(Nashville, TN) November 11, 2009 – Belfast, Ireland-based modern worship band Bluetree, whose acclaimed album, God Of This City, has become one the best selling Christian recordings this year, announces the formation of StandOut International.  The new charity is an organization that has become a natural, non-profit extension of Bluetree’s pursuit of worship, music and justice.  The worldwide success of Bluetree’s song, “God Of This City,” has given the band a platform for sharing its message of hope for the exploited and voiceless around the world.

“God Of This City” was written by Bluetree during a mission trip and while the band was on stage performing worship songs in the Climax Bar, a club which doubles as a brothel in the Red Light district of Pattaya, Thailand.  Forever changed by what they saw in Pattaya, the band is determined to make a difference through StandOut International.

“We created StandOut International to help end child sex exploitation on a global scale, while loving, educating and releasing those rescued into the fullness of life that God has for them,” says Bluetree deejay Pete Kernoghan (“Petey K”).

“We believe that when people worship, they encounter the genuine heart of God for all humanity,” adds lead singer/guitarist Aaron Boyd.  “From His platform of love, we are compelled to serve the needs of others and we ultimately become a voice for those who have no voice.”

Ways to become involved with StandOut International in its mission is through financial giving, prayer, short-term mission trips and through organizing events to raise awareness and support of those fighting to end child sex exploitation.

According to available information, one out of every five people on earth is a child at risk: at risk of malnutrition, forced labor, disease, drug addiction and abandonment.  There are also risks for those working with and for struggling children. The staff and projects that provide care, the churches that offer assistance and resources, and the leaders who affect social agendas can also be vulnerable if they are not given the right support.

“Our aim is to raise awareness and channel funds through organizations who are active on the ground making a difference in children’s lives every day,” says Bluetree drummer Johnny Hobson.  “As believers, we are all called to be the hands and feet of Jesus.  Let’s together stand out and make a difference.”

Go to www.standoutinternational.co.uk to learn how you can help.

Bluetree, which includes the aforementioned members and guitarist Conor McCrory and bassist Pete Nickell, has never been interested in writing feel-good worship songs that may incite a few goosebumps on Sunday morning, but don’t inspire change and action once the church service has ended.  It is that vision that led to the creation of “God Of This City” and StandOut International.

“We really want ‘God of this City’ to be more than a song that we just proclaim in the safety of our churches. We want to see the hope of the song worked out in the lives of millions of children who are exploited throughout the world today. Let ‘God of this City’ inspire you into action. Join us and ‘stand out’,” encourages Petey K.

Originally a message of hope to the people of Pattaya, “God Of This City” has now been sung in thousands of churches and auditoriums across the world. It has also become a Top 5 radio hit for the band, been sung by this year’s American Idol winner Kris Allen and been recorded by Chris Tomlin and Passion.

Bluetree also brought the song to tens of thousands through its energetic concerts in major Canadian cities and at US festivals for the first time this summer, and is bringing its brand of worship-rock to cities across the US now while on tour through November 15 with NewSong. (See itinerary below)

With an unabashed attitude of worship running through all of the songs on God Of This City, the album released March 3 on the Lucid Artist label and stayed atop the SoundScan sales charts for a full month, a remarkable feat considering the band at that time had never toured in the US or Canada.  The album also received praise from critics ranging from the Lexington Herald-Leader and Belfast Telegraph to Worship Leader, ChristianMusicToday.com, CBN.com and more. With critics describing the album as “stunning,” “inspired and inspiring,” “an experience,” and calling the band the “next big leader” and “freshest sounding” with “compelling musicality,” Billboard magazine went on to say, “Look for this talented outfit to become one of the Christian market’s most enthusiastically embraced new worship bands.”

For more information on Bluetree, including a compelling acoustic video performance and explanation of the song “God Of This City,” as well as a free download of the congregation-ready song “Each Day” from its acclaimed God Of This City debut album, go to http://www.givmusic.com/bluetree.

