Jesusfreakhideout.com Music News: May 2002

May, 2002

*Tuesday, May 28th, 2002*

Lava/Atlantic is releasing the soundtrack to the Scooby Doo movie on June 6th. MxPx is featured on the album and will be doing the theme song "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?" acompanied by others tracks performed by secular acts Shaggy, OutKast, Lil'Romeo, Sugar Ray, Uncle Kracker with Bustay Rhymes, Kylie Minogue, The Baha Men and others. Also, be sure to check out MxPx's new greatest hits record 10 Years and Running which hit store shelves last week.

LunaHalo.com has made a shocking announcement... In an unexpected turn of events... Luna Halo has left their longtime label Sparrow Records, to pursue other label interests. The parting was amicable, and the two may work together again in the future. "I think that at this time our band is going in a musical direction that doesn't exactly line up with Sparrow's vision, and that is o.k.," says Nathan Barlowe, Luna Halo's lead singer. "It is best right now for us to pursue other avenues, and I have nothing but the highest respect for everyone at Sparrow, and how good they have been to us." This will delay the band's sophomore release, which was scheduled to be out this summer. No word yet on a new release date.

Bulk up your DVD collection on June 18 when Newsboys release Thrive at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Recorded live at the historic Cleveland landmark, this energetic set features hits from the 'boys new Thrive album, modern classics like "Shine" and "Entertaining Angels," plus extensive interview and behind-the-scenes band footage. Portions of this innovative concert were debuted live last month on PAX TV into 60 million homes with stellar direction and production from Michael Drumm (Sting, Jewel, Nelly Furtado).

According to a report from GospelSite.com, a CCM version of Delirious' UK album Audio Lessonover? will be released to the international market in August with various songs added and removed - however, no further details are known at this point.

On Thursday night, Pax217 played a show in Orange County and it was lead singer’s Dave Tosti’s first time to play guitar live. He said picking the guitar in front of a live audience was an incredible feeling! The band's new album Engage is now available in stores.

Focus on the Family’s Chris Jeub interviewed Audio Adrenaline’s bass player and dad of two, Will McGinnis, on balancing life as a young parent and a musician. Check out what Will had to say at: http://www.family.org/married/youngcouples/a0020801.cfm.

Jars of Clay took a break between concerts on its highly successful The Eleventh Hour Tour and bumped into Heisman Trophy winner and NFL Pro Bowl running back Eddie George of the Tennessee Titans. Well-known in Nashville for their support of the Tennessee Titans, Jars of Clay switch their normal role becoming fans in a chance meeting with Eddie George in downtown Nashville.

The Long Beach, California-based all girl rock band the Halo Friendlies will release their new CD Get Real July 16, 2002 on Tooth & Nail. The new CD is a huge progression for the band and was produced by Kim Shattuck of The Muffs. The girls will be on tour all summer with Warped Tour' 2002 on the Ernie Ball stage and will also do a short stint in Europe on a USO tour. You can check out more about the Halo's at their official website: http://www.halofriendlies.com.

Sparrow has announced the addition of Seattle worship leader Aaron Spiro to their impressive artist roster, preparing for the August 13 release of his debut album Sing. A new generation worshipper with insightful lyrics and aggressive rock melodies co-written with Charlie Peacock, Spiro is intent on leading people into God’s presence, drawing us into the adventure of the faith journey.

*Wednesday, May 22nd, 2002*

The O.C. Supertones have established themselves as a staple act in the Christian music industry. Their new record, tentatively titled Grace Flood, is a revolutionary departure from previous projects. It often sounds like equal parts Elvis Costello, The Ramones, The Clash, and James Brown. Brent Bourgeois (WOW Hits 2002, 4 Him) and Charlie Peacock (Switchfoot, Avalon) have teamed up to help create a brilliantly produced pop-rock record. Band manager Steve Thomas says: "The radio singles on this record are what you would expect when veteran hit single producers like these guys meet a perennial powerhouse band. Ska is dead but The Supertones keep getting stronger." The whole record is simply fun and danceable, while lyrically, it makes bold statements without being too heavy - a balance that has characterized the 'tones music since the beginning of their career. Look for Grace Flood to come pouring into stores this October!

