After a very very long driving trip from South Texas we finally arrived in Estes, Colorado! We came in late and unloaded our gear into our very posh accomodations and got some sleep to get ready for Sunday.

Sunday started off with Orientation which was short and sweet. Afterward we enjoyed one of Estes eateries and then came back for the main concerts. We really enjoyed Pocket Full of Rocks and Micheal W. Smith. Afterward we enjoyed our first Cafe Estes where they let bands and solo artists put their names in a hat to be randomly called and perform for the Cafe audience.

Monday is the first full day of the conference and we are excited to kick things into gear. All of our competition rounds happen on Monday and are excited to be working with other great bands from all over.

Take care guys,

James

Hey guys, this is James from the James Lavender Band down in usually tropical Corpus Christi, Texas. Our good friends at Hearitfirst.com asked us to chronicle our time up in Estes Park, Colorado at the GMA Music in the Rockies Conference and we wanted to get things started before we took off for Colorado.

Again, I must kick this blog of right, by again saying Thank You to Jamie and everyone at Hearitfirst (you guys are awesome and we really appreciate all that you guys are doing for the music community). And also, a big thanks to everyone who took the time to vote all throughout the Battle of the Bands.

As for us, things have been extremely busy down here in South Texas. In addition to our normally crazy schedule, mother nature has decided to get a little crazy as well. Usually, South Texas is baked under the hot summer sun and rain this time of year is usually reduced to an after-thought. Not this year! As of yesterday, we've had over 16 inches of rain this month alone (2 inches in a typical July) and as I'm writing this, we've already received another 2-4 inches this morning. So too much of a good thing can defintely be bad! We might be taking a boat to Estes this year!!!

Ok, so that's it for now from Corpus! Have a great weekend guys and we'll catch you when we are in Estes,

James

So last night was the BarlowGirl album launch and I was there courtesy of yours truly, hearitfirst-DOT-com. My, my and what a night!

First of all the venue, called the Warehouse, is an awesome place. Whoever did the decor needs to give me their phone number so I can call them when I buy my house. Every room, corridor, hallway has some music history attached to it. Whether it is the Beatle's drum set, or Bob Marley's picture, or plaques and plaques of lots of important people I don't know - it looked great. It is one of the coolest museums I have ever seen! They had amps and guitars every where but this is my inner nerd talking: back to the topic.

So we suit up with our equipment HIF-style and start filming the BarlowGirl's sound check. Let me tell you that they sound fantastic. I am not paid to say this - honest - I speak truth. All those harmonies you hear on the CD and in concert are actually produced by the BarlowGirl vocal chords which is even more amazing in our modern era. Behind the scenes, I met Christina who was helping out with the Barlow's diner that night. She's nice. We interviewed the first fans in line and snapped into the executive lounge for a quick subway diner. What's with the UV lights? Jamie said her tomatoes looked like pickles - everything looked liked pickles to me. I just trusted my nose.

There was a bit of madness as the show started. I left my diet coke behind as I dashed to find the entrance to the main auditorium. I have a bad sense of direction and I think the UV lights made it worse. Or maybe I just get distracted by Orange amps, guitars and music memorabilia easily. I made it to my position with some time to spare: crisis over. The show went on smoothly. I traded camera positions with Sam, a veteran HIF-er called in as re-inforcement that night. The atmosphere was great. All those lights dancing around the music, the fake smoke rising to the ceiling, peoples' hands lifted to heaven (not my hands, I'm holding the camera, sorry), it was wonderful.

Afterwards, the BarlowGirls did what the BarlowGirls do and met every single one of their fans after the show. I have heard it said a lot of times that the BGs are so nice. Let me confirm that for you. If you want to support niceness in the world today, support the BarlowGirls. Their entourage is nice, their fans are nice (OMG we have the cutest footage in HIFstory! Evan, the 4 year old BG fan wins the cute Presidential vote). Becca their tour manager takes the energizer bunny to school! At the end of the night, even though she said she was tired, she was still bouncing off the walls! It must the BG energy.

I enjoyed the night. So did the winners of our competition to see the show, Nichole and her sister. The BarlowGirls shared some cake with us (see what I mean about nice) and we gave them some HIF jackets (we are nice too). Sam gave me a ride home (he's nice). For the record, my favorite song on the new album is, "I Believe In Love".

We got to the venue at about 4:30 and fans were already lined up! We chatted with the girls who were first in line - since they got there so early, they were lucky and got to wait inside while others had to stand outside in the drizzling rain. The iffy weather didn't stop people from coming out though - fans poured in to celebrate with the Barlows.

The night was hosted by Jeff and Stace from WAY-FM. They asked the Barlow girls questions from fans - both in the audience and from the online chatroom. I hope if you asked a question it was answered! The girls played a ton of songs from the new album - it was so cool to hear them live. Since it was an intimate setting, they actually played the songs acoustic which means instead of her whole drumkit, Lauren had a djembe and a shaker (what's the official name of those??

Are you wondering what it's like hanging backstage at a show? It was so fun - not because it's glamorous, but because of the relationships we have with everyone. We hung around with our friends from Fervent Records and our friends from the BarlowGirl crew - if you've ever seen BarlowGirl up close and personal you know they have an amazing support group - their parents are always so nice and Becca, their tour manager, is FULL of energy - even when she's exhausted!

After the show, the girls signed autographs and took pictures and kept on smiling. Their label presented them with a cake in celebration of their third album and we all got to take part in the celebration. (The cake was tasty, too!)

We had so much fun with BarlowGirl - they are always so nice and energetic and giving of their time. They really do treat their fans so well - I really appreciate that about them!
COMMENTS

1. I'm Not Who I Was - Brandon Heath - This song is absolutly wonderful. I once heard Brandon talking about this song, and I believe he said that it was a song that was an apology of sort for something he had done in the past to someone, and he wanted them to know that he is different (Please, don't quote me on that!)

2. Praise and Adore - Wavorly - An awesome worship song from Wavorly. The newly signed band really made a jump into the industry with this hit. Whenever I hear this, I immediatly think about how much we really should worship our awesome Creator.

3. Something Beautiful - newsboys - This is all there is to say - amazing song, amazing album.

4. Made to Love , Boomin - tobyMac - Wow! His 3rd solo project and what a hit. Only out for a short time now, toby has 2 songs on the top 25 charts. Take a gander at this album and you will be pumped with energy and also get a hint of worship.

5. Tunnel - Third Day - This song is good. It talks about how no matter what you are going through, that there is always a "light at the end of the tunnel for you." True to form, Third Day pulls off another great hit.

That's only a few of the top songs - sorry if I left your favorite out.

Next week's blog - Ichthus 07 - Uprising!
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Sunday night we went to the Songwriters Showcase and it was amazing! The songwriters of some of the best songs of the year come and talk about the story behind the song and why they wrote it and then they play it. Some of the songs that were played were "I'm Not Alright" by Sanctus Real, "Only the World" by Mandisa, "Drifter" by DecembeRadio, "Made to Worship" by Chris Tomlin, "I Need You to Love Me" by Barlowgirl, and a whole lot more. The experience was awesome.

Then yesterday (Monday) I stayed in the office and worked on editing videos from the night before while everyone else stayed downtown to interviews with Story Side B, Nevertheless, Big Daddy Weave, etc, etc. Then later in the afternoon I met up with everyone and picked up Family Force 5 in my little blue Volkswagon Beetle (that was interesting, haha) and went to Goodwill to give our GMA contest winner a makeover... that was even more interesting. Five guys trying to makeover a girl can take a while.

After that we had a little down time before the big EMI Showcase so we went to a little mexican place by the venue we were going to and the food was excellent! So after dinner we went to the venue and listened to all the bands' soundcheck, did an interview with This Beautiful Republic, passed out some cards for the Sanctus Real Tour T-Shirt Contest.......... then it was time for the show! The line up was Future of Forestry, This Beautiful Republic, Needtobreathe, and Sanctus Real. THEN when the show was over, Jon Foreman from Switchfoot played an acoustic set and it was incredible.

