Jesusfreakhideout.com Music News: October 2001

October, 2001

*Saturday, October 27th, 2001*

Plan on seeing double on November 6th. When tobyMac’s record comes out, look for a special surprise for all the fans. There are actually two different covers for Momentum and you get to pick which one you want to use for your record collection.

dc Talk's postponed Fall Solo Tour is currently being rescheduled for the beginning of 2002. Check out www.dctalk.com for some already rescheduled dates.

On Monday, October 29, Steven Curtis Chapman will appear on national radio show Focus on the Family with Dr. James Dobson to discuss his advocacy of child adoption and its impact upon the recording of his new album Declaration, featuring the awareness song "When Love Takes You In." Chapman's passion for adoption programs, like the one that led him and wife Mary Beth to their fourth child, a daughter named Shaohannah, is literally taking him around the world, from China all the way to the inner circles of Washington DC.

Don't be alarmed if the next time you see Relient K, they are wearing Abercrombie and Fitch clothes. It's only natural when they have partnered with the worldwide retail chain. A & F will start a campaign on November 2nd with in-store video play, featured MP3's, music videos, photos, and band questions and answers on the websites. A&FTV will air an episode of Mountain Biking with pieces of four of the band's latest songs nationwide and the band as well as Gotee Records will get major expsure from A & F. American Eagle Outfitters will have the band do two in store appearances in Toronto, Canada where one person will win a $500 shopping spree with the band helping to pick out the clothes! Teen People Magazine will also feature the guys in their December isssue.

Rebecca St. James will be participating in a photo shoot this Tuesday in preparation for her new worship album which will be available in February of 2002. Rebecca has just overcome a recent illness and is still hitting the tour circuit hard on her Wait for Me Tour.

Award winning Essential Records artist Caedmon's Call sang the National Anthem at a recent Houston Astros vs. San Francisco Giants Major League Baseball game. Invited by the Astros to perform at the 40,000-seat Enron Field, this was the band's first time to sing the Anthem at a major sporting event (photo).

Brad Olsen from The Waiting and his wife Shannon, gave birth to Dillon Matthew recently. Congrats!

Ardent Records top rock band Skillet heats up the radio charts as "You Are My Hope" claims the The CCM Update's No. 1 CHR position. The No. 1 single from the band's critically acclaimed and fastest selling album, Alien Youth, becomes Skillet's first ever song to top the CHR chart. The release of "You Are My Hope" as Alien Youth's first CHR single was timely in regards to last month's tragic events. The adoption of the song by radio stations across the country as an anthem of hope even influenced a presence for the rock band on CCM's AC Hitbound chart.

Reunion Records and NewSong announced an alliance with Operation Christmas Child, a project of Franklin Graham's international relief organization, Samaritan's Purse. NewSong's hit song, "The Christmas Shoes" has been chosen as an anthem of compassionate giving in association with this year's drive. Operation Christmas Child public service announcements will feature Operation Christmas Child and Samaritan's Purse Organization President, Franklin Graham with NewSong founding member and co-writer of "The Christmas Shoes," Eddie Carswell.

Dick Clark Productions recently approved a new category for "The American Music Awards." It's called "Contemporary Inspirational Favorite Artist," within the Christian genre. "The American Music Awards" will be on January 9th, 2002 at 8:00 PM Eastern on ABC.

Both Squad Five-0 and The Blamed just finished recording new albums for Tooth & Nail which are both coming out in 2002. They are now ready to get back on the road and they are probably coming to a town near you. First show is on the 31st in Denver. Check www.toothandnail.com for more details.

*Tuesday, October 23rd, 2001*

Audio Adrenaline's new album, LIFT will be in stores on November 20, and to promote the release of their new release, the AA guys will be taking part in a two-day, six-city whirlwind promo tour where they will be chartering a nine-seat jet to wisk them from city to city. Stay tuned for more details to come!

Stacie Orrico’s current album, Christmas Wish, is in stores now! Stacie is gearing up for her Christmas Wish Mall tour, which will kick on in Tulsa on November 3rd. Look for Stacie to grace the December cover of CCM Magazine. The feature will include Orrico family photos from Christmas’ past.

Sparrow Records teen pop group Jump5 will be in Washington D.C. today, October 23rd to perform at a special congressional benefit to raise disaster relief funds and honor New York City Firefighters. The group was invited by Rep. Curt Weldon and the Congressional Fire Services Caucus to perform for the New York Firefighters September 11th Disaster Relief Fund Benefit at the Hyatt Regency on Capital Hill. As the benefit's featured musical guests, Jump5 will perform their popular rendition of Lee Greenwood's patriotic anthem "God Bless the U.S.A." at the events finale.

The Benjamin Gate hit the studio on Monday to begin work on their next release. After spending so much time on the road since the release of [“Untitled”], the band is looking forward to getting back into the studio.

