and the pure immensity of His love for us.

Life 88.3

Jonny Diaz – Waiting Room
From The Album More Beautiful You

“Sometimes God answers our prayers with a ‘yes,’ and that’s awesome. Sometimes God answers our prayers with a ‘no,’ and that’s tough. But the worst thing for me is when God answers my prayer with a ‘wait,’ because I don’t know what’s coming and it’s really hard for me to trust Him. So the song ‘Waiting Room’ was written about that – why sometimes God says ‘no,’ or even worse, why God sometimes says ‘wait.’ He’s definitely got a bigger perspective, and a much better plan than I ever could.” –Jonny Diaz

Chris August – Starry Night
From The Album No Far Away
He tells the story behind the song (kind of)

New Music for The Week of 8-30-10

2010-08-26T18:04:00.000-04:00

Love 89

Thousand Foot Krutch – Look Away
From The Album Welcome to the Masquerade

About the song:
Thousand Foot Krutch gets hundreds of emails from kids and people of all ages talking about suicide and how they don't feel like they have anything to live for. Trevor explains "Look Away," as "an anthem for the broken, anyone feeling like they've been told to sweep their feelings and pain under the rug, with a pat of the old hand and told 'it happens to everybody,'" This song answers this issue and says "No. Sing. Sing loud, God's got bigger plans for you."

Lyrics: She’s everything to everyone,
Wish I could have seen it come,
Down, but I heard incorrectly

It seems everything she knows is now,
Five minutes ‘till closing, that’s,
Not a lot of time, when you’re nervous

And they say, daughter look away,
Don’t be afraid,
When you want to turn back a million times
And it might get colder,
But wait ‘till it’s over,
Darlin’, you’ll find your way

But she said...

I, will not look away this time,
Take all these cuts, and make them shine,
And all this pain I’ve held inside,
So I can find my way home again
I, will not look away this time,
Take all these cuts, and make them shine,
Don’t want to be perfect, just alright…

He’s on his way to nowhere,
‘Cause he heard it was safe there,
And safe is something valuable here
He’s spent half his life searching,
And the other half working,
Hard to find out if Jesus is real

And they said, son look away,
Don’t be afraid,
When you want to turn back a million times
And it might get colder,
But wait ‘till it’s over,
Son, you will, find your way

But he said...

I, will not look away this time,
Take all these cuts, and make them shine,
And all this pain I’ve held inside,
So I can find my way home again
I, will not look away this time,
Take all these cuts, and make them shine,
Don’t want to be perfect, just alright…

And every time…
Every time…
Every line,
Every time,
Every line,
Every time you wanna say goodbye,
Sing…

I, will not look away this time,
Take all these cuts, and make them shine,
And all this pain I’ve held inside,
So I can find my way home again
I, will not look away this time,
Take all these cuts, and make them shine,
Don’t want to be perfect, just alright...

33 Miles – Where I Wanna Be
From The Album Today

About the Song:
In his book Mere Christianity, CS Lewis writes, “Most of us find it very difficult to want ‘Heaven’ at all – except in so far as ‘Heaven’ means meeting again our friends who have died. One reason for this difficulty is that we have not been trained: our whole education tends to fix our minds on this world. Another reason is that when the real want for Heaven is present in us, we do not recognize it. Most people, if they had really learned to look into their own hearts, would know that they do want, and want acutely, something that cannot be had in this world. There are all sorts of things in this world that offer to give it to you, but they never quite keep their promise.”
Colossians 3:1-4 reminds us to “…set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” Sometimes when life comes crashing in, the only thing believers can hang on to is the hope of Heaven. From their new album Today, 33Miles is pleased to present a song that reminds us to do just that.

Life 88.3

Kerrie Roberts – No Matter What
From The Album No Matter What

About Her: At first glance, Kerrie Roberts is the unassuming girl with a huge voice. But once her voice captures you, it is clear there’s much more going on here. Dynamic yet intimate, uniquely emotive and soulful, her self-titled debut reveals the heart of an empathetic artist. These are the songs of a distinctly relational and prolific songwriter. “My father is a pastor, so my whole family has been shaped by the church,” says Kerrie. “From a young age, my parents always taught me to reach out to the broken and to those who need hope.” With her first performance at the age of 5, Kerrie grew up singing in church, playing piano and leading worship. She wrote her first songs in high school. The 10 songs on Kerrie Roberts reflect the redemptive seeds planted during those years and into her young adulthood. Thematically, the album explores a thoughtful side of faith, hope and love—the acknowledgment that an authentic life of faith isn’t void of suffering, the purpose amidst pain, the promise that a breakthrough is coming, and the motivating power of God’s love. Says Kerrie, “I want every song to leave people with a sense of purpose—a call to action, a realization of a truth, a promotion of hope and healing.”

About the Song : The original concept for this song came from a sermon that my father preached from Daniel chapter 3, verses 16-18. In these verses, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego remain faithful to God despite knowing if He will choose to save them from a blazing furnace. Although most of us in our Christian lives will not face death in order to keep our faith, we still have daily battles, major life heart breaks, and tragedies that challenge our hearts and souls. The Christian life isn’t going to spare us from heartbreak. Sometimes God doesn’t save us from pain, but that doesn’t make Him any less of a Savior. We choose to trust and serve God no matter what. That’s a true declaration of unwavering faith. - Kerrie

Free Anberlin Music!

2010-08-20T13:40:00.002-04:00

New Music for the week of 8-23-2010

2010-08-20T11:50:00.000-04:00

Love 89

Dorothy Savage – Finder Of The Lost

From The Album Glorious Mess

Bio: DOROTHY SAVAGE is more than an extraordinary new presence in the world of contemporary Christian music. Dorothy’s is a voice with a message of hope and encouragement, spoken and sung by a true young “survivor” in the game of life.

With the release of her debut album project Glorious Mess, listeners are at the very beginning of a rewarding new journey with a remarkable young woman. Her vibrant pink packaging on the new music is by design—a reminder of her personal commitment to daily add a bright splash of effervescent personality and color (her favorite, in this case!) to the world she encounters.

Her world these days—from the studios of Nashville to the theater stages of New York and beyond—is a universe totally removed from her beginnings.

Born in New England but raised in the rural climes of Florida and most notably Alabama, Dorothy lived most of her young life, in her own words “in a shell of a house in the middle of nowhere.” The youngest of four children, she recalls a childhood of tough financial struggles and often raw emotional pain. An anchor for her in the midst of life’s chaos was a mother who prayed and a very early realization for Dorothy that Jesus was her life’s only true ‘safe place.’

Her early years birthed a fierce determination to be an overcomer. “I learned very early in my life to develop the little train mentality… ‘I think I can, I think I can!’ We had very little parental guidance so I made a conscious decision to set my own boundaries, to learn self preservation by seeing other people’s experiences and not repeating their mistakes. I knew I didn’t want what I saw around me to limit me or my circumstances in life to define who I was. I knew instinctively even as a child that God had given me specific gifts and a calling. I was determined to be all I could be.”

Beyond her music today, Dorothy bears victorious scars to share in her message of encouragement for other young women. “I was asked the other day if I have a ‘core ministry message’ –something I know that is standard issue in Christian music. The answer for me is a single word: Strength. I have a real heart to reach young women with the message, ‘Be strong, be a woman of purpose!’ Whether God calls you to be a wife and mother—or you step away from the traditional expectations and become the CEO of your own company—be unique in God and celebrate your calling and purpose!”

Dorothy’s own resilience was deeply tested when, at 13, her mother was diagnosed with cancer. She became her mother’s caregiver throughout her teens and through the loss of her mother at 19.

Graduating high schools with honors, Dorothy subsequently applied for and got a scholarship to study music at the University of Mobile. She got her degree in three years with her sites set for New York. “I was totally green and clueless with no training in theater! After a year of working at our local bank—where the joke was I was out of balance every day—I sold everything I had and boarded the Amtrak for New York with $7.00 and a packed lunch. New York was very tough on my first attempt! It was very

hard to find work in theater and I ended up ultimately going back home to Alabama –discouraged momentarily, but not defeated, and definitely determined to go back.”

The trip back home held a priceless treasure.

“I was working in admissions at the University of Mobile, endlessly planning my next assault on New York, when one weekend around the holidays I decided to take my sister’s kids to a Christmas parade in the little town of Fairhope, Alabama. I was standing there watching the parade when from across the street, this attractive guy came over to say ‘hello.’ This was a miracle in itself as I found out later how shy he is and how totally engrossed with football! I also later learned he was there with his parents on a weekend at home from his work with the Baltimore Ravens and had randomly decided to come to the parade with them, and that he knew immediately I was ‘the one’…!”

“The way I met my husband and the kind of man he is, is a tremendous part of my testimony on how God healed my life. Marriage was the last thing I wanted—having seen the emotional pain of my mother’s life and the total sacrifice she made of her own dreams. I decided very early on, this was not the life I wanted! I had made a pact with myself to never let a man rule or ruin my life. Somehow, this little book, I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris fell into my hands somewhere along the way. I read it and remember thinking—‘what could it hurt if I made a list of what I’d like in a husband?-not that it would be likely I’d ever really want one for real! I recall making the list –one column titled ‘This Is What I Want’—filled in with all the ideals. The other column, I titled, ‘This Is What You Know I Need’—and I left it blank for God to fill-in.

Looking back at my ‘wish list’ after I met Phillip Savage, I was reminded that the first thing I had written in my column was: ‘I want to be picked out of a crowd.’”

“Our marriage has been blessed beyond measure. My husband is a very strong Christian who encourages me to be fearless. He has never once asked me to be anything but the strong woman that I am. God knew just the man to break through the barriers I had built in my life, and once inside, to have the confidence and strength to still give me the space to be me.”

With homes now both in Alabama where Phillip is part of the Crimson Tide Sports Network, and New York City (“a fun cool, studio apartment done all in pink and so ‘over the top’ HGTV recently came to film it!”), Dorothy is now living a life she could once only imagine—accompanied on the journey by both an adoring husband and devoted “children”—the Savages’ two adorable Yorkshire terriers, Emma and Wicket. In her rare spare time Dorothy enjoys interior designing, travel, (“anything adventurous and thrill seeking”), studying eco-architecture, and making the final approach on getting her own pilot’s license. “I love to fly and getting in the air is such a tremendous sense of freedom—a real childhood dream comes true!”

With her life today has come the freedom to pursue not only both theater and her music, but also the potential ministry outreach she hopes to establish.

With so many creative avenues beckoning and life for Dorothy hitting so many high notes, two short years ago she was stricken with the loss of her sister, Jennifer, who died from cancer. “We finished each other’s sentences. She was three years older than me but like my mother and my best friend in one. The last five months I moved in and cared for her and in that time, God stretched me beyond the limits of what I knew I could do.”

“The lesson I learned from losing my sister is that ‘faith that moves mountains’ is not about getting your way. Having faith is facing being crucified or losing people that are the most precious to you and trusting God for the outcome. Too many people miss the real meaning of God’s love—He’s the most real and palpitable in the most excoriating circumstances when He is all there is to hold on to. Anyone can love when you’re getting your way.”

It’s no mistake that Dorothy Savage’s new music reflects a heart with a tremendous capacity for reflecting God’s love. A heart with a capacity to make a grey world bright with promise.

In the tracks of Glorious Mess, listeners will meet a rare young woman indeed. One worth knowing.

Chris Tomlin – I Will Follow

From The Album Expectation (Out November 16)

That’s it. That’s all I got about this song. I do have this interesting tidbit from Twitter though: "Chris Tomlin announced at our Passion City church (where he is on the worship team), at the July 25th service, that he got engaged while in Guatemala on Monday July 19, to his girlfriend Lauren. She was in the audience."

Life 88.3

Sixteen Cities – Sing Along

From album Sixteen Cities

Bio: In high school, we started out by leading our peers in worship on Wednesday mornings and we fell in love with it," recalls the band's lead vocalist and keyboardist, Josiah Warneking. "As soon as we graduated, we all prayed and sought God's true heart and will. We felt called to full-time music ministry, but knew nothing about the music industry. A week or two later we got a phone call from a guy with a ministry called Common Ground, which is basically a huge production with concerts, games and a Gospel presentation in a public school. So here we were thinking we'd have no chance to continue singing to students after having just graduated, and we wound up in front of hundreds and sometimes thousands of teenagers in gymnasiums singing about Jesus."Sixteen Cities hails from Portland, Oregon and the group started performing as a band in their early years of high school. The group's moniker was inspired by the tribe of Issachᰠin Joshua 19, which also understood the current needs of its generation. The band's modern rock sound and heartfelt messages began connecting with fans within the indie Northwest music scene. Sixteen Cities began garnering national recognition when a friend at a Christian bookstore started passing their CD around the industry and Centricity Music invited them to their indie artist retreat, which led to their label deal in 2008. Sixteen Cities remains an active touring band and has toured with such other acts as Kutless, Building 429, Fireflight and Sanctus Real.

The Best Places to Eat In Knoxville

2010-08-17T13:08:00.001-04:00

# 4 - The Amber Restaurant

I think you can know how good a place is by looking at the people who A. Eat there and B. Work there. If the folks patronizing an establishment are seniors, and are, um, husky, you can bet that more times than not, the food is going to be pretty dang good. On that same token, if the lady that greets you at the door could easily be cast as a grandmother in any movie or sit-com, your food is probably going to be better than at some cold corporate chain. Conversely, in my experience the cooler and more modern and hip the people working and eating at a place are, the worse and more expensive the food is.

The Amber Restaurant in Halls has both of these going for it. It’s another “cash only” operation. And when you look around you see the good signs of multiple folks wearing overalls and mesh hats (real ones that advertise something like a tractor shop or plumbing service, and don’t say stupid things like “Von Dutch” or an ironic slogan on them). These folks know what’s good and they stick with it. They are regulars. And if a place is good enough to have a big stable of “regulars” the better the food is probably going to be.

The Amber Restaurant is an old fashioned “Meat and Three” type of place, but the reason they make the list is their breakfast. It’s a perfect mix of quality and cheapness. You can get filled up with excellent stuff for no more than about 3 bucks. The biscuits are awesome and the Gravy is serviceable (I don’t think homemade gravy exists in any restaurant). And Everything (other than the gravy) is homemade. The sausage and bacon both taste like my mamaw made them.

I was sad when the Amber Restaurant in Fountain city was torn down and replaced with a bank. But I’m glad it lives on in one of the most unique corners or K-Town. In this case their motto is true, Halls has it.

New Music for The Week of 8-16-10

2010-08-12T11:41:00.001-04:00

Love 89

House Of Heroes – Constant
From The Album Suburbia

Their Bio: It has been said that there are three things wrong with rock music, currently:
One, most bands sacrifice originality for “safe” marketability.
Two, most bands place fashion over great songwriting.
Three, most bands think production trumps heart.
But then, House of Heroes is not most bands.
And if you had to pick three characteristics to describe this, their opus, you would have to say it is
fearless, uncompromising, and heartfelt.
Because Suburba is an album like nothing else you will hear today. And for that fact alone, it is a
victory of epic proportions. Endlessly poppy, galactically ambitious, and dripping with honest,
candid emotion, this is what a rock record is supposed to sound like. This is what a rock record is
supposed to feel like.
“I like this album because we chose to write about things that we knew,” states frontman Tim
Skipper. ”We wanted it to sound very American and full of youthful energy. We kept a lot of what
we loved about the last record, but we just applied it differently and I think it came out exactly the
way we wanted it to.”
So, what does one of the most ambitious records of 2010 sound like? In many ways it is a time
machine, harkening back to days when music was wide-eyed and meant a whole lot more. Think
classic Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty, The Who, E.L.O. with a touch of Meatloaf. That’s right,
Meatloaf. Who else could even attempt to pull of such a mixture than House of Heroes? Yet, here
it is...In one sense, it could fit in arenas. And in another it is appropriate for the campfire. Teaming
again with producer Mark Lee Townsend (Relient K, Deas Vail), Suburba is broad and anthemic at
certain moments, yet vulnerable and intimate at others. There are driving, heavy tracks, as well as
worshipful ballads. Make no mistake, the band bled to attempt to make this record not just a
soundtrack, but an experience.
“This record is about growing up in middle class suburbia,” states Skipper. ”It’s about fighting for
your own identity in the face of society's ideas about love, money, religion and power. It’s about
having big dreams and going after them with reckless abandon, yet having to reconcile the fact that
things aren't always going to go your way. And it’s about realizing, throughout all of it, that God is
real and is the one constant among all the variables of life.”
The opening moments of the first track, Relentless will conjure up images of 4th of July fireworks,
backyard bar-b-ques, and humid summer evenings. As the record moves forward you find yourself
not just singing along, but seeing vivid imagery as House of Heroes sketches through your ears into
your imagination. Hopeful and wide-eyed, House of Heroes harkens the voices of youth in the USA.
It’s hard to imagine a record by this band that is just a collection of a couple singles and tracks, as
they have always put painstaking effort into delivering complete albums. Yet, standout songs on
your list would have to include the anthemic album opener, “Relentless” (which belongs on a college
bowl game half-time show), “So Far Away” (which belongs on a climactic, season-ending scene of
NBC’s Friday Night Lights), and “Constant” (which as worshipful as anything you will hear at a
Harvest Crusade or Hillsong Event).
House of Heroes went the extra mile this time around to create lyrics that are cool, calculated, and
crafty, while remaining vertical all the while. On “God Save the Foolish Kings” they comment on the
search for significance: And we fight ‘cause we'd rather break our bones than brave this loneliness,
And we draw blood ‘cause we're just trying to draw out some significance, But I met God on the
street tonight, He said, “Choose your battles wisely or you'll never find me." On “Love Is For the
Middle Class,” they comment on materialism and unconditional love: If all I gave was love, Would
you give up on me? But if you measure love in false securities, I owe you nothin' at all... Perhaps
the most poignant moment of all on the record comes in its most worshipful, on the track “Constant,”
where House of Heroes simply states the following: All thru the night I was fallin', Straining to hear
your voice callin'. You never gave out. You never gave in. You never quite gave up on me. You are
my constant.
Armed with great touring opportunities and the chops to execute every last note of this glorious
record, House of Heroes plans to travel mercilessly in support of Suburba. Having just completed
national runs with Skillet and tobyMac, as well as Family Force 5, the band has seen a surge of new
followers which should propel this record to heights not yet seen by the band.
“This record feels so innocent. We wanted it to sound and feel like the best summer of your
life...when everything meant something and the world was wide open.”

