How Current Sounds Like a Glass of Water
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"In my years as a recording artist I have had the pleasure of working with many, many wonderful people. There are few, however, that can match the incredible heart for ministry and the great talent of Sarah Macintosh.” – Michael W. Smith
You would be forgiven for making an assumption at this point. The fact is, most peopl...e would already have some sort of preconceived notion about who Sarah Macintosh is based on the above quote, a quote that is true but that says not a word about what the music that has sprung forth from Sarah Macintosh sounds like. But Michael W. Smith knows a good thing when he hears it. Which is why, once upon a time, he asked Sarah to join his band for a tour. (Again, entirely true, but not indicative of what her music sounds like...)
So what does she sound like? Is it anything like the pillar of the CCM community quoted above? (No.) Is it anything like the previous work she did with her groundbreaking former group, Chasing Furies? (Closer, but not really.)
It sounds more like a drop of color in a glass of water. No, really. Think about it: Pop music, as a form, is a glass of water. There are conventions that we’re all used to, certain attributes that the vessel must adhere to for us to accept it. It must contain the attributes that make it a glass of water. And the cultural landscape is littered with glasses of water left of shelves, on counters, in our cars and offices. They are enjoyed for a bit, maybe even savored. At times, they might even save us. But at the end of the day, it’s just another glass of water that is enjoyed until it isn’t, and then forgotten about.
But then someone comes along and drops a bit of color in a fresh glass. The vessel is still the same, but the contents are forever altered. It only takes one little drop – the color falls into the water and
blooms into unexpected and beautiful shapes, expanding outwards while evolving and dancing within its container. Its dance is joyous and wonderful and breathtaking, and before you know it, you’re looking at a glass of water that still has all the same attributes that the rest of the glasses of water have – save for one: That brilliant shock of color, setting it apart.
From the first moments of Sarah’s new album Current, you know that you are hearing something that stands apart. Yes, her music nestles in comfortably within our acceptable parameters of pop music. The vessel is correct. But the contents are of a completely different color. From the opening track you are listening to that drop of color make its way into every space within the glass. The bouncy and unexpected harp that opens the album’s title track gives way to strings, a chorus of drums, and a huge melody - a sonic palette that should sound familiar to anyone who has spent time listening to the Nashville indie-act Paper Route, co-producer JT Daley’s other day job.
It doesn’t stop with the banging opening number, though. The entire album is punctuated by chamber-pop elements and instrumentation. The standard sounds you would expect in a pop song clash with small and intimate details, giving the sonic landscape a sense of familiarity but with a lushness and texture that rings new to the ears of those of us who are so accustomed to the conventional output of the record labels these days. And while these elements draw you in, it’s the voice that keeps you listening. Sarah’s voice is wonderful, true, but it’s her turn of melody, of taking that one thing you rely on as a listener, and flipping it on its head before righting it again (before you’ve even realized it!) that makes listening to Current such a breathtaking and engrossing experience. Her mixture of musical phrase and words that come not from her head, but from her heart are what make you realize that you are not engrossed in a pop album – you are engrossed in one person’s honest-to-God work of art.
There are other points that could be highlighted to draw you in. The trailblazers of the music world that she has worked with over the
years (her aforementioned collaboration with one Michael W. Smith, her aforementioned band, worship juggernauts like Matt Redman, David Crowder and Tim Hughes to name a few), and the fact that for the past year she and her family have given up the comforts of their own home in Southern California in order to redefine what it means to be a touring musician and speaker. (For instance, The Macintoshes place themselves in one city for a month or two at a time, staying with friends and family members, and make small, short journeys that allow them the time to invest with the local churches where they are playing, share meals with the pastors and congregants, and get to know them as people versus concert-goers. It’s a novel way of combining the nomadic lifestyle and the putting-roots-down-in-a- community lifestyle and something that goes completely against the grain in the world of musicians on the road. Then again, Sarah seems to make a point to not do things in the normally expected way...)
These are all valid points to make. They show you, dear reader, that Sarah Macintosh is good, and safe, and that she has a heart that overflows for a new and different looking style of ministry. She is a woman not making worship music, but music that is worshipful, that is indicative of a worshipful life.
All of this is true.
But what makes her remarkable is that all of this feeds into her art, to that glass of water that was clear and unremarkable before you really looked at it. Because once you see past the vessel that you think you are used to, you see a shock of red, or blue, or green where there used to be nothing at all........


