Jesusfreakhideout.com Music News: February 2001

February, 2001

*Saturday, February 24, 2001*

NEWSFLASH! As if PfR's reuniting wasn't enough, all of the original boys formally from Poor Old Lu have gotten the vibe to release a new album and tour a little again. The band signed on Tooth and Nail and will be releasing a new project sometime this year. Here's a statement from the group themselves on their official website (www.pooroldlu.com): "Yep, that's right... a NEW album. What's that mean? New songs? Yep. Some shows? Yep. Does this mean that PoorOldLu is back together? Not really. It's not our intention to keep things going necessarily. We feel strongly about putting out a new album *and* we know that it's only sensible to play some shows in support of the new album."

One of the most ultimate tours could be conquering a city near you real soon. The Con Dios Festival tour features some of the biggest names in Christian music! The May and June lineup of the tour will include the Newsboys, Audio Adrenaline, the O.C. Supertones, the Normals, Earthsuit, the Elms, Benjamin's Gate, Cadet, Superhic[k], and Pillar. The lineup for the dates in September is: Newsboys, Audio Adrenaline, the O.C. Supertones, Switchfoot, PAX 217, Tree 63, Earthsuit, Luna Halo, Benjamin's Gate, Superchic[k], and Fat Chance. The tour, which is presented by Newsboys' management company First Company Management, JAM Productions, Creative Artists Agency, and Brickhouse Entertainment, will hit stadium and shopping-mall parking lots, and include featured speakers and such activities as extreme sports motorcycle jumping, skateboarding on a half pipe, wall climbing, trampoline bungee jumping, and more! In addition, a Village area will include food vendors, interactive games, and other attractions, and a "break-out" tent for group meetings with youth leaders. The completely portable venue includes a 300-foot stage.

Sparrow Records superstar, Carman, will make his film debut with Carman: The Champion on March 2nd. Written by and starring Carman himself, this movie will be released in 350 theatres over the country.

Kevin Max's debut solo album will be titled London Cowboy. Max's record, as well as Toby McKeehan's solo effort and the Tait Band (Michael Tait that is), are to be released by Forefront Records this fall.

*Wednesday, February 21, 2001 (LATE Update)*

NEWSFLASH! "And the winners are".......Petra and Jars of Clay! The Grammy for Best Rock Gospel Album went to Petra with Double Take. Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album went to Jars of Clay with If I Left The Zoo. After receiving their award, Jars of Clay completed interviews with numerous media on hand at the award show, including: The Late Show With David Letterman, Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Access Hollywood, CNN, TV Guide Channel and more. "We are honored, among all the talent nominated for the award, to have won the Grammy," said Stephen Mason, Jars of Clay. "I hope that we can take away some of the apathy that has taken control of modern music and help others make positive choices in life. We continue to be inspired by the messages of truth." Mason also added, "We dedicate this award to Cassie Bernall, and all those standing up for truth." This is the band's second Grammy. Their first was awarded in 1997 for their platinum-selling recording, Much Afraid. The band also received a Grammy nomination for Rock/Gospel Album of the Year in 1995 for their RIAA certified double Platinum and self-titled debut.

*Wednesday, February 21, 2001 (Morning Update)*

Congratulations to lead singer, Jon Foreman (photo), of Switchfoot for winning the Les Paul Horizon Award for "Most Promising Up-And-Coming Guitarist!" This is a great achievement and it's exciting to see Jon win this! Also, congrats to Matt Odmark (photo) of Jars of Clay for winning the "Best (Male) Acoustic Guitarist" award! (Pictured are the guys after they won their awards)

*Wednesday, February 21, 2001*

It's been a record year for Christian music sales. A Christmas Story by Point of Grace has achieved a Gold certification for sales in excess of 500,000 units in just over one year. This is their fifth Gold certification for the band as well as their platinum selling Life, Love, & Other Mysteries. Heavenly Place, the debut from Jaci Velasquez in 1996, has received Platinum certification for selling one million units. Zoegirl has just become the fastest selling debut artist ever for Sparrow Records. The ladies sold over 100,000 cd's and cassettes in only four months.

Embodyment will be entering the studio in the coming months to record their follow-up to The Narrow Scope of Things.

Futhermore's "Fluorescent Jellyfish" will be used as background for the up and coming "NHL 2002" video game. The hockey game will be coming out in September/October 2001.