The days have been long and a little bit stressful, but all very worth it! I love my job! Today I'm here at the office working on more videos from last night, but later this afternoon I'm going downtown to help with some interviews that include Mandisa, Nichole Nordeman and lots of others. Then tonight is the the Tooth and Nail showcase, which I'm REALLY excited about! I will fill you guys in more later! But I've got to go right now.... busy, busy, busy.
COMMENTS

My personal favorite is Amy Grant... and if you ask anyone, they will tell you I'm by far her biggest fan. I'm 21 and I've seen her in concert 15 times. Crazy... I know, but I just can't help it. I LOVE her music!

Anyway... here are a few responses that we got from our hearitfirst.com members...

My all time favorite artist would have to be Michael W. Smith. I first heard him open for Amy Grant at Astroworld in Houston, Texas. I believe the year was 1983 (give or take a year). He played “Great is the Lord” and “Friends” and then I was hooked. His voice is so calming and gentle. Plus, having followed him for 25 years, I know that he has lived his life in a manner which glorifies God. I still cry when I hear “Great is the Lord” and “Friends”. Some of my other favorite songs have been “I Will Be Here for You”, “Place in This World”, “Pray for Me”, “Above All”, “Hear I Am”, and “Healing Rain”. Also, I love his instrumentals. When I listen to them, I reflect on God’s beauty and glory.

-Kristi Andrews

First off, the band that has been most influential in my life is a band called Switchfoot. I'm sure all of you there at heartitfirst.com and many Christian music fans know who they are, but I still think some people might not fully understand who they are or what they are doing. Some may say this band may not be "Christian" enough. Some may even go far enough to say that this band is a sellout, to the Christian mainstream. But I just want to set the record straight and let you all know why I love Switchfoot so much!

I've been a Christian since I was 10 years old (I am 17, going on 18 now). I hadn't listened to much Christian music up until the last 5 years. I had been trying to get away from secular music and I was searching for some cool, Christian rock. I had heard about Switchfoot, but I had never heard their music. In fall of 2003, yahoo! launch ran a feature on Switchfoot and included their first music video for "Meant to Live". After watching that video, I was hooked.

I still remember the moment I listened to their album, "The Beautiful Letdown" for the first time. I was sitting on the edge of my bed, and after I had listened to "Meant to Live", track two came on, which was the song "This is Your Life". During this song, tears formed in my eyes. This was the first time a song had ever done that to me on the first listen (honestly), and for the first time, a band was challenging me. This band was making me think. This band was making me question the way I was living my life. "This is your life, are you who you wanna be?/This is your life, is it everything you dreamed that it would be?" After this, I knew there was something special about this band.

A few months later, I saw the band in concert and after seeing the energy and charisma the band brought to the stage, and after meeting the guys personally, who were the nicest, friendliest people, I decided that Switchfoot was my favorite band.

With the purchase of their album, "Learning to Breathe", and soon their earlier albums, "The Legend of Chin" and "New Way to be Human", I started to take my relationship with God seriously. Switchfoot's music make me thankful for the life that God had given me and spoke to me of the wonderful truths and love that God has given us.

I cannot tell you how many times I have listened to a Switchfoot song and how it has encouraged me, inspired me, made me feel better, and most importantly, pointed me towards God when I was far away.

Not only does the music inspire me, but Switchfoot as people inspire me. I can see the love they have for God and the love they have for His people. Everyone I have ever talked to or read about who has met the band, they have said they are the most laid back, personable people they have met. God has blessed them with these personalities and characters and He allows them to use this to connect to people, not only on stage, but off of it. They are involved in several charities (DATA, One Campaign, Invisible Children, etc.) and they even run their own online magazine (www.lowercasepeople.com), which raises awareness and speaks of their desire to help people who are less fortunate than us.

With the recent releases of "Nothing is Sound" and "Oh! Gravity", the band continues to challenge me to think deeper, about life and about God, and they continue to amaze me as both musicians and individuals.

That is why Switchfoot is my favorite band and that is why they have been most influential in my life.

Amanda

My absolute favorite artist of all time -- any genre -- is the immortal Amy Grant. If Amy has a new album coming out, I'm guaranteed to get it. If I had the money, I'd fly ANYWHERE to see Amy. Since receiving her new Time Again CD last week, I've pretty much worn it out. Of course, I recently got a new Petra 2-CD compilation and I killed that, too. (Petra is my favorite group.) I don't know about wearing T-shirts every day, but I rather frequently wear tees bearing the images of Amy and Rebecca St. James, not to mention one featuring BarlowGirl. Overall, though, Amy has been the most influential to me. Even back when I wouldn't listen to much beyond Beethoven, Amy would have been a staple on my iPod had such a thing existed then. (I STILL don't have one, but if I did, Amy would be the top-played artist on it.)

Casey Orndorf

You asked who is my favorite artist of all time and it would have to be tobymac. I've listened to him since 1990 back with dctalk... someone that can still keep you grooving after 17 years is awesome!

Dorothy

My all-time fave Christian artist is...... KUTLESS!!!!!!!! They are absolutely AMAZING, in a lot of ways, and I WOULD fly across the country to see them live, if I had the money...:)

Anna
COMMENTS

When my friend asked me how I got to go to Ireland, I didn’t hear a question of flight plans or padded bank accounts. I interpreted her to say, “How could you just go and do something new like that?”

What is it about most of us that is intimidated at the thought of venturing into the unknown? Change can be scary.

Personally, I’ve benefited a lot from trying something new. If I hadn’t taken a chance on roommates in college, I wouldn’t have made life-long friends. If I hadn’t taken a job in a new city, I might have never met my wife. Change isn’t always bad. And trying something new isn’t as hard as it first sounded in my head.

The truth is I would not have gone abroad this spring break if it hadn’t been for my wife or her family spurring me on (or a free flight). But I sure am glad I went. Experience teaches a perspective which no school can. And one of the best lessons is that change is not as scary as it first seemed. You should try it sometime.

Speaking of something new, I’m really getting into KJ-52’s new album, “The Yearbook”. Smooth rhythms and rhymes tell stories of hurt, hope and truth. Point in case: check out “Always Here For You” as KJ shares an inspiring but rare father’s promise in a hip-hop world or his honest review of life as a Christian rapper in “It Aint Easy”.

This is one change you won’t regret.
COMMENTS

toby's newest album was the best album by him so far. Although it did not have all the guest appearances - the most missed were those of Michael and Kevin from dctalk. The album, however, followed typical tobyMac style with upbeat, party friendly songs. The most intriguing and different part about this album is the worship song, "Made To Love", which is absolutely amazing. This album shows us that toby is able to do anything as a musician as he brings in new instruments and sounds.

The new RK album is, well, amazing. I am not sure how to describe it in any other way. This album is WAY more mature than previous albums by the highly successful band from Ohio. This album does not continue with the typical songs about girls and random stuff, which is a change - a good change. With more seriousness comes better music for RK. Apparently many people agree, as RK debuted at #6 on the Billboard Top 200 charts - their highest debut ever.

Just be sure to check out this new music, as you will be impressed. Be sure to comment and tell us what you think of each of the albums.

-----Tim-----
COMMENTS

The lead singer of the band is Leeland Mooring, whom is still young himself. He has been recognized by Michael W. Smith as a great musician and even helped write a few songs on Michalel's last album, Stand .

This band had rough starts, playing in a small town in Texas called Baytown, practicing in a funeral home. At one point I believe I heard a joke from a band member saying, "People were dying to hear us practice - literally". Crude, but funny.

All I really have to say about this band is that they are amazing. Their music is hard to describe, but it has captivated many people including myself and Michael, along with many other industry professionals.

There are videos of the band here on the site, along with pictures and audio. Be sure to check them out, along with their debut album, Sound of Melodies
COMMENTS

When I was in junior high in the early nineties, I knew of basically a handful of Christian artists: Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, Carmen and DC Talk. I¹m sure there were more on the scene at the time, but honestly I had little contact with them in central Indiana. Actually the first CD I ever purchased was Carmen¹s ³Addicted to Jesus². Soon after that I got DC Talk¹s debut album followed by, yes, more Carmen.