Tracklisting ::

[COMING SOON]

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There was a moment in Andy Cherry’s life when he just wasn’t sure. Fresh out of high school, leading worship at church in the morning and playing music in bars at night, he stood up to sing during a service one morning and something just didn’t feel right.

“I didn't want to be there. I thought, ‘I'm wasting my time.’ And then it just hit me. God was touching people where they were and He didn’t need me to work in their lives,” says Cherry, now 25, newly married to wife Michelle, and poised to release his first LP Nothing Left to Fear on Essential Records, March 6.

“That was the moment where I thought, ‘OK, this is bigger than me, and I'd better get on board. I'd better hold on for dear life and follow wherever God leads me.’”

You’ll sense the musical and spiritual growth Cherry’s been led toward in Nothing Left to Fear, which he created alongside highly regarded producer and five-time SESAC Christian songwriter of the year, Jason Ingram.

Stomping percussion underlines the celebratory refrain of “Rise with a shout, cry out, our God’s alive!” in leadoff single, “Our God’s Alive.” Gentle fingerpicked guitars lead through “Running to Our Savior,” an expression of God’s comfort in the face of loss. And “Nothing to Fear” -- with its refrain of "Why should I worry/ When Your love surrounds me?” -- grounds the album’s overarching sense of the comfort and hope that comes with faith, the knowledge that worry is needless, that God will sustain you.

But Cherry also funneled the struggle and uncertainty that lingers, and the honest questioning that comes with both, into Nothing Left to Fear.

Opening track “City of Light” -- a lush melodic rock anthem -- ended up a treatise to God that asks Him to awaken our hearts and for that to be recognized. It started as the expression of a personal breaking point, when Cherry was confused and lost and needed to be reminded that a new day would dawn. That song and others -- “He Has Done it All,” about how God has made us complete; “Beautiful Morning,” in which Cherry sings, “I need nothing, but Your love” -- aren’t just proclamations of devotion but reminders and sources of comfort to Cherry himself.

To Cherry, there’s strength -- and closeness to God -- in admitting that you haven’t figured it all out. Nothing Left to Fear is his admission, and his invitations to question, learn, grow and worship with him, together.

“The reason I do what I do is because I want to compel people to a deeper walk with God,” says Cherry.

“Through my work in churches, I’ve witnessed people – for whatever reasons – shy away from asking hard questions. I think this hesitancy, or fear, keep them from a closer relationship with God. Through these songs, I hope to help people work around that fear and find the love He intends for each us.”

He continues, “There's an understanding that comes when you start looking at yourself through God's eyes, and when you're finally able to communicate with Him on an honest level I think you're able to see yourself without a filter.”

He finds inspiration toward that intent in the “pretty extensive example of worship music” we have in Psalms. (He takes on a very famous hymn on Nothing Left to Fear -- “Nothing But the Blood” -- repackaging and modernizing it as a propulsive, layered sonic celebration.) Beyond the poetry and praise in the hymn, you also find real struggle -- and real honesty.

“I’m sure we’ve all had moments where we’ve felt like we’ve been attacked; even forsaken,” Cherry says. “The moments where you just want to say, ‘My life is really messed up, and I think You have let this happen to me.’ God can handle that -- He's got really broad shoulders and He handle your honesty and confusion – even your anger. His feelings aren't going to be hurt. He doesn't need us to sugarcoat things because He knows what we’re feeling. So when we dancing around what we're actually feeling towards Him I think we do ourselves a disservice. In my writing and playing, I hope to point people to a broader view of God; to encourage them to dialogue in honesty, like David did.”