Also they giveaway free music at freehoh.com

A peak at the full album

Andrew Peterson – Dancing In The Minefields
From The Album Counting Stars

About Andrew: Peterson began his career in 1996 and signed with his first label, Watershed/Essential records in 1999. His first CD, Carried Along made CCM magazine’s list of Top Ten albums of 2000. In 2004, Peterson received his first Dove nomination for “Family Man” for Country Recorded Song of the Year. Peterson’s first project for Centricity Music in 2008,Resurrection Letters, Volume II, became the highest Billboard charting album of his career. Since 2004, Peterson has toured with several Nashville musicians and artists on his annual Christmas tour, Behold the Lamb of God: The True Tall Tale of the Coming of Christ that will launch this year on December 2nd. Peterson has also authored three children’s books, The Ballad of Matthew's Begats, On the Edge of the Sea of Darkness and the 2010 Christy Award winner for Young Adult Fiction,North! Or Be Eaten.

Story Behind The Song from Andrew: In December of 2009 my wife and I celebrated fifteen years of marriage,” explains Peterson. “Three days later, we got in a silly argument and I wrote this song after she went to bed. Marriage, see, was God’s idea. It’s one of the most potent metaphors in all of Scripture for the way God loves us and the way we’re to let ourselves be loved by Him. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy. To the contrary, it’s fraught with peril. Any good marriage involves a thousand deaths to self—the good news is, a godly marriage involves at least as many resurrections. We lay our lives down and enter this perilous dance with another human being who has done the same. Why should we expect to emerge unscathed? The wounds bear testimony to the great power of grace. If I had had any idea what I was getting into fifteen years ago I wouldn’t have walked the aisle—I’d have run down it.

Superchick – Still Here
From The Album Reinvention

A bit about why Superchick keeps doing re-mix records:
DaVinci once said that art is never finished, only abandoned. For me, this
couldn’t be truer; I'm never finished with the songs, which is why labels invented
deadlines. When I hit that deadline, I try to get my “children” as dressed and
ready as possible for the big wide world before I shove them out the door. Sadly,
sometimes the weaker ones get a quick comb through the hair and a t-shirt before
they are shoved out so we can spend more time on the stronger siblings, hoping
that the best songs will carry the whole family.
When I decide to take a song from its embryonic demo state - usually just one
verse and chorus in rough form - all the way to its mixed and mastered term, it's
because I have developed a vision for how I hope it will turn out. It never turns
out as well as I can hear it my head, but hopefully it turns out okay. The ones
that I agonize over are the ones that fall short of that dream. When the deadline
hits, it's like what NASA did with the moon mission: abandon in place. The
project is left on the moon, frozen forever in that state. You wonder if the song
was ever any good, but more hauntingly, you wonder if you were just one small
change away from it all coming together...
The beauty of doing a remix record is that I get to open that moon base up again.
When we did our first remix record, Regeneration, we were able to go back to
“Hero” and make the music fit the message in a way we didn't the first time
around. “Princes and Frogs” became a complete, albeit short, song and many of
other songs got sonic facelifts. You get better at doing things and you go back
and fix your paper-thin guitars and re-sing your songs. It's a rare joy for
someone who lives perpetually wondering if he could have done it better. I think
people could tell that just as much passion went into our remix record because it
sold as well if not better than our other albums.
And here we are again, several records later, reopening up songs and seeing if we
can improve them before the timer runs down. This is my chance to reinvent the
songs to be closer to the vision I had for them in the beginning. Aha! Speeding
this song up 5bpm does open up all kinds of new possibilities and makes what was
heavy and leaden into something purposeful and epic. Aha! A shift to relative
minor gives this song the soul we had always hoped for. They are revelations and
joys, and we tried new sounds, new clothes and climbed over the fence to see what
could be found on the other side. It's a kind of freedom because you are not
bound to any expectations of how your band should sound or how cohesive a record
should be.
And on the other side of the Superchick fence, we found new things. Matt and
Tricia are both breaking out their own sounds and it was fun to see what colors we
had that we hadn't used before. My production partner Gocher remarked, "This is
your nest of spider eggs you are launching into the world," which was an
appropriate way to describe what is happening on this record, especially seeing as
the ThumpMonks (Gocher and I) joined Superchick on a remix of one of my favorite
songs ever from all the way back to the first record, Karaoke Superstars. We
invented and reinvented, and when we were done there were 3 new songs and 9
remixes… and it is by far the most diverse thing we have ever released.
But for it to be done, there had to be a deadline - otherwise I would twiddle the
songs forever. We hit the deadline a month behind schedule, which I made up for by
working 20 hour days 7 days a week for 3 weeks in a row - an awful way to work.
You have no objectivity, no ability to tell why something is not working, you
fight demo love and fatigue in the mix and you frustrate your mix engineer till he
threatens to kill you. But it just has to be done because you cannot fight city
hall or the EMI release schedule.
It agonizes me to 'abandon in place' each song yet again and see all the blood,
sweat and tears become frozen into digital ones and zeroes like a mosquito from
Jurassic times locked in amber for future generations to see for all time.
Nonetheless, it is out of my hands now and we wait with crossed fingers and bated breath to see how our kids do on their first day at school.
-Max Hsu

Life 88.3

Chris Sligh – Only You Can Save
From The Album The Anatomy Of Broken

-He’s the guy that was on American Idol, that’s pretty much all the background on the song and him I got.

Jadon Lavik – Love
Form The Album Art And Soul

The Best Places to Eat In Knoxville

2010-08-09T13:09:00.000-04:00

This will be hopefully a weekly series on one of my favorite subjects….

5. Pizza Palace – Just down and across from the once bustling Chilhowee Park on Magnolia Avenue sits this throw back to the way things used to be. And although the part of town it’s in ain’t what it used to be, Pizza Palace is as busy as ever. A True Drive-in where you pick up the phone in your parking space to order. And don’t even think of taking out the plastic to pay, where do you think you are, Sonic? This is one of the few, the brave, the last Cash only establishments around, and no, there’s not an ATM inside for your convenience. If you’re going to come to Pizza Palace, You just need to be prepared and go to the bank on the way.

That’s not to say you’ll need much cash, most things are between 4 and 8 bucks and the portions are huge. 6 bucks will get you a big ol' bowl of their famous spaghetti that’s plenty to feed a family. Meat Sauce friends, trust me on this, I'm sure their meatballs are fine, the it's the meat sauce that is legendary. Or 8 bucks will get you what looks like a 9 inch pie pan of their ridiculously good lasagna. Both meals come with a couple pieces of garlic bread that looks like something you’d make at home, white bread with melted butter and parmesan on top.

The pizza is a little more expensive than Little Ceaser’s up the street, but as the old adage says, you get what you pay for. Pizza Palace's fresh cheese, homemade sauce and freshly rolled dough make it almost a crime to mention this pizza in the same sentence as LC's. Literally everything is good here, from their burgers to their pizza to even the Greek Salad. This all explains very clearly why it made it to TV on the Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.” and why its on my list too.

New Music for August 2, 2010

2010-07-30T11:41:00.000-04:00

Love 89

Matthew West – My Own Little World
From the album The Story Of Your Life

The Heart Behind "My Own Little World" from emicmg on Vimeo.

Jars Of Clay F/ Mike Donehey of Tenth Ave North – Out Of My Hands
From The Album The Shelter (Oct 5)
Making music with your friends is an idea simultaneously simple and complex. It's simple in that these are the people that know you best. It's complex in that it can be difficult to pull yourself from the creative tracks you've laid, especially over the course of a lengthy and successful career. But this is exactly what Jars of Clay has done with its project The Shelter (Oct. 5)

The celebrated band has welcomed fellow artists Brandon Heath, Mac Powell, tobyMac, Amy Grant, Leigh Nash, Mike Donehey, David Crowder and many more, into its self-described "compact creative environment" to create songs that unpack the ideas of community and collaboration, intended for the church in a way unlike any previous Jars of Clay project.

Britt Nicole – Hangin’ On
From The Album The Lost Get Found

Life 88.3

Heather Williams – Hallelujah
From her Upcoming Debut Album

New Music for the week of 6-4-2010

2010-06-03T14:12:00.000-04:00

Love 89

Fireflight – For Those Who Wait
From The Album – For Those Who Wait

About The Band:
For your consideration: Fireflight—Artist of the Year.
Imagine. Thanks to GMA’s 2009 Dove Award nomination, thousands of people did. And, frankly, many liked the way it sounded. So what if Fireflight was a modern rock act nominated alongside six of Christian music's biggest giants? The future had arrived. Now, with the release of the band's double-taker of an album, For Those Who Wait, it's time for everyone else to catch up.
Granted, the past few years have been a whirlwind. Back when the Floridians launched their Flicker Records debut, The Healing of Harms, in 2006, the versatile quintet rocked two No. 1 radio singles, toured relentlessly, and, best of all, discovered a growing fanbase that reciprocated the band's passion. Next up, Fireflight’s 2008 sophomore album, Unbreakable. Before the record released, NBC repeatedly used its title track, the lead single, for prime time television promos. The fuse had been lit. As operation Google “Unbreakable” began, the album debuted at No. 10 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart. One domino tipped another. Fireflight won Taco Bell’s fan-voted “Best of the Beat” contest and then performed at ESPN’s “Winter X Games 13.” AsFireflight logged additional audio exposure on ABC, E! Entertainment’s “Style Network,’ and even SyFy, Christian rock and pop radio fanned its own flames, sending three more Fireflightsingles—“Unbreakable,” “The Hunger” and “Stand Up”—to No. 1. Before the smoke cleared, the “Unbreakable” music video logged more than a million plays on YouTube, and the song itself had been confirmed as a future download for the wildly popular Rock Band™ video game.
The table has been set for the highly-anticipated third project, For Those Who Wait. With its stunning new 10-song collection, Fireflight exceeds expectations. As drummer Phee Shorb puts it, “For Those Who Wait sounds as good as I’ve always hoped we could sound.”
Front and center? One Dawn Michele. With all due respect to exceptional peers such asParamore and Evanescence, not all female lead singers are created equal. Armed with an arresting voice that's drawn comparisons to Joan Jett and The Pretenders’ Chrissy Hynde,Dawn actually makes authoritative gut-rock sound beautiful. And her bandmates? With her every step of the way and, at times, elevating the proceedings. From the moment Fireflight’s new album hits speakers, one thing’s for sure: This is 2010.
While some might speculate the band had a huge recording budget or tapped the talents of an iconic mainstream producer, Fireflight guitarist/support vocalist Justin Cox explains the record’s fuller, more muscular sound is the result of taking a different approach and different equipment into the studio. When the rock quintet—which also features Fireflight founder/guitarist Glenn Drennen and bassist Wendy Drennen (his wife)—reunited with Rob Hawkins (Jackson Waters, Rush of Fools), who also helmed Unbreakable, Justin told the producer he “wanted this album to be way heavier and way bigger.” For much of the recording, Fireflight also switched to high end solid body electric guitars that yield richer tones, and—much to the band’s credit—a superior amplifier known for unforgiving clarity if you make mistakes. “The results were phenomenal,” says Justin with a satisfied smile. “It wasn’t about being as heavy as we could be, it was more about impact and dynamics. Because the soft parts, you just need those to sit back. We wanted this album to sound more epic, to sound like a journey from start to finish.”
An epic journey? In more ways than one. In fact, Fireflight’s first three albums have been a thematic travelogue of sorts. While the band’s debut emphasized resiliency amidst hardship,Unbreakable focused on emerging victorious beyond such difficulty. And For Those Who Wait? “This album is a maturation in understanding that sometimes you don’t appreciate why you’re on the path that you’re are,” Dawn explains. “A lot of times, we get bogged down thinking about things that we’re waiting for. As soon as I get my bills paid, then things are going to be great. As soon as my family member’s not sick anymore, then things are going to be a lot better. And when we do that, we totally miss out on what’s happening in-between now and our goal. God has times of waiting in our lives because He has something for us to learn. Hard things that happen, that throw us off of our plan, become the most important things in our lives because God will take them and use them to shape our character and who we are.”
This insight not only drives the album’s dynamic title track—a defiant rocker which shatters the “Unbreakable” mold—it frames the entire record. “This album is filled with even more personal stories of our own, our families’, friends’, and our fans’,” relates Dawn, who, along with Justin, writes the band’s lyrics. “It’s our lives, our hearts, and our pain just poured out. We worked to take the things that we struggled through and faced to leave a trail of bread crumbs, in hopes that other people would be able to see what we went through and find hope in that.”
With this in mind, Fireflight renders lead single, “Desperate.” Performed with hard-rocking urgency and emotion, the song takes you to the end of the rope and literally demands the only hope there is. For Those Who Wait unveils the band’s thickest groove yet with the song, “Fire in My Eyes.” The instant its steroidic guitars kick in, the operative word is big. And just when you think it’s reached its height, Dawn’s soaring chorus shows you how exquisite powerful vocals can actually be.
Even as Fireflight stakes its most authoritative claim in high-decibel rock, the multifaceted act also renders two masterful piano-based ballads. When Dawn assures us of God’s personal and intervening nature in the strings-enriched “Name,” it’s immediately evident her emotive vocals are equally poignant in an intimate musical framework. Its counterpart, “Recovery Begins,” is an artful vibefest as the band gently invites the Still Small Voice to speak forth.
At a time when countless Americans are struggling with feelings of inadequacy in today’s fragile job market, Fireflight offers the ascending rock track “All I Need to Be” as a prayerful reminder of where a believer’s identity should truly reside. As Dawn explains, many people of faith experience recurring anxiety as they seek God’s will for their lives. Instead of seeing their calling to the Christian life as being definitive, believers often obsess over vocation as a potential calling. Says Dawn, “I went through a time when I was seeking God intensely, asking, ‘What is the path You’d have for me? Where should I go?’ And I felt like He said to me, ‘My path covers the whole world, and I walk in love.’ I felt like what He was saying to me was that as long as I am walking in love and listening for His leading, it doesn’t matter where I go or what I do, that I will have fulfilled His purposes.”
Even as Fireflight wrote the songs for For Those Who Wait, Dawn, who tragically lost a brother during her youth, saw another—Hunter—diagnosed with brain cancer and have to have surgery. “It really was like reliving your worst nightmare, having it come true again,” she says. “I just cried out to God, ‘If we lose him, what will we do? It will destroy my family, because we’ve only barely recovered from the first time.’ And God really impressed upon me that all great people have gone through impossible circumstances. But it’s those things that have defined their character and made them who they are now. That helped me to have faith and to have strength to make it through that whole situation, and now Hunter’s doing wonderfully.” Dawn echoes this insight as she sings, “I'm not what I have done/I’m what I’ve overcome,” in the moody yet explosive modern rock standout, “What I've Overcome.”
“We pray earnestly that God will give us good songs that will be able to help people,” she says. “And He’s come through for us, especially in our weakest moments. That’s when we’ve really gotten the best stuff.” This awareness of God’s magnificence amidst personal weakness is a defining trait for Fireflight. It not only frames the band’s songwriting, it empowers Fireflight’s rejection of “rock star” entitlement and enables genuine relationships between the group and countless fans. “We work collectively as a band to answer every MySpace and ShoutLife question we get,” says the lead singer. “We believe first and foremost the Christian faith is relational. We try to show people God’s love, and you just can’t do that unless you care about them.” This manifests itself most directly as the band proactively interacts and prays with fans who “need to talk” after concerts.
In the most urgent cases, Fireflight connects its fans with ministry partners such as To Write Love on Her Arms, which helps individuals struggling with self injury, depression and addiction, and Dawson McAllister’s HopeLine, which gives life guidance to teenagers and young adults. In fact, in a highly unusual move for a band, Fireflight recently took a hope coach fromDawson McAllister’s team out on tour for its fans’ benefit.
Beyond immediate relational needs, Fireflight also flexes its muscle in far-reaching compassion and justice efforts. Explains Dawn, “We’re passionate about helping people both in America and in developing countries, where just a little can do so much. Jesus was extremely interested in the orphans, and the poor, and the widows. That was such a big part of what He did and what He emphasized to Christians, what they needed to be doing. As a result, Fireflight’s work includes a focused partnership with The Legacy of Hope International, a ministry committed to serving the most immediate needs of Cambodia’s poorest children.
This active commitment to compassion and justice also serves as a signpost for fans asFireflight’s music encourages them to move beyond their personal struggles and reach out to a world eager to know healing in the waiting. Yes, learn while you wait, but love others in the process. This is the message Fireflight proclaims loud and true, whether appearing withFranklin Graham at an outreach event, singing on national television, or rocking for thousands on 2010’s “Winter Jam Tour Spectacular.” That’s because, when you get down to it, if it’s for those who wait, it’s for everyone.

About The Song: “When we're writing songs, we always pray that God will guide us and that He will bring power to the song. This is one of those times when He truly did. This song turned out to be the theme for the whole album. There are so many hard things going on in so many people's lives that life sometimes can be seen as a giant waiting game. We're just waiting for those hard things to be over with. However, we believe it's during those waiting times that God's trying to teach us something. Those hard things that happened to you can become the best things that ever happened to you because God can use that pain. He'll turn it into power for your life, to help yourself and to help others. And those will be the cornerstones of your entire life and the basis and the formation of your character.” --Dawn Michele

Ben Rector – When A Heart Breaks
From The Album – Into The Morning

About Him –
Hometown: Tulsa, OK
Recently Married

Ben cut his musical teeth while a student at the University of Arkansas and used them over the next four years to devour the music scene in Fayetteville and floss with the surrounding states. While for many his songs make up the soundtrack for life on campus, his music quickly spilled past the walls of the university and into the playlists of audiophiles around the southeast. Now Ben is all growed up and on an upward trajectory towards being one of the most sought after independent musicians performing today.

