Third Day Announces Farewell Tour

Third Day will be calling it a career after 25 years and one final farewell tour.

"These last twenty-five years of Third Day have been an amazing ride that we never in our wildest dreams thought we would experience," said founding member and lead guitarist Mark Lee. Vocalist Mac Powell added "We know this is a season that is coming to a close, and we wanted to give our fans one more chance to see us perform live. The live show has been the core fan experience, and this tour will give us an opportunity to go out and say thank you to the fans who have always been so supportive of our music."

The band announced their decision to bring this chapter to an end in a video post on social media: "These last twenty-five years have been an amazing ride that we never in our wildest dreams thought we would experience. We know this is a season that is coming to a close, and we wanted to give fans one more chance to see us perform live."

Third Day will embark on a 12-city nationwide farewell tour beginning May 31 in Seattle, Washington, hitting at least one city in every region of the mainland, including Third Day's home state of Georgia, and wrapping up on June 27 in Denver, Colorado.

VIP tickets go on sale March 7th at noon, and general tickets are available on March 9th at 10 AM local venue time.

The southern rockers, fronted by vocalist Mac Powell, have been releasing CCM worship and pop/rock hits since their self-titled debut released in June 1996. Most recently, they returned to southern rock with Revival in 2017.

TobyMac Announces 2017 “HITS DEEP Tour” After 2016 Tour Finishes in Top 35 Worldwide

Announced on K-LOVE/AIR1, TobyMac shared the diverse line-up for his 2017 "HITS DEEP Tour" including Mac Powell from Third Day, Matt Maher, Mandisa, Capital Kings, Ryan Stevenson and Hollyn who will join him in over 30 arenas across the U.S.

The first venture of this unique partnership with TobyMac, K-LOVE/Air1 and Awakening Events was Spring of 2016-resulting in sold-out shows in 26 out of 29 markets. TobyMac's 2016 "HITS DEEP TOUR" visited arenas nationwide, including stops at Los Angeles' The Forum, Charlotte's Time Warner Cable Arena, Phoenix's Talking Stick Resort Arena, San Diego's Viejas Arena, Portland's Moda Center, Seattle's KeyArena, Denver's Coliseum and Kansas City's Sprint Center, which garnered 12,229 ticketed attendees alone.

According to Pollstar, the 2016 "HITS DEEP Tour" was the biggest tour in Christian music and ranked in the top 35 tours in the world.

Through a partnership with Food for the Hungry, concertgoers sponsored over 15,000 children, providing food, a better education, clean water and medical treatment.

"It's an amazing partnership that we have with K-LOVE/Air1, Awakening Events and Food for the Hungry, it takes us where I think our music should be-in the heart of our cities in the biggest arenas in town," explains TobyMac. "I always get excited when it's time to create the 'HITS DEEP Tour' line-up. We come together backstage - which leads us to a beautiful night on stage. A night deep in hits, that aims to hit you deep. A night where everybody is invited to the party!"

Known for his dynamic live show, the HITS DEEP LIVE CD/DVD (Nov. 18) will feature a full live album and concert video of 16 songs recorded on his highly acclaimed and sold-out "HITS DEEP Tour." This will be his first live album in eight years. THIS IS NOT A TEST, the American Music Award's winner latest LP, continues to have an unstoppable year earning a Grammy Award, a Billboard Music Award nod, three upcoming GMA Dove Award nominations and two back-to-back No. 1 hits at Christian radio, "Backseat Driver" and "Move (Keep Walkin')" with tour dates across Europe, Canada and the U.S..

Brandon Heath's "Give Me Your Eyes" Goes Platinum

Brandon Heath's hit song, "Give Me Your Eyes." has been certified Platinum by RIAA and is on a short list of CCM songs that have reached one million in sales.

"'Give Me Your Eyes' hasn't ceased to surprise me after six years since it was released," shares Brandon Heath. "The conviction of the need of God's perspective lies in all of us, and this song has continued to remind us that we need Him to reveal the broken-hearted."