[DEPOSIT FILES]

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For your consideration: Fireflight—Artist of the Year.
Imagine. Thanks to GMA’s 2009 Dove Award nomination, thousands of people did. And, frankly, many liked the way it sounded. So what if Fireflight was a modern rock act nominated alongside six of Christian music's biggest giants? The future had arrived. Now, with the release of the band's double-taker of an album, For Those Who Wait, it's time ...for everyone else to catch up.

Granted, the past few years have been a whirlwind. Back when the Floridians launched their Flicker Records debut, The Healing of Harms, in 2006, the versatile quintet rocked two No. 1 radio singles, toured relentlessly, and, best of all, discovered a growing fanbase that reciprocated the band’s passion. Next up, Fireflight’s 2008 sophomore album, Unbreakable. Before the record released, NBC repeatedly used its title track, the lead single, for prime time television promos. The fuse had been lit. As operation Google “Unbreakable” began, the album debuted at No. 10 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart. One domino tipped another. Fireflight won Taco Bell’s fan-voted “Best of the Beat” contest and then performed at ESPN’s “Winter X Games 13.” As Fireflight logged additional audio exposure on ABC, E! Entertainment’s “Style Network,’ and even SyFy, Christian rock and pop radio fanned its own flames, sending three more Fireflight singles—“Unbreakable,” “The Hunger” and “Stand Up”—to No. 1. Before the smoke cleared, the “Unbreakable” music video logged more than a million plays on YouTube, and the song itself had been confirmed as a future download for the wildly popular Rock Band™ video game.

The table has been set for the highly-anticipated third project, For Those Who Wait. With its stunning new 10-song collection, Fireflight exceeds expectations. As drummer Phee Shorb puts it, “For Those Who Wait sounds as good as I’ve always hoped we could sound.”

Front and center? One Dawn Michele. With all due respect to exceptional peers such as Paramore and Evanescence, not all female lead singers are created equal. Armed with an arresting voice that's drawn comparisons to Joan Jett and The Pretenders’ Chrissy Hynde, Dawn actually makes authoritative gut-rock sound beautiful. And her bandmates? With her every step of the way and, at times, elevating the proceedings. From the moment Fireflight’s new album hits speakers, one thing’s for sure: This is 2010.

While some might speculate the band had a huge recording budget or tapped the talents of an iconic mainstream producer, Fireflight guitarist/support vocalist Justin Cox explains the record’s fuller, more muscular sound is the result of taking a different approach and different equipment into the studio. When the rock quintet—which also features Fireflight founder/guitarist Glenn Drennen and bassist Wendy Drennen (his wife)—reunited with Rob Hawkins (Jackson Waters, Rush of Fools), who also helmed Unbreakable, Justin told the producer he “wanted this album to be way heavier and way bigger.” For much of the recording, Fireflight also switched to high end solid body electric guitars that yield richer tones, and—much to the band’s credit—a superior amplifier known for unforgiving clarity if you make mistakes. “The results were phenomenal,” says Justin with a satisfied smile. “It wasn’t about being as heavy as we could be, it was more about impact and dynamics. Because the soft parts, you just need those to sit back. We wanted this album to sound more epic, to sound like a journey from start to finish.”

An epic journey? In more ways than one. In fact, Fireflight’s first three albums have been a thematic travelogue of sorts. While the band’s debut emphasized resiliency amidst hardship, Unbreakable focused on emerging victorious beyond such difficulty. And For Those Who Wait? “This album is a maturation in understanding that sometimes you don’t appreciate why you’re on the path that you’re are,” Dawn explains. “A lot of times, we get bogged down thinking about things that we’re waiting for. As soon as I get my bills paid, then things are going to be great. As soon as my family member’s not sick anymore, then things are going to be a lot better. 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, become the most important things in our lives because God will take them and use them to shape our character and who we are.”

