Jesusfreakhideout.com Music News: June 2004

June, 2004

*Tuesday, June 29th, 2004*

Newsboys are set to return this fall with a new album entitled Devotion. The worship-focused recording picks up where the band's award-nominated Adoration project and hugely successful subsequent worship tour with Rebecca St. James left off earlier this year. In an online journal entry at the band's Web site this week, an insider revealed one upcoming feature of Devotion: "Last Friday, a special friend of ours stopped by the studio to record vocals for a song on the new album. Rebecca St. James joined Peter (Furler) in singing 'Blessed Be Your Name.' Word is that it came out sounding really nice." In between recording sessions for Devotion, Newsboys are headlining the major Christian music summer concert festivals around the United States. The band has set up a helpful countdown calendar to its festival dates at Newsboys.com.

Plumb is also working on some new material to follow-up her stellar project Beautiful Lumps Of Coal. Her new project, tentatively titled Chaotic Resistance is scheduled to drop Spring 2005 on Curb Records. Plumb announced to her audience at Creation East last week the re-recording of her emotionally charged song "Damaged" for the new project. Plumb also treated the audience to a rousing new rock song entitled "I Can't Do This". It looks like the chaos will be well worth the wait...

Tooth & Nail Records is poised to re-release the debut indie release from Thousand Foot Krutch to TFK fans everywhere. The Canadian rocker's debut has been re-mixed, re-mastered, re-packaged and even features a brand new single entitled "Everyone Like Me" exclusive to Set it Off. Look for the album to hit shelves everywhere September 7th. Rumor has it a brand new project can be expected from the band sometime next year.

Third Day will be filming their next project, Live Wire, in Louisville, KY, in July and they want YOU to be there! Fans who attend will hear several songs from the band's brand new record Wire performed LIVE for the first time ever. And you may even appear on this new DVD that will be in stores in November! Tickets will officially go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, June 30th at 10am. But, because Third Day loves their fans, arrangements were made for a limited number of tickets to be available for a limited period of time. Your pre-sale purchase can be through www.thirdday.com starting Tuesday, June 29th at 10 a.m.[cst] and will end later that day at 6pm [cst]!

Steven Curtis Chapman is going to be a Dad... AGAIN! Steven Curtis is planning yet another trip to China this Summer and already has plans to adopt yet another child! The Chapmans will be returning from China with a new daughter once again, making new baby Maria the sixth Chapman baby! Congratulations Steven! Steven's newest musical venture, the incredible All Things New, hits shelves September 21st!

Where Do We Go From Here, the new release from Dove Award-winning and best-selling rock group Pillar, had sales of almost 19,000 units during its first week of release, according to SoundScan. The project entered the Christian Overall sales chart at # 3 and Billboard’s ”Top 200” albums chart at # 74. In addition to retail success, the debut single from the project, “Bring Me Down,” has been one of the most-added songs at the mainstream Active Rock format, and has seen three weeks at # 1 on Christian Rock radio. “Pillar has delivered what we believe is the best record of their career—it’s great to see that their fans agree,” said Troy Vest, general manager of Flicker Records. “We’re thrilled to see the success the record is having at retail, multiple radio formats and in the press. In one sense, this has been a long time coming, but in another, I feel like we’re just getting started.” Where Do We Go From Here repeats the production team that launched Fireproof to impressive success, with Travis Wyrick and Pillar jointly producing the album, and includes songs entirely written by Pillar. The band recently shot a video for “Bring Me Down” at the historic Tennessee State Penitentiary, which also served as the set for films such as The Green Mile and The Last Castle. “This record is a great representation of who we are both as people and as musicians,” said Pillar’s lead singer, Rob Beckley. “We really poured our hearts and soul into this, and I’m excited to see how our fans have responded. Everyone involved in the release of this project has worked really hard to make it a success, and we’re very thankful.”

The !Hero, the Rock Opera Live on Stage 2-disc collectors edition DVD is here and only available at the Hero Store. The set includes the over 2 hour live show, plus about 2 hours of extras and special features. This is something you're not gonna want to miss! It's autographed and shipping is free! Check out herostoreonline.com for more information!

