Ceili Rain releases DVD anthology

Celtic rock band Ceili Rain (pronounced Kay-lee) announces the release of the DVD “Ceili Rain Anthology: 1995-2005.” The DVD includes highlights of performances and interviews from the past decade. With a lighthearted spirit, Ceili Rain literally means a “downpour of heavenly partiness,” and front man Bob Halligan, Jr. is a magical performer whose joy, love and enthusiasm are delightfully contagious. Ceili Rain’s latest CD, “Change in Your Pocket” is available now. For more information, visit ceilirain.com.

Tooth and Nail recording artists Thousand Foot Krutch received a Juno Award nomination for Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year for their album Phenomenon, which to date has sold 135,000 copies. Other nominees in the cagetory are Fresh I.E.; Aileen Lombardo; Raylene Scarrott; and Greg Sczebel. Akin to the Grammys, the Juno Awards recognize Canadian musicians, from the traditional rock, jazz and gospel to aboriginal and francophone recordings. The Juno Awards will be presented April 3 at Winnipeg’s MTC Centre, and will be broadcast live on CTV beginning at 8 pm. The show will be hosted by Brett Butt.

Liquid 8 Records & Entertainment recently released A Gospel Experience: Live in Italy, recorded with Grammy Award winner Dr. Bobby Jones and the Nashville Super Choir; Stellar Award winner Tonex; and Stellar Award nominee James Grear & Company. The recording was done against a backdrop of Italy’s breathtakingly beautiful scenery and historic buildings.

The New York Times recently featured Christian rockers Skillet in an article entitled “Missionaries to the Mainstream.” Skillet has successfully crossed the line from Christian band to mainstream act with their brand of high quality hard rock, while still maintaining their unwavering faith and outspoken devotion to Christ. The band recently received a Grammy nomination for best Rock Gospel album, along with a GMA nomination for Modern Rock Album of the Year, and is now on tour with Seventh Day Slumber and Kids in the Way.

Congratulations to Mark Graalman, drummer for the popular rock band Sanctus Real, and his wife, Susan, on the birth of their first baby. Benjamin Yo-Sup Graalman weighed in at 8 pounds, 8 ounces and was 21 inches long. “It’s Korean tradition that the grandfather gives newborns their middle name,” Mark said. “Since Susan is Korean-American, we asked her father to choose a biblical name that he liked. He chose Yo-Sup, which is Korean for Joseph.” Mother and baby are doing fine, and the band heads back out on the road March 1.

Seattle-based beverage maker Jones Soda Co., famous for its fun flavors and creative labels, recently named Flicker Records rock artist Subseven one of “MyJonesMusic” feature bands. In an effort to support independent musicians, the beverage company created MyJonesMusic.com, an information and support network that includes databases, links and resources to help up-and-coming artists. Visit myjonesmusic.com for more information.

In addition to the upcoming CD and DVD release Music City Live, music veteran Bryan Duncan has signed on to pen an exclusive weekly column for CMCentral.com. The column, “Road to Redemption,” is an offshoot of Duncan’s syndicated radio program Radio Rehab: The Road to Redemption, a 30-minute show featuring Duncan’s favorite music and personal insights aimed at encouraging the recovery of relationships with God, and restoring sanity to unmanageable lives. “I will be thinking out loud mostly,” says Duncan.

Billboard Magazine recently included Rocketown Records’ Manager of Sales and Distribution Mike McCloskey in its Jan. 29 special report of “Faces to Watch—30 Under 30: Top Young Acts and Executives.” Featured alongside such music business luminaries as Napster founder Shawn Fanning, J Records’ VP of A&R Larry Jackson, artist/producer Kanye West and artist Lindsay Lohan, the profile lauded McCloskey’s “ability to get things done.”

MercyMe’s Bart Millard and producer Pete Kipley have recently announced the formation of Simple Records. The label is an imprint of INO Records, which will be responsible for all marketing and radio promotion. The first band signed to the new label is The Afters, whose first national debut project, I Wish We All Could Win comes on the heels of its highly acclaimed independent project, When the World is Wonderful, which sold more than 25,000 units under the band’s former name Blisse.

One month after the devastating tsunami hit South Asia, artists, musicians, religious leaders and the community gathered to honor the victims and raise money for disaster relief at “An Evening for Restoration: Music City Comes Together for Tsunami Relief” at Belmont University in Nashville. The sold-out show raised more than $50,000 to help World Vision, the international relief agency which has thousands of staff members on the ground working in the stricken South Asian region where more than 200,000 people have died. The event was co-hosted by Michael W. Smith and Kathy Mattea, and featured performances by Smith and Mattea as well as Steven Curtis Chapman, Diamond Rio, CeCe Winans, Ricky Skaggs, Steve Cropper, the Oak Ridge Boys, Kirk Whalum, tobyMac and Diverse City, Crystal Gayle, MercyMe, Lee Greenwood, Jaci Velasquez, The Whites, The Crabb Family, Dr. Bobby Jones, Michael Martin Murphey, Micah Stampley, Billy Walker and the Nashville Chamber Orchestra. Vince Gill made a surprise appearance as the guitarist for the house band.

On the road
In April, TobyMac and Audio Adrenaline kick off “The Diverse City Worldwide Tour,” featuring special guests Kutless and Hawk Nelson. The tour kicks off in Cedarville, Ohio at Cedarville University, and will run through May, hitting 30 markets, including Phoenix, Anaheim, Denver, Kansas City and Minneapolis. For complete tour info, visit tobymac.com.

Michael W. Smith heads out on the road to promote his latest CD, Healing Rain. Along for the tour will be the trio Selah. The first leg of the “Healing Rain” tour kicks off April 7 in San Antonio, Texas and winds up May 22 in Memphis, and comes on the heels of Smith’s latest single, a remake of the Simon & Garfunkel classic “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” which appears on the Healing Rain album.

FFH’s “Still the Cross Tour” launched Feb. 3 at Bellevue Christian Center in Bellevue, Neb. The tour will visit 19 states and feature musical guests Anthony Evans and Farewell June, with songwriter Matthew West appearing on 13 dates of the tour.

New releases
• Stellar Kart All Gas. No Brake (Word) Feb. 15.
• Kara Williamson Undisguised (INO) Feb. 22.
• The Afters I Wish We All Could Win (Simple Records) Feb. 22.
• Irish Tenor Ronan Tynan Ronan (Universal) March 1.
• Out of Eden Hymns (Gotee) March 2005.
• Sonicflood This Generation (INO) March 8.
• Subseven Free to Conquer (Flicker) March 15.
• Natalie Grant Awaken (Curb) March 22.
• Superchic[k] Beauty from Pain (Inpop) March 29.
• Manic Drive (f.k.a. One Cross) Reason for Motion (Independent) April 2005.
• Anointed Now is the Time (Sony Urban/Integrity Music) April 5.

Published, March 2005

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