Let me just insert here: I am quite proud to own such historic and important Christian music, but I am even more proud to know that we¹ve come a long, long, LONG way.

If you have no idea what I am talking about, please do yourself a favor and borrow a friend¹s copy of ³dc Talk.² I recommend the final track, ³He Loves Me,² an instant classic. By the way, I just checked and you can preview AND purchase this timeless album on iTunes just in case you are too embarrassed to find out which of your friends own it.

To tell you the truth, I have no idea how TobyMac feels about his own musical journey (I¹ve never had the opportunity to ask him). But for me, I am so glad that a handful of folks were willing to pave the way for great music with a Christian emphasis. I have been blessed and inspired for nearly 16 years. Thank you.
COMMENTS

I love 3 things in life – God, family, and music (and a few other minute things that aren’t worthy of mention). I love it even more when two of these things come together…like family and God – such as my church family or friends who are Christian and support me…like music and God – such as when artists who solely trust in God compose music to share with others about His love and mercy.

This week’s blog will focus on artists who do just that – share God’s love and mercy. I rarely ever listen to mainstream music (mostly because I am constantly addicted to new Christian bands). So as I deem it appropriate this week will focus on the nominees for the 2007 GMA awards. I will only list some of my favorite categories:

Male Vocalist of the Year

Aaron Shust Chris Tomlin Jeremy Camp Mark Hall Mat Kearney

Do we really have to pick only one? All these men are fantastic singers – from newcomer Shust to veteran Jeremy Camp. It’s going to be hard to pick this one.

Female Vocalist of the Year

Christy Nockels Krystal Meyers Natalie Grant Nichole Nordeman Rebecca St. James

Several of these women have fantastic voices, although I do find myself drawn to the music of both Krystal Meyers and Rebecca St. James.

Group of the Year BarlowGirl Casting Crowns David Crowder Band Jars of Clay MercyMe

DCB – it’s going to be hard to beat them considering they were named MSN’s artist of the year in 2006 by beating out several mainstream bands. Don’t forget about Jars of Clay – they released “Good Monsters” which is one of the best albums of all times.

New Artist of the Year

Aaron Shust Ayiesha Woods DecembeRadio Leeland Pocket Full Of Rocks

I am sorry to all of these great musicians, but hands down, Leeland has been my favorite – DecembeRadio is a close second.

Those are only a few categories – next week I will be making my selections for those categories and others as well.

Now let’s talk music – top album according to Tim at this very moment is Sound of Melodies by Leeland. I’ve never been more captured into a worship experience than this band is able to do. Each and every track is an all out amazing song. The title track is incredible in itself, as well as the ballad “Tears of the Saints”. If you have yet to buy this, go do it now. You will see worship in a whole new manner (don’t even think about downloading it).

Side note: Check out the new band This Beautiful Republic when their debut album Even Heroes Need A Parachute drops on April 3rd.

Also in my CD player:

1. Portable Sounds –tobymac
2. Wake Up! Wake Up! – Everyday Sunday; this album releases in May…more to come in upcoming weeks.
3. Word of Mouth – John Reuben
4. Even Heroes Need a Parachute – This Beautiful Republic
5. Jesus Freak – dc talk; I had to take a trip back down through history.

Favorite Bible verse this week:

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

Hebrews 11:1

Think about this. Is your faith what this verse says it should be? Do you fully trust in God for every aspect of your life?

On another note the movie Amazing Grace comes out this weekend – go check it out, I know I will.

Be sure to leave me a comment. God Bless!
COMMENTS

I always felt like an oddball when it came to my opinion of Jars of Clay. Everyone I ever met in college wished for the day of a new release reminiscent of their self-titled debut. Conversely, I loved every new step they took in another direction. My favorite album has always been the most recent release. And not many people I know would say that about Much Afraid or If I Left the Zoo… two of my all-time favorites. Basically, I feel that very few in Christian music have explored as many styles and genres and yet maintained a dedication to originality and creativity over a long career as Jars has done.

But as I listened again Friday night, the original message and style came through again. Thousands of teenagers hoping to jump around aimlessly were led in meaningful choruses. Parents and youth leaders expecting to just make it through a night of loud music, looked up from their conversations to hear the precarious combination of raw emotion and powerful messages. The best display of this was the song “Oh My God” off of their latest album, Good Monsters. The song builds slowly from start to finish as the lyrics lists a barrage of current injustices found in our world finally ending with the poignant cry, “Oh my God.” I watched as heads began to bob, feet tapping, and finally compelling the gathered-mass to hop in sync as the music picked up speed right up to that fateful climax featuring that heart-wrenching cry to the Maker. And then the ending silence got quickly uncomfortable. I don’t know if anyone else made the connection. But I saw it… I felt it. The song ended and there we stood confronted by our selfishness. We weren’t sure if we should clap or run out and help someone. Unfortunately, I’m sure many missed the point.

The concert ended as usual with a bang and every one went home happy. But I was happy for another reason: Jars had done it again. Their music and message, always original, had once again opened my eyes to a world I only thought I knew.

By the way if you haven’t seen Jars of Clay in Concert, I highly recommend it.
COMMENTS

Friday we went to Winter Jam in Birmingham, Alabama. It was by far the most exciting thing that I’ve done since working here. We got to hang out backstage all day with all of the artists and just watch the whole process of everything coming together. We interviewed some pretty amazing artists. Sanctus Real I think were some of my favorite guys. They were so hilarious and so fun to be around. Jeremy Camp took us through soundcheck with his band. Hawk Nelson gave us a tour of their awesome tour bus. We also interviewed Newsong and Nate Sallie. Britt Nicole was a little bit sick that day, so we didn’t interview her, but we got to hang out with her for a little bit. The whole day was great, but the show was probably my favorite part. Since we had All Access passes, I could pretty much do anything I wanted to. I got to go to the front row, watch from backstage… and I even got on the stage during Hawk Nelson’s performance and took some pretty awesome pictures. Everyone was so nice… especially Eddie from Newsong. He even gave all of us at hearitfirst.com nicknames and brought us some really cool Winter Jam merchandise. Oh… and we met the president!!! Okay, not really. But this guy looked and talked just like him and was hilarious! EVERYONE should go to Winter Jam if you haven’t already. It’s an amazing show! (click the pictures to see the WHOLE picture)
COMMENTS

A long time ago, God introduces himself to Moses as “I AM who I am.” The name of God is actually an adaptation of the Hebrew verb “to be.” In essence God says, “I am the one who always is.” In other words, God is. For God, there is no yesterday… no tomorrow… just now.

What a powerful testimony to the greatness of our God.

He is with me as I type this. He is there with you as you read this. There is no moment that eludes him. He never rests; his mind never wanders. And incredible thought for someone who is constantly loosing track of time and inevitably running late. In fact, I rarely feel present even when I’m actually there.

But the thing that gets me is that not only is God standing in the wings every moment of the day, he is genuinely concerned and infinitely cares about what is going on with me (or you) all the time.

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” (Psalm 139:7). The answer of course is “Nowhere.” But aren’t you glad?

--joe
COMMENTS

Now Future of Forestry’s “Speak To Me Gently” playing on my computer seems to define me today: Sadness and rhyme…These are the times…These are the memories…We find a way…Pushing through the day…So speak to me gently

This fragile feeling can’t be healthy. But I’m positive it isn’t original.

Even now I’m reminded of the Psalmist’s plea: “Why are you so downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (Psalm 42:11).

Why must I be so influenced by my circumstances? Yes, some things have not worked out like I thought they would in the last 24 hours. But that doesn’t mean I am cursed forever, does it? There will always be some days that I feel I have to “push through”; this just happens to be one of them.

Well, the sun is finally breaking through the clouds and peeking its way into my office. I just may decide to let it in.

--joe
COMMENTS

It's hard to believe how incredibly down to earth they all are. They are well-spoken and so thoughtful. Jon is very articulate and it's clear that he puts a lot of thought into the songs that he writes. He isn't just slapping lyrics on a page and calling it a song; he is extremely intentional with his topics and lyrics. To hear him explain "Oh! Gravity" is really eye-opening... I can't even do his explanation justice, so make sure you come back on 12/26 to see our videos with the band - you won't want to miss them. If you ever thought rock n roll was pointless or frivolous, you definitely need to listen to Switchfoot. They are impacting the world with their songs and ideas. We talked to so many people at the show who have been heavily influenced and inspired by the guys.

