TFK Cancels Creation Festival Appearance

Thousand Foot Krutch announced that they will not be performing at Creation Northwest this Friday due to frontman Trevor McNevan's emergency surgery late yesterday evening. McNevan was taken to the emergency room for appendicitis, which resulted in an routine appendectomy around 8 p.m..

Brad Pitt: There is No God

Brad Pitt in an interview with German magazine Bild reveals his thoughts on God.

BILD: Have you found happiness in life?

Brad Pitt (nodding): Hm – yes. I am on the path I want to be on.”

BILD: Do you believe in God?
Brad Pitt (smiling): “No, no, no!”

BILD: Is your soul spiritual?
Brad Pitt: “No, no, no! I’m probably 20 per cent atheist and 80 per cent agnostic. I don’t think anyone really knows. You’ll either find out or not when you get there, until then there’s no point thinking about it.

Diamond Rio to Share "The Reason"

Diamond Rio are breaking new ground with the release of their first album (11th overall) to the Christian market. 'The Reason' releases September 22 in conjunction with their autobiography, 'Beautiful Mess.'

The group, named Vocal Group of the Year twice by the Country Music Association and four times by the Academy of Country Music, says the upcoming disc is more a revelation of who they are than a change in direction for them. "We're not preaching, but we're saying, 'This is who I am and I'm proud of it'," he says. "God is working and we're here for a reason."

This isn't the first time for Diamond Rio to show their spiritual side. Their Christian beliefs are also showcased in their hits 'I Believe,' 'Mama Don't Forget to Pray for Me' and 'One More Day.'

Daughtry tops albums chart, outsells Michael Jackson

For the past three weeks in a row, Michael Jackson's "Number Ones" has been the biggest-selling album in the country. Each time, it's been disqualified from Billboard's flagship Billboard 200 chart, along with all Jackson's other releases, due to its age.

For the first time in a month, the #1 album on the Billboard 200 is actually the #1 selling album. That unusual run of asterisked Billboard 200 chart-toppers is over. Daughtry finally put an end to Jackson's posthumous flummoxing of the Billboard rules as "Leave This Town" bows atop the chart with 269,000 copies sold.

That's a bit of a drop-off from the 304,000 that the first album sold when it hit shelves in 2006, but it's more than anyone else could muster in this sales frame.

Christian power-pop teens pureNRG squeak in at No. 20 with 22,000 copies sold.

Tree63 Disbands

According to JFH, South African band Tree63 has also decided to part ways. Lead Vocalist John Ellis has taken some time off, but will be working on his own music as well as continuing to perform classic Tree63 songs live. The rest of the guys are continuing to pursue their own separate music ventures.

Stryper Marks Milestone with New CD and 25th Anniversary Tour

Stryper released their new studio album, Murder By Pride, which was released today - twenty-five years to the day after the release of their debut EP, The Yellow and Black Attack.

The band will kick off a 25th Anniversary Tour in September, touring throughout the U.S. before heading out on an international run in early 2010. In addition to their hits and fan favorites, Stryper will perform songs from their latest studio album Murder by Pride.

The tour will be a two set show. The first set will be new Stryper material and include current bassist Tracy Ferrie, along with original members Michael Sweet, Robert Sweet and Oz Fox. The second set will feature all four original members, including original bassist Tim Gaines, wearing new yellow and black stage outfits from the original designer and performing the band's hits from the last twenty-five years.

The 25th Anniversary Tour will be a family project, with Michael Sweet Jr.'s band Flight Patterns opening all dates. Flight Patterns' debut album will be released this fall on Fifty Three Five Records.

Murder by Pride includes a cover of the BOSTON song "Peace of Mind" (featuring BOSTON founder, guitarist and songwriter Tom Scholz on the recording). Ironically, Stryper had recorded "Peace of Mind" and planned to include it on Murder by Pride long before Michael Sweet was asked to join BOSTON on vocals and guitar for their 54-city headlining tour of North America in summer 2008.

Free Music from Microsoft

According to Free Christian Music Blog, Microsoft is making it possible for you to get free music downloads by simply playing games. More info here.

It's a Tough Economy, So Here Are Some Free Tunes

There are many sources of legal free music that you can take advantage of to expand your musical canvas. Here's an updated representative list:

* hearitfirst.com
* iTickets.com
* artist pages on social sites such as purevolume.com, MySpace.com
* Gospelmusicchannel.com
* iTunes (new each Tuesday)
* Amazon.com (new each Tuesday)
* Walmart.com (new each Tuesday)
* Jesusfreakhideout.com
* 20 The Countdown Magazine
* Tangle

This site seeks them out for you:
Free Christian Music blog

This site has a nice list.

CCM To Relaunch Magazine In Digital Format

CCM Magazine, which ended print publication last year, has announced that it's relaunching the magazine in digital format. According to a press release, each issue of CCM will focus on new Christian music set to release during the quarter of publication.

Apparently, the mag had a soft launch last quarter because the 'magazine' had an article about Michael Tait joining the Newsboys.