Nominations for the 41st Annual GMA Dove Awards were announced this morning at Belmont University’s Curb Café with lead singer Dawn Michele of powerhouse rock band Fireflight recognized with her first appearance in the Female Vocalist of the Year category. The Orlando-based band also receives a nomination for its hit song, “You Gave Me A Promise,” off 2008’s breakout album Unbreakable, in the category of Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year.
 
After being nominated for Artist of the Year at last year’s Dove ceremony, Fireflight has continually toured the country, playing packed venues, in addition to writing and recording its newly released third album, For Those Who Wait. Released Feb. 9, the anticipated project debuts at No. 5 this week on the Nielsen SoundScan Current Contemporary Christian Album Chart, and the lead single “Desperate” takes a leap to No.9 on Christian radio’s CHR chart, tied as the biggest chart mover of the week. The hit song also holds the No.1 spot at the Christian Rock format for a second week, marking Fireflight’s fifth career No. 1 song.
 
On top of radio success and Dove nominations, superior album reviews continue to pour in for the band’s new album, even inspiring the staff of JesusFreakHideout.com to vote Fireflight’s For Those Who Wait its No.1 “Most Anticipated Album of 2010.”
 
The 41st Annual Dove Awards will be held on Wednesday, April 21, 2010 at Nashville’s famed Grand Ole Opry House and televised nationwide on gmc (http://www.gmclife.com), Sunday, April 25, 2010 from 8 p.m. - 10 p.m. EST. gmc is the fastest-growing network in television and can be seen in 46 million homes on various cable systems around the country, on DIRECTV on channel 338 and on Verizon FiOS on channel 224.
 
Fireflight is currently playing to an average of more than 9,000 fans a night in arenas across the nation as part of the WinterJam Tour. For tour dates, and more on Fireflight, please visit www.fireflightrock.com, www.myspace.com/fireflight or www.providentpress.com.
 
With its stunning new 10-song collection, Fireflight exceeds expectations, following its 2008 breakout sophomore album Unbreakable, which delivered two No.1 singles at Rock and launched Fireflight’s music into new realms, including the NBC network, ESPN’s Winter X Games and voted Taco Bell’s “Best of the Beat” in 2009.
 

Tenth Avenue North, 2009’s GMA Dove Awards New Artist of the Year, picked up where they left off last year, notching two nominations for the 41st Annual GMA Dove Awards.
 
The band was honored with nominations in two of the prestigious general categories for the Doves, notching a Song of the Year mention for “By Your Side” from its debut project Over and Underneath, as well as a nomination for Group of the Year.
 
The most recent Dove Award nominations highlight the career momentum the young band has worked incredibly hard to achieve, featuring retail, radio and live performance success. “By Your Side” and “Hold My Heart” (co-written by Tenth Avenue North frontman Mike Donehey and Jason Ingram) from Over and Underneath were recently spotlighted by the performance rights organization, SESAC, at a recent awards banquet.
 
Tenth Avenue North saw its live performance profile take off in 2009, with the band’s “Inside and In Between” Tour (its first as headliners) seeing sell-out shows in several markets. The band was also the only artist in 2009 to place two songs (“By Your Side” and “Hold My Heart”) simultaneously in the AC Monitored Top 10.

(Nashville, Tenn.)  February 18, 2010 – Fresh off taking home its fourth career GRAMMY Award at the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards, Atlanta-based rock band Third Day, along with frontman Mac Powell, garnered a number of nominations for 41ST Annual GMA Dove Awards this morning.
 
The band picked up mentions in the Special Event Album of the Year category for its contribution to the original motion picture soundtrack for Fireproof, as well as a nod in the Long Form Music Video of the Year category for Live Revelations: On Stage, Off Stage, Backstage, the project that netted the aforementioned a GRAMMY Award.
 
Third Day frontman Mac Powell also picked up a Dove Award nomination for Special Event Album of the Year for his work on the Glory Revealed II: The Word of God In Worship album, as well as a pair of nominations (as artist and songwriter) in the Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year category for “Since The World Began” from that same project.
 

