*saw these cool guys live during the Taste of Minnesota (Monday, July 3rd 2006)
Second Skillet Concert in Alexandria
Saturday, November 11th of 2006
Lake Geneva Christian Center
Alexandria, Minnesota
Skillet Rebirthing
"Skillet performing "rebirthing" at the lake geneva conference center in Alexandria Minnesota"
This was my second Skillet concert in Alexandria! This one was actually a special one because they had some diversity (drama, speaker-Ron Hutchcraft (as part of Community Impact Week-Jump Start Event), and lots of audience interaction) into it.
I (Sal) actually had a "rockin'" spirit-renewal experience in my Christian walk! Just hearing about the salvation message of the Gospel was just a personal time for reflection with my walk with God. It was awesome to see large numbers of youth coming up to the front to publicly dedicate their lives to Christ.
It was an awesome time to hangout with friends (Ashyly, Brett, Josiah, Robert, and Tim) and see others (e.g. See You at the Party) I haven't seen for awhile. Praise God!
Robert and Brett were greeted with two free ticket offers ($13 value) at the front door! We all rode Ashly's mini-van (awesome carpool gas saver for all of us) to the concert and ended the evening with a stop at the new Arby's in Alex!
*watched them grow since attending the same church (Morris Community Church since I was a college student in 1996! Myspace Site
Children 18:3- Homemade Valentine
"Children 18:3 playing Homemade Valentine at Sonshine. Towards the end a couple of guys jump into the crowd to crowd surf and they land just a couple of people away from me. Its pretty sweet."
Added: July 16, 2007
LeeMarie, David Jr. and Seth Hostetter in a promotional photograph. The Hostetters comprise the Christian rock band Children 18:3, which recently signed a recording contract with the Seattle-based Tooth & Nail.
LeeMarie, David Jr. and Seth Hostetter in a promotional photograph. The Hostetters comprise the Christian rock band Children 18:3, which recently signed a recording contract with the Seattle-based Tooth & Nail.
Learning young
It was not long after the Hostetter kids -- David Jr., Seth and LeeMarie -- were nooding around on their Fisher-Price band instruments that they were struck by the motivation to make music one of their life ambitions.
They obviously weren’t the first to harbor such ideas and they won’t be the last. But they are among the relative few to have put the time and effort into making that dream a plausible reality.
The Hostetters, known on stage at Children 18:3, recently signed with a Seattle-based recording company, Tooth & Nail. The band this week is playing the large Cornerstone Festival in Illinois.
A punk band, Children 18:3 have been a regional staple of Christian rock concert and summer festivals for several years, and last year released its second EP, “Songs of Desperation.”
The heady mix in which the band found itself included receiving regular invitations to play at large Christian music festivals around the country, wrapping up a win in a prestigious “battle of the bands” contest in Minneapolis, and being named the country’s best unsigned band by the Christian rock magazine, HM.
Despite the tantalizing taste of success and the desire to score a major recording deal, zeal didn’t outweigh common sense.
“Tooth & Nail president Brandon Ebel gave us a call and said, ‘I like your record, give me a call,’ said Seth, who plays drums. “But we wanted to be smart about it and took our time. We always wanted to go with Tooth & Nail -- we didn’t give other labels much interest at all. We’re glad to have it wrapped up.”
Band ‘just kind
of happened’
The three older Hostetter children began playing together in 1999, with David, 22, on guitar, Seth, 21 on drums and LeeMarie, 19 on bass -- the youngest Bethany, 16, is into classical music, Seth said, and is not inclined to make the trio a quartet.
The kids were jamming with a friend, practicing regularly, and they got together once to play at a friend’s graduation party. Then came an invitation to play with an Alexandria band at a youth show organized in Morris.
“It just kind of happened,” David said.
The band name comes from the Bible verse Matthew 18:3 -- “... Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
“It’s all about humility,” Seth said.
But while growing up in a Christian home influences their lives and music, the band never made an overt attempt to link them.
“It’s not like we were thinking, ‘What kind of ministry do we want? Oh, let’s be a rock band,’ ” LeeMarie said.
