Life & Faith Tour coming to a town near you!

Nashville, TN… In its debut year, the Life & Faith Tour will kick off in a big way by giving back to local communities in three cities this summer: Richmond (6/19/2010), Rockingham, NC (7/10/2010) and Atlanta (7/24/2010). The diverse lineup for the event includes six-time Grammy ® Award winner Amy Grant, multi-platinum selling band MercyMe, CMA Award winners Diamond Rio, Grammy Award ® winner Israel Houghton, Point of Grace, David Crowder*Band, Natalie Grant, The Nelons and Triumphant Quartet, Southern Gospel acts as well as Christian ventriloquists and comedians, authors, motivational speakers and more.

The Life & Faith Tour is a Christian festival with a major fundraising component to benefit the local community, born out of the simple desire to give back and leave a community in better shape than it was when they arrived. Created years ago by former fireman Ronnie Jackson, as an initial fundraiser for the local fire department in Kenbridge, VA, what started out as a cookout with local entertainment grew into a major fundraising event with headlining acts such as Travis Tritt and Alabama.

Today, over 30 years later, the tour has grown into a major family attraction. What sets it apart from other festivals is how it presents an opportunity for organizations to raise funds; this is done by simply spreading the word.

Starting February 15, tickets will be available for $47.50 and $10 of that automatically goes to a local organization. If the ticket buyer doesn’t choose a beneficiary, a default organization in each city will benefit, ensuring that the community benefits from every ticket sold. Organizations will range from local churches and youth groups to the YMCA, Red Cross and other worthy civic groups. Churches and organizations are welcome to sign up as a beneficiary starting on January 15.

“This is truly an effortless act, all organizations have to do is talk about the show, and then when a patron goes to buy a ticket, that organization gets $10 just for the referral,” Jackson explains. “However the churches and organizations must be registered on the tour’s website to become a beneficiary. When purchasing a ticket, patrons will be able to choose a church or organization where their ticket proceeds will go. Each Life & Faith venue can hold 70,000 people so a sellout crowd would leave that community with $700,000 as the tour busses pull out of town. It is truly a remarkable way to give back to the community.”

Compassion International is just one of the many sponsors that have climbed on board to help make this event possible. As a beneficiary for the tour, it is an opportunity that not only raises funds for their own organization, but it also benefits others in the surrounding communities as well. For every 70k people who attend, the tour will provide the funds to build a Habitat of Humanity home in that state.

For organizations to register to become a beneficiary and to view the full all-star lineup along with finding more information please visit www.lifeandfaithtour.com.

Tobymac Set to Release "Tonight" February 9th

December 7, 2009: With three back-to-back RIAA Gold-certified records under his belt, five GRAMMY® Awards, and now his fourth solo GRAMMY® nomination as well, GMA’s 2008 Artist of the Year, TobyMac, will release his fourth studio project, “TONIGHT” on Feburary 9th.

“TONIGHT” is getting a great head start this fall with TobyMac’s hit single, “City On Our Knees,” the fastest charting and selling track in his career. The single has already sold over 133,000 copies and has hit No. 1 on the top 100 Hot Digital Tracks chart as well as on the Billboard Top Singles chart. In addition, it held the No. 1 spot on both the National Christian Audience chart for 9weeks as well as SoundScan’s Christian Digital Track chart for eleven weeks.

“City On Our Knees” was fervently embraced at radio with 96 stations adding it to their playlist in the first three weeks, and sped to No.1 on AC Monitored and at CHR, while currently No.3 at AC Indicator.

Produced by TobyMac along with Chris Stevens (Portable Sounds), Jamie Moore (Ayiesha Smith, Stephanie Woods) and Dave Wyatt (a.k.a. “D-dub) also his musical director, TobyMac has spent the last two and a half years creating “TONIGHT,” in a recording process that he doesn’t take lightly:

“The recording process means a lot to me, and I don’t approach what I do haphazardly” he says. “I have a lot of passion when it comes to my records. I don’t know if it’s good or bad, but there’s this range of emotions that come with making a record. Music is something that can actually open people’s minds to who God is. Music will never change the world, but God can choose to use music, and that’s what I count on. I want my songs to be said in a way that anyone can relate to them. I want them to move people’s lives forward; move people toward God, and if I’m accomplishing that, whether or not anyone loves this record, as long as I feel like that is what I’m doing, then I feel like my job is done.”

