News Source: Rogers & Cowan

Billboard chart-topping hip hop artist Trip Lee is gearing up for the release of his debut book, The Good Life.  A continuation to his latest album which released on April 10, 2012 through Reach Records, The Good Lifewill hit stores nationwide on October 1, 2012 through Moody Publishers.

“For years, I’ve been doing music that challenges our world views and points to Christ – but there have always been limitations to music, because there’s only so much you can communicate in a song,” says Trip. “The album gave listeners snapshots of the good life, and the book will be more like a manual on how to live it. I’m praying that this book will help the reader to turn away from lies and live the way we were created to live.”

By using personal testimonials of his own life, Trip explores the lies that have been told, and paints a new, biblical picture of the good life. Exploring all of life including happiness, success, and morality in light of God’s truth The Good Life redefines the term as not living to please yourself but living by faith in a good God.

“The good life is not climbing to the top of the corporate ladder, the good life is not a life free from any responsibility,” says Trip. “The good life is living in sync with God and embracing all that He has to offer us in Christ.”

No newcomer to the Christian music scene, Trip’s debut album, If They Only Knew, hit stores nationwide a few days after his high school graduation.  That same year, he was also featured on the Dove Award-nominated, timeless classic “Jesus Muzik” with label mate Lecrae. Trip’s sophomore album, 20/20, was released in 2008 and garnered much success: breaking into the Billboard Top 200, reaching #11 on the Billboard Christian albums chart and landing at #4 on the Gospel chart. With his third studio album, Between Two Worlds, Trip offered a collection of reflections on life in a fallen world.  Those reflections resonated with listeners as B2W debuted at #1 on the Christian and Gospel Billboard charts, #5 on the Hip Hop/Rap iTunes chart and #9 on the Top Albums iTunes chart. The album also received two Dove nominations and a Stellar Award for Best Gospel Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year.

 

Trip’s latest album release, The Good Life debuted at #2 both on the overall and Hip Hop iTunes charts while garnering the #3 position on Billboard’s Hip Hop chart, landing at #17 on the Top 200 Billboard chart and taking the #1 slot on the Christian and Gospel Billboard chart.

 

Trip has traveled the world performing for thousands of listeners. In conjunction withThe Good Life, Trip is currently on a promotional nationwide tour and will be a featured artist at various 2012 festivals including Spirit West Coast, Atlanta Fest and Rock The Lakes, among others.

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Here is 33 Miles new music video ‘What Grace Looks Like’, from their 2010 album ‘Today’.

You can also contribute to their kickstarter campaign, for their new worship album releasing later this year. There are 4 days to go in the campaign.

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Tobymac just sent out a tweet declaring that his new album, Eye On It, will be released on August 28th, 2012, with the first single due out June 7th!

RECORDING UPDATE. Title: EYE ON IT. Master due: 6-15. Songs needed: 1. Prayers requested: Lots. 1st Single at iTunes: 6-7. Release date 8-28

about 19 hours ago via WhoSayReplyRetweetFavorite

@therealtobymac

TobyMac

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News Source: Kingsway

Kingsway announces the May 22 release of The Cutting Edge Years – 20th Anniversary Edition. This four-disc (3 CDs/1DVD) collection draws together the earliest releases from Delirious?, the Dove Award winning, Grammy nominated worship band.

 

While most bands take a while to find their voice, Delirious? was a prophetic, powerful presence right from the start. Originally named the Cutting Edge Band after a local church-based event, The Cutting Edge Years – 20th Anniversary Edition is full of songs that changed a generation of worshippers and helped clear a path for many of the global Church’s current worship leaders and songwriters. From “I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever” and “Did You Feel The Mountains Tremble?” to “The Happy Song” and “Lord You Have My Heart,” the band’s first sounds were some of their loudest and longest lasting.

 

If there was any doubt about their impact, The Cutting Edge Years – 20th Anniversary Edition includesCutting Edge 1&2, the very album that in January of this year was voted by Worship Leader magazine to be the “most influential worship album of the last twenty years.”

 

Over time, the Delirious? story grew with international awards and sales to match. But its earliest chapters as the Cutting Edge Band focused solely on their hometown.

 

In October 1992, the core team of Martin Smith, Stewart Smith and Tim Jupp played their opening notes at a small youth event in Littlehampton, an overlooked town on England’s south coast. Though only 75 people turned up for that event, the impact was clear from the start as Martin Smith remembers.

 

“Cutting Edge was a unique time in our lives and these songs were the soundtrack to a movement that hungered after God in a new way, a movement that sang in the streets and saw the mountains tremble,” says Smith.

 

Other artists and worship leaders agree, including Toby Mac: “They’ve redefined the praise and worship scene… these guys are true artists who point the way to God. They’re also one of those rare bands whose music appeals to nearly all generations.”

 

Throughout the Delirious? story, it was the songs that spoke volumes, that inspired worship and unlocked change.