Ardent Records’ rock band Jonah33 has been named an official spokesband for Redeem the Vote, a non-profit, non-partisan organization that encourages Christians to register to vote. Similar to MTV’s Rock the Vote campaign that launched in 1990, Redeem the Vote has planned an aggressive national campaign designed to increase voter registration and turnout among the nation’s youth. As part of its involvement as spokesband for Redeem the Vote, Jonah33 was selected to write and record the campaign’s theme song,” Silence Never Speaks.” Plans are currently underway to make the single available for download on the Redeem the Vote website, and for a single to be available at retail outlets in the fall. “We are very excited about Jonah33 partnering with Redeem the Vote to reach young people of faith,” says Redeem the Vote Founder Dr. Randy Brinson. “The Christian music industry is committed to reaching the millions of Christians with the importance of registering to vote. Jonah33’s song, ‘Silence Never Speaks,’ clearly defines the church's need to have a voice and make a difference in our culture." More information on Redeem the Vote is available at www.redeemthevote.com.

Audio Adrenaline members Mark Stuart and Will McGinniss, as well as Bob Herdman, each received two BMI Christian Music Awards, sharing the top Songwriter of the Year title with Steven Curtis Chapman. Performing rights organization BMI saluted the writers and publishers of the past year’s most performed Christian songs during the annual BMI Christian Music Awards Monday in Nashville. Audio Adrenaline members McGinniss and Stuart, along with non-touring member Herdman, were recognized for the Audio Adrenaline CHR hits “Ocean Floor,” and “Pierced,” from the band’s critically acclaimed ForeFront albums, Lift, and the GRAMMY-winning Worldwide, respectively. The three also collaborated on two previous Audio Adrenaline BMI Award winning songs: “Hands and Feet” and “Will Not Fade.” Other BMI award-winning songwriter/artists who contributed to the most-performed list were Rebecca St. James, Jars of Clay, Vickie Winans, Donnie McClurkin, John P. Kee, 12 Stones, Relient K, Big Dismal, Gerald Crabb, Marc Byrd, Dorinda Clark Cole, Richard Smallwood and Greater Vision.

Multiple Dove Award-winning vocalist and songwriter Fernando Ortega will release his initial project for Curb Records on August 10. The self-titled album is Ortega’s first studio project in two years and the twelfth of his accomplished career. The project reunites Ortega with production/songwriting collaborators John Andrew Schreiner and Elaine Rubenstein, and delivers a punchy instrumental edge to Ortega’s mellow vocals and seemingly effortless blend of folk, pop and inspirational styles. Fernando Ortega relies on the same team that has helped Ortega to eight No. 1 radio singles, twelve Dove Award nominations, two Dove Awards and consecutive No. 1 “Inspirational Song of the Year” CRR singles, in 1999 and 2000. Together, Rubenstein and producer Schreiner helped Ortega craft an album of intensely personal yet universal songs chronicling Ortega’s seaside life in southern California. Ranging from ocean-sprayed romance in “California Town” to the upbeat, folky pop of “Noonday Devil” and the atmospheric first single, “Sleepless Night,” which is already climbing the Christian radio charts, Fernando Ortega is an intimate and artistic collection. Ortega rounds out the project with signature renditions of classic hymns, this time covering “Rock of Ages,” “Immortal, Invisible” and “More Love To Thee.” Taking Ortega in an edgier direction on his eponymously-titled disc than past projects are an impressive list of musicians, including Los Angeles studio legend Leland Sklar (James Taylor, Phil Collins, Willie Nelson) and fellow bassist Larry Taylor (Tom Waits). Percussionist Stephen Hodges (Bruce Cockburn, Tom Waits) and fiddle/dobro duo Gabe and Michael Witcher (Willie Nelson, Lee Ann Womack, Jerry Douglas, Nickel Creek) add a touch of worldbeat and folk rock to the eclectic mix. “It felt good to stretch musically and lyrically and explore some new avenues on this album,” Ortega said of the release. “We decided to take some risks with this project, and I’m very happy with how it turned out.”