Gotee recording artist Jennifer Knapp will have two of her songs, "Into You" and "The Way I Am” contribute to the soundtrack of the new documentary created by actress Rosanna Arquette, Searching for Debra Winger. Arquette interviewed Hollywood's top actresses to talk about the pressures they face as they hit the age of 40. Searching for Debra Winger features interviews with women like Sharon Stone, Whoopi Goldberg, Meg Ryan, Holly Hunter, Jane Fonda and Melanie Griffith, among many others. The film, premiered and won an out-of-competition slot at the Cannes Film Festival last week.

Carman's doing a little something he's never done before. His official site Carman.org had this to say recently... "We are offering a brand new record to our partners, FIRST!...and it will only be available through our web site www.carman.org, the mailing list or live in concert. This record has 10 "new" recordings on it and has never been available before. Prepare for a new experience in praise as I give you the latest praise songs God put in my spirit. There are seven "never before heard" songs that will rock the house and call down fire from heaven, one song that is a red hot remake of a Carman classic, and two of the world's favorite and most loved worship songs that will bring you straight into the throne room of God. Remember, it's not available in any store, only through "Carman Ministries." This record will be the theme of our tour this fall. Next month I will detail out each song, but for now, spread the word: it's coming 9/1/02."

Tomorrow's edition of the nationally broadcast Life Today with James Robison will focus on Gotee's flagship artists, Out of Eden. Out of Eden will be the featured guests throughout the half-hour program, which will feature an in-depth interview and a live performance. The program is set to air tomorrow (May 23rd)--visit this link for the station near you and the time of the broadcast: http://www.lifetoday.org/life_today_show/TV_listing.cfm#Anchor-TENNESEE-4585

Gotee Records' newsletter made the following interesting announcement today: "Relient K will be making some very special press announcements in the next few weeks. One involves the details surrounding the recording of a special song for a incredible motion picture soundtrack. The guys spent the last week recording the song with producers Mark Townsend and Steve Taylor. The other announcement is lineup and tour dates for the massive fall tour RK will be doing. Stay tuned."

*Monday, May 20th, 2002*

Award-winning Sparrow Records' band Newsboys continue to dominate the Christian radio charts and break records. Since the release of their first single from Thrive, 'It Is You', Newsboys have held the No. 1 position for 12 consecutive weeks on the CHR (Christian Hit Radio) chart. Never before in the history of Christian music has a single dominated the No. 1 position for such an extended amount of time. Congratulations guys!

Switchfoot's email newsletter has reported that the guys are in the studio putting the finishing touches on the new songs this week in Los Angeles. Rumor has it the tentative title is The Beautiful Letdown. According to 'inside sources' this is "Switchfoot like you've never heard them." The release date has been set for September 24. The band has plans to preview some of the new material at shows during the coming months.

Star Wars and Spider-Man aren't the only ones breaking box office records this month. Third Day has decided to join in the history-making. Well, kind of. Two-time reigning Gospel Music Association Group of the Year, Third Day, wrapped up the spring leg of its best-selling blockbuster "Come Together Tour" Saturday, May 11 in its hometown of Atlanta. For the second consecutive year, an incredible crowd of more than 15,000 Third Day fans gathered in the HiFi Buys Amphitheatre to welcome the band home for the tour's grand finale. "This is our hometown," says Third Day member Mac Powell to the cheers of the enormous crowd that filled the HiFi Buys Amphitheatre. "We've had a great amount of success and a huge part of that has been because of you, our friends and family here at home praying for us and supporting us from the very beginning," he tells the crowd. According to the upcoming May 20 issue of Pollstar Magazine, the "Come Together Tour" performed in front of more people than such respected acts as Alicia Keys, Nelly Furtado, Harry Connick Jr., Bush, B. B. King, Enrique Iglesias, Diana Krall, Willie Nelson and more. The tour's 16,000-plus fans at the AmSouth Amphitheatre in Nashville stands as one of the largest Christian music concerts ever held in Nashville and the biggest concert ever in Nashville's Dove Award winning WAY FM radio's history. During the May 11th show in Atlanta, Third Day was also able to present its second check to Habitat for Humanity. The check for $65,000 will go to build the second Come Together Home in Atlanta this summer.