WDLF

Pocket Full Of Rocks – Come As You Are
From The Album – More Than Noise

Behind the Song:

Kari Jobe – You Are For Me
From The Album – Kari Jobe

About Her: Young girls dream about becoming lawyers, fashion designers, nurses or mothers. Kari Jobe knew at 10 that she would be a worship leader.
Raised in a Christian home with a father who was a traveling minister, Kari began singing in church when she was only 3. She remembers her mother playing worship music in the house while growing up and even recalls the constant tug inside her toward worship. “I remember hearing a worship song that applied perfectly to a family that I knew and I knew then that I wanted to write songs like that for hurting people… songs that someone could speak to the Lord when they can’t find the words.”
Through high school and college, Kari watched God set the path before her as she began leading worship in various places. She spent time studying at Oral Roberts University, Christ For The Nations and Dallas Baptist University, where she finished her psychology and Pastoral Ministries degree. After graduation, she was hired by the Southlake, Texas-based Gateway Church (Dallas), her home church of six years. It was an opportunity that caught her off guard. “I thought, ‘Are you sure? Me be a pastor?’ But once again God was right on. I saw how God networked my life through ORU, Christ For The Nations and Dallas Baptist, giving me the tools to not only be a worship leader but a pastor.”
A featured worship leader on Gateway Worship projects, Living for You and Wake Up the World, Kari released her self-titled debut through Gateway Create Publishing and Integrity Music in early 2009. Produced by Ed Cash, the album contains a collection of worship pop/folk songs written by Kari Jobe as well as co-writes with worship leaders/songwriters Chris Tomlin, Paul Baloche, Mia Fieldes, Ed Cash and Klaus Kuehn.
The album Kari Jobe features new versions of the popular “Revelation Song,” “No Sweeter Name” and “My Beloved” in addition to new songs of worship birthed from her life and journals. The deeply personal “You Are for Me” is one of Kari’s favorites. “This song is gut-wrenching for me. There are times you are so broken that all you can do is sing over yourself with words like, ‘God is for me.’ But I believe it is one song that people can use to remember that God is for us. So who can be against us?”
Songs of intimate musings are balanced with songs created for shouting. The buoyant “Everyone Needs a Little” bubbles with expressions of love, joy and hope for all and “I’m Singing” conveys a simple happiness of heart in vocal praise to God.
“This album is about hope and life; it’s about lifting the broken off the floor and singing love over them,” says Kari. “The songs create intimate moments and outward shouting, and it’s my hope that these songs find the broken and lift them to a place of praise to God for what He’s done.”
Whether leading worship at Gateway or in other settings around the country, for Kari, the work of ministry always comes back to people. “I am moved by people’s lives and stories, and I am amazed by who God is and who He says that we are. Music becomes a way to minister to people in times of trouble, to lead them to the feet of Jesus who can bring peace, life, hope and healing.”

Lyrics:
So faithful
So constant
So loving and so true
So powerful in all You do
You fill me
You see me
You know my every move
And You love for me to sing to You

I know that You are for me
I know that You are for me
I know that You will never forsake me in my weakness
I know that You have come now
Even if to write upon my heart
To remind me who You are

So patient
So gracious
So merciful and so true
So wonderful in all You do
You fill me
You see me
You know my every move
And You love for me to sing to You

New Music for the week of 5-31-2010

2010-05-27T10:24:00.001-04:00

Love 89

Steven Curtis Chapman – Beauty Will Rise

From The Album Beauty Will Rise

About the album: Created in the past 18 months in the walk through the darkness of the loss of his daughter Maria, and while God continues to meet him there on the journey. Part lament, part praise, part grief, part hope, part wrestling, part pondering; these tracks resonate as Steven's personal Psalms. It is a desperately hopeful, raw, personal, and honest recording that is likely the most important of his already incredible 20 plus year ministry.

Ivoryline – Hearts Open

From The Album Vessels

About the Band: Emerging from the Texas music scene in 2005, Ivoryline made their Tooth & Nail Records debut three years later with "There Came A Lion"! Their debut album hit a special chord with fans and brought you hits like "Be Still And Breathe," "Hearts And Minds," and "Remind Me I'm Alive." They are currently touring with label mates The Classic Crime and will be hitting the road on the upcoming Thousand Foot Krutch's "Welcome To The Masquerade" tour. This past year Ivoryline has teamed back up with Aaron Sprinkle (The Almost, Jeremy Camp, Hawk Nelson) in the studio for their much anticipated sophomore release "Vessels" out July 27th!

About the Song: "'Hearts Open' is simply about our unity as the sons and daughters of God and the absolutely amazingness of His grace. In retrospect, I can't deny the times God has stepped in and saved me in countless situations and trials. But when living in those situations, it's so hard to free yourself from them. It's hard to strip the weights and sins away that are holding us back from running into the open arms of our Father. Ultimately though, His grace and His love is sufficient. We simply must accept it as a gift and live by the power of His Spirit inside us." (Jeremy Gray - Lead Vocalist)

Life 88.3

Hillsong – Forever Reign

From The Album A Beautiful Exchange

New Music for The Week of 5-24-10

2010-05-25T12:15:00.000-04:00

Love 89

Rapture Ruckus – Hold On
From The Album Rapture Ruckus

About: Fronted by Brad Dring, Rapture Ruckus craft an arresting, original fuse of Rock laden Hip Hop, with heavy guitars and slick pop sensibilities. Rapture Ruckus debuted in 2002 at New Zealand's Parachute Festival (one of the largest music festivals in the Southern Hemisphere) breaking the event's record for highest selling new act. Since then, they have continued touring, supporting bands through North American, Europe, Africa and Asia. Already releasing three albums since their 2002 debut, and winning the 2007 New Zealand Music Award for Best Gospel Album, Rapture Ruckus is thrilled to bring their music to the United States via BEC Recordings. "Hold On" is their debut single.

About the Song: "This song was written for some close friends of ours who were going through some really tough life situations -- cancer, depression, and a marriage falling apart. "Hold On" is a song about clinging to God's promises regardless of our situations and circumstances. God will come through for us -- we just need to trust Him to do it, in His way and His time. There are often moments in our lives when we don't understand how or why things happen, but what we can be sure of is that God has promised He will "Never leave us nor forsake us" and that He "works all things togher for good for those who love him."
In our darkest hour sometimes all we need to do is just Hold On." - Brad Dring

See Rapture Ruckus’ Signature live tune:

Carlos Whittaker – God Of Second Chances
From The CD Ragamuffin Soul
About Carlos:
It’s a familiar story: A worship leader is called to extend his platform. He records a debut release, filled with songs birthed in ministry. He creates online environments to connect with an audience and he’s invited to lead worship at prominent churches and conferences.
And then there’s Carlos Whittaker. A worship leader for Andy Stanley’s Buckhead Church in Atlanta. Worship leader at events such as Catalyst. A reality TV appearance (more on that later). And an online presence that reached thousands before he recorded a single note. It’s the usual story, just in reverse.
This story begins in Los Angeles. As the son of a Southern Baptist pastor, Carlos was raised in his father’s church, where his musical journey began in a less-than-rocking fashion. “I was in the church hand bell choir, complete with an Afro,” he says with a laugh. “I learned music by playing the A and C bells.”
He would also learn about singing. Equipped with a tenor voice, Carlos would often find himself performing the choir’s solo. It was then he first encountered his passion for leading worship.
“I loved helping to carry the moment,” he says. “I enjoyed leading people somewhere through music.”
Handbells soon gave way to guitars, and Carlos began to lead worship in his teens. After a brief detour from his spiritual roots—what Carlos jokingly refers to as standard preacher’s kid rebellion—he returned with a passion for his calling. And after being lost and found in his faith, Carlos chose to create permanent signposts for his journey. “I have three tattoos,” he says. “They all have huge significance to me.” One of these would become bigger than a personal reminder. While having one tattoo documented by the hit reality series L.A. Ink, Carlos found a unique platform to share the Gospel. “That tattoo is about Paul’s journey to Damascus,” he says. “It’s about Paul’s blinding moment. So I got to talk about my own blinding moment. It was unbelievable that they let me share my testimony on television.”From television Carlos moved into a different medium, online social media. Originally created as a forum for worship leaders, his RagamuffinSoul.com blog has become a dynamic, worldwide conversation where thousands of people daily exchange thoughts, ideas, and insights. It was through his blog that Carlos would connect with Integrity Music. As he began recording his debut with renowned producer Jason Ingram, Carlos was clear on what he wanted to say to the church.
“My desire is to create a movement of authenticity among Christians,” he enthuses. “A movement that pushes people into a place of being real with themselves, others, and God. It’s all about authenticity. And in that authenticity, finding God.”
As for the music itself, Carlos was committed to being uncommitted to any particular style.“I didn’t have a specific sound,” he notes. “I just had an attitude. An energy. I was trying to find the essence of who I am, and get that inside the music. I think we did it.” The result of this mission is Ragamuffin Soul, a record that alternates from arena-sized powerhouses to intimate songs of faith, with a sound that’s both fresh and familiar. Features include “Rain It Down,” an epic plea for God’s quenching presence, “Jesus Saves,” a soaring track carrying a simple, yet powerful, message, and “Can’t Start This Fight,” a jam best described as hip-hop meets Jack Johnson. Another standout, “No Words,” encourages people to move from singing to action. “There are no new words we say that can impress God,” Carlos says. “What impresses Him is the attitude of our hearts. The heart of a servant, being a true worshipper, so that our words or sounds are wrapped in obedience.”
“God of Second Chances” would have a special public debut, connecting with someone long before the record’s release. While Carlos performed the song for a video shoot in an Atlanta park, a stranger spontaneously joined him, adding his own lyrics to this personal, first-person view of God’s limitless grace.
“Having that guy sing along and adlib with me was a highlight of my life,” Carlos shares. “God isn’t just the God of second chances. He offers third, fourth, and fifth chances. This guy looked like he was on chance 1,000. And he got the song.”
Having played that song for a crowd of one, Carlo will next share his music with larger audiences at Catalyst West, Creation Festival, The One Day Conference, and tour dates with Shane & Shane and fellow Integrity artist John Mark McMillian (“How He Loves”).
In addition to music, Carlos is helping to plant a new church in downtown Chicago. As with everything he’s involved in, he has a unique vision for what Soul City Church will look like.
“We want to do church seven days a week, through continual ministry,” he enthuses. “We don’t want to pour all of our resources into one day of the week. And it’s easier to do this in the inner city, because when you leave your place, you’re immediately in the middle of great need.”
No matter the outlet, whether it’s through a worship service, a revealing song, or an insightful blog entry, Carlos is committed to encouraging people to express the spiritual through the creative.“You don’t have to be a worship leader to be creative for the Lord,” he notes. “God has put His divinity and creativity in us, and it’s our responsibility to put that divinity back into things.”And it’s this continual desire to connect and share with others that fuels both his music and ministry.“Pastoring and worshipping are the same thing to me,” Carlos says. “Leading worship is just a piece of my life.”Besides, he adds, “People don’t know me as a worship leader.” That’s about to change.
His You Tube video that everyone and their brother has seen:

A bit more about him:

Life 88.3

Josh Wilson – Before The Morning
From The Album Life Is Not A Snapshot

The Museum – My Help Comes From The Lord
From The Album Let Love Win

About The Song: Ben Richter (Lead singer):
Even in this economic uncertainty and a culture that continues to experience it's fare share of tragedy, God has such rich promises from His word that remind us to "Keep our eyes fixed on things above." In the wake of the earthquake in Haiti, I was reading in Psalm 121 and found such a great reminder that God is our shield and our protector. Verses 7 & 8 say, "The Lord will keep you from all harm, He will watch over your life. The Lord will watch over your coming and going, both now and forevermore. The song is a reminder that God is our strength and our refuge...that when sorrows come, when hope seems gone, HE is the rock we can rest upon. It's when we choose to lift our eyes out of our current circumstances and place our hope in Christ that our faith is strengthened. No matter what the world brings, HE is our refuge and shelter, NOW & FOREVER!"

New Music for the week of 5-17-2010

2010-05-13T15:21:00.002-04:00

Love 89

The Advice – Your Love Sets Me Free

From their new EP: Electrifying

About Them:

The Advice is a five piece Pop/Soul band based out of Greenville, SC. Lead singer Matt Houston and his brother Jared grew up in Possum Kingdom, SC and were childhood friends of NEEDTOBREATHE's Bear and Bo Rinehart.

Coming from different backgrounds, the band formed in 2004 when they were still in High School and have toured extensively throughout the southeast. In 2008, the band signed with Waterfront Artist Management (former management of Hootie & the Blowfish, Eleventyseven) and will be releasing their first national EP, titled "Electrifying" this summer.

The band's debut single, "Your Love Set's Me Free" was produced by the band and recorded in their own recording studio. When it came time to mix the song, however, they got a little help from an old friend.

Lead vocalist Matt Houston says, "When it came time for mixing on ‘Your Love Sets Me Free’, we knew that we needed someone that had some relevant experience with today's radio sound, and just as important, had some familiarity with our music so we called Seth Bolt from NEEDTOBREATHE. When I first approached Seth about mixing, he was very encouraging & loved the song! He said he thought the song belonged on radio. His encouragement was one of the reasons the band decided to release, "Your Love Sets's Me Free" to radio ourselves, independently, instead of going through the normal record label channels. Seth not only got the band a great mix, but he also had some great production ideas that really took this song to the next level. We ended up tracking some of those new ideas, including drums in Seth's Plantation Studios. We're really happy with the way the song turned out."

"One of my first introductions to The Advice was when their keys player, Aaron Bowen, played B3 on my band's song ‘Washed By The Water’,” says Seth Bolt. “Bear, Bo, Joe and I were looking at each other like ‘are you kidding me!? This guy is sick!’ - turns out the entire band is that talented. Unlike many bands that release the same song over and over again, you're gonna get something new from these guys every time they step foot into a recording studio! I was blown away when they called and asked me to mix their first radio single ("Your Love Set's Me Free"), and I think you will be too with how long this song stays pleasantly ‘stuck in your head’! These are some of the hardest working, rock solid guys I know!"

Story Behind The Song:

The Great Romance – Spent

From The Great Romance EP

From Bellville, Illinois, The Great Romance stands for helping people get to know God on a more intimate level. It's TGR’s goal to guide people into experiencing the greatest relationship they can have in their lives. That relationship, of course, is with their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

TGR is already seeing radio success with their new single “Spent“, produced by Rusty Varenkamp (Leeland, Rush of Fools, and Toby Mac). The songs has been put into rotation at WIBI and is being test marketed to go to all of the Family Friendly Media outlets as well as being played on stations throughout the midwest (Y98, Powerlight, The Vine, Life Radio, and more).

This year God has blessed with many shows, camps, festivals, youth conventions, and more opportunities than ever before including being asked back to AGAPE for the main stage with Skillet headlining. We've

also just booked the GB Youth Conention (1,100 kids) as their headliner as well as the Presbyterian Youth Convention at Purdue University (5,000). Most recently, we’ve just been asked to open up for Centricity Records artist Downhere at the Springfield, IL fireworks and Rush of Fools.

The Great Romance has opened for artists such as Audio Adrenaline, Kutless, Tait, Remedy Drive, Big Daddy Weave, Brandon Heath and many more. The band has played the Shoutfest Tour for multiple dates, and has played many festivals including multiple times AGAPE, Godstock the Illinois State Fair, as well as Rock the Light, Ichthus, The National Youth Workers Convention, and Lifefest.

MEANING AND REASON

The name “The Great Romance” stems from what the band sees as our goal in leading others into worship. We want people to experience an intimate relationship with God, which is better than any other experience in life -- even better than the most passionate, romantic relationship imaginable! The Bible says that we are the bride and Christ is the groom. In the New Testament, Christ (the bridegroom) has sacrificially and lovingly chosen the Church (His body of believers) to be His bride (Ephesians 5:25-27). It’s our goal to help people know the greatest romance possible, the one with our Savior!

Sanctus Real – Lead Me

From The CD: Pieces of a Real Heart

About:

In the industry of cool known as rock ’ n’ roll, it’s a particularly rare feat when substance actually triumphs over swagger. Even more surprising is when a band blatantly wears its heart on its sleeve, rather than simply championing lyrical ambiguity set to a catchy beat.

But in the musical world of GRAMMY-nominated Sanctus Real, substance and style have peacefully co-existed over the course of five albums that have garnered seven No. 1 radio singles (and six more that landed in the Top 5). Not afraid to experiment with new textures or leave things stripped-down and simple if the song calls for it, the Dove Award-winning act that features Matt Hammitt (lead vocals, guitar), Chris Rohman (lead guitar), Mark Graalman (drums), Dan Gartley (bass) and Pete Prevost (guitar) also hasn’t shied away from tackling life’s tough questions. Offering glimpses of the guys’ own joys and heartbreaking struggles, that refreshing level of candor—and unflinching commitment to honesty—has endeared the band to fans around the globe.

And now with the March 9 release of Pieces of a Real Heart, Sanctus Real has continued to push themselves both artistically and thematically. Fueled by the real-life experiences culled from a life often spent traveling from city to city, not to mention the maturing that inevitably results when raising families, the album is confessional, thoughtful and really anything but surface-level.

“There’s a real depth here that I’m not sure we’ve ever had on any other album,” Matt shares. “We’ve always written about things that were important to us. But what really makes these songs stand out is that we’re getting older and have experienced so much more life. There’s a depth that naturally comes with age, and every couple years between albums there’s so much more growth spiritually, emotionally and even musically, and our music is evolving and progressing with life.”

When it came time to choose a name that encapsulated the band’s latest work, the group was intentional about having the title really fit the pulse of the lyrics.

“At first it seemed a little cliché, but we knew we needed to have the word ‘heart’ somewhere in the title,” Matt says. “It’s because all these songs —every last one—are about the deepest parts of our being, our hearts, what we’re thinking about and things we’re living through. As we started thinking about all the different pieces of our lives, it quickly became apparent that these songs are definitely pieces of our real heart.”

One of those “pieces” that’s ultimately the record’s heartbeat is the band’s first single, “Forgiven,” which connected immediately—and deeply—with radio listeners. Showcasing Sanctus Real’s musically adventurous spirit, the banjo and glockenspiel are used throughout, giving the song an organic, homespun feel that perfectly complements the heartfelt message. Lyrically, the song was inspired by a powerful trifecta of insecurity, failure and fear, and Matt confesses that he had no idea how deeply it would resonate when he wrote it.