I think sometimes the Christian music world is quick to dismiss a band that "crosses over" to mainstream. That's unfortunate - I think we should be praising God that Christians are able to reach the world and spread the gospel of Jesus' love to non-believers. I'm extremely grateful that Switchfoot has gained the popularity they have in the mainstream market. Not only are they great people and musicians, but they're bringing hope to those who may not know it yet.. and that's a beautiful thing.
COMMENTS

Now, why in the world would I talk about listening to a song that you most likely haven't heard yet?

Because...

drumroll, please...

You'll be able to HEAR this song FIRST next Tuesday, right here on...

you got it! hearitfirst.com. And, see exclusive video of toby talking about the song. STAY TUNED!
COMMENTS

Have you seen the hearitfirst.com homepage this week? It's "skinned" for Skillet - which means we're digging their album this week and want to let you guys know all about it! Comatose released on Tuesday and so far my favorite track is the single - "Rebirthing." For more from Skillet, click here.

We interviewed Rebecca St James last week and we were there for her gold party! That's right, her album Pray went gold and we were there to tape it and show it to you! Check out Rebecca's page on hearitfirst next week to see that video!

We also sat down with Tim Hughes this week - you know, Tim "Here I Am To Worship" Hughes! Little known fact about Tim -- he rapped as a teenager! For proof, check out hearitfirst.com in the next couple weeks!

We drove up to Shoutfest in Paducah, KY several weeks ago. I met up with the guys from Nevertheless to get to know them better - and to bring that interview to you. (Coming soon!!) THEN, I ran into Jessie Daniels and we headed to her tour bus (in the rain!) to get a tour of it. Gotta be honest - it was my first time on a tour bus and it was pretty cool. That video will also be up on hearitfirst soon.... keep checking back!

There have been a lot of great releases lately - have you guys gotten Chris Tomlin's "See The Morning" yet? It's gooood. Very good!

Welp, gotta jet. Off to a meeting and need some coffee!
COMMENTS

My first glimpse into the hijinks came when I hung out with Sanctus Real at Ichthus. Matt described what The Afters did to them and even showed hearitfirst.com the trailer on which the guys had written "We love The Afters" in glitter glue. In this video, Matt issued a warning to The Afters. The Afters showed no fear, however. We spoke to them at Creation Northwest and they described the prank war in their own words. "This war's not over," they declared. In Sanctus Real's latest hearitfirst.com podcast, the guys once again discuss the prank war and play a taunting voicemail that Matt received from The Afters, who were on-air with Total Axxess when they called him.

What's next in the prank war? Will The Afters strike back or will Sanctus Real prevail? Only time will tell...
COMMENTS

Plans for Creation Northeast are in FULL swing. Our offices are covered in boxes full of supplies (about a semi truck full) and our staff is running around trying to beat the clock. Things around here are extremely crazy.

Tonight, I blog, while I’m putting the finishing touches on the Program booklet that we distribute to each person who attends the festival. It contains the schedule of events, special offers, things to do, etc… It’s one of those things that I kinda work on year-round, but it’s really not completed until a few weeks before the event and just minutes before it needs to be sent off to the printer. The only problem is there are so many last-minute changes that the designers and I are up till the wee hours of the morning proofing and tweaking to get the final version. Our deadline is tomorrow at 1:00PM – We’ll make it, but it will be close!

Over the past 3 days I’ve also finalized the details for our special entertainment on site this year. This is an absolutely packed year. We have a ton of give-aways, thanks to our friends at HearItFirst, Walden Media, Provident Label Group, Liberty University, Word Records and others. Their reps will be onsite giving away ipods, laptops, CDs and more … even a 4 year university scholarship!

Our Box Office staff has completed the last round of ticket processing for advance ticket purchases. Major kudos to them for a job well done – it’s a major undertaking. If you haven’t already purchased tickets, don’t fear, they will be available at the gate … (group ticket sales have ended, though)

Final prep on the Farm has begun... It takes about two months of work to get the grounds ready for the masses of music fans, with the three weeks just before the event being the most important. Not many folks are aware of this, but we actually have a crew of very dedicated volunteers who arrive three weeks before the Festival to prepare the grounds for camping. They spend their days “disposing” of the cow patties (this is a farm, after all! you didn’t think about that, did you??), measuring out the camping areas and flagging the fields. Campers fill over 400 acres of fields, every nook and cranny…

There are so many little details and many hours of hands-on work that go into making sure the Festival runs smoothly. Then, after the last band strums its last chord and Pastor Harry gives the benediction, the tear-down crew goes into motion, and in about 36 hours, the grounds are cleaned up and the cows are free to roam the rolling hills once again!

14 Days, 12 Hours, 59 Minutes, 33 Seconds, and counting…
Enjoy your week…

Nick
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My To-Do list this week has content from pretty much every aspect of the festival. Below is an example of my week … and more specifically, what I’m doing this Wednesday:

8:30 AM : FoxNews turned on by my TV’s clock
8:45 AM : Check emails and voicemails on mobile from overnight
9:00 AM: Get a move on
9:45 AM : Starbucks take-out (Grande Latte or Café Mocha)
10:15 AM: Arrive to the office
10:30 AM: Check voice-mail and email again
10:45 AM: Check-in with staff
11:00 AM: Conference call with executives from EMI
11:30 AM: Check-in with my Assistant and go over his schedule for the day
11:45 AM: Production meeting with Bill Darpino
12:00 PM: Call printer and ensure various festival items are on schedule
12:15 PM: Decide what to have for lunch
12:20 PM: Check emails – answer urgent or VIP
12:45 PM Lunch w/ all staff
1:30 PM: Meeting with DVD Producer and Bill Darpino
2:00 PM: Review the festival’s current national promotional campaign – modify as needed
2:20 PM: Check emails – answer urgent or VIP
2:30 PM: Call backs/brief phone meetings with Media Partners (BigIdea, Focus on the Family and Compassion International)
3:00 PM: Phone meeting with my Publicist, Anita Crawford
3:15 PM: Conference call with designers
3:45 PM: Finalize production schedule for Late Night Café and Battle of the Bands
4:00 PM: Conference call with executives from major computer company
4:30 PM: Check emails – answer urgent or VIP
4:45 PM: Approve last minute design pieces for Creation DVD and other projects – send to printer for production
5:00 PM: Follow-up to my interview last week with MTV
5:15 PM: Review and approve last minute exhibit applications – Send to my assistant for competition
5:30 PM: Call Salem Communications and follow-up on our National radio campaign for both festivals
5:45 PM: Check emails – answer urgent or VIP
6:00 PM: Modify Program layout – send new version to designers
6:30 PM: Email media partners and advertisers w/ details to onsite promotions
6:45 PM: Modify onsite production and promotion schedule
7:15 PM: Review this weeks CRW report
7:30 PM: Head for home
9:30 PM Check emails and voicemails
10:30 PM: Sign on AIM and talk with business contacts
11:00 PM: Answer emails
12:00 AM: Review Thursday’s schedule and modify last minute “To-Do” list
12:30 AM: Answer emails, catch-up on news (DrudgeReport.com, FoxNews.com)
2:00 AM: Finish up AIM conversations
2:30 AM: Lights out

The hard part is keeping on track and making sure none of these items get passed on to another day. That happens all too often and can cause some huge problems.

A typical day this close to the festival looks really crazy and can get pretty chaotic at times, but I do have to say, I love every minute of it. All the insanity is well worth it when we get to the festivals and I see young people with faces glowing as the spend time in worship, or a child giggling uncontrollably in the Children’s Tent, or a youth leader sacrificing comfort to be smashed in the front row with “his kids” so they can rock out with their favorite band and create memories that will last a life time, or a mother kneeling with her daughter in the prayer tent as she gives her heart to the Lord…

I would re-live every stressful day just to have the privilege of playing even a small part in such a life-changing event.

