For RED, End of Silence is Golden

Grammy nominated rock band RED has received its second RIAA Gold Certification for its album End of Silence, which was the group's debut. To celebrate the album's 10-year anniversary, RED will release a 10th Anniversary Edition on June 3, featuring two never-before-released songs as well as acoustic versions of some of the album's biggest songs. This release will be followed by an anniversary tour in the fall. End of Silence also yielded the group's RIAA Gold Certified single, "Breathe Into Me."

RED just completed the spring Winter Jam tour, playing for more than half a million fans in more than 45 major markets and arenas across the country. Last week, the group received its 20th consecutive No. 1 rock radio single for "Take Me Over," which is from its album of Beauty and Rage.

Over the past decade, RED has received two Grammy nominations, one RIAA Gold Certified album, one RIAA Gold Certified single, two Top 10 Active Rock singles, three Top 10 Mainstream Rock singles and 20 consecutive No. 1 hits at Christian radio. The band has sold more than one million albums collectively with of Beauty and Rage, Release The Panic, Until We Have Faces, Innocence & Instinct and End of Silence. RED currently is Michael Barnes (vocals) and twin brothers Anthony Armstrong (guitar) and Randy Armstrong (bass). The band also boasts more than one million Facebook fans.

Brian 'Head' Welch's Love and Death Releases New Single

Love and Death, the side project of Korn guitarist Brian 'Head' Welch, premiered a new single titled "Lo Lamento" today via Loudwire.

According to Loudwire, the concept for the new song comes from an idea initially conceived during the creation of Love and Death's album "Between Here and Lost." The track was created by Head, JR Bareis, Jasen Rauch (Breaking Benjamin, RED) and Dan Johnson (RED).

In addition to the new song, Head also announced the pre-order details for his next book, titled With My Eyes Wide Open: Miracles and Mistakes on My Way Back to Korn. The book follows his prior memoir and conversion story in Save Me From Myself. This new release will tell the story of the artist's return to Korn following several years of pursuing healing, sobriety and creating music outside of Korn.

Red's "Breathe Into Me" Is Gold

RED received a RIAA Gold Certification for their single “Breathe Into Me” from their album, End of Silence.

Also announced recently, RED will be on the 2016 spring Winter Jam tour hitting more than 45 arenas and stadiums across the country.

Over the past decade, RED has sold more than one million albums collectively with Of Beauty and Rage, Release The Panic, Until We Have Faces, Innocence & Instinct and End of Silence.  The band also boasts more than one million Facebook fans.

RED Guitarist Saves Man from Burning Car

RED's guitarist Anthony Armstrong made headlines this week after pulling a man from a burning car and saving his life late Sunday night.

Anthony and another driver both pulled over to the site of the burning vehicle while on the way back from vacation. They found the driver asleep in the front seat with a blanket over his head. After waking him up, the duo had to untangle him from his seatbelt and drag him to safety.

Anthony shared with news anchors "I honestly thought it was going to be one of those rescue 911 moments from when I was a kid. You know, I'm either going to die saving this guy or we're going to get lucky."

Authorities are still investigating causes of the fire. You can watch the full story.

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.

RED Rages into Top 15

Grammy nominated rock band RED debuted this week in the Top 15 on the Billboard Top 200 and is #10 on the SoundScan Top Current Albums chart - with the recent February 24 release their fifth studio album BEAUTY and RAGE. The music video for the "Darkest Part" premiered on Loudwire on February 23, and is also featured on Xbox Live consoles.  of BEAUTY and RAGE marks the fifth consecutive RED album to chart on the Billboard Top 200.

RED has garnered two Grammy nominations, five Dove Awards, two Top 10 Active Rock singles, three Top 10 Mainstream Rock singles, and 10 consecutive #1 hits at Christian radio - and currently hosts more than one million Facebook fans. The band has sold more than one million albums collectively.

Over the last decade, the RED has performed alongside such artists as Hinder, 3 Doors Down, Creed, Breaking Benjamin, Three Days Grace, Sevendust, Flyleaf, Seether, Papa Roach, Buckcherry, Saving Abel, Third Day, Switchfoot, Skillet and others.

Albums on Our Radar

Upcoming releases the first half of the year that are currently on our radar.

January 13
Blanca Who I Am EP

February 3
Jeremy Camp I Will Follow
Aaron Gillespie Grace Through The Wandering

February 10
Brandon Heath No Turning Back
The Vespers Sisters & Brothers

February 24
Mat Kearney JUST KIDS
RED Of Beauty and Rage

February ??
Pillar One Love Revolution

March 3
Third Day Lead Us Back: Songs of Worship

March 10
Kevin Max Broken Temples

March 17
Hawk Nelson Diamonds

April 7
1 Girl Nation Cinema
Chris August The Maker
Point of Grace Directions Home (Songs We Love, Songs You Know)

May 2015
Decyfer Down untitled new album
TobyMac untitled new album

May 5
Fireflight Innova

Winter Jam #1 Tour in the World for Third Straight Year

For the third consecutive year, the Winter Jam Tour Spectacular reigns as the #1 tour in the world (first quarter). Leading Pollstar's 2013 Worldwide First Quarter Ticket Sales Charts - Top 100 Tours, Winter Jam attendance surpassed all other tours to date this year, including outings by Pink, Maroon 5, Justin Bieber and Bon Jovi, among others. 
 