The third Guardian spanish cd is finally finished and will be released next month. It has been a work in progress for almost two years. The disc is called DIME' which translates as Tell Me. It features 9 new songs written exclusively for this cd and a 10th song in English. If you liked Swing,Swang,Swung you will no doubt enjoy this cd. The cd features Guardian members Tony Palacios, Karl Ney, and Jamie Rowe. David Bach could not be involved due to time commitments. As time allows, the band will play select dates in Latin America throughout the upcoming year.

Last year Jars of Clay went to Vietnam and China to visit persecuted Christians in those countries, and now the images of that trip along with a book about Christians being persecuted worldwide has been released. "The Narrow Road" includes stories of Brother Andrew with inserts from Jars of Clay. The book offers a CD with it that the band has put together exclusively for this book. To find out more please visit this web site, (http://www.thenarrowroad.net). Also in addition to the book, Jars of Clay have been writing and recording songs for their new album The Eleventh Hour. The new Jars album is tentatively scheduled to be released March 5th. To find out the latest information go to the new web site (http://www.jarsofclay.com).

During the month of October visit Family Christian Stores and get a special bonus FFH Christmas CD when you purchase Have I Ever Told You, the new album from FFH. This special offer is only until the end of October so make sure that you click here before it is gone: (http://www.familychristian.com/shop/product.asp?ProdID=5169)

The all-new Third Day website launches October 23rd with some exciting special features! And beginning October 25th, we will be streaming 1 song a day until the record releases. Visit every day and hear the entire record before it lands in stores on November 6th! It all happens at (http://www.thirdday.com) In the meantime, check out the new JfH review of Come Together here!

BEC artists have already been featured on several television programs -- now, the new TNBC show "Skate" has been featuring tracks from several BEC artists. In recent episodes, songs from Hangnail, Project 86 and .rod laver have been played! The show has also played songs from Tooth & Nail and Uprok artists. Check your local listing for show times on NBC.

Three-time GRAMMY Award nominee and multi-platinum selling artist Jaci Velasquez launches her Christmas tour in Detroit Nov. 23. The tour follows the debut of her first-ever holiday recording, Christmas, which released Sept. 18 to wide critical acclaim and commercial success. The long-awaited project from one of Christian and Latin music's brightest stars will also release in Spanish, entitled Navidad, this month.

The Normals are close to completing their latest project, that is scheduled for a February 2002 release.

*Wednesday, October 17th, 2001*

P.O.D. is shining Platinum. The guys' new album, Satellite, has already sold over one million units and received Platinum status from the RIAA. Many congrats guys!

Charlie Peacock is back! After a two year "retirement," Mr. Peacock has formed a family-owned publishing company called Printshop Music Group. He will be co-writing with the artists he produces.

Be sure to watch Plus One on CBS on Wednesday, October 17th. The band will be on the Early Show with Bryant Gumbel. It airs from 6 to 9 AM.

Radio Disney has come to Jump 5 for help. They wanted the young pop band to record the smash hit by Lee Greenwood, "God Bless the USA." The new version is for the younger listeners to hear this patriotic song of hope. If you would like to hear it, check out www.jump5.com

Switchfoot is going to the movies! The guys will have several songs featured in the new Mandy Moore film and soundtrack called, A Walk To Remember.

Since when could you say that you were the "Best"? Dogwood sure can! They were voted "Best Punk Band" at the San Diego Music Awards. But all good news doesn't come from these guys. Guitarist Sean O'Donnell announced he was leaving the group but he will be replaced by Daniel Montoya. Best of luck to Sean.

Rick Altizer has hit the mainstream. The rocker's new album, All Tie Zur, has been released through mainstream label Not Lame Records this month. The first single is called 'John Lennon's Glasses,' and don't look for this is Christian bookstores. Check out rickaltizer.com for more details.

Please pray for Rebecca St. James as she has not been well lately. She visited the doctor early last week and has the right medicine, but recovery from her illness takes a couple of weeks. She's taking things a little easier, including not signing after concerts until she gets a little better, and some of her media interviews are being cut back. The condition has flu-like symptoms and she needs to rest as much as possible. Rebecca was to do some extra video work on "Wait For Me" this week, but that has been postponed and will probably take place later in the month. Despite being sick, the current concerts will definitely continue to go on. Next year she is taking a 6 month sabbatical which is definitely well deserved.

You can hear the first new song from tobyMac, "J Train," which features Kirk Franklin right now on www.forefrontrecords.com. The song follows the very successful #1 song and video "Extreme Days" and "Somebody's Watching Me" which are featured on dc talk's solo CD. tobyMac told Jesusfreakhideout.com yesterday that the record is finally done and will be ready for your listening pleasure on November 6th when it hits shelves.

