New Demon Hunter Album Hits 3/9
Demon Hunter will release THE WORLD IS A THORN on 3/9 – in-stores and online. The band’s fifth album follows the landmark documentary 45 Days, last year’s LIVE IN NASHVILLE collection and a catalog of landmark albums that have made the band one of the most important in the genre. THE WORLD IS A THORN was produced by the band’s longtime collaborator Aaron Sprinkle (Acceptance, Anberlin, The Almost) and mixed by powerhouse producer Jason Suecof (All That Remains, Trivium). It’s a pairing emblematic of how skillfully Demon Hunter has always blended metallic might with melody. It’s a well-worn cliche these days for a band to say their new album is “our heaviest but also our most melodic,” but Demon Hunter delivers in spades with this release. Songs like “Descending Upon Us,” “Lifewar” and the title track are by far the most aggressive of the band’s career, “This is the Line” and “Collapsing” are a couple of the fist-pumping but still hard-driving anthems and “Driving Nails” is one of two ballads on the album the likes of which their fans have come to both expect and cherish. The album formally introduces guitarists Patrick Judge (who joined the band as a touring guitarist in 2008 and is now a full-time member) and Ryan Helm (of The Ascendicate) with a new batch of songs written by co-founder and vocalist Ryan Clark. Yogi Watts returns with another jaw-dropping drum performance, backed up by longtime bass player Jonathan Dunn. THE WORLD IS A THORN is a definitive mission statement from a band at a creative apex, firing on all cylinders with awe-inspiring intensity. “The album title refers to the often harmful and destructive world that we live in,” explains Clark. “Most of the songs deal with the current state of the nation and the world as a whole. In particular, the lyrics take aim at the ideals of a Godless people and the depletion of our morals and values.” Demon Hunter has always been a Christian band and has represented their point of view strongly, despite the larger trend of watered down philosophies that straddle the line for popularity’s sake. This stance has won them respect from fellow believers and opposite points of view alike. “In this age it has seemingly become more and more detestable to be a Christian,” Clark elaborates. “Our opinions on social and political issues are no longer tolerated as valid and we are commonly viewed as the enemy. Subjective truth, self-love, unrestricted perversion, the destruction of morality: these are the things that have ultimately brought us to a place of depression and madness. “This album is the antithesis of the modern way of life.” THE WORLD IS A THORN follows previous studio albums STORM THE GATES OF HELL (2007), THE TRIPTYCH (2005), SUMMER OF DARKNESS (2004) and DEMON HUNTER(2002), as well as the live album and three-disc CD / DVD set 45 DAYS, which have sold close to a combined half a million copies. It’s an incredible feat for a band that has yet to venture from North America and has never toured regularly. “Fading Away,” the first video / single from STORM THE GATES OF HELL, has received over 1 million views on YouTube. That song, “Carry Me Down,” “Undying,” “One Thousand Apologies,” “Not Ready to Die” and “Infected” — to name a few — have all been staples of Christian, college and specialty radio and featured continuously on MTV2’s Headbangers Ball and Fuse. Ryan Clark was featured on the cover of Revolver in 2006 as part of their “Christian Metal” cover story and they are regularly a huge draw at festivals. The “Hunters” in the “Blessed Resistance,” as the band’s most devoted fans are known, have championed the cause since day one and are making their voices heard throughout the underground.
Demon Hunter’s level of commitment to the quality and presentation of their music is matched only by their attention of detail to their packaging and overall aesthetics. Ryan Clark’s graphic design firm he co-owns with his brother Don (formerly of Demon Hunter), Invisible Creature, has racked up several Grammy nominations in the packaging category. The fans match that passion and dedication, proudly displaying the group’s symbol on their social networking pages and tattooing it on their bodies. Demon Hunter is an anomaly in today’s heavy music scene, jettisoning fashionable trends and easily recognizable cliches in favor of traditional heavy metal power and melodic hooks. THE WORLD IS A THORN recalls the best of the genre’s past while pushing the envelope forward at the same time.
