Search

Driving Notes

The Official Blog of WNZR's Afternoon Drive

Open Search
Category

Game Time Tuesday

Surprise Parties and Surprise Hits!

Katy Nichole and We Are Messengers are in the news! Both of them have had huge surprises come their way in completely different ways.

We Are Messengers celebrated their first #1 single at Christian radio with “Come What May” with a commemorative plaque presentation on the Grand Ole Opry stage during Casting Crowns’ “The Healer Tour”.

The band’s label, Curb Records surprised the group after their opener for Casting Crowns and this is what they had to share about the experience. “[We are] so very thankful for the kindness of God in our lives, His spirit working through these songs and the incredible team that has worked tirelessly with us for many years. What. A. Night!!”

We Are Messengers are set to embark on their Wholehearted Tour starting Thursday, April 7th. The tour takes the band through 19 sites all the way until May 7th.

New music star Katy Nichole has hit hits No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs Chart with her song “In Jesus Name (God of Possible)”. Her viral debut single has also topped the iTunes Christian & Gospel Songs chart for eight consecutive weeks so far, never leaving No. 1 since it released Jan. 26.

As the song continues to resonate with people of all backgrounds across the world, Nichole is also receiving numerous invitations to sing the song live. Going from 0 to 50 concerts on her schedule so far, upcoming events include “Good Friday Nashville” with Chris Tomlin at Bridgestone Arena April 15th. She also recently sang “God Bless America” at the NASCAR WISE Power 400 live held at Auto Club Speedway, joined Big Daddy Weave for four concerts and sang “In Jesus Name (God of Possible)” last week during Jason Gray’s SiriusXM The Message Acoustic Story Time event.

She created this song from words in her prayer journal that were written in the midst of a global health crisis and in response to her own story of suffering, hope and healing. She suffered for years with scoliosis before a new doctor took out the metal rods that had been placed in her back, which miraculously went straight, no longer giving her pain. 

People worldwide are hearing Nichole’s song and telling their own heart-warming, and many times heart-breaking, stories. Each story branches out into a series of new shares that continues branching virally. More than 7,200 examples of this can be seen now on TikTok. 

You picked up your share of scars along the way
But now you’re standing in the sun, you’ve fought your fight and your race is run
The pain is all a million miles away

This, of course, comes from Casting Crowns with their top song “Scars in Heaven”!

Congratulations to Janell of Mount Vernon for correctly guessing this week’s song poetry. She wins a Voice of the Cougars drawstring backpack!

Thanks for listening!

Jonathon & Dylan

0

Concerts and Albums

It’s Artist News Day today on the show. I talked about how Lifeline 2022 is coming up. I also shared some artist news about artists related to the station.

Here are both of the stories that I used:

Last week, Maverick City Music and Kirk Franklin announced that they are going to tour together. The tour is called the Kingdom Tour which will feature special guests Jonathan McReynolds and Housefires. The tour kicks off June 1st at the FTX Arena in Miami, FL and wraps up in Denver, CO at Ball Arena on July 31st.

They will be in Cleveland on Friday, June 17th at the Blossom Music Center.

They’ll also make an appearance in Columbus on Wednesday, June 22nd at the Schottenstein Center.

Tickets go on sale starting this Friday, March 18th at 10am on Ticketmaster.

This past Friday, Jordan Feliz released his Say It (Deluxe) album. It has 18 tracks in it and it is his third full length album ever. One song that is in it is a song that we play here on WNZR titled “Jesus Is Coming Back” featuring both Mandisa and Jonathon Traylor. “Jesus Is Coming Back” is quickly rising up the charts. As of last week, it was number seven on the Billboard NCA Monitored chart and number four on the AC Indicator Chart.

Here is what Jordan had to say on the song. “‘Jesus Is Coming Back’ is one of my favorite songs…and being able to have Jonathan Traylor and Mandisa sing on this has been massive,” he said. “I’ve known Mandisa for four or five years…she’s just the sweetest human. And I’ve been a fan of Jonathan’s ever since hearing him sing. They are two incredible people and singers, and they brought so much to this song.”

Some other songs in the album include; Glorify, Stained Glass, Next To Me, and many more! There are 18 songs in the album.

