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I've always wondered when it's officially ok to start listening to Christmas music. I'd be listening to it right now...but for some reason I can't do it. It feels like it's not right until after Thanksgiving. I wondered if I'm the only one that feels this way...so I thought I'd find out from you all...
Check out my poll in the discussions area and cast your vote!
Vote Now...
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Long overdue…here’s the latest and greatest of what’s playing on the radio. I’ve highlighted some of my personal fav’s, but now I want to hear what you're loving on the radio right now...
*Superchick – Stand In The Rain
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Sure, there are still a few stubborn holdouts that've yet to make the transition to the digital age, but in Christian music, nearly everyone's taken the plunge.
In fact, Tooth & Nail has even made several of its more obscure rock samplers available, including some of the best acts from the ‘90s alt-rock scene — Plankeye, Blenderhead, Javalina Rail Co., Focused, and more. But for diehard fans, a few songs simply aren’t enough. Fortunately, several of their full albums are now available for the first time in digital format.
So now if you want to rock out to Plankeye's song "Open House," you can do that to your heart's content without having to track down your old (probably scratched) CD. And in case it's been so long that you don't even remember these bands, let us quickly refresh your memory.
Plankeye officially ended its run more than 10 years ago with Strange Exchange after several lineup changes, including the departure of original frontman Scott Silletta. Blenderhead has also been kaput for more than a decade, but the band briefly returned in 2000 with an album called Figureheads On the Forefront of Pop Culture. As for Javalina Rail Co., your guess is as good as ours when it comes to their current whereabouts. But more important than where they are is where they've been and now you can relive those classic alt-rock moments digitally, thanks to SongTouch. You're welcome.
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Grammy-award winning group Third Day is set to release its first Christmas record. The next installment in the platinum selling Offerings Worship Series will be a blend of Christmas classics and new songs written by the band. Songs on the project include live renditions of "Away In A Manger," "Silent Night," "The First Noel," and "Do You Hear What I Hear," as well as studio recordings of classics "Joy To The World," "What Child Is This," "O Holy Night," "Angels We Have Heard On High," and "O Come All Ye Faithful." Christmas Offerings is rounded off with four brand new songs including "Jesus, Light Of The World," "Born In Bethlehem," "Merry Christmas," and "Christmas Like A Child."
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Ontario, Canada-based foursome Hawk Nelson has wasted no time staking their claim on the Christian rock landscape. Their energetic brand of pop-punk has landed them hits like "Letters to the President" (from their debut disc of the same name) and a guest appearance as themselves in the 2005 film Yours, Mine & Ours. Their sophomore disc, Smile, It's the End of the World, released in April 2006 and continues to firmly establish them as one to watch.
One reason they've had so much success so soon could be their ability to think outside the box. For example, on their single "The Show," you hear a Southern Gospel quartet, not exactly the norm for a band on Seattle's very rock-minded Tooth & Nail label. But it made perfect sense to bassist Daniel Biro.
"We recorded in Seattle, Wash.," he explains, "and were hanging out at the infamous Pike Place Market – home of the first Starbucks. Outside, some street performers - a quartet called Brother Willie and the Market Crew - were rocking some Southern Gospel."
Well, Biro loved their sound and immediately thought they'd be perfect for "The Show." So, proving that old adage "ask and you shall receive," he floated the idea to the guys and they agreed.
"A few days later, they came into the studio and nailed it," Biro recalls. "It was something new for us and really adds to the new record now. It's one of my favorite songs we've done."
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As one of the top Christian rock bands today, Sanctus Real is also about tangibly being the “face of love,” not only with friends and family, but reaching outside of that comfort zone. Hearing about the incredible need in Africa through African Leadership, the band has decided to join forces with the organization to help relieve the plight of that continent.
Sanctus Real will immediately begin raising funds through the organization’s Mocha Club missions work. The funds will be used for relief efforts in Darfur, Sudan, where more than 300,000 people have been killed in the last two years and more than two million people have been displaced. Future efforts will lend support for an orphanage in Kenya where babies have been abandoned because of AIDS, building a school for 380 children in the Sudan, building a village for rehabilitating young women who were former sex slaves under the Rebel forces in Northern Uganda, funding an orphanage for
134 street children in Kampala, Uganda, and building a school amidst the largest slum in East Africa for 400 children in Kibera, Kenya.
