Wired For Sound

Passion Twenty Ten Registration Now Open

School may be out for summer, but the team behind Passion Twenty Ten — a spiritual gathering of university students from around the world — is already busy making plans for the January 2-5, 2010 event in Atlanta, Georgia.

New to the 2010 line-up, friends from Australia’s Hillsong UNITED will join Passion founder Louie Giglio, worshippers Chris Tomlin, David Crowder*Band, Matt Redman, Charlie Hall, Kristian Stanfill, Christy Nockels, and others. An international pre-event web link is being planned for September, with more details soon to follow.

For now, watch a welcome message from Giglio and pre-register for Passion Twenty Ten (you’ll save some money by signing up before September 15) right here.

Matt Redman's New Album Available August 25

sixstepsrecords will release Matt Redman’s new album, WE SHALL NOT BE SHAKEN, on August 25. Produced by Robert Marvin (Mat Kearney), the set is intentionally Psalm-like, using simple poetic lyrics to express God’s unbreakable truth in an age of utter brokenness while also focusing on the centrality of Jesus and the cross. The first single, “This Is How We Know,” is now available at iTunes.

Louie Giglio, founder of Passion Conferences, says, “There is an inextricable link between the songs of worship and the worshipping church . . . Matt’s new album (is) arguably his strongest collection of corporate songs to date.”

Read a new interview with Matt Redman here.

Highlights from Switchfoot 2009 Bro-Am

San Diego’s Switchfoot entertained a hometown crowd last week at its fifth annual Bro-Am event—a surfing contest, private auction, and two concerts to raise funds and awareness for StandUp for Kids, an organization helping at-risk and homeless youth.

In this interview promoting the event, Switchfoot drummer Chad Butler shares the heart of the cause and also gives some sneak preview details about the band’s next studio set, HELLO HURRICANE, available this fall. The Internet is full of Bro-Am content, but among the musical highlights are a beachfront all-star jam on Tom Petty’s "I Won’t Back Down" and stellar evening performance of "Vice Verses" from the greatly anticipated new album.

Chapman to Open Maria’s Big House of Hope in China on July 2

ShowHope, the adoption ministry founded by Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth, will officially open Maria’s Big House of Hope on July 2 in Luoyang, China. The facility is named in loving memory of the Chapman’s 5-year-old daughter, Maria Sue Chunxi Chapman, who passed away in 2008.

Luoyang is among China’s poorest provinces, where a state-run orphanage cares for nearly 700 children. Maria’s Big House of Hope — a 60,000 square foot, six-story building with 128 beds and 190 nurses and nannies on staff, when at full capacity — will partner with the state to provide further medical aid for the most needy among those orphans.

Learn more at ShowHope.org.

Matt Redman Will Not Be Shaken; Hear His New Song at iTunes

British worship leader and songwriter Matt Redman (“Blessed Be Your Name,” “The Heart of Worship”) has issued a joyful new single, “This Is How We Know,” from his forthcoming album entitled WE SHALL NOT BE SHAKEN. Hear the song directly inspired by John 3:16 and 1 John 3:16 today at iTunes.

Posting at his blog, Redman says much of the new album will “centre around the stability, constancy and faithfulness of our God. Jesus is the solid ground, the firm place to stand.”

Redman and his family have recently moved from England to the United States for a church planting effort in Atlanta. He will tour the country this fall.

Sarah Reeves Survey

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David Crowder*Band Unveils New Single, More Album Details

David Crowder*Band topped an iTunes chart this week with “How He Loves,” the stirring first single from its new album CHURCH MUSIC, in stores September 22. Knowing some fans might question the always-original sextet’s choice to lead with a cover tune (first done by John Mark McMillan), Crowder lightly said:

“Don't panic . . . CHURCH MUSIC has no less than 17 songs on it. 73 minutes of music. There is one other cover, a Flyleaf song . . . but the rest are brand new, never recorded before tunes. It is a massive amount of music. Think of it as our stimulus package.”

There’s more David Crowder*Band stimulation here.

Danyew Joins David Crowder*Band's Church Music Tour

Buzz-worthy new Sparrow artist Danyew has joined the line-up for David Crowder*Band’s Church Music Tour that will crisscross the United States from October 1 through November 21. Seabird is also on the bill, and tickets for the triple-artist trek are reported to be going fast.

Led by the single “Beautiful King,” Danyew’s self-titled debut EP boasts influences from worship music to Radiohead, mixing and matching acoustic and electronic components to unique and acclaimed results. JesusFreakHideout.com calls the set “a tight debut that grabbed me from the start and didn’t let go . . . seamless . . . a joy to listen to.” Grab music streams and concert dates here.

Chris Tomlin's Band Twittering About New Project

Summer has just officially arrived, but that doesn’t mean we can’t already be thinking about the cooler days of Christmas! Twitter trackers may have noticed Chris Tomlin’s band tweeting here last week about plans for a live holiday worship album to be released this fall.

If you crave a live experience from Chris Tomlin right now, check out this new video for his current radio and worship favorite, “I Will Rise.” The clip was filmed at a sold out show in Los Angeles on the recent Hello Love Tour with Tomlin and his band backed by a seven-piece string section.

Matt Redman Releases a New Single Today

Matt Redman has released the single, “This Is How We Know,” off of his upcoming album – set to release in August. Be the first to hear it today – click here to purchase.