Concluding its 18th season March 30 with a record-setting 42 sellouts since launching in January, the 44-city mega tour hit some of the country's largest arenas. With a combined total audience of nearly 554,000 people, this year's tour was the biggest in Winter Jam history. 


Founded and hosted by NewSong, Winter Jam was headlined by GRAMMY®-winning, multi-platinum artist TobyMac. The tour also featured RED, Matthew West, Jamie Grace, Sidewalk Prophets, Royal Tailor, Jason Castro, OBB and Capital Kings.

Highlights of this year's tour included sellouts at such top venues as Chicago's Sears Centre; Atlanta's Philips Arena; The Sprint Center in Kansas City; Oklahoma City's Chesapeake Energy Arena; and Cleveland's Wolstein Center, among numerous others. Winter Jam's capacity "hometown" stop at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena February 9 featured a string of special guest appearances, including Newsboys' Michael Tait, Francesca Battistelli, Mandisa and for KING & COUNTRY.

Winter Jam Rings Up a Record 23 Sellouts in Tour's First Half

Reaching its midpoint last weekend, the internationally top-ranked Winter Jam Tour Spectacular reports a record-setting 23 sellouts to date this year. Playing in 24 cities so far, the tour drew more than 19,000 people at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Florida, and 18,000 at Columbus, Ohio's Schottenstein Center, while nearly 16,000 packed Charlotte, North Carolina's Time Warner Cable Arena. This year Winter Jam has seen almost 300,000 attendees to date, with 20 more concerts slated through March.
The Winter Jam 2013 Tour Spectacular is headlined by GRAMMY®-winning, multi-platinum recording artist TobyMac. The 44-city tour, which launched its unprecedented 18th year January 4 in Charleston, West Virginia also features RED, Matthew West, Jamie Grace, Sidewalk Prophets and Royal Tailor, with a message from national speaker Nick Hall, Winter Jam's Pre-Jam Party includes performances from Jason Castro, OBB and Capital Kings.

Winter Jam has been the #1 tour in the world (first quarter) for the last two consecutive years, based on attendance, according to Pollstar's 2012 Worldwide First Quarter Ticket Sales Charts - Top 100 Tours. Created by NewSong in 1995, the tour has consistently featured the genre's biggest names, introducing Christian music to new audiences across the country while providing a powerful platform for the Gospel message.

RED Releases the Panic and Earns Top 10 Debut

Rock band Red debuts at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 with "Release the Panic" (41,000), marking the second top 10 for the group. Their last studio set, 2011's "Until We Have Faces," charged in at No. 2 two years ago, moving 43,000 in its first week.

Notable 2013 Releases

Below are the announced CDs we just can't wait to play:

January 8

.Capital Kings Capital Kings

.VOTA Love Found Me

January 15

.Jason Castro Only A Mountain

January 22

.Love and Death Between Here and Lost

January 29

.Colton Dixon A Messenger

.Fiction Family Fiction Family Reunion

February 5

.Tal & Acacia Black & White

.RED Release The Panic

.Sanctus Real Run

February 12

.Jeremy Camp Reckless

February 26

.NewSong Swallow The Ocean

.Britt Nicole Gold (Mainstream Re-Issue) [Capitol]

.Plumb Need You Now

.Salvador Make Some Noise

March 12

.Steven Curtis Chapman Deep Roots

March 12

.Audio Adrenaline Kings & Queens

.Seventh Day Slumber Love & Worship [BEC]

March 26

.Stryper Second Coming

April 2

.Hawk Nelson Made

April 9

.The Almost Fear Inside Our Bones

.Josh Wilson Carry Me

April 16

.The Afters Life Is Beautiful

May 2013

.Skillet Rise

Unknown 2013

.Amy Grant untitled new studio album

.Guardian Almost Home

.Jars of Clay untitled

.NEEDTOBREATHE untitled

.Newsboys untitled new album

.Relient K untitled

.Seabird untitle

.The Waiting Mysteriet

Best Christian Male Lead Singers of All Time

Below are the 10 best male lead singers of Christian bands.

This list is not just based on vocal prowess, criteria also include song quality, impact on industry, ability to play an instrument and/or craft a song, and of course my personal bias...

10. Rick Florian (WhiteHeart)
9. Matt Hammitt (Sanctus Real)
8. David Crowder (DavidCrowderBand)
7. Jon Foreman (Switchfoot)
6. Bear Rinehart (needtobreathe)
5. Michael Barnes (Red)
4. Jon Micah Sumrall (Kutless)
3. Bart Millard (MercyMe)
2. Mac Powell (Third Day)
1. Marc Martel (of downhere)

Some notable misses (like dc Talk)?  Check here.