*Monday, June 21st, 2004*

Sparrow Records and this year’s “Modern Rock Song” and “Album Of The Year” Dove Award nominees, Sanctus Real, presented a check for $75,000 to World Vision during Gospel Music Week held in Nashville in April. The donation came from a portion of the proceeds from the critically acclaimed In The Name of Love: Artists United for Africa recording and through Sparrow’s retail partnerships. The monies from the project have already fully funded World Vision relief efforts in the Mwakankomba Village in Zambia, Africa, a village devastated by the HIV/AIDS virus. The village is being given core community development aid focused on improving basic long-term health needs. This includes providing caregivers who will work with the infected, those at risk of infection and those left behind when loved ones die. Most importantly, AIDS prevention education for children and mentoring for orphans will be provided to encourage them to stay in school, learn how to survive and thrive as adults. “What an honor to have helped the people of this village in Zambia and to spread the word about the efforts of World Vision in Africa,” says Matt Hammitt, lead vocalist for Sanctus Real, a band featured on In The Name of Love with its rendition of U2’s “Beautiful Day,” which also became the band’s first No. 1 Rock R & R hit single. “We are so grateful to have been chosen to be a part of this recording and look forward to the stories of hope it will generate.” “The village of Mwakankomba has already seen the benefit of this gift through training and education,” notes Marty Lonsdale, World Vision vice president, “and, over the next year, long lasting community developing will change the future of the children of the village for generations to come. Because of the size of the gift, World Vision will be able to expand our work related to HIV and AIDS in other communities throughout Africa.”

CBA mega-supplier Word Distribution is offering custom printed slipcases of the critically acclaimed The Passion of the Christ, debuting on DVD and VHS August 31 from Mel Gibson’s Icon Productions through distributor Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. From now until July 31, Word Distribution is making it possible for churches, ministries and retailers to order The Passion Of The Christ slipcases with two lines of custom information. Working in conjunction with Fox Home Entertainment’s current efforts for church and ministry bulk preorders, the customized slipcases will allow these organizations to personalize the packaging of The Passion Of The Christ. Jeff Yordy, director of marketing for 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, explains, “Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment created the special church program for The Passion Of The Christ release to provide those interested churches the opportunity to order the products and sleeves in advance, so they may be sure to obtain the quantities they need by street date, as well as provide them with a tool to customize their ministry message.” Available for $0.99 per customized sleeve with a 50-unit minimum per configuration, the slipcases will be shipped prior to the arrival of each film order. For more information and to order custom slipcases, visit https://secure.maddancer.com/passionchurchsleeves.

Sixstepsrecords’ Chris Tomlin, known for such worldwide sung anthems as “Forever,” “Be Glorified,” “We Fall Down,” “Famous One” and more, is preparing for the Sept. 21 release of his highly anticipated and third national album, Arriving. With an eschatological outlook, the recording follows the current best-selling, critically acclaimed recording, Not To Us.

Is PFR back... again? Patrick Andrew, bassist for the Minnesota-bred pop/rock band revealed some unconfirmed plans for a new record on his message board last week. We confirmed these plans and were able to learn more details that if the record does happen, it will consist of eight acoustic versions of classic PFR songs and two brand new cuts. This is music to our ears! PFR played Atlanta Fest last Thursday and will be opening for Jars of Clay on September 17! This is quite a turn of events as Jars opened for PFR before the debut of their self-titled album in the Spring of 1995. This will sure be a show not to miss! We'll keep you posted on the PFR details as they unfold...

Skillet made this announcement this weekend about their upcoming tour plans... "...we are finally officially announcing our tour plans for the next couple of months. We are touring with Saliva starting at the beginning of July through August. Saliva is a mainstream band best known for the duet with Nickelback's lead singer on the song "Hero" from the Spider-Man soundtrack. It will be our first ever mainstream tour, and we are excited to play for a new audience. I am aware that some of our fans will not be able to attend these shows, but don't worry! We are playing plenty of times this summer, all over the country. There will be many opportunities for you to come to see us play. For those of you guys who do want to come, we will be playing for about 30 minutes every night, and doing our very best to rock faces off." You can catch Skillet this week at Creation Festival EAST! We'll see you there!

TobyMac's sophomore record is almost finally out of the oven! His second full studio release, now entitled Welcome To Diverse City (not previous rumored titles Phenomenon or Slam) will street October 5th!

Elevate Records/Inpop Records group Fusebox has announced tour plans, with extensive touring planned for summer and fall in support of their sophomore release Once Again which hit stores last week. In addition to Fusebox concert dates nationwide, lead singer Billy Buchanan will be touring with Rebecca St. James for most of her summer dates, and this fall's 20-city "Adoration Tour" with Rebecca St. James and the Newsboys. Billy will be performing a short set of Fusebox material at each show. Fusebox got it's start as Rebecca's band and opening act from 2000-2003. "I spent three years on the road with Rebecca, so I'm so excited to be heading back out with her," says Billy Buchanan. "It seems like family. Like going back home again." The band is currently in the middle of a nationwide radio promotion tour, visiting radio stations to talk about their new album and the hit single "Once Again". They will also be performing an acoustic set of new material live on the air in many cities. Fusebox will also be featured on several television programs in the next few months, including Good News, The Jim Bakker Show, and a live performance on FamilyNet's At Home Live on June 25th.