We gotta stay awake ’cause nobody knows the day or time, no
The trumpet’s gonna blow and the skies are gonna open wide
Ooh, yeah. He’s coming for us (Yeah, yeah) just like He told us (Yeah, yeah)
It’s been a long wait (Yeah, yeah) but there’s a new day (Yeah, yeah)
And we’re gonna sing Hallelujah when the King arrives (Yeah, yeah, yeah)
Oh, you know you gotta

We had a stumper this week! Make sure to tune in next week for a chance to win TWO 2021 Voice of The Cougars drawstring backpacks!

Thanks for listening!

-Dylan

0

Award Shows and New Singles!

Well, this may be the busiest Artist Newsday we have had in quite a while! Dylan and I brought you up to date on some of WNZR’s favorite artists who hit the news this past week.

Last Friday, Matt Maher released his new single titled “Leaning” featuring Lizzie Morgan. You can find the single on any digital platform that you listen to music on. He explains this song as an honest yet poignant look at life’s toughest seasons and how Jesus tells us that we’re not alone. Here is what the chorus of the song reads. 

“What a fellowship, what a joy divine what a priceless gift 
God I’m yours and You are mine, Let my restless soul be still and know I am leaning on your everlasting arms.” 

Here is what Maher and a couple of his co-workers had to say on the song. “There are times in life where on either side of a difficult season you’re either asking, ‘How am I going to get through this?’ or, you’re on the other side looking back in amazement saying, ‘How did I get through this?’ That’s where I find that the most sincere, real, authentic prayers get prayed,” he shares. “You’re praying out of desperation or gratitude and you find out what your support structure looks like – friends, family, loved ones who come around you hold you up. They become real signposts for the face of Jesus. But what about those who have no one? What does Jesus have to say to them? He says, ‘I no longer call you strangers, I call you friends. This is what I find so compelling about the friendship of God and the message of Christianity. Life is not a stacked tower of personal achievement, pride, egos, success, or vanity…it’s extending to others what Jesus says in the scriptures. ‘In this world, you will have trouble. But you are not alone. You can put your weight on me.'”  

This isn’t the only song that Maher is planning on releasing this year. He will be on the road quite a bit this year with plans to travel to Europe to tour with Rend Collective, along with visiting numerous summer and fall festivals. You can visit his website for more information regarding tour dates and upcoming events. 

K-LOVE recently announced via live-stream that reigning Christian Songwriter of the Year Matthew West and ten-time GRAMMY nominee Tauren Wells will co-host the 9th annual K-LOVE Fan Awards taking place on May 29 at Nashville’s iconic Grand Ole Opry House.

Both artists are excited to host, releasing statements soon after the announcement from K-LOVE.

“I’m looking forward to hosting the K-LOVE Fan Awards again this year, and excited to be joined by my buddy Tauren Wells,” remarked West. “This fan voted awards show is always a special event where we get to gather together and celebrate how God is working through the hope-filled messages of Christian music. This will be a night to remember.”

“The K-LOVE Fan Awards is always a highlight of my year. Getting to reunite with all the artists I love and respect in our genre, developing deeper connections with fans, and celebrating the God who has given us something to sing about is something truly special,” said Wells, who released his new single “Fake It” last week. Adding, “This year, I will experience the awards from a different vantage point as a host alongside K-LOVE Fan Awards veteran, Matthew West. He has done such an incredible job and I can’t wait to team up!”

The 2022 K-LOVE Fan Awards are open to the public, providing an experience for fans that is impossible to match anywhere else. Tickets are on sale with travel packages still available at www.klovefanawards.com.

Huge thanks to Jesus Freak Hideout for covering these amazing artists with amazing articles that we use for all of our shows!

In the waiting, in the searching
In the healing and the hurting
Like a blessing buried in the broken pieces

Congratulations to Julie of Frazeysburg for correctly guessing that the lyrics for today are from Zach Williams’ hit song “There Was Jesus”, sung alongside Dolly Parton! Julie wins the Voice of the Cougars drawstring backpack!

Thanks for listening!

Jonathon and Dylan

0

Tuesday Tours!

Some big names are headed on tour soon to start 2022! Dylan and I talked about both For King and Country and Newsboys on the show today.

Over the weekend, For King and Country partnered with internationally renowned DJ R3HAB to release a remix of their hit song “Relate”, currently sitting at #1 on WNZR’s NZ Top Ten! The new version of the song is available on all streaming services now!