 

“I remember the first time I ever listened to Obsession,” says Tim Hughes. “I was blown away by the honesty and passion. It was a worship song like I had never heard before… fresh lyrics full of imagination and vivid imagery with a deep heart cry for more of God. I would listen to this song again and again, crying out to God, telling him how much I loved him and how much I wanted to know him more. It is so simple and yet so powerful.”

 

Referring to the song “Did You Feel The Mountains Tremble?,” Chris Tomlin says: “It is one of the best-written and most unique worship songs of our time. It’s a song that I have played countless times through the years… there is a special touch from God on this one and it is evident every time I hear it or play it.”

 

The Cutting Edge Years – 20th Anniversary Edition contains 42 tracks on three CDs and one DVD containing special footage. The audio is made up of the band’s first four EPs (Cutting Edge One, Two,Three and Fore) as well as the landmark album Live And In The Can. And the DVD features the band’s live performance of many of these early classics. In addition, the collection features bonus material including “Live at Studio One Abbey Road” and a video of “I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever” featuring the London Community Gospel Choir.

 

 

The Cutting Edge Years – 20th Anniversary Edition full track listing is as follows:

CD-1                                                                    CD-2

1. Message Of The Cross                                         1. Did You Feel The Mountains Tremble?

2. Singers Song                                                      2. I’ve Found Jesus

3. Lord You Have My Heart                                      3. Oh Lead Me

4. What Is This Thing Called Love?                          4. Shaken Up

5. The Crucible For Silver                                       5. I’m Not Ashamed

6. Thank You For Saving Me                                   6. Find Me In The River

7. The Happy Song                                                 7. Louder Than The Radio

8. Prophet Song                                                      8. You Split The Earth

9. King Of Love                                                      9. When All Around Has Fallen

10. Coming Back                                                    10. I’ve Searched For Gold

11. Lead Me                                                          11. Shout To The North

12. I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever                      12. All I Want Is

                                              13. Obession

 

CD-3                                                                    DVD

1. Spontaneous Section 1                                         The Cutting Edge Show (Taken from The Farewell Show)

2. I’m Not Ashamed                                                1. I’m not Ashamed

3. Did You Feel The Mountains Tremble?                  2. Happy Song

4. Spontaneous Section 2                                         3. Shout To The North

5. Oh Lead Me                                                       4. Thank You For Saving Me/White Ribbon Day

6. Obsession                                                          5. I Could Sing of You Love Forever

7. Spontaneous Section 3                                         6. Find Me in The River

8. Spontaneous Section 4                                         7. Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble

9. Come Like You Promise                                      8. Dance in The River

10. Spontaneous Section 5                                      9. Live @ Studio One Abbey Road

11. Spontaneous Section 6                                        10. I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever

12. What A Friend I’ve Found                                          (featuring the London Community Gospel Choir)

13. Spontaneous Section 7                                        11. The Delirious? Story

14. I’ve Found Jesus

15. Spontaneous Section 8

16. Lord’s Prayer

17. Spontaneous Section 9

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News Source: Black Lodge PR

Just one week remains until the release of North Carolina powerhouse TO SPEAK OF WOLVES’ ferocious new album, Find Your Worth, Come Home, already praised by heavy music tastemaker Revolver as “sweeping, anthemic metalcore.” Two days after releasing the album’s first epic video, the band is teasing fans with the debut of a fourth track from the anticipated album, “A Simple Thought That Changed Everything.”

Listen to ‘A Simple Thought That Changed Everything’:

http://blpr.co/TSOWASimpleThought

“‘A Simple Thought…’ is a pretty different song for us as it is all singing,” says drummer Phil Chamberlain. “We wanted to try something different and we wanted to share this song to show a different aspect of the record that we haven’t previewed yet.”

“It was very exciting to record,” says vocalist Gage Speas of the new track. “I was really nervous because I had never just sang in a song. So it was something very new to me. In the end I was really stoked about the way it turned out. These are some of my favorite lyrics I’ve ever written!”

The premiere of ‘A Simple Thought…’ comes hot on the heels of the release of the band’s video for standout track ‘Je Suis Fini’ which premiered Monday. The video presents a modern take on Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, in which a patient realizes that what she perceives as reality is far from the truth, and that she must escape her surroundings at any and all costs.

Watch the video for ‘Je Suis Fini’ now:

http://blpr.co/TSOWJeSusiFiniVid

The band is currently is currently in the midst of a U.S. headlining tour in support of the album, presented by Evolve Over Hate clothing and Substream Music Press. The tour, which started earlier this month, stretches through June 2 with support from HARP & LYRE. Joining the bands on select dates are  FALLSTAR (May 18-21), LIONS! TIGERS! BEARS! (May 22-26), and SET THE SUN (May 28-Jun 2).

