Groves To Release 1st Christmas album

During the last month of the year, you don’t have to travel far to see what Christmas is for many people, a combination of sacred celebration and family tradition. Sara Groves’ first Christmas album, O Holy Night, which will bow on INO Records this October 14th, sits snugly in that spot where the magnificent story of Bethlehem coalesces with the sounds of yuletide gathering of friends and family, “I’ve always dreamed of doing a Christmas album,” Groves says. “Christmas music was such a part of life growing up. We had a huge stack of records that only get played for one month of the year. Ultimately I wanted to convey this story of Christ that’s been told so many times with as much artistry and creativity as possibly because it bears repeating,” she says.

Produced by Ben Shive, O Holy Night was originally intended to be an advent album for her family that would consist solely of sacred Christmas songs. When she began working on it, though, she decided to include some of her favorite songs about her family’s Christmas traditions. One such song (one of four originals) is “To Be With You,” about Groves’ family Christmas, a sentimental snapshot of their gathering at her grandma’s house. Another is the fun song any parent who’s stayed up late on Christmas eve can relate to, “Toy Packaging,” which mimics how manufacturers twisty-tie and rivet everything to pieces of cardboard, saying,  “my self-esteem is in the can, trying to open the robot man.”

Steven Curtis Hits The Stage Again

Over the course of two weeks, award winning Christian artist Steven Curtis Chapman has hit six different cities throughout the United States, touching the lives of his fans with his family’s story of faith and perseverance. The July 17 concert in Clarkston, Mich., Chapman’s fourth since the tragic death of his daughter in May, had the crowd of about 2,500 “laughing and crying and praying and rocking, often at the same time,” committee member Phil C. Giesken told The Saginaw News. “It’s beyond expectations,” Lori Chatten from Carol Stream, Ill., said of the most recent Chapman concert, held just this past Thursday in Wheaton, Ill. She told the local Daily Herald that she was surprised at how openly Chapman discussed his family’s struggles and pain over the last few months. “It’s a blessing that he shared that with us,” she said.

Annie Moses Band to release new album

Annie Moses Band’s Fine Arts Summer Academy Was A Huge Success Last Week in Memphis. The world-class musicians that comprise the five-member Annie Moses Band will release This Glorious Christmas on October 7, 2008 (Reunion Records). With the release of This Glorious Christmas, the all-sibling group makes its most stunning statement yet, telling the story of Christ’s birth, with a mix of original tunes and holiday classics, as never heard before. Annie Moses Band is an eclectic blend of classical, jazz and pop music that draws from the family’s three-generation musical journey, all the way from rural Texas to the halls of The Juilliard School. The Annie Moses Band is: Annie (lead vocals, violin), Alex (viola, background vocals), Benjamin (cello), Gretchen (violin, mandolin) and Camille (harp, piano). Jeremiah (guitar), the group’s 10-year-old brother, is currently working towards becoming a full-time member of the band.

The S.A.V.E. CD project to be released

Hope, Volume One, a compilation CD with proceeds benefiting Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE), was released on June 24, 2008. The release features selections from Kevin Max, Joanne Cash featuring Johnny Cash, Lisa Loeb, Charlotte Martin, Katy Rose and others, plus an exclusive mix of Curtis Peoples’ “Wake Up.” Five online auctions are planned to coincide with the release of the CD. 100% of the auction proceeds will be donated to SAVE. Items include an autographed guitar from Trisha Yearwood, a gift pack from Tegan and Sara, and an autographed CD from Matt White.

The mission of Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE) is to prevent suicide through public awareness and education, reduce stigma, and serve as a resource to those touched by suicide. Daniel Reidenberg, Executive Director of SAVE, is humbled by the number of musicians and labels willing to partner on this project. “To have names like we do on Hope, Volume One is incredible to me,” Reidenberg said. “These artists are willing to stand up and fight the stigma associated with mental illnesses and suicide, and to tell the world through music ‘we are going to do something positive about this’ – and that is the goal of this CD.”

Jars of Clay For a Second Novel

“Diversity” is the word coined to best describe the remarkable creativity of Matt Bronleewe who will speak this week at Saddleback Church’s much anticipated Worship Conference and Festival in Lake Forest, California. Bronleewe will co-spearhead panels at the mega-church event on subjects that include studio production, song critique, vocal productions  and  a recording panel Q&A session for an anticipated registration of more than 1,500 worship pastors, senior pastors, and worship team members from across the U.S. and overseas. An award winning record producer to an impressive list of top names in both pop and Christian music, Bronleewe’s creativity both behind the control board as well as his creditability as a hit songwriter has to date produced multi-platinum successes and sales of more than 20 million units.