Artist Spotlight: Casting Crowns
March 9, 2010 by Laura Greenwood
Filed under Artist Spotlight, Entertainment, Featured, Music
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...By Laura Greenwood
All of the members of Casting Crowns have backgrounds in student ministry. Lead singer, Mark Hall, states “Our songs have always come from our ministry in the church,” and their new album Until the Whole World Hears is no different. On the band’s Web site, Hall talks about how many of the songs came about and how we can see God in all of them.
Read more
Artist Spotlight: Evan Wickham
By Mark Bowyer
With most people thinking of chocolates and falling in love with each other this time of year, one artist takes his music a step further and discusses the ultimate love—that love that is demonstrated by God toward man. Evan Wickham, worship leader and artist, brings his sensitivity and doctrinal maturity to the music scene in his most recent album, Above the Sky. With such great songs as “Our Deliverer,” and “He’s Alive,” a certain positive energy and emotional rush can be felt imagining the majesty described in the lyrics. Singing the tracks could be thought of as his lovely dedication back to God. Read more
Artist Spotlight: ROOTDOWN
By: Brian Johnson
It’s very rare that you’ll find a band formed straight off of MySpace, but that’s what the band, ROOTDOWN did. To add to that fact, they are a Christian band that’s main genre is reggae. You never know what kind of music you’ll hear today, and ROOTDOWN is definitely no exception. The fresh music that is made from ROOTDOWN is an example of the modernization of the music industry.
Now as I said, the band formed straight off the Internet. Zane Fischer, the band’s guitarist/vocalist came across a singer while browsing MySpace one day. The singer sparked his interest, and soon talks began between the two about starting a band. That singer was Paul “Pdub” Wright, and the pair began the recruitment process. Paul discovered a guy by the name, Jesiah, who now plays keys for the band. Of course he was also found on MySpace. Two more guys would be casted for the band, Craig and Jackson. All would meet to begin making music in the college town of Eugene, Oregon. They started off by producing an EP and giving it away for free, to get their name out. Next, they picked up Matt Salinas on guitar, and self-produced the CD, “Summer of Love.”
Artist Spotlight: Tim Hughes
January 19, 2010 by Claire Walden
Filed under Artist Spotlight, Featured, Music
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...By Claire Walden
Numerous artists and hits have emerged out of England, including worship leader Tim Hughes. He is best known for his hit “Here I Am To Worship,” which is arguably one of the most popular, modern worship songs of our time. The hit resulted in two Dove awards, all before the age of 30.
His most recent album, “Holding Nothing Back” is comprised of timeless worship songs. One of the stand out tracks off the album is “God of Justice.” The lyrics outline a call to action; he sings that we must continue “stepping forward, keep us from just singing, move us into action, we must go.” The song continues to summarize what all justice entails, which is one of the major themes in the Bible. Hughes sings about God’s heart for the poor and broken and how it is up to the believers to go out and “live to feed the hungry, stand beside the broken.” Throughout the album, Hughes’ lyrics are inventive and not your average church songs.
Artist Spotlight: Ian McIntosh
By Mark Bowyer
With the New Year, comes a new generation of artists. Ian McIntosh, in his early 20s, is setting the bar high for futuristic worship music. A keyboardist, Ian uses all the modern conveniences available to experiment with the newest sounds emerging from the current band trends. Head and mastermind over a team of musicians using a variety of instruments, he is a refreshing break from the traditional. Ian McIntosh challenges all the standards and erupts in a sea of impassioned patterns and magical melodies. He is a believer that true Christians in creativity will be the catalyst for bringing morality back to the industry.
On “Alive,” the recent groundbreaking release, Ian manages to mix the effortlessness of the vocals with the complexity and beauty of his own keyboard skills. Definitely ethereal, and thought provoking, Ian never ceases to amaze from track to track. The song “Faithful,” especially warrants multiple listens–having multiple band-influences, and heavy drumming, yet rewarding the listener with a clear heart-warming God-honoring chorus to replay in their mind all day. The first album, “Awakened” is more of the same, but shows Ian’s roots and original blueprints for his current enigmatic style.
