During their 4th annual livestream, The Grizzly Awards announced the winners of this year’s awards, honoring faith-based rock and metal released in the 2022 calendar year.

The evening’s live stream featured performances by Zahna and Nesdam, Nate Parrish, and Rusty Shipp, with additional appearances by Joey West from Disciple, John Schlitt of Petra, and Les Carlson of Bloodgood. Grizzlies team members Trevor “Talks” Tyson, Cindy “Mothership” Blankenship, Mary Nikkel, and Joel Burris cohosted the event.

“As we’ve continued to find sustainable ways to make this event happen through a few really turbulent years in the world, we’re always most moved by the way that the community rallies to celebrate with us,” The Grizzly Awards team shares.

This year was no exception. We could not believe the quality of performances from Zahna and Nesdam, Nate Parrish, and Rustry Shipp. Every single category was packed with nominees of the best caliber. We’re just honored to be a part of this faith-based rock community.

Winners included Seventh Day Slumber taking home Rock Album of the Year for Death by Admiration, Wolves at the Gate winning Metal Album of the Year with Eulogies, and Matt Sassano taking home Fan Choice. You can see a full list of winners below.

Rock Album of the Year

Death by Admiration by Seventh Day Slumber

Metal Album of the Year

Eulogies by Wolves At The Gate

Rock Song of the Year

“My Chaos” by Relentless Flood

Metal Song of the Year

“Stigmata” by Convictions

Alt Rock Song of the Year

“Bottom of the Barrel” by Rusty Shipp

Electronic Rock Single of the Year

“Fight” by Reclaimers

Collaboration Song of the Year

“End of the World” by Kutless feat Kevin Young

Music Video of the Year

“Lights and Fire” by Wolves At the Gate

Industry Champion

Sean Ely

Braveheart (Faith Forward) Song of the Year

“Master” by Demon Hunter

Worship leader Warren Peay covered a Zach Williams song for his American Idol audition, which aired recently. All three judges said “yes” after  Warren’s rendition of “To The Table.” American Idol airs on ABC Sundays at 8pm ET.

https://youtu.be/Sgz2_vnCXuQ

Sunday morning, March 26th, catch Shannon Bream’s sit down interview with TobyMac taped during a recent tour stop in the D.C. suburb of Fairfax, VA. Check local listings for when FOX News Sunday airs in your area.

TobyMac was also a recent guest on the Focus on the Family Broadcast, which was taped during a special Golf event with the organization last fall.

His latest radio single, “Cornerstone (feat. Zach Williams),” made its radio debut on Jan. 30, receiving 56 adds as Capitol CMG’s most added song of 2023. The track has flown up the charts, now in the Top 15 on both Billboard Christian Airplay and Mediabase Audience charts.

TobyMac’s “Hits Deep Tour” runs through Mar. 31st and also features Crowder, Cochren & Co., Tasha Layton, Jon Reddick and Terrian.

Upcoming “Hits Deep Tour 2023” Dates:
3/25 — BOK Center // Tulsa, OK
3/26 — United Supermarkets Arena // Lubbock, TX
3/28 — Tucson Arena // Tucson, AZ
3/29 — Don Haskins Center // El Paso, TX
3/31 — AT&T Center // San Antonio, TX

In celebration of the April 28 release of Turn Your Eyes (Songs We Love, Songs You Know) Volume II, multi–Dove Award-winning, Platinum-selling trio Point of Grace is set to perform the album in its entirety at a special launch event next month. 

Beloved singer/songwriter Wes King and acclaimed worship leader and recording artist Travis Cottrell are among Point of Grace’s special guests for an evening of music which will also include intimate performances of some of the trio’s career-spanning hits. 
 
Turn Your Eyes (Songs We Love, Songs You Know) Volume II, a Fervent Records (Curb | Word Entertainment) release, was produced by GRAMMY®-nominated, Dove Award-winning singer/songwriter Cindy Morgan and pays homage to the rich history of Christian music through the decades.