“Sometimes at night, you just lie in bed beating yourself up. I’d be fixating on all the stupid things I’ve said or done. Or how my wife was frustrated with me, and I’m trying to fix that,” he shares. “I was really in a place where I needed to say ‘Lord, I’ve got to stop letting my emotions get the best of me.’ Yeah, I’m an artist, but my emotions often take me back to where I forget the truth in God’s power and forgiveness. I can have the confidence to do what He’s called me to do, and I don’t have to worry.”

In conjunction with the song’s release to radio, the band encouraged listeners to share a personal story of forgiveness on its website. Then with each story submitted, there was a symbolic gesture when a piece of an original “Forgiveness” painting, commissioned by the guys, was revealed. Thousands of testimonies later, Matt wishes the process could’ve lasted longer. Looking back, he says he was amazed by how quickly people were writing in and confessing their deepest, darkest junk.

“It’s been incredible to see how God can use something so small to minister to people who are going through really difficult challenges like drug rehab or surviving an affair and working to put their marriages back together,” Matt shares. “Whether our failures are big or small, praise God that we’re truly forgiven. The truth is, forgiveness is the foundation of everything we are as believers. It’s where our faith starts and finishes.”

Another opportunity to build on the message of “Forgiven,” “Lead Me” has allowed Sanctus Real to share how God is constantly in the business of renewing our strength and strengthening our families.

“I think it’s incredibly powerful when an artist takes his/her own struggles and failures and puts them out there to help someone else. We found a unique opportunity to do that with this song,” Matt shares. “My wife and I aren’t shy about sharing that we’ve had some pretty major struggles with me being on the road so much. Every marriage has its struggles, and we’re committed until death do us part. But we actively have to work through our issues.”

And when Matt’s wife told him that he needed to be a better spiritual leader, it’s a challenge he accepted humbly because he knew it was true.

“I got to place where I was really coasting, not only in my relationship with God, but with my family. I basically had it on cruise control,” Matt shares. “Then I found myself really broken before God because I’ve always desired to lead my family in a way where they feel secure in my love—and that they love the Lord with all their hearts. Bottom line, I want my kids to grow up loving God, and I want to do everything I can to establish that my home is my first priority. I remember being before the Lord and saying, ‘God, if I am going to lead my family the way I’m supposed to, then You are going to have to lead me because this is the most important task I have besides serving you.’”

As Matt began opening up about his struggles from stage, he says other couples started coming out of the woodwork and sharing their marital struggles after the shows. “I consider it a privilege to share this song because our homes are so broken all across America and all over the world,” Matt continues. “It just feels like we’ve lost a generation that believes that, and whatever we can do to strengthen families and help them to raise kids that have positive role models in their parents, hopefully we can get to this generation before they believe the same lies.”

Armed with a passionate message, Pieces of a Real Heart also has plenty of hope for the world-weary. In what’s been a season of discouragement for many with challenging financial realities, “The Redeemer” is a stalwart reminder that God really has our hopes and dreams in His able, capable hands. With opening track “These Things Take Time,” listeners are encouraged that answers to life’s most difficult answers will be answered—even if it’s not here on earth, while “Keep My Heart Alive” is a worshipful, call to action for believers to not allow the busyness of life swallow up your relationship with the Creator. Matt says that song is also a great “note to self.”

For anyone who’s particularly enjoyed the Sanctus Real concert experience in the past, the band’s latest work will be a surefire hit sonically, too. Thanks to a more minimalist approach in the studio, Pieces of a Real Heart has all the verve and intensity of the band’s electrifying live show.

“I think one of the reasons why the album is so special is because we embraced the idea of ‘less is more.’” Matt says. “It was a matter of saying, ‘These are the parts that we believe really convey the heart of these songs.’ That’s what made a significant difference this time around. Hands down, Pieces of a Real Heart is not only our favorite album, but I believe it’s the best work we’ve ever done.”

Downhere – You’re Not Alone

From The Album: Two at a Time (internet and festivals only release)

About Downhere: He speaks quietly, but when Jason Germain, co-lead singer and guitarist of Canadian band Downhere talks about their new album, Ending Is Beginning, he might as well be singing to the skies."First of all, we're not ending as a band, not by any stretch," Germain points out, laughing. "But the title does reflect the idea of coming to the end of yourself, of letting what you can't change be and letting God make His strength known in our weakness. Those things that we all experience, things that don't seem to run true, He often uses to achieve His ultimate aims for us. God uses us in our weakness. He is closest to us when we most need him. We want to capture that idea in the work we're doing now, so Ending Is Beginning in many ways reflects of where we are as a band.""Where they are as a band" has changed through this group's emergence from Canada's alt-rock scene on the wings of their Dove Award nomination for New Artist of the Year and two subsequent Juno Awards for Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album Of The Year and Best Gospel Album, Canadian Gospel Music Association Covenant Awards for Rock Album of the Year and Rock Song of the Year and Dove Award for Modern Rock Recorded Song of the Year.The change manifests itself well in a dozen ways on this album alone, from the garage-rock guitar that kicks off "Bleed for This Love" to the challenge - "follow the star to a place unexpected" - posed on the final track, "How Many Kings.""The journey to finding the right songs for Ending Is Beginning seemed to be one that was a little longer and more difficult for some reason," explains bassist Glenn Lavender. "Part of that was a really busy schedule leading up to recording which doesn't allow much time for writing. However with the end result, I really feel like many of the songs reflect things we as a band and individually have been going through and that makes it feel like more of a project that is 'ours'. We've also taken some chances with the music. We have explored some different sounds and styles and had a lot of fun doing it." Yet every note played and every word sung on Ending Is Beginning seeks unity with listeners who have found comfort and inspiration in what downhere has offered on disc and onstage over these past seven years, while also welcoming new listeners to this epic musical journey.From private thoughts to the most glorious vistas imaginable, Ending Is Beginning is in the end a conversation, in which Germain and Marc Martel speak candidly about how they're handling their struggles of life while also preparing for the triumph promised by their faith."With our previous album Wide-Eyed And Mystified, I think we found our sonic stride," says co-lead vocalist and lead guitarist, Martel. "With Ending Is Beginning, we're building on what we've discovered we really are. We've found the balance between Jason and me as lead singers.""But we've also changed in ways to reflect how the world is changing and how that relates to faith," adds Germain. "Ending Is Beginning is probably the most positive record we've ever recorded. It's almost epic in its statement of hope. But that message is set against a backdrop of despair. There comes a point in anyone's life when you realize that some of our wounds aren't going to heal. Some of our problems won't go away. There are always going to be temptations. I mean, hope has always been at the core of who we are, but it's taken on a more complex form."To illustrate, Germain looks back to "Breathing In," from their self-titled debut album in 2001. "'Death is no conflict for those who belong,'" he quotes. "It's this idea that everything is going to be okay. I still believe that's true, but as you move through life and draw closer to death, the message becomes more serious - and, at the same time, more beautiful and even more hopeful."Another quote from "Hope is Rising" on End Is Beginning, measures this difference: "I've lost all my earthly optimism, but it's going to be alright, that the good will win this fight. Somewhere between youth and disappointments, the dream became despair, the love became a lie. Just now I've reached the end of my line. Just now I'm too tired to keep on trying. But hope is rising - it's a sunrise for the end."To mirror this point, the melody climbs on the chorus, lifting the listener toward the mysteries represented by the title. So it is through all of Ending Is Beginning, whose title encapsulates the essence of all that Downhere strives to communicate on each electrifying track.And so, where their preceding album, Wide-Eyed and Mystified was to a great extent the product of deliberate introspection and reflection, Ending Is Beginning rose from the band's engagement with its professional and personal lives. Its songs were written during short breaks between tours or just before going into the studio. As a result, the energy of their shows courses through each track; urgency and immediacy infuse the craft of their composition and the candor or their lyric. This is music sprung as much from the presence of life as from the imminence of salvation. Joining Downhere at the production helm for this landmark project were veteran producers, Mark Hiemermann (DC Talk, MWS) and Stephen Gause.That makes Ending Is Beginning, in Germain's phrase, "a soundtrack for authentic Christian living. We try and take the truth we know from the Word, apply it to our lives, and create prayers, almost liturgies, which people can sing along to in their own pursuits.""We wanted to make an important record," Martel emphasizes. "You get the sense in the world right now that maybe something really big is going to happen soon, that maybe the way of life we enjoy isn't going to last much longer. We had that in mind as we wrote; we want to write songs that have meaning, no matter how things are going.""So when we wrote 'Cathedral Made of People,' the idea was to create a song that's going to have meaning for people in even the hardest situations," Germain adds, noting another standout track from Ending Is Beginning.Martel picks up the thought, leaning forward. "That's why we changed the last verse. We first wrote, 'If they throw you in prison, what will you do?' But 'if' just wasn't strong enough, so it became 'When they throw you in prison, what will you do, and they hate you for the things you know are true?'""Even in 'Hope is Rising,' we bounced around the idea of saying, 'just when I reach the end of my line,'" Germain continues. "But that wasn't strong enough, so we said instead, 'Just now I reach the end of my line.'"The two co-writers and lead singers, whose friendship and collaboration dates back to their days as college roommates, are speaking now enthusiastically, each reflecting the other's commitment as well as the entire band's resolution to take downhere to a higher level in especially challenging times. Clearly they've been tempered by time, yet their resolution as believers, like their commitment to each other and to their mission, only endures and grows with time. And that sentiment is echoed by the band's drummer, Jeremy Thiessen."It's been nearly nine years since downhere was born back in Canada," reflects Thiessen. "The music industry has seen some pretty significant changes and challenges in that amount of time and so have we. But the one constant in our story is the sense of calling. Were it not for a deep conviction in each of us that this is the mission the Lord has for us in this season of our lives, I doubt very much that downhere would still exist today. It is out of this conviction that we find the strength and determination to press on, pursuing excellence in all that we do until we feel this chapter is done."Ending Is Beginning is about that too - the glory of God first and foremost, but also about how time opens more paths toward what God promises to the faithful, each treasure along the way richer than the next.

Stellar Kart – Something Holy

From The Album – Everything Is Different Now

About the Song: In this life, the need to belong drives us to cling to relationships with friends and family. When we give our lives to God, we then belong to a greater family with a greater father than we could have ever known otherwise. This song is a reminder to keep the faith even when times are tough. Believing in God does not mean your life is going to be a fairy tale. There are going to be highs and lows, trials and triumphs. As we make our way through this life, it is important to be reminded that we are a part of something holy. –Adam Agee (Stellar Kart)

About The Band: While it’s often been said that “change is good,” it can also be downright scary if we’re honest. And oftentimes, it’s in those uncertain moments, the ones where we’re the least sure of what exactly God has for us, that we inevitably draw closer to Him than ever before.

This revelation, the reality that change isn’t always easy, is something that the guys of Stellar Kart faced firsthand in 2009. Not only did they switch guitar players and record labels, but like so many of us in the wake of serious financial upheaval, the band wasn’t really sure what its next steps would be professionally. All the guys knew is that they still loved playing music, and that above all, they wanted God’s will, whatever that entailed.

Welcomed with open arms to INO Records, the band began working on a unique collection of vertically minded songs that continue in the pop/rock (with a splash of punk here and there) tradition of Stellar Kart’s past work. But instead of focusing on more relational matters, the band, which comprises frontman Adam Agee (vocals, guitar), Jordan Messer (drums), Brian Calcara (bass) and Jon Howard (guitar), has taken a decidedly worshipful turn, a nod to the band’s roots.

“We had performed at a camp earlier in the summer before recording, and we really discovered that we loved leading worship for youth again,” says Adam. “So we tried to find some of the songs that were our favorites and wrote a few new songs, too, and that eventually became Everything is Different Now.”

Produced by Dove Award-winning producer Ian Eskelin, Everything is Different Now lives up to its ambitious title in every way. Not only is the music catchy and progressive from a stylistic standpoint, but the songs’ positive, hopeful lyrics are perfect for what’s still a very uncertain time in our world’s history.

“Ultimately when we record a project, we want it to be encouraging and something that lifts people up,” shares Adam. “We want to make great music, no question about it. But there’s a lot of great music out there in the world, and at the same time, there’s a lot of lyrics that either don’t mean anything or are very detrimental to people listening. We want our music to be something that brings a smile to someone’s face when he/she is listening on the iPod. I hope it makes people feel better about themselves—and their lives.”

Given its decidedly call-to-action message and the way it really sums up what Stellar Kart is all about missionally, the album’s first single “We Shine” was really the ideal choice. “As a band, that’s exactly what we want to do in front of the adults, kids, anyone listening—shine,” says Agee. “We hope that everyone will shine his/her light and not be afraid or ashamed of what they believe.”

Keeping the praise-focused theme front and center for the album’s catchy opening track “All My Heart,” and later on with congregational-friendly “Rescue,” Adam also had an opportunity to write with a few of the guys from Hillsong United. “That was a huge deal for me because I grew up listening to them,” Adam says.”

Like previous efforts, Adam also collaborated with Ian on several tracks including the standout title track and the comforting strains of “It’s Not Over,” a poignant reminder to “leave what’s broken in the past/take my hand and understand/it’s not over.”

Adding texture and interest to what’s already a solid effort, covers of Norman Greenbaum’s “Spirit in the Sky,” Audio Adrenaline’s “Until My Heart Caves In” and Matt and Beth Redman’s anthem to God’s never-changing nature in an ever-changing world “You Never Let Go,” round out the project with style.

“With all of those songs, especially ‘Spirit in the Sky,’ we wanted to think about different ways of worshipping God, and not necessarily the same corporate songs we sing every Sunday,” Adam shares. “There are all kinds of songs from all walks of life that can be used for the same goal. And that’s how those songs fit well with the rest of the album.”

Byron “Mr. Talkbox” Chambers – Get On Up

From The Album – My Time

Who is he?

Grammy nominated Byron Chambers, better known as Mr. Talkbox, takes center stage in

February with his new release “My Time”. Spending the last few years in support roles

and guest appearing on other major artists’ records, Mr. Talkbox is now ready to share

his own positive music with the world!

Key Accomplishments

- co-wrote/performed on TobyMac’s gold selling Grammy nominated “Diverse City”

- guest appearance on TobyMac’s gold selling Portable Sounds

- Two time Dove Award winner

- writer/arranger for Group 1 Crew’s #4 Billboard charting song “Movin’

- writer/arranger/guest appearance on Martha Munizzi’s Grammy nominated “No Limits”

- arranger for Top 3 American Idol Danny Gokey

- toured/performed/recorded as keyboardist for NSYNC, Britney Spears, Jordan Knight, Gloria

Estefan, Jonathan Butler, Mighty Clouds of Joy, Fred Hammond, CeCe Winans, Kirk Carr, Bishop

T.D, Jakes

- guest appearance on O-Town’s “All For Love”

Satellites and Sirens – Anchor

From The Album: Satellites and Sirens

About the Band: “Life, in general, is noise,” says Geoff Hunker, lead singer and founder of Satellites & Sirens, a band on the brink of releasing its self-titled debut album on Word Records this fall. “We get up and we fill ourselves with so much stuff. You know, I go to sleep with my TV on, and I wake up with my TV on. So it’s noise all the time. And we busy ourselves so much that a lot of times we miss out on hearing what God’s direction is.”

But wait a minute, Geoff. One of the songs on Satelites & Sirens is called “All We Need is Sound.” I’m confused. In that song, you’re telling us listeners that “time is running out” and that our voices should “rise up from the earth and shake the ground.” And those swirling synths and relentless guitars are pretty noisy themselves. So on the one hand you’re saying that the noise of our 21st-century culture is keeping us from contact with the divine, and on the other hand you’re saying that sound is “all we need.” Isn’t that kind of . . . a contradiction?

Yes. And no. It would be too easy to stereotype Hunker as one of those musician types who just love hearing themselves make abstractions—mainly because he actually has a handle on what he’s talking and, more importantly, singing about. There is, after all, tension inherent in the amount of noise our culture makes: that noise can indeed be overwhelming and oppressive, but it can also be expressive of the human experience and, therefore, beautiful.

S&S, which consists of Hunker, Jonathan Dimmel (drums), David Troyer (guitar), and Brandon Owens (bass/synth), embody that tension—both through their music and through their experience. They are a band both defined by and concerned with what it means to make music in a world filled with the deafening voices of the information age. And there are three main reasons why this is the case:

ONE. The band formed on Craigslist. Seriously. After Hunker moved to Nashville and began working with producer Rusty Varenkamp on what would become Satellites & Sirens, he realized he needed to assemble a band. And he decided to try out the possibilities of 21st-century interconnectivity by posting a want ad for band members on one of Cyberspace’s most popular bulletin boards. “I just put up an ad looking for guitar, bass, and drums to just see what happened,” he says. “Probably 80 percent of the stuff that came out of it was just absolutely horrible.”

But luckily, the remaining 20 percent included drummer Jonathan Dimmel, who impressed Hunker both musically and personally. Then, shortly after Hunker brought Dimmel on board, Dimmel introduced both Owens and Troyer into S&S. The band was born, then, out of the noisy information overload of online advertising. But what’s interesting about S&S’s origins—to get back to their embodiment of the noise/beauty dichotomy—is the fact that they have bonded together organically to form a band of people who are not only coworkers but also close friends. Dimmel remarks, “A lot of bands don’t have that. Especially when they don’t go back further than, you know, two years off Craigslist.”

TWO. Their music is an interesting, personalized take on the recent emergence of rock informed by 80’s synth-pop. Satellites & Sirens is full of songs that artfully balance the electronic buzz of synthesizers with modern rock guitars over the top of interesting grooves.

“I think it makes people our age like feel like a kid again,” says Dimmel, commenting on the rise of the synthesizer from its technicolored grave. “It brings us back to things that we enjoyed when we were kids—like the Nintendo-type sounds and the 80’s pop, Michael Jackson beats. All these things that make us think of when we were kids.”