Have a great week.

Lord bless ya,

Nick
COMMENTS

I write this evening from my home office in awesome Southern New Jersey. I must say, it is good to be home! I’m home for about 25 straight days … a record lately. It is true that I absolutely love my job and greatly enjoy traveling, but there is nothing like coming back home … even if it’s just for a couple days.

Coming back after several days, and sometimes several weeks away is always great. I enjoy seeing our Administrative staff again and catching up on various items that I wasn’t able to attend to. One of the benefits I have is working with the awesome people on our staff. You may be surprised that we don’t have a very large full-time staff. Shocking when you think how much work actually goes into pulling off the festivals, concerts, cruise, etc. With that being said, our staff is truly awesome! Not only do we all gel well together, but we have all became close friends over the years. So, here is my one and only “shout out” blog – one that introduces you to those awesome people who make Creation happen … my co-workers, my friends:

Pastor Harry Thomas, Director and Co-Founder (Jolly cat who looks like Santa Claus and has a tremendous heart for ministry. I’m inspired everyday by the amount of love he gives on people.)

Tim Landis, Producer and Co-Founder (Genesis of the Music Industry. He and Harry birthed the Creation Festivals 28 years ago around a kitchen table. He has taught me a tremendous amount over the recent years.)

Bill Darpino, Executive Producer (This guy rocks and does some tremendous things for the festival. You’ll often find the two of us awake after 1:00A.M. talking about Creation details over AIM. He is constantly pouring his heart and soul into our events.)

John Brucklacher and Ryan Foust, Accountants (They are the ones that handle our financial needs. More often than not, John is knocking down my office door for receipts and Ryan and I are scratching our heads about an invoice.)

Fred McNaughton and Brian Crow, Personnel Administrators (They have the monumental task of coordinating the 5,000 volunteers for the festivals and 1,000 volunteers for the concerts. Fred is also Radio Station Manager of the Lancaster, PA based WJTL. Brian is also our computer wiz and can fix any problem we have … well, maybe)

MaryAnn Brown, Box Office Manager (She has the “fun” job of processing, with love and care, each and every ticket sold to one of our events. Her office also plays host to our luncheons.)

Brittney DeAngelo, Receptionist (More often than not, she is the one that says “Hello Creation” when you call our office. She is also the smiling face that you see when you come to our New Jersey office or onsite festival office. When I’m around, she typically sneaks up to my office door and tries to scare me … and yes, this is a daily occurrence… seriously.)

Barbara Pohubka, Shipping Manager (If you have ever ordered something from us – Newspaper, Flyer, CD, etc…. she is the one who packages and sends it to you with love. She also has a pet goat who sleeps on their trampoline – It’s okay, I laughed too!)

Ben Capano, Administrative Assistant (He is the best assistant I could ask for. He also puts up with a lot of stuff without well-deserved accolades.)

Zach Williams, Administrative Assistant (He is pulled in many directions and assists everyone well. He is also pretty good when it comes to designing.)

We also have some very key support staff, including our Publicist, Anita Crawford; our team of Designers, Trevor Roberts, Joel Davis and Tyler Roberts; and the usual corporate advisors, attorneys and so on. The Agape Farm (Jesus Ministries), home of Creation Northeast, and the Gorge Amphitheater, (House of Blues), home of Creation Northwest, both have teams in place that work year round and ensure the grounds are ready for the festivals. They are the backbone to the operation of the sites.

Last, but certainly not least is the largest component: our volunteer staffers who serve at the festivals and concerts. We have over 300 area supervisors who act as our leadership in the field. They devote countless hours, many forfeiting vacations, to serve as a vital part to the on going ministry of Creation. Our 5,000+ volunteers are the backbone of the festivals and concerts. These people serve with a humble heart and they do so to ensure that Creation takes place. They serve up to eight hours per day – some cleaning toilets and showers; hammering stakes into the ground; picking up hot steamy garbage; guarding a door or gate and so on. Without these supervisors and volunteers, Creation would not take place. So, a major heartfelt thank you goes out to each of you!

If you go to either of the Creation Festivals this summer and see any of these folks, be sure to take a minute to thank them for all they do! It will be the highlight of their summer … and maybe their life. :) (Don’t play on words rock?!)

Enjoy the rest of your week … I’ll post my blog on time next week – I promise!

Lord bless ya,

Nick Kulb
COMMENTS

I’m here this weekend to take care of some last minute preparations on the grounds before the Festival next month. I cannot believe Creation is in just 4 weeks! It feels like last year’s event just ended… Time does fly by!

The staff of Jesus Ministries (owners of the Agape Farm) are working on some changes to the farm – mostly things that will positively effect you, and you won’t even realize it. They have just completed upgrades to some of the camping grounds, including the sewer system. (as you’re taking a shower or using the bathrooms at the festival, take a moment to think of all the folks who put in time and energy to make this a pleasant experience. :)

Some of our key festival staff were also on-site to totally rebuild the Main Stage artist hospitality area. I rolled up by sleeves and jumped in to help for a bit too. I also spent a few hours taking inventory of the supplies. After that, I did a sight survey with some of the Jesus Ministries staff and reviewed the measurements of the arena... It seems that I’m checking the measurements of the arena about ten times a week at this stage of the game. I am constantly double checking to make sure space has been calculated accurately so all of our attendees fit comfortably into the arena.

If you’ve attended Creation Northeast in past years, you will notice things are re-arranged a bit this year. One change that all fans will want to be aware of -- the Artist Concession tent (where the artists stop by for meet & greets and to sign autographs) is being moved to the opposite side of the arena. A new feature in the arena this year will be the HearItFirst.com and Walden Media Tents. Be sure to stop by both tents to win some sweet prizes and talk to some of your favorite artists. The kids will also enjoy a special addition for this year only… the “Charlotte’s Web” Interactive Barn. . Anyone who has volunteered as staff for the festival will notice that the staff trailer and tent will be gone … well, not really gone, but relocated near the main office.

Talking about staff… it takes more than 2000 volunteers to make the festival happen each year! It would be nearly impossible to hold an event like the Creation Festivals without dedicated volunteers who spend a portion of their time at the festival helping to it an enjoyable event for all. If you’d like more information about volunteering at Creation 06, check out the Staff page on the Creation website (www.creationfest.com – choose the festival you plan to attend). And, to let the volunteers know we appreciate them, the Festival gives discounted admission to anyone who is willing to help just 4.5 hours a day.

Over the next few weeks several of the Creation and Jesus Ministry staff will continue to work on the grounds. Each year we need to modify the grounds to accommodate the increasing crowd. The first Creation Festival in 1979 saw 5,000 people. That was a huge number at the time and it proved to our founders that people had a passion to gather and worship Christ as one. Fast forward 28 years and Creation Northeast has grown to a staggering 75,000 people! While the crowd has changed, the vision to see lives changed has not. That is why we do this – it is our hope that each and every person who attends the festival will be touched by Christ and He will teach them something new.

More next week…

Lord bless ya,

Nick
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I spent a fun weekend in Vancouver, British Columbia getting to know the city and meeting some great people. You would be amazed how many people I work with on Creation Northwest that are from Canada. I was shocked how similar Vancouver was to the typical city in the United States. I felt right at home when I saw Starbucks on almost every corner. They also have some amazing Sushi! The only thing confusing about the city is they use the metric system. That would definitely take sometime getting used to. I’m looking forward to another visit soon!

Now I’m heading back to Oregon and Washington for a couple days to meet with the key radio partners for the Creation Festivals and Concerts in this area. Promotion is an integral part of producing an event and these relationships are extremely important to us. A significant component of my job is meeting one-on-one with our radio partners throughout the year. These face-to-face meetings prove to be much more productive than a three hour phone conversation would be… It’s amazing to see how much can be accomplished when a group of people are sitting together around a table!

Radio station staffers are some of my favorite people to work with…there’s never a dull moment at a radio station! (At least, I’ve never experienced one.) This week I’m looking forward to meeting with the folks at Spirit, KCMS, K-Love, the Fish and Air1.

