The popular nationally syndicated “Total Axxess” radio show premieres its first-ever “Acoustic Christmas” this week, featuring intimate, in-studio performances with a high-profile artist lineup, kicking off today, Dec. 14, with GMA’s “New Artist of the Year,” Tenth Avenue North. GRAMMY-winning, progressive band Jars of Clay performs Tuesday, followed by GRAMMY-nominated, modern rockers Red on Wednesday, and wrapping Thursday with GMA’s “Male Vocalist of the Year,” Brandon Heath.
*Check local listings for air times.
“Total Axxess” airs on 103 stations, reaching nearly 250,000 weekly listeners in markets including Nashville, Denver, Grand Rapids and Pittsburgh. “Acoustic Christmas” performances will also stream live each day on TotalAxxess.com, and will be archived for future visitors at http://www.providentpromos.com/totalaxxess. TotalAxxess.com receives 20,000 monthly unique hits. The “Acoustic Christmas” feature will receive added promotion through the WAYFM.COM websites, with a combined 200,000 monthly unique hits.
About Tenth Avenue North:
Named GMA Dove Awards New Artist of the Year (2009), Tenth Avenue North was the best-selling and most played new Christian artist of 2008, scoring three No. 1s at radio and crossing the 100,000 sales mark with its debut Over and Underneath (5/20/08) in just seven months. The band – Mike Donehey (lead vocals/acoustic guitar), Jason Jamison (drummer) and Jeff Owen (electric guitar/background vocals) – has toured extensively over the last year in support of Over and Underneath (recently crossing the 200,000 mark in total album sales), and recently wrapped an impressive run of shows on its very first headlining tour- “Inside and In Between”. Tenth Avenue North is one of the few debut bands that have experienced enough momentum to headline its own tour with only one album under its belt. For up-to-date information on Tenth Avenue North please visit www.tenthavenuenorth.com or www.providentpress.com.
About Jars of Clay:
Jars of Clay launched its breakout career with the multi-format hit “Flood” in 1995. Since then, it’s amassed more than six million in career sales (5 Gold, 2 Platinum and 1 double Platinum certification), 3 GRAMMY Awards (from 8 nominations), an American Music Award nod, 17 No. 1 radio hits, and numerous film credits and BMI honors for songwriting and performing. Its recently GRAMMY nominated tenth album, The Long Fall Back to Earth (April 21), debuted at No. 1 on Soundscan, Earlier this year, Jars of Clay headlined its “Two Hands Tour,” impacting 23 cities coast-to-coast and recently led “Creation Festival: The Tour” on a 25+ city tour. See www.jarsofclay.com for more information.
While celebrated for its music and writing, Jars of Clay is most concerned with the needs in Africa. Compelled to make a difference, members Dan Haseltine, Stephen Mason, Matt Odmark and Charlie Lowell founded the Blood:Water Mission in early 2002. The first effort of this non-profit was the “1000 Wells Project” with a goal of raising funds to build, rebuild and repair 1,000 wells in urban and rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa. This year Jars of Clay will celebrate the building of the 1,000th well which will bring clean water to more than 150,000 people. (www.bloodwatermission.com)
About Red:
The Nashville-based group, made up of MICHAEL BARNES (vocals), ANTHONY ARMSTRONG (guitar) RANDY ARMSTRONG (bass), and JOE RICKARD (drums), has logged an impressive 1,000+ live shows since releasing the debut album End Of Silence in 2006, and has given fans a taste of new music on Innocence & Instinct while on the road in late 2008.
Since the 2006 emergence of the band’s debut, it has maintained a near-constant presence on the road, touring alongside notable rock names such as Three Days Grace, Flyleaf, 3 Doors Down, Breaking Benjamin, Seether, Papa Roach, Buckcherry, Saving Abel, Sevendust, Staind, Kutless, Trapt, Third Day, Switchfoot and others, and rave reviews for the band’s live shows have poured in via both print and online outlets alike.
GRAMMY-nominated album Innocence & Instinct released February 10 to rave reviews in major media outlets including USA Today and Billboard. With first-week sales of 40,000 copies according to Nielsen SoundScan, the album debuted as the No.15 best selling album on Billboard’s Top 200 chart. It also claimed the No. 5 spot on iTunes Overall Albums chart. To date, Innocence & Instinct has scanned more than 170,000+ units since its Feb. 10 debut. Innocence & Instinct was recently nominated for a GRAMMY in the Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album category. The new album built on the momentum of Red’s 2006 debut, End of Silence, which has scanned nearly 320,000 units and earned several awards and nominations including a GRAMMY nod in the album category. For more information about RED, please visit: www.redmusiconline.com.
About Brandon Heath:
GRAMMY and American Music Award nominee Brandon Heath holds Dove Awards in Male Vocalist, Song of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year (2009) categories. Heath released his sophomore, What If We (8/2008), yielding two No.1 singles “Give Me Your Eyes” and “Wait and See.” His 2006 debut, Don¹t Get Comfortable, produced, “I’m Not Who I Was,” a No.1 radio hit and 2008 Song of the Year Dove Award nominee which contributed to his New Artist of the Year Dove Award win. Heath has been covered by The New York Times and “CBS Evening News with Katie Couric.” Off stage, Heath seeks opportunities to merge his public platform with his heart for community, regularly working with Young Life, Blood:Water Mission, Restore International and unofficially volunteering for many other human rights agencies on a global scale. Heath is a respected songwriter in the Nashville music community and first began writing at age 13. For more information, please visit: www.brandonheath.net.
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