This honor is another accolade for Heath and his already storied career since earning the GMA's Dove Award for New Artist of the Year in 2008.  In addition to "Give Me Your Eyes," Heath has had three additional No. 1 hit singles ("Wait and See," "I'm Not Who I Was," and "Your Love"). Earlier this year, Heath released his sixth studio album No Turning Back.

Heath is currently on tour with Third Day and will return on their Spring 2016 tour. After each show, fans can find Heath with his own pop-up concerts - "Brandon By Request" --where he performs songs by request in the parking lots or coffee shops near the venues. With up to 200 people attending each night, Heath plays fan favorites including "Love Never Fails," which has prompted a few couples to dance. Check out other fun and inspiring stories with the hashtag: #brandonbyrequest

Third Day to Appear in Miracles from Heaven?

Will Third Day appear in upcoming movie, Miracles From Heaven, starring Jennifer Garner?  Scotty Wilbanks' last two tweets imply as much:

Up early for a movie shoot...gonna be a long day. pic.twitter.com/2mIT8GNPKB

— Scotty Wilbanks (@scottywilbanks) August 10, 2015

Oh just hangin out with Jennifer Garner....ha. She's really cool and nice! pic.twitter.com/3NhwMCYnR5

— Scotty Wilbanks (@scottywilbanks) August 10, 2015

Christian Event Takes Over New York City for the Day

Evangelist Luis Palau told Fox News Latino that it had been his dream from a young age to share the Gospel in New York City, and last weekend, that dream came true.

Palau’s NY CityFest drew an estimated 60,000 people to iconic locations in the Big Apple, including Central Park, Times Square and Madison Square Garden featuring performances by tobyMac, Mandisa, Matt Redman, Third Day, Chris Tomlin, Hezekiah Walker, Israel Houghton and Marcos Whitt.

Former New York Yankee Mariano Rivera was among the speakers.

"I used to play here on the corner in the Bronx for the New York Yankees for many years," he said, "But that’s over. But moving forward, moving to what The Lord wants us to do. Preach the gospel of Jesus Christ."

According to The Christian Post, more than 1,700 churches in the greater New York City metro area worked together to pull off the events, as well as massive service projects that took place that weekend. There also were free events in Times Square and Madison Square Garden.

The artists who participated were humbled and energized by the opportunity, and were grateful to have been a part.

“[I] loved proclaiming that Jesus overcame the world and calls God's children overcomers too!” Mandisa posted on Facebook following her Times Square performance.

“So thankful for all the blood, sweat, tears and prayers of the saints that made this happen here in the City,” tweeted tobyMac.

The experience of playing for Palau's events was especially powerful for Matt Redman, who credited Palau with introducing him to Jesus years ago.

Third Day's New Worship Album Premieres at #20 on Billboard 200

Third Day's new album, Lead Us Back: Songs of Worship debuted at #20 on the Billboard Top 200, at #13 on the SoundScan Top Current Albums Chart this week. Coinciding with the release, the popular band performed to a sold-out audience at the Beacon Theatre in New York on the day of release, March 3, and appeared on the national television show Fox & Friends on March 7.

The band has racked up 30 No. 1 radio singles. The band has sold more than 8.5 million albums, including two RIAA 2x Multi Platinum, five Platinum and 12 Gold certifications. A Georgia Music Hall of Fame inductee (2009), THIRD DAY has garnered four Grammy Awards (with 11 career nominations), an American Music Award (with four American Music Award nominations), multiple ASCAP honors (including its coveted Vanguard Award for songwriting), and 24 career Dove Awards (from 42 nominations).

The Atlanta-based group has performed for audiences reaching into the millions all around the world. The group has been featured on "The Tonight Show," "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson," "Fox & Friends," "60 Minutes," ABC's "Nightline," and has been written about in USA Today, the New York Times and Billboard magazine - a cover story which called Third Day "one of the best rock bands, period."