This insight not only drives the album’s dynamic title track—a defiant rocker which shatters the “Unbreakable” mold—it frames the entire record. “This album is filled with even more personal stories of our own, our families’, friends’, and our fans’,” relates Dawn, who, along with Justin, writes the band’s lyrics. “It’s our lives, our hearts, and our pain just poured out. We worked to take the things that we struggled through and faced to leave a trail of bread crumbs, in hopes that other people would be able to see what we went through and find hope in that.”

With this in mind, Fireflight renders lead single, “Desperate.” Performed with hard-rocking urgency and emotion, the song takes you to the end of the rope and literally demands the only hope there is. For Those Who Wait unveils the band’s thickest groove yet with the song, “Fire in My Eyes.” The instant its steroidic guitars kick in, the operative word is big. And just when you think it’s reached its height, Dawn’s soaring chorus shows you how exquisite powerful vocals can actually be.

Even as Fireflight stakes its most authoritative claim in high-decibel rock, the multifaceted act also renders two masterful piano-based ballads. When Dawn assures us of God’s personal and intervening nature in the strings-enriched “Name,” it’s immediately evident her emotive vocals are equally poignant in an intimate musical framework. Its counterpart, “Recovery Begins,” is an artful vibefest as the band gently invites the Still Small Voice to speak forth.

At a time when countless Americans are struggling with feelings of inadequacy in today’s fragile job market, Fireflight offers the ascending rock track “All I Need to Be” as a prayerful reminder of where a believer’s identity should truly reside. As Dawn explains, many people of faith experience recurring anxiety as they seek God’s will for their lives. Instead of seeing their calling to the Christian life as being definitive, believers often obsess over vocation as a potential calling. Says Dawn, “I went through a time when I was seeking God intensely, asking, ‘What is the path You’d have for me? Where should I go?’ And I felt like He said to me, ‘My path covers the whole world, and I walk in love.’ I felt like what He was saying to me was that as long as I am walking in love and listening for His leading, it doesn’t matter where I go or what I do, that I will have fulfilled His purposes.”

Even as Fireflight wrote the songs for For Those Who Wait, Dawn, who tragically lost a brother during her youth, saw another—Hunter—diagnosed with brain cancer and have to have surgery. “It really was like reliving your worst nightmare, having it come true again,” she says. “I just cried out to God, ‘If we lose him, what will we do? It will destroy my family, because we’ve only barely recovered from the first time.’ And God really impressed upon me that all great people have gone through impossible circumstances. But it’s those things that have defined their character and made them who they are now. That helped me to have faith and to have strength to make it through that whole situation, and now Hunter’s doing wonderfully.” Dawn echoes this insight as she sings, “I'm not what I have done/I’m what I’ve overcome,” in the moody yet explosive modern rock standout, “What I've Overcome.”

“We pray earnestly that God will give us good songs that will be able to help people,” she says. “And He’s come through for us, especially in our weakest moments. That’s when we’ve really gotten the best stuff.” This awareness of God’s magnificence amidst personal weakness is a defining trait for Fireflight. It not only frames the band’s songwriting, it empowers Fireflight’s rejection of “rock star” entitlement and enables genuine relationships between the group and countless fans. “We work collectively as a band to answer every MySpace and ShoutLife question we get,” says the lead singer. “We believe first and foremost the Christian faith is relational. We try to show people God’s love, and you just can’t do that unless you care about them.” This manifests itself most directly as the band proactively interacts and prays with fans who “need to talk” after concerts.
In the most urgent cases, Fireflight connects its fans with ministry partners such as To Write Love on Her Arms, which helps individuals struggling with self injury, depression and addiction, and Dawson McAllister’s HopeLine, which gives life guidance to teenagers and young adults. In fact, in a highly unusual move for a band, Fireflight recently took a hope coach from Dawson McAllister’s team out on tour for its fans’ benefit.
Beyond immediate relational needs, Fireflight also flexes its muscle in far-reaching compassion and justice efforts. Explains Dawn, “We’re passionate about helping people both in America and in developing countries, where just a little can do so much. Jesus was extremely interested in the orphans, and the poor, and the widows. That was such a big part of what He did and what He emphasized to Christians, what they needed to be doing. As a result, Fireflight’s work includes a focused partnership with The Legacy of Hope International, a ministry committed to serving the most immediate needs of Cambodia’s poorest children.......