For more information on Demon Hunter, go here:
demonhunter.net
In The Midst Of Lions News
In the Midst of Lions grew up in the St. Louis music scene saturated with hardcore and indie bands. Our local scene influenced our style to be a little bit different than the run of the mill death metal.” A mixture of fast-paced tech metal and grinding melodic worship, their sound can be compared to such contemporaries as Meshuggah, The Faceless, Whitechapel, and Darkest Hour. ITMOL have been chomping at the bit to have the opportunity to tour full time since signing to Strike First Records in 2008, and that’s exactly what they’ve been able to do. When citing goals touring is at the top of the list. “We’ve had a great time on the road and have pulled through a lot of van and trailer problems to stay on the road as much as possible and we don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.” With a Facedown album now in the works, ITMOL expects that the album will dwarf their previous Strike First release, saying that the concept of the album will be focused on God’s wrath and humanity’s release from that wrath that God has provided. In the Midst of Lions signed to Facedown Records in the winter of 2009 and continue to tour heavily in promotion of their debut album Out of Darkness.
For more information on In The Midst Of Lions, go here:
myspace.com/inthemidstoflions
Family Force 5 News
Electro rockers FAMILY FORCE FIVE are stepping into 2010 with loads of excitement for the auspicious New Year. With tons of milestones to be excited about this past year, the band is eagerly planning what lies ahead. Let’s take a look back at some of the noteworthy successes of 2009: The release of “Dance or Die” in 2009 and the remix album “Dance or Die With a Vengeance” has scanned over 100,000 units on the bands Transparent Media Group label, while the “Dance Rawr Dance” and “Christmas Pageant” Fall/Winter tours created over-the-top experiences for hundreds of thousands of fans nationwide. Those same fans have increased the MySpace friend count to 300,000, 60,000+ on Facebook, and 70,000 Twitter followers – not to mention over 26 MILLION plays to date on MySpace alone! In addition, Alternative Press fully embraced Family Force Five this past year with multiple amazing moments including an offer to co-headline the Alternative Press Tour- which sold out 42 markets this past Spring. They were named by AP as one of the “Records to Watch for in 2010” and received numerous nominations/awards in the 2009 Alternative Press Readers Poll including “Best Live Band of 2009” (beating out Blink-182!), #2 Video of the Year with “Dance or Die” (beating out Paramore), and the #2 “B-Side” of 2009 with “Keep The Party Alive” which was featured in an exclusive deal with Target this past Halloween. In the UK, Family Force Five SOLD OUT both The Underground and The Academy 3 in London and Manchester respectively, despite never having released an album in the UK! Popular UK magazine Kerrang! was in the audience at one of the shows and was so impressed that they closed out 2009 with an exclusive Family Force 5 photo shoot and full page spread in their 2009 “Introducing the Bands” section. AND JUST RECENTLY the group was asked to record for Disney’s “Alice In Wonderland” – directed by Tim Burton – which led to the production of “Topsy Turvy,” a mid-tempo track to be featured on the movie’s soundtrack, which is predicted to be one of the most popular soundtracks of the year. It certainly has been a great year for Family Force 5 and the path is paved for an even greater amount of success in the New Year. Let’s just say, Family Force 5 will definitely “Keep the Party Alive” in 2010.
Chevelle Hits The Road With Janus
Revolver has described JANUS as a band that sounds like “Deftones getting Disturbed because their Chevelle stalled when the alt-metallers were just 30 Seconds To Mars.” The Chicago band—-David Scotney (vocals), Johnny Salazar (drums), Alan Quitman (bass), Mike Tyranski (guitar/programming)—will soon be able to show everyone that they live up to such a compliment. Once a current trek of headlining shows concludes, JANUS will perform a month’s worth of dates with Chevelle starting February 8 in Boston at the House of Blues. They’ve been touring non-stop to promote their debut album, RED RIGHT RETURN, since its release September 22, 2009 on REALID Records, through Warner Music Group’s Independent Label Group. The album’s explosive first single, “Eyesore,” is currently spinning on over 50 Rock radio stations nationwide, and is approaching Top 20 on the Active Rock charts. A video for the track—directed by Noah Shulman (Sleepless City Productions)–can now be seen on the band’s Myspace and YouTube pages.