Our national radio campaign is now in full swing. If you’re in one of our key markets, you’ve probably already heard our commercials and promotional campaigns. Be sure to listen to your local station often… we’re teaming up with these stations to give away a ton of prizes! (Free tickets, CDs, artist meet & greet passes, prize packs and much more!)

Next week I’ll be blogging from the Agape Farm, home of Creation Northeast. A group of key staff will be working on some last minute preparations and improvements to the farm. There is much to do in the last few weeks… only 43 days left!

Talking about having a lot to do, I need to jet so I can catch up on the emails I’ve neglected the past three days… 432 to be exact! (if you’re waiting for me to respond to your email, please be patient…I promise I’ll get to it soon ? )

Lord bless ya,

Nick
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I’m Nick and I’m new to the HIF.com blog community. I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself. I work for Come Alive International, Inc. (CAII), based in Medford, NJ. While most of you have probably never heard of CAII, more than likely, you’ve heard of the Creation Festivals and Creation Concerts. That’s us. CAII presents the annual Creation Festival Northeast (Mt. Union, PA) and Creation Festival Northwest (Gorge, WA) each summer. During the rest of the year we do a series of concerts throughout the United States, called Creation Concerts, presenting some of the biggest tours in Christian Music. We also present Friendship Fest Morocco, in Marrakech, Morocco (a 99.9% Muslim country!), and Come Alive Cruises (a 7 day Christian Music Cruise to the Western Caribbean).

If you’ve never attended the Creation Festivals, you’re missing out on something great! Creation is a four-day music and teaching festival – the largest event of its kind in the United States, with an attendance last year of 75,000 at Northeast and 22,000 at Northwest. It’s amazing to watch a city of tents and RVs fill the grounds in just a matter of hours. We have folks come from all around the world to experience the Creation Festival. CCM Magazine readers even voted Creation Northeast their Favorite Festival of 2005.

My main job is Vice President of Marketing & Sales for CAII and the Creation Festivals. I also fill the role of Associate Producer for our concerts and cruises. I have the unique pleasure of working with the awesome folks here at HIF as well as many other great people from various companies in the music/entertainment industry.

The abridged version of my job description for the festivals would look something like this: Responsible for all elements of marketing, national and regional promotion, sponsor/advertiser relations and fulfillment, special entertainment, onsite sales and various elements of festival production. As Associate Producer for Creation Concerts, I am the one to submit offers to the various Booking Agents for our concert series. Once the offers have been accepted, I’ll begin to promote the concerts through all media outlets (Radio, TV, Print, Email, Web, etc), advance the show with tour and venue management, address Rider fulfillment (a Rider is a 15+ page document which covers every element of the particular tour), secure staff, serve as liaison between the tour and venue and a ton more. Producing/Promoting a concert and festival is a tough gig and goes well beyond the normal “9 to 5” job (but I love what I do). Over the next few weeks I’ll be sharing more about my role at CAII and Creation.

The Creation Festival partners with HIF each year to provide attendees with contests, prizes, entertainment, etc. Most of the cool stuff you experience at the festivals took months to plan. The HIF folks and I spend over half the year brainstorming, hashing out and working on our ideas for the festivals. (Kinda crazy when you look back and it all plays out over just four short days). The back and forth and planning is the hard part – after that we implement the plan, which brings us to our final stage - that is what you see at the festivals. I’ll also be talking about this more in the coming weeks.

This was just a quick overview – throughout the next few months I’ll be posting weekly blogs giving you an inside look at the music industry and how crazy our lives really are! I hope you’ll stop by to check out what’s going on at Creation and HIF.

Oh, and by the way – if you think the Creation Festivals sound cool, check our website at www.creationfest.com.

Lord bless ya,

Nick Kulb
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The truth is, I'm always a bit frantic, my desk is always buried under post-it notes (what would I do without those?!) and my to-do list is always a mile long and it feels like the items never get checked off. So, while I do enjoy blogging, I decided to let someone else take the reins for the next several weeks - someone who has a really cool job and someone you might see around this summer if you're heading out to a Creastion festival.

Enter Nick Kulb, "Creation"-er extraordinaire. Nick is going to give you a behind-the-scenes look into the world of festival planning and producing. I'm not sure about you, but I have no idea what it takes to put on a festival and I'm really excited to find out and to see what it's really like.

So, please make Nick welcome - give him a shout in the comments on his blogs!
COMMENTS

I honestly wasn't sure what to expect from GMA week. Everyone told me that it was fun and tiring...but most of all fun. I heard that artists just walked around and you saw them all the time and that everyone you ever met in the music industry would be there. Both were true!! I saw so many friends at the Renaissance Hotel and the Nashville Convention Center, and every time I turned around, there was another artist walking by. I'm a people person, so it was really exciting to be around so many people that I either knew or knew of.

I actually even get a little emotional when I think back on my 4 days at GMA and know that it's over. I had the best time connecting with other people there, especially the artists. I hadn't really met any Christian artists before - so I've been working away on hearitfirst but never REALLY feeling connected to the people we feature. I love their music and their ministries, of course, but I didn't feel very connected to them. After I met tons and tons of them this week, I feel re-energized about working to promote them. I feel connected to them and I feel proud of them when they win awards or perform well. It's a great feeling to have.

Ok, enough of that mushy stuff - here's how my week panned out!!

DAY ONE

I showed up at the Convention center loaded down with material for our hearitfirst.com Indie Impact booth. I set up the booth in the Indie marketplace, where they held the Indie Impact track. My lovely friends from Indiana, Megan and Christina, helped me hang the massive hearitfirst.com banner and then I tried to artfully arrange the promo cards and hearitfirst.com guitar picks that we were passing out. (By the way - we have tons of guitar picks left over! They're awesome - they're pretty heavy and they're gray with the hearitfirst.com logo. If you send us a self-addressed-stamped envelope, we'll send you back an official hearitfirst.com guitar pick! Make sure you include an envelope addressed to yourself with at least a 39 cent stamp on it! Send that to :

hearitfirst.com
PO Box 5010
101 Winners Circle
Brentwood, TN 37024-5010

Ok, back to Day one. After I set up the booth, I headed to the Artist Meet & Greet. It was one of the strangest things I've seen! There were booths set up and at the booths were artists and everyone stood in line to talk to them. I ran into my friend Norman who kept me company as we went around meeting artists. We'll be showing you footage from the meet & greet soon, but until then I'll write about it a little bit.

The first artist we talked to was BarlowGirl - they were awesome! They were really sweet. We also talked to Kierra Kiki Sheard, Warren Barfield, Third Day, and Audio Adrenaline. I was so excited to meet Audio Adrenaline! I blogged a couple months ago about how they were THE band that I listened to when I became a Christian - their music definitely encouraged me during that time and I'm really sad that they're retiring this year.

I caught up with Starfield in the hallway and chatted with them about their lack of sleep. BarlowGirl walked by and they all exchanged hugs and hellos. I love seeing different artists interact with each other - it's so interesting! I wandered around for the rest of the day, chatting it up with people I know from the industry and artists.

Monday, we had a full slate of interviews. Bethany (another HIF staffer) kept the interviews going while I popped my head in if there was an artist I particularly wanted to meet. :) A lot of the time, I wandered around GMA with my video camera. I ran into the members of NEEDTOBREATHE and chatted with them for a little bit then headed up to the hearitfirst.com suite for the Jars of Clay interview. Jars has been pretty influential in my life also, so it was great to meet them. We chatted about their latest album before they went in for their interview with Bethany (not Dillon! :))

We kept on interviewing artists all day and sometimes I crashed the EMI hospitality suite to hang out with EMI employees and artists. I met so many awesome people! I have to say that two of my favorites were Jody and Melissa from Avalon. They recorded a hilarious video for hearitfirst that I can't wait to show you. I got to spend some time with Bethany Dillon and Shawn McDonald and their family (Shawn's wife is Bethany's sister, and Bethany's brother Aaron is her road manager.) They were great! We wrapped up the day of interviews and headed home to crash! Two full days ... and there were still two more!