Yes, members of S&S’s generation grew up with the whirring and bleeping sound of computers in the backgrounds of their childhood, so it stands to reason that now, as they are making music, they are including those sounds in their artistic palettes. So when you listen to S&S’s music, you can hear the collision of 21th-century technology with music, humanity’s timeless mode of artistic expression. And the result is nothing short of illuminating. The anthemic “Breaking the Noise,” for instance, uses synthesizer atmospheres to elevate an excellent rock song to an even higher level of emotional poignancy. By transforming the noise of technology into the beautiful accompaniment of an updated hymn, the music compliments Hunker’s call for God to “break the noise” of postmodern society.

THREE. Thematically, Satellites & Sirens is an album that deals with faith and human community in light of the noise of contemporary society. “Come On” is a song that deals with the tragedy of broken families. “All the Same” is a critical statement of our culture’s idolatry of celebrities. “Anchor” affirms the value and necessity of faith in a higher power in the turbulent world we live in.

And all of the songs, whether explicitly or implicitly, point the listener upward, away from the confusing din of our world, toward God. “Take Me Back” is a perfect example in that it outlines a repentant return to God from a heart weary of experience away from Him. “Take me back is basically like a prayer. It’s that realization—coming to that point where you’re like ‘the path that I’m going down is not right.’ It’s saying, ‘I’ve come to that point where I know I need God—I know I need grace and forgiveness,’” says Hunker. As an artistic statement, then, the collection of songs that is Sattelites & Sirens answers the noise with more noise, crafted into music, asserting the everlasting truth and goodness of God.

S&S, then, take the ever-present sound of contemporary human culture and use it to edify and critique that culture. They are both satellites—heavenly bodies that circle the world from above, observing and advising it—and sirens—emanators of loud warnings and calls to action. They were born out of sound and now live in sound, using it to communicate with the people who produce it.

Life 88.3

Austin’s Bridge – Mercy

From The Album – Times Like There

About the Song: Justin Rivers and Jason Baird share a passion for music and a deep desire to spread the Gospel. Combining their gifts to form Austins Bridge, the guys are doing just that with an innovative flair that blends country and a touch of bluegrass into a soulful new sound. The groups much-anticipated sophomore record, produced by Jay Demarcus of Rascal Flatts, releases May 4, 2010.

Chris Tomlin – Our God

From The Album: Passion: Awakening

About the project: Recorded live at Passion 2010, Passion: Awakening, includes eight brand new, previously unreleased tracks from Chris Tomlin, David Crowder*Band, Charlie Hall, Matt Redman, Christy Nockels, & Kristian Stanfill. In addition to all the new tracks, the album also features massive anthems from Hillsong United and FEE.

Life Wide Open – Come And See

From The Album: Strong

-This is their first national radio release

-They were the main worship band at the Smokey Mountain Youth Conference

Jason Gray – More Like Falling In Love

From The Album: Everything Sad Is Coming Untrue

Behind the Song: More Like Falling In Love

“Jesus was always, and I mean always, talking about love, about people, about relationship, and He never once broke anything into steps or formulas. What if, because we were always trying to dissect His message, we were missing a blatant invitation? I began to wonder if becoming a Christian did not work more like falling in love than agreeing with a list of true principles." – Donald Miller, Searching For God Knows What

“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” – Deuteronomy 6:5

More Like Falling In Love is about the difference between religion and relationship. I think we’re often in danger of reducing Christianity to information – a series of facts that you must know and believe in order to be saved. It’s important for us to rigorously pursue good theology, to be sure, but it seems clear that when the scriptures talk about believing it’s talking about more than just propositional facts and has more to do with trust, affection, and above all relationship. The whole of scripture reads like a relational drama between God and the people he is so determined to love. Sometimes the story is depicted as a drama between a father and his children, sometimes between a bridegroom and his bride, but rarely, if ever, is the story reduced to a sequence of cold hard facts. There are demonstrable facts, but far from cold they burn with a fire that has been known to consume those who have dared to come close enough to touch it.

Ravi Zacharias (whose podcast has been an almost daily companion this past year) has said: “We need to rescue righteousness from doctrinal statements and put it into our hearts. Doctrinal statements are good, they are needed, [they are] a unit of measuring theoretical beliefs, but it is not the unit God will use in measuring righteousness..."

It seems so obvious, but even I need to be reminded that a relationship with Jesus Christ should look less like intellectual assent and more like falling in love.

Behind the curtain…

This is a song idea I’d been kicking around for a while and I was glad when Jason Ingram got excited about it. It’s the second song that we wrote together and convinced me that we were a good team, and that I should do my whole record with him. The hardest kind of song for a guy like me to write is a solid pop song. Pop music sometimes has a reputation for being lightweight fluff that isn’t very conducive to lyrical depth, but to write a song that’s saying something worth being said, has a strong hook, and fits within the narrow parameters of a 3 1/2 min pop song… well, that kind of song is the peak of the species. I feel like this is one of the best pop songs that I’ve been a part of. It also allowed Jason Ingram and I to indulge a guilty pleasure that we share: R & B. The song started as a summertime groove and grew from there.

Jason has an amazing knack for writing accessible pop songs and our every writing session was a blast. It was our collaborations that finally put to rest a long season of writer’s block. We knew we needed to write some potential radio singles for my label going into this record, and it was these first songs I wrote with him that took a lot of pressure off of me. It helped me feel confident that we were going to have what we needed commercially and it set me free to write the rest of the songs for the project, making it what I hope people will feel is a strong record, both commercially and artistically.

It’s because of this, and so much more, that I owe Jason Ingram a great deal more than he may be aware of. In a way, I feel like God used him to give my vocation back to me. It all began with this song.

New Music for The Week of 3-29-10

2010-03-24T12:53:00.003-04:00

Love 89

Owl City – Fireflies

From The Album – Ocean Eyes

Owl City comes from Adam Young’s basement in Owatonna, MN.

In his words: Hello, my name is Adam.

I prefer daydreams over reality.

I write and record in my basement.

I have trouble sleeping.

These songs are all I have to show for my sleepless nights.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed creating them.

It means the world to know someone is out there listening.

You have no idea how much I appreciate you.

Thank you.

I follow Jesus Christ wholeheartedly. He is my life, my strength, my all.

-Sent a personal letter to Christian radio about his relationship with Jesus

-Matt Thiessen of Relient K helpd produce the record

The video

David Crowder Band – Oh Happiness

From The Album – Church Music

Simple song – Simple message, not much to explain on this one.

Live Crowder –

They did make a pretty cool 5 part rockumentary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRITdABL8E4

Life 88.3

Robbie Seay Band – Awaken My Soul

From The CD – Miracle

About the Band - Houston’s Ecclesia Church sits on the edge of downtown like a frontier outpost. During the week, it’s a community outreach center, farmer’s market, art gallery, coffeehouse, and recording studio. But on Sunday, its space becomes sanctuary to the homeless and drug addicted, as well as to the high profile attorney and suburb-dweller who fill its seats.

The church is also home base for Robbie Seay Band, forming as much of their identity as the music they play. Pastored by Robbie’s brother Chris, Ecclesia’s services are a mix of the liturgical (weekly communion, communal prayer) and experiential (artists painting during the service). Aside from touring, the band can be found leading worship for the several weekly gatherings at Ecclesia.

Long before the release of their critically acclaimed 2005 Sparrow Records debut, Better Days, Robbie Seay Band began developing a reputation for their honest approach to worship music, grounded in community and in the life journeys of each of its members. In addition to Robbie, who serves as the group’s voice and principal songwriter, the band consists of longtime friends Dan Hamilton and Ryan Owens. Dan has played with Robbie for a decade, dating back to the Metro Bible Study for which they, Caedmon’s Call, and Watermark led worship. Ryan approached Robbie eight years ago at a concert to ask if they needed a bass player and has been with them ever since. “In a lot of ways, we’ve grown up together,” Robbie says of the group. “We have walked side-by-side for nearly a decade, in the context of our community and living a normal life together. That makes the music more meaningful for us.”

Known for an alternative worship style that features raw, insightful lyrics coupled with an equally edgy and engaging sound, Robbie Seay Band’s much-anticipated sophomore Sparrow release, Give Yourself Away, finds them pushing their musical craft to new levels under the guiding hand of producer Tedd T. (Mute Math, Delirious?). The sound of Give Yourself Away carries a new energy and relevance, an aggressive step forward from Better Days. The album bears the influence of British rock (Travis, Keane) as well as modern worshippers such as David Crowder Band and Tim Hughes.

Give Yourself Away also marks the first time the group has turned over production reins to a sole producer. “Crafting this project with Tedd has been a natural growth process for the band; he stretched us and challenged us,” explains Robbie. “It’s been the best experience I’ve had in music.”

But it has always been the poetic and vulnerable lyrics that have set Robbie Seay Band apart. “This project contains a lot of the stories of our lives from the past two years,” said Robbie. “It is a missional record, almost a rebirth of how we’re seeing our faith and how we’re seeing a lot of young Christians respond to the great need around the world and at home,” explains Robbie. “As believers, we are being awakened to the call of Christ to give of ourselves, to live out life together honestly, in community. As we find hope together, it pushes us to be proactive in our faith.”

The project begins with the anthemic call to action “Rise,” which charges Rise, rise—people of love, rise/Give yourself away. “If you choose God,” says Robbie, “you are choosing a life of serving and giving to the poor and the oppressed. That’s hard for us as believers to confront alone—and that’s where community steps in.”

“New Day” is a pop hit-in-waiting written to Seay’s wife, Liz. “Most of us would agree that the world around us seems to be in chaos, with war and injustice, but in this brief moment, there’s still hope that each sunrise brings as a new day begins.” The equally upbeat “Song Of Hope” is an invitation to engage with the living God, the Source of that Hope.

If these selections represent a new direction, “Shine Your Light On Us” is vintage Robbie Seay Band, a part of their repertoire that Robbie says people really connect with. “It’s identifying our pain and our sorrow—the things I’ve gone through, the band’s gone through, the community’s gone through—they’re the same,” he says. “The lyric says, I’ve been broken down, I’ve been holding on, and we’re in need. . . God shine your light on us.”

Seay has seen the larger church community in Houston tested by the influx of Hurricane Katrina refugees, and has been encouraged by the response. “For the first time in a long time, I’ve been proud to say I was part of this bigger picture—a bigger church. We’re always focused on what’s wrong with the church today, but seeing how communities responded to such immediate and desperate need—it was amazing. It wasn’t about race or denomination—it was about serving others the same way Jesus did on this earth.”

This experience and Ecclesia’s efforts in Africa inspired the song “Go Outside.” “We really just became more aware of the need in the world and of how materialistic and selfish we are. That’s kind of where the record began to go outward. We’ve received hope and grace, and ‘Go Outside’ is about sharing that.”

“Faith is fairly stale if we’re not active and aware of the need around us,” Robbie says, returning again to the theme of Give Yourself Away. “When we go back to Scripture, it’s full of loving the orphans, the widows and the poor, and you look at Jesus and who He was and come away with that.”

To this end, Robbie Seay Band is taking steps to raise awareness of the tragedy affecting many children in Uganda. Inspired by the film “Invisible Children,” and the book “Girl Soldier” (by Grace Akallo and Faith J.H. McDonnell), the group hopes to help educate others about the plight of the Ugandan people. The band encourages its audiences to support Compassion International, or another outreach of their choosing, during its shows. The key, Robbie says, is to dosomething.

“I hope my music—and life—somehow may serve to encourage other believers to be proactive in their faith,” concludes Robbie. “For it is only as we bless others and offer grace that faith goes beyond words, and truly comes alive.”

-FYI - Robbie Seay nominated the family that was on last weeks Extreme Make Over: Home Edition

Needtobreathe – Something Beautiful

From The Album – The Outsiders

Behind The Song: When I wrote Something Beautiful I was in a pretty desperate state, having not seen anything truly inspiring in awhile. We’re taught that inspiration is just around the corner, but the problem with that is that it may not be. We may have to wait until we turn the 15th corner to finally see it. The verse talks about that risk of being in the ocean, and knowing that you need to be there, but the “water is rising quick” and the tide is coming in. Am I going to drown searching for this thing I’ve been looking for? The scripture that comes to mind is “A broken heart and a contrite spirit He has yet to deny.” In this song we do not give the answer of how to find Something Beautiful. How you find that may be completely different than me, but I’m pretty sure that it is going to start with a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

Bo Rinehart

NEEDTOBREATHE

New Music For The Week Of 3-22-10

2010-03-17T15:09:00.007-04:00

Love 89

The Museum – My Help Comes From The Lord

From The Album: Let Love Win (Out Summer 2010)

About the Museum and the Song:

2010 is an exciting year for The Museum as they embark on releasing their debut album with BEC Recordings! The Museum made up of Ben Richter (Lead Vocals/Electric & Acoustic Guitars), Chris Brink (Bass/Background Vocals), Geoff Ashcraft (Electric Guitar) and Josh Kirk (Drums/Programming) have already played over 175 shows since their start in 2008 and have teamed up with the likes of award winning producer Jason Ingram, talented Jason Hoard, and renowned Aaron Sprinkle for their upcoming release. "My Help Comes From The Lord," will be your first chance to listen to the infectious, worship filled music from The Museum. "My Help Comes From The Lord" will be going for adds at AC and CHR radio on 3/12!

Ben Richter (Lead singer) explains The Museum's heart and drive behind their debut single "My Help Comes From The Lord":

Even in this economic uncertainty and a culture that continues to experience it's fare share of tragedy, God has such rich promises from His word that remind us to "Keep our eyes fixed on things above." In the wake of the earthquake in Haiti, I was reading in Psalm 121 and found such a great reminder that God is our shield and our protector. Verses 7 & 8 say, "The Lord will keep you from all harm, He will watch over your life. The Lord will watch over your coming and going, both now and forevermore. The song is a reminder that God is our strength and our refuge...that when sorrows come, when hope seems gone, HE is the rock we can rest upon. It's when we choose to lift our eyes out of our current circumstances and place our hope in Christ that our faith is strengthened. No matter what the world brings, HE is our refuge and shelter, NOW & FOREVER!"

Get To Know em:

Skillet – Awake And Alive

From The Album: Awake

About the Song:

Tying in with our song “Hero,” here’s one about feeling like you’re falling under from all the stresses of life. Even though you feel like everyone around you is trying to take your hope away from you, no one has the right to do that and you shouldn’t allow those negative influences to weigh you down. Live what you believe and don’t be afraid to stand up for your faith!” – John Cooper (Skillet)

Skillet is on the cover of this April’s Parentlife Magazine. Here’s the Story:

http://radio.inorecords.com/uploaded/Parentlife%20April%20Cover%20Story.pdf

Chris And Conrad – You’re The One

From The Album – Chris And Conrad

About The Song

"YOU'RE THE ONE" speaks of the love that can only come from a Savior willing to die for us and the overflow of emotions that follow when we try to wrap our limited human mind around that supernatural love and perfect sacrifice. Conrad says, "When I began writing the song, I felt God speak to me to think about the love I have for my wife of seven years and then multiply those emotions by a million." The love of Jesus and his willingness to die for us is so amazing that our response should be to stay in-love with Him since we the church are his bride. I Corinthians 1:18 (NIV) "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

It's clear that Christ's love opens us up to an abundant life that we cannot experience without Him and this song declares "Jesus, You're the One"

The Music Video

(Embedding was disabled follow the link) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTWxJriAryw&feature=PlayList&p=04E2DC1F0FD7A2C5&index=0&playnext=1

Jonny Diaz – Stand For You

From The Album: More Beautiful You

About The Song:

“’Stand For You’ is a call to boldness. Basically, the song is my declaration – even if I’m the only one doing it, even if it makes me incredibly unpopular, I’m going to stand for what’s found in God’s word. Our culture – even our Christian culture – loves the idea of being seeker friendly and open minded, but sometimes truth is narrow. It may be tough, but no matter what, I’ve decided that I’m going to stand for what God’s word says.” -Jonny Diaz

Jonny on the Song

Music Video

Luminate - Shine

From The Album: Luminate

About Luminate:

The word love is often used far too carelessly in today's society. As a result, what once was the ultimate expression of affection and concern for another is now diluted. Tyler, Texas-based pop/rock act Luminate is on a mission to change that. For Luminate, love is an action.

“Love isn’t just a word we say to be cool and trendy,” says Luminate frontman Sam Hancock. “It’s an action that demonstrates the love of Christ. After all, Jesus didn’t just talk about love, He lived it through His actions.”

As the band has toured non-stop, criss-crossing the country to play festivals, camps and churches, that message of love in action has fueled the group’s ministry, keeping its brotherhood strong. Now with the band’s self-titled Sparrow Records debut, Luminate takes on its divine assignment, offering a collection of songs that speak to the essence of love.

Drawing from a wide range of influences in British rock and modern worship music, the band’s catchy pop/rock sound pays homage to artists including U2, The Fray, Switchfoot and The Killers. But since the group, comprising Hancock (lead vocals, guitar), Cody Clark (guitar), Dustin DeLong (keyboard), Dusty Jakubik (bass) and Aaron Mathew (drums), bring so many creative ideas to the table, Luminate’s sound has a timbre all its own.

“We’ve recorded a mixture of what we grew up listening to and what we’ve discovered together as a band,” Cody shares. “Instinctively, we like writing songs that people can sing to, but more importantly, we want to write songs that are honest.”

Setting the mood, opening track “Spirit of Love” is a bold reminder that God not only made us, but understands everything we’re going through—even in life’s most challenging moments.

Continuing in that transparent vein, the band’s first single “Shine (Love is an Action)” is a memorable affirmation of why Jesus said the “greatest of these is love.”

“That song is literally just a call to really put love into action,” Sam relates. “Cody and I wrote that song with [producer] Ed Cash and hope that it will be a message all in the church will take to heart.”

Another standout track, “Miracle” is a timely, earnest cry of desperation when day-to-day conflicts and problems inevitably rear their ugly heads. “The song says ‘Find me as I am, I can barely stand,’” says Sam. “We are in community with the Savior, and that’s how we get through each trial or tribulation. When the Spirit comes and rescues us, that’s the miracle.”

Closing the album on a particularly hopeful note is “Fearlessly.” Luminate sings about how fear is a natural part of life, but how with faith, there really is freedom from fear. “It’s an affirmation that when you take in God’s truth, it will change your life,” Cody adds.