The new CD features guest appearances from Michael Tait, Michael W. Smith, Natalie Grant, All Sons And Daughters, Harvest Parker --with background vocalists including David Crowder, Michael Gungor, Sarah MacIntosh and Daniel Bashta, among others.

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.

Tai Anderson Announces Hiatus From Third Day

After twenty years as the bass player for the Christian band, Third Day, Tai Anderson has announced that he is leaving the band to focus on his personal life and family.

Anderson and the group released this statement over on their Facebook page:

"I am currently in a season of life where I find that God is leading me to place my identity as a child of God and as a husband and father above the touring lifestyle. Therefore, after a lot of prayerful consideration and discussion with my family, the members of the band and our incredible support team, we have all agreed that I should take a break from the upcoming touring season with Third Day. This decision obviously doesn't come lightly - I've always been, and will remain THIRD DAY's biggest fan."

In 1992, at a performance at guitarist’s Mark Lee‘s church, Third Day performed with a band known as the Bullard Family Singers, featuring members David Carr and Tai Anderson. A few days later, Third Day invited Anderson and Carr to join Third Day.

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

Lecrae First Christian Rapper on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

On The Tonight Show Thursday, Jimmy Fallon congratulated Lecrae for his No. 1 album, Anomaly, and invited him to return for another performance.

For the night, Lecrae joined Fallon’s house band, The Roots, for musical interludes between segments. He rapped portions of songs from his new album, including “Nuthin,” “Fear,” “All I Need is You,” “Say I Won’t,” and “Welcome to America.”

James Poyser and Frank Knuckles, both members of the band, posted pictures with Lecrae, as fans and friends tweeted along. #LecraeOnFallon trended nationwide.

“I'm really excited for Lecrae,” tweeted fellow Christian rapper Sho Baraka. “I pray for wisdom for that brother. This can't be easy navigating new waters. ‪#116Circa03.”

The rapper caught the eye of NBC as fans began to hashtag #lecraeonfallon.

“Remember when y'all had #lecraeonfallon trending?,” Lecrae tweeted, “Well guess who is a guest on the show this week?! Tune-in to @FallonTonight on 9/18.”

His new album Anomaly reached No. 1 on albums sold with 88,000 copies.

To celebrate, Reach Records put on a new track by Lecrae called "Non-Fiction."

"We want to celebrate this milestone with 116 everywhere across the world," Reach announced, "You have been a part of the journey God has taken all of us on from the early days until now. Thank you for all the support."

They continued, "Below is a song called 'Non-Fiction' where Lecrae reflects on his journey. It's our gift to you. We are excited about the days ahead and glad to share this moment with you."

The prolific hip hop-soul band The Roots joined Jimmy Fallon when he took over Late Night in 2009, and they’ve invited several legendary artists to sit in with them, including Aerosmith’s Brad Whitford, Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley, and John Oats.

Lecrae's Tonight Show gig follows recent features on MTV.com, the Billboard site, and the front page of the Washington Times.

Previous Christian acts who have made late-night appearances (under Fallon’s predecessor, Jay Leno) include Third Day, Switchfoot, and For King & Country.

Michael W. Smith Announces Christmas Tour with American Idol's Angie Miller

Multi-platinum recording artist Michael W. Smith has announced the dates for his annual holiday tour. Titled "Celebrate Christmas," the festive tour will run for ten dates, kicking off Dec. 1 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee and wrapping up Dec. 15 in Detroit, Michigan.

Each stop on the tour will also feature American Idol finalist Angie Miller, whom this past spring placed top three on the popular show. "I have looked up to Michael forever and have been singing his songs in church my whole life," Miller shares about the tour. "I am incredibly honored to be on this tour with him now!"

In addition to Miller on the tour, for the Dec 5, 6 and 7 shows Smith will be sharing the stage with his good friends Third Day.

John Elefante of Kansas Fame Returns with New Album

John Elefante is back with a new solo album, "On My Way to the Sun" to be released May 7th.