Tour Dates:
2/8 – Boston, MA
2/9 – New York, NY
2/10 – Providence, RI
2/12 – Philadelphia, PA
2/15 – Columbus, OH
2/16 – Royal Oak, MI
2/17 – Fort Wayne, IN
2/19 – Indianapolis, IN
2/20 – Chicago, IL
2/21 – Waterloo, IA
2/23 – Rapid City, SD
2/24 – Fargo, ND
2/26 – Sioux City, IA
2/27 – Grand Island, NE
Me In Motion Hit The Road
Centricity Music’s powerhouse band, Me In Motion, will join RED on its 2010 “Nothing And Everything” tour that launches January 14th in Ft. Smith, Arkansas. The tour will also feature Pillar and special guest, The Wedding. This marks the second major tour for the newcomer band, Me In Motion, as they were featured on the Newsboys fall tour in 2009. Me In Motion will perform songs from their upcoming self-titled debut on Centricity Music that releases 3/23, 2010. “We are super pumped to share the stage with bands, Red and Pillar, on the Nothing & Everything Tour,” says Seth Mosley, lead vocalist and guitarist for Me In Motion. “These guys have great hearts and a killer live show that doesn’t hold anything back. It will be a super high-energy night where we are thrilled to introduce some of our new music to the crowds.” “Me In Motion brings energy and excitement to every performance, whether that’s in front of fifty kids at a youth group or before thousands at a concert hall,” says Steve Ford, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Centricity Music. “Either way Seth, Tim and Dexter give it all every time. The tour with Red & Pillar allows them to perform before numerous new fans and take my word for it, when you see them, you will become a fan.” Before heading out on the RED tour, Me In Motion, has headed back into the studio to record two new songs for their upcoming CD, “The God I Know” and “Seek Justice, Love Mercy. ”We thought the record was done months ago, but Seth came in and played us these two new songs so we had to have them on the project,” adds Ford. “We feel they are amazing songs that make the project even stronger.” The first single from the new album, “Losers,” is already at #28 and climbing on the CHR chart and the video debuted on the Air1 website and is being distributed to video outlets. “The song is a banner for anyone who has felt rejected by their peers,” says Mosley, “whether it’s because of how they look, something that’s different about them, or because they’re trying to follow Jesus in a world that looks at that as strange. But the song is also a callout for us to open our eyes and see the ‘least of these’ that Jesus talked about who are all around us.” Me In Motion, which is comprised of Mosley, Tim Wilson (bass/background vocals) and Brian Dexter (drums/background vocals), was formed by Mosley after working two years in a recording studio following high school graduation. After realizing he didn’t want to “sit in one place all the time,” was when he brought Wilson and Dexter on board to begin the musical journey as Me In Motion. The talent of the group immediately brought them attention which led to 140 tour dates in 2008 and Me In Motion reached 165-dates in 2009. But more than playing Brit-influenced rock, it’s the message that Me In Motion wants to impact with their audiences. “I always find myself going back to the theme of wanting to make a difference,” Seth explains, “to live out our faith, even when it might be the hardest thing in the world to do. My heart for myself, the band, the kids and families that hear Me In Motion’s music is that all of us will be inspired to break out of these little bubbles that we so often find ourselves retreating into and to show everybody a little bit of Jesus’ love every day.” “I’m trying to write songs that will inspire people to ‘live’ in a way they never have before, to realize that loving everyone, regardless of circumstance, is what it’s really all about. Doing simple things like helping their neighbors, or sitting by a lonely kid at the lunch table at school, or giving someone an open ear–It’s often those little things that let people around us know how much they’re really loved.” – Seth Mosley, lead vocals/guitar, Me In Motion.
Athlete To Release Deluxe Edition Of Black Swan
Since bouncing to prominence seven years ago with the spirited, electro-tinged, indie-pop of their Mercury-nominated debut, Vehicles And Animals, Athlete have established themselves among the UK’s finest songsmiths. The southeast Londoners have sold more than a million copies of their three hit albums (the other two being 2005’s Tourist and 2007’s Beyond The Neighbourhood); packed out venues across the world; picked up an Ivor Novello award; and topped both the UK’s album and airplay charts. Athlete is now set to return with their finest work to date, Black Swan, which will be released on March 2nd on Original Signal Recordings in the U.S. On January 12th Original Signal Recordings and Athlete offer their US fans an exclusive opportunity to purchase a deluxe version of Black Swan which will include: A Deluxe CD with a bonus disc featuring 7 additional songs, Black Swan Song documentary video (digital), a download of “The Getaway” (radio edit) along with a digital album download as well all for $19.99. The exclusive bundle will ship immediately, and also be instantly downloadable, from Athlete’s new US micro-site – www.Athlete-US.com The reaction to Athlete’s new album has been nothing short of overwhelming both here and in the UK with Alternative Press stating, ““If proper venues for a band called Athlete are Stadiums, then this southeast London quartet have finally made an album worthy of their name… super-earnest reflections with melodies and arrangements direct and sturdy enough to bear the emotional weight.” NME proclaiming, “Awash with gorgeous melodies, the best thing they’ve ever done.” And Q Magazine raving: “Strong results… from the rueful to the thunderous. A band reborn.” Black Swan is a musical summary of everything Athlete have been through; the good, the bad and the ugly. But although its songs burn with literate emotion, this certainly isn’t a downbeat record. In fact, the album begins with the hurtling FM rush of the glorious track, “Superhuman Touch,” which catapults the album to life with the opening line, “I’m on fire and nothing’s gonna hold me back.” Produced by the esteemed Tom Rothrock (Foo Fighters, Elliot Smith, Elbow, Beck), Black Swan positively glows with snagging melodies, rich musicality and the band’s heartfelt tales. These songs together make Black Swan the strongest album Athlete have ever recorded. “After everything we’ve been through in the last couple of years, it feels like we’re starting again with this record,” says lead singer Joel Pott. “We made it without any pressure and without really having anything to lose. That’s exactly how it felt when we first got together. In a lot of ways, Black Swan, is like our second debut album. That’s a pretty exciting feeling.”