Ultimately, Luminate is a band united by its passion for music and desire to share Christ’s love with others. “Our common goal is to reach anyone and everyone with the love of Christ -- whether they’re in church or clubs,” says Sam. “We want to get the point across that everyone who’s a follower of Christ should be active pursuing his/her faith and God-given life calling. Any day we can do that well, we feel like we’re accomplishing what we set out to do.”

Introduction and About the song

Life 88.3

Jeremy Riddle – Christ is Risen

From The Album: The Now And The Not Yet

About Jeremy:

Tension. It is a word most folks don’t get a witness on these days. Tension headaches. Hyper-tension. Tension in the Middle East. Tension equals stress, and don’t we all have enough stress in our lives?

Yet it is tension that fuels the music and ministry of worship leader Jeremy Riddle. It is the tension between grace and the law; mercy and judgment; love and discipline. It is the people of unclean lips lifting praise to a holy God. It is God wearing flesh, and God’s imminent return. It is life between the first and second coming of Christ. It is messy and stressful and beautiful and exhilarating. It is the tension between The Now And Not Yet.

“Kingdom theology describes the times we live in as a time of tension in our faith,” Jeremy explains. “During this time we experience many blessings, but none of them in the fullness that we will experience. In the here and now we are more than conquerors, yet even though Christ has defeated the power of death, we are still dying. We are made holy by the blood of Christ, yet we are continually becoming holy. We are caught in the tension of this messy process that is life between the times. It leaves us longing for His return, yet it helps us to deal with the reality of our existence on the earth.”

It is through this lens of living between The Now And Not Yet that Jeremy reveals his most open and honest expressions of worship to date. This collection of twelve songs, hymns, and spiritual songs reaches its arms wide to embrace fellow believers, and stretches its hands high to exalt a holy God. The stirring worship anthem, “Bless His Name,” which is also the project’s first radio single, is a prime example of the heart of The Now And Not Yet. Ironically, it is the one tune on the album Jeremy did not write.

“‘Bless His Name’ was written by my good friend, Tony Sanchez,” Jeremy smiles. “I love to use it as a call to worship because it encourages the people to consider the mighty works God has done. It is simple, uplifting, majestic. It is a call for people to come and join in praise.”

Jeremy’s 2007 release, Full Attention, burst onto the Christian music scene like the first breath of spring after a long, hard winter. Christianity Today.com noted Jeremy’s “Imaginative, praise-focused lyrics and an equally compelling soundtrack” as just a few of the reasons to award the project 4.5 out of 5 stars. That project featured AC Christian radio’s #6 most-played song of 2006, “Sweetly Broken,” with over 2.5 million impressions. The song was in such demand that it spent more than 40 weeks in heavy rotation on KLOVE Radio Network’s play list. While Full Attention was birthed out of his return to ministry and was marked by personal, vertical expressions of worship, Jeremy insists The Now And Not Yet is much more message driven.

The Now And Not Yet, page 2

“I am a worship leader,” he states. “That is what I do. I’ve been on staff at churches and I’ve been a pastor, but mainly I’ve operated as a worship leader. I’ll be honest…it worried me when worship music began to run to the top of the Christian music charts. It seemed that worship started to become a part of the industry with the center of attention on the artist. But worship has nothing to do with a person. Worship is anything that brings pleasure to the heart of God, and if we really want to please the heart of God, it probably has very little to do with the songs that we sing. Worship is more about ministering to the lost, the least, the downtrodden, the broken, the marginalized people of society; the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the imprisoned, the sick. It was a revelation to me that I could be close to the heart of God if I ministered to the poor. The song, ‘Among the Poor,’ flows out of that revelation.”

Although Jeremy is now a full-time musician, he refuses to make music for music’s sake, and has even had a few choice words about the industry that provides his living.

“The music business, even the Christian music business, is business,” he muses. “Whenever business meets church and spiritual things, it gets messy. But the reality is that churches need money to sustain ministries and resources. It is not something we can shirk. I didn’t set out to build a career in music, particularly in Christian music. I let all of that go a long time ago, and I didn’t want to take it back up again. But I’ve made my peace. I’ve been humbled in many good ways and lost a lot of my more judgmental side. I just want to be faithful, to be a good steward of what God has given me; to not run away from the responsibility.”

For Jeremy Riddle, a big part of that responsibility is in creating fresh expressions of worship that both exalt the Creator and encourage and enlighten the people of God. The songs on The Now And Not Yet reflect this new inspiration in Jeremy’s ministry. The project opens with a bold new declaration about the pivotal event in human history – the resurrection of Christ.

“The resurrection has become a seasonal thing in our Western church culture,” he says, “but it wasn’t meant to be celebrated only one time a year. Everything hinges on the resurrection. It is a massive part of our faith. Without it we are all lost in our sins. It should be an ongoing celebration. As a worship leader, when Good Friday comes around, I can find hundreds of songs about the cross, but on Easter Sunday morning it is a radically different story. There are very few tunes that celebrate the resurrection. I wrote ‘Christ is Risen’ to help fill that gap.”

While the music on The Now And Not Yet maintains Jeremy’s penchant for passionate pop sensibilities, the lyrical content reaches deep into the annals of Christian lore for inspiration. The gorgeous worship aria, “Prayer for the Church,” flows from the Book of Common Prayer. The plaintive, rocking declaration, “Prepare The Way of the Lord,” draws on the Old Testament prophesies of Isaiah. Jeremy was motivated to write “As Above, So Below” after reading the Lord’s Prayer in “The Message.” Although all the songs on The Now And Not Yet are unique in their sound and purpose, the tie that binds them all together is the scarlet thread of worship.

“There are many implications of The Now And Not Yet,” Jeremy muses. “So much of this world is under the reign of darkness, but in the midst of that you have the Church breaking through and setting things right as she follows Jesus and does the same things that He did. As we proclaim the Gospel, His kingdom comes. As we worship, we usher in the kingdom. The Now And Not Yet is a depiction of the tension of time in which we live and worship and walk out our faith.”

New Music for The Week of 3-8-10

2010-03-08T13:02:00.003-05:00

Love 89

Plumb – Beautiful History

From The Album – Beautiful History

About Plumb and the album –

There’s more than music in Beautiful History, the latest release from Plumb.

In fact, that’s true of every recording made by this extraordinary singer/songwriter since she first set foot on a stage or laid her initial tracks in a studio. But on Beautiful History she takes it to a higher level.

As always, she reaches out to all who have found inspiration in her songs. Beyond that, these 20 tracks, packaged on two CDs, challenge listeners to move forward by accepting the changes that time can bring while holding close to the things that define who we are.

For Plumb, a.k.a. Tiffany Arbuckle Lee, Beautiful History marks a significant step, artistically and personally. In her early years in the public eye, after she had moved from Atlanta to Nashville and launched her career with a self-titled debut album in 1997, Plumb occupied a distinctive niche: an artist whose passions communicated powerfully whether set to pulsing electronic beats, guitar-driven alternative rock or sweeping orchestral accompaniment. Her artistry was too compelling for any one genre to confine; her unforgettable voice, presence and message embraced all who heard her, whether in concert, in numerous movie soundtracks such as Brokedown Palace, Bruce Almighty, Just Married, Drive Me Crazy and many other high-profile films, or on TV shows ranging from Dawson’s Creek, Felicity, Roswell and ER to commercials, made for TV films or on top of the Billboard dance charts with “In My Arms” in 2007.

Whether drawn by her sound or her sometimes enigmatic image, those who have discovered Plumb tend to develop a deeper identity over time. She sang from the heart about subjects as sensitive as sexual abuse (“Damaged”) and self-injury (“Cut”) – subjects seldom visited beyond the pages of private journals, transformed through music into expressions of love and promises of hope. Those who searched for meaning bonded to Plumb’s message as fervently as those who had found it; the result was to transform her audience into a community, diverse as individuals yet bound by the knowledge that we are all loved and created by God and none of us are ever truly alone.

Plumb reciprocates the trust of her fans with Beautiful History. To put it into context, go back to her previous album, Blink, released shortly after the birth of her second son, Oliver Canon Lee, born just 19 months after his brother Solomon Fury Lee. Intimate and blissful, Blink shared the full range of emotions that come with motherhood. Reviewers discerned from it that Plumb “is supremely happy and content in her circumstances” (Suite101.com) or welcomed it as a modern spin on lullaby albums.

All true, Plumb agrees. “Blink departed from the regular expectation of what a Plumb record would normally sound like. I had a lot of questions like ‘Are you going to do more of an easy-listening sound now?’ The truth is that Blink reflected where I was at the time. I was pregnant with a tiny little one already at home; my head was not into making a rock record. Having children has affected my art – and made it more intentional but it hasn’t taken away the rock artist in me. That’s who I am.”

Beautiful History honors that essence of Plumb. True to its title, the album looks back to landmark recordings from her catalog. Some of them, such as “God Shaped Hole,” were among her biggest singles. Others were album tracks that impacted her fans – or, more personally, Plumb herself – in some special way. “For instance, ‘Stranded’ has never been a single,” she points out. “We’ve never done a video or remix of it. But it’s my most requested song to date. And even though ‘Here With Me’ never had as much commercial success as some of my other songs, it’s been in films and movie trailers and covered by other artists and fans always come back to this one and ask if I’m going to perform it.”

These songs are fresh as well as familiar, having been revisited by Plumb and Matt Bronleewe, her longtime producer, especially for Beautiful History. Some of them are remixes, not widely heard outside of the dance clubs for which they were tailored. And several are brand-new, including “Hang On,” which Plumb had co-written for a documentary film project without any intention of recording it herself. This song, along with the previously unreleased title track, confirms that the full picture of Plumb has become more complex – and therefore more accessible to all whose lives have also deepened with experience.

“It was and it wasn’t intentional that both of these new songs ended up being about hope,” Plumb says. “’Hang On’ is about … hanging on. You keep breathing in and out, never knowing if it’s going to stop in three days or 30 years. But when redemption comes, it’ll seem like you just blinked your eyes. And ‘Beautiful History’ is about all the messes we’ve made and the sovereignty of God, who picks you up, brushes you off and says, ‘Begin again.’”

Decisions … crossroads … consequences … These diversions, roadblocks and what seem like dead ends some times can intimidate those who are just starting their journey. Having moved from one phase of life to the next, Plumb testifies throughout Beautiful History that no matter how many shadows darken the highway there is light ahead and a home awaiting all who seek it. Not only that: You can get there without sacrificing the fires that fueled us in our early explorations.

“An interviewer asked me once, ‘How do you balance the facets of your life, being a wife and a mom and a writer and still active in your church and community?’” Plumb says. “I told her, ‘In order to be faithful to any of those roles, I have to be faithful to them all and I can’t do that by myself. I need community to make that happen.’ When I had children, it was tempting to put music on the back burner or even take it off the stove completely, not because I wanted to but because of the responsibilities of motherhood that pull you – and rightfully so. But now I realize that my children’s mom is Plumb. She’s not just Tiffany, although that’s part of her. Lots of mothers put their children even ahead of their marriage and their husbands pay a price for that. Their children pay a price for that. The people they could be influencing with the passions they were created to pursue pay a price for that. We have more to offer than we sometimes give ourselves credit for.”

Beautiful History, then, is a pivotal album on Plumb’s ongoing adventure. The intensity of her first works, the blossoming insight and tenderness of Blink, and her hope of the new songs find communion on this album, where wisdom speaks to the tune of shimmering, slashing guitar and the tempo of pounding rhythms. Equally important, the point is made that there’s much more to come, not just from this singular artist but in all that awaits each of us, three days or 30 years ahead and beyond as well.

“I’m not here to be 19 again,” she affirms. “I know there are people who follow the dark and hopefully redemptive side of me and some who follow the mom side of me, but no matter what, I don’t want to alienate any of them. This is who I am. I’m back and ready to go.”

Beautiful History is being written even now. In so many ways, the story is just beginning.

Vota – Free To Fail

From The Album – Vota

About the song:

“It is said the commandments of God can be summed up by loving God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and loving your neighbor as yourself. Honestly, I don't know if I have had a day in my life that has come close to that level of love. Can I really say I have loved God or my neighbor with all the care and energy I put into taking care of my own needs? But through Christ I am free to fail. I can give God my best and serve Him to the best of my ability with a promise that He will ever leave or forsake me.” –Bryan Oleson (VOTA)

Chris Tomlin – Our God

From The Album: Passion: Awakening

Recorded live at Passion 2010, Passion: Awakening, includes eight brand new, previously unreleased tracks from Chris Tomlin, David Crowder*Band, Charlie Hall, Matt Redman, Christy Nockels, & Kristian Stanfill. In addition to all the new tracks, the album also features massive anthems from Hillsong United and FEE.

Track listing for Passion: Awakening (available March 9th):

1. Awakening – Chris Tomlin

2. Say, Say – Kristian Stanfill

3. Our God – Chris Tomlin

4. How He Loves – The David Crowder*Band

5. Healing is in Your Hands – Christy Nockels

6. King of Heaven (Isaiah 61) – Charlie Hall

7. You Alone Can Rescue – Matt Redman

8. Where the Spirit of the Lord Is – Chris Tomlin/Christy Nockels

9. Rise and Sing – FEE

10. Like a Lion – The David Crowder*Band

11. Chosen Generation – Chris Tomlin

12. With Everything – Hillsong United

Life 88.3

New World Son – There is A Way

From The Album – NewWorldSon

About NWS –

Living in a media saturated world where sensationalism is the norm, most of us respond to hype with great cynicism. When Newworldsonburst on to the scene in 2007, they might as well have ridden into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. The rhetoric surrounding the band at their coming out party in Nashville for Gospel Music Weekbordered on messianic. This was the group with a fresh new sound that was going to revitalize the business. Their label president [Dale Bray, Inpop Records] pitched his new signing in a most unapologetic way saying, “If you don’t get it, you don’t get it!” Word quickly got around about those four Canadians that scored a standing ovation from the world’s toughest audience: the music industry.

The buzz train didn’t stop there. Back home they were nominated for two JUNO Awards (the Canadian equivalent to a Grammy) for Gospel Album of The Year (2008, 2009) and presented with four Covenant Awards for Roots Album of The Year (2007, 2008), Best New Artist (2007) and Group Of The Year (2009) by the Gospel Music Association. When their self-produced recording “Salvation Station” was released world-wide in February 2008, it elicited unanimous critical acclaim. Christian Retailing magazine said “if this album isn’t at least nominated for a Grammy next year, it will be a shocking omission – it’s just that good.” Christianity Today voted Salvation Station #3 on their list of Best Albums of 2008.

In the fall of 2007, the band was invited to open for the newsboys on their hugely successful GO Tour across America. Though their name was circling within the industry, they were virtually unknown to music fans around the country. Undaunted, they took the stage by storm night after night, blindsiding the crowd with the opening bars to their hit song “Working Man” (which soon afterwards shot to Number 1 on the Gospel Music Channel’s video charts). Seeing how rapidly the band was winning fans, the newsboys asked Newworldson to join them again on the tour’s spring leg the following year. Doors opened internationally in 2008 when they were booked to headline festivals in Australia, Germany, Holland and Sweden.

Right in the middle of a world tour, Newworldson returned to the studio in 2009 with the same team that helped make “Salvation Station” such a critical success, including veteran engineer/co-producer Justin Koop (Silverstein, Finger Eleven) and Grammy-winning mix engineer F. Reid Shippen (India.Arie, Jonny Lang). Inspired by their experiences playing arenas and festival mainstages, the band captured an even bigger, more dynamic sound than their previous effort. The up-coming new album, slated for release in February 2010, showcases a leap forward in songwriting, confidence and ferocity.

Determined to live up to their reputation as the must-see-live band of the day, the four members of Newworldson come together with all the force of an orchestra. The infectiously kinetic rhythm section of Mark Rogers (drums) and Rich Moore (bass/vocals) crossbreeds contemporary grooves with old-school timbres like Moore’s upright playing and Rogers’ weathered Slingerland bass drum circa 1930’s. The message is delivered by the tandem vocals of frontman/keyboardist Joel Parisien and singer/guitarist Josh Toal, mixing Spirit-filled lyrics with an atmosphere of sheer exuberance.

Looking ahead to a new decade, Newworldson will be touring internationally in support of their next release, expanding their fan base into new territories (United Kingdom, New Zealand and Scandinavia.) Plans also include revisiting major festivals all across North America, like Kingdom Bound and the Ottawa Bluesfest. Buoyed by the early support of their first single “There Is A Way” (which peaked at number 3 on Billboard Magazine’s Christian Music Charts), Newworldson are excited to see their profile growing worldwide.

Four sons of the New World and their story has just begun.

Joel Parisen - Vocals & Keyboards

Josh Toal - Guitar & Vocals

Rich Moore - Acoustic & Electric Bass

Mark Rogers - Drums & Cymbals

Amy Grant – Better Than A Hallelujah

From The Album – Somewhere Down The Road

About:

With six Grammys, numerous Dove Awards, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and numerous other accolades to her credit, Amy Grant is an American music icon who has erased lines between genres and earned the respect of fans and peers with her honesty, vulnerability and ceaseless creativity. Whether laying her soul bare in her 2008 Book “Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far” or exploring faith and family in a diverse catalog of hits from “El Shaddai” to “Baby Baby,” Grant’s artistry has continually resonated with audiences since she first hit the national spotlight as a fresh-faced teen with a guitar three decades ago.

Her latest effort, Somewhere Down the Road, is a potent collection that takes the listener on a musical journey that reverberates with messages of resiliency, promise and hope. The 12-track set includes four new songs, several previously unreleased gems from her musical vault and a newly recorded version of “Arms of Love.” The new album also serves up four poignant treasures from Grant’s existing songbook, including the powerful title track.

“From a work stand point, I’ve had the amazing opportunity that anything I’ve ever wanted to try, for some reason, the door has opened. I love music as much as I always have, but I feel very contented when it comes to work. What brings the sizzle back to me is a great idea and it can be somebody saying, ‘hey, I have this idea for a song!’ As soon as they speak the words I go, ‘Ahhh, that’s great. We’ve got to sit down and do it right now.’ That’s how I felt about this project.”