The 4 time Grammy Award winner is best known for his time as the lead vocalist for the multi-platinum rock outfit Kansas. And fans will be delighted to find that the opening track, "This Is How The Story Goes," reunites Elefante with former Kansas bandmates Rich Williams and David Ragsdale.

"Lyrically, I have more inside me that I need to say, more I need to express and convey than ever before," says Elefante of what just may be the most personal project of his career. One of the album's highlights is the song, "This Time," which tells the story of a young teen's divine encounter at an abortion clinic that ultimately leads her to save her baby. The somewhat autobiographical song touches close to home for Elefante, whose adopted daughter was rescued from abortion.

"This is one the easiest songs I have ever written," says Elefante. "I was able to put myself in the place and time where my daughter was so close to being aborted. It was so divinely vivid to me because this story was meant to be told. I don't know all of the fine details but I do know that on that day God said, 'No! You're not taking this one - This Time.'"

In addition to Kansas and his solo work, Elefante's extensive resume includes writing and performance contributions on more than 100 albums that shaped popular American music. In 1993, Elefante and his brother Dino founded The Sound Kitchen in Franklin, Tennessee, which quickly became the largest recording studio in the southeast and an instant draw for such top acts as Bruce Springsteen, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Natalie Grant, Amy Grant, Keith Urban, Third Day, Jewel, Jimmy Buffett, Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts, Brad Paisley and many more.

Pepsi Presenting Sponsor for Inaugural K-Love Fan Awards

K-LOVE, the leading Christian radio network with a weekly listenership of over 13 million people, is bringing the first ever fan-voted award show in Christian music history to Nashville. The K-LOVE Fan Awards will be held on Saturday, June 1st at 7:30pm at Nashville's historic Ryman Auditorium.

Starting today through May 31 fans can vote for their favorite nominees at KLOVEFanAwards.com  in categories celebrating artists, athletes, authors and entertainers who, with excellence engage and impact popular culture for Jesus Christ. Leading artist nominees are TobyMac and Newsboys with three nominations each. See below for the complete list of nominees in each category.

Nominees were determined by K-LOVE with consideration given to airplay, spins, impact and overall performance. Winners are solely determined by fan vote online. The winners will be announced at the awards show hosted by the stars from A&E TV's popular show "Duck Dynasty," Phil and Kay Robertson and Jase and Missy Robertson. A&E's top show surpassed "American Idol" ratings last week during the "Duck Dynasty" finale.

Performers already slated are fan favorites TobyMac, MercyMe, Amy Grant, Third Day, Newsboys, Casting Crowns, NEEDTOBREATHE, Steven Curtis Chapman, Matthew West and many more.

In addition to the unprecedented list of performers, sport figures set to attend the special evening include Mike Fisher (Nashville Predators), Barrett Jones (Two-time National Champion from Alabama), Jason Hanson (21-year Detroit Lions kicker), Alfred Morris (Washington Redskins) and Hugh Freeze (Head football coach from the University of Mississippi). Representing the movie impact category will be Kirk Cameron (Monumental, Fireproof), Alex Kendrick (Facing the Giants, Fireproof, Courageous) and David Evans (The Grace Card).

In honor of the awards, Pepsi will be launching their Christian Artist Can Panel series at the weekend's events. The four artists that will be featured include Matt Maher (Dr. Pepper), Francesca Battistelli (Diet Pepsi), Matthew West (Pepsi), and TobyMac (Mountain Dew). Each artist will be featured on three million cans for a total of 12 million cans - 12 million new ways to change lives. On each can a link will be featured to receive a free download from each artist.

In addition to the presenting sponsor, the official charity sponsor has been revealed as World Vision.

Third Day's Golden Christmas Offerings

Third Day has earned another Gold record with its 2006 Holiday album, Christmas Offerings. This marks the band's ninth career RIAA Gold Album Award.