For more information on Athlete, visit:
athlete-us.com
Wrench In The Works News
Taking the innovation of a “contempo-noise” alternative genre and joining it with the fundamental excellence of bands like Converge, Deadguy and Zao, Wrench in the Works has honed a style of progressive music that is genuinely unique and savagely majestic. A sound which is brutally aggressive joins with well-written metal-influenced hardcore to show its unabashed rebellion against the genre’s restricting conventions. As experimental metal begins to flow with the mainstream, Wrench in the Works desists from the gimmicks that plague the stage during so many metal-hardcore hybrid shows, allowing the unconventionality of their writing to shine through. Wrench in the Works’ accomplishments have exceeded the status quo of the average underground band. The band released their Facedown debut “Lost Art of Heaping Coal” in 2008. Now, with seemingly limitless ingenuity and passion, members Andy Nelson, Greg Thomas and Darrell Tauro will continue shattering eardrums as well as genre barriers as they release their sophomore Facedown album “Decrease/Increase.”
Tracklisting:
1) Vultures
2) Project Ak-47
3) A Desert Voice
4) Pocket Watch
5) Deathslayer
6) Gethsemane
7) Hearts and Masks
8) Vows (I must decrease)
9) Purge The Creep
10) Walk Amongst The Tombstones
11) Vows (He must increase)
The Fold Being Sued
The Fold is being sued by Miley Cyrus for their parody of her song, “Party In The USA”. They announced the details in video form which can be viewed here. They have teamed up with Glamour Kills to make a shirt to commemorate this event. A portion of each purchase will be given to the Red Cross to help with crisis in Haiti.
For more information on The Fold, visit:
thefoldrock.com
Rock And Worship Roadshow Lineup Announced
In follow-up to its successful debut in 2009, the 2010 lineup has been revealed for the 2nd Annual Rock and Worship Roadshow. The stellar cast includes the talents of MercyMe, David Crowder*Band, Family Force 5, Francesca Battistelli, Fee, Remedy Drive and Sidewalk Prophets. Watch a hilarious video created by MercyMe as they announce the lineup here. Last year, the Rock and Worship Roadshow drew more than 170k fans to major cities across the U.S. and this year hopes to continue to attract people by the thousands providing them the best entertainment along with a meaningful message. The 25-city tour will kick off 3/18 in Indianapolis and will carry through to 4/25 in Columbia, SC. “We are so excited to be back for this tour with such an incredible group of artists,” says MercyMe’s Bart Millard. “We’re going to have a great time.” Admission prices will again be $10 at-the-door, as the tour aims to be an event for fans of all ages, especially families. In addition to bringing a night of exciting performances, the tour is also dedicated to a much greater purpose: helping children with juvenile diabetes via “Imagine A Cure”, a non profit organization geared to raise awareness and to support research that will lead to a cure along with Compassion International, a Christian child advocacy ministry that releases children from spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enables them to become responsible, fulfilled Christian adults.
