Credential Recordings band Seabird breaks for a photo with Jars of Clay before taking the stage at Gothic Theater in Englewood, Colo. on June 4, 2009. The band is currently opening as a special guest on Jars of Clay's "Two Hands" tour, wrapping in Seabird's hometown of Cincinnati on July 18. 

Multi-platinum Christian rock band P.O.D., currently on hiatus following a lengthy world tour, will make its 2009 concert debut as part of a 14-act lineup announced today for Disney’s Night of Joy Sept. 11-12 at Walt Disney World Resort. The musically diverse event at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park also will feature MercyMe, newsboys, Skillet, Flyleaf, Chris Tomlin, Kutless, Jars of Clay, Grits, Leeland, NEEDTOBREATHE, Superchick, Mandisa and Family Force 5.
            
Seven acts will perform each evening between 7 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. at stage locations throughout the park.  Night of Joy begins after regular park operating hours, with concerts and select park attractions available exclusively for the enjoyment of event ticket holders.

P.O.D. is among four acts new to Night of Joy (along with Grits, NEEDTOBREATHE and Family Force 5), joining a legacy of 134 Christian music acts that have played Night of Joy since 1983.  While a Disney “newbie,” the southern California-based band that fuses hard rock with hip-hop, reggae and Latin music is well known in music circles.  They’ve been a hit on MTV, won two GMA Dove Awards, been Grammy-nominated, had two platinum-certified albums – one triple platinum – and in past summers played some of the north’s biggest Christian festivals.

But in spring/summer 2009, P.O.D. is chillin’: Vocalist Sonny Sandoval and the rest of the band are home in SoCal enjoying family life following a seven-month world tour that wound up in South America in December, making their Sept. 11 date at Disney P.O.D.’s first gig of the year.

“In the past year we’ve been blessed to play all around the globe but performing at Disney World excites me most of all,” Sandoval said.
           
The complete Sept. 11 Night of Joy lineup: P.O.D., newsboys, Kutless, Tomlin, NEEDTOBREATHE, Leeland and Superchick.
           
On Sept. 12, the Studios’ stages will present: Skillet, MercyMe, Jars of Clay, Flyleaf, Family Force 5, Grits and Mandisa.
           
Eight of the acts are nominated for Gospel Music Association Dove Awards in 2009, topped by Tomlin with seven nominations including artist of the year.  Other nominees are Kutless, Leeland, NEEDTOBREATHE, Skillet, MercyMe, Mandisa and Grits.
            
For Mandisa, Night of Joy will mark her second “guest appearance” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2009.  On Feb. 12, she was among an unprecedented gathering of 27 “American Idol” finalists – including the winners from each of the show’s first seven seasons – who participated in a Hollywood gala-style event to premiere “The American Idol Experience.”  The new attraction immerses guests in the excitement of the hit TV show “American Idol,” with some guests at Disney’s Hollywood Studios auditioning to take the spotlight onstage, while fellow guests cheer them on from the audience and vote for their favorite singer with instant results.
            
With an innovative ticket – exclusively for groups of 10 or more – that combines a “day” visit to Disney’s Hollywood Studios with Night of Joy admission that evening, guests will have a chance to participate in “The American Idol Experience.”  And by booking on or before Aug. 12, the Studios day/Night of Joy group ticket costs just $44.95 plus tax (beginning Aug. 13, it costs $49.95).

There’s also a two-day ticket exclusively for groups of 10 or more that combines Night of Joy admission on both evenings (Sept. 11 and Sept. 12) with two “day visits” to the guest’s choice of Walt Disney World theme parks (one per day) on Night of Joy weekend (Sept. 11-13).  Booked on/before Aug. 12, that ticket costs just $89.95 plus tax (beginning Aug. 13, it costs $99.95).

Night of Joy tickets for individuals also are available.  One-night tickets purchased in advance (up to the day prior to the event) are $49.95 plus tax (on event day, if available, tickets are $54.95).  Two-night tickets (providing admission to Night of Joy on both Sept. 11 and 12) are $84.95 plus tax.
            
All the details about tickets for groups and individuals are available online at www.nightofjoy.com.

(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) June 4, 2009—Credential Recordings band Seabird has been selected by PureVolume.com as its featured PureVolume Sessions artist beginning this week. Seabird, currently on tour with Jars of Clay, will receive additional exposure today at Amazon.com as its debut album is the featured “Deal of the Day.”
 