The album’s title cut, “Turn Your Eyes,” is now available on digital platforms. Point of Grace’s rendition of the treasured hymn, written by Helen H. Lemmel in 1922, features the addition of a new chorus composed by Morgan. 
 
“Cindy’s chorus further solidifies the song’s message and what our hearts are yearning to say,” shares Point of Grace’s Denise Jones. “Over the last few years, each of us has experienced uncertainty, grief, confusion, and loss, but it is Jesus who has remained our center—the place we find rest, security, and hope. Keeping our eyes on Him is the only way to find our footing in a world that seems upside down.”  
 
“As I have grown in the understanding of my time on Earth versus my time in eternity, God has sweetly shifted my perspective about what really matters,” adds group member Shelley Breen. “If our eyes are truly fixed on Jesus, He has a way of pointing out what’s valuable and what’s not. ‘The things of Earth will grow strangely dim,’ just as the song says.”

Today, two-time GRAMMY Award-winning singer-songwriter Lauren Daigle announces her much-anticipated US arena tour, set for fall 2023. The Kaleidoscope Tour kicks off on September 6 in Memphis, TN with an entirely new and innovative stage production. The 30-city run will take Daigle across the country – from New Jersey’s Prudential Center (October 20) to LA’s Crypto.com Arena (November 10), with stops in Boston, Atlanta, and Seattle as well as cities in which Daigle hasn’t performed in nearly four years, including Baton Rouge, Baltimore, and Tulsa.

The Kaleidoscope Tour will feature many of Daigle’s #1s, including her groundbreaking smash “You Say,” “Rescue,” “Look Up Child,” her new single “Thank God I Do,” as well as music from her forthcoming self-titled album which will include 20 songs released in two parts this spring and later this year.

In addition, Daigle is also set to perform “Thank God I Do” on the Today Show next Thursday, March 30^th – marking the song’s network television premiere. (Check local listings).

“Thank God I Do” is Lauren’s biggest first-week streaming song across all DSPs, has been added to a record-breaking 120+ radio stations across multi-formats in just its first week, and is her strongest single launch at radio to date. The song also received major acclaim with Billboard writing, “the piano ballad features the signature soar that fans have been waiting to return, but her voice has deepened with time, matching the epic sweep of the strings on the track and readying the masses for a prolonged showcase.”

“Thank God I Do” marks the launch of a new creative chapter for the multi-platinum-selling, Louisiana-born artist, who just last month announced signing to Atlantic Records in partnership with longtime label home Centricity Music. With a creative team led by Grammy-winning producer Mike Elizondo (Twenty-One Pilots, Mary J. Blige, Fiona Apple, Carrie Underwood), and featuring co-writers Natalie Hemby, Shane McAnally, Amy Wadge, Lori McKenna, Jason Ingram, and Jon Greene, to name a few, Lauren Daigle comprises twenty soulful and uplifting songs to be released in two parts. The first ten arrive May 12, and the other ten released later this year.