Relate has since hit #1 on Billboard’s Christian Airplay chart, as well as Mediabase’s Christian AC Airplay chart, marking the 10th career #1 for the duo from Australia.

To celebrate the original song’s success, For King and Country will embark on their “What Are We Waiting For” Tour, taking them through 34 cities with special guest artist Dante Bowe! For ticket information, make sure to visit www.forkingandcountry.com.

Newsboys is starting off 2022 with their latest release, Stand, featuring longtime friend and former band member, TobyMac. The single and lyric video is available now on your streaming platforms. The group’s swiftly selling “STAND TOGETHER” tour with special guests Danny Gokey and Mac Powell launched in mid-January. 

The song “Stand” proclaims the faith of a believer through the trials and victories facing us today. Member Michael Tait says, “We tried to write a song that speaks to the very purpose and mission of every human, we finished the song and were like ‘this feels like an album theme’. Let’s face it, I am a man of color, and people are trying to tell us black and white can’t get along. So, when people ask you ‘where do you stand?’ we hopefully say that it lies within. To also have our longtime friend and brother Toby join us on the single is such a blessing. It feels like such an anthem for today and we hope it affects the listener as we intended.” 

The “Stand Together” tour is making two trips to Ohio this month. They will be in the closet one being in Circleville, OH at Heritage Nazarene Church.

WNZR has 10 NEW DJs and we are spotlighting each of them EVERY Monday up until April! Go listen to Marcy’s first conversation with Colin Ashworth from yesterday’s “Meet the Staff Monday”.

There’s a name that can silence every fear
There’s a love that embraces
The heartache, the pain and the tears

Congratulations to Holly of Laurelville for correctly guessing the song: Be Alright from Evan Craft, Danny Gokey, and Redimi2! Holly wins a Voice of the Cougars drawstring backpack for her correct answer!

Thanks for listening,

Jonathon and Dylan

0

Rock the Universe!

Another Tuesday, another Artist Newsday! Today, We Are Messengers hit a huge milestone on one of their new songs! Also this weekend, a HUGE Christian music festival will kick off!

Rock the Universe 2022 kicks off this Friday for an unforgettable weekend of faith and fun at Universal Studios in Florida. Fans and youth groups can once again come together at Florida’s biggest Christian music festival to enjoy gripping performances by some of Christian music’s top artists, including…

Friday, January 28Saturday, January 29
for KING & COUNTRYCasting Crowns
CrowderZach Williams
Matthew WestBig Daddy Weave
Jordan FelizCory Asbury
Rhett WalkerWe the Kingdom
Riley ClemmonsSocial Club Misfits

Those attending the festival will also enjoy access to both Universal Parks in addition to the three days of worship. Rock the Universe 2022 runs from Friday all the way to Sunday morning.

We Are Messengers song “Come What May” has hit #1 on the Billboard Christian Airplay Chart. It also has spent 11 straight weeks at #1 on the Mediabase Christian Audience Chart. This marks the first time that the group has been at #1 on both charts. 

Here’s what the groups front man Darren Mulligan had to say about the success. “God’s kindness has always been obvious to me, but today is extra special and a sweet example of how fond He is of people like us,” he shared. “I am so very thankful for our management team, Curb | Word Entertainment, and our incredible promo team who have brought this song to radio. We cannot express our gratitude for the never-ending love, support and encouragement of every single radio station in the USA. I’m honored to be a part of this community, and We Are Messengers will continue to share the news of Jesus with a world that needs Him more than ever.” 

We Are Messengers will be hitting the road with Casting Crowns on “The Healer Tour” beginning February 17th and departing on the first leg of their headlining “The Wholehearted Tour” with special guests Apollo LTD and Stephen Stanley on April 17th.

Thank you to jesusfreakhideout.com for their great coverage of your favorite artists on WNZR!

Praise Him in the morning
Praise Him in the noontime
Praise Him when the sun goes down

That was Good God Almighty from Crowder!

Congratulations to Steve of Mount Vernon for correctly guessing the song and winning TWO Voice of the Cougar string backpacks! Tune in tomorrow for our Who Am I Trivia with Dylan and Joe!

Thanks for listening,

Jonathon & Dylan

0

Unsung Heroes and Sold Out Crowd(er)s

It’s our first traditional Artist Newsday of 2022, and some of your favorite artists are already making the most of the new year!