“We just like playing music,” Seth said. “If that influences kids, that’s amazing.”
Tournament a
turning point
As the band matured, their opportunities blossomed.
Children 18:3 played in the highly competitive band tournament at Club 3 Degrees in Minneapolis. The tournament featured 70 acts, many big in the genre, and twice finished in the top three in their category and overall. In 2005, Children 18:3 won the tournament.
Doug Van Pelt, founder and publisher of HM magazine, wrote in his blog of Children 18:3’s victory, “They have the songs, the sound, the look, and the rock and roll attitude which got the crowd very into it. I'd love to see Jack White (of White Stripes) produce this band. ... It'll be exciting to see audiences from around the country get into this band.”
The win brought the band even more invitations to Christian rock festivals, such as Cornerstone, a mainstage gig at the Sonshine Festival in Willmar, Lifest in Wisconsin and the LifeLight Festival in Sioux Falls, which drew about 263,000 people over three days in 2006.
The band tournament also earned Children 18:3 studio time that it used to record “Songs of Desperation.” That work and its recording of its first, six-song EP, “Places I Don’t Want To Go” in 2004 gave it a taste for the business.
David writes melodies and lyrics, and Seth and LeeMarie add to the songs when appropriate. The recording process got them used to collaboration with a producer. And about working under deadlines.
“We didn’t even have all the tunes finished,” David said. “We’d record what we had, then go home and work on the songs.”
“We have ideas, the producer has ideas, and everyone has to give a little to ultimately come up with the best song,” Seth said.
Dream within a dream
Children 18:3 had been talking about a recording contract with Tooth & Nail for a year to 18 months before it finally came together.
It was a dream within their dream.
Tooth & Nail handles many bands and musicians that influenced Children 18:3, such as Kutless, Underoath, Anberlin, Project 86 and Hawk Nelson. While Tooth & Nail is an independent label, it’s bands are becoming more popular, David said.
“We’ve grown up on their bands,” he said. “They’ve got good art, good presentation. We really liked that label and thought it would be a good fit for us.”
The label’s confidence in bringing in Children 18:3 showed when it scheduled studio time for the band in Nashville even before officially signing it.
The band took advice from other musicians it befriended on the festival circuit and from other friends in the recording business, LeeMarie said.
The recording in progress, as of now self-titled, is expected to feature 15 songs. There’s no firm release date, but the band put the ballpark date in spring 2008.
Until then, Children 18:3 will be practicing and playing shows and getting used to life living a musical dream.
“You always want more success as a band in this business,” Seth said. “It’s always a goal to move to the next level -- play more shows, sell more records. Who doesn’t want to be a rock star?”"
-Concerts
Children 18:3
Added: September 05, 2007 Children 18:3 Bash on the Farm, from youtube.com " Minnesota Band Children 18:3 Playing at Bash on the Farm in Garner, IA" little clip of Children 18:3, from youtube.com " Just got a little clip of them cause my battey was dieing :C
Added: July 16, 2007 "
"
MAPLEWOOD — When Capitol Records artist Relient K makes a stop in Minnesota this month, toting their newest album “Five Score and Seven Years Ago,” the tour doubles as a homecoming for bassist John Warne.
“I spent the first 10 years of my life in northeast Minneapolis,” Warne said.
Warne, who joined Relient K’s lineup in 2005, also lived in Plymouth, Minn. before moving to Denver, Colo. more than a year ago. He returns to his Minnesotan roots March 21 along with vocalist Matthew Thiessen, guitarists Matthew Hoopes and Jonathan Schneck, and drummer David Douglas at Myth Nightclub in Maplewood. The tour debuts new recordings such as the recent upbeat single, “Must Have Done Something Right,” that have been in the works since February 2006.
“We finished recording sometime in September, so from starting writing to recording, it didn’t take too long,” Warne said. “The title was Matt [Thiessen]’s idea. It’s the fifth album in seven years, and there are five band members in Relient K. It’s [an example of] Relient K witticism to fudge the numbers a bit.”