After performing in 33 cities to over 130,000 people in just 8 weeks, Steven Curtis Chapman’s "Live Out Loud" spring tour, promoting his latest Sparrow Records project, Declaration, wrapped for the Spring season. Plans are currently underway to announce the fall leg which will kick off in September. Summer festival dates have also been scheduled. The Spring tour featured Sparrow Records’ Nichole Nordeman opening the concert. Nordeman, last year’s GMA Female Vocalist Of The Year, is confirmed to appear again on the fall leg of the tour to launch her upcoming Sparrow release, available in September.

Can't wait for new Stacie Orrico music? Forefront has amended the delay of her new album Say It Again and is releasing Stacie's first enhanced CD single. Stacie Orrico's "Bounce Back" single will be available in stores June 18.

Reunion recording artist Jake won all four Vibe Awards for which it was nominated in the inaugural Canadian Gospel People's Choice Awards, taking top honors as Artist of the Year and Group of the Year. The Canadian brother trio also received Song of the Year for "Believer" (written by Toby Penner and Eldon Winter) and Contemporary/Pop Album of the Year for its self-titled debut.

P.O.D.'s official email newsletter has leaked an mp3 to the fans of a new song from Blindside's upcoming album Silence. The song, called "Caught a Glimpse" will only be online temporarily. Here's what they said, "All you have to do is sign up on the blindside email list, which is free, and then you can download the song. This will keep you updated on the latest blindside news, including their tour in November with P.O.D., and your chance to be on the official blindside street team." Blindside's site is www.blindside-silence.com

All Wound Up is looking for a new drummer. They have a bunch of summer tour dates coming up, followed by recording a new album. Do you think you have what it takes to bring on the rock? Are you young and enthusiastic? Then e-mail them at awoundup@aol.com with the subject "I Want To Be Your Drummer" so you can find out about when/where/how to audition.

Living Sacrifice has finished recording their new Solid State record entitled Conceived In Fire, schedule to be released late summer, featuring 13 songs including track titles like: "Imminent War", "The Poisoning", "Send Your Regrets" and more.

Worship Together will release the third project from the highly successful I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever series, I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever Kids on June 18th. Highlighting 12 worship songs for the "next" generation, I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever Kids focuses on kids ages 6-11 and holds modern arrangements of today's most popular songs.

Sparrow Records' pop/rock band The Elms have generated industry-wide attention in the short span of time since the mid-2001 release of the group's critically-acclaimed, full-length debut album, The Big Surprise. The band just signed a new booking agreement with The William Morris Agency (Jars of Clay, Switchfoot, The Supertones), and recently signed a long-term management agreement with the Nashville-based Alabaster Arts (The Supertones, Relient K, Paul Colman Trio, Katy Hudson).

*Saturday, May 11th, 2002*

Third Day, the reigning Gospel Music Association "Group" of the year, announces today the extension of its record-breaking Come Together Tour. Third Day welcomes back for the extended tour its Essential Records label mates, Paul Colman Trio. Joining the tour for the first time will be ForeFront band Tait, fronted by dc Talk member Michael Tait. By the time the current 53-city spring leg of the tour wraps up at the HiFi Buys Amphitheatre in Atlanta May 11, where more than 13,000 Third Day fans are expected to gather for the second consecutive year, the tour will have sold out 27 concerts and performed in front of nearly 225,000 fans. The tour has also already raised over $150,000 for Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI). Continuing to raise funds for HFHI, the extended tour will hit 20-25 additional markets in September and October.