Dove-nominated “Artist of the Year,” Fireflight readies for the release of its third album this week, titled For Those Who Wait, on Feb. 9, as the dynamic first single “Desperate” hits No. 1 at Christian Rock radio, and moves up to No.14 on the CHR format. With its stunning new 10-song collection, Fireflight exceeds expectations, following its 2008 breakout sophomore album Unbreakable, which delivered two No.1 singles at Rock and launched Fireflight’s music into new realms, including the NBC network, ESPN’s Winter X Games and voted Taco Bell’s “Best of the Beat,” ultimately landing its prestigious Artist of the Year nomination at the Dove Awards in 2009.
 
While securing its fifth career No.1 song at radio, on the eve of its new album release, Fireflight also receives high marks as the editorial staff at leading music web site Jesusfreakhideout.com votes For Those Who Wait as its No.1 “most anticipated album of 2010,” topping the staff’s list of the 25 new projects “we’re plain stoked about.”
The site’s feature story includes staff reviews of Fireflight’s new project, saying:
 
“Upon hearing “Desperate,” one of the strongest tracks of their career, I couldn’t be anything but excited about the release of Fireflight’s third album. From the 30-second clips found on their MySpace site, the rest of it sounds just as promising as the first single. If the clips are any representation of what is to come with the record, it will surely be the best album of their career.” - Matthew Watson
 
“Fireflight dazzled us with 2008’s Unbreakable, proving their longevity and variability as CCM artists here to stay; their third outing, For Those Who Wait, will test the quintet on their reliability as a solid rock act, and we couldn't be more thrilled to see the unfolding result this Winter” -  Roger Gelwicks
       
“With two very satisfying albums now on the band's resume and terrific songs paving the way for Fireflight’s third release, it doesn’t seem that mediocrity is in the band’s vocabulary.” - Nathaniel Schexnayder  
 
With For Those Who Wait, Fireflight offers hard-rocking urgency and emotion, and unveils the band’s thickest groove yet, showcasing lead singer Dawn Michele’s powerful vocals. The album’s transparent lyrics continue a defining trait for Fireflight’s songwriting, issuing an awareness of God’s magnificence amidst personal weakness.
 
“This album is filled with even more personal stories of our own, our families, friends, and our fans,” relates Michele. “It’s our lives, our hearts, and our pain just poured out.” She adds, “For Those Who Wait is a maturation in understanding that sometimes you don’t appreciate why you’re on the path that you are. A lot of times, we get bogged down thinking about things that we’re waiting for. And when we do that, we totally miss out on what’s happening in-between now and our goal. God has times of waiting in our lives because He has something for us to learn. Hard things that happen, that throw us off of our plan, can become the most important things in our lives because God will take them and use them to shape our character and who we are.”
 
Musically, drummer Phee Shorb puts it, “For Those Who Wait sounds as good as I’ve always hoped we could sound.”
 
Fireflight is currently playing to an average of more than 9,000 fans a night in arenas across the nation as part of the WinterJam Tour. For tour dates, and more on Fireflight, please visit www.fireflightrock.com, www.myspace.com/fireflight or www.providentpress.com.

Combine the strengths of two supergroups that have sold millions of records, achieved an astounding number of #1 radio hits and received numerous Dove Awards. The result? A reborn newsboys. Now that longtime members Jody Davis (guitar), keyboardist Jeff Frankenstein and drummer Duncan Phillips have welcomed the vocal strengths, writing talents and boundless energy of former dc Talk member Michael Tait to the band, this is clearly a good reason to feel born again and in fact, share some new songs. On June 8th, newsboys are eager than ever to release their 15th studio project, aptly titled Born Again (inpop records).  
 
When newsboys announced in 2009 that Tait would take over the lead vocals, the band and their fans began to relish the positives and possibilities of this brand new start. “Tait is great for us because he’s a real team player and brings a lot of enthusiasm to the mix of personalities,” Jody Davis explains. Even though Davis, along with Frankenstein and Phillips, have played together since newsboys first broke through with 1992's Not Ashamed, Tait immediately, and easily, became part of the unique and tight newsboys unit.