As with previous TobyMac projects, “TONIGHT” also features special guest collaborations and a diversity of musical styles. The title track brings in John Cooper of Skillet, while “Wonderin’” features Matthew Thiessen of Relient K, and Nirva Ready belts her vocals on “Changed Forever.” A true highlight, and one of the most anticipated moments is with TruDog, TobyMac’s 10 year old son Truett’s, full song debut with the track “LoudNClear.”

In an effort to offer only the best variety to TobyMac’s audience, “TONIGHT” will be available as a physical CD and in digital form, both of which will feature bonus remixes and behind the scenes video.

TobyMac is currently on the road on his annual Winter Wonder Slam tour and will announce exciting 2010 tour plans soon.

www.tobymac.com

Ayiesha Woods to release Christmas album Nov 10th

GRAMMY- nominated singer Ayiesha Woods injects her soulful vocal prowess into a classic holiday offering with Christmas Like This on November 10th. The album will be available as a physical CD product exclusively through MusiChristian.com with the digital album being available at all other online retailers.

“Here at MusiChristian.com we believe strongly in partnerships and are thrilled to partner with Gotee and Ayeisha on her latest Christmas project,” says Daniel Smallbone, CEO of MusiChristian.com and BooksChristian.com.

The nine-song track listing includes Woods’ inventive take on the classics including “Merry Christmas Baby”, “Walking in a Winter Wonderland”, “Jingle Bells”, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”, “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”, “O Holy Night”, “Joy to the World”, This Christmas”, and “ O Come All Ye Faithful”.

Producer Jamie Moore (CeCe Winans, tobyMac) comments, "Being from Muscle Shoals, AL and growing up with all of its music heritage, I've always wanted to do an old soul album,” He adds, “Ayiesha definitely took me to that place with her undeniable soulful and rootsy vocals. Hopefully this Christmas album will be racked alongside the other classics for years to come."

Read our interview with Ayiesha.

Jennifer Knapp Returning to Music!

It looks like the wait might finally be over! According to the official Jennifer Knapp website and Myspace page Jennifer is planning to return to the music scene.

Read a personal letter from Jennifer here. So what has she been doing? Traveling, mostly. And getting her feet under herself, "discovering more about myself and my faith".

This is exciting news for many in the Christian music industry! Follow Jen on Twitter for up-to-date info.

Bebe and CeCe Winans Releasing 1st Studio Record in 15 years

B&C Records in conjunction with Malaco Records is proud to announce the upcoming release of Still, the highly anticipated and eagerly awaited new studio album from the platinum-selling chart-topping award-winning gospel duo BeBe & CeCe Winans. Still will be available online and in stores on Tuesday, October 6.

Still is BeBe & CeCe’s first album in more than 15 years and is the reunion that has been on the lips of fans around the world since it was announced earlier this year. Since the their self-titled debut album in 1987, this chart-topping brother and sister duo topped the R&B and inspirational charts with their debut single, “I.O.U. Me,” and generated Grammy nominations, Dove and Stellar Gospel Awards. BeBe & CeCe were the first African-American artists to receive significant airplay on CCM radio stations and the second African American artists to receive the Dove Award in the Group of the Year category.

Premiering 11 new BeBe & CeCe classics, Still includes the album’s recently released lead single, “Close to You” which has received critical acclaim and success for its soul-stirring, smooth sound and pristine vocals. The video for the single was recently launched on Yahoo and can be viewed by logging onto http://new.music.yahoo.com/videos. Other tracks on Still include the heart wrenching “Grace,” “Things” (featuring brother Marvin Winans), “Let It Be” (featuring Mary Mary) and “I Found Love” (Cindy’s Song) which is destined to be the wedding song of the year.

With assistance from longtime producer and collaborator Keith Thomas, along with Warryn Campbell, Percy Bady, Peter Zizzo, Merv Warren and Mario Winans, BeBe & CeCe weave their love for God in a faith-fueled gospel sound that combines a tuneful blend of R&B, pop, soul, jazz and more.

Growing up in Detroit, MI, Benjamin “BeBe” Winans and Priscilla “CeCe” Winans were born into a home that birthed the first family of Gospel music. The Winans Family was led by a mother and father who taught their ten children the foundations of a Godly life and admonished them to use their voices for the glory of God. The success of their four brothers, The Winans, blazed a trail for BeBe & CeCe to create their own path of writing and performing music that would attract a legion of fans and change the face of Gospel music forever.

After the success of their debut album, BeBe & CeCe became the first Gospel pair to see their second album, Heaven, reach #1 on the Billboard sales charts in 1988 and also be certified Gold. The title track reached #12 on the Billboard R&B singles chart and also spawned two more hit singles with “Lost Without You” and “Celebrate New Life.”