For King & Country recently launched a pre-order of its upcoming new album What Are We Waiting For, along with its new song called “Unsung Hero”. The new album What Are We Waiting For asks a pivotal question in a pandemic-riddled world. Brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone provide the answer across 13 original tracks that confront relevant issues and confirm the duo’s commitment to community, diversity and family. Some featured artists in the album are Dante Bowe, Kirk Franklin, and Tori Kelley. Some songs that are included in the album are Relate, For God Is With Us and Together. 

Here is what Joel and Luke Smallbone had to say about this album. “What’s been particularly beautiful about this album is that we were able to be home with our families while making it,” They shared. “We cannot wait to now take more new songs on the road, to see you out there and make new memories with you all!” 

The recently released song, “Unsung Hero” is the most personal track on the upcoming album and is lovingly dedicated to the parents of Joel and Luke. The brothers raise their voices in reverent solidarity for the couple who made them the men they are today. You will be able to listen to the real-life story of the Smallbone family and its journey from Australia to America. 

Here is what the duo had to say about their parents. “Mom and Dad’s sacrificial love and selflessness inspires us to this day,” They said. “It’s hard to put into words what they mean to us, but they are both truly unsung heroes of ours. “Unsung Hero” goes out to every mom and dad, as well as every child who sees a hero in their parents.” 

Three-time GRAMMY-nominated artist Crowder kicked off the new year at Passion 2022, performing to a SOLD-OUT crowd at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta earlier this week. Crowder hit the stage during the annual gathering’s triumphant, in-person return – the largest of its kind, which brings together collegiate students from campuses across the nation and around the world for two days of life-changing worship, teaching and a challenge to live for what matters most. 

Crowder’s current single “In The House” is climbing the Christian radio charts, and he has more than 30 tour stops through the spring, hitting the road with TobyMac to serve as direct support on the Hits Deep 2022 Tour, which includes shows in NYC, Denver, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and more. Fans can purchase tickets to Crowder’s upcoming shows by visiting crowdermusic.com.

Come all you weary
Come all you thirsty
Come to the well
That never runs dry

Congratulations to Jack of Mount Vernon for correctly guessing God So Loved by We The Kingdom. Jack wins TWO $5 gift cards to Everlasting Cup!

Thanks for listening!

Jonathon and Dylan

0

Late Movement on the Charts!

For Artist Newsday, we recapped an awesome year for Dante Bowe and talked about how We The Kingdom made the most of their live performance on national television!

Dante Bowe has had a very successful year you could say. He has had arguably the most powerful year of his career and is closing out the season with top ten placements on three different Billboard Year End Charts. He is No. 9 overall for Top Gospel Artist, No. 4 for Top Male Gospel Artist, and No. 4 on Top New Christian Artists.

From the release of his deeply personal album, circles, via Bethel Music, to sold out performances, KLOVE Nominations, and multiple DOVE Award wins Dante’s incredible year culminates with three GRAMMY Award nominations in the Best Gospel Performance/Song category, a record that no other artist has achieved since the field was created in 2015.  

Earlier this year, Dante released his album and Bethel Music label debut, circles. The incredibly personal album quickly shot to the top of the charts, debuting at No. 7 on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart. The lead single, ‘joyful,’ reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Gospel Digital Song Sales and No. 3 on Hot Gospel Songs, making it the highest solo charting position of his career, and earned him a GRAMMY Nomination. The follow up single, ‘family tree,’ premiered on BET marking his first televised debut.

Next spring, Dante will join four-time GRAMMY Award winning duo for KING & COUNTRY on the road for the ‘What Are We Waiting For? – The Tour.” The 33-date trek will make stops in arenas throughout the United States beginning on March 31st in Southaven, MS before traveling through Chicago, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and more then wrapping in Franklin, TN on March 22nd. More information about the dates and tickets can be found at forkingandcountry.com.

We The Kingdom celebrated Christmas Eve with Fox & Friends, making an appearance on the show to perform their rendition of “Silent Night (Heavenly Peace).” Following their performance, the song soared to No. 1 on the iTunes Top Christian Songs chart (Top 15 all-genre), and the band’s holiday EP, “A Family Christmas”, also rose to No. 3 on the iTunes all-genre Top Albums chart.