"We’re all getting a new lease on life from this," Jeff Frankenstein states. "The core of the band—myself, Jody, and Duncan—is reunited, and Mike is an amazing singer. It’s providential.”

Tait couldn't agree more. When newsboys called he was actually working with the legendary Clive Davis on a solo project in Los Angeles. Yet after a few great concerts together he knew the invitation to join the band was just what he needed.

Now, the foursome is embarking on a sure-to-be momentous year with Born Again, which was produced by The Write Brothers and Mark Heimermann (dcTalk, TobyMac, Michael W. Smith). Thanks to a pre-sale campaign on the band's current co-headlining Winter Jam tour, fans can advance purchase Born Again for only $7 and until the June release date, each fan receives a 5-song EP along with a chance to get the full CD autographed by the band. The campaign has been a successful since the tour kicked off the beginning of January.

"All of us at inpop records are thrilled for the upcoming release of the brand new newsboys music," exclaims John Kelly, CEO, inpop records. "It's also been exciting to hear the buzz from the fans at Winter Jam purchasing the 5-song EP. We are proud to be their record label and are truly looking forward to a great year from this stellar band."
 
 
THE SONGS
The songs on Born Again were penned by newsboys, The Write Brothers, and Steve Taylor, including a new track by Mark Stuart (Audio Adrenaline). Living out the album's moniker, thanks to "On Your Knees," the worshipful "We Remember" and the group's first two radio singles, "I'll Be” and "Born Again," both shipping February 12th to AC and CHR radio respectively, each song showcases what is noticeably different about newsboys today: story-led tunes with melodies coupled with more distinguishable piano and guitar performances.

Already a live highlight at their concerts, “Born Again” is where newsboys truly become a band renewed, and they collectively view the song as representative of everything the band has gone through this past year. “We’ve all believed in lies at some point,” Tait says, emoting his testimony. “I had some prodigal years in the past, but I hope the song encourages others to make the same decision I did: I’m giving Him the best of everything that’s left of the life inside this man / I’ve been born again.”

“Born Again” is also the project’s first music video and the perfect match to share footage of newsboys building houses in Mexico’s poverty stricken Baja Peninsula. The video, which can be viewed on the homepage of www.newsboys.com, has already seen by thousands thanks to its airing during newsboys Winter Jam set, is already impacting concertgoers on how they can do something for those less fortunate. For years the band has been serving the people in this Third World setting constructing hundreds of homes, and plans are underway to invite fans there this summer for ministry efforts. Details will be announced as soon as they are available.

Penned with longtime newsboys collaborator Steve Taylor, “Boys Light Up” is a biographical anthem of reignited belief and purpose for the band: I was feeling all overcome / Had a faith gone dim and then some / Got a call from a band of brothers . . . / All the doubters I heard them say “now the band’s gonna fade away” / But the ‘boys are back for a second act / No excuses. We’re lighting fuses.

“It’s a common theme running through newsboys,” Phillips says of the ultra-rhythmic cut with a chorus that declares: When the boys light up you know Who gets the praise, Who owns the show. “It’s like a new version of ‘Shine,’ another song of encouragement.”

With the band's efforts to connect with their audiences of all ages, through meet and greets to social media aspects, Phillips states, "It helps us gauge the pulse of where our fans are at and what they're going through, and I hope they feel a sense of greater reconnection that the band is trying to make."  

In all, newsboys view this new collection of songs  as representative of everything the band has gone through this past year. They are truly Born Again.
 

Born Again EP Track Listing:
1. Born Again
2. On your Knees
3. When The Boy's Light Up
4. I'll Be (first single )
5. One Shot

ALERT:  Newsboys Duncan Phillips and Michael Tait live tonight right after their set at Winter Jam for an online LIVE video chat at 8:45pm ET from Cincinnati, OH.  Spread the word!

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/winter-jam-tour-spectacular

Atlanta-based rock band Third Day took home its fourth career GRAMMY Award at the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards held today at Staples Center in Los Angeles.  The band was recognized in the Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album category for its 2009 project, Live Revelations: On Stage, Off Stage, Backstage.  Third Day also received nominations for its song “Born Again” (featuring Lacey Mosley) in both the Best Gospel Song and Best Gospel Performance categories.
 