Jars of Clay will release its first DVD, 11 Live: Jars of Clay in Concert, August 20. The DVD, also available on VHS, features almost two hours of performance footage, including a full concert setting and an intimate acoustic set, plus behind-the-scenes interviews with the band. "Like the new album, The Eleventh Hour, this DVD is all Jars of Clay," says David McCollum, Rendy Lovelady Management. "They took it upon themselves to produce and record what they believe is their best live video presentation ever. This will be a lasting tangible piece of Jars of Clay history." 11 Live: Jars of Clay in Concert features fan favorites recorded live, including new material from their most recent, self-produced project, The Eleventh Hour, plus classic No. 1 radio hits such as "Flood," "Love Song For A Savior," "Crazy Times" and "Collide." Songs from the new album featured on the DVD/VHS include the chart-topping, multi-format hit radio single, "I Need You," and the recently released single, "Fly," which made its network debut when Jars of Clay performed it on the CBS Early Show May 4.

InPop recording artist Superchic[k] has landed nearly 30 soundtrack placements to date. Their latest placement will air tomorrow, when the WB show Felicity plays "Get Up" during its primetime telecast. Felicity airs on the WB Network Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m. EST/8:00 p.m. CST. Currently, Superchic[k] is in the studio recording their sophomore project, slated to release through InPop on September 24th. In addition to nearly 80 spring and summer solo dates, Superchic[k] will tour with Newsboys on their fall 2002 tour, and recently performed their #1, Dove-nominated "Barlow Girls" on the live telecast of the 34th Annual Dove Awards on PAX TV.

Amy Grant is releasing her new album Legacy...Hymns & Faith on May 21st. Legacy...Hymns & Faith, a celebration of the music and ministry that forged the original bond with her audience. The album features nine classic hymns like "Holy, Holy, Holy," "Fairest Lord Jesus," and This is My Father's World," plus four original songs. When you preorder the new album at FamilyChristian.com for $11.97, Legacy...Hymns & Faith includes a Free DVD featuring behind the scenes footage from the making of the album, interviews with the producers, and a special photo gallery! To order it online now, visit FamilyChristian.com.

All Star United has joined Delirious?' May/June 10-date UK Fire Tour. All Star has recorded a new album entitled Revolution, their first studio album in almost 3 years, and is already available in the UK. Revolution hits U.S. shelves later this year.

Two more bands have taken the jump from BEC to Tooth and Nail. This time, it's newcomer rock band Kutless and rapcore rockers .Rod Laver. Kutless's self-titled debut album hits stores on July 16th.

Reunion Records' label mates Michael W. Smith and Daily Planet recently gathered for a performance at Festival of the Arts, a benefit concert raising over $50,000 for Nashville's Christ Presbyterian Academy. Daily Planet kicked off the event with music from its debut album, Hero, set to release August 20, 2002. Daily Planet released its first radio single, "Flying Blind" on May 3 and is preparing for performances at several festivals including Alive Fest, Spirit West Coast, and Atlanta Fest, throughout the summer.

Resonate/INO/M2-0 Records artist Jason Ingram is gearing up for his upcoming performance at Expolit 2002. Expolit is celebrating its tenth anniversary and is now the largest event in Latin Christian music. Ingram will perform at the Word International showcase on the 15th and again at the Gala Night on the 16th. Other artists on the roster include Crystal Lewis, Jaci Valesquez, Nicole C. Mullen and Ron Kenoly. Speakers include Bruce Wilkinson (The Prayer of Jabez) and Tommy Tenney (The God Chasers).

With three independent projects already to their credit, Dallas, Texas-based artists Shane Barnard and Shane Everett recently signed their first major label deal with InPop records. With the signing, the 2-year-old inpop adds its eighth artist to the label’s growing roster. Desiring to know God better themselves while making Him known to the world, the Texas troubadours are poised to advance their charge with the June 4 national release of Psalms.

