AudioAdrenaline
During 15 years together, the members of Audio Adrenaline have sold more than three million records and scored 18 No. 1 radio hits, among them “Ocean Floor,” “Big House,” “Never Gonna Be As Big As Jesus,” “Leaving 99,” “Hands and Feet,” and “Some Kind of Zombie.”
Giving their all is the way the members of Audio Adrenaline approached every show. But now Mark Stuart’s voice is going and the band is calling it quits.
They came to Colorado Springs World Arena Oct. 24 as part of their Adios tour.
p.s.
Abbs is a great concert buddy.
AudioA says “Aloha.”
GRAMMY Award-winning Audio Adrenaline announced their farewell concert will be Saturday, Apr. 28, in Honolulu, HI. Also in celebration of their 15-year career, AudioA is inviting fans to join them in Hawaii for a group travel experience, called “Audio Adrenaline’s ALOHA Adventure,” Apr. 26-30. Trip prices range from $1,175 to $1,950. More information on the band can be found at
www.AudioA.com.
Nativity Story album features Christian, country artists.
Word Records and New Line Records, announced the 13-song compilation project,
The Nativity Story: Sacred Songs, inspired by the New Line Cinema film,
The Nativity Story will release Oct. 31.
The album will feature Christian and country artists including Jaci Velasquez, Point of Grace, Amy Grant, Natalie Grant, Jill Phillips, Andrew Peterson, Selah, Plumb, Jo Dee Messina, Kenny Rogers, Wynonna, Nicole C. Mullen, Mark Schultz, LeAnn Rimes, and BarlowGirl.
Word Distribution will also release
The Nativity Story: Original Score, music composed by Michael Danna, to CBA retail Dec. 5.
The Nativity Story: Sacred Songs is one of the albums in Word Distribution’s “The Gift Goes On” promotion in which customers receive a free Christmas keepsake book when they purchase one of Word’s featured music offerings.
Free Derek Webb explodes.
INO recording artist Derek Webb began his “Free Derek Webb” campaign, giving away his entire
Mockingbird (Provident-Integrity) album for free starting Sept. 1, and already over 50,000 people have downloaded the album. Media nationwide have picked up on the story, including
The LA Times and
Billboard. Audiences at Webb’s concerts have also grown, nearly double in several cities, and in addition to their presence, Webb says his goal of engaging them in conversation regarding the issues presented in the songs on Mockingbird has become a reality.
Mockingbird tackles many sensitive issues including poverty and war.
One Night With The King approved by moviegoers, Dove Foundation.
Opening in nearly 1,000 theaters nationwide on Friday, Oct. 13,
One Night With The King placed ninth at the box office, with an estimated gross of $4.3 million over the weekend. The Dove Foundation awarded the PG-rated film its family-approved seal. Based on the best-selling novel
Hadassah: One Night With The King by Tommy Tenney and Mark Andrew Olsen, (Bethany)
One Night With The King brings the popular Old Testament Bible story of how Esther found the courage to step forward and save her people from destruction.
GMA announces Dove Awards hosts.
The Gospel Music Assoc. announced the 38th annual GMA Dove Awards will be Wednesday, Apr. 25, 2007 at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, TN. Dove-winning artists Natalie Grant, Brian Littrell, and Donnie McClurkin will host. “Six months out, everything is already falling into place for a fantastic Dove Awards show in 2007,” said John W. Styll, GMA president. “Natalie, Brian, and Donnie make a striking trio of hosts who will be engaging, smart, and entertaining and we’re excited each accepted our invitation to host the show.” ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox broadcast affiliates in Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Cleveland, New Orleans, and Nashville are among more than 50 television stations that have already cleared the GMA Dove Awards for the 2007 broadcast.
Nativity Story gears up with trailer and partner projects.
The trailer to much-anticipated New Line Cinema film,
The Nativity Story, released in theaters last weekend. To see the trailer, visit the
official site or
www.nativityresources.com for information about group tickets, plus a list of partners and promotions, including: Church Communication Network (CCN) will broadcast a satellite event called
The Nativity Story to air live in more than 3,300 churches nationwide in November; Lawson-Falle Cards is creating a series of Nativity-based Christmas cards to be placed in 7,000 retail locations in early November; Tyndale is producing a series of five Nativity-related books, to have a presence at Christian stores nationwide; Word Records will release two related albums—an original score album and an “inspired-by” compilation of Christian artists singing Christmas classics.
Best Buy and Starbucks launch into digital music.