Somewhere Down the Road reflects an accomplished artist at a time of renewed creativity and also echoes the life of a woman who is not afraid to write and sing about life’s most heart-wrenching moments as well as the sublime joys. Amy Grant has always been honest, vulnerable, real, never afraid to share where she is on life’s journey. “There have been times in my life that I was sitting in the cat bird seat and everything was going my way but currently, this is a time [with] a lot of uncertainty within my extended family as we’ve experienced pain, loss, and joy,” admits Grant who has dealt with aging parents and the loss of a close friend this past year. “This is the kind of record where it takes maturity to put out, so we went back and looked at old songs, unreleased songs, and new songs that fit together in a way that I think will make a really amazing and intriguing journey.

The first single from the new project, “Better Than a Hallelujah,” penned by Chapin Hartford and Sarah Hart, is Grant’s first new radio single since “Simple Things” in 2003. When Amy’s manager, Jennifer Cooke, emailed her the song, she knew she had to record it. “The honesty of it, the vulnerability of the lyrics, the beautiful melody, and that the song found me right where I was in my own journey was incredibly powerful,” says Grant, admitting the song resonated strongly with her as she dealt with the death of her longtime friend musician Ruth McGinnis. “The song is just so poignant and redemptive. In the lyric there is no religious code or lingo going on and the message is true, it’s good news. I love every scenario it’s painting.”

Though Grant is an industry veteran, and one of a short list of artists to have scored No. 1 hits in each of the last three decades, Somewhere Down the Road finds her enjoying several first time experiences---among them recording in the new studio she and husband Vince Gill built in their Nashville home, contributing one of her own paintings as part of the cover art, and for the first time recording a duet with her 17-year-old-daughter Sarah. “‘Overnight’ was written by Luke Laird, Natalie Hemby and Audrey Spillman. I’ve known Natalie since she was six and she’s a great songwriter. She sent me a song that she had written called ‘Overnight.’ It’s talking about if things happened overnight, you wouldn’t appreciate the process. It says ‘If it all just happened overnight, you would never know what it means. If it all happened overnight, you would never learn to believe in what you can’t see.’” Though her stepdaughter, Jenny, sang background vocals on Grant’s hymns records and her eight-year-old daughter Corrina added a spoken word contribution to her last Christmas collection, this marks Grant’s first duet with one of her children. “I’ve wanted to sing with Sarah for a long time and when this song showed up I thought it would be perfect for us to record.”

“Hard Times” is another new tune on the album, which Grant co-wrote with Ian Fitchuk and Justin Loucks. “Mindy Smith asked me to sing a background part on her latest record and they were producing it,” Grant says of her introduction to her collaborators. “They already had the idea for the verses and I wrote the chorus and we wrote the last verse together. It’s been hard times on a lot of levels for a lot of people. I don’t know anybody that is saying this is the easiest and best time in life.”

Among the other new tracks, “Unafraid,” is a poignant ballad that has become a favorite at Grant’s live shows. “Women really relate to it,” Grant says of the song whose three verses chronicle women’s relationship to their husband, children and aging parents. “Anytime I have sung it live, I always have requests, ‘Please record that’ and that’s why I did.”

In culling through her musical vault to select previously unreleased recordings that fit with the theme of Somewhere Down the Road, two songs stood out as perfect for this collection “Come Into My World” and “What is the Chance of That.” “’Come Into My World’ is the rawest, most vulnerable of the two and it just required a lot of distance from that time in my life. I wrote that in the years prior to going through a divorce. . .and so the song is really a downer,” she admits. “I don’t feel that same way now and I hadn’t actually heard it in over a decade but was moved by it and thought ‘Wow, I remember how that felt. Thank goodness I don’t feel that way now, but that is a very real feeling for a lot of people at different times in life.’”

Every song of the album represents part of Grant’s journey as a mother, wife, songwriter, and believer. Born in Augusta, GA and raised in Nashville, the youngest of four daughters, Grant began her career in her teens, a young singer/songwriter with a guitar and an intense desire to share her faith with the world. Her talent took her beyond contemporary Christian music circles and she became a mainstream pop star in the 80s, her crossover success opening the door for every Christian artist wanting to share their faith from a broader platform. From her chart-topping pop success with “Baby Baby” and “Every Heartbeat” to songs like “Father’s Eyes,” “Lead Me On” and “El Shaddai” that shaped the Christian music landscape to her recent No. 1 duet with Matthew West “Give This Christmas Away,” Grant’s artistry and integrity have placed her at the forefront of American music.

She could easily rest of her considerable laurels, but the dawning of a new decade finds her as passionate as ever. “It’s all about the idea,” she says. “I love the song ‘Better Than A Hallelujah.’ I love the opportunity to get to do a song with my daughter. I love the concept of Somewhere Down the Road. I am personally moved by the concept of our journey through life and because of all the years that have come before, I find myself in a unique and somewhat rare position to be able to sing about that journey, and that’s an opportunity I don’t want to miss.”

New Music for the week of March 1, 2010

2010-02-25T13:46:00.004-05:00

Love 89

Fee – Everything Falls

From The Album: Hope Rising

About Fee: There’s a wonderful paradox of freshness and familiarity, of high profile and humility, at work in the rocking praise band known as Fee. On one hand, the Atlanta quartet just arrived on the scene, releasing its debut album at the turn of 2008 and receiving a 2009 Dove Award nod for New Artist of the Year. On the other, founding member Steve Fee was on the ground floor of the popular Passion Conferences, leading worship at the student ministry’s first event (as a student himself) in 1997 and staying connected to the movement ever since. And although Fee has charted a self-penned No. 1 hit (“All Because of Jesus”) now sung in churches worldwide, many assume the tune belongs to another act that covered it not too long ago.

“After our shows, people come up to us and say, ‘Man, I love that Casting Crowns song you played,’” admits Steve with an unbothered laugh. “That’s totally fine with me. I just say, ‘Thanks, so do I.’”

Indeed, the only concern about glory among the guys in Fee is that it all goes to God alone. Steve and his band mates— guitarist Matt Adkins, bassist Heath Balltzglier, and drummer Brandon Coker—just want listeners to join the conversation about a praiseworthy Creator whose promises defy this chaotic world. That point is clear on their new project, Hope Rising, described by Group Magazine, paradoxically, as “the sort of anthemic, powerful worship album that makes you want to jump up and kneel at the same time.”

“We love the idea of doing a full-on show and being engaged in full-on worship all at once, so that people find themselves praising God,” says Steve. “We always want to paint a picture of Him with our music that is worthy of a massive response.”

The sound of Hope Rising is certainly massive, comparable in spirit to Chris Tomlin and in execution to Delirious? along with Fee’s own fresh elements of originality. Opening track “Rise and Sing” turns that familiar phrase up a notch, calling out for a stadium-sized physical and emotional response from all who’ve been touched by the Mercy King . . . if you were bound but now you’re free, rise and sing. First single “Glory to God Forever,” which has already topped the iTunes Christian and Gospel download chart, strikes a unique balance between the smoother approach of MercyMe and heavier playing of acts like Switchfoot.

“That song asks a huge thing of God: take my life and let it be all for You and for Your glory. And that’s so totally contrary to our culture,” explains Steve. “But I believe this song was already in everyone who hears it, because God created each of us to give glory to Him, and that’s why people are embracing it now.”

Addressing the gap between an innate sense to worship and the earthly things trying to break that instinct, “God Is Alive” boldly celebrates victory over darkness, singing: Death where is your sting? Sin has got no hold on me. The Holy One has overcome. This enthusiastic performance, marked by razor-like guitars, uncontainable drumming, and joyful group choruses, is a good example of why JesusFreakHideout.com calls Fee and Hope Rising “a cut above much of what you’ll find in worship music.”

“We are not a subtle band,” acknowledges Steve. “We want every song to contain a big idea, and we approach each one like we’re up to bat, the bases are loaded, and we want to knock it out of the universe.”

That being said, Hope Rising is perhaps even more defined by its softer, more vulnerable moments. “Everything Falls,” a remarkable mid-tempo ballad accented by piano, strings, and lyrics that titled the album, doesn’t deny the pain of human existence:

You said this life is going to shake me; this world is going to bring trouble on my soul.

When everything falls apart, Your arms hold me together. I find You mighty and strong.

Sorrow will last for a night, but hope is rising with the sun.

Just as direct and personal is “Arms That Hold the Universe,” a song the band completed after coming in close contact with a tragedy that made national headlines: the murder of Fred Winters, a local pastor who was killed last March while onstage at First Baptist Church in Maryville, Illinois.

“We saw the story on the news and realized we were scheduled to play a concert at that same church just five days later,” recalls Steve. “I had no clue what I would say to that audience, but God made it clear that I should tell them He is still in control.”

That truth is perfectly illustrated in the song by a seamless repositioning of words from “Amazing Grace” and the compelling use of well-known scripture (Psalm 46:10, Mark 4:39). And in a postscript that is testament to the outgoing heart of Fee, the guys have become friends of the Winters family, visiting when they are in the area and even once driving the late preacher’s young daughters to school in their tour bus.

Fee may be named after its lead singer and principal songwriter, but Steve is most excited when he talks about the fact that he, Matt, Heath, and Brandon “look, feel, act, and exist as a band . . . an amazing collection of brotherhood.” In context, these four men were lucky to find each other, first meeting at the 23,000-member North Point Community Church in Georgia where they still lead worship together at least once a month. Whether at home or on the road, their hope is to “not just be another worship band, but to blow the doors off the places we visit, to really connect people to God,” concludes Steve. “We are in a season of full-on intent. We get one shot at this life, and we want to turn it up as loud as it will go.”

That’s what is called rising to the occasion.

About The Song:

You said this life is going to shake me; this world is going to bring trouble on my soul.

When everything falls apart, Your arms hold me together. I find You mighty and strong.

Sorrow will last for a night, but hope is rising with the sun.

“Everything Falls,” a song the band completed after coming in close contact with a tragedy that made national headlines: the murder of Fred Winters, a local pastor who was killed last March while onstage at First Baptist Church in Maryville, Illinois.

In a postscript that is testament to the outgoing heart of Fee, the guys have become friends of the Winters family, visiting when they are in the area and even once driving the late preacher’s young daughters to school in their tour bus.

Steve Fee shares his heart behind the song:

Sweet Live Performance:

The Fee Blog

Sent By Ravens – Salt And Light

From Their Forthcoming album on Tooth And Nail Records

About Sent By Ravens:

Zach Vocals

Andy Guitar

JJ Guitar

Jamie Bass

Dane Drums

In scripture, the Biblical prophet Elijah was fed by ravens in the wilderness. God sent these unclean, often frowned upon birds to do His work. It was with this in mind that South Carolina's Sent By Ravens chose their name.

"It parallels with how we're all sinful people but we can still carry God's word to people," explains charismatic vocalist Zach Riner. And what a powerful medium they have at their disposal: high-energy rock and roll with punk passion and melodic pop skill, all from very humble beginnings. There are flashes of "heaviness" throughout, providing driving power, but Sent By Ravens overall sound is characterized by incredibly joyous and intelligent pop n' roll.

Just a couple of years ago, guitarist Andy O'Neal and bass player Jamie Windham used a much more modern technological means than ravens -- namely, the Internet -- to contact Zach about singing for their band. He was singing for another band in Georgia, but after some thought and some prayer, he decided to make the move. They invited Dane Anderson to move as well -- from Hawaii, no less -- after seeing a video of him playing an Underoath song on YouTube. "We sent him a message and he asked us if we needed a second guitar player, his buddy, JJ [Leonard]" Riner recalls. By the fall of 2008, Sent By Ravens was together as the unit they are now.

Sent By Ravens exceptionally memorable, deliciously catchy and overall uplifting rock n' roll brings to mind the best and brightest moments of bands like Finch, Blindside and Emery. Fitting, then, that that Emery's Matt Carter helped craft the band's debut album with producer Aaron Sprinkle (Underoath, The Almost). "This whole album -- we've gotten closer with God, together, as a band," declares Riner. "'New Fire,' for example, is about having a new fire lit in your heart. There's a big love theme through the whole album."

In a short amount of time, Sent By Ravens has accomplished a great deal. They were able to headline the House Of Blues in Myrtle Beach before even signing to a label. They've opened for and toured with bands as diverse as Every Time I Die, The Almost, Inhale Exhale, Family Force 5, Staind, Showbread and many more. Their self-released EP, The Effect of Fashion and Prayer, helped catch the attention of Tooth & Nail Records, who quickly signed them to a worldwide deal.

"We want to put this fire and this message for God in our hearts -- we want to share that with people," Riner says simply. "We want to share that God is real."

About The Song: Their debut single "Salt And The Light" “is a song about faith in God. Opening up to what God is doing in our lives and how he loves us for who we are. Even though we all go through times of brokenness and being weary in our faith, it is coming to the realization of the truth that God is everything that we need!" (Zach Riner - Lead Singer)

Audrey Assad - For Love Of You

From The Album Coming June 28 From Sparrow Records

THE BASICS

WHERE ARE YOU FROM? Scotch Plains, New Jersey

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WRITING & PLAYING MUSIC? Playing since I was 2, writing since I was 19.

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO SIGN WITH SPARROW & NOT JUST DO THE INDIE THING?

Years of thought, prayer, and counsel from the wise led me to the conclusion that for me, Sparrow was a friend and a supporter of what I needed and wanted to do. I was indie for seven years before I signed at Sparrow, so I had a lot of time to try it out and weigh my options. I’m confident I’ve made the right choice.

WHAT’S THE STORY BEHIND YOUR NEW SINGLE “FOR LOVE OF YOU”?

I wrote “For Love of You” with a friend and fellow songwriter, Ben Glover; the day before I went to his house for that writing session, I had seen this quote pop up in someone’s status update on Facebook (sophisticated, right? ;) I try...).

“...for Christ plays in ten thousand places;

Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not His

To the Father, in the features of men’s faces.”

It’s from a poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins entitled “Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places.” It really moved me, and I drew inspiration for the lyric directly from that thought; I did change the wording quite a bit but it was definitely a springboard...and we ended up with:

“You live in a million places;

Your fingerprints can be seen on a million faces;

and there’s a trace of You in every hallelujah, every song that I sing.”

I really feel like it’s true to the spirit of the poem.

TEN QUESTIONS

WHO WAS YOUR FAVORITE CELEBRITY AS A CHILD? I’d have to say Christopher Plummer; I had a crush on Captain Von Trapp from the “Sound of Music.” :)

WHAT DO YOU VALUE MOST IN LIFE? After my friendship with Christ, I value seeing and experiencing Christ in the people around me. At least, this is something I pray would be true of me...I don’t live up to it all the time.

WHAT IS MOST MEMORABLE FROM YOUR HIGHSCHOOL YEARS? I was home schooled in high school, and I remember working at one of my first jobs in Manhattan, NY when I was just sixteen years old...wide-eyed and gazing up at the buildings all the time...people watching in the Empire State Building.

WHAT THREE WORDS DESCRIBE YOU? Stubborn, creative, absent-minded.

IF YOU COULD LIVE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, WHERE WOULD YOU LIVE? Austria or Switzerland...melting pot of cultures and cuisines, and a lot of old European churches.

NAME 1 THING YOU MISS ABOUT BEING A KID. I miss swimming being the best thing ever, and playing games in the backyard in the summer till the fireflies came out.

IF YOU HAD TO CHANGE YOUR NAME, WHAT NAME WOULD YOU CHOOSE? Something that means “brave.” I believe in naming for meanings, and I wish I had more courage.

WHAT’S THE LAST SONG YOU LISTENED TO ON YOUR iPOD? “New Humanity” by Lisa Gungor.

IF YOU’RE DOING KARAOKE, WHAT SONG ARE YOU PICKING? Karaoke petrifies me! I have only done it once, about four years ago, and I sang some Sarah McLachlan song...now, if I did it again, I think I would stick to something more adventurous that I couldn’t possibly attempt to sing well...isn’t that the whole point?

READ ANY GOOD BOOKS LATELY? “Jesus of Nazareth” by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. Incredible work! Still not through it, actually.

WOULD YOU RATHER…

WOULD YOU RATHER BE ABLE TO HEAR ANY CONVERSATION OR TAKE BACK ANYTHING YOU SAY? If I could take back anything I say, I would have spoken in my life about half as much as I have in reality. So I pick that. :) I’ve said a lot of dumb things.

WOULD YOU RATHER BE ABLE TO STOP TIME OR FLY? Fly. Definitely fly. :)

WOULD YOU RATHER BE INVISIBLE OR BE ABLE TO READ MINDS? I would LOVE to be invisible sometimes...especially when I’ve just said the wrong thing or fallen down in front of people.

WOULD YOU RATHER END HUNGER OR HATRED? Hunger. Ending hatred is God’s territory, but stomachs can be fed by our hands.

GOOD BOOK OR GOOD MOVIE? Book. I couldn’t live without books...I have at least six big boxes of them, enough to fill two large bookcases...I’ve only read about half of them, at the most. One day I hope I’ll have read them all.

Life 88.3

Brandon Heath – Love Never Fails

From The Album – What If We

About the Song: “Love Never Fails” is all about 1 Corinthians 13. I know that audiences have heard this verse many, many times. But the truth is, “love never fails” is probably the most powerful line in the Bible. That’s what we are supposed to do as far as following Jesus and loving the Lord with all of our heart, mind and strength, but also loving our neighbor. We have to know that real love won’t fail us. If anything, 1 Corinthians 13 tells us how to love well. -- Brandon Heath

Jeremy Camp – Healing Hand Of God

From The Album: Speaking Louder Than Before

Behind The Song: "Healing Hand Of God" is a song close to Jeremy Camp's heart. "I was on the bus after a show one night, praying and asking the Lord if I should still share my testimony. My first wife battled cancer and went to be with Jesus in 2001 and I've shared my testimony of the Lord's faithfulness and healing through that many times. I was beginning to wonder if I should move on from there, but God reminded me throughout the years of all the stories that people have shared with me, but the comfort and hope that they have received from my testimony of how God had gotten me through the pain and hard times and how much I've seen God's faithfulness. Like it says in 2 Corinthians 1:3...That God comforts us in all our troubles and that we comfort one another with what we have been comforted by God. God is so faithful no matter what and He has restored and healed my heart and continues to. I never want to stop sharing about all that God has done in my life and the comfort we receive from Him, even in our brokenness and as the song says, "Hold on to what's being held out - the healing hand of God."' (Jeremy Camp)

Caleb Rowden – All I Need Is You

From The Album – Until Everyone Is Free (Out March 23)

About Caleb - United States General Eric Shinseki once said, ‘If you don't like change, you're going to like irrelevance even less.’