Tracklisting ::

[DEPOSIT FILES]

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Kutless is a Christian rock band from Portland, Oregon formed in 1999. Since their formation, they have released six studio albums including their latest, Believer. The band has also released a live album, Live from Portland. Currently, they have sold almost 2 million records.

Formed in Portland, Oregon as a Campus Worship band named Call Box. They performed during the 1999-2000 school year at Warner Pacific. Their first guitarist, Andrew Morrison, decided to leave the band shortly before they signed with BEC records. James Mead replaced Andrew at lead guitar. The Band changed their name to "Kutless" in October 2001 before releasing their first three track EP followed up by their full-length album in 2002 on BEC Recordings. Kutless chose their name because of a specific Bible verse. Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (NRSV). Because of this, the band says, "He took our cuts for us... leaving us 'Kutless'. Their first single was called "Your Touch." Their second single from their debut album, "Run," would go on to hold the record for the longest charting song in the history of the R&R Top 40 charts.

Kutless got their big debut between February and April 2003 when they opened up for Audio Adrenaline and MercyMe, two famous Christian bands at that time.In 2004, after releasing and selling over 250,000 copies of their second full-length album, Sea of Faces, Kutless would go on their first headlining tour, X 2004. That same year, Kutless was slated to perform at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Greece, but could not make it due to the airline canceling their flight. In 2005, Kutless played a Katrina Benefit Relief Concert in their hometown of Portland Oregon. They also released their first worship album, "Strong Tower." After recording but before release of "Strong Tower," bassist Kyle Zeigler and drummer Kyle Mitchell left the band to form VERBATIM Records, a nationally distributed record label based in the Portland, Oregon area. They were replaced with bassist Dave Luetkenhoelter and drummer Jeffrey Gilbert, who both came from the recently broken-up Christian rock band Seven Places. Kutless also went on the Strong Tower tour that year. Later in 2005, Kutless began recording their fourth full-length album. The album, "Hearts of the Innocent," was released on March 21, 2006. The band followed up with a tour, also featuring Stellar Kart, Disciple, and Falling Up.........

[CLICK HERE] [TURBOBIT]

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It's 1971. Cathy Rush is a woman ahead of her time, and she's about to embark on an adventure for the ages. A new era is dawning in the country and in collegiate athletics, where a national champion will be crowned for the first time in women's basketball. In the lead up to this historical season, major universities are preparing their game plans to win that first title. Meanwhile a tiny all-women's Catholic college in Philadelphia has a more modest goal: find a coach before the season begins. Providentially, Cathy Rush is about to find Immaculata College. Recently married, Cathy is dealing with the aftermath of a truncated playing career. While cultural norms would have her staying at home, she's willing to do the hard work necessary to help her new team reach their goals-or perhaps she's just trying to achieve her unfulfilled dreams through them. From the beginning.....

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Jason Json’ Watson was born and raised on the northside of St. Louis, MO. One of the most impacting events in his young life was the loss of his father which left his mother to raise him alone. Though Json’s mother loved him deeply her addiction to drugs affected their relationship and led Json to look for guidance in the streets. Throughout his adolescence and teenage years Json was exposed to the drugs and violence that are so common to many urban areas. He also indulged in and abused a lot of these drugs including, heroin, marijuana, and alcohol. At 15 Jason experienced the loss of his best friend Gaylon, and the pain of this event sent his life into a downward spiral. By the age of 16 Jason had been kicked out of school, served jail time, and become a member of a local gang. Being fully immersed in this lifestyle he couldn’t imagine life no other way. At 18 Jason caught a drug case that left him incarcerated for several months and this is when God began to deal with his heart.

