KJ-52 and Group 1 Crew present The Modern Day Heroes Tour, with special guests Bread of Stone & Grace Cambell. The tour has thirty dates spanning over six weeks and covering more than fifteen states starting at the end of February. It will combine both music and Bible studies, and at each stop a local hero nominated by fans will be honored. Check out the details and promo video below and visit www.moderndayheroestour.com for tour dates and to make nominations.

The tour is going to be more than a concert; it will have two key tie ins to local community. The first tie in is the nomination of a local community service hero. The artists would like anyone in the local community to submit their nomination for a local service hero, a person who has shown their dedication to ministry, fellow men, or both. This person will be recognized and honored in their city when the MODERN DAY HERO TOUR hits their town. To nominate someone, click the “NOMINATE YOUR HERO” button the main page of www.moderndayheroestour.com. This will take you to the nomination page powered by Hear It First.

The second community tie in is the preshow Firestarter bible study. This bible study will be held by the artists for the local youth before the show starts. This will be a chance for the local community to interact with KJ-52 and Group 1 Crew as they walk through the book of Luke in the Firestarter bible. The preshow bible study will be a presale initiative to draw youth leaders to bring their youth to the show. Purchase tickets to the MODERN DAY HEROES TOUR in your city by heading to the tour website.

Some of the contributing artists included Amy Grant, Steven Curtis Chapman, TobyMac, B. Reith, Michael Tait, Brandon Heath, Nicole C. Mullen, Mandisa, Britt Nicole and several others.

Below watch the official video, and visit www.cometogethernowhaiti.com to purchase and to learn more.

“As soon as I stop worrying / Worrying how the story ends
When I let go and I let God / Let God have His way
That’s when things start happening / When I stop looking at back then
When I let go and I let God / Let God have His way…”
Lyrics by PJ Morton

BET’S hit gospel singing competition Sunday Best is on the search again for the best in musical talent. Season 3 of Sunday Best is having auditions in Detroit, New Orleans and Philadelphia. The first audition is this Saturday, February 20th. Doors open at 8:00 a.m. and will close at 12:00 Noon.

2010 SUNDAY BEST AUDITION CITIES, DATES AND LOCATIONS:

DETROIT
When: February 20, 8 a.m. - noon
Where: COBO Center
1 Washington Blvd.,
Detroit, MI 48226

NEW ORLEANS
When: February 27, 8 a.m. - noon
Where: Ernest M. Morial Convention Center
900 Convention Center Boulevard
New Orleans, LA 70130-1799

PHILADELPHIA
When: March 6, 8 a.m. - noon
Where: Pennsylvania Convention Center
One Convention Center Place
1101 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107

Find out more about the auditions below and on the BET website:

Premiering on Easter Sunday, April 4, BET’s hit singing competition, SUNDAY BEST returns for a third season of higher praise and tougher competition. Hosted by gospel legend Kirk Franklin, the new season welcomes gospel recording artists, Pastor Donnie McClurkin and Yolanda Adams to the stellar team of judges including returning multi-award winning siblings Erica and Tina Campbell of Mary Mary. And if the U.S. talent pool wasn’t enough, SUNDAY BEST kicked off the 10-week competition by venturing to Lagos, Nigeria in West Africa for the first ever international auditions.

U.S. auditions will begin on February 20 in Detroit and conclude on March 6 in Philadelphia. SUNDAY BEST season three U.S. auditions will be open to contestants age 18 and older who have government issued forms of identification. Doors to the venue will open at 8:00 a.m. and will close at 12 noon.

In addition to the coveted title of SUNDAY BEST, the winner of season three will receive prizes from the Ford Motor Company, General Mills and Nationwide Insurance. Other brands integrated into the series include Walgreens, Design Essentials and Unilever’s Degree Brand. SUNDAY BEST season three will tape the stage portion of the show at the Ernest M. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Word is that Gospel trio 21:03 is in the studio working on their next album. In a recent UStream broadcast they predicted the album would drop in late Spring, so look out for it. Check out a sneak peek of one of their songs “Favor”, and some clips of them in the studio with PAJAM making the song “I Wanna Hear Your Voice” by clicking below.