“In every way that we can, we’re to give back what God’s given us,” says Sanctus Real front man Matt Hammitt. “As a band, we were looking for an organization that wasn’t trying to pay artists to help. We just wanted to help because we believe in something. With African Leadership, we found a team of people that has really fast, effective ways of getting relief to the people where they need it—like in Darfur where there is a civil war going on and tens of thousands of people are being brutally murdered. People are fleeing to the hills and just don’t have the resources to survive. Little dollars are providing big necessities for these people.”
African Leadership’s Mocha Club is a sponsorship program where for the cost of two mocha coffee drinks per month, people and organizations lend their support to provide a solution to the challenges Africans are facing every day. Individuals who sign up for sponsorship through Sanctus Real will also receive a copy of the band’s current, best-selling CD, The Face of Love.
More information on Sanctus Real can be found at www.sanctusreal.com http://www.sanctusreal.com. More information on African Leadership and the Mocha Club can be found at http://www.africanleadership.org and http://www.mochaclub.org
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4Him, the Christian super group says goodbye on tour closer. One of contemporary Christian music’s most enduring and awarded groups, 4HIM, will celebrate the final concert of their current Finale Tour on September 23rd in Mobile, Alabama.
Since their formation in 1989, 4HIM has been one of the industry’s most awarded vocal groups. They’ve received eight Dove Awards, including three Group Of The Year wins for the gifted quartet who began their career in music as part of the well-known touring ensemble group Truth. Known for the perfection of their harmonic convergence, as well as the choice of powerful songs with a meaningful message, 4HIM broke through at Christian radio with their first #1 single “Where There Is Faith.” It propelled their signature sound into 24 #1 radio hits. They have recorded a dozen best selling albums, including their gold certified The Basics Of Life, which also became the title of a best selling devotional book authored by the group.
Noted 4HIM’s Mark Harris, “This is going to be such a special night for us as a group. I know it will be a very emotional night since it will be the very last time we will be performing together as a group – who knows what will happen!”
Tickets may also be purchased online: http://www.itickets.com/
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Jaci Velasquez, Rachael Lampa and Nicole C. Mullen have proven for a while now that it's possible to be a diva without the attitude and outrageous demands. And just in case anyone needed proof of their respective vocal prowess, well, look no further than their greatest hits projects.
Surprisingly enough, Velasquez has already been in the music biz for more than 10 years without a best-of project. Now, with On My Knees: The Best of Jaci Velasquez, all that's about to change as 17 of her songs from Heavenly Place through Beauty Has Grace are featured. Along with her 12 No. 1 singles, including "On My Knees," "If This World," "Every Time I Fall," "Imagine Me Without You," "Speak For Me," "We Can Make A Difference," "Un Lugar Celestial (Heavenly Place)," "God So Loved," "Adore," Just a Prayer Away," "Show You Love" and "Center of Your Love," there are also plenty of rare tracks and fan favorites.
Like Velasquez, Lampa got her start at a young age (15, to be precise). Since 2000, she's been hard at work and has already released four albums: Live For You, Kaleidoscope, Blur and a self-titled project. Now with Blessed: The Best of Rachael Lampa, listeners can experience 17 career highlights including her four No. 1 radio singles "Blessed," "Shaken," "God Loves You" and "Live for You." And like Velasquez's disc, there are also plenty of extras for longtime fans to enjoy.
Last but not least, raise your hand if you remember the first time you heard Nicole C. Mullen sing "Redeemer." Did you get goosebumps, too? Well for anyone who may have missed out, that track, along with 16 others, is available on Redeemer: The Best of Nicole C. Mullen. With songs from her self-titled debut through 2004's Everyday People, there's a heaping platter of funk, fun, and, oh yeah, that incredible voice to go around. In addition, the project also features her current, don't-miss-it single, "Always Love You," from the End of the Spear soundtrack as well as some previously unavailable live tracks.
