Donnie McClurkin, the pastor and gospel music singer who said God delivered him from homosexuality, is now under fire from critics after speaking out against last Friday's U.S. Supreme Court ruling which made same-sex marriage legal nationwide.
McClurkin received some harsh criticism after he shared his interpretation of the Bible's position on homosexuality on Facebook last Friday.
"We've just received the answer from man's Supreme Court ... we already received the answer from GOD," the pastor of Perfecting Faith Church in New York wrote. "With NO REGARD to what the Supreme Court of MAN decrees ... no matter what MY past was or feelings & struggles ... GOD has set the only standard for marriage to be between man and woman ... in biology, in physiology, in history, biblically & scripturally and that ... I will NEVER speak against!"
After one homosexual Facebook user questioned why his sins were scrutinized by believers more than heterosexual sins, McClurkin insisted his post was not questioning anyone's relationship with God.
"... I simply said I don't agree with the verdict of the Supreme Court. ... I don't have to be PERFECT to speak what the Bible says or what I know to be true," McClurkin responded to his critic. "I don't know where you'll be if you die tomorrow and that wasn't a point in my blog. ... I just don't agree with the verdict and believe the Bible — that's all."
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Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Matthew West Interviewed on Blaze TV
Award winning singer-songwriter Matthew West on Tuesday explained on the Glenn Beck Program on The Blaze how losing his voice put him on the path he is on today, and ultimately allowed him to tell the stories of countless others.
“About seven years ago, my career was about to take off to the next level, or so I thought. And my voice left me,” West explained on The Glenn Beck Program. “They told me I was going to need to have career-threatening vocal cord surgery and warned me that my voice may never sound the same again.”
West had the surgery, and said that for two months, he was unable to sing or speak.
“You do some pretty intense soul-searching during that time,” he remarked. “It was during that time that I began to think, ‘Well if my voice does come back, how could I use my voice differently? What if God is going to give me my voice back to give a voice to other people?’”
“Fast-forward, I feel like that’s become my mission in life, using my voice as a singer and songwriter to tell the stories of other people’s lives and in doing so, hopefully empower people to realize that their life is a one in a million, unique story that can go out and change the world,” West said.
“There are so many people that are so defeated, they don’t even believe they can change their own life,” he continued. “But I believe that every single one of our stories, as broken as they might be, was designed ultimately to become a redemption story.”
West said he has collected over 40,000 stories, and some of them are shared on his new album “Live Forever.”
“When we begin to live our redemption story not out of defeat but in hope, the world can’t help but change,” he concluded.
“About seven years ago, my career was about to take off to the next level, or so I thought. And my voice left me,” West explained on The Glenn Beck Program. “They told me I was going to need to have career-threatening vocal cord surgery and warned me that my voice may never sound the same again.”
West had the surgery, and said that for two months, he was unable to sing or speak.
“You do some pretty intense soul-searching during that time,” he remarked. “It was during that time that I began to think, ‘Well if my voice does come back, how could I use my voice differently? What if God is going to give me my voice back to give a voice to other people?’”
“Fast-forward, I feel like that’s become my mission in life, using my voice as a singer and songwriter to tell the stories of other people’s lives and in doing so, hopefully empower people to realize that their life is a one in a million, unique story that can go out and change the world,” West said.
“There are so many people that are so defeated, they don’t even believe they can change their own life,” he continued. “But I believe that every single one of our stories, as broken as they might be, was designed ultimately to become a redemption story.”
West said he has collected over 40,000 stories, and some of them are shared on his new album “Live Forever.”
“When we begin to live our redemption story not out of defeat but in hope, the world can’t help but change,” he concluded.
Monday, June 29, 2015
Pop Sensation Tori Kelly Shares Heart of Worship During Concerts;
Tori Kelly continues to impact social media as she climbs the charts reaching No. 1 on iTunes with her new album, Unbreakable Smile. Her Christian faith and impromptu worship performances are catching the attention of the Christian community as well. Although not a Christian artist, Kelly can be found on YouTube singing various worship songs she performed in the past.
