Its Artist News Day! We started with interviews with Steve Cobucci one of the band members of Wolves at the Gate. Wolves at the Gate will be preforming at SonFest 2022 at 2:35pm on the main stage. If you missed the interview, you can hear them tomorrow during the Morning Thing!
Emma shared exciting news about Phil Wickham announcing a his new Singalong Tour starting in 2023. What is really exciting is that Matt Maher and Leeland will also be on the road with Wickham. Ticket per-sale starts soon and the tour kicks off in January till late May of 2023!
Jonathon then shared some news about Chris Tomlin and 5 time GRAMMY award winner Erica Campbell will be hosting the 53rd GMA Dove Awards. This year’s Award show will take place in person on Tuesday, October 18th, while the broadcast will be aired exclusively on the Trinity Broadcasting Network Friday, October 21st.
Game time! We played song poetry, there was no winner this week, but next week there is a chance to win two $5 gift cards to Round Hill Dairy. We also played Sonfest Trivia and congrats to Jessica from Mount Vernon for winning two Sonfest tickets! Don’t forget to stay tuned at 7:30 am on the Morning Thing and 5:25 pm during the Afternoon Drive for your chance to win Sonfest tickets!
It’s Artist News Day and there is some exciting news in the Christian music today! Emma shared that Chris Tomlin and Hillsong UNITED have extend the Tomlin UNITED Tour. Tickets are on sale now and concerts start on November, 3rd. Jonathon then shared about Colton Dixon releasing a new music video for his new song “Build a Boat.” This music video was a collaboration with Mercy Ship, a charitable organization that runs the world’s first purpose-built civilian hospital ship.
Don’t forget to see Big Blue at the Fredericktown Tomato Show starting Tomorrow September 7th through Saturday September 10th. The Big Blue Crew will also be throwing candy and frisbees at the annual Tomato Show Parade this Saturday at 12:30 pm. Be on the look out to register to win a WNZR Prize Basket. Everyday of the Tomato Show we are giving away an Adult and Kids prize basket. Then on Saturday the 10th we will be giving away one Student prize basket.
You brought me blessings out of a tragedy You turned my old song into a symphony
Answer: New Creation by Mac Powell, Congratulations to Bonnie from
We also played SonFest Trivia and our winner was Kathy from Mount Vernon. Congratulations to Kathy for winning two tickets to SonFest. Stay tuned through out this and week to win SonFest tickets on the Morning Thing at 7:25 am and the Afternoon Drive 5:25 pm!
Today, we welcomed a brand co-host to the Afternoon Drive, Emma Reuss! She is a junior communications and digital media major from Cincinnati, Ohio. Jonathon and Emma will be hosting the show Tuesdays and Thursdays for the fall semester.
Tuesday, as always, was Artist Newsday, and Emma shared a story about CAIN, the musical trio who all welcomed new babies to the world through Instagram posts all throughout this year! You can find the story HERE.
Also in the news, Mac Powell is hosting a FREE VIP virtual concert experience tomorrow, August 31st, at 7:30pm. You can find more information HERE.
Finally, congratulations to Leanna Crawford for her engagement to former-NBA player Cody Zeller! She also announced the occasion on Instagram and you can read the whole story HERE.
Today’s Song Poetry Lyrics:
You brought me blessings out of a tragedy You turned my old song into a symphony
FOR KING AND COUNTRY – Brogan shared the story of a NewReleaseToday.com podcast host, who had an up close and personal experience with the Smallbone brothers. Read more by clicking here!
POINT OF GRACE – Joe shared about the digital release of the band’s hymn album, ‘Beautiful Name.’ Read the story from JesusFreakHideout.com by clicking here!
If you’re lookin’ for hope tonight, raise your hand If you feelin’ alone and don’t understand If you’re fightin’ in the fight of your life, then stand We’re gonna make it through this hand-in-hand
The answer? ‘Together’ by for King and Country, Tori Kelly and Kirk Franklin. Congratulations to Flo from Howard, who guessed correctly and wins the WNZR drawstring backpack.
Tasha Layton is coming out with a new album! Entitled, “How Far”, Tasha’s album is scheduled for release on May 13th.
Layton co-wrote nine of the project’s 10 tracks, and interestingly enough, How Far also features songwriting contributions from such names as Matthew West, We Are Messengers’ Darren Mulligan, Aaron Shust and Andrew Bergthold (We The Kingdom), among others.
Here is what Tasha had to say about the upcoming release. “The whole album is summed up in the message of the title track, ‘How Far’. It’s about how God continues to reach out and pursue us even when we run from Him. It was God’s love for us that propelled Him to give His life on the cross. Arms stretched open wide—that’s how far He will go.”
Anne Wilson has landed her first Billboard Music Award Nomination for “Top Christian Song” with her breakout hit single “My Jesus,” making her the only female nominated in the category. The 2022 Billboard Music Awards will be held live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, May 15th at 8pm and air on NBC.