Bluetree “Give Yourself Away” Tour with NewSong and Chynna & Vaughan:

Date    City/State    Venue
11/12/09    Chattanooga, TN    Tennessee Temple University
11/13/09    Anderson, SC    Anderson Christian School
11/14/09    Columbus, GA    Columbus State University Hall
11/15/09    Corinth, MS    Crossroads Arena

(Nashville, TN) May 21, 2009 – Belfast, Ireland-based modern worship band Bluetree, whose acclaimed album, God Of This City, has become one the best selling Christian recordings this year, receives a boost this week from American Idol winner Kris Allen.  Allen has been performing the title track to Bluetree’s album, “God Of This City,” a song birthed by the band in a brothel in Thailand.  See video of Allen performing the song at http://blog.givmusic.com/.

An anthem being sung worldwide, “God Of This City” was written by Bluetree during a mission trip and while the band was on stage performing worship songs in the Climax Bar, a club which doubles as a brothel in the Red Light district of Pattaya, Thailand.  The song became a message of hope for the people of Pattaya and is now being sung in churches across the world, with the Willow Creek Association recently concluding its worship pastor seminar with the song.  It was further recorded by Chris Tomlin and became the name and theme for the latest Passion project and world tour.

Bluetree will be playing “God Of The City” and its brand of worship-rock on its first ever tour of the U.S. that begins July 17 and follows concerts for an estimated 35,000 people on a six-city tour of Canada that began May 17 in Montreal, QB and ends June 7 in Toronto, ON.

Having spent four consecutive weeks on top of SoundScan’s Christian retail sales chart, a remarkable feat considering the band has never toured in the U.S. or Canada, Bluetree brings its energetic concerts this summer to major Canadian cities and U.S. festivals that include Alive Festival (Akron, OH), Creation Northeast (Mount Union, PA), Cornerstone (Bushnell, IL), Kings Fest (Doswell, VA), Spirit Song (Cincinnati, OH), Lifest (Oshkosh, WI), SoulFest (Gilford, NH), Rock the Desert (Midland, TX) and more.

Following the summer concerts, Bluetree will join NewSong this fall on a tour to major markets throughout the U.S. beginning in September and running through November.  Tour cities to be announced soon.

Ahead of the tour, Billboard's correspondent Deborah Evans Price predicted the band’s success: “Look for this talented outfit to become one of the Christian market’s most enthusiastically embraced new worship bands.”

After seeing the band perform during Gospel Music Week in Nashville, Beth Bacall, Star 99.1 FM midday air personality in New York City, echoes that a Bluetree tour is one not to miss: “What an amazing explosion of sound. Bluetree cuts straight to the core after the first chord. Musically, spiritually they pull you and you can’t let go until they finish, and even then you’re left with lyrics floating all about. There is an obvious connection between all the band members that really permeates through the crowd and within their music.  Add in some serious rock and Bluetree has a sound that definitely deserves airplay plus a show that needs to be seen.”

One of the reasons Bluetree has found such quick success in North America stems from the song that has preceded the band’s arrival.  In addition to Kris Allen, Chris Tomlin and other artists and church worship leaders singing the song, the title track to the acclaimed debut album, God Of This City, has become an R&R multi-format radio hit, landing this week at No. 14 on the AC Indicator, No. 13 on the CHR and No. 6 on the Soft AC / Inspirational charts and continuing to climb.
 
With an unabashed attitude of worship running through all of the songs on God Of This City, which released March 3 on the Lucid Artist label, the album also reflects the highs and lows that inevitably come with the journey of faith.  Critics from Billboard, Lexington Herald-Leader and Belfast Telegraph to Worship Leader, ChristianMusicToday.com, CBN.com and CBA Retailer + Resources and more are heralding Bluetree’s God Of This City, describing it as “stunning debut album,” “inspired and inspiring,” “an experience,” and calling the band the “next big leader” and “freshest sounding” with “compelling musicality.”

For more information on the band, including a compelling acoustic video performance and explanation of the song “God Of This City” by Bluetree lead vocalist/guitarist Aaron Boyd, as well as a free download of the congregation-ready song “Each Day” from its acclaimed God Of This City debut album, go to http://www.givmusic.com/bluetree.

(Nashville, TN) April 23, 2009 – Belfast, Ireland-based modern worship band Bluetree attended GMA Music Week in Nashville for the first time and completed more than 40 interviews and hundreds of planned and chance meetings at the annual event that culminates today with the Dove Awards.