Florida rockers Further Seems Forever just wrapped production on their new video for the track "Snowbirds And Townies" from their debut CD The Moon Is Down. The band also is entering the studio once again with producer James Wisner (Two Thirty Eight, Stairwell) later this month. The new as-yet-to-be-titled album will tentatively be released in February of 2003.

The video for "Alone" from Slick Shoes and the video for "Building A Better Me" have both been added to M2 for rotation. You can help them out and us by going to the following link and requesting both videos as often as you'd like. http://www.mtv.com/onair/mtv2/requests.jhtml

Phantom Tollbooth reports that the debut release from The Gravity Show entitled Fabulous like You, will be out this June. This is Michael Pritzl of The Violet Burning's new project where he plays, produces, engineers, and writes. Sam West of Stavesacre and the Supertones will be doing the drums. Also, look for The Violet Burning on tour later this summer as well as some Pritzl solo projects and another Violets record next year on the great Northern Records.

To add to the Festival Con Dios lineup, Jeremy Camp and our friends in Everyday Sunday and Sanctus Real will be on the stellar list.

The band formerly known as Redline, then known as Radium, now has a hold on their exact name. They have now legally acquired the name Echocast, so look for the band's brand new release Where the Future Ends on July 9th. Also, they will be touring with Stavesacre and Supine this summer. For dates, go to www.xsrecords.com. In other Stavesacre news, they have found a producer for their XS/Nitro debut in Paul Malinowski of Shiner. In other producer news, Project 86 has enlisted Matt Hyde as their producer. He has worked with Fu Manchu and No Doubt.

The Juliana Theory have set LOVE as the title to their upcoming Epic debut which will begin being mixed by Tom Lord-Alge (Weezer, Marilyn Manson) at South Beach Studios in Miami, FL starting next week.

*Sunday, May 5th, 2002*

Audio Adrenaline will be performing 30-minute acoustic sets live, on-air via ISDN line for several AC & CHR stations next week on Wednesday, May 8 - these performances will be concentrating on Audio’s latest release, LIFT and the new radio singles, "Ocean Floor" (AC) and "Rejoice" (CHR). The stations that will be participating in the events and the times Audio Adrenaline will be performing are as follows:
7:00-7:40 EST WPOZ 88.3FM Orlando, FL (http://www.zradio.org)
7:20-8:00am CST KAEZ 105.7FM Amarillo, TX (http://www.thebreeze1057.com)
8:00-8:40am CST KXOJ 100.9FM Tulsa, OK (http://www.kxoj.com)
6:40-7:20am PST KSFB 100.7FM San Francisco, CA (http://www.bridgeradio.com)
7:20-8:00am PST KCMS 105.3FM Seattle, WA (http://www.spirit1053.com)
Audio A’s new video for their powerful new single, "Ocean Floor," has quickly been picked up on the College Television Network’s rotation. The video can currently be voted on by going to the voting page via this link http://www.collegetelevision.com/topten_vote.jsp?catid=21. Also, in other AA news, guitarist Tyler Burkum has announced recently that he's going to be the next Audio member to be a father! The Burkum's are expecting their first child in December.

Rebecca St. James has now made her way back to Australia for a couple of months to visit her homeland after a long time away. While she is there, she is determined to get a “real job” possibly at a McDonald’s in her hometown!

We caught up with the management of former Rustproof Records artists Broomtree to find out what the group has been up to. Here's what they had to say: "Broomtree released their 3rd album in April 2001, Maybe This Time. At GMA Week 2001, they played their last show together as Broomtree. After 5 years on the road, which is a very hard life, the members decided that it was time to pursue other interests. Kylie Schilg (former lead singer, guitarist and song writer) is now Kylie Quinlan. She married Michael Quinlan, the producer of their 3rd album. Kylie now lives in Nashville, TN and manages a recording studio along with her husband. I am told that she is starting up a new band and is still writing! Nathan Westbeld (former guitarist and BGVs) has recently moved to Nashville and has joined the band Polarboy. Trevis Bick is pursuing his drumming career and Brett Bigbee still lives in Nashville and works as a musician. Although it was a very hard decision to make for the band, they all still remain very close friends. We pray that their time of ministry and music will live on in the hearts of thier friends and fans."