DATE MARKET VENUE

• Thu Jul 13, 2023, Philadelphia, PA TD Pavilion at the Mann*
• Fri Jul 14, 2023 Lewiston, NY Artpark Amphitheater*
• Wed Sep 6, 2023, Memphis, TN FedExForum
• Thu Sep 7, 2023, Bossier City, LA Brookshire Grocery Arena
• Fri Sep 8, 2023, Baton Rouge, LA Raising Cane’s River Center
• Thu Sep 14, 2023, Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena
• Fri Sep 15, 2023, Indianapolis, IN Gainbridge Fieldhouse
• Sat Sep 16, 2023, Hoffman Estates, IL NOW Arena
• Thu Sep 28, 2023, Wichita, KS INTRUST Bank Arena
• Fri Sep 29, 2023, Des Moines, IA Wells Fargo Arena
• Sat Sep 30, 2023, Minneapolis, MN Target Center
• Wed Oct 4, 2023, Charleston, WV Charleston Coliseum
• Thu Oct 5, 2023, Louisville, KY KFC Yum! Center
• Fri Oct 6, 2023, Atlanta, GA State Farm Arena
• Thu Oct 19, 2023 Boston, MA Agganis Arena
• Fri Oct 20, 2023, Newark, NJ Prudential Center
• Sat Oct 21, 2023, Baltimore, MD CFG Bank Arena
• Thu Oct 26, 2023, Kansas City, MO T-Mobile Center
• Fri Oct 27, 2023, St. Louis, MO Enterprise Center
• Sat Oct 28, 2023 Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center
• Fri Nov 10, 2023 Los Angeles, CA Crypto.com Arena
• Sat Nov 11, 2023, Phoenix, AZ Desert Diamond Arena
• Tue Nov 14, 2023 Sacramento, CA Golden 1 Center
• Thu Nov 16, 2023, Portland, OR Moda Center
• Fri Nov 17, 2023, Spokane, WA Spokane Arena
• Sat Nov 18, 2023, Seattle, WA Climate Pledge Arena
• Thu Nov 30, 2023, Tulsa, OK BOK Center
• Fri Dec 1, 2023, Ft Worth, TX Dickies Arena
• Sat Dec 2, 2023 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center
• Thu Dec 7, 2023, Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum
• Fri Dec 8, 2023, Knoxville, TN Thompson-Boling Arena
• Sat Dec 9, 2023, Greenville, SC Bon Secours Wellness Arena
  NOT PART OF KALEIDOSCOPE TOUR*

Cain, Cochren & Co., and Jason Crabb are set to headline the 40 Days & 40 Nights Christian Music Festival at the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum presented by Abraham Productions. The festival will feature a diverse lineup of performers in Christian music with current favorites and legendary artists.

Abraham Productions, Inc. is pleased to announce the Museum of the Bible as the platinum sponsor for the world’s largest Christian music Festival 40 Days & 40 Nights of Christian Music at the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum, August 1-September 9, 2023 in northern Kentucky.

As the flagship sponsor of the world’s largest Christian music festival, the Museum of the Bible will be represented at all stages including the huge Answers Center and outdoor Noah’s Village at the Ark Encounter and the newly renovated Legacy Hall at the Creation Museum. 

In addition to the sponsorship, Abraham Productions and Sea Walker Media are happy to announce a new multi-day Christian music event that will come to the World Stage Theater and Gathering Room at the Museum of the Bible in the early Fall of 2024. The event will feature iconic artists and national speakers presenting the gospel in the heart of Washington, D.C. Details regarding this multi-day event will be released later this year.

Templeton Tours, Inc., the parent company of Singing At Sea, also joins the roster of great sponsors for the World’s Largest Christian Music Festival, along with returning sponsors Christian Healthcare Ministries and Singing News Brands.

The Ark Encounter was recently voted the #1 Best Religious Museum by USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards and the Creation Museum finished a close second. The Ark Encounter and Creation Museum are the top family-friendly destinations for people throughout the United States and many countries around the world.

Ken Ham, founder, and CEO of Answers in Genesis (parent company of the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum) is excited that the 40 Days and 40 Nights Christian Music Festival will expand in 2023 with its evangelistic concerts at both the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum. Ham declares: “Each of these sponsors is a perfect fit for this incredible event and we are appreciative. Our plans are to continue to build this event and be a blessing and encouragement to attendees for many years to come.” The life-size Noah’s Ark is located south of Cincinnati.

The 40 Days & 40 Nights of Christian Music Festival continues to grow in popularity with more than 40,000 attendees in 2022. In 2023, the event expands again with additional concerts being added and a talent roster that is second to none. Concerts will be held daily at the Ark Encounter, and Wednesday and Thursday morning concerts will be presented at Creation Museum. 