Bluetree entered GMA Week as the best selling new artist of the year, having held the No. 1 slot for sales at Christian Retail stores nationally for four consecutive weeks with its widely acclaimed album, God Of This City, which released March 3 on the Lucid Artist label.  While at GMA, the band’s radio single and title track to its top selling album became a top 20 hit at multiple radio formats, moving up at R&R to No. 18 on both the AC Monitored and Indicator, No. 20 on the CHR and No. 19 on the Soft AC / Inspirational charts and continuing to climb.

Phillip Brooks with KBMQ radio (Monroe, LA) underscores the band’s success:  “Bluetree is a band of merry gentlemen with hearts of passion for God, encouraging the convinced and challenging the unconvinced...plainly spoken...their music moves people towards God!”

“When I met and interviewed Bluetree, I was so impressed and inspired by their hearts for God and His people,” says Jamie Wilson, Director of Content, hearitfirst.com, a leading Christian music website with over 198,000 members delivering 1.2 million page views a month. “‘God Of This City’ has had such a huge impact and I am pleased to know that the men behind that song are so humble and passionate for the Gospel.  Their sense of humor was a great surprise and their energy was contagious!  Bluetree stands out as my favorite interview of GMA 2009.”

As the successes mount at radio and retail, the band continues to give away for a limited time its compelling, congregation-ready song “Each Day” from its acclaimed God Of This City debut album.  The free song can be found at http://www.givmusic.com/bluetree. There is also a compelling acoustic video performance and explanation of the song, “God Of This City,” by Bluetree lead vocalist/guitarist Aaron Boyd on the site.

Written by Bluetree during a mission trip and while the band was on stage performing worship songs in the Climax Bar, a club which doubles as a brothel in the Red Light district of Pattaya, Thailand, “God Of This City” became a message of hope for the people of Pattaya and beyond.  The song is also being sung in churches across the world, with the Willow Creek Association recently concluding its worship pastor seminar with the song.  It was further recorded by Chris Tomlin and Passion and became the name and theme for the latest Passion project and world tour.

With an unabashed attitude of worship running through all of the songs on God Of This City, the album also reflects the highs and lows that inevitably come with the journey of faith.  And that’s exactly what Boyd hopes that listeners will experience when listening to Bluetree—hope not necessarily dictated by circumstance—the moment when God does some of His best work and shaping.

Critics from the Lexington Herald-Leader, Belfast Telegraph and StereoTruth.net to Worship Leader, ChristianMusicToday.com, CBN.com and CBA Retailer + Resources and more are heralding Bluetree’s God Of This City, describing it as “stunning debut album,” “inspired and inspiring,” “an experience,” and calling the band the “next big leader” and “freshest sounding” with “compelling musicality.”

(Nashville, TN) March 25, 2009 – Belfast, Ireland-based modern worship band Bluetree has for the fourth consecutive week captured the top positions with God Of This City on the Christian Retail and Praise & Worship sales charts while moving up three slots this week to land at No. 103 on the Billboard Top 200.  The sales successes have firmly placed the band as the best selling new artist this year at Christian retail.

Released March 3 on the Lucid Artist label, God Of This City has also sparked a radio hit as its title track continues to ascend the R&R AC Christian Monitor chart, leaping six slots this week to land at No. 24.

“Amazing!  God is truly doing something wonderful here,” says Bluetree producer/engineer Paul Mills (Jason Morant, Third Day, Lincoln Brewster), reacting to the sales and radio successes.  “We can all look back at this and realize that this is so much bigger than humans could pull off.  God’s miraculous blessing made this happen!”

As the successes mount at radio and retail, the band continues to give away for a limited time its compelling, congregation-ready song “Each Day” from its acclaimed God Of This City debut album.  The free song can be found at http://www.givmusic.com/bluetree. There is also a compelling acoustic video performance and explanation of the song, “God Of This City,” by Bluetree lead vocalist/guitarist Aaron Boyd on the site.