Relient K - VOA Story
"Relient K is a band from Canton, Ohio. They are considered to be part of the alternative, punk pop and Christian rock genres. The group formed in 1998 and has received numerous awards including a 2003 Grammy nomination for Best Rock Gospel Album and two Dove Awards, gospel music's top prize. The band mates are all Christians, although some fans have questioned whether the band fits in the Christian rock genre.
Relient K's new release, "Five Score and Seven Years Ago" contains some of their most unashamedly happy songs to date. Matt Theissen talks about the single "The Best Thing."
The album “Five Score and Seven Years Ago” hits the shelves March 6, and fans of Relient K’s past releases may notice a greater musical variety and maturity in the tracks. Warne said a host of changes contributed to the growth in the band’s sound.
“This album has slicker production, and the songwriting took a leap forward,” Warne said. “It’s a lot more dynamic than the last [album]. It’s kind of all over the place, but you can still listen to album without having it sound disjointed.”
One dynamic track that stands out to Warne is entitled, “I Need You.” With a driving drumbeat and lyrics such as, “Please shine a light into the black; wade through the depths and bring me back,” the song conveys urgency and emotion darker than some of its musical predecessors.
“[It’s] one of the heavier songs on the record, dealing with how, in a nutshell, we need God,” Warne said. “The song is really well put together.”
Even with some more serious tracks, listeners needn’t worry that Relient K has lost the tongue in cheek sense of humor from earlier albums such as, well, “The Anatomy of the Tongue in Cheek.” Warne said puns and cheesy jokes still run rampant among the band members, with Thiessen’s notable wit in the forefront.
“The amount of groaners Matt [Thiessen] turns out—I think he likes me because I’m the only one in the group that’ll give him a little chuckle,” Warne said. “We don’t take ourselves too seriously.”
Relient K has, however, garnered a serious fan base of Christian and mainstream listeners alike. With three consecutive gold albums to their name and their catchy 2005 single, “Be My Escape,” reaching platinum status, big things can be expected from these artists. Not bad for a band named after an ironically unreliable car.
“Matt Hoopes had a [Plymouth] Reliant K car in high school, and he got a lot of flack for it,” Warne said. Hoopes and Thiessen were friends at the time, growing up together in Canton, Ohio. “[Now] it’s up on blocks at his parents’ house.
“We could someday convert it into a drum riser,” Warne added. “If we did, that would be sweet.”
Along with a revamped song list, a meaningful moniker, and their distinctive brand of humor, Relient K has perhaps set a theme as well for this upcoming concert with fellow musical artists Mae and Sherwood.
“We’re hoping to do sort of a Robin Hood/Sherwood Forest type of theme,” Warne said.
Pun intended? While not confirmed, it’s a safe bet.
One can also bet that the concert tour will continue to attract new fans, both Christian and mainstream.
“At clubs, we’re still getting a huge amount of our Christian core [audience], as well as people who have just heard us on the radio,” Warne said. “Bands like P.O.D. [and] Switchfoot, a lot of them really paved the way in mainstream to make it okay to listen to [Christian] music, as long as it’s good. So a lot of that groundbreaking work has already been done.”
And if Relient K’s current musical path is any indication, there may be more groundbreaking work to come.
ACTION POINT:
Fans can purchase general admission tickets for the show through Ticketmaster for $17. Visit www.relientk.com for more information on the band, their album “Five Score and Seven Years Ago,” and their 2007 tour.
*went to their concert at the Fargo Dome, North Dakota around 2000. I remember I was in the 4th row in the beginning of the concert and after being pushed back throughout the first song, I was in the 20th row-wild! This band is profile on other of my sites here: shootings
P.O.D. - Youth Of The Nation (Video shot to Album Version Audio)
*saw them live in concert for the first time back in 2004's Luis Palau Twin Cities Festival at the St. Paul Capitol Grounds-it was awesome!
Related Sites: Wikipedia "Casting Crowns is a Grammy award and Dove Award winning 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 with 2003 songs such as If We Are the Body and Who Am I. The band is currently one of the best selling artists in Christian music."
