Flyleaf in Rwanda

I ran accross this video while checking out Flyleaf's website.  I was intending on reporting on Lacey's vocal work on the new Third Day album.  You can find out more here.  But before you do, check out this video clip of the band visiting Rwanda with World Vision.  It features a great accoustic version of their hit, "All Around Me".

World Vision Trip To Rwanda

SOULFEST 2009 VACATION CONTEST

If you haven't signed up for the SoulFest 2009 Vacation Contest... what are you waiting for?  There's nothing like a bitter cold January to get me thinking about Summer Vacation!

This is a great chance to win:

• 5 adult multi-day passes
• FREE camping at SoulFest (July 29-August 1, 2009)
• 5 Revolution Alley Upgrades
• 5 SoulFest Meal Plans (daily lunch & dinner - buffet style)
• a $200 shopping spree at the SoulStore

Just head over to: http://www.thesoulfest.com/2009/sf/vacacontest.html and fill out the form to be entered into the contest.

"What If We..." Wednesdays

On Wednesdays, The SoulFest Blog will visit with Brandon Heath as he hits the streets in search of answers to questions that all begin with, "What if we..." Brandon's sophomore album, "What If We," featuring the hit song, "Give Me Your Eyes" is now available in stores and online. Visit www.brandonheath.net for more information.



Brandon Heath and the Revelation Tour will visit Worcester, MA on Saturday, March 14th, at 7:30pm. Click Here for more details and to purchase tickets. You're not going to want to miss this great night!

Third Day on Twitter

Looking for a new way to keep up with Third Day?  A lot of artists and bands are personally updating their "Twitter" accounts with answers to the question, "What are you doing right now?"  Third Day, especially guitarist Mark Lee,  are no exception.  For example, Mark and the guys have recently embarked on the K-Love Friends and Family Cruise in the Caribbean and posted, "probably my last update for a few days...Later, Miami. Catch ya on the flip side".  

Twitter is really starting to catch a little momentum thanks to the opportunity to interact with friends, family and community leaders.  Check out the following suggestions:

Third Day: http://twitter.com/thirdday

Mark Lee: http://twitter.com/marklee3d

SoulFest: http://twitter.com/soulfest

Jason DeStratis... (Me) http://twitter.com/jdestratis

Third Day and the Revelation Tour will visit Worcester, MA on Saturday, March 14th, at 7:30pm. Click Here for more details and to purchase tickets. You're not going to want to miss this great night!

Faces To Watch In '09

Billboard Magazine recently named Revive one of the 15 new "Faces To Watch In '09"!  As you can see in their blog, the guys are pretty psyched to be selected as the only Christian Music artist by Billboard's staff. “Revive looks to be the next Aussie export to make its mark in the Christian music arena,” states Billboard.  Ironically, the guys have not been able to get their hands on an actual copy of the magazine as they are in their native Austrialia for one more week before returning to the states.  They did have someone scan the page for them.  

Take a closer look here: http://www.reviveband.com/images/revivebillboard.jpg

Revive and the Revelation Tour will visit Worcester, MA on Saturday, March 14th, at 7:30pm. Click Here for more details and to purchase tickets. You're not going to want to miss this great night!

Fictional Family

This past Wednesday I became part of a fictional family along with 200 others gathered at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston.  Fiction Family, featuring Jon Foreman of Switchfoot and Sean Watkins of Nickle Creek played to this intimate crowd anxious to hear the new side project from the two artists.

When I read the story on how these two established singer/songwriters came together, my original thought was that this project is the first "Web 2.0" album.  Read the entire story here.  The basic concept is that Jon and Sean were rarely able to be in the same place at the same time, so they traded musical ideas and tracks online, adding new elements until they had a song that worked.  They colaborated over a period of three years while maintaining a busy schedule with their respective bands.

This concert was an extremely refreshing experience for me.  It is rare to be so familiar with a musician (Jon) but not be familiar with most of the music being performed.  Fiction Family's self titled debut had only been released to the stores one day before the show, so the only song that I was familiar was their lead single, "When She's Near".  Some of the most memorable songs on Wednesday night showcased Jon's reflective and inspiring lyrics ("Mostly Prove Me Wrong") and Sean's incredible "blue grass" guitar skills ("War In My Blood").