Performing artists include Cain, Triumphant, Selah, Inspirations, Cochren & Co, Ernie Haase & Signature Sound, Jason Crabb, Natalie Layne, Karen Peck & New River, Isaacs, Joseph Habedank, Booth Brothers, Jimmy Fortune, The Hoppers, and more than 100 other popular artists will be performing.

In addition to the incredible music, there will be inspiring messages and teaching from sought-after speakers like Ken Ham, Dr. Robert Jeffress, Dr. Jeff Laborg, Pastor Javon Ruff, Comedian Dennis Swanberg, Tim Lovelace, and many others.

Ray Flynn, President & CEO of Abraham Productions, Inc. and Sea Walker Media Corporation, said: “We are extremely honored and thankful to have the opportunity to partner with the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum in presenting this mega Christian Music Festival at the top family destinations in America. We are also very thankful for our great sponsors Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC, Christian Healthcare Ministries, Templeton Tours – Singing at Sea, and Singing News Brands. We are also excited to partner with the Museum of the Bible on this major new event coming to World Stage Theater in the Fall of 2024.”

Tonight at 7pm CT, the 17x platinum band SKILLET will debut the music video for “Psycho In My Head,” their current Active Rock track and WWE’s “Elimination Chamber” theme song during a livestream Q&A with fans. With behind-the-scenes clips and live videos will also be coming soon, fans can check out the video here following the event.

SKILLET will wrap the hugely successful “Rock Resurrection Tour” this Sunday at the Wiltern in Los Angeles with co-headliner Theory of A Deadman and special guest Saint Asonia. In high demand throughout its 25 city run, the tour was raising capacities weekly amidst a multitude of sold out shows including Milwaukee, Detroit, Cleveland, Green Bay, Reading and more.

Next the band will head oversees for their spring 2023 European “Day of Destiny Tour.”  Embarking on a 21-city trek, the tour will kick off April 14 in Manchester, UK, and feature opening acts Like A Storm and Eva Under Fire.

The tour will run through May 14 and hit major European markets including London, Brussels, Paris, Berlin, Copenhagen, Zurich, Milan and Prague. Starting Friday, Skillet are offering limited VIP upgrades on their international tour that will include a M&G, photo with the band, early entry and a signed 8×10.

Skillet – Psycho In My Head

SKILLET’s DOMINION: DAY OF DESTINY (DELUXE EDITION) is currently available, and is the companion to DOMINION, one of the highest charting rock and metal albums of 2022.  The deluxe edition features five new tracks, including “Psycho In My Head.”  Streaming hit “Finish Line,” is also featured with guest vocalist Adam Gontier (formerly of Three Days Grace) from tour mates Saint Asonia.

The new grandfather of Contemporary Country Richard Lynch is back with another single from his explosive album, Radio Friendly aptly titled Thankful, Grateful, and Blessed. This is a song, would you have guessed, about being appreciative of all the things one has.

Leaning into a more spiritual number, Richard Lynch thanks his faith for all he has in life, his wife, children, his music, etc., while making parallels to the hard work he had to put in to achieve this. This lyrical form is coupled with Richard Lynch’s up-tempo traditional country jam that is almost his own signature sound now.

What listeners really should pay attention to is the instrumentation incorporated throughout each rhythmic cadence as Richard Lynch resolves each section with a high-end articulation. This is interesting as the strong major key chord progressions stay bright and clear, allowing his voice to carry out over the upper overtones.

Pretty impressive for a natural baritone. This upbeat melodic number is accentuated by the intricate layered guitars, the call-and-response style of the lead, and the rhythm as Richard Lynch forms each stanza.
The crispness and clarity of the vocals and twangy guitars are allowed to resonate through the mix as each frequency is expertly separated and blended back together to form a sense of fullness and complete performance.

Thankful, Grateful, and Blessed would be a perfect addition to any Country commercial radio playlist as it has uplifting messages, speak to spiritually minded fans, and offers a dance-along melody to appeal to a wide audience while remaining true to the traditional country faithful that have followed Richard Lynch up to this point.