Kelly has been playing to sold out venues. The new singer was first seen on American Idol at the age of 16 but did not make it. She later signed with Justin Bieber's manager Scooter Braun and her career is now skyrocketing.
A recent video of Kelly singing Hillsong United's "Oceans" at her New York concert has now surfaced and is garnering her the support of many in the Christian community.
"Overheard the most beautiful music under a bridge in central park while i was in new york.. bought their album, did an impromptu song & then invited them to perform at my show," Kelly wrote on Facebook, "thank you for letting me sing with you guys"
Watch the video
Hillsong took to social media reposting Kelly's video and the message "Love this! You are amazing Tori Kelly."
Kelly has been playing to sold out venues. The new singer was first seen on American Idol at the age of 16 but did not make it. She later signed with Justin Bieber's manager Scooter Braun and her career is now skyrocketing.
A recent video of Kelly singing Hillsong United's "Oceans" at her New York concert has now surfaced and is garnering her the support of many in the Christian community.
"Overheard the most beautiful music under a bridge in central park while i was in new york.. bought their album, did an impromptu song & then invited them to perform at my show," Kelly wrote on Facebook, "thank you for letting me sing with you guys"
Watch the video
Hillsong took to social media reposting Kelly's video and the message "Love this! You are amazing Tori Kelly."
Sunday, June 28, 2015
Colony House to Perform on CONAN
Nashville rock trio Colony House will perform on CONAN tomorrow. The appearance will kick off the band's third single "Waiting For My Time To Come" from their debut full length album When I Was Younger which charted #3 on Billboard Heatseekers Chart and #7 on iTunes Alternative Rock Charts.
As a special preview, today Wall Street Journal debuted the new revamped version of the song which they will perform on CONAN.
LISTEN: Colony House - "Waiting For My Time To Come" via Wall Street Journal: http://on.wsj.com/1JkOs37
"When we originally wrote and recorded 'Waiting For My Time To Come,' we took a slow-building, raw, cinematic approach," explained frontman Caleb Chapman to Journal. "With the reworked version, we took a more energetic approach. Live, this song has always been a highlight for both the crowd and the band. We thought that perhaps we could capture a little bit of that live energy."
Explaining the song's history, Chapman continued "About two years ago we had no idea what was happening with our band. At that point, a bunch of opportunities kept falling apart last minute. The peak of our disappointment came in October 2013. We had booked a slot on the Austin City Limits festival and were meant to play the last Sunday of the second weekend. We woke up that rainy morning to a phone call telling us that we would not be playing because the park had been flooded, so we packed our bags and had to make the 15 hour journey home. On that drive home, we decided to write and record an EP over the next month. We were just thinking of anything we could do to help inspire ourselves in a season that was otherwise uninspiring. 'Waiting For My Time To Come' was the first song I wrote for that EP. It deals with the subject of 'things not going your way' and quickly turned into our theme song."
Colony House first captured attention with their lead single "Silhouettes" which became the #1 most played track on SiriusXM's Alt Nation with 50 spins per week and made their national television debut on Late Night with Seth Meyers. They've also been featured on VH1 "Big Morning Buzz", Nylon, NPR Music, TeamCoco, Paste, and A.V. Club. They'll hit the road again in early July on the second leg of the Tour De Compadres featuring Drew Holcomb, Switchfoot, and NeedtoBreathe.
As a special preview, today Wall Street Journal debuted the new revamped version of the song which they will perform on CONAN.
LISTEN: Colony House - "Waiting For My Time To Come" via Wall Street Journal: http://on.wsj.com/1JkOs37
"When we originally wrote and recorded 'Waiting For My Time To Come,' we took a slow-building, raw, cinematic approach," explained frontman Caleb Chapman to Journal. "With the reworked version, we took a more energetic approach. Live, this song has always been a highlight for both the crowd and the band. We thought that perhaps we could capture a little bit of that live energy."