Once Jason was released he did not immediately relinquish his old activities, but he understood that God was real and knew there was more in life than what he had been used to. Jason continued to experience everything that comes with a life that isn’t completely surrendered to Christ. At 19 he met LaWanda Childress. Through this relationship Jason would hear God’s call and then answer it. Neither Jason nor LaWanda knew at the time that this was God’s providence because later they would both surrender their lives to Christ and join in Holy Matrimony.

Json has been saved for 5 years now. He now uses his many talents and gifts to exhaust himself in the things of God. Along with being a husband, father, minister, & teacher Json is also a Gospel Rapper. In being a gospel rapper Json uses the art form of rap set to a beat to relay the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This gift of rap has been a lifelong passion of Jason’s. And just as he put all of himself in everything he did in the world Json does that now also. And whether that’s teaching, preaching, evangelizing or rapping it’s all done to the Glory of God.

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The (well traveled) Skies Revolt brings a quirky blend of indie music, catchy electronics and aggressive blasts of sounds that has earned them a strong, growing following, and many positive reviews. Always remaining recognizable as The Skies Revolt, but never resting on one specific sound, makes for dynamic and energetic shows.

They are currently releasing a full length album titled "Some Kind of Cosmonaut" with the music video for their first single "It's All In The Reflexes" being pushed internationally by HIP Video (Bon Iver, The Faint, Death Cab For Cutie, Metric, Gym Class Heroes, Paramore, etc) starting in February. They also just recently worked with Motion City Soundtrack on a 7inch to be released this fall............

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Audrey Assad was born in Secaucus, New Jersey to a Virginian mother and a Syrian father on July 1, 1983, and was raised in a religious Protestant household. She started to play the piano at 2 and spent her youth moving around New Jersey before settling in Scotch Plains from ages 7 to 18. She attended public school until middle school, where her experience there caused her to ask her mother to homeschool her, which she did. Assad spent her adolescence being homeschooled, working at her father's businesses, and attending church events.

When Assad was 18 her family moved to Florida and she spent the next six years there. At 19 she briefly attended college and supported herself with odd jobs while beginning her musical career, writing and composing songs for the first time. Assad spent the next five years playing at various venues performing original songs and covers. Venues ranged from restaurants, weddings and coffee shops to leading and organizing worship concerts at church. Around 2003 Assad recorded a 4-song demo with Drew Middleton, a member of the CCM band Tenth Avenue North at the time, whom Assad toured with occasionally..........

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Long before Nine Lashes was signed to Tooth & Nail Records, the Alabama-reared band was cranking out raucous modern rock riffs and explosive power chords on the road throughout the region. In fact, the group scored a coveted slot at the area’s tens-of-thousands-drawing Magnolia Festival based on the strength of a demo alone, and since the promoter was immensely impressed by the guys’ incendiary set, he sent a demo to a very famous friend (unbeknownst to them).

“The funny part about that whole show was we saw the promoter leave while we were still on stage, so we literally thought he hated our set, but it turns out he left early because he had another commitment,” recalls front man Jeremy Dunn with a laugh. “He actually loved it so much that he sent some songs to Trevor McNevan [Thousand Foot Krutch, FM Static], who he’d known for awhile after they played the festival. Trevor probably wouldn’t have had time to listen to it if his appendix hadn’t ruptured and he was taking time off to recover, so we definitely feel like God had a place in orchestrating the timing of it all.”

After all the connections were firmly established, Nine Lashes found themselves in the studio alongside producer extraordinaire Aaron Sprinkle (Anberlin, The Almost, Jeremy Camp, Hawk Nelson) crafting the national debut long player World We View. Together, the team turned in a sophisticated blend of modern, alternative and indie rock, undercut by a slew of rhythmic influences, cutting edge beats and even an appearance from screamo legend Ryan Clark (of Demon Hunter fame) on “Our Darkest Day.”