In 1991, the dynamic duo released Different Lifestyles featuring the single “Addictive Love” and a cover of the Staples Singers classic, “I’ll Take You There.” Both singles topped the R&B charts. From there, BeBe & CeCe released two more albums and after an amazing run of smash hits and albums, BeBe & CeCe went on to pursue incredibly successful solo careers.

With a phenomenal career that has spanned more than 20 years, BeBe & CeCe have become one of the most commercially successful gospel artists in the business. As a duo their accolades include five Grammy Awards, eight Dove Awards, two NAACP Image Awards, one Soul Train Award and over a dozen Stellar Awards. They have also racked up 12 chart topping R&B singles, as well as numerous #1 singles on Christian AC and CHR radio, three gold albums and one platinum album.

In conjunction with the release of Still, the BeBe & CeCe Reunion Tour will criss-cross the country later this year.

The Covers EP releasing digitally by Ruth

Last fall heartfelt rockers Ruth released a successful sophomore album, "Anorak," which garnered the band such praise as "one of the best acts on Tooth & Nail Records' star-studded roster." Now the band so many have fallen in love with is back with "The Covers EP" featuring five covered tunes ranging from Buddy Holly to Coldplay (track listing below). "The Covers EP" will be available digitally on August 25, 2009. Yesterday the first single "Fix You" (Coldplay) was digitally released on iTunes. On August 11th, "Everyday" (Buddy Holly) will be released.

Band founder / singer Dustin Ruth shares, "We are super excited about the release of this EP. Each one of these songs is special to us for different reasons, and it was really fun to go into the studio and put our own 'Ruth' spin on them. We hope everyone enjoys them!"

Beginning this Saturday, August 1st, Ruth will be hitting the road again playing various venues and festivals including Spirit West Coast (Monterey), The Knitting Factory (LA), 12th & Porter (Nashville) to The Plaza Club (Vancouver, BC) (tour dates below). Some dates will be will also include Sleep For Sleepers. Check their MySpace for updates and more information.

Download the "Fix You" single:


Track Listing for "The Covers EP"

1. Everyday (Buddy Holly)
2. Dream (Averly Brothers)
3. I'm The One Who Wants To Be With You (Mr. Big)
4. Give Me One Reason (Tracy Chapman)
5. Fix You (Coldplay)

Read our interview with Ruth
Read our review of Anorak

New Avalon record Reborn "Not your Mom's Avalon"

While Avalon is certainly proud of their past (21 chart-topping singles, 6 Dove Awards, 3 Grammy nominations and an American Music Award), it sure would be easy for the quartet to rest on their laurels and continue to offer their known slick brand of vocal pop. But they are now Reborn, their aptly titled brand new project, slated for release on September 15th (E1 Music).

It is important to note that the similarity between any previous Avalon albums and Reborn ends now, thanks to this cutting edge and unequivocally original record. "Reborn is a fitting title because it signifies the birth of something new and exciting, which is certainly true of the current season of Avalon," explains Janna Long, the group's founding member. Comprising the rest of the quartet is Greg Long (Janna's husband and group member since '03), Jeremi Richardson, as well as its newest member, Amy Richardson, making her Avalon debut on Reborn, and who also happens to be Jeremi's wife.

"I've literally listened to Avalon for as long as I can remember, so I can tell you both as a member and a fan that people's jaws are going to hit the ground when they hear Reborn," asserts Jeremi, who joined the group in 2007. "Everyone I've played it for so far says they'd never expect it, but at the same time, they can totally tell it's Avalon, which to us is the ultimate compliment."

One of the most instantly apparent changes comes in the credits, which for the very first time in the group's illustrious history unites the group with producer Ian Eskelin (All Star United, Krystal Meyers, Stellar Kart, Francesca Battistelli). It's a curious choice indeed considering his respected rankings in the modern rock spectrum, but one that helps cement Avalon's latest endeavor as arguably their most ambitious to date.

"This has been one of the most unique and fun recording projects I have ever been involved in," Ian Eskelin exclaims. "These guys are fearless and their vocals are killer. They are some of the hardest working, ready for anything, talented musicians I have worked with."

A tour is slated for the Fall to promote the new project. This is sure to be an exciting time on the road for Avalon as the group is more than ready to share their new songs with fans across the country.

For the creation of Reborn, Avalon partnered with the label E1 Music. Along with the new venture came a completely open creative canvas where the group was encouraged to stretch itself further than ever before. Previously known as Koch Records, E1 Music has hosted the diverse likes of The Beatles' Ringo Starr, Ashley Cleveland, Twila Paris, and Bishop E. Long.