Four acoustic sessions filmed exclusively at the PureVolume House in Los Angeles, Seabird’s PureVolume Sessions include songs “Rescue,” “Not  Alone,” “Falling For You” and “Sometimes.” The first installment is currently available for viewing at www.purevolume.com/seabird/videos/66165/Rescue. Additional videos will be posted through the end of the week. Fans can also visit http://tinyurl.com/seabirdamazondealoftheday, today only to pick up Seabird’s debut album ‘Til We See The Shore for a special low price of $1.99 as part of Amazon.com’s “Deal of the Day” promotion.
 
In addition to online visibility, Seabird is currently making live appearances on tour with Jars of Clay through the middle of the month. For a complete list of tour dates, visit: www.myspace.com/seabird.
 
Consisting of brothers Aaron (vocals/keys) and Ryan (guitar) Morgan, as well as Chris Kubik (bass), and Preston Lane (drums), the Cincinnati-based band initially formed in 2004 when entering a local “battle of the bands” competition. Released June 24, 2008,‘Til We See The Shore, a collaborative effort with producers Jacquire King (Modest Mouse, Kings Of Leon, Tom Waits, Switchfoot) and Allen Salmon (Mute Math, This Beautiful Republic), is an attempt to meet its fans where they are, to craft an album that “share[s] the emotions, victories, and defeats we all experience as normal, every day people,” says Aaron.
 
Music from ‘Til We See The Shore has received phenomenal national publicity, featured on episodes of “Numb3rs,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” and promos for ABC’s 12-time Emmy-nominated series, “Pushing Daisies.” The band was also recently recognized by its hometown as “Artist of the Year” at the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards. This summer Seabird will return to the studio to begin work on its sophomore album, scheduled to release early next year. For more information on Seabird, visit: www.seabirdmusic.com or www.myspace.com/seabird.

(Nashville, Tenn.) May 1, 2009 – Propelled by a new multi-format radio hit, a national tour,  ubiquitous coverage on The Gospel Music Channel, and, most importantly, an ardent fan base,  three-time GRAMMY Award-winning and multi-Platinum band Jars of Clay once again finds itself at the very top of Nielsen SoundScan's Christian Albums chart.
 
Jars of Clay’s No. 1-selling The Long Fall Back to Earth (Gray Matters/Essential) debuts on the chart this week after a landmark album launch which included the soaring single “Two Hands,” a personal media blitz by the band, a performance at an All-Star Benefit, a special tribute to the band during the nationally-televised Dove Awards, and the launch of Jars’ 23-city coast-to-coast tour.
 
“It has been an amazing week,” said Dan Haseltine. “We could not have imagined the response we have gotten from fans who went out and bought the record. The most exciting part is that we are already hearing powerful stories of how these songs are resonating with people. We are so grateful!”

The lead single from The Long Fall Back To Earth, “Two Hands” continues to generate an overwhelming response from Christian radio.  This week, the song not only jumped into the Top 15 among reporting AC stations, “Two Hands” is already a Top 5 hit CHR radio. The song has been the greatest gainer in spins the past two weeks and was the fastest-gaining single at AC radio during the month of April. This past week alone, “Two Hands” was added by influential stations in Minneapolis (KTIS), Atlanta (WVFJ), Kansas City (KLJC) and Orlando (WPOZ) where the music director has been listening to The Long Fall Back To Earth “from start to finish repeatedly.”

As WPOZ’s Jeff Cruz puts it himself, “I am particularly excited about ‘Two Hands’.” “The song not only has a fun, radio-friendly sound and great hook, but it is probably the most vertical single they have done in a long time.” K-LOVE programmer and on-air personality Scott Smith, meanwhile, explains why the song is vintage Jars of Clay thematically. “‘Hands’ challenges all of us as believers to look for opportunities to serve one another and not just offer someone lip service,” he says.

Jars of Clay released The Long Fall Back to Earth, its 10th album, on April 21 and, at the invitation of host Big Kenny (Big & Rich), performed the following night at a fundraiser for the African Children’s Choir with Faith Hill, Third Day, Keith Urban and others. Respected for its humanitarian efforts as much as its innovative, intellectual brand of rock, Jars of Clay was honored the night after the benefit during the 40th Annual Dove Awards for the band’s relentless commitment. Jars of Clay, who presented on the show, was bestowed with a Gospel Music Channel Gospel Angels Award during a special segment of the live broadcast. The band was recognized for its work in Africa through its Blood:Water Mission organization which has built more than 650 clean water wells positively impacting more than 500,000 people in 11 African countries.
 