Explaining the song's history, Chapman continued "About two years ago we had no idea what was happening with our band. At that point, a bunch of opportunities kept falling apart last minute. The peak of our disappointment came in October 2013. We had booked a slot on the Austin City Limits festival and were meant to play the last Sunday of the second weekend. We woke up that rainy morning to a phone call telling us that we would not be playing because the park had been flooded, so we packed our bags and had to make the 15 hour journey home. On that drive home, we decided to write and record an EP over the next month. We were just thinking of anything we could do to help inspire ourselves in a season that was otherwise uninspiring. 'Waiting For My Time To Come' was the first song I wrote for that EP. It deals with the subject of 'things not going your way' and quickly turned into our theme song."
Colony House first captured attention with their lead single "Silhouettes" which became the #1 most played track on SiriusXM's Alt Nation with 50 spins per week and made their national television debut on Late Night with Seth Meyers. They've also been featured on VH1 "Big Morning Buzz", Nylon, NPR Music, TeamCoco, Paste, and A.V. Club. They'll hit the road again in early July on the second leg of the Tour De Compadres featuring Drew Holcomb, Switchfoot, and NeedtoBreathe.
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
'A.D. The Bible Continues' Suffers Ratings Low for Finale
"A.D. The Bible Continues," the follow-up series to the hit "The Bible" and based on events in the book of Acts, scored a 0.7 rating among the 18-49 demographic, which translates to approximately 3.56 million viewers.
This rating was well below the series premiere of ABC's "Battlebots," which ran in the same hour as "A.D." and had approximately 5.44 million viewers.
Also competing with "A.D." was Fox's live coverage of the U.S. Open. The professional golf event, which aired from 7 – 10:46 p.m., garnered nearly 6.7 million viewers.
Produced by husband and wife team Roma Downey and Mark Burnett, "A.D. The Bible Continues" premiered on Easter Sunday.
The 12 episodes comprising the first season begin with the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus and then culminated with the disciples getting their first Roman convert.
Sunday's 0.7 rating was a severe decline from the debut Easter Sunday episode of "A.D.", which gave NBC approximately 9.5 million viewers.
According to the site tvseriesfinale.com, the overall trend of the 12 episodes shows a gradual decline in viewership over the past couple months.
The site noted that the April episodes garnered ratings well above the 5.0 mark, while episodes in May sunk into the 4.0 range, and the June episodes were in the 3.0 range.
This rating was well below the series premiere of ABC's "Battlebots," which ran in the same hour as "A.D." and had approximately 5.44 million viewers.
Also competing with "A.D." was Fox's live coverage of the U.S. Open. The professional golf event, which aired from 7 – 10:46 p.m., garnered nearly 6.7 million viewers.
Produced by husband and wife team Roma Downey and Mark Burnett, "A.D. The Bible Continues" premiered on Easter Sunday.
The 12 episodes comprising the first season begin with the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus and then culminated with the disciples getting their first Roman convert.
Sunday's 0.7 rating was a severe decline from the debut Easter Sunday episode of "A.D.", which gave NBC approximately 9.5 million viewers.
According to the site tvseriesfinale.com, the overall trend of the 12 episodes shows a gradual decline in viewership over the past couple months.
The site noted that the April episodes garnered ratings well above the 5.0 mark, while episodes in May sunk into the 4.0 range, and the June episodes were in the 3.0 range.
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Roma Downey to Host new Series
Before a tornado ravaged her family's home, one Indiana woman heard the voice of God tell her to prepare her family for the upcoming devastation. This woman was one of many who decided to share their miraculous experiences on the new TLC show, produced by actress Roma Downey, called "Answered Prayers."
Downey, the "Touched by an Angel" actress, will host the new six episode TLC series that she'll also produce alongside her husband, Mike Burnett. The husband and wife duo recently teamed up to create the successful television miniseries "The Bible" and "AD."
Both Christians and non-believers who tune in will bear witness to real life footage, interviews and reactions to divine encounters such as one young boy surviving being buried under 11 feet of sand for hours, a pastor being stabbed 37 times and one family's car falling into an icy river bank with them in it.
"Each hour-long episode paints a vivid portrait of ordinary people who have faced extraordinary circumstances, and miraculously lived to tell the tale," TLC said in a statement shared with The Christian Post. "Each individual's unwavering faith and trust in the power of prayer has transformed potentially heartbreaking situations into stories of true inspiration."
