Fans of great rock 'n roll unite!  Rockers The Myriad are part of the Dew Circuit Breakout Contest and have made it to the final three.  The winner will receive huge video rotation on the MTV related stations and is essentially the proverbial "golden ticket" for those involved in rock.  Voting ends at 6 PM Saturday evening when the band will play live on M2.  So head on over and vote, vote, vote!

Comments (0)

Jan. 7-11th will find an unprecedented gathering of songwriters and worship leaders coming together in Perthshire, Scotland with a singular goal: to collectively write 10-12 songs whose purpose is to provide not only artful songs to sing but to generate funds in order to help the world's poor.  Conceived of by Compassionart, those joining the gathering will be Michael W. Smith, Chris Tomlin, Martin Smith, Steven Curtis Chapman, Matt and Beth Redman, and more.  With one hundred percent of the proceeds earned from the project (as opposed to the $1-$2 donated by some other charitable albums) this is one to stand behind.  Redman says of the venture, "We’ve all talked for years about going deeper in worship - and that though music is such a wonderful expression, we must ultimately go beyond writing songs. This new venture is a great demonstration of that heart. Compassion and art - what a great mix.”

Bolton's biggest benefit here, particularly given the cultural criticism that he consistently must battle, is that he's taking on Christmas tracks here.  By and large, Christmastime and its subsequent sounds seem to bring out the milder side of those critics as they simply sit back and enjoy the season.  Yet, even at their sharpest, there's very little not to like from Bolton this time around.

Lyrically, the album is a bit reminiscent of Woody Guthrie and other folk legends.  Hendrix even covers Guthrie's "Pastures of Plenty" which follows the challenges of working in the field.  There is no fear of taboo subjects, either.  Racism is addressed in a couple of songs.  "What is the Color of the Soul?" uses the idea of colors to show the utter silliness and irrationality of racism.  "A red man married a snow white maid/Now all their kids are a copper shade/You know it puzzles me both day and night/Will their children's souls be red or white" is a good example of the fearlessness of the lyrics on The Spiritual Kind.

The line-up for the Hopeless/Sub-City Records "2008 Take Action Tour" has finally been announced.  Headliners Every Time I Die will be joined by From First to Last, The Bled, August Burns Red, and The Human Abstract in their mission to bring hope and change to the world.  The tour benefits the non-profit organization Do Something, which weekly distributes $500 to young people with an idea about how to make a difference in their community.  The organization has already distributed over $240,000 this year to young people who are changing the face of their communities.  Speaking to their involvement in the tour, Every Time I Die frontman Keith Buckley says, "As a band that is more often than not actively pursuing leisure, it will be a nice change to finally take some action."

Comments (0)

Dove Award winners Sanctus Real are set to launch their latest album, We Need Each Other, on Feb. 12th.  The band carries the album's theme throughout, inviting a number of guests to join in, among them vocalist Kate Herzig and none other than EMI CMG Label Group president Peter York who wowed the band with his bluesy guitar licks on the album's opening track, "Turn on the Lights."  The band will also be headlining a short tour leading up to the album's release and then hitting the road with veteran mainstays Third Day for a major market tour.

Comments (0)