Jesusfreakhideout.com Music News: August 2001

August, 2001

*Friday, August 31st, 2001*

A new boy band is at the helm of the #1 spot on MTV's TRL ("Total Request Live"), but these are the boys of rock. P.O.D. de-throned N'sync with their new video "Alive." Congratulations guys!

CCM Update reports that Hugh Robinson is the new vice president of Squint Entertainment. Steve Taylor, the only member of the Squint family not laid off when it was bought by Word Entertainment is in negotiations with another label. The label will keep it's same mission goal as well as Sixpence None the Richer, L.A. Symphony, Waterdeep, and others and also move some of Word’s artists to Squint. New artists will also be added as well as a new staff. L.A. Symphony’s new album has been pushed to early 2002 and there is also no word on Sixpence None the Richer's new album, which is done. PfR may or may not be departing the label also due to having signed a recording contract directly with Taylor.

Chevelle has a new home. The band has signed with Epic Records and their new album will be out in February. Coincidently, The Juliana Theory also signed with Epic recently.

Since when do the words "We Caught You Plotting Murder" ever have a positive connotation. Well, they do now. Andrew Schwab, lead singer of Project 86, has now made his book of writings of the same name available to the public. Get this great book only at www.project86.com

Pillar will soon be recording Pillar: All Day, Everyday On the Road the video. It will feature the band's life on the road, testimonies, concert footage, interviews, and the "Open Your Eyes" video. They are also taking videos of a "Pillar Fanatic." The winner has to be the biggest Pillar fan out there. Is that you??

Jaci Velasquez is now the spokeswoman for John Frieda Frizz-Ease. This is a two million dollar ad campaign featuring Velasquez in different forms of advertisements. The ads have been running in Spanish communities.

The little youngsters of Jump5 will be on the Radio Disney Jams: Volume 4 album. Check it out on September 25th.

*Monday, August 20th, 2001*

TONIGHT!! Check out P.O.D.'s brand new video will debut on Total Request Live on MTV. The band will be there to world premiere "Alive" and sure to go to mtv.com and vote for this monster hit! The band announced this exciting news at the Purple Door festival on Saturday where they rocked the house and shared several new songs with the crowd from their new album Satellite, releasing September 11th!

We have more family news from the Audio Adrenaline camp! Bob Herdman, former AA band member and current President of Flicker Records and his wife recently welcomed home their third child, Walker. Also, AA band manager, Scott Brickell and his wife are now parents of a healthy baby girl, Sarah Grace, who was born this week! Congrats to the proud new parents!

Rebecca St. James’ “Wait For Me” tour is starting off with a bang! Tickets for her upcoming West Palm Beach show sold out on the first day of sale!! By the end of the day, they fulfilled 1500 ticket orders for a building that seats 2000, and have many orders left to fulfill so they are certain that it is sold out. Rebecca and her band are currently spending a little time in the studio working on the first three songs for Rebecca’s upcoming studio worship project, due out in 2002.

This week, Kevin Max’s first solo single, “Be” is a CCM Update Chartbuster. Here’s an interesting little fact: The song “Her Game” on Stereotype Be was inspired by the popular video game Tomb Raider! Check out what we thought of Stereotype Be right here! The album graces shelves on August 28th.

Gotee Records' Grammy-nominated recording artist Jennifer Knapp recently premiered songs from her highly anticipated November 20 release, The Way I Am, to a standing-room-only crowd at New York's Mercury Lounge. A masterfully recorded singer-songwriter project, The Way I Am was recorded in New York, produced by Tony McAnany (Madonna, Missy Elliot, Sinead O’Connor) and co-produced by Knapp. All twelve Knapp-penned songs shimmer with such musical and lyrical depth, that the project immediately attracted an all-star cast of world-renowned musicians. The list includes Jeremy Lubbock (Michael Jackson, Madonna, Barbara Streisand) on string arrangements with the London Symphony Orchestra, Vinnie Cauliuta (Sting, Frank Zappa) on drums, and Tony Levin (Tracy Chapman, Peter Gabriel, Paul Simon) on bass, to name a few. The Way I Am is Knapp's third recording, having already sold one million units of her previous projects, Kansas (1998) and Lay It Down (1999).

We are the Alien Youth and if you need physical proof of this then go to AlienYouth.com. You can download Skillet's brand new for their new song video entitled "Alien Youth". Don't forget to check out lead singer John Cooper's "Invincible" clothing line, coming soon. Alien Youth hits shelves August 28th. For a review and sound clips, please visit our review here!

On September 2nd and 3rd, don't miss Jerry Lewis and Dean Lampa, I mean Rachel Martin, no it's Rachel Lampa! She will be helping out for the Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon. Jaci Velasquez will also be on hand at the show that is televised across the nation.

Praise the Lord! Glen is back with Christifari! He is with the band once again after a month long healing process from a car accident where he was badly burned.