"Third Day has incredible fans; we didn't want to rest until we gave them the best record we knew we could make. On our last studio project, Revelation, Howard Benson challenged us to make the best music of our career. When we took it out on the road, we wanted to do it justice in our live performance. Live Revelation: On Stage, Off Stage, Backstage is an album we're very proud of and we're honored that the Academy would recognize it with a GRAMMY tonight." Tai Anderson
 
Third Day’s prior GRAMMY wins, from eight previous nominations, include those for albums
Come Together (2002), Wire (2005) and Wherever You Are (2006).
 
For a complete list of 52nd GRAMMY Awards winners, please visit www.grammy.com

Fervent Records’ recording artist Sidewalk Prophets and the nation’s largest Bible ministry, the American Bible Society (ABS) recently, announced their campaign partnership to join together for new generation Bible engagement.  As part of the “GET THE TRUTH” campaign, Sidewalk Prophets is inviting concert goers on the 2010 Winter Jam tour to text TRUTH to 31452 and receive daily Scripture sent to their phones from ABS as well as music downloads from Sidewalk Prophets and Word Entertainment. The goal is to encourage those in attendance to engage in daily Scripture reading through this text message program developed by ABS.
 
American Bible Society’s Director of Scripture Advocacy, Karina Lucero, expresses the organization’s excitement: “We at the American Bible Society are ecstatic to work alongside Sidewalk Prophets to get God’s Word into the hands and hearts of youth across the United States.  We are praying that God will use this campaign to invite tens of thousands to begin a journey of lifetime engagement with the Bible.”
 
"We are thrilled to be teaming up with American Bible Society to help people dig deeper into the Word of God. The American Bible Society is an organization that has been diligently fighting the good fight by spreading God's Word to all corners of the world for nearly two centuries. The greatest part of working together is that you can visually witness in every member of the ABS staff that the Bible is their goal, their passion, and their love. We are honored to be touring the country with Winter Jam, and we are gratefully overwhelmed by the love and support of the American Bible Society in putting Christ and His words first in all we do." says Sidewalk Prophets’ frontman Dave Frey.
 
Word Entertainment COO, Rod Riley, echoes Lucero’s and Frey’s enthusiasm: “Word Entertainment is honored to be partnering with the American Bible Society for such an important and influential campaign. Sidewalk Prophets is the ideal artist to partner with ABS to share their vision of scripture engagement. We look forward to seeing the number of individuals reached through this campaign and who are encouraged to spend more time in the Word of God.”
 
Sidewalk Prophets, booked by Word’s own David Breen Agency, is currently on the Winter Jam tour through March and will then head out on the Rock n Worship Roadshow. On their self-proclaimed “VanGo Tour”, Sidewalk Prophets will perform for nearly 800,000 fans over the course of the 61 shows this spring. In conjunction with their touring efforts, Sidewalk Prophets has launched several online initiatives to spread the word in the online community. On the band’s website, fans can access an interactive Prize Wheel game, Twitter contest, and Facebook application as well as an area to upload content from each show.
 
Releasing in August 2009, Sidewalk Prophets debut record These Simple Truths scanned more than 10,000 units the first month of release. Their single “The Words I Would Say” held the number one spot on the AC Indicator radio chart for three consecutive weeks.

Fireflight will be doing a live video chat today on their website, www.fireflightrock.com at 1:30 PM CT. Be sure to tune in!

The popular nationally syndicated “Total Axxess” radio show premieres its first-ever “Acoustic Christmas” this week, featuring intimate, in-studio performances with a high-profile artist lineup, kicking off today, Dec. 14, with GMA’s “New Artist of the Year,” Tenth Avenue North. GRAMMY-winning, progressive band Jars of Clay performs Tuesday, followed by GRAMMY-nominated, modern rockers Red on Wednesday, and wrapping Thursday with GMA’s “Male Vocalist of the Year,” Brandon Heath.
 
*Check local listings for air times.