The series will make its official debut at 10 p.m. ET Sunday, July 27.
Downey, the "Touched by an Angel" actress, will host the new six episode TLC series that she'll also produce alongside her husband, Mike Burnett. The husband and wife duo recently teamed up to create the successful television miniseries "The Bible" and "AD."
Both Christians and non-believers who tune in will bear witness to real life footage, interviews and reactions to divine encounters such as one young boy surviving being buried under 11 feet of sand for hours, a pastor being stabbed 37 times and one family's car falling into an icy river bank with them in it.
"Each hour-long episode paints a vivid portrait of ordinary people who have faced extraordinary circumstances, and miraculously lived to tell the tale," TLC said in a statement shared with The Christian Post. "Each individual's unwavering faith and trust in the power of prayer has transformed potentially heartbreaking situations into stories of true inspiration."
The series will make its official debut at 10 p.m. ET Sunday, July 27.
Needtobreathe To Perform on Good Morning America With Gavin DeGraw
Needtobreathe will be on on Good Morning America Thursday, July 2. The band will bring along Gavin DeGraw for their first network television performance of "Brother."
Monday, June 15, 2015
'Jurassic World' Passes 'Avengers' For Biggest Opening Ever
The dinosaurs are definitively back on top after "Jurassic World" had a Tyrannosaurus-rex-sized opening that proved even bigger than expected.
The film brought in $208.8 million in its first weekend in theaters, That's the highest-grossing opening weekend of all time.
"Marvel's The Avengers" had previously held the domestic opening weekend record. That film opened to $207.4 million in 2012.
Chris Pratt stars in the fourth installment of the popular "Jurassic" series. Internationally, the film grossed a similarly mighty $315.3 million, bringing its international total to a record $524.1 million.
The film brought in $208.8 million in its first weekend in theaters, That's the highest-grossing opening weekend of all time.
"Marvel's The Avengers" had previously held the domestic opening weekend record. That film opened to $207.4 million in 2012.
Chris Pratt stars in the fourth installment of the popular "Jurassic" series. Internationally, the film grossed a similarly mighty $315.3 million, bringing its international total to a record $524.1 million.
'Jurassic World' star Chris Pratt a devout Christian
Jurassic World star Chris Pratt may run from dinosaurs, but he’s not running from public opinion.
The velociraptor expert and trainer is a vocal Christian, gun supporter, and hunting advocate who makes no apologies for his political and religious views.
That’s surprising for an actor who makes a living in the normally liberal town of Hollywood.
Most Hollywood conservatives have to hide in the basement and wait to express their beliefs during secret meetings of Friends of Abe Inc. The private political group was started ten years ago and keeps its membership private to prevent them being blackballed from the famously left-leaning industry, according to the New York Times.
Pratt, however, is a proud gun-toting, God-fearing actor who isn’t afraid to express his political and religious beliefs or let the world know how he feels. Maybe that’s why people love him so much.
Pratt is rumored to be Harrison Ford’s replacement as the next Indiana Jones, a role that would be great for him.
The velociraptor expert and trainer is a vocal Christian, gun supporter, and hunting advocate who makes no apologies for his political and religious views.
That’s surprising for an actor who makes a living in the normally liberal town of Hollywood.
Most Hollywood conservatives have to hide in the basement and wait to express their beliefs during secret meetings of Friends of Abe Inc. The private political group was started ten years ago and keeps its membership private to prevent them being blackballed from the famously left-leaning industry, according to the New York Times.
Pratt, however, is a proud gun-toting, God-fearing actor who isn’t afraid to express his political and religious beliefs or let the world know how he feels. Maybe that’s why people love him so much.
Pratt is rumored to be Harrison Ford’s replacement as the next Indiana Jones, a role that would be great for him.
Friday, June 12, 2015
Mr. T Reveals Why He Refused a Nearly $1 Million Offer And Shares His Faith Journey
Actor Mr. T is a life-long Christian who is anything but shy about sharing his personal faith and values, telling HuffPo Live that he once stood on principle and turned down a nearly $1 million offer to appear in a beer commercial.
