Time for a daily report on what's up in the Christian music world!
Christian Music/Entertainment News (8)
1. A new movie called Project Almanac hits theaters tomorrow, and when it does, Christian music fans will likely hear some familiar artists. The MTV Films-produced sci-fi thriller--which centers on a group of teenagers who build a time machine--features music by electronic artist David Thulin, as well as his brother Jonathan Thulin, as part of Press Play. Nicole Croteau of Press Play said one of the songs would be "Love Audio," and she said she's excited to have one of her songs in a movie for the very first time.
2. Royal Tailor has been nominated for the best Contemporary Christian Music Album Grammy, and was on hand at a Grammy Nashville chapter party. Frontman Tauren Wells snapped a selfie with none other than Taylor Swift. So this begs the question: Is she a fan of one of Christian music's best pop bands?
3. After 104 days of fiercely battling cancer, singer-songwriter Amanda Noelle is jumping for joy, she said, after doctors told her that her thyroid surgery was successful, and that after three to four months of vocal therapy, she should be able to sing again, as she did before. Praise God!
4. March 17 is quickly turning into a major Spring release date, and adding to that is Britt Nicole, who announced this week that she's going to put out a remix album then. She's pulled from her various albums and given them a good ol' makeover. More info to come, but yeah, she's pretty excited.
5. It already looked like a pretty stellar tour coming up with NEEDTOBREATHE and Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, but now… look out. Switchfoot announced it would be part of this soon-to-be-legendary tour. Apparently asking a band to join you on tour is becoming like asking a girl to prom or proposing… they're doing it big. Switchfoot shared a video of their finding a message in a bottle while surfing that contained the formal invitation to the tour.
6. Casting Crowns has gone platinum… again! They recently announced that their 2009 record Until the Whole World Hears hit RIAA Platinum status, which is earned upon sales of more than 1 million units. It's the band's fifth album to reach the coveted status.
7. And while we're talking RIAA status, TobyMac was blown away to learn that all five of his releases have achieved Gold status--that's for sales of more than 500,000 units. Referencing his current single, he said the success was #BeyondMe.
8. Brandon Heath has recorded a video of an acoustic performance of his song titled, "When I Was Young." The tune, he said, is about childlike faith, and makes him think about how he wishes he could have the innocence and trust he sees in children. We're thinking he should've played the song on an old-school Casio keyboard or a Paper Jamz guitar to get the full childlike experience.
Quotes (3)
1. "If you don't think God's love for the unlovable is amazing, go try to love someone who hates you for a day. See if that helps." - KB
2. "There is no critic like a religious critic. It's less painful to be beaten in the streets than to be beaten with a Bible. People will kill you with the letter of the text without understanding the spirit of the text. Don't be that person." - Joseph Rojas, Seventh Day Slumber
3. "God's love for us is purely selfless because He is willing to give up what's most important to Him--His only Son--to redeem you. He cherishes you as His precious creation." - Rebecca St. James