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Music from NewSong, one of Christian music's most popular bands, will be featured in the upcoming television movie, The Christmas Hope, based on Donna VanLiere’s New York Times best-selling book of the same name.  A Lifetime Movie Network Original Movie Premiere, the film will debut on Sunday, December 13 at 8 pm ET (9 pm PT) and will include NewSong’s recording of the title-cut.  The song, from NewSong’s 2006 album The Christmas Hope, was penned by group member Eddie Carswell and Matthew West.  

Starring Madeleine Stowe (The Last of the Mohicans), James Remar (Ratatouille) and Ian Ziering ("Beverly Hills 90210"), The Christmas Hope follows Patricia (Stowe) and Mark Addison (Remar), a couple in a troubled marriage.  When Patricia, a social worker, brings home a foster child who has no place to go on Christmas, they set aside their differences to give the young girl a special holiday.

Lifetime Movie Network will devote an entire block of programming on December 13 to three holiday films based on VanLiere’s best-selling books.  The Christmas Shoes, which features NewSong’s #1 mainstream radio hit of the same name, will air at 4 pm ET, followed by The Christmas Blessing, which includes an onscreen performance by NewSong, at 6 pm ET, with the world premiere of The Christmas Hope afterwards.   

NewSong can currently be seen on their “A Very Merry Christmas Tour,” along with Fervent recording artist Big Daddy Weave and special guest Fervent/Reprise singer/songwriter Francesca Battistelli.  The Tour concludes December 18 in Albany, Georgia.  

With a 28-year career that has yielded 17 albums; 20 #1 singles; and a GRAMMY Award nomination, among numerous other achievements, NewSong’s most definitive recording to date, Give Yourself Away, released last month on their new label, His Honor Music (EMI CMG Distribution).  Marking the official return of acclaimed vocalist Russ Lee to the group, the project is also NewSong’s first collaboration with one of Christian music’s most renowned producers, Charlie Peacock.  

In January NewSong will host Christian music’s largest annual tour, the Winter Jam 2010 Tour Spectacular, which will hit 44 cities and will feature some of the top artists in the genre.  

Atlanta-based rock band Third Day received multiple nominations for the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards, announced last night as part of “The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music’s Biggest Night.”   The one-hour special was broadcast live on CBS from Club Nokia at L.A. Live in Los Angeles.

Atlanta-based rock band Third Day was recognized in the Best Gospel Performance and Best Gospel Song categories for “Born Again” from its Revelation project (7/29/08).  
 
Its April 7 Live Revelations: On Stage, Off Stage, Backstage also received a nomination in the Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album category.  Third Day has received eight prior nominations and has garnered GRAMMYs for both Wire (5/4/2004) and Come Together (10/17/2001).
 
GRAMMY ballots for the final round of voting will be mailed on Dec. 16 to the voting members of The Recording Academy. They are due back to the accounting firm of Deloitte by Jan. 8, 2010, when they will be tabulated and the results kept secret until the telecast.
The 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held on “GRAMMY Sunday,” Jan. 31, 2010, at Staples Center in Los Angeles and once again will be broadcast live in high definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on CBS from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).  For a complete list of 52nd GRAMMY Awards nominees, please visit www.grammy.com.

(Nashville, Tenn.)  December 3, 2009 -- Provident Label Group artists Third Day, Leeland, Red
and Jars of Clay were honored with nominations for the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards announced last night as part of “The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music’s Biggest Night.”   The one-hour special was broadcast live on CBS from Club Nokia at L.A. Live in Los Angeles.

Atlanta-based rock band Third Day was recognized in the Best Gospel Performance and Best Gospel Song categories for “Born Again” from its Revelation project (7/29/08).  
 
Its April 7 Live Revelations: On Stage, Off Stage, Backstage also received a nomination in the Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album category.  Third Day has received eight prior nominations and has garnered GRAMMYs for both Wire (5/4/2004) and Come Together (10/17/2001).
 
Leeland garnered its third career nomination with its Aug. 25 release Love Is On The Move in
the Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album category.  The band’s first two albums, Sound of Melodies (8/15/2006) and its sophomore Opposite Way (2/26/2008), were also previously recognized in this category.  
 