Stacie Orrico has decided to cancel her 40 city world tour, which was supposed to start in May. The cancellation is due to Orrico needing to re-record a few tracks for her upcoming album Say it Again which will be released on mega mainstream label Virgin Records as well as Forefront Records. The completed album should hit shelves this August.

Jeff Deyo and his band recently caught up with actor pal Kirk Cameron during a large conference held this spring in Boaz, Alabama. Cameron spoke while Deyo and company led worship in front of over 1,200 people, all packed into the local community theatre. Things go so well when they work together that plans are underway for them to do more events such as this in the future.

Michael W. Smith has announced his support of the The Presidential Prayer Team by joining its prestigious Honorary Committee. Smith is good friends with President Bush and has visited the White House several times. Smith said, "Truly in this time, for this generation, the call to prayer could not be more important. Now is the time to summon all of our energies for this important effort of prayer. I've been fortunate to spend time with several presidents personally, and my respect for these men is tremendous. I urge you to continue to pray for the President and his advisors. The Presidential Prayer Team is one way we can help leave a legacy of freedom to our children. May the Lord continue to draw us all closer to Him, and ask we seek Him, may God truly bless America."

Bleach's management has confirmed that they are putting together a promo release for this summer. The CD will contain 3 songs from the guys' upcoming August 27th release, Again, For the First Time. In addition to the 3 songs, there will be a discount coupon for the record. It will only be available at Bleach shows, not retail.

On the heels of the monster 2001 touring event Festival Con Dios, the 2002 lineup has just been set. This year's artists will include Audio Adrenaline, tobyMac, Tree63, Out of Eden, and MercyMe.

Musical genuis Phil Keaggy just finished up studio time with famed producer Ric Hordinski (a.k.a. "Monk," to many). An instrumental album is on the way with more news coming soon.

Blindside has recently signed a long term recording deal with Elektra Records. They cater to bands such as The Doors, AC/DC, Staind, and many, many more. This will also be a deal through P.O.D.'s new label Soulcraft Records.

Despite releasing their 4th full-length album for Solid State this July entitled Parade of Chaos, ZAO will play their last show ever at Furnace Fest in Birmingham Alabama on August 10th... or so they say. Although this isn't the first time the band has decided to break up, that this may indeed be their last show.

Lead singer of Project 86, Andrew Schwab, has his debut book We Caught You Plotting Murder, in its second pressing. This is a collection of writings, independently published by Schwab himself. You can pick up this book at www.Project86.com

Two Thirty Eight is currently on the coast in Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. recording a new full length record. Didn't they just release an album in March? Regulate the Chemicals, released on March 26, 2002 on Tooth and Nail was the band's rerelease of their independent 2000 release on Takehold Records. Two Thirty Eight's new album is going to be called You Should Be Living and will be in stores on October 8, 2002. You can catch the band on tour in the end of May with dates for this summer with Denison Marrs.

This week, Geoff Moore is in South Africa with Dr. Bruce Wilkinson, taking part in Dr. Wilkinson’s teaching ministry. This is Geoff’s first ever trip to South Africa.

The Benjamin Gate is gearing up for the FireProof tour with Pillar and East/West. Their first show is May 7th in Tulsa, OK and the tour will take them to nearly 30 cities across the United States. The Gate's sophomore release Contact graces store shelves July 2nd.

*Friday, May 3rd, 2002*

While in New York as part of its highly acclaimed tour in support of its best-selling and band-produced recording, The Eleventh Hour, Jars of Clay also performed live for CBS' The Early Show and completed numerous other media interviews. Jars of Clay fans will have an opportunity to see The Early Show performance and interview when it broadcasts nationwide Saturday, May 4. Completing a "live" taping of three songs from The Eleventh Hour, "Disappear," "Revolution" and the band's just released mainstream single, "Fly," the band also performed its mega-hit "Flood," from its self-titled debut for the nationally televised program. In addition to the network appearance, Jars of Clay also performed "Fly" April 19 on a top rated morning show in New York, the WB11 Morning News. Other media stops included feature interviews with MTV Radio Networks and ABC Radio Networks, an interview for a July/August Music Biz Magazine cover feature, a Teen People interview that will hit newsstands in June and a Launch/Yahoo! Radio interview heard on Clear Channel Radio outlets. Further significant national media appearances are currently being scheduled as the band continues to tour through such major markets as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, etc.