Upon it’s release, P.O.D.’s record company (Atlantic Records a division of Warner Music) was sold to a private investor. Several thousand people, many of whom that were close to P.O.D., lost their jobs. This, on top of the music industry trying to figure out digital music, created a nearly impossible environment for Payable On Death. Atlantic Records are celebrating the success of the record and its recent achievement of 1 million copies sold by presenting the boys with Payable On Death sales awards. P.O.D. will also be receiving “The Matrix-Reloaded” worldwide plaques driven by their lead single and video, "Sleeping Awake".

Flicker Records pop-rock trio The Swift is in the studio finishing the band’s sophomore project, Today, which releases July 24. The first single from the project, “Alive In Love,” went for simultaneous adds at CHR and AC radio May 28, and coincides with a heavy summer and fall touring schedule for The Swift. The Swift worked with producers Jason Burkham and Nathan Dantzler (Audio Adrenaline, Tree63) to create ten new songs for Today, all but one written by the band. The piano-based threesome, consisting of Britt Edwards (piano, lead vocals), Mike Simons (bass, vocals) and Trae Drose (drums), have crafted an album of solid piano-based pop and rock hooks, interspersed with passionate instrumental creativity. “We are really excited about where we are right now in our lives, with our music and in our ministry,” said Edwards. “Today encompasses all of that, and is the culmination of everything that has gone on in our lives over the last two years. We have had some incredible life experiences and wonderful opportunities since the release of our first record, and it’s amazing to listen to this album and realize how much God has brought us through to get where we are today.” “We really believe in this band, in who they are and in what they are doing musically,” said Troy Vest, general manager for Flicker Records. “We’re excited about this sophomore project and look forward to continued success for The Swift as they hit the road in support of this album.”

2004 best selling new artist, BarlowGirl, landed their first #1 at radio last week (CRW Rock Chart) with the song "Never Alone". One day later, the group learned that the song "Clothes" from their self-titled debut has been added to the playlist at Radio Disney. "With over 40,000 units scanned in a little over 3 months, we are so excited about the great response we've seen with BarlowGirl," says Susan Riley, Owner/President of Fervent Records. BarlowGirl will be on the road this summer, including performances at major Christian festivals such as AtlantaFest, Sonshine, and Alive Festival. This fall, the group will once again tour with Todd Agnew on the “In the Name of Love” tour, sponsored by World Vision. Also on the bill are Building 429 and Starfield. BarlowGirl's self-titled debut CD was released February 24, 2004 by Fervent Records, distributed by Provident Distribution (a division of BMG).

Following eight days of promotional visits, Rocketown recording artist Chris Rice debuted last week on SoundScan's Christian retail chart at No. 6 and on the combined chart at No. 10 with his first best of CD, Short Term Memories. The 17-song collection contains four new tracks: two new recordings of previous releases (a live version of "Clumsy" and an acoustic "Untitled Hymn") and two previously unreleased songs ("Go Light Your World," a song Kathy Troccoli covered 10 years ago, and "Mama Prays"). Rice spent the last week traveling to Houston, Cleveland, Chicago, Birmingham and Minneapolis, among others, before concluding with a stop in his hometown of Nashville. Recently, Rice and labelmate Ginny Owens performed in front of nearly 3,000 fans who weathered an hour-long rain delay to hear the artists perform at a WAY-FM Brown Bag at the People's Church in Franklin, Tennessee.

Mark Schultz has teamed up with pianist Jim Brickman for a song on Brickman's Greatest Hits CD. The song, "Till I See You Again" is burning up mainstream Adult Contemporary radio and doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Click on this link to hear the song... http://www.windham.com/egrams/jimbrickman3/

Award-winning rock group Pillar recently wrapped up filming for their new music video, “Bring Me Down.” The song is the first single from the band’s highly-anticipated upcoming project, Where Do We Go From Here, which hit store shelves on June 15. The video was directed by Roman White for Revolution Pictures and shot in Nashville at the historic Tennessee State Penitentiary, which also served as the set for films such as The Green Mile and The Last Castle. For more information, visit www.pillarmusic.com.