“They offered me almost a million dollars to do a beer commercial in Japan. I said, ‘I won't do it,’” the actor explained. “First, it was $700,000 and then they moved the price up. Why? Because of what I stand on.”
Mr. T said he would have been a “liar” and a “fraud” if he advertised beer when he works hard to spread positive messages to young people and professes not to be a drinker.
Mr. T went on to say that he is “a sinner” who isn’t perfect, but that he has been a life-long Christian who works hard to follow the Bible. Like anyone else, though, he said that he sometimes fails, admitting to, at times, harboring dislike and “un-forgiveness” in his heart.
As for his upbringing, Mr. T said that his father was a minister and that his mother, too, was a strong Christian.
While he never had a “Damascus road moment” — a reference to the life-altering encounter that the Apostle Paul had with Jesus in the New Testament — Mr. T said that he, like his parents, has consistently and diligently sought God throughout his life.
Watch Mr. T explain his faith journey below:
The actor also shared that he believes his iconic movie role as Clubber Lang in “Rocky III” came as a blessing from God after he selflessly donated the money he won in a boxing contest decades ago to his church.
“When I won the Tough Man contest two years in a row, I gave the money to my church,” Mr. T told the outlet, noting that he wanted to use his winnings to help the poor in his community. “I won because my cause — c-a-u-s-e — my cause was greater than the other guys’ cause.”
Mr. T said that his motivation for winning the contest had everything to do with using the prize money to help his church, and he believes that decision — which he made years ago — led to some blessings in his life.
“When I gave the money to the church, my blessing came back … when I gave, that’s when I got the call from Rocky people,” he said. “The Rocky people called because my heart is right. I gave the money. I wasn’t looking for anything in turn.”
“They offered me almost a million dollars to do a beer commercial in Japan. I said, ‘I won't do it,’” the actor explained. “First, it was $700,000 and then they moved the price up. Why? Because of what I stand on.”
Mr. T said he would have been a “liar” and a “fraud” if he advertised beer when he works hard to spread positive messages to young people and professes not to be a drinker.
Mr. T went on to say that he is “a sinner” who isn’t perfect, but that he has been a life-long Christian who works hard to follow the Bible. Like anyone else, though, he said that he sometimes fails, admitting to, at times, harboring dislike and “un-forgiveness” in his heart.
As for his upbringing, Mr. T said that his father was a minister and that his mother, too, was a strong Christian.
While he never had a “Damascus road moment” — a reference to the life-altering encounter that the Apostle Paul had with Jesus in the New Testament — Mr. T said that he, like his parents, has consistently and diligently sought God throughout his life.
Watch Mr. T explain his faith journey below:
The actor also shared that he believes his iconic movie role as Clubber Lang in “Rocky III” came as a blessing from God after he selflessly donated the money he won in a boxing contest decades ago to his church.
“When I won the Tough Man contest two years in a row, I gave the money to my church,” Mr. T told the outlet, noting that he wanted to use his winnings to help the poor in his community. “I won because my cause — c-a-u-s-e — my cause was greater than the other guys’ cause.”
Mr. T said that his motivation for winning the contest had everything to do with using the prize money to help his church, and he believes that decision — which he made years ago — led to some blessings in his life.
“When I gave the money to the church, my blessing came back … when I gave, that’s when I got the call from Rocky people,” he said. “The Rocky people called because my heart is right. I gave the money. I wasn’t looking for anything in turn.”
'Real Housewives of Orange County' Star Tamra Judge Denies Faking Baptism for Reality TV
Two weeks after being accused of faking her Christian conversion to secure her spot on the reality TV show "Real Housewives of Orange County," star Tamra Judge has hit back at her critics insisting that her conversion is genuine and that it has completely changed her life.
