Ruth's new album streeting October 28th

After a successful debut in 2007 (Secondhand Dreaming) and extensive touring with Switchfoot and Relient K (2007 "Appetite for Construction Tour with Habitat for Humanity") as well as Emery, Ruth is proud to return with their sophomore release, Anorak, on October 28th.

Titled after the British slang definition of an obsessive enthusiast, Anorak is a reference to a person who has an unfathomable interest in something and feels compelled to talk at length about it. The project was produced by acclaimed roster of Aaron Sprinkle (Copeland, Anberlin), Chris Keene (Surrogate, Number One Gun), and Kelsey Smith. The album was also mixed by Ken Andrews (Mae, Pete Yorn) and JR McNeely (The Almost, Relient K).

"I would hope that the music we play is something a little more timeless," band's founder, singer/guitarist Dustin Ruth confesses. "Hopefully whomever gets one of our albums ten years from now, they're driving somewhere, and they can still listen to these songs and enjoy it. Our ten year goal for the band is that no matter what, we would still be real, that we would still be who we are, no matter how many records we sold."

Written primarily at rest stops and hotels, Anorak captures the emotions and experiences of watching dreams come true and others fall beyond reach. Ruth's music is liberating, freeing and uplifting, while at the same time avoiding the pitfalls of cliché and easy, safe or predictable melodies. Anorak is at once challenging and yet simple to understand, recalling the best of '80s radio, '90's English pop and contemporary indie without sounding derivative of any particular genre.

"This one feels more like a band album," Dustin says. "We had a lot more time to develop through a year and a half of solid touring. It made going into this album a lot different. As a songwriter, I put a lot more time and devotion into writing the songs that we really wanted on this album. These songs were written more intentionally for this album."

The band will also return to the touring sector with Decemberadio after a summer filled with dates. Check out their MySpace for updated dates.

Read our interview with Ruth here.

Leeland Hurricane Ike Update

From the guys in Leeland...

Hurricane Ike Update

We can't thank you all enough for praying during this terrible time. Through comments on our blog, we know that hundreds of you are.

Baytown, Texas, on the east side of Houston, is our hometown. The entire area is currently without power. We have countless family and friends who will be without work for weeks to come. The financial toll that a disaster like Hurricane Ike leaves is unbelievable.

Somehow, the homes of all of us in Leeland are completely fine (as are we), but our home-church sustained significant damage. There is standing water in the sanctuary. The roof/ceiling leaked tremendously and lots of ceiling tiles caved in. We will be unable to have services at the church building for at least five weeks and the building will need major repairs.

We ask for your continued prayers during this difficult time.

Thanks for the love. God bless each of you.

Leeland, Jack, Jake, Mike and Matt (Leeland)

For more information, please visit our blog.

Newsboys release Live CD/DVD "Houston We Are Go" Sept. 30

International pop/rock phenomenon newsboys captures the best of its explosive sell-out “GO” tour on the new CD/DVD project newsboys live: Houston We Are Go, releasing Sept. 30 on Inpop Records.

Filmed and recorded in Houston during the third leg of the “GO” tour this past spring, newsboys live: Houston We Are Go takes the band’s wildly successful tour and commits it to tape. “We felt on every level, this was our strongest tour to date, and we wanted to capture it,” says band member Jeff Frankenstein (keyboards).

The band credits the fans with making the tour exceptional. “The newsboys fan base is so diverse, from 3 to 93, different ethnic, economic, denominational and religious backgrounds. We have been fortunate to have the opportunity to grow up with our audience. From the times we played high school auditoriums in the ’80s to arenas in 2008. Every night they turned out in droves and we had a great time,” he says.

Inpop President Dale Bray agrees, “The newsboys ‘GO’ tour was a true music spectacular, featuring production values never seen before in Christian music. The song list was a complete history of the band’s depth of number 1 songs along with the energy and showmanship we have grown to expect from this world class band. Capturing this performance in both audio and visual formats was a must.”

The 95-city groundbreaking “GO” tour ran from Spring 2007-Spring 2008 and boasted sold out shows on all three legs. With an average audience of 3000, setting a record in Houston, TX where 8800 attended, the tour grossed seven million dollars, giving evidence that newsboys continues to innovate its live show and offer fans an entertainment experience that changes lives. This live CD/DVD showcases hits from both the current release GO (“I Am Free,” “Wherever We Go,” “Something Beautiful”), as well as classic newsboys tunes including “Shine,” “Breakfast,” “He Reigns” and “It Is You,” all from gold-selling albums.

The newsboys live: Houston We Are Go track listing includes:

1. Shine
2. Wherever We Go
3. The Mission
4. Something Beautiful
5. Blessed Be Your Name
6. Stay Strong
7. Amazing Love
8. Entertaining Angels
9. He Reigns
10. Breakfast
11. Your Love Is Better Than Life
12. Drum Solo
13. I Am Free
14. Peter’s Testimony

Read our interview with the Newsboys here.

Barlowgirl's Home for Christmas coming September 23rd

Fervent Records' talented trio BarlowGirl is ready to spend this Christmas season with you, and many more to come, with their first holiday project, Home For Christmas. The CD is slated to release September 23rd, 2008.

Produced by long-time friend Otto Price (GRITS, dcTalk) and arranged by Price and BarlowGirl, Home For Christmas is a timeless recording of songs ideal for ushering in the holiday season. The eleven tracks, finely showcasing BarlowGirl's well-known seamless harmonies, offer full orchestral arrangements of Christmas favorites along with an original recording, "Hallelujah (Light Has Come)."