Honorable Mentions:
Mark Hall (Casting Crowns)
Jamie Rowe (Guardian)
Dan Haseltine (Jars of Clay)
Derri Daugherty (The Choir)
Edin Adahl

Kevin Young (Disciple)

Josh Reedy (Decemberadio)
Josh Havens (The Afters)

Thoughts?

Christian Music Overheard in MLB Telecasts

We've written in the past about Christian music being used promotionally by Major League Baseball, as 'at bat' songs in the Playoffs and World Series, and stars promoting Christian music, but it's still refreshing to hear during the season.  It was noted last night that Milwaukee Brewers' players Jonathan Lucroy (Red's "Let Go"), Travis Ishikawa (TobyMac's "Ignition") and Jeff Bianchi (Jeremy Camp's "Tonight") had Christian songs as their 'at bat'/'walk up' songs.  According to the Brewers' site, Corey Hart has Newsboys' "Born Again" and Mark Rogers' pitching entrance music is P.O.D.' "Lights Out."

Disney's Night of Joy Turns 30

"Disney cares about the family like we care about the family," says Brandon Heath, one of the Christian artists who performed this weekend at Walt Disney World's 30th annual Night of Joy. "It's a common goal that we have to enrich families. They can come enjoy the rides and attractions, and they can enjoy great music."

Third Day, Chris Tomlin, Casting Crowns, Francesca Battistelli, MercyMe, Chris August, Royal Tailor, Red, Disciple, Thousand Foot Crutch, NEEDTOBREATHE, Lecrae, Kutless, Dara Maclean and Yolanda Adams were among the acts performing at three different stages Friday and Saturday nights (Sept. 7-8) at Disney' Magic Kingdom.

It's been three decades since Disney launched the first Night of Joy with a line up that included Scott Wesley Brown, David Meece, Shirley Caesar, Leon Patillo, Benny Hester, Petra, Phil Keaggy and Sheila Walsh. Since then the festival has become one of Christian music's premiere events drawing fans from all over the world with an audience heavily populated by church youth groups. During the event, Disney hosts a special lounge for youth pastors where they can interact with artists.

Casting Crowns frontman Mark Hall and fellow Casting Crowns members Juan DeVevo and Hector Cervantes were surprised with a huge Stars Wars cake recognizing their birthdays. Third Day's Mark Lee and Mac Powell, Moriah Peters, and members of Red and Royal Tailor were on hand to sing and celebrate.

Hall, who has long been known as a big Star Wars fan, recently auctioned off his collection to benefit charity. "We raised about $20,000 selling my collection," he told Billboard. "We sold the Han Solo desk, the emperor's chair, helmets and paintings and all sort of stuff I accumulated over the years. My son and I started a collection several years back. I'm trying to teach my son: 'Stuff is cool, but ultimately people are more important than stuff.' To prove that to him I said, 'hey man, I really felt like God is wanting us to do this.' So it was something we did together and he got to see that you can have your hobbies, but it needs to lead to something bigger. The money went to World Vision and we supported water efforts in Rwanda."

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Red Headlines 20-City 'Redvolution Tour' In 2012

Two-time GRAMMY nominated rock act RED kicks off its second headlining tour in five months, the “REDvolution Tour,” on Feb. 10. Visiting 20+ cities domestically, with special guests Thousand Foot Krutch, Manafest, Nine Lashes, and KIROS, the tour will also include a run of “RED only” dates throughout Europe
in April.

A year since releasing its acclaimed third studio project, Until We Have Faces, RED continues to make massive career strides, venturing out on back-to-back headlining tours. Following its popular fall “Kill The Machine Tour,” RED sets the stage for an all-new endeavor, the “REDvolution Tour.” Kicking off two weeks from Friday, the tour will visit more than 20 cities across the U.S., including major markets Washington, D.C., Dallas, Las Vegas, and Phoenix, among others, through late March.

And for the first time, RED will headline its own European tour, taking the show abroad to cities in The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Russia and Ukraine. Please refer to the tour itinerary following this release for additional information, or visit redmusiconline.com for an updated list of tour dates.

RED to perform on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno

RED will be performing on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on February 16. According to Randy from the band, they will not be performing Faceless as on CONAN.

RED Debuts at #2 on Billboard

Rock band Red debuts in the runner-up slot this week with its "Until We Have Faces". The band sold 43,000 its first week - a bigger start than the 39,000 that greeted its second album, 2009's "Innocence & Instinct," upon its No. 15 entry on the Billboard 200.

RED's Performs "Faceless" on CONAN

RED to be Musical Act on CONAN

RED will be the musical act on CONAN on Tuesday, February 8 on TBS. CONAN is the #1 talk show with Adults 18-49. Since its premiere on November 8, 2010, Conan has beaten out The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart as the country’s most watched talk show, particularly among people as young as 18 and as old as 49.

Red Sizzles at the Masquerade

Coming off a 10 day tour with Breaking Benjamin, Thousand Foot Krutch and Chevelle, RED played to an intimate crowd at the Masquerade. Even though Breaking Ben isn't a Christian band, they provide a lot of exposure for Christian bands like their recent tour mates. Likewise, RED had several up and comers open for them in Atlanta.