Both artists come from different musical pedigrees which makes their colaboration truly unique.  And even though a part of me was hoping to hear a couple of Switchfoot tracks mixed into the show, I really came to appreciate their dedication to the music of this project, as they performed almost every track on the album. I wasn't able to meet all the 200 or so members of my new fictional family on Wednesday night, but we all walked away a fresh take on the rock/folk genre.  

"What If We..." Wednesdays

On Wednesdays, The SoulFest Blog will visit with Brandon Heath as he hits the streets in search of answers to questions that all begin with, "What if we..." Brandon's sophomore album, "What If We," featuring the hit song, "Give Me Your Eyes" is now available in stores and online. Visit www.brandonheath.net for more information.



Brandon Heath and the Revelation Tour will visit Worcester, MA on Saturday, March 14th, at 7:30pm. Click Here for more details and to purchase tickets. You're not going to want to miss this great night!

Newsboys Update

From the Newsboys Blog:

Guitarist Jody Davis returns to newsboys after a five-year hiatus. Davis, who was a member of the band from 1993-2003, contributed to many of newsboys' greatest hits like "Shine," "Entertaining Angels," and "It is You." In 2003, he took time off to care for his daughter, Bethany, who has cerebral palsy.

"I am thrilled to be returning to the band and back with my bandmates, who are some of my best friends," says Davis. "This is a big change in my life, and I'm looking forward to the tour and new record with excitement."

Peter Furler, lead vocalist for newsboys, is also excited about Davis' return. "Jody is like a brother to all of us, and we have missed him greatly over the last five years. It's going to be great to have him back with us."

Paul Colman, who played guitar with newsboys the last three years, will be continuing his solo career and performing shows nationwide in 2009. "My three years with newsboys were among the best of my life. I learned an immeasurable amount about music, ministry, and life, and am happy to say I left with all our friendships wonderfully intact. I always was and always will be one of newsboys' biggest fans. I am very excited about the return of Jody Davis!"

newsboys will release the title track and debut single, "In The Hands Of God," from its forthcoming May 5, 2009 project to both AC and CHR radio Jan. 16. The band will also embark on a 30-city "Join the Tribe" tour with special guests DecembeRadio, Vota and Bread of Stone in February. Additional tour details are forthcoming. For more information, visit newsboys.com.

SoulFest Winter Family Special

Make SoulFest your summer vacation for a family experience you will never forget! Buy 3 or more Adult, Youth, or Senior Multi-day passes and save 10%! Use the coupon code "FamilyVaca09" when ordering at thesoulstore.com, now through March 30, 2009. Click here to purchase tickets now!

Live at the Paradise in Boston

As promised we have information about Fiction Family (Jon Foreman / Sean Watkins) playing in concert for one show here in New England.   They will be playing an all ages show at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston on Wednesday, January 21st.  The doors open at 7pm and the show should get underway at 8pm.  This is only one day after thier self titled album becomes available, so be sure to grab it while your there.  This show is not being promoted by The SoulFest, but as a huge fan of Switchfoot, I wanted to show a little love to Jon Foreman for braving the weather to come up to Boston.  Click Here for more information on tickets.

"What If We..." Wednesdays

On Wednesdays, The SoulFest Blog will visit with Brandon Heath as he hits the streets in search of answers to questions that all begin with, "What if we..."  Brandon's sophomore album, "What If We," featuring the hit song, "Give Me Your Eyes" is now available in stores and online. Visit www.brandonheath.net for more information.

Brandon Heath and the Revelation Tour will visit Worcester, MA on Saturday, March 14th, at 7:30pm.  Click Here for more details and to purchase tickets. You're not going to want to miss this great night!

Third Day in Alaska

Third Day was on tour in Alaska last week.  Yes... Alaska in January.  I just happened to see a weather report last week describing how insanely cold it was there and now we have proof.  Head on over to the Third Day Blog and you'll see a great exmaple of Mark Lee testing the physical properties of water.

"Anytime you hear about extremely cold weather, you hear stories of people throwing a glass of water in the air and it freezing before it hits the ground. Not wanting to waste a ridiculously cold day in Fairbanks, I tried it. "

Here is the link to their blog with some great pictures and videos from Alaska: http://thirdday.blogs.com/third_day_weblog/ 

The Revelation Tour comes to Worcester, MA on Saturday, March 14th at 7:30pm. Don't forget about the EARLY BIRD PRICING for $25! (limited time only). These tickets will give you general admission to the back section of the floor and balcony. Click Here to order and for more details! You're not going to want to miss this great night!