Before they even formed BarlowGirl, the rock trio - Rebecca, Alyssa and Lauren Barlow - have dreamt of making an album of their favorite Christmas songs since their youth. Blessed with joyous family holiday memories from singing carols to baking cookies for neighbors, BarlowGirl knows firsthand Christmas is a special time of year to bring joy to others, to reach out and help provide for those in need. With each of the tracks found on Home For Christmas, there is no doubt they uniquely capture what the holiday season is all about, making this a classic compilation to enjoy for years to come.

Home For Christmas song listing:

1. It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
2. Carol Of The Bells/Sing We Now Of Christmas
3. I'll Be Home For Christmas"
4. Hallelujah (Light Has Come)
5. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
6. What Child Is This?
7. Panis Angelicus
8. Angelic Proclamation (O Come All Ye Faithful/Angels We Have Heard On High/Hark! The Herald Angels Sing)
9. Go, Tell It On The Mountain
10. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
11. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

In addition to their upcoming holiday release, BarlowGirl announced in July they are headlining their Million Voices Tour this fall, a unique 16+ market nationwide tour that will be sure to encourage concert-goers to speak hope, truth and love to others. Also continuing their partnership with Mercy Ministries - a program that provides young women hope and healing who are seeking freedom from life-controlling issues such as addictions, depression, eating disorders, and abuse - BarlowGirl will share with their audiences about the organization and encourage them to get involved. With the help of their fans, BarlowGirl has set a goal to raise $1,000,000 to build a new home for Mercy Ministries, whose waiting list is in the hundreds.

The Million Voices Tour starts September 10th and will run through mid-November. Joining the sisters on the tour is Jimmy Needham along with Brooke Barrettsmith. Tour dates are listed below and for the most updated tour information, please visit www.barlowgirl.com or www.myspace.com/barlowgirl. For more information about Mercy Ministries, visit www.mercyministries.org.

The Million Voices tour dates*:
9/12 The Woodlands, TX
9/13 Cleburne, TX
9/14 Waco, TX
9/16 Midland, TX
9/17 Los Cruces, NM
9/19 Parker, CO
9/20 Albuquerque, NM
9/21 Mesa, AZ
9/24 Oceanside, CA
9/25 Riverside, CA
9/26 Camarillo, CA
9/27 Bakersfield, CA
9/28 San Jose, CA
9/30 Redding, CA

10/2 Vancouver, WA
10/3 Wenatchee, WA
10/4 Spokane, WA
10/5 Kennewick, WA
10/7 Salt Lake City, UT
10/8 Casper, WY
10/9 Kearney, NE
10/11 Duluth, MN
10/12 Elgin, IL
10/23 Clarksville, TN
10/24 St. Louis, MO
10/25 Jonesboro, AR
10/26 Madison, AL
10/30 Sioux Falls, SD
10/31 Jamestown, ND

11/1 Minneapolis, MN
11/2 Iowa City, IA
11/6 Springfield, MO
11/7 Cincinnati, OH
11/8 Shippensburg, PA
11/9 Vineland, NJ

*Schedule subject to change. Please visit www.barlowgirl.com for the most updated tour schedule

Point of Grace re-signs with Word records

Grammy-nominated and Dove Award-winning group, Point of Grace, re-signs with Word Records after 15 years with the label.

“We are excited to continue our longstanding partnership with Point Of Grace,” says Word Entertainment COO Rod Riley. “They have an outstanding ministry and an incredible work ethic; we are thrilled to be a part of this next chapter in their career.”

Pictured (front row) are Denise Jones, Leigh Cappillino and Shelley Breen; (back row) Mike Blanton (BHCC), Cheri Kaufmann (BHCC), Word Entertainment CEO Jim Van Hook, Word Entertainment COO Rod Riley, Word Entertainment Sr. VP of A&R and Publishing Susan Riley, Word Records A&R Director Conor Farley.

Third Day to offer Christmas Offerings DVD in October!

Multi-platinum and GRAMMY winning Third Day is set to release its Christmas Offerings DVD October 7, 2008, a fourth work in its acclaimed Offerings worship series, which has scanned numbers approaching the 2.5 million unit mark, to date. Recorded live during the band’s 2007 “Christmas Offerings” Tour, the live concert Christmas Offerings DVD features a unique blend of Christmas classics, originals and some of Third Day’s most well known worship songs. The live concert DVD is sure to bring the spirit of the Christmas season, as seen and heard through the live experience of the remarkable Third Day, into homes everywhere.

Third Day’s lead singer Mac Powell shares, “We are so excited to have this opportunity to share the special and intimate moments of a Christmas-centered Third Day concert performance with our fans everywhere. The Offerings series has become such a special part of who we are as a band, and with the Christmas Offerings DVD, we really hope to reflect the hope of Christmas, one of the most special times of the year to all of us in Third Day.”

The Christmas Offerings DVD includes the following live performances (subject to change): “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “Do You Hear What I Hear,” “King of Glory,” “Born In Bethlehem,” “What Child Is This?,” “Christmas Like A Child,” “Show Me Your Glory,” “Angels We Have Heard On High,” “Your Love Oh Lord,” “Merry Christmas,” “O Holy Night,” “Jesus, Light of Wonder,” “God of Wonders” and “Creed.”

Third Day’s Offerings series comprises the following four projects: Offerings I, Offerings II, Christmas Offerings and the soon-to-be-released Christmas Offerings DVD (10/7/08).