This quote pushes me to my edge every time I hear it. Change can be painful. Change can take us to a place we never thought we would go. Change can stretch us to our breaking point. But as this quote clearly states, the alternative is simply not acceptable.

My name is Caleb Rowden. I am a husband, worship pastor, and musician. I have traveled the United States over the past 10 years telling people how messed up my life was before I met Jesus, and how amazing my life is now because of my personal encounter with a loving God. I still mess up. I still make mistakes. But I know God’s grace and love are bigger than my faults, and I want to do everything in my power to make sure the world around me know the same is true for them.

In 2005, I released my debut record, ‘Free from Ordinary’ on Slanted Records/WEA Distribution. We were fortunate to see two of the songs crack the top 30 on the national Radio and Records Christian AC chart, with one song [‘Made’] peaking at 12. I have always prayed that God would open the right doors and I would stay in step with Him and know when it was time to walk through. Having my songs on the radio certainly opened some big doors for us. We had the honor of playing alongside a crew of top-notch artists...Casting Crowns, MercyMe, Skillet, David Crowder Band, Kirk Franklin, and many more. We literally saw hundreds of people make decisions to follow Christ, and many others re-commit to a life of all out abandonment to their Savior. But for me it just wasn’t enough. I felt like I was missing something.

In January 2007, I accepted an invitation to join the staff at my home church, Christian Chapel in Columbia, MO. My role was to lead worship and create dynamic, relevant experiences where people could encounter God. As I began to transition to less travel and more time at my home church, I ﬁnally realized what was missing...my passion. I had become so comfortable with getting on a stage and singing praise to my God that it literally became a habit. It wasn’t something I did because I was cornered by the goodness of God’s love for me. I did it because it was my occupation. I did it because it paid the bills.

Week after week, month after month...sitting under great teaching and being a part of a fellowship that is making a difference in their world taught me a lot of new things. Things that I’m not sure I would have learned out on the road full-time. I was introduced [again] to the importance of relational connections among believers and pre-believers. I was reminded again that God’s presence doesn’t take days off. I was reminded that God can move in a way that our planning and preparation would never have allowed for. And I was reminded why I get up on stage. Because for some reason that I will never even begin to grasp, God called me to share the wonder of His goodness through music.

That is why you are reading this as a ﬁrst person biography. No fancy writers. No Communication degrees here. Just a guy, his guitar, and his heart and soul laid out on the line for the world to see. I was drawn to music because of its ability to reach people right where they are, and it is that fact that has drawn me back again.

This summer, we will release our sophomore record ‘Until Everyone is Free’. Musically, it is a step in a new direction. We have enlisted the talent of Seattle-based producer Brian Eichelberger [Barcelona] for these new recordings. Brian brings a fresh, un-altered view to producing ‘Christian’ songs that I haven’t seen or heard before. Along with the help of some of Seattle’s ﬁnest musicians, we have crafted a record full of songs that are real. Songs that have come out of my personal journey of faith. In times past, I often leaned toward doubt...you will see that in these songs. At other times, I am so overwhelmed by God’s grace in my life it deﬁes description...you will see that in these songs.

We are all real people with real problems searching for real answers. I am not naive enough to think that one listen to a song of mine can undo years of pain this world has thrown at you. But I am certain that one encounter with a gracious and merciful God can. It is my prayer that these songs will play a part in seeing you take your next step with Christ.

This is a new season for me. A season of growth, a season of renewed passion, and a season of change. I invite you to take this journey with me...a journey toward God. It will at times be uncomfortable and difﬁcult, but it will be worth every second. It’s not about a band or a new record or a song. It’s about giving back all we can to the One who gave all He had. We are His mouthpiece. We are his words in action, and we cannot and should not rest ‘Until Everyone is Free’.

Behind The Song: All I Need is You’, the new single from singer/songwriter Caleb Rowden, is sure to connect with people right where they’re at. Given the current economic climate and uncertainty still looming, the call for believers to place their hope and trust in the hands of their creator becomes all-the-more- important. This song highlights that challenge, communicating an urgency to rest in the hands of God.

“Gold to rust, treasure to dust, I know that all I need is you. When everything fades, your love stays the same, I know that all I need is you.”

Written by Caleb with the help of brothers Ricky and Ran Jackson, 2/3 of the LA based band ‘The Daylights’ [toured with OneRepublic, Katy Perry], the heart behind the song was to simply communicate a belief in the promise of God, especially in tough times. ‘It’s not hard to have faith in easy times, but much more difficult to believe in the midst of uncertainty,’ Caleb adds. ‘Our call to unchanging belief in God and His plan doesn’t change because our bank account is not where we want it to be or we are without a job...all we need is God...period. That’s the heart behind this song.’

The Story:

Free Stuff From Caleb:

New Music for the week of 2-22-10

2010-02-22T11:45:00.006-05:00

Love 89

Tenth Avenue North – Healing Begins

From their forthcoming new album: Light Meets Dark

About the song: This is a call to let your walls fall down, let your masks fall down, let your pretense fall down because guess what. Your walls are glass anyway. We can see through them. You are fighting a losing battle and this is where the healing begins when you let the light expose the darkness. -- Mike Donehey

Toby Mac – Get Back Up

Form The Album: Tonight

About the song and Toby:

The ascension of TobyMac’s solo career has been nothing short of spectacular. In an era of declining music sales he has consistently defied the odds and has seen his sales increase with each new album release. This is no small feat. With his fourth studio album TONIGHT set to release on Feb. 9, he is poised to take things higher yet again.

Having climbed the mountain once with the group dcTalk (4 Grammys, more than 8 million albums sold), TobyMac knows how difficult the journey can be and how much work the process actually takes. Rarely does an artist get to soar to great heights for a second time, but soar he has. He took home his first Grammy as a solo artist last year after receiving Grammy nominations for each of his first three solo projects (Momentum, Welcome To Diverse City, Portable Sounds). And last year TobyMac topped 2 million in total albums sold during his solo career. He has done it with a combination of talent, hard work and humility which has produced songs that resonate with people from all walks of life .

Upon embarking on his solo career, Toby sought to surround himself with a talented and diverse cast of characters, aptly named the Diverse City Band. The result has been a musical fusion that radiates with an unquenchable energy and a penetrating message.

A self-professed perfectionist when making records—he’s been known to relentlessly tweak and massage every little thing in an inexorable effort to make it sound better—Toby is the first to admit that he has to work really hard to make great music. “That’s what drives me,” he says. “I feel like I have to work harder than other people to get there. Sometimes I feel like I’m slightly under-gifted; I usually don't sit down and write a great song in just a few minutes like others can. But I think my work ethic makes up for that.”

Starting with dcTalk, and then going solo when the group disbanded in 2000, Toby still clings to such rootsy notions as hard work, persistence, patience and—perhaps most relevant of all—the power of music, which he insists is still what keeps him going.

“It’s the truth,” he says. “I still believe that a song can penetrate a heart. I believe God can use a song to open someone’s mind and heart. Other songs can just drop what I call, 'the joy bomb' on somebody. I fight really hard to remain unjaded—to keep believing that you can actually walk into a studio and write a song that breathes life. That’s the hardest fight for a guy who’s been doing this for a while; it’s easy to fall into the trap of just making it your job. But I still believe that songs matter.”

The songs on TONIGHT certainly matter—everything from the prayerful first single “City On Our Knees” to the testimonial “Changed Forever,” from the worshipful “Captured” to the confessional “Start Somewhere,” and even down to the put-on-your-party-hat grooves of “Funky Jesus Music” and “ShowStopper.” One theme that runs loud and clear throughout is the idea that we all need God, and we need him now—this morning, this afternoon, tonight.

“Right here, right now / Under the stars / I promise You my heart / ’Cause it starts tonight,” Toby sings on the chorus of the title track. “If you gotta start somewhere why not here? If you gotta start sometime why not now?” he asks on “City on Our Knees.” And “I wanna straighten this before the sun goes down tonight,” he proclaims on “Start Somewhere.”

“There’s definitely a sense of urgency on this record,” says co-producer Chris Stephens, who has worked on TobyMac’s last three CDs. “And it’s an album that speaks of unity, of coming together and finding common ground to worship God.”

Toby has long had a passion for racial reconciliation and unity, a recurrent theme in his music. TONIGHT includes songs of reconciliation of another kind—between husband and wife. Toby and Amanda have been happily married for 15 years, but like all couples, it can be hard work sometimes. For Toby, who best expresses his emotions through music, it was a natural step to write about it. In “Hold On,” he sings, “If you move just a little bit closer / You can put your head on my shoulder . . . / Wipe away those tears / This one’s for you.” And on “Start Somewhere,” he’s downright confessional: “I said some things that I regret / And if I could, I’d take ’em back / But here I am, and there you are / The space between us is not so far / I’m reaching out my hand in love.”

“‘Hold On’ is very personal,” Toby says. “Many lines are there to encourage my wife, but I know those lines could encourage anybody in a relationship. As for ‘Start Somewhere,’ any time you’re in love with somebody, you’re going to bang heads from time to time. I don’t know how many times I’ve been lying in bed, sweating it out and thinking, How am I going to make this right? But then you reach that moment of apology and forgiveness. That’s one of my favorite songs on the record; it’s a personal perspective on confrontation and reconciliation.”

And then there’s “Wonderin’,” in which Toby reminisces about the past with Kevin Max and Michael Tait in dcTalk, one of Christian music’s biggest acts in the 1990s. “We was ridin’ in style, clockin’ them miles / With the songs that He put down deep in our hearts . . . / I’m wonderin’ ’bout the way I spend my days / Wonderin’ if it’s even worth the chase / Wonderin’ if they’re stealin’ me from you.”

“It’s just a warm look back at dc Talk,” says Toby, almost wistfully. “It’s reminiscing about Michael and Kevin and what we did together, and recognizing their influence on me. I love what I do today, but there are times when I wonder,What if we stayed together? I’ve got these dreams I’m pursuing now, but are they stealing me from you? I think about Kevin and Michael on every song I write. That's the truth man, we climbed a mountain together.”

Sonically, TONIGHT is typical TobyMac in many ways—an eclectic mix of rap, rock, pop and funk, all laden with catchy hooks and melodies just itching for airplay and audience singalongs. There’s even a healthy dose of reggae on the album closer “Break Open the Sky,” where Toby flexes his Jamaican family ties while Israel Houghton provides guest vocals. Other visiting vocalists include Skillet’s John Cooper on “Tonight” and Relient K’s Matthew Thiessen on “Wonderin’.”

Of course most of the vocals belong to the artist himself. Stephens says Toby “has stretched himself as a vocalist, he writes about things he is passionate about and his vocals reflect that urgency''. Toby agrees: “I do more singing on this record than ever before. I’m learning to use my vocal instrument in different ways, and I’m getting more comfortable with it everyday''.

It all adds up to a project that reflects one man’s desire to push himself beyond “very good,” to dig deep in the quest for that other country where greatness resides. He certainly reached for it. Hard.

“I’ve worked very hard not to fall into the trap of making this just a gig,” he says. “If it is a labor, it’s a labor of love. I know music can’t change the world, but who says God can't speak through a song."

Right here, right now. TONIGHT.

Francessca Battistelli – Beautiful, Beautiful

From The Album: My Paper Heart Deluxe Edition

About Franny:

“We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”—E.M. Forester

So, what do you want to be when you grow up?

It’s a question that takes many people years and years of trial and error and self-discovery to figure out. But for singer/songwriter Francesca Battistelli, her mind was made up when she was only six years old. After seeing “The Secret Garden” on Broadway with her parents, the decision was ultimately a no-brainer. “There was just something about live theater—especially musical theater—that has always resonated with me,” Francesca says. “So I thought that was it. I was going to be Mary Lennox in ‘The Secret Garden’.”

Of course for anyone who knew her family, Francesca’s passion for life on the stage wasn’t all that surprising, given her mom and dad’s extensive theater background. In fact, they met when her dad was the assistant conductor for the national tour of “The King and I,” while her mom played Anna, the show's female lead opposite Yul Brynner.

Like any girl with dreams of grandeur, Francesca knew carving out her own path in the ultra-competitive arts world wasn’t going to be easy. But with her Broadway aspirations in the back of her mind and an insatiable work ethic, she stayed focused. Instead of signing up for the typical extracurriculars like cheerleading or sports, Francesca’s life revolved around dance classes and musical theater training.

And when Francesca was 15, she put her skills to good use in an all-girl mainstream pop group in Orlando, an experience that helped pave the way for what she does today. “We traveled all over and performed at Hard Rock Live and House of Blues a couple of times,” Francesca recalls. “It was good for what it was because it tied together two things I loved: singing and dancing.”

But when the gig eventually ended, Francesca says she was thankful for an opportunity to clear her head. “Not long after, I recharged my batteries by going to this youth ministry that I

absolutely loved,” Francesca shares. “It was there where the Lord really captured my heart for Christian music. I started playing guitar and really longed to bring something authentic to the scene that even non-Christians could listen to.”

Armed with her passion for writing and hope for a hurting world, Francesca put pen to paper and crafted heartfelt, personal reflections on life and faith for what’s now her major-label

debut, My Paper Heart. Inspired by everyone from the jazz greats her dad introduced her to as a kid, to contemporaries like John Mayer, Sara Bareilles and Nichole Nordeman, Francesca set out to write “soulful pop music that someone pops in the morning and says, ‘Now I can start my day, I feel encouraged.’”

One of the first tracks Francesca wrote upon moving to Nashville, her first single “I’m Letting Go,” not only highlights Francesca’s expressive vocals but her overarching desire to encourage her peers not to settle for anything less than what God has for them.

“I’d just moved to Nashville, and I was sort of letting go of everything that someone can at 22 years old,” Francesca shares. “And it’s far better and different in more ways than I could’ve

expected. There’s a line in the song that says ‘I feel like I’m falling/And that’s what it’s like to believe.’ Walking in faith is like free-falling, yet that’s the best place to be. But so many of us are afraid to do that.”

On the title track, Francesca tackles another universal fear—the fragility of the human heart. “This has been the hardest, scariest, most rewarding year of my life. I have known sorrow, and I have known joy,” she shares. “God has spoken quietly the words of His heart, and He has shown me colors in the grayest hues of winter. He has sung songs over me in solitude, and He has never let go of my fragile, paper heart. He knows every corner of it—the tattered, torn, and untouched places. He knows the songs that move it, the words that pierce it, and the people He uses to change it. I am forever safe in His hands.”

And while pouring out your heart doesn’t always come easy for some, the songwriting process has been both cathartic and fun for Francesca. Describing it as “the most fun she’s ever had professionally,” Francesca’s enthusiasm can’t help but find its way into her music. In fact, whether she’s talking about the spirited, funk-laden title track or the buoyant, accept-yourself-as-you-are anthem “Free to Be Me,” Francesca bookends her commentary with “I really love this song. It’s so much fun to sing.” And that pervasive joy, along with Francesca’s adventurous musicianship and relatable songwriting make My Paper Heart an impressive debut.

But even more important to Francesca than offering up a collection of catchy songs for the masses is speaking a message of truth and purpose.

“Ultimately, I want to be an encouragement as an artist and a fellow believer,” Francesca says. “The Lord has continually called me to do things that are outside my comfort zone, whether it was accompanying myself on guitar for the first time in front of seasoned players or packing up and moving to Nashville last year knowing hardly anybody. Still, He's never left me, and He constantly shows me that it's worth it. I have parents who pray and encourage me to be bold and to take bold steps for Christ. I don’t think that’s common enough in the Christian culture. We have these big dreams, but many aren’t willing to take the steps to go after them. Yet this is the moment. We’re not promised tomorrow. So today’s the day.”

*Music City Unites For Haiti – Come Together Now

Come Together Now - Music City Unites For Haiti from Provident Label Group on Vimeo.

Life 88.3

Phil Wickham – Safe

From The Album: Heaven and Earth

About the Song: The message of 'Safe' relates to many and never gets old. It speaks out to those that are hurting, those that are going through tough things in their lives. It's a reminder that the God who brought sight to the blind and brought the lame to their feet is the same God who holds you in His arms today. It's my sincere prayer that the simple message of 'Safe' would resonate in people's hearts. I wrote it after a moving conversation I had with a man who told me his story. It was a story of God's faithfulness during a struggling time, and how God can turn things that seem so grim into things that give Him glory. I'd love to tell it to you personally sometime. Anyways, think of all those that Jesus healed and saved while He was on earth from great tragedy, sickness, and even death. It gave people all the more reason to praise Him!

I am so honored that Bart Millard, who has become a good friend and is the lead singer of MercyMe, is a guest vocalist on 'Safe!' This wasn't planned, it just kind of happened and I'm thrilled with the result. In a way, Bart gave me my start so to speak, when he believed enough in what the Lord was doing through my music to take me out on a MercyMe tour when I was just starting out. Now, three albums later, it was an amazing feeling to bring him into my sphere of things. I'm always amazed with how good that guy can sing!" - Phil Wickham

Laura Story and Catalyst Music Project – What A Savior

From The Album: Catalyst Music Project

Info to know:

We value the local church.

We value songs that move our generation.

We value songwriters, musicians and worship leaders.

We value the next generation of worship.

INO Records and Catalyst, a leadership development organization, believed it was time to let the Church show us what songs are impacting this generation.

So we put the call out to worship leaders and songwriters all over the country to submit the home-grown songs that are already impacting lives in the local church. Over 500 churches participated. 300 worship leaders submitted 750 songs. The powerful result was Catalyst Music Project – available on iTunes now and in stores this March. Catalyst Music Project brings the songs of the people to the people like never before, and gives a platform to the best of the best of today’s innovative local church.

One of those songs is “What A Savior,” written by Jeremiah Jones, a worship leader and songwriter at Radius Church in Columbia, SC. Performed by Laura Story, “What A Savior” goes for adds at AC/INSPO January 15.

Find out LOTS more here: http://buzzplant.com/catalyst/ecard1/

*Both Stations are playing “Come Together Now” This week