Would anyone like to see a movie about God, Greed, Chicken Gumbo, and... Kevin Max? Well, your prayers have been answered. Kevin Max, of dc Talk fame, will star in the upcoming independent film called Soupernatural. Kevin plays a mystery man who some think is The Messiah in a movie where a small town TV station captures something unexplainable on tape. The station uses it to boost their ratings, but when they call it a miracle. Lou Ferrigno ("The Incredible Hulk!"), and Kristin Richardson also star. Check out the official website at www.soupernaturalmovie.com

The Juno Awards (the Canadian version of the Grammys) have announced their nominees for the best Gospel album. Leading the category is Jake - Jake and Steve Bell - Simple Songs. The awards will be announced on March 4, 2001, in Hamilton, Ontario.

Project 86 will be headlining a tour from May 1st to June 2nd. Featured artists include Living Sacrifice and Stavesacre. The tour is yet to be named.

*Friday, February 16, 2001*

Lead singer, Jon Foreman, of Switchfoot is up for the Les Paul Horizon Award of "Most Promising Up-And-Coming Guitarist." Other nominees are Matt Scannell of Vertical Horizon, Sean Watkins of Nickle Creek, and Tim Womack of Sons Of The Desert.

Kendall Payne has joined the likes of dc Talk, MC Hammer, Newsboys, Michael Landon, Billy Graham, and Touched By An Angel. She was awarded the "Angel Award" for excellence in music and character. Don't forget to check out Kendall's debut cd, Jordan's Sister, out now.

ForeFront Records' youngest artist, Stacie Orrico, is gearing up for a three-week tour with R&B/pop divas Destiny’s Child that kicks-off March 15th. The tour follows a stint of festival and park dates this past fall where Stacie opened for the group. Due to the success of the events, and the relationship built between Stacie and the members of Destiny’s Child, Beyonce’, Robin and Kelly handpicked 14-year-old Stacie to join them for the tour. The trio has made huge inroads this past year, most recently with five GRAMMY Award nominations and the success of their current single “Independent Women Part 1,” which has sat at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart for over 15 weeks now. Click here for a photo of Stacie with the trio.

*Monday, February 12, 2001*

A recent BEC Recordings newsletter proprosed an interesting question: "Have you ever wondered what would happen if Mojo and co. played high school football?" Well, The Supertones recently finished filming their brand new video for "Wilderness." This is the second music video from the group's newest album Loud and Clear and features the band in a football game against some really tough opponents. Keep your eyes peeled for the video soon!

Congratulations to Jon Thatcher of Delirious and his wife Kristen celebrated the birth of Winona Grace Thatcher on Wednesday, Janaury 17th!

Jennifer Knapp usually waits two years in between albums but her management company, Alabaster Arts, says that Jennifer "has something to say so she's going to go in and say it this summer." Expect the new album to hit shelves December 11th.

Phil Joel's successful solo album isn't the only Newsboy with a little extra to say? Guitarist Jody Davis' debut self-titled album from Pamplin Records will hit stores on March 27, featuring a unique feel to it, to say the least. Davis will perform solo concerts late at night at AtlantaFest, Alive Festival, Creation East, and other summer events to promote the album, where Newsboys are a headlining act. Like Joel, Davis has no intentions of leaving the band.

dc Talk's own Toby McKeehan will be on the cover of the February issue of Breakaway Magazine. Don't forget to check this out.

BEC Recordings is giving credit where credit is due. Be on the look out in May for a Keith Green Tribute Album. BEC Recordings and Tooth & Nail records have made a cover album of some of Green's songs, featuring artists like Bleach, Hangnail, Cadet, Joy Electric, MxPx, Starflyer 59, Element 101, Ill Harmonics and many more.

*Monday, February 5, 2001*

Congratulations to Rick Heil of SONICFLOOd and his wife Cece who welcomed their new baby girl, Jaedyn into the world on January 11th!