Tuesday, I caught up with Chris Tomlin and Louie Giglio and got to sit in on a radio interview they did with a station in Tulsa. Then, I tagged along back to the EMI suite and sat in on their interview with Rick and Bubba. Did anyone hear that interview? It was so hilarious!! Chris, David Crowder, and Louie all convened around a speaker phone but they barely spoke - Rick and Bubba did most of the talking and the Passion crew could barely contain their laughter! It was such a funny conversation! I hung around the EMI suite for awhile and caught up with Rebecca St. James, Starfield, and Sanctus Real. You will definitely be seeing some of that footage soon!!

I spent the rest of the day hanging around the hotel/convention center. I caught up with some friends who helped me figure out the artists that I didn't recognize. People watching is so much fun during GMA! The lobby is always buzzing with activity and there are always artists wandering through. And then there are those who look like rock stars and they make you wonder if someone famous really IS passing by you. It's really fun to just stand in the lobby and be a part of the action.

Wednesday, we had another day of interviews - REALLY fun interviews! I got to the interview suite just in time for NEEDTOBREATHE. Let me tell you, those guys are hilarious. We had to be quiet because we were filming Hawk Nelson in the next room, so the NTB guys had a lot of fun jokingly whispering and I caught it on tape. Probably one of my favorite moments was Joe whispering, "Hi hear-it-later!" If you turn up the volume on your speakers, you can hear Bo saying, "I'm getting my makeup done!" and someone responding, "You look good!" And a word on the makeup- because of the lighting of the interviews, we had to put a bit of makeup on the artists... which most of the guys didn't like!

After NEEDTOBREATHE, Sanctus Real came on up to the suite for their interview. They hung around (getting their makeup done, of course) and we talked about their songs all being in the top 5 on the mainpage of hearitfirst. Matt was pretty excited and was appreciative that Sanctus Real fans got out and voted for their songs. While Sanctus Real was in their interview, the guys from Family Force 5 hit the hearitfirst suite. I'm going to take just a second to say that I'm a huge FF5 fan. I was almost more excited to meet them than I was meeting living legends in Christian music! These guys are absolutely hilarious. From quoting old school 90s rap songs to discussing Michael Jackson, they kept me entertained while they waited to begin their interview. We were on a roll of funny bands, 'cause Storyside:B was next. You haven't met someone random until you've met Storyside:B! They had me laughing so hard! I had met them a few days earlier and spent some time with them and I could tell they were great guys. Goofy and hilarious, but great nonetheless!

We finished up the interviews and then headed out to the Opryland Hotel for the actual Dove Awards. Bethany and I had press access, so we headed to the media room. We got to watch the awards on TV screens (muted, most of the time) while the winners and presenters swung by to give speeches and answer questions. It was a really great experience! We filmed a lot of the press conference and will be uploading those clips ASAP. We all expected the awards to be over by 10, but they went on past 11:30. I left my house at 5:20am and didn't get home until midnight! It was pretty rough, but the awards were a great way to cap an amazing week at GMA. I was so excited for Chris Tomlin and Steven Curtis Chapman and their huge honors. Tomlin won tons of Doves and Steven Curtis Chapman was honored with his 50th (!!) Dove award. Incredible!!

To quote Family Force 5, "I'm blessed, I must confess." If you had told me a year ago that I would be hanging out at GMA, meeting my favorite Christian artists, videotaping them being funny, and getting to share that online with the world, I would have said you were crazy! It's amazing how much your life can change in a year.. or even 6 months. I feel incredibly blessed to have gotten to have so much fun at GMA. It should be illegal to have that much fun on the job!! :)

I'll be posting videos this week - it takes awhile to get them edited and uploaded. But, be on the lookout!! You'll love seeing behind-the-scenes at GMA and your favorite Christian artists doing really goofy things!!
COMMENTS

Top 5 Songs in my head this week:

1. "Nothing Left To Lose" by Mat Kearney

If you haven't heard this song yet, don't worry - you will! We'll be playing it for you on hearitfirst in the next several weeks. Mat Kearney's style is so unique - he can go from rapping while playing piano to crooning while strumming his acoustic guitar in 2 songs. I saw him play last month and I'm going to see him again in April and I'm so excited. He has such a great sound and his lyrics are really thought-provoking and while not all of his songs are overtly Christian, they are definitely spiritual and there is so much depth and meaning to discover.

2. "Replace Me" by Family Force 5

Everyone in the offices around me have been rocking (and rapping!) out to FF5 and I knew I needed to check them out. If I happen to need my CD player for something else, as soon as I'm done, I pop "Business Up Front/Party In The Back" back in the CD player. I'll be honest, the songs on this CD may not strike you as "Christian music". But the music is fun and clean and songs like "Replace Me" bring home the fact that these guys are believers and are striving to honor God through their music.

3. "The Face Of Love" by Sanctus Real

I first heard this song a few months ago and hurried to write down some of the lyrics before I forgot them. They were some of the best lyrics I've ever heard:

I may not know the shape of your face / But I can feel your heart changing mine

Those lines really spoke to me because they almost define faith at its core. We can't see what we believe but we can feel it and God is present in our lives and in our hearts. What a great message and a great song!

4. "Forever" by Edison Glass

I love how this song starts so rhythmically with drums and then they bring in this slightly reggae feel that makes me bop my head around. The chorus is so catchy that I can't stop singing it! What a great way to praise God for His grace!

5. "What If" by Jadon Lavik

Jadon experienced significant radio success with this song and it's been re-released on his latest album, Life On The Inside. I like the message - the Truth can't be changed and we can do nothing to deserve it - we can only accept it and be in awe of God. Nothing we do will put us in better favor with Him because He already loves us so completely. I love the lyrics, they just really reinforce God's love and grace.

As you can see, I'm pretty much a lyrics-person... I know nothing about the technical side of music so I usually identify with lyrics.. or with a really great beat, but I can never articulate why I like a melody or a rhythm... So, you'll just have to check these songs out yourself! :)
COMMENTS

Have no fear, Jamie is still around! I just thought I’d share a few tid-bits of my favorite Christian music that will soon be coming out!

Sadly, the release date of my 2 favorites is April 4th. But that gives you plenty of time to save your money, find the best deal, and buy! Or you can just be impatient with me, obsessing over these bands’ myspaces!

Firstly, I need to tell you…I am a Hawk Nelson fan. Firstly, because they are wonderful guys and I adore them all! Secondly, their music is a-maz-ing! If you don’t have their debut album, “Letters to the President,” I recommend you head on over to our store and pick it up today! You can also hit up Hawk Nelson’s myspace to check it out before you buy it! While there, be sure to listen to “One Thing I Have Left” off their sophomore release “Smile, It’s The End Of The World.” Once you hear it, you too will be impatiently awaiting April 4th.

The second album, I borrowed Jamie’s pre-release copy of the Edison Glass debut album, “A Burn or a Shiver,” on her desk late yesterday to listen to on my drive home. And let me tell you – I was blown away. I can not tell you any better of what this album is than what I picked up off of their myspace:
13 songs built around tight rhythms, intricate guitar lines, dueling lead vocals, “A Burn or a Shiver”, is as dizzying and frenetic as rock can be. But still there amidst the chaos is the focused and well articulated musicianship that makes rock and roll compelling in the first place.
It just reminded me so much of a band I listened to in my first 2 years in college, a band that has made a good part of the soundtrack to my “college experience” that I shall soon to be leaving behind me. So, for me…Edison Glass has won my heart and will be placed in the soundtrack of my life.