The 2x GRAMMY-nominated group will kick off their headlining We The Kingdom Live tour in the new year, packing out the month of March with 16 shows! For tickets, make sure to visit wtklive.com.

Come all you weary
Come all you thirsty
Come to the well
That never runs dry

This week was a stumper so we will bring these lyrics back next week for a chance at TWO $5 gift cards to Everlasting Cup!

Thanks for listening!

Jonathon & Dylan

0

Casting Christmas!!

It’s Artist Newsday and some of your favorite WNZR artists are making headlines!

Since the creation of the category in 2015, Dante Bowe has broken the record for the greatest number of simultaneous nominations in the Best Gospel Performance/Song category at the 64th GRAMMY Awards. His nominations include solo singles “Voice of God” and “joyful.” as well as a nod for songwriting on Elevation Worship and Maverick City Music’s “Wait On You.”

In addition to his solo nominations, Dante contributed to a Best Gospel Album nomination with Maverick City Music for Jubilee: Juneteenth Edition and Best Contemporary Christian Music Album with Elevation Worship & Maverick City Music for Old Church Basement. 

The 64th GRAMMY Awards will air live from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on January 31 at 8:00 on CBS and Paramount+.

Casting Crowns just announced the plans for a 24-city “Healer Tour”. The band will travel to many different venues and arenas across the country. The tour will happen this coming spring (2022). The tour will get underway on February 17th after the band releases their new album Healer, which is set to come out on January 14th, 2022.

The Healer Tour will feature special guests We Are Messengers and Jonathan Traylor, and will make stops in cities like Baltimore, Grand Rapids, Tulsa, Nashville, Cleveland and Milwaukee, to name just a few. Tickets for The Healer Tour are on sale now. Check out castingcrowns.com for more ticket information.

There’s a tree in the Grand Hotel, one in the park as well
It’s the sturdy kind that doesn’t mind the snow.

Congratulations to Amy of Mount Vernon for correctly guessing the name of the song: “It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!”. She wins TWO $5 gift cards to Everlasting Cup!

Thanks for listening!

Jonathon & Dylan

0

CeCe Winans and Christmas Concerts

Someone we’ve talked about many times for Artist Newsdays returns to the show! It’s none other that CeCe Winans!!

CeCe Winans has experienced quite an amazing year. She has helped spread love, hope and encouragement for the past 18 months. Her album Believe For It became an instant hit. It received a ton of recognitions including being in the Billboard’s top 10 Gospel Labels. Here is what Jeff Moseley, Founder/President Fair Trade Services had to say about Winans, “We had high hopes and dreams for our partnership with CeCe and have been overjoyed with the success that we’ve experienced. It’s an honor to partner with an icon like CeCe.”

The year-end Billboard Charts listed Winans as Top Gospel Female Artist of the year with the single, “Believe For It” dominating the Gospel Digital Song Sales Chart and holding the #1 slot for 18 weeks.  The influence of Winans and Believe For It continued to shine brightly when the 2022 Grammy nominations were recently announced adding three more nods to her list of 28 nominations: Best Gospel Performance/Song, “Never Lost;” Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song, “Believe For It” (Dwan Hill, Kyle Lee, CeCe Winans & Mitch Wong, songwriters) and Best Gospel Album, Believe For It. Winans also received four Dove Awards! Here is what Winans had to say on the success, “I’m feeling really blessed right now! Thankful for people’s lives being uplifted by Believe For It. God is good.”

“Believe For It” continues to have success on the radio. The song is currently at #4 on the Billboard Gospel Airplay Chart. Winans is also in the Top 5 Christian Female Artist of the Year. Winans also has plans for a tour across the US in 2022.

For King & Country are in Columbus THIS FRIDAY for their Drummer Boy Christmas Tour at the Schottenstein Center! The concert will start at 7pm and tickets can be found here!

Also, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra will be at Nationwide Arena in Columbus Sunday, December 26th! They will have a matinee showing at 3pm and an evening showing at 8pm. Tickets can be found here!

Lyrics: There’s a tree in the Grand Hotel, one in the park as well
It’s the sturdy kind that doesn’t mind the snow.

Answer: ???

This song was a stumper! We’ll bring it back next week for TWO $5 gift cards to Everlasting Cup!

Thanks for listening!

Jonathon and Dylan

0

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