*Wednesday, May 1st, 2002*

Here's an interesting news bit that threatens to change the internet as we know it. "America's fledgling Internet radio industry could be effectively killed on May 21st if the Librarian of Congress accepts the recommendations of its recent Copyright Arbitration Royalty Panel concerning Internet radio royalty rates and sets impossibly-complex recordkeeping requirements. Congress passed a law in October, 1998, called the Digital Millenium Copyright Act which established that webcasters must royalties to record labels for the music they play. However, the CARP's recommended royalty rates are currently more than 200% of most Webcasters' gross revenues!" For information, check out www.saveinternetradio.org

EMI CMG, the world's largest Christian music company, has joined with Liquid Audio, Inc., a leading digital music service provider, to launch a new on-line music service called BurnITFIRST.com. Launched today, BurnITFIRST.com is a one-of-a-kind offering that gives consumers maximum, flexible access to digital music for a monthly fee. BurnITFIRST.com is the only digital music subscription service available today that gives users unprecedented portability and full ownership. With BurnITFIRST.com, all tracks can be burned to CD, transferred to a supported portable device and once downloaded, the tracks will not expire. Music fans that want to preview or sign up for this revolutionary new service can visit www.BurnITFIRST.com.

Rebecca St. James is now firmly on to the final leg of her planned 6 month sabbatical. She won't be performing till the end of July when she performs at a special 25th Anniversary Focus on the Family Chapel Service. Last Thursday at a Thank You Reception during GMA week, Rebecca was presented with a plaque by her distributor in Holland where all her recent albums have been No.1, including the just-released Worship God. She was also presented with another plaque by the folks in Sweden who judged her concert there last year as "Concert Event of the Year."

Brother-sister duo LaRue is back in the studio recording its third album for Reunion Records. Slated to release September 24, 2002, the new album (as yet untitled) uses simple, poetic lyrics and focuses on themes of unity and surrender. Working under the direction of industry veteran Monroe Jones, Phillip and Natalie have been able to broaden their creative horizons on this project.

Congratulations go out to Downhere as they recieved a Juno Award for 'Best Gospel Album.' This award is given out by the Canadian Recording Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences or what some call the "Canadian Grammies." Be sure to pick up Downhere's debut self-titled release now.

P.O.D.'s new video for "Boom" is now in rotation everywhere. To add to the video news, Blindside makes a cameo appearance as the band's Ping Pong competition in the video.

Since it's release in August 2001, Relient K's The Anatomy of the Tongue In Cheek has proven itself to be a landmark record for Relient K, recently hitting a career milestone with the album's sales surpassing 100,000 units according to SoundScan. After 34+ weeks, The Anatomy of the Tongue In Cheek continues to sell over 2000 units a week, and Relient K is drawing on average over 1000 fans to their shows each night, proving they are quickly becoming a undeniable force in the industry at both retail and on the road.

Provident Music Group, its distributed labels and Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc., received a total of 30 Dove Awards at the 33rd Annual Dove Awards telecast. This year's ceremonies, held at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry House, were broadcast live on the PAX network, Thursday, April 25, 2002. After a week of commemorating milestone anniversaries for Reunion Records, Essential Records and Provident Music Distribution, Provident Music Group capped its celebrations with a total of 30 statuettes for its affiliated and distributed labels. The 100-year-old Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, also named ASCAP's Christian Music Publisher of the Year earlier in the week, laid claim to eight of those awards. Reunion Records turns 20 this year while Essential Records crosses the 10 year mark.