Friday, June 25, 2010

The Washington Projects Return with Light Up the Dark

Brother and sister duo, The Washington Projects, are back with Light Up The Dark, the follow-up to their widely successful debut, Commanders Of The Resistance. Available now, the album can be found for digital download through iTunes, AmazonMP3 and Rhapsody among others, and physical copies can be purchased through the group’s website. The project will be released to retail stores on August 3rd, through Universal.

All songs on Light Up The Dark were written by Rachael and Je’kob Washington and the album was produced by McPhly Entertainment, with Je’kob at the helm and the assistance of Kajmir Royale and Luke Witherspoon III.

“We are very excited about this album,” explains Rachael. “Through every record we release, God allows us to share a little piece of our hearts and what he’s given us with the entire world. Whether our music reaches five million people or just one, it’s an amazing feeling to know that we are being used in shifting someone’s heart and mind toward love and dedication to the only eternal kingdom. In an industry where almost everything comes down to numbers, we strive to remind ourselves daily of the true purpose of what we do - Touching souls with the teachings of Christ thru the gift of music. Light Up The Dark is a call to be what we were created to be - A bold & shining beacon of Light in a Dark world - based around the verse Matthew 5:14.”

The first two radio singles from the album are “Light Up The Dark” and “You Are Beautiful.” The first video is the title track for the album and was filmed by the local San Diego Crew 4120 (www.fortyonetwenty.com). Additionally, the song “Justus” will be featured on Are You Outraged, from International Justice Mission. The purpose of the album and campaign is to raise 1 million dollars to help abolish labor and sex slavery.

Je’kob comments on their involvement with the organization: "It's an honor for us to be a part of this monumental compilation. We've been supporting IJM in their endeavors to eradicate sex & labor slavery for some time now. The statistics are absolutely staggering and sometimes it can be hard to see a light at the end of the tunnel. But, hopefully the sales of this compilation will provide enough funding to deliver some serious backing in the efforts to erase this terrible stain on humanity.”

Their first step out as The Washington Projects after their stint on Warner Bros./Word Records as Souljahz, Commanders of the Resistance brought great success for the group. The duo headlined the 12-city “Dare2Share” Tour and also did a USO European/Mediterranean Tour with Nappy Roots, as well as playing festivals and venues across the country. The project garnered critical acclaim from media outlets and was received very well by Gospel Music Channel viewers, with the videos for “Take It To The Streets” staying in the #1 slot for over two weeks and “You Are My World” holding at #2 for over three weeks.

The twosome has had a lot going on personally as well, with Rachael getting married to Kent Messini last September and Je’kob branching out on his own to start McPhly Entertainment, a unique production company that allows independent artists to get full records, EP’s, or just one song from start to finish, including production, mixing, mastering, photo shoots, websites, & online worldwide distribution via iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, etc for an easy to handle and individually customized monthly fee. Je’kob’s most notable recent accomplishment has been producing “Be Alright,” the first single from multi-platinum selling hip hop group, The Nappy Roots’ newest record, The Pursuit Of Nappyness.

The Washington Projects are currently booking dates for a tour to support Light Up The Dark.

For more information about The Washington Projects and Light Up The Dark, please visit www.WashingtonProjects.com or www.myspace.com/thewashingtonprojects. Follow them on twitter at www.twitter.com/WPonline.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Rebecca St. James on Hannity Tonight June 16th

(Nashville, Tennessee) –June 15, 2010 – Popular Grammy Award winning Christian artist, Rebecca St. James is in New York for a live appearance Wednesday night (16th) on Fox New’s Channel’s “Hannity.” (9:00 PM Eastern/8:00 PM Central). St. James will make a return guesting on the program’s popular “Great American Panel” –her third visit to the guest panel in the last few months.

With the fall 2009 release of her starring role in the film, “Sarah’s Choice,” (Pure Flix Entertainment) giving voice to a strong pro life agenda, Rebecca is devoting time this year, amidst plans for new music and more films, to a series of special appearances nationally for crisis pregnancy and right to life organizations.

She describes her involvement on behalf of the centers as one the most rewarding results of her creative association with "Sarah’s Choice." “My passion for the pro-life message has grown tremendously as I have encountered firsthand the dedication and importance of their mission for the unborn. It is just beautiful to see their work, and I’ve felt so incredibly fulfilled and energized, coming alongside of what they’re doing and supporting them in such a small way,” she noted in a recent interview.

Rebecca St. James is the current cover/feature of the May-June issue of Celebrate Life magazine, a publication of the American Life League.

Resource Rebecca St. James online: www.myspace.com/rebeccastjames

For information on the film "Sarah's Choice:"
http://sarah.pureflix.com

Read our review of Sarah's Choice.
Read our interview with Rebecca on Sarah's Choice.

Monday, June 7, 2010

Dana Key dies June 6

We are very sad to report that according to CCM Magazine Online, Dana Key, of Degarmo & Key fame, died on June 6th from a ruptured blood clot. He was 56.

No more details are known at this time.