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Hey there!

Here's a really quick post for today. Sorry you didn't get anything else. But...it was Friday and I ran out-o-time.

Anyway...My last post was about the Grammy's and Maggie commented that you can download Jeremy Camp - "Speaking Louder Than Before" over at GivMusic.com

So...I thought I would highlight it OUTSIDE of the comment section so that y'all can quick run over and grab it!

~j
themusictest@gmail.com

Grammy Time!

Grammy nominees have been announced! Let's take a look at the "Gospel" category to find out if any familiar artists made the list:

Best Gospel Performance:

• Francesca Battistelli - "Free to Be Me"
• Third Day - "Born Again"
• Heather Headley - "Jesus is Love"
• Jonny Lang - "I Believe"
• Donnie McClurkin - "Wait on the Lord"

Best Gospel Song:

• Third Day - "Born Again"
• tobyMac - "City On Our Knees"
• Matthew West - "The Motions"
  
• Israel Houghton - "Every Prayer"
• Mary Mary - "God In Me"
  

Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album:

• Third Day - "Live Revelations"
• Decyfer Down - "Crash"
• Red - "Innocence & Instinct"
• Da' T.R.U.T.H. - "The Big Picture"
• John Wells-The Tonic - "The Dash"

Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album:

• Jeremy Camp - "Speaking Louder Than Before"
• Jars of Clay - "The Long Fall Back to Earth"
• Leeland - "Love is on the Move"
• Israel Houghton - "The Power of One"
• Mandisa - "Freedom"

So there you have it! Tune in on Sunday, January 31st to CBS from 8p - 11:30p.m. to catch the 52nd Grammy Awards show to see who walks away with an award at the end of the night!

~j
themusictest@gmail.com

Casting Crowns Phenomenon

Casting Crowns...Ever heard of them? They're only a Grammy Award and Dove Award winning Christian Band, with enough #1 songs to...well...do just about anything with.

Anyway...There's a pretty cool article about Casting Crowns on Billboard.com! Check it out!

~j
themusictest@gmail.com

Live on "The Tonight Show w. Conan O'Brien"

Who's going to be LIVE on "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien"?

SWITCHFOOT!

When? TONIGHT! They will be his musical guest, even if show's website lists them as a comic. Oops.

Here's the LINK for the episode guide!

~j
themusictest@gmail.com

Devotional

I'm signed up to get a weekly devotional that takes a song and gives you a little devo with it, and I thought maybe I'd share one every once in a while. So...Here's one for today!

Song: Mat Kearney - "Closer to Love"

Lyrics: "I guess we're all one phone call from our knees"

Devo: Life is good. You have great friends, a happy family. School or work is going well. And then in one phone call, everything changes. Someone dies, someone leaves, someone gets sick, you lose your job.

What do you do? Who do you depend on? Who do you call when life falls apart? Do you have friends that will be there for you? If you don't know the answer, God may be directing you to find a community. God didn't design us to live in isolation; He wants us to live our lives with other people. People we can rely on and call when life gets hard.

If you don't have that yet, ask God to begin showing you and opening you up to those relationships. And remember, real relationships can be hard and messy and take time. But if you put in the effort, you will also reap the benefits.

Scripture: Galatians 6:2 - "Share each other's burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ."

~j
themusictest@gmail.com

*Devotional provided by: Tyndale House Publishers

Truth Bomb!?

So over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend I received an email from Mark, promoting a band entitled, "Truth Bomb"!
The email itself made me chuckle, going on about how hardcore rock this group was, when in reality they're not, but anyway...he attached a song of theirs, and unfortunately, with limited time over the weekend and yesterday, I hadn't had a chance to get back to the email to listen until today.

Well...Let me just say that...I like the sound. I'm a big fan of the sound that an acoustic guitar brings, and it's pretty predominant in the single Mark sent me.

He sent over "Angels We Have Heard on High". A very good take one a Christmas song, that to be honest, I've never really enjoyed.

Here were my thoughts:

- Nice take on this familiar Christmas tune.
- Love the take on the chorus...Never heard it that way.
- Love the guitar. Big fan of the acoustic guitar sound.
- Overall...Pretty solid tune.

You want to hear it? Head over to TruthBomb.net and check it out under the "Music" section.

~j
themusictest@gmail.com

Prayer Reqest?

Huh?...First time a Prayer Request has graced the pages of this blog, but I guess it's also the first time one has made it's way across my desk.

Here's the info I received:Joshua Olds (nicknamed Fatty), bassist for Family Force 5, suffered major kidney failure after their show in Chicago last night and is in the hospital (listen in critical condition for a while). He is getting dialysis while they wait for a kidney specialist to determine what's next.

They are asking to please pray for him! (Should probably include the doctors and the entire Olds family)

For the most direct form of info on this story, check out Joshua's brother, Solomon's Twitter Feed where he will be updating fans on what is going on.

~j
themusictest@gmail.com

Hokey Pete!

Yikeseroni! Some...uh...other exclamation!

I haven't posted in a while, and I sincerely apologize! With Thanksgiving and the hustle and bustle of the holidays, I've been pretty swamped, BUT...that's no excuse. So...Here we go, some fun music things for you to chew on!

First..."To infinity...AND BEYOND!" - Buzz Lightyear

Recently the crew aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis woke up to some MercyMe! Yep..."I Can Only Imagine" woke those space men and women! Pretty cool! Way to go MercyMe, not only are you impacting those us here on earth...now you're in SPACE!

Story Behind the Song

Ever heard of Chasen? You will. They have a killer song, "On and On" that has been at the top of my stack for weeks now, I just haven't had a chance to add it into our evening rotation, but it's coming. Anyway, Chasen, from Chasen had a chance to give a little insight into the story behind the song, here's what he had to say:

"The nation is reacting to the recession and weighty policital issues as well as all the negativity in the media. We've lost that joy, but when all else fails, God's love never does. I serve a God that is much bigger than economy. His grace goes on forever so I'm not going to worry about tomorrow." - Chasen Callahan

"Give This Christmas Away"

Join Matthew West and JQ99 to help "Give This Christmas Away"! If you look towards the top of this site, you'll see a fancy little banner...If you click on that banner, you'll have an opportunity to share YOUR ideas of how to give Christmas away.

Then...You'll receive an email from Matthew with a "Give This Christmas Away" starter kit that includes a "10 Ways to Give This Christmas Away" list, a song download, and MORE!

Also...We've (meaning JQ99) got several copies of Matthew West - "Something to Say" Special Christmas Edition to give away. Here's a little insider scoop...Hit JQ Family Rewards this Friday to pick up a copy!

That's closes the book on this post. More to come!

~j
themusictest@gmail.com