*Saturday, February 3, 2001*

NEWSFLASH!: Squint Entertainment has reached a recording agreement with CCM favorite PfR, confirming the band's return after having disbanded in 1997. "Announcing the signing this week, Squint founder Steve Taylor told the CCM Update, "When they broke up, PFR was one of the best bands around, and nobody's come along to take their place. I believe they've now written their best collection of songs ever, and I'm confidant this new album will be their finest moment." He added, "Our country's suffered four long years of a PFR-shaped void, so this announcement leaves all of us at Squint feeling happy and patriotic." PFR debuted on the national scene in 1992 with the album, Pray for Rain (Sparrow), which landed a Grammy Nomination and the Dove Award for ROCK ALBUM OF THE YEAR. Four years and three albums later the trio had amassed six #1 singles, including the CHR format*s #1 song of 1994, "That Kind of Love." At the same time PFR claimed the #2 ROCK song of the year, "Walk Away rom Love." They then introduced the nation to the up and coming group, Jars of Clay, who served as the opening act on 1995's Great Lengths Tour. With each release PFR's popularity increased, with their last studio album, THEM, SoundScanning over 120,000 copies. PFR released the following collective statement about their signing with Squint: "We are excited and honored to be working with Squint and are thankful for the creative freedom afforded us in the recording process. Additionally, Joel (Hanson, guitarist) is thankful for his new found personal freedom due largely to that nice letter Steve Taylor wrote to his parole officer. Viva La Squint!" The summer of 1997 brought what appeared to be PFR's final studio session as the band soon parted ways, pursuing individual opportunities. Three years later the band decided to reunite as a contributor to Squint's concept album, Roaring Lambs. Their song, "Kingdom Come," was chosen as the album's first single and proceeded to land a Top 10 spot on Christian radio's AC chart. "We're not breaking a new band," explained Taylor. "But we're also not taking anything for granted. PFR's committed to a full slate of promotion and touring around this new album, including a two week promo tour leading up to the album's release, appearances at key summer festivals, and touring runs this fall and next spring." PFR reunites with producer Jimmie Lee Sloas for their Squint debut, which is currently untitled. The album will be distributed by Word Distribution and is set to arrive in stores in June."

*Thursday, February 1, 2001*

ForeFront Recording artist, Stacie Orrico, is celebrating two #1 singles this week, on two separate charts. "With a Little Faith" is sitting in the #1 position at AC radio and "Genuine" tops the chart at CHR. Congratulations to Stacie on yet another amazing accomplishment!

*Tuesday, January 30, 2001*

The votes are in! And sorry guys, no recounts this time... The nominations for the 32nd Annual Dove Awards are available online now for viewing at www.doveawards.com! Atlanta rock band Third Day, together with lead vocalist Mac Powell, has received an amazing nine Dove Award nominations, leading the nominees for the most prestigious award presented annually by the Gospel Music Association. With the success of its fastest selling and critically acclaimed recording, Offerings - A Worship Album, Third Day garnered its first Dove nominations for Artist of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year (Mac Powell), and Praise & Worship Album of the Year. The band also received nods for Group of the Year, Rock Recorded Song of the Year, Pop/Contemporary Record Song of the Year, and others. The Dove Awards ceremony will be held on April 26th.

It's true. As reported by CCM Magazine in the February 2001 issue, Big Tent Revival has picked up the Tent and gone home... The magazine quotes lead singer Steve Wiggins that the band's "decision 'to walk away for a while' was reached mutually among the band, prompted by Wiggins' desire to spend more time with his family." Wiggins goes on to say, "After the last seven years, I think everybody's just kind of tired... I feel like at this point it was just healthy for us to take a step back and analyze our lives. It was really impossible to do that while we were under the shadow of Big Tent." The band found touring less just not enough. BTR played their final official live show on New Year's Eve in Riverside, CA. A live album for the band is being expected in May featuring cuts from the CA performance as well as a Memphis, TN show.

P.O.D. ignited the 2001 Sundance Film Festival with what was hailed throughout as the "most exciting performance of the week!" This summer be on the look out for a new P.O.D. record! The guys went into a secluded studio in San Diego on January 15th to begin recording the new material!

The O.C. Supertones hit video, "Escape From Reason", is now being added to M2's '120 Minutes' program! The show is on Sunday nights, on MTV2. MTV recently bought The BOX Music Network, so all of the cable outlets that previously showed The BOX will now broadcast MTV2.

Look out! 80's Christian rock is back. Stryper will play Cornerstone 2001 this summer and this will be their last concert. No reunion, no touring and no new album are being planned. The Cornerstone festival will run from July 3-7 in Bushnell, IL. Stryper will also have their 2nd Annual Stryper Expo May 18th and 19th at Azusa University in Azusa, CA. For more information, surf on over to www.stryperexpo.com.

Campus Activities Magazine's 2001 Readers' Choice Awards nominee Caedmon's Call will headline a West Coast 20-city tour beginning March 2 in Seattle, Washington. The tour follows a successful 40-city headline fall tour and the October release of its best-selling and critically acclaimed third national recording, Long Line of Leavers. Special guests featured on the tour will be The Normals and Sandra McCracken.