Find Your Worth, Come Home sees the band’s revitalized lineup reaching into darker, heavier and faster territory. The sophomore album is follow-up to TO SPEAK OF WOLVES’ heralded 2010 debut, Myself < Letting Go, which catapulted the band onto the national stage with its road-rash riffage and soaring, arena-worthy choruses. Relentless touring alongside likeminded bands such as UNDER0ATH, AUGUST BURNS RED and BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME underscored the fact that the Greensboro, NC quintet were a force to be reckoned with. The band quickly became a beacon within the hard rock and metalcore scene, despite – or perhaps because of – their unwillingness to become yet another facsimile spewing forth endless breakdowns and Auto-Tuned choruses. TO SPEAK OF WOLVES refused to do either, and fans loved them all the more for it. While fans will continue love those same aspects of the band’s musical personality, Find Your Worth is an album of rediscovery, one that freshly stamps what TO SPEAK OF WOLVES is about, from its title on down.

 

Evolve Over Hate & Substream Music Press Present:
Find Your Worth Tour with TO SPEAK OF WOLVES, HARP & LYRE

May 17 Boise, ID @ The Venue

May 18 Centralia, WA @ Quesadilla Factory *

May 20 Camas, WA @ Revolution Room *

May 23 Las Vegas, NV @ The Sanctuary **

May 25 Canoga Park, CA @ Cobalt Cafe **

May 27 Albuquerque, NM @ Amped Performance Center

May 28 Amarillo, TX @ Vintin ***

May 30 Victoria, TX @ Downtown Bar and Grill ***

May 31 Athens, TX @ Church of Nazarene ***

Jun 1 Dallas, TX @ Sons of Herman Hall ***

Jun 2 Oklahoma City, OK @ Frontline Church ***

   * With FALLSTAR

   ** With LIONS! TIGERS! BEARS!

   *** With SET THE SUN

Additional Upcoming Dates

Jun 15 Stone Mountain, GA @ ATLANTA FEST

Jun 22 Wilmore, KY @ ICTHUS FESTIVAL

Jun 23 Mineral City, OH @ Alive Festival

Jul 11 Oshkosh, WI @ Lifest

Aug 2 Gilford, NH @ Soulfest

Aug 7 Darien Center, NY @ Kingdombound Festival

Aug 11 Muskegon, MI @ Unity Music Festival

Sep 15 Shippensburg, PA@ Uprise Music Festival

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Manafest has released a music video for the title track of his latest album, Fighter. You can watch it here, what do you think?

Check out his upcoming tour dates below:

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Here’s the first entry of the ongoing series, CMZ Artists and Repitoire! Just last week was when I made an introduction to what I was planning to do with this. To put it short, the goal of this series is to attract attention to some up and coming unsigned bands that I’ve found on my own.

With that being said, here’s band #1, Exiting the Fall:

Some bands just can’t play post-hardcore music as well as some others. For whatever reason, they either try too hard or rely too much on studio editing to give themselves a fine-tuned and refined sound, but in the end, the result of these are usually something that comes off as manufactured, artificial, and seemingly un-original. But Exiting the Fall doesn’t have this problem in any way. What other bands lack for in unoriginality, ETF matches up with passion and a no-punches-pulled live show that is less of a show and more so genuine worship.

(L-R: Jonathan Miller, Filipe Inacio, Matthew Vacaro, Kevin Klein, and DJ Williams)

At different points, the band’s songs do take on a hook-y feel though their choruses, while at other points, the songs go into a sort of organized-chaos feel that is typical to post-hardcore bands. The band is often compared to Oh, Sleeper, but in a really, really good way. Their music is full of many dynamic changes and production tricks to keep technical music fans tuned in and attentive. Vocalist, Matthew Vacaro, has a notable control of the range of his clean vocals and an equally impressive scream. The instrumentation is tight and well produced in the form of tight drumming, and tasteful guitar shreds.

Exiting the Fall is a six year old post-hardcore band from the Boston, MA area. The band has released 2 EPs on their own, the first of these being Beyond the Experience which was released in 2009, and their latest being Parables which was released in June of 2011. Other impressive feats include having played on the “inside out” stage at New England’s SoulFest for the last three years, with a fourth time coming this August. The band had recently announced the dates to their upcoming one month long summer tour with stops spanning the whole east-coast, all of the way from Maine to Florida.

The Verdict:

At the least, give these guys a listen! They’re out in the scene making a difference in the scene through original music that’s fueled by selfless ambition.

If I were working with them from an A&R standpoint, I would ensure that they’re working with a producer that’s not afraid to try new things in terms of recording. They have a proven work ethic that could potentially pull in a large audience if fed by the right amount of investment and encouragement.

Find more at: Facebook.com/exitingthefall

For fans of: Oh, Sleeper/Confide/The Color Morale

Don’t forget to email recommendations out to CMZandr@gmail.com!

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Tobymac’s last full length album Tonight has officially gone gold! If you just can’t wait until his next album (out later this year!) he has released a Christmas album (Christmas in DiverseCity) and a remix album (Dubbed & Freq’d: A Remix Project) since Tonight came out, so there’s plenty of tunes from the king of Diverse City!

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Check out this remix by Dream Records artist David Thulin of their label mate’s song “You Are Joy” originally performed by Warr Acres”.

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Write This Down have released their second single, Red 7, off of their upcoming album, Lost Weekend, which will be released on June 5th, 2012, on Tooth & Nail Records.

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