Tour Dates:
3/18 – Indianapolis, IN
3/19 – Madison, WI
3/20 – Council Bluffs, IA
3/21 – Colorado Springs, CO
3/23 – Billings, MT
3/25 – Tacoma, WA
3/26 – Portland, OR
3/27 – Boise, ID
3/28 – Spokane, WA
3/31 – Bakersfield, CA
4/1 – Fresno, CA
4/2 – Sacramento, CA
4/8 – Long Beach, CA
4/9 – Ontario, CA
4/10 – Phoenix, AZ
4/11 – Las Vegas, NV
4/13 – Albuquerque, NM
4/15 – Oklahoma City, OK
4/16 – Dallas, TX
4/17 – Tulsa, OK
4/18 – San Antonio, TX
4/22 – Cedar Rapids, IA
4/23 – Ft. Wayne, IN
4/24 – Columbus, OH
4/25 – Columbia, SC
New World Son To Release Sophomore Album
Inpop Records’ award-winning roots band Newworldson will release its anticipated, self-titled sophomore project Feb. 23, 2010. The record reflects the band’s experiences and growth since debuting its first national release, Salvation Station, nearly two years ago. Since signing with Inpop Records in 2007, Newworldson has garnered two JUNO Award nominations for Gospel Album of The Year and seven GMA Canada Covenant Award nominations, including two wins for Roots Album of The Year and one each in the categories of Best New Artist and Group of the Year. The band claimed a No. 1 music video on the Gospel Music Channel with “Working Man,” while earning a guest spot on newsboys’ wildly popular “GO” tour, as well as invitations to headline festivals in Australia, Germany, Holland and Sweden. Its national debut additionally elicited unanimous critical acclaim, hailed as GRAMMY-worthy by industry trade publication Christian Retailing and praised by AllMusic.com as “one of 2008’s most enjoyable, well-written albums.” “We went from playing local churches and bars to arenas and other major venues within months,” says Newworldson frontman Joel Parisien. “All those new experiences prompted us to grow as a band rather quickly, and we took that growth into the studio on our latest project.” Produced by Newworldson alongside veteran co-producer Justin Koop (Silverstein, Finger Eleven) and GRAMMY Award-winning mix engineer F. Reid Shippen (India.Arie, Jonny Lang), the new project is largely influenced by the band’s international travels, subsequently capturing an even bigger, more dynamic sound than its previous effort. Songs like “That’s Exactly (How I Like),” which transpired during a live songwriting contest on Dutch national radio, debut AC single “There Is A Way,” featuring a cameo performance by the Toronto Mass Choir, or “Total Eclipse,” that includes input from Jamaican frontman Mark Mohr of Christafari, pay tribute to the friends and fans Newworldson has made while touring abroad. “Salvation Station was about Newworldson exploring the roots of gospel and Americana music,” explains Parisien. “The new album incorporates more of a world perspective, inspired by our visits to international markets where people of all cultures and backgrounds received our music openly.” The band plans to support its sophomore effort this spring and summer in new territories, including the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Scandinavia, as well as to revisit major venues across North America.
For more information on this upcoming album, go here:
newworldson.com
NeedToBreathe To Hit The Road
Atlantic recording group NEEDTOBREATHE has announced details of its upcoming U.S. tour. The “Won’t Turn Back Tour” is set to hit the road on 3/3rd at the Varsity Theatre in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with dates continuing through mid-May. Support comes from a wide range of like-minded artists, including Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers, Will Hoge, Graham Colton, Seabird, and Atlantic labelmate Matt Hires. The South Carolina-based rock outfit’s biggest trek to date, the “Won’t Turn Back Tour” follows last year’s successful headline tour – dubbed “The Outsiders Live” – which included sold-out shows in virtually every market visited, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, Dallas, Minneapolis, Nashville, and Atlanta among others. Tickets for dates running through 4/24th will go on sale to the public on Friday, January 8th. That same day will also see pre-sale tickets made available for shows beginning 4/27th and running through the tour’s May 15th finale. In light of so many dates selling out last tour, pre-sale tickets for the “Won’t Turn Back Tour” are a premium in itself. A second pre-sale option is “The Insiders” Fan Club Welcome Package, which includes a General Admission ticket, one-year membership in “The Insiders” (the official NEEDTOBREATHE Fan Club, set to launch later this month), access to a pre-show Meet & Greet with the band, and limited edition T-shirts and Commemorative Laminates exclusive to Fan Club members. All remaining tickets for dates between 4/27th and May 15th will then go on sale to the public on January 29th. The “Won’t Turn Back Tour” celebrates NEEDTOBREATHE’s third album, “THE OUTSIDERS,” which was released last summer to universal critical acclaim and a top 20 debut on the Billboard 200. Two singles are currently set for impact on January 25th, with “Hurricane” going to Modern Rock and “The Outsiders” hitting Triple A radio outlets nationwide. What’s more, a companion video clip for “Hurricane” is now in post-production, with a premiere date to be announced soon.