Here is what she had to say about this honor. “I am blown away and forever grateful that I was nominated for a BBMA. I never dreamed this would happen but I’m so thankful for it. Thank you Billboard for supporting my music and believing in me!! All glory to God.”
“My Jesus” was the longest-running No. 1 song on the Billboard Christian Airplay Chart of 2021 for seven weeks total. Her hit made her the first female artist to hit the top of the Billboard Christian Airplay chart with a debut song. Her debut album My Jesus will be available this Friday, April 22nd. She also performed this past Saturday at the Grand Ole Opry.
Now I ain’t nothing perfect I still stumble every single day I still get knocked down But the difference now Is that’s not where I stay
Congratulations to Bonnie of Mount Vernon for correctly guessing today’s song poetry, “Walking Free” by Micah Tyler! She wins a Voice of the Cougars drawstring backpack!
As we prepare for Lifeline 2022, we still have time to share some of your favorite artists who are in the news this week!
FOR KING & COUNTRY will host “What Are We Waiting For? The Worldwide Special”, a FREE livestream on their YouTube page to celebrate the release of the new album. Believe it or not, this event will be held LIVE FROM THE MOJAVE DESERT!!!
The Australian duo is partnering with Convoy of Hope for the livestream in order to support our brothers and sisters through Christ in Ukraine.
Also, congratulations to FOR KING & COUNTRY for hitting #2 on the Billboard Album Chart for ALL GENRES with “What Are We Waiting For?”. God is moving through their music and it has been great to see!
Dan Bremnes announced last week that he is releasing a new album titled Into The Wild on June 17th. You can listen to one of the featured songs titled “Lover Of My Soul.”
His album invites listeners to leave fear behind and allow God to guide. Produced by Mike Wise, Andrew Bergthold, Benjamin Backus, Mark Campbell and Abe Parker, Bremnes’ second full-length project with Curb | Word Entertainment grafts pieces of his global expeditions into a sonic landscape that’s both diverse and accessible. This album describes many emotions including being full of gratitude for the present, adoration for his wife, and hope amidst uncertainty. The album features it’s lead single titled “Hold You Tight” as well as other previously released songs, “Run Away With Me” and Wouldn’t Change A Thing.”
“Lover Of My Soul” marvels at the mystery of a God who stays when we give Him every reason to walk away. Loaded with urgent strings and a high church choir, the heartfelt chorus transitions into a final bridge of total surrender. The album also features Carter Frodge along with former Tenth Avenue North frontman Mike Donehey, who also co-wrote seven of the album’s 10 tracks.
We gotta stay awake ’cause nobody knows the day or time, The trumpet’s gonna blow and the skies are gonna open wide
The song was Jesus is Coming Back from Jordan Feliz!
Congratulations to Brenda of Fredericktown for correctly guessing this week’s trivia and winning a Voice of the Cougars drawstring backpack along with an On the Road with Big Blue t-shirt!
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!
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!
This week, we highlighted some new albums from two artists that are either already here or on the way!
Jordan St. Cyr has been a busy man to start the year. He is set to release his first full length album on March 4th. He is also celebrating his single “Weary Traveler” which is currently No. 1 on radio’s AC Indicator Chart for the second week in a row! Jordan St. Cyr began the year being named the No. 2 Top New Christian Artist of 2021, according to Billboard. His hit “Weary Traveler” continues to be added on radio stations across the country. It is also in the top ten on the Christian Airplay and AC Monitored charts.
Here is what he had to say on the release of his upcoming album. “My prayer for this album is that these songs would bring comfort and joy to those who hear them. It is also my prayer that listeners would be more hopeful and open to the depths of God’s love for them knowing that their circumstances are not a reflection of how God feels about them, rather that their circumstances would reveal the closeness and nearness of the Holy Spirit.”
He recently wrapped up his tour with Anne Wilson and is now gearing up for Jeremy Camp’s “I Still Believe Tour,” which kicks off next month.
Maverick City Music continue to release brand new music with their first album of 2022! The EP entitled “Breathe” was released to celebrate Black History Month and features Joe L Barnes, Maryanne George, Naomi Raine, Chandler Moore and Dante Bowe backed by the Mav City Gospel Choir. The EP features live and studio versions of standout songs lifted from 2021’s Jubilee: Juneteenth album, including “Breathe,” “Joy of the Lord,” and “Make it Right,” plus three all-new original recordings. The Breathe EP serves as a reminder to all who listen to take a moment to breathe and celebrate life and the legacy of black gospel music.
Also, don’t forget that Steven Curtis Chapman will be in Mansfield this March! The Christian musician will bring his tour to Crossroads Church Thursday, March 24th starting at 7:00pm thanks to Rise FM.
I’ve been thinking ’bout time And where does it go How can I stop my life from passing me by, I don’t know
Congratulations to Kaleb of Fredericktown for correctly guessing that today’s song was Keep Me In the Moment by Jeremy Camp! Kaleb wins a Voice of the Cougars drawstring backpack!
Driving Notes 