Casting Crowns is a Christian band that employs a soft rock music style. The band was created by youth pastor Mark Hall who also serves as a lead vocalist. The band previously served and performed in a youth group in Atlanta. Discovered by, among others, contemporary Christian music legend Steven Curtis Chapman, Casting Crowns got a recording contract and vaulted to popularity in 2003 with songs such as If We Are The Body and Who Am I.
Israel Houghton is a Christian worship leader mostly known for his cross-cultural style of worship music that fuses elements from Gospel music, Jazz and Rock. Houghton is usually credited as Israel & New Breed. His project Alive in South Africa, recorded live in Cape Town, received a Grammy Award for "Best Traditional Gospel Album" in 2007 and a song from the album, "Not Forgotten", recieved a Dove Award for "Contemporory Gospel Recorded Song" in 2006. Both his album Live from Another Level and rendition of "Again I Say Rejoice" received a Dove in 2005.
Who is Martyn Joseph? At first glance Martyn Joseph is (just) another gifted singer songwriter. First impressions are there to mislead of course: Joseph's ambition is broader than entertainment, deeper than commerce. Some musicians want to move your feet, some just want to move you: Martyn Joseph wants to move heaven and earth. Somewhere back in the middle distance Martyn Joseph emerged from the pack and we began to notice.
Pedro the Lion was an indie rock band from Seattle, Washington, comprising David Bazan and TW Walsh. Because of the biblical references in many of their songs, Pedro the Lion were seen by some to be a Christian band, but they did not consider the band to be such. Pedro the Lion was formed by David Bazan in 1994 and released their debut EP Whole in April 1997. Despite the band's many lineup changes, Bazan remained the primary artist and musician behind the group, exemplified by his singing and playing every instrument on the band's first two full length albums...
Graham Kendrick, the son of a Baptist pastor, was born in Northamptonshire in 1950. He trained as a teacher but launched out as a singer/songwriter in 1972. His songs and hymns are sung by millions of people in numerous languages around the world. The song Shine Jesus Shine has been the UK's most popular contemporary worship song and is frequently featured in the BBC's Songs of Praise programme. He is married with four daughters and lives in South London. Graham received a Dove Award in 1995 for his international work and is listed in Who's Who.
The Newsboys are a Christian pop/rock band formed in 1987 in Mooloolaba, Australia (although they soon relocated to Nashville, Tennessee). Its core members, John James and Peter Furler, originally hailed from Australia where they played in a band together called The News. Newsboys are considered one of the most popular bands in the Christian music industry. They have had numerous hit singles on the Christian pop charts, including Shine (1994), Take Me To Your Leader (1996) and He Reigns (2003).
Worship. Rock. Techno(logy). Three words that don’t seem to fit very easily into the same sentence. Its just as well we aren’t confined to sentences. The music of Bluetree is an experience. This experience may well be loud, bold and energetic. It may also be soft and so quiet you can hear the heart beat of the person beside you . You may be blown away by the powerful thud of the kick drum or the hypnotic wail of the electric guitars.
Winner of the Planet Choice Awards “Best DJ of 2004," DJ Wise is currently on tour with RedCloud and has one Album out.
In 2002, three Palmerston North teenagers called Joshua Thompson (bass guitar, vocals), Daniel Sherson (rhythm guitar, vocals) and Paul McConachy (drums) began jamming in their church auditorium on Sunday afternoons. Playing covers and church songs, they could never have imagined how their hobby would be taken seriously by music lovers nationwide.
2003 saw Gareth Bell join the band in the role of lead guitar. It was also the year the band started to write their own songs.