"What's so funny is there's so many fake stories that go out there in the press," Judge, who accepted Christ as her savior roughly one month ago, told The Christian Post in a recent phone interview. "I think in the past six months I've felt like a new person, but it's just one of those things where I wanted to make it right with the Lord and I knew the journey I was on. I'm not saying like, I'm perfect and I'm not saying I'm at church every single Sunday. I try to go every Sunday, I'm joining a Bible study … as you know, your mindset changes [after being baptized]."
Judge's emotional baptism will air on the hit Bravo TV show that's in its 10th season in coming months as part of the season finale. Her life-changing decision to be born again came during what she said was a very difficult time in her life, after a woman at her Cut Fitness gym invited her to go to church.
"I was never baptized as a kid, and I was never brought up in church and I haven't raised my kids in the church, it was something that was very foreign to me," she shared. "When I was going through everything I was going through, I was at work one day and this woman came up to me at my studio — she goes 'would you like to go to church with me?' and I said 'yes.'"
She continued: "So I took my kids to church and [my husband] Eddie went with me and my life just kind of changed, it was very powerful. And I think that with religion and accepting the Lord into your life and your heart, it's a personal journey."
The series follows six Orange County women, whose pampered lifestyles and endless bickering captivates viewers every year. [2.7 million during its peak last season]
During season nine, the 44-year-old mother of four, who's just days away from celebrating her second wedding anniversary to her husband, Eddie, was cast by viewers as the show's villain due to her frequent clashes with castmates. The Bravo TV star says she's confident that all is set to change this season.
"I think that you will see me think twice about a lot of things that I do and kind of saying 'what would God do?'" said Judge.
During season eight, Judge, made famous the term "Jesus Jugs" after screaming it at her former co-star, Alexis Bellino, a devout Christian and married mom of three, during a heated exchange. The born-again Christian said that she now understands why the term was so offensive and that she has since apologized to Bellino.
"Oh definitely," Judge said in response to whether she regrets hurling the insult. "I think for me, I just didn't know what a Christian was. When you think of someone being a Christian you think they don't do anything wrong. They're not sinners, they don't get boob jobs, whatever … and she was the epitome of Orange County in my mind, and I think I just didn't know. It was pure ignorance."
"What's so funny is there's so many fake stories that go out there in the press," Judge, who accepted Christ as her savior roughly one month ago, told The Christian Post in a recent phone interview. "I think in the past six months I've felt like a new person, but it's just one of those things where I wanted to make it right with the Lord and I knew the journey I was on. I'm not saying like, I'm perfect and I'm not saying I'm at church every single Sunday. I try to go every Sunday, I'm joining a Bible study … as you know, your mindset changes [after being baptized]."
Judge's emotional baptism will air on the hit Bravo TV show that's in its 10th season in coming months as part of the season finale. Her life-changing decision to be born again came during what she said was a very difficult time in her life, after a woman at her Cut Fitness gym invited her to go to church.
"I was never baptized as a kid, and I was never brought up in church and I haven't raised my kids in the church, it was something that was very foreign to me," she shared. "When I was going through everything I was going through, I was at work one day and this woman came up to me at my studio — she goes 'would you like to go to church with me?' and I said 'yes.'"
She continued: "So I took my kids to church and [my husband] Eddie went with me and my life just kind of changed, it was very powerful. And I think that with religion and accepting the Lord into your life and your heart, it's a personal journey."
The series follows six Orange County women, whose pampered lifestyles and endless bickering captivates viewers every year. [2.7 million during its peak last season]
During season nine, the 44-year-old mother of four, who's just days away from celebrating her second wedding anniversary to her husband, Eddie, was cast by viewers as the show's villain due to her frequent clashes with castmates. The Bravo TV star says she's confident that all is set to change this season.
"I think that you will see me think twice about a lot of things that I do and kind of saying 'what would God do?'" said Judge.
During season eight, Judge, made famous the term "Jesus Jugs" after screaming it at her former co-star, Alexis Bellino, a devout Christian and married mom of three, during a heated exchange. The born-again Christian said that she now understands why the term was so offensive and that she has since apologized to Bellino.