The 3rd annual Calibretto 13 Halloween Bash is right around the corner. On Friday, October 19, at 8 PM sharp in the quaint little town of Kokomo, Indiana, Calibretto 13 and friends will be partying down with a bunch of costumed freaks. Joined by The Migraines, In the Face of War, and Canterbury Effect, it will be another night to remember as Calibretto 13 unleashes a slew of new songs as well as your old favorites. So put on your costume and come on over. Admission is $5 at the door or FREE with a convincing costume.

You may have been wondering what in the world has happened to Geoff Moore. Although we don't know why he has sort of disappeared from the scene since his last solo release, we do know that Geoff has been spending a lot of time on the road this month. Check out www.geoffmoore.com for a complete tour listing. Geoff is also beginning to prepare for his new record due out early spring of 2002.

*Wednesday, October 10th, 2001*

We found an update on the postponing of the dc Talk fall Solo Tour. iTickets.com posted the following from the band...
"After much prayer and pastoral counsel, dc Talk has made the difficult decision to postpone their fall tour. Kevin Max has requested time off the road to attend to personal matters. "It was not an easy choice", says Toby McKeehan. "We deeply regret how this postponement will affect both the promoters and our fans." Kevin states "I believe I have needed this time away from touring and the business for quite some time. The process of being an island unto myself and the author of my own desires took the place of my most prized relationships. I have come to realize that my character is more important than my career as a performer". "I am with much prayer and counsel, putting those relationships back to the forefront of my existence. My personal walk with Jesus Christ (my first love and personal savior) and my wife matter more to me. I sincerely appreciate Michael and Toby standing beside me at this time". "While this has been tough, it is exciting to me that God continues to pursue and encourage us to be climbers and not campers. Staying stagnant is not an option," said Michael Tait. We are currently in the process of rescheduling as many of the dates as possible in January and February of 2002."

Gotee Records and their Grammy-nominated artist Jennifer Knapp recently celebrated Knapps' first RIAA Gold Certification for her 1997 debut project, Kansas. The celebration took place at Nashville's Gibson Café, and along with presentations to Knapp, Gotee founders Toby McKeehan and Joey Elwood among others, featured a one-hour performance with Knapp and her band (photo). "It was difficult to comprehend the night being just for me," said Knapp. " The support for Kansas and for me as an artist has involved so many people that deserved to be recognized and thanked. Gotee especially, they've stood boldly on a path that has allowed me to grow, and encouraged my abilities to touch people. That investment goes beyond one person...and for that I am deeply moved." Catch Knapp on tour co-headlining with Jars of Clay in early 2002 in support of her forthcoming album The Way I Am, which releases November 20th.

Rebecca St. James is continuing to work on her upcoming worship album in between “Wait for Me” tour dates. The album is slated for a March release. So far, Rebecca has completed rough mixes of eight songs and is very happy with the direction of the album so far.

Happy belated birthday wishes are in order for Michael W. Smith! His birthday was Sunday, October 7th. If you haven't already, pick up Michael's powerful new praise album, Worship, which released last month.

The members of ZOEgirl have become known for their accomplished songwriting skills used to address the issues confronting today’s youth in an open and honest fashion. Topics such as dating relationships, self image, and personal evangelism are all addressed in a biblical framework. On their sophomore release, LIFE, ZOEgirl will continue to address important issues while remaining relevant to the current musical landscape. Joining a barrage of other great releases on the same day, LIFE becomes available on November 20th. (For a larger, fuller image, please click on the ZOEgirl picture to the right)

The Benjamin Gate just wrapped up touring with the wildly popular Festival Con Dios Tour. With the Festival, the band was able to see and experience America. When asked what were some things that stuck out on the tour, they responded with... “fried chicken.” Turns out in South Africa, fried chicken isn’t as popular as it is over here. The band’s manager said fried chicken was a staple at every stop the tour made, which seemed unusual to the band since the staple in South Africa is a BB-Q sausage served very much like a hotdog. Interesting...

The MP3.com Syndicated Radio Team has chosen Superchic[k]'s song "Not Done Yet" to be included in the College Radio Show (Show 69), a MP3.com Syndicated Radio Program currently under production. More than 190 radio stations representing various music formats participate in the program.

*Friday, October 5th, 2001*

Tired of wondering what has happened to those fun-loving Canadians, Hokus Pick, we decided to do a little research. We were pleased with what we found as well. We contacted their record company and were surprised at what we were told. "They have not split," they reassured us, "they are, in fact doing several concerts this fall. They have had about a year hiatus to add to their families. Russ, the lead singer, is the music director out at Camp Qwanoes in Vancouver, Matt owns Bold Entertainment, Rick produces and runs a studio, and David is a financial planner (or something like that). They still keep close contact and have enough material to record another record." The reason why their site has been down, is apparently their contract was up, they lost the site and have tried to get it back, but to no avail. That's all for now folks! We'll keep you posted on anything new we hear.