Immediately following the Dove Awards, Jars of Clay hit the road to kick off its 23-city spring 2009 “Two Hands Tour”. The run of dates, which will conclude in Lawrenceburg, Tenn. on June 19, also features special guests Seabird, the emerging Credential Records rock act recently honored by its hometown as the “2008 Artist of the Year” at the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards. The “Two Hands Tour” itinerary and ticket information is posted on www.JarsofClay.com.
 
Even as Jars’ tour kicked off, media outlets started going public with their praise for the band’s new album. A full-page spotlight in Performing Songwriter highlighted The Long Fall Back To Earth’s “shimmering melodies” and “unlikely inspiration in everyday struggles.” Meanwhile, Relevant Magazine responded, “Jars of Clay is one of those tempest bands ... never content to follow anyone else’s lead ... On The Long Fall Back to Earth, the band is still in top form.” The band’s local press got in on the action as well with Nashville’s The Tennessean proclaiming Jars of Clay “found great freedom” creating “a new sonic identity.”
 
Thematically, Jars of Clay artfully explores matters of relationship and community through the songs on The Long Fall Back To Earth. The musically sophisticated 14-track project was co-produced by Jars of Clay and veteran helmsman Ron Aniello (Guster, Lifehouse, Leigh Nash). The Long Fall Back To Earth expands on the musical palette developed for Jars’ last project, Good Monsters: driving songs with more synth, beats and loops, but keeping the band’s hard-won appreciation for rock guitars intact. The effect is a sweeping musical landscape full of detail, contrast and richness.

(Nashville, Tenn.) April 23, 2009 – Jars of Clay, who launched its 10th project The Long Fall Back To Earth on Tuesday and performed at a fundraiser for the African Children’s Choir with Big Kenny, Faith Hill, Third Day, Keith Urban and others last night, has long been known for its innovative, intellectual brand of rock music, but it’s equally known and respected for its humanitarian efforts, specifically those that serve the continent and people of Africa.  Tonight, live at Nashville’s Opry House during the 40th Annual GMA Dove Awards, the band was honored with the Gospel Music Channel’s “Gospel Angels Award” for its tireless efforts.
 
Founders of the Blood:Water Mission, the non-profit organization launched in 2001, Jars of Clay has
funded more than 650 water projects, along with hygiene and sanitation training, in 11 African countries.  These projects have impacted more than 500,000 people with clean water since its inception and the band is on track to build its 1000th clean water well, in early 2010.  
 
“Gospel Music Channel brings the wonderful music and talents of Jars of Clay to millions of people across the country every day,” shares Charley Humbard, President & CEO of Gospel Music Channel.   “We are proud to honor Jars with our annual Gospel Angels Award for using their platform to activate and inspire others to positively change the lives of people.  We commend them for the transformative and sustainable impact they are achieving with Blood:Water Mission.”
 
“We’re humbled, and surprised, by this honor – we had no idea we’d be getting this tonight,” shares Jars of Clay’s lead singer, Dan Haseltine. “We appreciate Gospel Music Channel for recognizing the work of the Blood:Water Mission, and drawing attention to those who most need our help. We would like to thank Blood:Water Mission’s executive director, Jena Nardella and our fantastic teams, both in the US and in Africa, and to the countless donors who have helped change lives, half a world away.”
 
Immediately following the GMA Dove Awards, Jars of Clay hit the road to kick off its 23-city spring 2009 "Two Hands Tour" on Friday in Lincoln, Neb. (The run of dates will conclude in Lawrenceburg, Tenn. on June 19.) The "Two Hands Tour" also features special guests Seabird, the emerging Credential Records rock act recently honored by its hometown as the “2008 Artist of the Year” at the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards. The "Two Hands Tour" itinerary and ticket information is posted on www.JarsofClay.com.

Co-produced by Jars of Clay and veteran helmsman Ron Aniello (Guster, Lifehouse, Leigh Nash), The Long Fall Back To Earth expands on the musical palette developed for Jars' last project, Good Monsters: driving songs with more synth, beats and loops, but keeping the band's hard-won appreciation for rock guitars intact. The effect is a sweeping musical landscape full of detail, contrast and richness.