Fiction Family

Fans of Switchfoot have some new music to check out.  Jon Foreman, the frontman for Switchfoot has teamed up with Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek for a side project named Fiction Family.  With credit to Wikipedia: The two began the collaboration in 2005 by writing songs together, according to a blog post on Watkins's website.  Around Mid-2006 they began recording the songs, in bits and pieces while the two were off the road, announcing themselves as "The Real SeanJon". However, on March 13, 2008, it was reported that The Real SeanJon had changed their name to "Fiction Family." Foreman stated that the record would be released in January 2009, and a press release by Nickel Creek later confirmed that the self-titled album, Fiction Family, is to be released on January 20, 2009, on ATO Records.

A free download of their first single, 'When She's Near' is available at the Fiction Family website.  I recommend you grab it... it's a great song!  http://store2.bandfarm.com/fiction-family/form/free-download/

Be sure to subscribe to The SoulFest Blog for more updates on Fiction Family playing live in New England.  Click Here:  http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheSoulfestBlog

Getting to Know Revive - Ty

Here is the fourth of four "Get to Know Revive" posts.  This one features Ty, the guitar player from the band.  Ty wants us to know that he doesn't through "Shrimp on the barbie..."  Check out this video!

Revive and The Revelation Tour comes to Worcester, MA on Saturday, March 14th at 7:30pm. Don't forget about the EARLY BIRD PRICING for $25! (limited time only). These tickets will give you general admission to the back section of the floor and balcony. Click Here to order and for more details! You're not going to want to miss this great night!

Getting to Know Revive - Mike

Here is the third of four "Get to know Revive" posts.  This one features Mike, the drummer in the band.  In this clip Mike shares his favorite moment from the song, "Power" - Track 5.  Check out this video!

Revive and The Revelation Tour comes to Worcester, MA on Saturday, March 14th at 7:30pm. Don't forget about the EARLY BIRD PRICING for $25! (limited time only). These tickets will give you general admission to the back section of the floor and balcony. Click Here to order and for more details! You're not going to want to miss this great night!

Getting to Know Revive - Dave

Here is the second of four "Get to know Revive" posts.  This one features Dave, the singer in the band.  Here, Dave clears up the long-time American perception that all people in Austrailia ride a kangaroo to work.  Check out this video!

Revive and The Revelation Tour comes to Worcester, MA on Saturday, March 14th at 7:30pm. Don't forget about the EARLY BIRD PRICING for $25! (limited time only). These tickets will give you general admission to the back section of the floor and balcony. Click Here to order and for more details! You're not going to want to miss this great night!

Getting to Know Revive - Rich

Here is the first of four "Get to know Revive" posts.  This one features Rich, the bass player from the band.  It seems like Australians always have a great sense of humor... and Rich is not the exception.  Check out this video!

Revive and The Revelation Tour comes to Worcester, MA on Saturday, March 14th at 7:30pm. Don't forget about the EARLY BIRD PRICING for $25! (limited time only). These tickets will give you general admission to the back section of the floor and balcony. Click Here to order and for more details! You're not going to want to miss this great night!

Free song by Revive

I hope everyone is feeling rested after a busy Christmas and New Year's.  This weekend has been great for me and my family as we've had a chance to rest up before getting back to the 'regular routine'.  And if that is the case for you as well, perhaps you're online and thinking to yourself, "I could use some new music... a free mp3 would be nice."  Well then, you've come to the right place!

Revive has posted a free MP3 available by going to their website: www.reviveband.com

• Click on "Enter" on the bottom right hand side of the page
• CLick on "Free Revive Song Download" on the righ hand side of the page
• A new page opens / fill out the form and click "Submit" at the bottom of the page.
• Check your email inbox and follow the link provided.
• Save the free MP3 to your music folder or a place where you can find it later and enjoy!

Stay tuned to The SoulFest Blog as we spend some time getting to know the guys from Revive.

Revive and The Revelation Tour comes to Worcester, MA on Saturday, March 14th at 7:30pm. Don't forget about the EARLY BIRD PRICING for $25! (limited time only). These tickets will give you general admission to the back section of the floor and balcony. Click Here to order and for more details! You're not going to want to miss this great night!