The only question now is: Which one will you download first?
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Legacy of Love: David Phelps Live!
Award-winning vocalist David Phelps, three times nominated as “Male Vocalist of the Year” by the Gospel Music Association, will release his anticipated first full-length solo DVD and live CD, Legacy of Love: David Phelps Live!, Sept. 12.
The two-disc set of video and audio features 18 favorites including a new recording of “Bring Him Home,” a tribute to the troops serving in the armed forces; original arrangements of the classics “There Is A River” and “How Great Thou Art;” the new favorite “Already There;” his hit song “The End of the Beginning;” and a stunning new version of the “Star Spangled Banner.” On the DVD, Legacy of Love: David Phelps Live! also includes behind the scene interviews with Phelps’ family, home footage, the “Behold The Lamb” video recorded by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, outtakes, and more.
As an acclaimed solo artist and a former member of the renowned Gaither Vocal Band, Phelps has impressed audiences internationally at over 100 performances a year including appearances at Billy Graham Mission crusades and before President George W. Bush at the White House. He first appeared in the Christian music spotlight as the first-place winner of the Music Seminar in the Rockies’ 1988 vocal competition. Phelps was then appointed Artist in Residence for First Baptist Church of Hurst, TX and later joined the Gaither Vocal Band in 1997, where he would be featured on over 30 projects with the multi-Platinum group.
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Hawk Nelson Heats Up this Fall with Music Video on mtvU and Smile Tour
Storming out with their hit release Smile, It’s The End of the World, Hawk Nelson continues to blaze upward with their music video for “The One Thing I Have Left” being added to mtvU as well as being eligible for voting on “The Freshman” show, which introduces new artists through the video countdown format. mtvU is produced exclusively for the college audience on more than 730 universities, reaching over 6.5 million students in dining halls, student lounges, fitness centers, and dorm rooms. To Vote for Hawk Nelson on mtvU go to http://www.mtvu.com/music/freshmen/ the week September 4-8th. Voting ends Friday, September 8 at 11:59AM.
In addition to hitting mtvU, Hawk Nelson will be headlining the fall Smile, It’s the End of the World tour which will be in key markets such as Las Vegas, Houston, Nashville, San Diego and Los Angeles. The tour will consist of House of Blue shows (Anaheim, Las Vegas) as well as a TGIFriday/Wal-Mart opening in Los Angeles.
Tour Dates (subject to change)
9.20.06 Little Rock, AR
9.21.06 Nashville, TN
9.23.06 Huntsville, AL
9.24.06 Birmingham, AL
9.27.06 San Jose, CA
9.28.06 San Diego, CA
9.29.06 La Crescenta, CA (Wal-Mart)
9.30.06 Anaheim, CA
10.1.06 Riverside, CA
10.2.06 Las Vegas, NV
10.3.06 Albuquerque, NM
10.4.06 Las Cruces, NM
10.5.06 Amarillo, TX
10.6.06 Abilene, TX
10.7.06 Houston, TX
10.12.06 Hollywood, CA (Troubadour)
10.13.06 Tucson, AZ (Wal-Mart)
10.14.06 San Jose, CA
10.15.06 Hesperia, CA
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Ok so I’m sure you all read that title and thought, “Jaz went to Africa?” I wish that was the case, but no. I’ve always wanted to go to Africa to do some type of missions work, and I know I will one day. Soooo…back to the subject…the other night I met a guy who has been on the mission field in Africa and has recently moved back to the States to attend a Bible college. I was telling him a little bit about SongTouch…ya know like who we are, what we do, why we’re here… He was excited to use our website, but explained to me that he didn’t know what to buy. He’s been in Africa and doesn’t know what’s current in music…That made me think… “If I’d spent the last few years of my life in Africa, I probably wouldn’t know what kind of music to listen to either.”
So this blog is dedicated to him…let's give him some ideas, tell him what he should be downloading. From my short conversation with him I learned that he likes Anberlin and has heard Mat Kearney and likes his music…so there’s a start.
I’m going to recommend he check out...