And now I will leave you with just a few departing thoughts. Another band, from my college-hometown, Cool Hand Luke, is in the studio and will be releasing their newest album sometime this fall. Keep an eye out for that release, I’m sure it will be marvelous! Oh, and since you’ll be checking out the bands’ myspaces…check out our myspace, add the banners, and give us some comment-love!
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Comment here and let me know YOUR new discoveries... I love to hear about new music!
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Song of the Year

"Cry Out to Jesus"; Mac Powell, Tai Anderson, Brad Avery, David Carr, Mark Lee; Consuming Fire Music (ASCAP)
"Friend of God"; Israel Houghton, Michael Gungor; Vertical Worship Songs (ASCAP), Champions for Christ Publishing (BMI), Integrity’s Praise! Music (BMI), Sound of the New Breed (BMI)
"Held"; Christa Wells; Weimarhymes Publishing (ASCAP)
"Hide"; Joy Williams, Jason Houser, Matthew West; New Spring, Songs of Extreme, Cedar Sides, Word Music, Westies Music Publishing (ASCAP)
"Holy is the Lord"; Chris Tomlin, Louie Giglio; Worshiptogether.com Songs, sixsteps Music (ASCAP)
"How Great is Our God"; Chris Tomlin, Jesse Reeves, Ed Cash; Worshiptogether.com Songs (ASCAP), sixsteps Music (ASCAP), Alletrope Music (BMI)
"Indescribable"; Laura Story, Jesse Reeves; Worshiptogether.com Songs, sixsteps Music, Gleaning Publishing (ASCAP)
"Lifesong"; Mark Hall; Club Zoo Music, SWECS Music (BMI)
"Only Grace"; Matthew West, Kenny Greenberg; Word Music, Westies Music Publishing (ASCAP), Greenberg Music (BMI)
"Voice of Truth"; Mark Hall, Steven Curtis Chapman; Club Zoo Music, SWECS Music, Sparrow Song, Peach Hill Songs (BMI)

Male Vocalist of the Year

Chris Tomlin
David Phelps
Jason Crabb
Jeremy Camp
Mark Hall

Female Vocalist of the Year

Amy Grant
Bethany Dillon
Joy Williams
Natalie Grant
Nichole Nordeman

Group of the Year

BarlowGirl
Casting Crowns
David Crowder Band
Kutless
MercyMe

Artist of the Year

Casting Crowns
Chris Tomlin
Jeremy Camp
Natalie Grant
Switchfoot

New Artist of the Year

Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
Krystal Meyers
Mat Kearney
Stellar Kart
The Afters

hearitfirst congratulates all the nominees and wishes best of luck to all! We'll be planning some exciting Dove Award features in the upcoming months, so stay tuned!
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The music industry is really taking flight with iTunes possibilities. This week, Passion released a Passion: The Early Session 01 that you can buy through iTunes. It features 2 songs from the conference as well as a talk by Louie Giglio. It's so cool that if you were at Passion you can re-live it and if you missed it, you can experience it digitally. I think they're going to release a 2nd EP before the full album comes out. Stay tuned to HIF for more details!

I'm also really excited about the Paul Wright and Jennifer Knapp EPs. Their label is releasing 2 EPs for each artist. You can check out the news item for more info: Paul link and Jennifer link.

I often marvel at the internet. I mean, I wouldn't have a job without it! It has opened up so many possibilities and it's making being a music-lover SO much easier. With myspace, iTunes, purevolume, and now hearitfirst, it's so easy to find exactly what you want to listen to! I love being able to pop open a music player and sample new music online.

However, as much as I love casually listening to music online, I really am a sucker for good ol' fashioned CDs. I love album art, I love reading lyrics, I love reading the acknowledgments and seeing if I know anyone (that's kinda how Nashville works - you see or hear of people you know all the time). It's almost kinda fun to struggle through ripping open the CD (can they make those big labels any more difficult to open?). While scrolling through the list of albums on my iPod is quick and easy, I still like to peruse my CD rack to find a long-forgotten gem to listen to.

So, here's my question to you: what do you prefer? Are you an iTunes aficionado or do you like having shelves full of CDs? Comment here and let us know!
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It's a sad time in the music world. Did you hear that Audio Adrenaline is making 2006 their farewell year? I know a lot of people feel very tied to different bands, and Audio A is the Christian band that stands out in my mind when I think about the soundtrack of my Christian walk (aside from hymns and worship songs, of course). When I rededicated my life to Christ in college, Audio Adrenaline was the main band that I listened to. I drove around to the sounds of "Big As Jesus," "Hands And Feet," and so many more. Even recently, friends and I joked back and forth quoting lyrics from "Big House" when we talked about hanging out at someone's place. "Does it have a big, big yard?" I asked. "Where we can play football??" I chuckled at "The Houseplant Song" but marvelled that the guys could so comedically get their point across about "life and love and happiness, and then the Holy Ghost."

They've always seemed quirky (which I love) but they manage to stay on course with uplifting lyrics. They've been so important in the lives of many, many people. I know they've reached tons of people and I'm so glad that God has used them in such an amazing way. ("Hands And Feet," anyone?) So I'm sad to see them say farewell (or "adios," if you will), but at the same time I rest in God's will. Audio Adrenaline definitely spoke to me at a very important time in my life. When I realized that I really did have a "God-shaped Hole" in my heart, those lyrics encouraged me to seek Him more.

Thanks, Audio Adrenaline, for making great music for 15 years. Thank you for sacrificing in your own lives to reach out to my life and the lives of so many others!
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January 24th brings the comeback of Jennifer Knapp, who is releasing a live album. She has a new website up where you can read stories behind the songs. I'll be blogging about other Jan 24th releases in the very near future, so stay tuned!

Ok, here's something pretty exciting. You've probably seen the Indiescovery section of HIF, right? Here's your chance to go from HIF member to HIF superstar! Are you and independent Christian artist? If you are, shoot me an email and let me know that you want to be involved. We'll get you up on hearitfirst.com and your friends and family will be so proud!

I'm so anxious to talk to you guys about new music I'm listening to, but the albums aren't releasing for months so I don't want to get you all excited and then make you wait. However, in good news, you can preview tracks from the upcoming Elms album at The Elms myspace page and get some rock and roll in your blood.
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Here’s a question to throw out to the world… How have I never heard Mute Math before? They were on the cover of Relevant Magazine months ago but I just never got around to checking them out. I was just tweaking their HIF page some and of course music plays on their official site and I've been bopping around in my chair listening to the streams. I like bands that aren't afraid to do an entirely instrumental track. "Reset" is so head-nodding, toe-tapping amazing. I had my earphones in and blasting so loudly that I think coworkers were talking to me and I didn’t know... oops! Not only is the music awesome, but the lyrics are so deep - I've only heard about 4 songs but I can tell that I love them. I think their website said that the new album is available at their shows... if you live in a city that they're touring in, consider yourself lucky!!

In totally unrelated news, I did a lot of research while preparing for the HIF launch and I came across some artist websites that really made me laugh and I wanted to share. At bebonorman.com, a Bebo-impersonator talks to you and you can also make Bebo dance - it's pretty classic! The boys of Big Daddy Weave sing songs and talk to you as you mouse over links on their site. Check it out - I was seriously entertained for at least 20 minutes. Other staffers gathered around my computer to watch/listen, too. Turn up the volume for that one, it's great!

I hope you had an awesome Christmas and quality time with your loved ones. And I hope you don’t break the bank stocking up on all these awesome new releases!!
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I've learned a lot through this process. I finally learned how to use photoshop (well, kinda), I learned what artists are on what labels (well, kinda), and I learned that I love working in Christian music. I also learned to open myself up to different genres that I might not normally listen to. The past several years I've been into singer-songwriters and if you had asked me if I liked rap and rock, I would have said "Nope!!" But when the new KJ-52 album came in and I saw he had a song called "Napoleon Dynamite," I had to check it out. I popped the CD in and was amazed at what I heard... I liked it! And when I heard presentations by rock labels and listened to the new material they're coming out with next year, I was bobbing my head and tapping my foot with the rest of the crowd. I also realized that I really like gospel music... Have you heard Myron Butler and Levi? I love their sound!

I feel like there's a rejuvenation in my musical tastes-- an awakening to so much more out there. That's what I love about Christian music-- it glorifies God in so many different ways. There's something for everyone! And at hearitfirst.com, we're striving to bring all of Christian music to you. I hope as you explore the site you think HIF is as awesome as we do. Please let us know your thoughts, comments, and suggestions. We'd love to hear from you! You can reach me at jamie@hearitfirst.com.

Also, if you wanna be amigos, check out my hif jamie myspace page!
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