"Okay, so this is where we're supposed to give you all the marketing hype, the impressive list of awards and nominations, the radio stats, record sales and media coverage. All the facts to confirm just how far up the music career ladder Casting Crowns has traveled in the two short years since the band's recording debut.
Certainly there is much to tell.
But frankly, that's the least of what you need to know about Casting Crowns. There's nothing less important to them than all the marketing details. Instead, if we could all suspend that tiny (or big, as the case may be) voice of cynicism just for a moment—if we could magically transport ourselves to any given Sunday morning at Eagle's Landing First Baptist Church outside of Atlanta, perhaps we'd see just how little the music business machine matters.
What matters is what's going on in the lives of the 400+ kids that Mark Hall and the other six members of Casting Crowns minister to each and every week. What matters is whether or not that teenage guy really 'gets' that God believes in him, even when he has trouble believing back. What matters is whether that teenage girl knows she's loved and wanted by the God of the universe, when there's no one else to love her. What matters is that they come to see their lives as the only songs of worship that really count." Concert in North Korea on April 19th of 2007
Wikipedia "Despite the band's continual dismissals of the label, Creed is sometimes labeled Christian rock due to the fact that earlier albums focus on questions of faith, Christianity, and eternity. The band was never signed to a Contemporary Christian music label, nor did it perform in Christian Music venues or get any widespread regular play on Christian Radio.
The band's frontman has stated:
“ We are not a 'Christian band'. We have no agenda to lead others to believe in our specific beliefs. [2] ”
— Scott Stapp, vocalist
Creed was sued in 2003 by four concert goers who claimed Scott Stapp "was so intoxicated and/or medicated that he was unable to sing the lyrics of a single Creed song" at a December 29, 2002 concert in Chicago. The lawsuit was later dismissed. Further trouble ensued for the band as Creed was constantly under scrutiny for relaying religious messages both within their music and videos.[citation needed] Most of these accusations were directed at Stapp although Creed as a whole denied the connection between religion and the band. This was one of the main reasons for the departure of Stapp." Scott Stapp, lead singer (official site and myspace site) "During interviews, he does not discuss the meanings of his lyrics, as he often prefers to let his lyrics speak for themselves, but he has opened up to the Christian press that he is Christian and has been since in the band Creed." Stapp: I Am a Christian
by Mark Moring
posted 08/09/04 (Christianity Today) " lot of personal things. I was hurt and beaten down. Five years ago, I had a divorce that I didn't really want. I was so busy with Creed that I don't think I ever really dealt with that emotionally. She [his ex-wife] elected not to be involved in my son's life, leaving me as a single father, and I was really worried about my little boy [Jagger, who turns 6 in October]. And there were other things that came along in the trappings of fame, things that hurt some of my relationships. So when I finally had time to reflect on everything, I was broken down to the point where I had no other way but to look up. I couldn't handle it all. I was asking a lot of questions—of myself, of God—looking for answers.
My dad always said I was hard-headed, that it would take something like that to wake me up spiritually, and I guess it did. My heart had gotten so beat up that I didn't have anything left to give. I was emotionally and spiritually dried up, so I was just searching for God. I reached out to my pastor and my father for some guidance. I was really soul searching and, I guess, on my path to coming home spiritually. And once that process began—and I'm still going through that process, and probably will for the rest of my life—that's when things started changing in my life. I started making some proper decisions, getting things in order. It's kind of like cleaning up your house. I was looking for direction for what God wanted me to do—and that's when I got a call about The Passion."
I'm an artist who's a Christian, because I don't write music to be evangelical. Now, if that happens, it happens. My dad's a dentist, and he's a Christian. Now, does he put in Christian fillings? No, that's just part of his three-dimensional life. Now, there are people that are Christian artists, because they have a purpose to be evangelical for Christ. I don't feel I've been called to that yet. Now, that could change. There's no telling what kind of call God will put on my life."
Thank you for visiting GoodnewsUMM! Please feel free to e-mail me (Sal) at goodnews_usa@yahoo.com on any comments, suggestions (e.g. any new websites),complaints, or anytype of feedback to improve this website.