For more information on NeedToBreathe, visit:
needtobreathe.net
Tour Dates:
3/3 – Baton Rouge, LA
3/4 – Dallas, TX
3/5 – Oklahoma City, OK
3/6 – Houston, TX
3/7 – Austin, TX
3/9 – Mobile, AL
3/11 – St. Petersburg, FL
3/12 – Lake Buena Vista, FL
3/13 – Fort Lauderdale, FL
3/14 – Jacksonville, FL
3/16 – Newport, KY
3/17 – Cleveland, OH
3/18 – Chicago, IL
3/19 – Madison, WI
3/20 – Minneapolis, MN
3/22 – Grand Rapids, MN
3/23 – Pontiac, MI
3/25 – Indianapolis, IN
3/26 – Nashville, TN
3/27 – Atlanta, GA
4/7 – Philadelphia, PA
4/8 – Boston, MA
4/9 – Washington, DC
4/10 – New York, NY
4/11 – Norfolk, VA
4/15 – Knoxville, TN
4/16 – Charlotte, NC
4/17 – Charleston, SC
4/18 – Charleston, SC
4/22 – Carrboro, NC
4/23 – Clemson, SC
4/24 – Birmingham, AL
4/27 – Tulsa, OK
4/29 – Tempe, AZ
4/30 – Pomona, CA
5/1 – Los Angeles, CA
5/3 – San Luis Obispo, CA
5/4 – San Francisco, CA
5/6 – Portland, OR
5/7 – Seattle, WA
5/8 – Spokane, WA
5/10 – Boise, ID
5/11 – Salt Lake City, UT
5/13 – Denver, CO
5/14 – Omaha, NE
5/15 – Des Moines, IA
New Wayside Album
It’s taken a bit longer than expected, but it was worth the wait. The new record, Spiritual Songs, by The Wayside, a collection of gospel songs and hymns that includes contributions by long-time friends Kenny Hutson and Jake Bradley (Over The Rhine, Vigilantes of Love, Old Black Kettle,) Ken Lewis (Ben Folds, Vince Gill, Sixpence None The Richer, Carly Simon, Chris Tomlin, JD Souther, Trace Adkins, Temptations) and Matt Slocum (Sixpence None The Richer,) is ready. t may be a cliché, but it is true; John and Michelle Thompson have been making beautiful music together for over twenty years. Though the cast of supporting players in their band, The Wayside, has changed many times, their original vision, to craft songs that speak hope and truth to a hurting world with musical authenticity and spiritual passion has remained strong. It has taken them to bars, clubs, theaters, colleges, festivals and churches as they endeavor to blend the best elements of American country, rock and roll and alternative musical styles with lyrics that were “salty and sweet; darkness and light,” according to one of their mentors and heroes. The Thompsons served as worship leaders in Aurora Illinois where they met in 1989. Between band practice and worship rehearsals the couple built a friendship and then a marriage on a foundation of psalms, hymns and spiritual songs… with a side-helping of classic rock and country staples, and original songs delving into the struggles of life. But strangely, in twenty years of writing and recording they have never released a collection of sacred music. In 2010 that changes with the debut of Spiritual Songs. “I guess I just never respected the supposed divide between ’sacred’ and ’secular’ music the way others did,” explains John. “We have always been equally as passionate about playing in clubs or churches. We love to take songs that religious people think of as ’secular’ and find some truth in there. We also love bringing old hymns and gospel songs into bars – and have often been surprised at how well they go over. But for some reason we just never got around to creating an album that represents our take on gospel and worship songs.” “People have been asking us for a project like this for years,” Michelle adds. “Finally we have gotten to a place where we could really make it special. I hope it was worth the wait.” The project came to life when the two enlisted the recording help of producer and engineer Stephen Leiweke to record their version of “These Thousand Hills,” a worship song they have been performing since its original release in 1989 by the Atlanta band Jacob’s Trouble. It was a special request by their good friend Pat O’Malley who was battling cancer. “We just wanted to capture the song the way we had been doing it for years,” John explains. “It was a favorite of Pat’s and he requested it be used at his memorial service when that time came. We decided not to wait, but to record it right away so he could enjoy it while he was still with us.” The recording process was quick and simple. “It was basically us, with some good friends, in a room making music that we loved. Our friend Matt Slocum (Sixpence None The Richer) came over and added a beautiful cello part to the simple acoustic track we had recorded. The process of recording was so enjoyable, so simple, and the results so encouraging, that it set the tone for what would become The Wayside’s first full length studio album in nearly ten years.
For more information, visit:
TheWaysideStore.com
©2010 HM Magazine All Rights Reserved
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