There will be many familiar faces on the Nov./Dec. cover of HM Magazine. Relient K and Five Iron Frenzy will both be on the front page with pictures from the Inside Out Soul Festival at Lincoln, NH. Also, in sort of Relient K news, Matthew Thiessen & the Earthquakes are almost here. The lead singer of RK and his own band will have a song on the BEC's Happy Christmas 3 album entitled "I Hate Christmas Parties." This will show his love for the piano with a Ben Folds Five meets Beach Boys flavor about who a girl gave him a broken heart as a Christmas present.

Be sure to check out The Third Degree Tour this fall. Beanbag, Hangnail, Thousand Foot Crutch, and Side Walk Slam will start the 30 city tour on October 5th.

Paul Donovan has "Dryve-n" to another band. The former singer and songwriter from Dryve has formed a new band called Mercury Switch. More info to come soon.

Ardent Records' compilation CD, See You At The Pole, hit store shelves last Tuesday! The compilation features the 2001 See You At The Pole (SYATP) theme "Telling Everyone" written and performed by former Big Tent Revival frontman, Steve Wiggins. Also included on the project are previously unreleased tracks from Skillet, Brother's Keeper, All Together Separate, and new artist, Before You Breathe. The 2001 annual prayer event is set for September 19th. Click here to hear selections from the See You At The Pole record!

Stacie Orrico showed her patriotic side this weekend. She performed the National Anthem at the Minnesota Twins game on Sunday, in Minneapolis. You can also catch her performing it tonight, as the Green Bay Packers take on the Denver Broncos.

He's BACK! Yes, the string of artists returning to music keeps growing! MC Hammer will release the Autobiography of MC Hammer through his own record label as well as a DVD of videos and dance instructions. He has recently been preaching through a television show on TBN.

CCMmagazine.com reports that Jaci Velasquez will do a photo shoot and interview for Sophisticate's Hairstyle Guide magazine. This reaches over one million readers nationwide. Also look for her remarkable first Christmas album, entitled Christmas to hit shelves on September 18th!

.rod Laver is In A Perfect World... with BEC Recordings. The hard rockin band recently signed with the label and their new album will be coming shortly. Andre Wahl, the producer, has helped out artists such as Project 86 and Luti-Kriss.

If you're ever shopping in Abercrombie and Fitch, you may hear a familiar song. "Hey, Hey" by The Elms is apparently on the store's satellite radio loop and is heard across the country. You can snag your own copy of the song by picking up their latest album Big Surprise.

Twila Paris will release her Greatest Hits: Time and Again on September 11th. You can look forward to 15 classics and 3 new songs. The Twila Paris & Friends Tour will begin October 4th. Out of the Grey, who is also featured on Twila's tour, is returning to the music scene with the release of their first album in four years, entitled 6.1. The album joins a long list of other great releases and hits shelves August 28th.

Congrats go out to Andy Selness of Go Fish. He was recently married. Don't forget to buy their debut cd Infectious on August 28th.

The Huntingtons song "Mutant Monster Beach Party" is going to be played on an upcoming episode of NBC's Just Deal show. As soon as we know the air date we'll let you know.

*Monday, August 13th, 2001*

40 Days with God, Rebecca St. James's first devotional book, has been Re-Issued! The new edition includes five all-new bonus devotionals! You can read these new devotionals in the Spirit section of the RSJ official website! Rebecca is currently in the studio working on a new worship album to be released next year. And as if that weren't enough, her official newsletter mentioned that she had a meeting recently with some script writers about some potential film ideas. Hmmm...

Audio Adrenaline shared four tracks from their new album titled Lift with the staff of ForeFront, including the title track, "Glory," and the new single, "Beautiful." The guys just completed their photo shoot for the album cover in LA where they were hoisted by cables over crowds of people. The guys are still sore from the hours they spent dangling in the air! The first single from Lift, “Beautiful,” will be hitting radio on August 24. We snagged a listen to the new tune, and it rocks! "Beautiful" is upbeat with a great groove. It's different for the guys, but good nonetheless! Lift will release November 20th.

U.S. Delirious fans will be pleased to know that the band has released their 4th studio album to the UK masses. Audio:Lessonover has been released in the UK, and a free mp3 is currently available at mp3.com. But don't fret that the album is only available in the UK. Acorndirect.co.uk is currently offering the album to be shipped to the U.S! Check out the site and pick up the latest from Delirious!

The Normals have just begun work on the follow-up to their Dove nominated album, Coming To Life. The band has brought back Coming To Life producer Malcolm Burn (Emmylou Harris, Better Than Ezra, Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel) to produce the new project, which is being recorded in upstate New York. The band enters the studio with more than 40 potential songs. The Normals will wrap up recording in late August and perform spot dates throughout the fall. The as-yet-untitled new album will be released in early 2002.