 Shawn McDonald
 Emery
 Mae
 Turn of the Stars
Now it’s your turn…let’s help this guy out!
-Jaz
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How many times have you heard a good song on the radio, but didn’t catch the name or artist? Well I hate it when that happens, so I put together a list of my top 20 songs that are playing on the radio right now...hopefully you'll find something you've been looking for?!
Now...if you are looking for a particular song and don't see it on this list, give me the name, a phrase, or something about the song and I'll do my best to find it for you!
And as promised, here is the lowdown on brainfreezes. When you eat ice cream or slurpees too fast, the roof of you mouth gets really cold. There are a whole bunch of nerves just above there called the sphenopalatine ganglion. When these nerves get too cold, they send a pain message to your brain and cause the blood vessels to get bigger, causing a headache. But don't worry, just warm it back up and you're good to down some more Mountain Dew Extreme Slurpee!
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Hello! And welcome to the new SongTouch! I’m Jaz, this is my blog… Basically it’s my section to write about whatever I want. I’ll focus on music, of course, but don’t be surprised if you catch me writing about other random things, because I’m known to be a little random at times. I know what you're thinking; everyone has a blog these days. Hey, even my cat, Mitsy has a blog! Well here’s the deal…I love music, I love SongTouch and I love you! Yes, it’s true. I love every single SongTouch user and I’m so excited to talk with you, hear your feedback, and get to know you all. And as an added bonus, if you read my blog, you'll be smarter, better looking, and lose weight! (actual results may vary) So, we'll see you back here next time to find out what's hot in Christian music and why too much ice cream give you a brain freeze!
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Blast From the Past
Sure, there are still a few stubborn holdouts who've yet to make the transition to the digital age but in Christian music, nearly everyone's taken the plunge.
In fact, Tooth & Nail has even made several of its more obscure rock samplers available, including some of the best acts from the ‘90s alt-rock scene — Plankeye, Blenderhead, Javalina Rail Co., Focused and more. But for diehard fans, a few songs simply aren’t enough. Fortunately, several of their full albums are now available for the first time in digital format.
So now if you want to rock out to Plankeye's song "Open House," you can do that to your heart's content without having to track down your old (probably scratched) CD. And in case it's been so long that you don't even remember these bands, let us quickly refresh your memory.
Plankeye officially ended its run more than 10 years ago with Strange Exchange after several lineup changes, including the departure of original frontman Scott Silletta. Blenderhead's also been kaput for more than a decade, but the band briefly returned in 2000 with an album called Figureheads On the Forefront of Pop Culture. As for Javalina Rail Co., your guess is as good as ours when it comes to their current whereabouts. But more important than where they are is where they've been, and now you can relive those classic alt-rock moments digitally, thanks to SongTouch. You're welcome.
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Bebo Norman Recommends His Favorites
Bebo Norman had us at "hello." His "aw shucks" Southern charm, his thoughtful songs and a willingness to explore spiritual issues without feeling the need to wrap up everything with a neat bow made him an instant favorite. He's best known for songs like "Great Light of the World," "A Page Is Turned" and "Cover Me," but for every hit there are several other songs that quietly communicate without all the fanfare of radio success. We asked Norman to highlight a few of his favorites and he happily obliged. Here are his picks:
"Deeper Still," from Ten Thousand Days
It's a song originally about divorce, so sort of strange topic but one that's touched everyone I know. Grace is deep enough reach anything.
"Sons & Daughters," from Big Blue Sky
It's one of my favorites, but I never do it live [because] it's hard to find the right arrangement. It's really just a song about the opportunity to love and be loved by people around you. It was written specifically about my time in British Columbia in the Georgia Straits with friends. I see God in relationships a lot so that's one of those.
"Beautiful You," from Myself When I Am Real
I really wanted this one to be a radio single even though it's unusual. It really is just a prayer. It probably sounds like a love song, but that's how I think prayers should sound a lot of the time.
"Drifting," from Try
It won't receive attention but should. It's probably at or near the top of my list of favorites from that album. That one I really, really wish people would have a chance to hear.
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