TONIGHT!! P.O.D. and crew set up for what’s expected to be the most inspiring Tonight Show with Jay Leno performance this year!

Word Records' award winning and multi-platinum selling artist, 22 year-old Jaci Velasquez will be featured during the annual "CBS All-American Thanksgiving Day Parade" airing Thursday, Nov. 22, 2001, from 8-11 a.m. CST. Velasquez will perform "Feliz Navidad" from her critically acclaimed and first holiday offering, Christmas, for an Opryland Hotel audience in Nashville during a Thursday, Oct. 4 taping for the Thanksgiving Day program.

Essential Records' new pop group True Vibe recently joined an allstar cast for the recording of the title song to the new Miramax motion picture, On The Line. The group recorded the song in New York the weekend prior to the World Trade Center attack, along with *NSYNC's Lance Bass and Joey Fatone, as well as Mandy Moore and Christian Burns from BB Mak (photo). The song was co-arranged by True Vibe member Jonathan Lippmann and Dan Muckala (of Mukala fame), who also produced the song. In addition to the soundtrack, an "On The Line" video directed by Marc Webb (Green Day, Three Doors Down, Good Charlotte), has been taped and premiered on MTV's "Making The Video" this week. The show will rebroadcast the "On The Line" feature again today at 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. EST. The video was also scheduled to broadcast on TRL (Total Request Live) this week.

Ardent Records' top rock band Skillet recently made its way onto Billboard Magazine's "Top Internet Album Sales" chart with it's critically-acclaimed, fourth studio album, Alien Youth. At No. 19, Skillet was the only Christian group among the September 22, top-25 chart that reflects albums ordered through Internet merchants. Billboard calls Alien Youth "...a mainstream-leaning album packed with integrity and fully capable of being a leader in this era of expanding worship genres. The cuts shake with the energy of a live performance..." That performance ability was further called attention to in a recent cover story on Christian music in Newsweek magazine, which said that kids are "moshing to Skillet's acerbic din."

Philmore is no longer walking with Five Minute Walk Records. They have left the company but have not quit writing. Be sure to get their brand new project, The Bare Truth About Philmore, out now. This features 8 songs and is only available at the band's web site or at shows. Go to www.planetphilmore.com. for more details.

*Thursday, October 4th, 2001*

The dc Talk Tour has hit a few speed bumps. As reported by such sites as even Tait's own site Taitband.com, the dc Talk Solo tour has been "postponed." Tait is still doing some dates and encourage you to keep an eye on their site, however the entire dc Talk Solo tour was set to launch tonight and was postponed for reasons that have yet to be announced. We'll keep you posted on these developments.

*Monday, October 1st, 2001*

David Kuo, Special Assistant to President Bush, wrote a special letter to comment on Tait's song, "Unglued." Mr. Kuo states in the letter, "I do hope that "Unglued" gets heard by millions of people - it is a healing song for a still hurting country. It is a powerful song for these extraordinary times." That single can be heard on Tait's debut album, Empty.

Forefront Records is currently in the process of producing a Spanish language version of the Prayer of Jabez CD that will be released in the Spring of 2002.

Kevin Max recently wrapped up filming on the video for the next single from his new solo release Stereotype Be. Be looking for the video for "Existence" coming soon! Also, a JfH visitor reported that Kevin's current single "Be" was used on Thursday, September 27th's episode of WWF Tough Enough that airs on MTV. Interesting.

Multi-platinum selling bands Jars of Clay and Lifehouse co-headlined a concert Sept. 15 at the Oklahoma State Fair Arena in the wake of the country's recent national tragedy (photo). "It was a thrill to share the stage with a group having such profound impact on radio & culture," said Dan Haseltine, Jars of Clay. "I hope we will continue to be an encouragement to each other during our season of influence." "With everything going on this week, we (still) had over 4600 in attendance," noted Gina Ritter, assistant general manager, Oklahoma State Fair. "We knew it was going to be a cool show even before Jars and Lifehouse got here. It was an incredible performance - people were mesmerized; completely were blown away by Jars' performance and energy."

Due to circumstances beyond Tooth and Nail Records' control, the Slick Shoes record (originally slated for a November release) is being postponed to March / April of 2002. The band is heading up to Canada in October to track the album and mixing will follow. We will let everybody know as soon as a final new date is decided on.

Tooth and Nail has released a preview list of some of the new releases to hit shelves in 2002. The artists and projects include: The Blamed, Calibretto 13, Fine China, Further More, Havalina, The Juliana Theory (live album), Poor Old Lu, Slick Shoes, Squad Five-0 and more, as well as Songs from the Penalty Box Vol. 5, Tooth and Nail Box Set 2002 and Tooth and Nail Video Vol. 7 (possibly with DVD version also).