An excellent addition to the growing catalog of hits, and a perfect follow-up single from Better Off off the Radio Friendly LP. Thankful, Grateful, and Blessed is a very enjoyable track worthy of a listen, especially if you are feeling down in the dumps and need something uplifting to get you back on track.

This past Sunday night, three-time GRAMMY nominee and American Idol alum Danny Gokey was surprised with a plaque presentation celebrating the RIAA Gold Certification of his debut CCM single “Hope In Front Of Me.”

The surprise presentation took place in the middle of a sold-out stop on the “Jesus People” tour in Gokey’s hometown of Milwaukee, with the commemorative plaque presented by Christian radio veteran Chris Hauser along with Gokey’s longtime manager, Penny Railey.

This marks the third gold certification of Gokey’s career, following the gold certification of his singles “Tell Your Heart to Beat Again” and “Haven’t Seen It Yet.”

“Wow, what an amazing surprise to find out my single went gold in front of a hometown audience of family and friends!” said Gokey. “It’s always an honor to celebrate a milestone like this, especially since this was my very first CCM radio release! And what an honor to have my first radio promoter, Chris Hauser there to help with the surprise! I’m truly grateful to all the people who were early supporters of what has now become a longstanding career!”

Danny Gokey – Hope In Front Of Me

“Hope in Front of Me” was co-written by Danny Gokey, Bernie Herms and Brett James and produced by Bernie Herms (Josh Groban, Casting Crowns and Natalie Grant). It was released to Christian radio on January 24, 2014. Written as a message of hope in dark times, “Hope in Front of Me” peaked at number 1 and spent 4 weeks on top of the Billboard Christian Audience chart.

“Danny has a big voice and a big heart that shines through in all that he does both on and off stage, so it was especially gratifying to surprise him with this achievement,” said Railey, Gokey’s longtime manager. “His love for God and people, in addition to his soulful talent have always made him a joy to work with. It’s truly an honor to have been a part of his journey this far!”

The sold-out Milwaukee concert was the 12th sell-out of Gokey’s “Jesus People” spring tour. Prior to that evening’s show, Gokey spent time earlier in the day serving alongside his nonprofit Better Than I Found It, hosting a bus stop giveback event where they distributed groceries and food staples along with $8,000 in grocery gift cards to local residents in need.

Transparent Production announces the company has been acquired by LiveCo – a group of like-minded promoters focused on delivering impactful consumer experiences across various areas of live entertainment, adding to LiveCo’s rapidly expanding team of industry-leading promoters and producers.

For more than two decades, Transparent Productions has been a leading promoter of faith-based concerts, tours, and festivals across the U.S. They work with some of the largest names in Christian and Gospel music, including Phil Wickham, CeCe Winans, Brandon Lake, Danny Gokey, Big Daddy Weave, Erica Campbell, Casting Crowns, For King & Country and many more.

“It’s an exciting time in the history of our company to join forces with other companies and leaders in our space that we have a ton of respect for,” said Tim Taber, CEO and Founder of Transparent Productions, “I believe that coming together will help us serve our artists better both in the U.S. and internationally.”

With this acquisition, Transparent Productions will continue to deliver the same excellent service and team as before, but with newly added resources and reach to better equip their clients to achieve their touring goals.

“It’s such an honor to be partnering with Transparent Productions,” added President of Premier Productions, Shane Quick “Their team, vision, and clients are second to none, and their trust in us speaks to the waves we have already made in the live-events industry.”

This new partnership signals impressive growth at LiveCo, which launched on January 31 of this year. LiveCo works with leading talent and productions and presents events featuring artists from a wide array of genres, including country, comedy, faith/CCM, family entertainment, variety, and festivals.

Among the names currently working with its teams are Blippi, Peppa Pig, Cocomelon Live, Cody Johnson, Dude Perfect, Zach Bryan, MercyMe, Elevation Worship, and Maverick City Music.