CD retail giant Best Buy is starting a digital music store by partnering with an established digital brand, RealNetworks, and their service, Rhapsody. Also, coffee retailer Starbucks’ entertainment division launched their own branded area in the iTunes Music Store. Customers may purchase an entire playlist or individual tracks from the Starbucks Hear Music playlists. Billboard reported the stores will carry “significant signage” marketing the partnership.
Passion
More than 20,000 young adults are expected to attend Passion 2007 conference, held Jan. 1-4 in Atlanta. Artist worshipers and renowned speakers Louie Giglio, John Piper, and Beth Moore, among others, are scheduled to lead the gathering.
Since 1997 Passion has sought to foster unity and connectivity among local churches and campus ministries, resulting in a louder anthem of God’s renown. With more than 1.5 million CDs sold, the Passion movement has delivered some of the biggest songs in the church today and helped launch Chris Tomlin and David Crowder Band’s careers.
Sixstepsrecords’ ninth Passion project,
Passion: Everything Glorious (EMI CMG), released Apr. 4, 2006 and became an immediate best seller. The album claimed the No. 1 position on the SoundScan Christian retail sales chart and landed at No. 69 on the Billboard Top 200 chart.
“I’m thrilled with the sales success of Passion: Everything Glorious, and for our retail partners who resonate with Passion and its vision to reach college campuses for God,” says David Crace, EMI CMG Label Group, Marketing Sr. VP. “This music is extremely relevant to college kids, but also resonates with anyone who enjoys modern worship music. ”
Passion is expecting even bigger things in the future. Now they’re becoming established enough to start celebrating their past. Passion has put together the definitive collection of songs from the movement over the last 10 years.
Best of Passion, a two-CD compilation, is set to release Dec. 26.
This comes on the heels of the sixsteps’ Sept. 26 release of
See the Morning, the newest release from 2006 GMA Artist and Male Vocalist of the year, Chris Tomlin; and on the same day as Matt Redman’s (also a 2006 Dove-award winner) newest,
Beautiful News.
Bebo Norman's Between the Dreaming and the Coming True
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Singer/songwriter Bebo Norman now adds producer to his list of accomplishments. Norman co-wrote and produced Between the Dreaming and the Coming True primarily with Jason Ingram (The Longing), with “The Way We Mend” produced by Glenn Rosenstein. While Norman used to write all his own songs, he told me the collaboration allows him to place more priority on family, friends, and his wife. Proclaiming a newfound confidence, Norman says this album is a turning point for him as an artist. Norman’s loyal fan following will experience his personable and conversational stage presence as he tours the next few months with Brandon Heath (Reunion/Provident-Integrity) and Aaron Shust (Brash/Word). Check out Bebo's web site for dates. (That's tour dates, silly--he's married now, remember?)
ABOUT THE ALBUM
Two years after Try, Norman’s fifth studio album Between the Dreaming and the Coming True hit stores Sept. 19. Inspired by Robert Benson’s same-titled book about finding God in the midst of depression, “It was so poignant to me because this really is where life as a believer is most often lived… somewhere between the two. It’s about hope eternal played out against the backdrop of a difficult world. It’s messy and it’s beautiful all at the same time.”
ABOUT THE SONGS
“Into the Day,” reflective of the entire album, is about stepping out of darkness into hope. “Be My Covering” displays a rousing chorus calling out to God. “Time Takes Its Toll on Us” is a prayer written to God (“I need to see you in the sunrise”) and a rally around relationships in which beauty and tragedy intermingle. “I Know Now” uses surges of strings and brass to propel the message that burdens can be laid down. “I Will Lift My Eyes” uplifts “the Maker of the mountains I can’t climb…Calmer of the oceans raging wild…Healer of the hurt I hold inside.” “To Find My Way to You,” with its upbeat tempo and sweet message, strikes a bittersweet chord with lyrics about loving long-distance. “Sunday,” a simple and sunny love song, provides a stark contrast to the final song. “Now That You’re Gone” is a cry for those wounded by loneliness and loss. The least hopeful of all the tracks, it draws listeners back to the beginning of an overall triumphant album.
Amy Grant on The View.
After receiving her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and releasing
Time Again (Word/Curb/Warner) last week, Amy Grant will appear on ABC’s
The View Tuesday, Oct. 10. She’ll perform the long-time favorite “Stay For Awhile.”
Facing the Giants faces tough competition.
Over the weekend (Sept. 30, Oct. 1), Hollywood snapped out of a box-office lull that had persisted most of September. The top-12 movies took in $85.1 million, up 13% from the same weekend last year, according to the Associated Press. Animated comedy
Open Season topped the box office, debuting with $23 million. Disney’s action drama
The Guardian came in second with $17.7 million. Family-friendly football drama
Facing the Giants debuted grossing nearly $1.4 million over the weekend.