"Oh definitely," Judge said in response to whether she regrets hurling the insult. "I think for me, I just didn't know what a Christian was. When you think of someone being a Christian you think they don't do anything wrong. They're not sinners, they don't get boob jobs, whatever … and she was the epitome of Orange County in my mind, and I think I just didn't know. It was pure ignorance."
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Carrie Underwood Makes History with Something In the Water
New mother Carrie Underwood won big at Wednesday night's CMT Music Awards, taking home the Video of the Year award for her faith hit "Something in the Water," and she thanked fans while calling it a "blessing." The singer also made history by scoring her 13th CMT award, making her the most decorated CMT winner.
The country music star made her first public appearance since giving birth to her first child, Isaiah Michael Fisher, in February. And she was sure to recognize both him and her hockey player husband, Mike Fisher, when taking home three gongs, including Video of the Year for the fourth year in a row.
"This is my first show since little Isaiah has been in the world," a beaming Underwood told the star-studded crowd at Nashville, Tennessee's Bridgestone Arena. "He's probably napping on the bus right now, but I should definitely say that he has already inspired me so much, as well as my husband, Mike. Thank you guys! … This is such an amazing blessing."
Earlier this year, Underwood's baptism-inspired hit "Something in the Water" scored her a Grammy award for Best Solo Country Performance. She previously spoke about the recording process, sharing that she knew the song would be an instant hit.
"I knew while we were writing 'Something in the Water' that we really had something special," Underwood said. "This was one that, as it was happening, I was recording stuff on my phone. Like, 'Oh my gosh.' Like, 'Let's do it again. I can make that better. We can do this better.'"
The song is Underwood's longest-running Billboard No. 1 hit and the music video has been viewed on YouTube more than 12 million times since it was uploaded in November.
The country music star made her first public appearance since giving birth to her first child, Isaiah Michael Fisher, in February. And she was sure to recognize both him and her hockey player husband, Mike Fisher, when taking home three gongs, including Video of the Year for the fourth year in a row.
"This is my first show since little Isaiah has been in the world," a beaming Underwood told the star-studded crowd at Nashville, Tennessee's Bridgestone Arena. "He's probably napping on the bus right now, but I should definitely say that he has already inspired me so much, as well as my husband, Mike. Thank you guys! … This is such an amazing blessing."
Earlier this year, Underwood's baptism-inspired hit "Something in the Water" scored her a Grammy award for Best Solo Country Performance. She previously spoke about the recording process, sharing that she knew the song would be an instant hit.
"I knew while we were writing 'Something in the Water' that we really had something special," Underwood said. "This was one that, as it was happening, I was recording stuff on my phone. Like, 'Oh my gosh.' Like, 'Let's do it again. I can make that better. We can do this better.'"
The song is Underwood's longest-running Billboard No. 1 hit and the music video has been viewed on YouTube more than 12 million times since it was uploaded in November.
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Black Sabbath Bassist Says They're Not an Evil Band and They Had the First Christian Rock Song
In a brand new interview with The Weeklings, Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler was asked if he got any backlash over SABBATH singing a message of repentance and God being the only way to love on the "Master Of Reality" album.
"No," he responded. "People always like to find the 'evil' in the music, so they'd quote the 'pope on a rope' part out of context, as usual. People like to find negative in everything. We weren't interested in writing songs about the 'nice' things in the world; everyone else was writing about that. We wanted to inject some reality into music. I think if we'd been called WHITE SUNDAY we'd have had a totally different reaction.
Butler also talked about his thought process behind writing the lyrics to the SABBATH song "After Forever", which some historians have called the first real Christian rock song.
"A lot of it was because of the situation in Northern Ireland at the time," he explained. "There were a lot of religious troubles between the Protestants against the Catholics.
"I was brought up strictly Catholic and I guess I was naïve in thinking that religion shouldn't be fought over. I always felt that God and Jesus wanted us to love each other."
He continued: "It was just a bad time in Northern Ireland, setting bombs off in England and such. We all believed in Jesus — and yet people were killing each other over it. To me, it was just ridiculous. I thought that if God could see us killing each other in his name, he'd be disgusted."
"13" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart in June 2013, the first SABBATH album to ever top the U.S. chart.