“Rock has always been our musical centering, but we definitely wanted to showcase diversity on this record since we’ve matured as musicians since our demo days,” explains Dunn. “A song like ‘Our Darkest Day’ is really aggressive and features a dream collaboration with Ryan, while ‘Memo’ has a Red Hot Chili Peppers kind of vibe. We write what comes out naturally and never want to force anything. Aaron was awesome, giving us such a laid back and relaxed work environment. He created all the loops and electronic sounds on the album and we’re very happen with it!”

Indeed World We View offers a spread of sonic opulence akin to Thrice, Three Days Grace and Red that finds Nine Lashes mounds above most typical freshman acts. And it turns out the band’s lyrical revelations are equally as strong with Dunn honing in on a series of life experiences, alongside uplifting battle cries for fans to rally together towards proactivity.

“I kind of attacked each song one at a time, but they have a shared theme by default since I wrote them all close together,” he assures. “Basically no matter what your circumstances, your dream can be accomplished and your goal can be reached. Things don’t have to stay the way they are, so if you have a vision, don’t change it just because of your current circumstances.”

A perfect point of connection comes in the lead single “Anthem of the Lonely,” which already went to number one long before the album released, residing in the top spot for two weeks and the top ten for over six months! “That song is all about change, and for me, it recalls when I gave my life over to Christ,” reveals Dunn. “But it’s an anthem for anyone to know they’re not alone in whatever they’re going through and that change is always right around the corner.”

Even more engaging is the stirring “Afterglow,” which was written about the sudden passing of Adam “Tank” Jefferson and his brother Jonathan’s dad from a heart attack. Adding complication to the delicate subject was the fact that all the guys were present when the incident actually occurred. “We saw everything and it was a strange event that’s really hard to process,” adds Dunn. “It’s both an expression of that event and a tribute to their dad.”

Despite that tragedy, hope exudes the album at every turn, thanks in part to members’ unwavering commitment to Christ. In fact, the group’s very moniker references the whip used to beat Jesus (cat of nine tails), while using Isaiah 53:5 to remember the wounds He suffered for humanity’s restoration. That grounding even inspired the album title World We View, which as Dunn so eloquently describes, furthers the group’s vision for impacting its listeners with positivity and truth.

“The more we travel and meet people, the more we find a lot of people with an incorrect view of God,” he shares. “So many people think He’s an angry and vindictive God who wants to punish them for everything, but the World We View is one where we draw close to God and strive to make His point of view our point of view. When we start to see the world the way God sees it, our vision won’t be blurred anymore.”

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Some bands are artistically innovative boundary breakers with an unwavering ability to cast their nets wide and attract an audience that literally spans all walks of life. Others put their focus exclusively on unabashed praise and are so anointed they can literally usher listeners into the presence of God with a single strum of a chord. And while Worth Dying For certainly fits both impressive character profiles, the California-based troupe of praise purveyors is actually something much grander in the form of an all encompassing movement spanning worship, the arts and the church as a whole.

On the musical side of the coin, Worth Dying For is currently readying the release of Live Riot, its third national long player and fitting follow-up to 2011’s Love Riot. The collection of 10 brand new songs and a few live versions of already familiar material was culled from a praise service at the Ammunition Conference, which the group hosts annually to unite worship leaders and speakers from all the world over. However, the members of this ministry team don’t just serve on stage but literally roll up their sleeves in the trenches, as evidenced in their forthcoming FEARLESS church planting efforts in Los Angeles.

“Worth Dying For is a faceless army of worshippers that’s not about certain people in a band or ministry,” explains co-founder Christy Johnson. “We really believe in investing in people and raising them up. We don’t use people to make ministry happen. We use ministry to make people happen and we love seeing when someone starts out as an intern and is later able to get up in front of people and usher thousands into the presence of God.”