Red secures its second career nomination in the Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album category with a nod for its sophomore Innocence & Instinct which released on Feb 10. Its first nomination was for its June 6, 2006 release End of Silence.
 
Multi-GRAMMY winners Jars of Clay received a nomination in the Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album category for its April 21 release, The Long Fall Back To Earth.  Jars of Clay has claimed GRAMMYs for The Eleventh Hour (3/05/2002), If I Left The Zoo (11/09/1999) and Much Afraid (9/16/1997) from its prior seven nominations.
 
GRAMMY ballots for the final round of voting will be mailed on Dec. 16 to the voting members of The Recording Academy. They are due back to the accounting firm of Deloitte by Jan. 8, 2010, when they will be tabulated and the results kept secret until the telecast.

The 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held on “GRAMMY Sunday,” Jan. 31, 2010, at Staples Center in Los Angeles and once again will be broadcast live in high definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on CBS from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

(NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE) December 4, 2009— Fervent Records’ band Sidewalk Prophets and the KLOVE Radio Network are partnering together to bring listeners the “Home for Christmas” giveaway. Radio listeners can submit a letter to KLOVE that they would write to a family member or loved one. From the entries, one grand prize winner will be selected to win a roundtrip airfare for four to fly home for Christmas. Five additional winners will be chosen daily to win an acoustic guitar with the lyrics to “The Words I Would Say” handwritten by the band. The contest begins today, December 4 with the grand prize winner being announced next week on Friday, December 11. For more information or to submit your letter, visit http://www.klove.com.
 
Sidewalk Prophets debut single, “The Words I Would Say”, was a #1 AC/I hit for five consecutive weeks and was the most added song two weeks in a row. With their album These Simple Truths scanning more than 10,000 copies and sales of more than 25,000 digital tracks during the first month of release, Sidewalk Prophets was one of the best-selling new artists in 2009. The band is preparing to hit the road on the 2010 Winter Jam Tour starting in January followed by the Rock and Worship Tour in April, playing more than 60 shows.
 
K-LOVE is a listener supported radio network, heard by 4 million listeners each week on 412 signals in 44 states. K-LOVE, and its sister network Air1, are ministries of Educational Media Foundation, Inc. a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, headquarted in Rocklin, CA. For more information, please visit http://www.klove.com.
 

Provident Label Group artists Third Day, Leeland, Red and Jars of Clay were honored with nominations for the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards as announced last night as part of “The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music’s Biggest Night.”   The one-hour special was broadcast live on CBS from Club Nokia at L.A. Live in Los Angeles.

Atlanta-based rock band Third Day was recognized in the Best Gospel Performance and Best Gospel Song category for “Born Again” from its April 7 Live Revelations: On Stage, Off Stage, Backstage.  The project also received a nomination in the Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album category.  Third Day has received eight prior nominations and has garnered GRAMMYs for both Wire (5/4/2004) and Come Together (10/17/2001).
 
Leeland garnered its third career nomination with its Aug. 25 release Love Is On The Move in
the Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album category.  The band’s first two albums, Sound of Melodies (8/15/2006) and its sophomore Opposite Way (2/26/2008), were also previously recognized in this category.  
 
Red secures its second career nomination in the Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album category with a nod for its sophomore Innocence & Instinct which released on Feb 10. Its first nomination was for its June 6, 2006 release End of Silence.
 
Multi-GRAMMY winners Jars of Clay received a nomination in the Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album category for its April 21 release, The Long Fall Back To Earth.  Jars of Clay has claimed GRAMMYs for The Eleventh Hour (3/05/2002), If I Left The Zoo (11/09/1999) and Much Afraid (9/16/1997) from its prior seven nominations.
 
GRAMMY ballots for the final round of voting will be mailed on Dec. 16 to the voting members of The Recording Academy. They are due back to the accounting firm of Deloitte by Jan. 8, 2010, when they will be tabulated and the results kept secret until the telecast.

The 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held on “GRAMMY Sunday,” Jan. 31, 2010, at Staples Center in Los Angeles and once again will be broadcast live in high definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on CBS from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).