Link to full article below. Warning: strong language used.
http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/black-sabbaths-geezer-butler-i-always-felt-that-god-and-jesus-wanted-us-to-love-each-other/#IT2sSJaxLpQCgqQV.99
"No," he responded. "People always like to find the 'evil' in the music, so they'd quote the 'pope on a rope' part out of context, as usual. People like to find negative in everything. We weren't interested in writing songs about the 'nice' things in the world; everyone else was writing about that. We wanted to inject some reality into music. I think if we'd been called WHITE SUNDAY we'd have had a totally different reaction.
Butler also talked about his thought process behind writing the lyrics to the SABBATH song "After Forever", which some historians have called the first real Christian rock song.
"A lot of it was because of the situation in Northern Ireland at the time," he explained. "There were a lot of religious troubles between the Protestants against the Catholics.
"I was brought up strictly Catholic and I guess I was naïve in thinking that religion shouldn't be fought over. I always felt that God and Jesus wanted us to love each other."
He continued: "It was just a bad time in Northern Ireland, setting bombs off in England and such. We all believed in Jesus — and yet people were killing each other over it. To me, it was just ridiculous. I thought that if God could see us killing each other in his name, he'd be disgusted."
"13" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart in June 2013, the first SABBATH album to ever top the U.S. chart.
Link to full article below. Warning: strong language used.
http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/black-sabbaths-geezer-butler-i-always-felt-that-god-and-jesus-wanted-us-to-love-each-other/#IT2sSJaxLpQCgqQV.99
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Red's Jasen Rauch Joins Breaking Benjamin
Former lead guitarist and songwriter for Red has joined Breaking Benjamin.
Rauch is also well-known as the producer for Korn guitarist Brian Welch's solo project, Love and Death. Rauch has also worked with acts such as Fireflight, Pillar, Disciple, Kerrie Roberts, Stars Go Dim, 12 Stones, and Spoken.
Rauch is also well-known as the producer for Korn guitarist Brian Welch's solo project, Love and Death. Rauch has also worked with acts such as Fireflight, Pillar, Disciple, Kerrie Roberts, Stars Go Dim, 12 Stones, and Spoken.
Friday, June 5, 2015
Hillsong United's Empires Debuts at #5 on Billboard 200
Empires debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart and remained in the Top 5 peaking at No. 2 on the iTunes overall albums during street week.
United's album was named the Album of the Week from USA Today last week featuring the band and project. The publication stated that "(Empires') message may be paramount to Hillsong United, but the melodies are almost as important. Like Coldplay, the group has mastered the engaging melody, and not just the ones that accompany the lyrics, but the ones in the soothing guitar patterns, the ostinato synthesizer lines, the simple piano motifs." In addition to the USA Today mention, United was recently featured in the May 30 issue of Billboard along with exclusively shot photos of the group in Central Park.
This week United is the featured performance on NBC's Beyond A.D. with the single "Touch the Sky." Click here to watch their performance.
Leading up to the release last week, Hillsong United launched Empires performing to 10,000 people in New York City for a free concert at Central Park's Rumsey Playfield as well as an one-off performance at Los Angeles' Club Nokia. In April, United appeared live on The Today Show performing the hit "Touch The Sky."
United's album was named the Album of the Week from USA Today last week featuring the band and project. The publication stated that "(Empires') message may be paramount to Hillsong United, but the melodies are almost as important. Like Coldplay, the group has mastered the engaging melody, and not just the ones that accompany the lyrics, but the ones in the soothing guitar patterns, the ostinato synthesizer lines, the simple piano motifs." In addition to the USA Today mention, United was recently featured in the May 30 issue of Billboard along with exclusively shot photos of the group in Central Park.
This week United is the featured performance on NBC's Beyond A.D. with the single "Touch the Sky." Click here to watch their performance.
Leading up to the release last week, Hillsong United launched Empires performing to 10,000 people in New York City for a free concert at Central Park's Rumsey Playfield as well as an one-off performance at Los Angeles' Club Nokia. In April, United appeared live on The Today Show performing the hit "Touch The Sky."
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