Rachael Lampa has been in the studio with Grammy Award winning producer Tommy Simms and is putting finishing touches on an album which will include some guest appearances from rapper T-bone as well as steel guitar phenom Robert Randolph, and will hit stores July 27th. In a letter to her fans, Rachael explaines the common thread behind the writing of this record and how it has come from a place of growth in her own life. "God uses love, joy, pain, sorrow, friends, family and on and on to mold us into the person He wants us to be. This past year has been a year of growing pains for me, but I hope I have effectively communicated the joy and love that our Father has for us." Rachael is planning several tours through the summer and fall including Shoutfest and a tour with labelmate Salvador.

Nicole C. Mullen is releasing a new album entitled Everyday People this September and has enlisted some major production talent. In addition to her husband David Mullen, Nicole has tapped mainstream producers including James "Big Jim" Wright (Mariah Carey, Yolanda Adams) of Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis' Flyte Time Productions, as well as production duo Drew & Shannon (Andrew Ramsey & Shannon Sanders) (India Arie, Cindy Morgan, FFH).

Word Records is pleased to present a very special evening of music during the 2004 Christian Booksellers Association (CBA) convention in Atlanta, GA. On Tuesday, June 29, "Word at the Tabernacle" will feature performances from exceptional Word artists Point of Grace, Jaci Velasquez, Building 429, Nicole C. Mullen, Rachael Lampa and new artist Mute Math. The event will be held at 7 p.m. at The Tabernacle, across from Centennial Park in downtown Atlanta, and will be free to all registered CBA attendees. Platinum-selling group Point of Grace has laid claim to 25 No. 1 singles (including "Keep the Candle Burning," "Circle of Friends" and "Steady On"), 14 Dove Awards and two Grammy nods. With new member Leigh Cappillino, who recently replaced founding member Terry Jones, rounding out the four part harmonies of fellow vocalists Shelley Breen, Heather Payne and Denise Jones, Point of Grace will premiere music at "Word at the Tabernacle" from their upcoming studio album, scheduled for release October 12.

Solid State is happy to announce two new bands to the label! He Is Legend (from North Carolina) and The Chariot (from Atlanta, GA). Stay tuned for more news about debut records coming out this fall for both of them. Don’t miss a chance to see The Chariot and He Is Legend rocking a town near you!
http://www.heislegend.com
http://www.thechariot.com

Beloved just shot a video in their home state of North Carolina for the track, "Death to Traitors." Their friend, Steve Pedulla (of Thursday) shot the video. Check back for images that will be up soon! Beloved is also about to start their full US tour with Classic Case, The Bled, Time In Malta, and Our Cure the Rocketship. Check their website for dates! http://www.belovedrock.com

*Monday, June 7th, 2004*

Bleach made this announcement yesterday in their official newsletter regarding their final live show... "The emails have been coming in about tickets for the very last Bleach show. Well, the tickets go on sale this Friday!! Tickets are only $15 and there are a limited amount of tickets. We have put together the best Farewell Show we can including a special guest. For those of you that have Bleach fans for awhile now will appreciate our special guest SEVEN DAY JESUS. Seven Day toured with Bleach in the late nineties and became great friends. Ex Bleach bassist and guitarist Russ Fox was a long time member of Seven Day Jesus and we are honored to have Russ along with Brian McSweeney, Chris Beatty and Matt Sumpter playing their one and only “reunion show.” So, the Farewell Show lineup is as follows:
HOLLAND
THE OC SUPERTONES
SEVEN DAY JESUS
RELIENT K
BLEACH
There are only around 1000 tickets, so you will want to get yours ASAP as this one will sell out quick!! http://www.etix.com/ticket/online/venueSearch.jsp?venue_id=1305&cobrand=black THIS LINK WILL NOT BE ACTIVE UNTIL FRIDAY June 11th!!!