"They took all the reigns off and basically said, 'you've been doing this for awhile, so just do what you do,'" recalls Greg of the E1 experience. "No one was ever looking over our shoulders talking to us about core demographics, which gave us the chance to just focus on the artistic side. We love our history and are grateful for everything God's given us, but that type of freedom also allowed us the opportunity to experiment and have a lot of fun in the process."

Reborn offers aggressive melodies tied with atypical harmonies and guitar-driven moments. The new sound is sure to give dedicated Avalon fans a new twist on the group's well-known formula, while expanding its appeal to a wider audience than ever before.

"Over the last three years, we released a hymns record, a covers record and a retrospective record, plus had some members change," Janna reflects. "Between that and the fact that life was just happening right alongside it all, there's a pivotal change and evolution. Sure, the vocal standpoint is consistent with the Avalon sound, but the rest is much more varied. This is definitely not your Mom's Avalon record!"

Thousand Foot Krutch song "Fire it Up" available at iTunes

With a little over a month until fans will get their hands on the fifth studio album "Welcome to the Masquerade" from rockers Thousand Foot Krutch, a new single from the forthcoming project is made available today on iTunes. The single "Fire It Up" is the second single fans have heard from the new CD as the first single, "Bring Me to Life," was a free download with the Taco Bell "Feed The Beat" program earlier this Spring.

"Fire It Up" is a high-energy, crunchy riff-filled, rock song that is being featured in a major movie trailer for "G.I. Joe", two upcoming video games (MX vs. ATV Reflex and upcoming EA Sports NHL 10 (game releases September 15th, soundtrack July 31st)), used on ESPN's airing of the NASCAR Nationwide series feature on Kyle Busch and on the Versus Network during the Edmonton IndyCar race this past weekend.

Terry Lingner, IndyCar on Versus Producer had this to say, "IndyCar Racing is all about power and sound and we are flat to the floor with Thousand Foot Krutch's material. Talk about a great mix. TFK in your face and the power appeal of land rockets!"

Click here to buy the song on iTunes today!

Hawk Nelson's Live Life Loud CD cover revealed!

"Live Life Loud is really about encouraging our fans to do just that. To live your life loud, to embrace all that life brings your way and experience every moment of it to the fullest extent. This is the message we want our fans to come away with after they hear the album." -- Hawk Nelson bassist Daniel Biro.

Recorded in Nashville, TN, Hawk Nelson enlisted producer Steve Wilson to craft what was to become a 12-song set that sweeps from the manic to the mellow and all points in between. Live Life Loud was recorded in two separate sessions, due to a hectic touring schedule, and marks the first time the band wrote songs together by just jamming as a band. The album also features collaborations with Chris Stevens, Matthew Gerrard, TobyMac, Trevor McNevan and Bart Millard. This fourth studio album release from the band hits fans' hands on September 22nd. The first two singles "Live Life Loud" and "Meaning of Life" are currently available on iTunes.

Also make sure you pick up your pair of TOMS Shoes to help the band get their goal for their Haiti shoe drop. For every pair of shoes purchased via Hawk Nelson's website equals a pair of shoes that TOMS donates to a child in Haiti towards the band's ongoing involvement with the Hands & Feet Orphanage. Check out the YouTube video.

1. Live Life Loud
2. Never Enough
3. Eggshells
4. Meaning Of Life
5. Alive
6. Ode To Lord Stanley
7. Long Ago
8. The Job
9. Shaken
10. Lest We Forget
11. Tis So Sweet
12. The Final Toast

Thousand Foot Krutch's Trevor McNevan has emergency appendectomy... cancels Creation NorthWest appearance

Tooth & Nail Records' Thousand Foot Krutch sadly announces that they will not be performing at Creation Northwest this Friday due to frontman Trevor McNevan's emergency surgery late yesterday evening. McNevan was taken to the emergency room for appendicitis, which resulted in an routine appendectomy around 8 p.m.. The band issued this statement about their unfortunate cancellation of their Creation appearance.

"We are saddened that we're not able to rock out with our fans at the beautiful Gorge Amphitheater. One of the highlights of festival season is Creation Northwest and the fans that come out to support us and all the amazing artists. However, right now Trevor needs to rest and recover. We would appreciate prayers for Trevor and Erin as he heals." Thousand Foot Krutch

Creation Festival issued this statement:
"Thousand Foot Krutch guarantees for an amazing show and they are a festival favorite, so we are saddened to hear they won't make it this year to Creation Northwest. We are praying for Trevor and his wife, Erin. We wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to having him and the guys out on tour this fall." Nick Kulb (Creation Festival)