Written by Bluetree during a mission trip and while the band was on stage performing worship songs in the Climax Bar, a club which doubles as a brothel in the Red Light district of Pattaya, Thailand, “God Of This City” became a message of hope for the people of Pattaya and beyond.  The song is also being sung in churches across the world, with the Willow Creek Association recently concluding its worship pastor seminar with the song.  It was further recorded by Chris Tomlin and Passion and became the name and theme for the latest Passion project and world tour.

With an unabashed attitude of worship running through all of the songs on God Of This City, the album also reflects the highs and lows that inevitably come with the journey of faith.  And that’s exactly what Boyd hopes that listeners will experience when listening to Bluetree—hope not necessarily dictated by circumstance—the moment when God does some of His best work and shaping.

Critics from the Lexington Herald-Leader, Belfast Telegraph and StereoTruth.net to Worship Leader, ChristianMusicToday.com, CBN.com and CBA Retailer + Resources and more are heralding Bluetree’s God Of This City, describing it as “stunning debut album,” “inspired and inspiring,” “an experience,” and calling the band the “next big leader” and “freshest sounding” with “compelling musicality.”

Learn more about Bluetree at http://www.lucidcreativeservices.com/bluetree, www.givmusic.com/bluetree.

(Nashville, TN) March 12, 2009 – Belfast, Ireland-based modern worship band Bluetree scores another No. 1 in the U.S. as its highly anticipated debut album, God Of This City, gains sales and captures the top Christian Retail and Praise & Worship chart positions for the second consecutive week.  Released last week on the Lucid Artist label, the album also lands at No. 113 on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart, up 12 positions from last week as fellow Irish band U2 takes No. 1.

In addition to the sales success, Bluetree’s God Of This City continues to gather widespread critical acclaim:

“…this band is a blue tree and one of the freshest sounding worship outfits to come around for a long time…Bluetree’s debut plays out like a graceful drama…even if you know this song already [“God Of This City”], check out the original version; it’s as good, or better, than all the covers.” – Worship Leader

“Have you ever heard a new group and thought, ‘This music is going to be important to me,’ even though you’re not sure why? I felt the same when I first heard Delirious?’ King of Fools—it was unexpected, and some of it I wasn’t quite ready for, but it was exactly what I needed. God of This City is one of these albums. It’s going to be important. Find an opportunity to share Bluetree with others!” – CBA Retailer + Resources (April issue)

“The production work on God Of This City is top-notch – great sounding project here! Bluetree is a band full of passion, that know how to take a song and build big, powerful hooks…Bluetree rises above the limitations of the genre with God Of This City, an album that preserves a creative rock sensibility while delivering an often-passionate, engaging and – yes – worshipful experience…” – Soul-Audio.com

“[Bluetree is]…one of the great bands of this generation, with a stunning debut album.” – Belfast Telegraph quotes journalist and broadcaster, Mike Rimmer.

“This band of Irish brothers in Christ, with its rock and ballad-style songs, is sure to be the next big leader in bringing new songs to worship services around the world. The band’s fun rock sound, backed by strong lyrics that glorify God, is definitely their strength.” – CBN.com

One of Bluetree’s songs that are already being sung in churches across the world is the new album’s title track, “God Of This City.”  With the Willow Creek Association recently concluding its worship pastor seminar with the song, it was also recorded by Chris Tomlin and Passion and became the name and theme for the latest Passion project and world tour.

Written by Bluetree during a mission trip and while the band was on stage performing worship songs in the Climax Bar, a club which doubles as a brothel in the Red Light district of Pattaya, Thailand, “God Of This City” became a message of hope for the people of Pattaya and beyond.  

Already an R&R Most Added hit single in the U.S. and gaining momentum at radio, Christian Music Weekly further champions “God Of This City” in its current issue:

“…it features a mix of folk, rock, and Celtic flavors, with a bit of U2 thrown in for good measure, making for a good modern worship experience.  This is more intense than the Passion version, for sure, with a few more production elements…”

Bluetree is all about being unique in a world that often reveres conformity. “If you’re in a forest and there’s nothing but green trees —everything being as you’d normally see it—but then you see a blue tree with blue bark, blue leaves, blue branches, well, it would catch your eye,” says Aaron Boyd, Bluetree lead vocalist/guitarist. “And as Christians we’re called to stand out, to be different—like blue trees.”