Flicker Records has announced a new partnership with XXXchurch.com for the label’s Flicker Rocks Harder compilation CD featuring 17 tracks from nine different Flicker Records’ artists including Pillar, Everyday Sunday, The Swift and Kids In The Way. Through the partnership, each CD will also contain X3 Watch, a free accountability software tool from XXXchurch designed to keep people away from pornography on the Internet. The project will be priced at $6.99 in an effort to make the songs and software available to the widest audience possible. “There’s no more logical partnership for our label than working with XXXchurch.com,” said Flicker Records’ general manager, Troy Vest. “Our purpose and passion as a label is to make relevant music that reaches kids. Culture bombards us everyday with messages that ultimately numb us to the influx of sexual images that are all around us. There is no doubt that pornography is a major problem that we are facing today, and our desire is to not only give kids great music that is actually about something, but also provide them with a tool that will help them stay away from porn on the internet.” In addition to a full campaign at retail promoting the CD as “17 songs for $6.99,” the marketing for Flicker Rocks Harder will include a Flicker/XXXchurch festival tour which will hit several music festivals this summer. The tour will begin in June at the Alive Festival in Ohio and run throughout the summer. The lineup for each festival includes Everyday Sunday, The Swift, Kids In The Way, Staple and subseven, along with a speaker/host from XXXchurch. Craig Gross, founder of XXXchurch.com says, “It is so great to see a record label interested in keeping kids away from porn in a world where most labels and musicians promote sex, porn, and inappropriate behaviors these days.”

Peter Furler, lead singer for EMI Christian Music Group/Sparrow Records’ internationally renowned band, Newsboys, recently returned from a mission trip to Baja California, Mexico. Working with members from Newboys’ management company and friends from New Zealand, Furler’s team partnered with Baja Christian Ministries to build a home for a local family in the small town of Vista de Valle. He further visited local pastors and families, listening to their stories and sharing the Word with them. An extended trip with Newsboys and Baja Ministries is currently being planned and will include building several homes over the next year. Upon returning from Mexico, Furler attended the 26th Annual ASCAP Christian Music Awards and was honored in the “Song of the Year” category for “He Reigns.”

ILLECT Recordings is proud to announce the signing of Northwest based hip-hop crew Lojique. The new album Process of Illumination will hit stores later this summer, on August 24th. This is the hip-hop generation, and the picture isn’t always pretty from the outside looking in. Known for its often-reckless brutality, coupled with its decadent materialism, and exploitive sexism, hip-hop often seems like more filth in an already filthy mire. ut as an expression of the human heart, and all the tensions that lie within it, hip-hop can also accurately be viewed as a passionate pursuit of meaning and purpose. What the naysayers often fail to recognize is that this generation is starving for the truth, and that it is eager to be awakened and set apart for it. Lojique (pronounced "logic") is on a simple mission to meet this hip-hop generation with the most satisfying, life-giving truth of them all: the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Right now, when you place any order between now and June 30th from the Tooth & Nail Mail-Order site, you'll be entered into a drawing to win a limited edition Underoath skate deck! The label's giveaway enables you to have more chances to win with each catalog order. Check it out at: http://www.toothandnail-mailorder.com And remember, Underoath's new record They’re Only Chasing Safety streets June 15th!

Fervent Records group BarlowGirl spent the day with the staff of Radio Disney at their headquarters in Dallas last week. The girls were interviewed and recorded liners for the network, before meeting with the staff where they had the opportunity to share about their music. Following a busy morning at the studio, the girls joined the executive team for lunch. Only 7 weeks after it's release, BarlowGirl's single "Never Alone" is currently #10 at CHR according to R&R, and #6 at CHR according to CRW.

Brentwood Records announces the launch of its Kids Sing-Along brand with the release of Rockin’ Red and Boppin’ Blue. The discs, released simultaneously, each feature top cuts of songs made popular by favorite Christian artists and became available at Christian retail on June 1. The Kids Sing-Along projects offer two versions of each song; one, a full-performance version featuring a children’s choir (the “Brentwood Kids”), and the other, a stereo instrumental track version. Made popular by such artists as Bebo Norman, Joy Williams and Jars of Clay, the collection will provide hours of family fun. Jen King, Director A&R/Special Markets, Provident Label Group notes, “Rockin’ Red and Boppin’ Blue were designed to be listened to at home or in the car by the whole family. They provide a chance for parents and kids to spend time together and sing songs the whole family enjoys.”

Casting Crowns’ self-titled, debut release (9/30/03) was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) last week reinforcing their status as “Christian music’s fastest selling new artist to date for 2003 and 2004.” In addition to this week’s sales milestone, the band’s second single, “Who Am I" maintained its number one position on all Christian radio charts for its second week in a row. Casting Crowns, formed during frontman Mark Hall’s tenure as a youth minister in Daytona Beach, Fla. four years ago, developed its unique sound while leading Wed. night worship for its youth group. Accepting a similar post in Atlanta, Hall and other band members relocated in order to continue and grow their music ministry.