Released in 2006, Christmas Offerings was the third project in Third Day's successful Offerings series, also comprising Offerings I, Offerings II, and the Christmas Offerings DVD.

Third Day Miracle in Top 10

This week Third Day rounds out the top 10 of the Billboard 200 with its new album "Miracle" bowing in the No. 10 slot with 29,000. It's the fourth top 10 effort for the act, which opened at No. 9 with its last album, 2010's "Move" (37,000). On the Christian Albums chart, "Miracle" is the act's 13th top 10 and sixth No. 1.

Third Day to Perform on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Tomorrow

Third Day will perform on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” tomorrow November 2 in support of their upcoming release MIRACLE. The band will perform “Hit Me Like a Bomb” and, following the performance, will offer a limited-time free download of the song on its site ThirdDay.com.

The 12-track MIRACLE was produced by Brendan O’Brien (Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, Train, The Killers) and recorded in the band’s Atlanta-based studio called, The Quarry.

Third Day will be back on the road in support of MIRACLE with a headlining tour starting in spring 2013, followed by appearances at major festivals that summer.

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?

Mac Powell Puts His Faith in Country Music

For two decades, Mac Powell has delighted audiences as a member of the popular Christian rock band Third Day. However, there is another side to the soulful singer, as he explores on his new self-titled debut country disc.

"It's something I have listened to since I was a little kid," he tells Billboard.

Country music was something he heard around the house growing up on a daily basis, and his parents helped spread the love of the format. "They loved playing acoustic guitar, and would sing around the house."

However, his musical journey would take him in a different direction, but he never forgot his love of the music.

Powell says that about two years ago, he began being approached by people asking whether he'd ever thought about making a country record

"When you have random people saying that, you start to think, 'Maybe I should be doing this,'" he says. "I knew I loved it, but I had been in this other genre for so long. So, I had a little time off at the end of last year, and got together with some friends of mine, and started working on some songs. I liked what I had come up with, and played it for some other people who did, and thought 'Maybe I need to get this out there."

Though the music on his solo disc is a much different sound, that doesn't mean that Third Day is calling it a day. "We've been together for twenty years, and it's one of things I still love doing. I have a great time playing with those guys. We actually have a new record coming out soon. It's fun to be able to do this. As a songwriter and musician, doing a country record gives me another outlet. I've had these other song ideas, and things I've wanted to do, but couldn't within Third Day, so this gives me a chance to do it."

Two of the highlights on the album are the first single, "June Bug," and "Sweet Georgia Girls," of which Powell says "It was one of the first songs we wrote for the record. There are several semi-autobiographical cuts on it, and it's not totally true. Like many writers, I tried to take some things that have happened in life, and tried to make a song out of it. I grew up in Alabama, and moved to Georgia, met my sweetheart, and now I have a house full of Georgia girls like the song talks about."

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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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Mac Powell Releases Self-Titled Country Project

Mac Powell, front man of the multi-platinum selling, four time GRAMMY and American Music Award winning rock band Third Day, releases his self-titled debut country music album on August 21, 2012. The CD features twelve songs by the #1 hit songwriter including his first single, “June Bug” which he released last month through his Twitter account (@macpowell) to his more than 80,000 followers.
 
His recent solo country performance debut at the 2012 CMA Music Festival in Nashville resulted
in a host of media and fan accolades. Of his song, “One Mississippi,” USA Today’s Lucas Hendrickson writes, “Note to country radio programmers: keep an ear out for ‘One Mississippi.’ And keep a spoon handy, for you will be eating this song up with it.”

“There have been so many times in the past that I had song ideas that didn’t really fit lyrically or musically with Third Day,” Powell wrote on his personal Tumblr site, announcing the project. “I filed those songs away to the ‘maybe sometime’ category. Well, that time is now.”

Powell also stresses that his work with Third Day continues, with the band putting the finishing touches on a new album – helmed by veteran rock producer Brendan O’Brien – that’s due
for release this fall with a Spring 2013 tour to follow.