Indeed, the journey of all Worth Dying For’s facets is an unconventional one, dating back to 2007’s self-released debut Ammunition and winding through 2008’s self-titled label debut on Integrity Records (which found the troupe leading worship on Creation Festival: The Tour). Come 2011, the group returned to the self-releasing route on Ammunition Records, the home of both Love Riot and Live Riot, the latter of which features original members Christy Johnson, Josh O’haire and Sean Loche, as well as new worship leaders Dalisha Turner, Deanna Joven, Nick Morris, Rochelle Leguern and Sarah Agbayani.

“What we want people to experience whenever we play or when they listen to Live Riot is not a band that wants to get up there and perform for people, but one that’s all about making His presence known,” continues Nick. “Our hunger personally is for God to resonate and I think people catch onto that. You can’t take people anywhere you haven’t been.”

Adds Sean: “Our goal is to always disappear and remove ourselves from the equation. We hear testimony after testimony about someone who wanted to end their life and get connected to God, someone who had a broken leg and was healed, or someone who had their purity restored. The last thing we want with this album is to feel like it was a concert and just a lot of fun. We want people to encounter the power of God, fall more in love with Him and change their life for the better.”

In order to help facilitate those goals, it doesn’t hurt that Worth Dying For just so happens to be a razor-sharp musical collective with some of the most intriguing sounds of any musical scene. Perhaps Christianity Today.com described it best: “Taking the adrenaline up a notch while bursting through all the worship clichés—all while remaining reverent—makes for an assertive and musically alluring album. Even with the vertical lyrics, the band would easily fit modern rock radio, switching between synth-spiked pop, power ballads and screamo.”

Although the moments of worship are deep, high-energy praise songs like “Freedom Is Rising” and “One Love” keep listeners on the edge of their seats, while modern worshippers will also be drawn in by ballads like “Risen from the Grave” and the prophetic style of “Spirit of God.” The album also includes explosive new live versions of already established fan favorites, including “Savior,” “Higher” and “Love Riot.”

"We'll go from a song that has driving guitars, loud drums, and screaming in one song to a soft, melodic, ballad in the next. You can hear our musical influences which range from As I Lay Dying, to Coldplay, to LeCrae,” continues Sean, before Christy interjects. “And sometimes there are very spontaneous moments of worship led by the Holy Spirit where a song can stretch out like nine, ten or even fifteen minutes. We’ve never captured that on a CD before until now and it’s a very powerful account of the raw passion we’re all experiencing.”

Worth Dying For also draws comparisons to other seminal modern worship collectives including Planetshakers, Jesus Culture and Hillsong United. Indeed, much of those similarities stem from their shared format of being a worship team, church community and forum planners, which is where the Ammunition Conference comes into play.

“Long story short, my husband and I started a camp to coincide with Spirit West Coast Festival six or seven years ago under a tent with music and speakers,” recalls Christy of the venture she spearheaded with her husband/pastor Jeremy Johnson. “It grew to the point where we were attracting speakers from all over the nation so we thought ‘why not have a conference in our home church in February in addition to the camp in the summer?’ Ammunition Conference started two years ago and last year it doubled in size to about 3,000 people. We wound up stopping the camp aspect to put all our efforts into Ammunition and we’re currently in the process of branching out to various locations across the nation.”

Opportunities for Worth Dying For’s unique ministry umbrella are sure to grow all the more as 2012 finds the church plant FEARLESS getting off the ground with a mission that’s just as bold as the group’s soul stirring musical expressions. "We were traveling to an event with our team to lead worship and Jeremy heard God speak to Him,” unveils Christy. “For him, although the team was loud and having fun, the sound drowned out to dead silence in his mind. At that moment, he heard God speak, 'In 5 years, you will plant a church with this worship team.' It happened that my dad is the pastor at Calvary Temple where we were serving and 5 years later, he released us and the team to go into L.A."

For the first year, the group will build a ministry team throughout L.A., then love on the city in general with the goal of salvation, in turn, creating the need for a physical church and subsequent service. From there, FEARLESS will be officially up and running with Worth Dying For leading worship alongside a full-fledged multi-media team for maximum ministry impact.......

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