The second of the three solo projects from the members of dc talk is about to hit stores. Stereotype Be from Kevin Max releases everywhere August 28. The early bird gets the worm, or in this case the extended CD booklet for Stereotype Be. A limited number of CDs will include a 32-page booklet that will feature more photos from Kevin's latest photo shoot that you can't find anywhere else. After the first few are gone, the remaining number of CDs will include a smaller, 16-page booklet. For the Jesusfreakhideout.com review of Stereotype Be, click here!

Following in the footsteps of their two gold-selling Petra Praise projects, Christian rock music pioneer and multiple Grammy award winning group, Petra, is finishing recording their next project, Revival. Produced by Jason Halbert and Dwayne Larring (All Around the World, former members of SONICflood), the praise project is set for release on new label home, inpop records, on November 20th. This makes the band¹s 19th studio album in a career that has spanned over 3 decades.

Essential Records' pop group True Vibe recently spent a "day off" during its tour with multi-platinum selling youngster Aaron Carter to attend the Cincinnati Reds vs. Cleveland Indians major league baseball game. The group is pictured performing the national anthem at the nearly 53,000-seat Cinergy Field in Cincinnati prior to the July 13 match up between the Reds and the Indians. After watching the Indians win the game 5-1, True Vibe posed with player Eddie Taubensee, who was the first Reds catcher in over four decades to bat over .300.

tobyMac's Momentum keeps picking up force as its release date keeps getting pushed back. The highly anticipated solo album from dc Talk's Toby McKeehan will tentatively release November 20th alongside Audio Adrenaline's Lift.

*Wednesday, August 1st, 2001*

Award-winning and multi-platinum-selling artist Jaci Velasquez is set to release her first-ever Christmas recording, entitled simply, Christmas, on September 18. The long-awaited project from one of Christian and Latin music's brightest stars will appear both in English and in Spanish. In support of the new record, Velasquez will also embark on a nationwide Jaci Velasquez Christmas tour beginning at the end of November. Explains Velasquez, "For my ideal Christmas album, I wanted to record the songs I have always loved, done in their original arrangements, to make an album that will sound good now but will also sound good years from now." Some of these classic arrangements include: "White Christmas," "I'll Be Home for Christmas," and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," and reverent renditions of traditional carols such as "O Little Town of Bethlehem," "The First Noel," "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear," and "Silent Night."

Fono's finally making news again. Fono opened for the Goo Goo Dolls on tour, but now they're hitting the studio with them as well. Robby Takac of the Dolls invited the guys to record at his new studio in LA. Though the Goo Goo Dolls have been busy promoting their new "greatest hits" CD, Robby has agreed to take time out of his busy schedule to produce Fono's new material. The new tracks will be available for download through Fono.net when completed. The sessions are scheduled to begin late August. Also, be on the look out for Fono's music on MTV's "Road Rules" show. The show's music supervisor contacted the band after hearing their new material online and immediately hooked the band up for the new series.

No more Sugarbear for dc Talk. Ardent-Enthusiant.com reports that fan favorite, bass player, co producer; Otto Price; will leave the band to spend more time with family and to produce. The JfH wishes good luck to Otto on his future endeavors.

Relient K has pressed on for another new video. They recently finished their video for their new song "Pressing On," directed by Darren Doane. He has worked with the likes of Blink 182, MxPx, Jimmy Eat World, as well as the Supertones.

Delirious?, the OC Supertones, Skillet, Relient K, Earthsuit, and Eli have all been confirmed for appearance at Sonfest 2002, a festival in Australia next January. It's possible there will be more bands too. Australian fans are really looking forward to it, since last year's Sonfest was a huge success, with the Newsboys, Audio Adrenaline, and Third Day headlining. See http://www.sonfest.com for more details.

To add to the "Radio Disney Live! World Tour 2001" news, pop youngsters Jump5 have been added to the lineup. Check out their new single, 'Spinnin' Around,' out now.

SHINEmk have formed a charity. They have started Shine Trust which will help spread the Gospel for teens.

Wanna spend a day with Plus One? Well, Armour's Lunchmakers snack packs wants to help. They will feature the band on five million packages of the food product. The winner will spend a day with Plus One in the winner's town and also $1000 spending money.

The reason for P.O.D's new release being pushed from August 28th to September 11th has been told. Atlantic Records told HM Magazine that the delay was due to MTV promising a week long promotion for their new cd. The next cover of HM will be a P.O.D. Special Collectors' Issue with each member on a different cover with the title "P.O.D.: The Most Important Rock Band Today."

Fleming & John recently helped mainstream artist Ben Folds on his latest solo project entitled Rockin' The Suburbs. Josh Ashworth, lead singer for hard rock band Society's Finest has left the band to have more time with his family. The band is not finished though. More information will come soon.