TobyMac recently released his fourth solo album “Tonight”, after letting fans preview songs for the past few weeks. The album has already reached No. 2 on the overall sales chart on iTunes. He also recently did an interview where he spoke about trying to reach a wider audience by broadening his music style and content. Visit www.tobymac.com for updates and to purchase the album. Check out the album trailer below and watch the music videos for the singles “Showstopper,” which premiered on Yahoo Music, and “Tonight” below:

tobyMac On the Making of “Tonight”
“I have a lot of passion when it comes to my records. I don’t know if it’s good or bad, but there’s this range of emotions that come with making a record. Music is something that can actually open people’s minds to who God is. Music will never change the world, but God can choose to use music, and that’s what I count on…

“I want my songs to be said in a way that anyone can relate to them. I want them to move people’s lives forward; move people toward God, and if I’m accomplishing that, whether or not anyone loves this record, as long as I feel like that is what I’m doing, then I feel like my job is done.”

- tobyMac, speaking about his efforts on his latest album “Tonight”

Source: www.tobymac.com

The nominees for the the 41st Annual GMA Dove Awards were recently announced. The event will be held on Wednesday, April 21, 2010 at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House and will be televised nationwide on GMC on Sunday, April 25, 2010 at 8pm EST.

Some of the nominees include:

Artist of the Year Nominees: Francesca Battistelli, Casting Crowns, Jason Crabb, Jars of Clay, Mary Mary, Skillet, tobyMac

New Artist of the Year Nominees: Crystal Aikin, Bluetree, Jonny Diaz, Kari Jobe, Revive, Sidewalk Prophets, Brian Courtney Wilson

Group of the Year Nominees: Skillet, Casting Crowns, Gaither Vocal Band, Jars of Clay, Hezekiah Walker & The Love Fellowship Crusade Choir, NEEDTOBREATHE, and Tenth Avenue North

Visit the GMA website or the Dove Awards website for a full listing of nominees. Congrats to all of the artists nominated!

“Holding up a mask and trying to be everything you’re not is too much work. Keeping up such appearances is a drain of your time and energy. And it keeps you from doing what you should be doing.”

- Anthony Evans

Anthony Evans recently released his album “Undisguised” a candid encounter of faith and great worship. In a recent interview with GospelMusicChannel.com he openly spoke about the trials and pain he has faced, and his removing of emotional disguises to pour out and reveal his heart in the album.

For a limited time get Anthony’s song “Amazing God” from his new release ‘Undisguised’ FREE on Amazon.com. The offer ends on February 28th. Visit his website for more updates and tour dates and check out the EPK video for the album below.

James Fortune & FIYA’S newest album “Encore” which was released at the end of January, debuted at #2 on the Billboard Top Gospel Album Chart and #2 on iTunes’ Christian/Gospel Chart. This week, the single charted at #5 on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Song chart. “Encore” is also crossing over in the Top 20 at the Urban Adult Contemporary radio format.

Check out the video for “Encore” below, and see why the powerful song is such a hit:

“God is a God of repeat performances and you can depend on Him for an encore. He did it before, He will fix it again. This is not the first time we’ve faced challenges, or had our heart broken, or the first time we’ve experienced the economy decline. This is a message that speaks to the churched and unchurched, young and old and all races.”

- James Fortune

Artists to perform include Amy Grant, Alison Krauss and Union Station, LeAnn Rimes, Mat Kearney, Brandon Heath, Rebecca St. James, Jars of Clay and NEEDTOBREATHE. Visit HelpHaitiLive.com to learn more and to donate or purchase tickets.

100% of on-line donations through HelpHaitiLive.com and 100% of net proceeds from ticket sales will go to Compassion International’s Haiti disaster relief fund.