Latest album, Swallow the Ocean (2013)
17 previous albums
20 #1 Christian radio singles including the GRAMMY® nominated “The Christmas Shoes”
Founders/hosts of Winter Jam Tour Spectacular – now in its 18th year
Inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame
GUESTS
Bringing a NewSong to the World
By
The 700 Club
CBN.com
–SWALLOW THE OCEAN
“Swallow the Ocean” is the 18th career recording from NewSong. The project was produced by Seth Mosley (Newsboys, Peter Furler), Chris Stevens (TobyMac, Sanctus Real) and Paul Mills (Bluetree; Phillips, Craig & Dean). The project maintains a strong evangelistic focus that has been the band's hallmark for three decades. “We wanted to keep the music relevant and yet keep our same sound,” shares founding member Eddie Carswell.
The inspiration for the album’s title cut “Swallow the Ocean” comes from a 100-year old hymn, “The Love of God.” While wrestling with writer’s block, the original songwriter was reminded of a story about a man in an insane asylum. When the old man passed away, a poem about the infinite love of God was found carved on the wall of his cell. His poem and the hymn were the inspiration for “Swallow the Ocean.” “If we were to fill the entire ocean with ink, and if we were to take pens and try to write the love of God across the sky, we would drain the entire ocean dry and still not even come close to touching the surface of God’s greatness and the bigness of His love; that has become the heartbeat of this album,” shares band member Matt Butler.
The band encourages evangelism by including an extra copy of “Swallow the Ocean” with every physical CD purchased, allowing fans an opportunity to give away the additional disc. This was a precedent set by NewSong with both 2011’s “One True God” and 2009’s “Give Yourself Away.” The band hopes the extra CD can be a tool for outreach. “It’s meaningful to help initiate ministry and partner with people,” says Carswell. “Hopefully, they’re going to love your music, enjoy it and be encouraged; but they can also be excited and pass it on to someone else, and God will work in that person’s life and encourage them as well.” NewSong recorded the album together in one room which is a rarity in today’s digital age. The result was a more cohesive sound.
WINTERJAM 2013
Fans around the country can hear NewSong perform selections from “Swallow the Ocean” during this year’s 44-city Winter Jam Tour Spectacular – ranked by Pollstar as the #1 tour in the world for the first quarters of 2011 and 2012. The tour introduces new audiences to Christian music while providing a dynamic platform for the Gospel message. “It is God’s tour. We’ve always been about staying focused on the Message and presenting the Gospel in a clear way,” shares Carswell. The tour has featured such artists as MercyMe, Steven Curtis Chapman, tobyMac, Jeremy Camp, Newsboys and Skillet, among many others. “Being involved with Winter Jam is just God’s design for us, and it’s among the reasons we can still be around,” shares Carswell.
Winter Jam began in 1995. NewSong had done a concert in Greenville, South Carolina and already played the larger churches in the area, when they asked the promoter about doing a concert at the Greenville Memorial Auditorium. The promoter said he had never filled the 15,000-seat venue with a Christian event, and that a January date wouldn't give him enough lead time to sell tickets in advance. NewSong told him they didn't want to sell tickets, instead they would take donations at the door. "The night of the concert, when they finally closed the doors, they had to turn 2,000 people away. The place was jam-packed – it was an unbelievable night." To this day, NewSong's ticketless concerts (a $10.00 donation per person at the door is requested) give thousands the opportunity not only to hear incredible music but, of course, to also hear the Gospel message. Part of this tour’s partnership is Winter Jam’s support of World Vision, a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide by challenging the causes of poverty and injustice. NewSong endorses World Vision at each concert. In addition to founding the Winter Jam Tour Spectacular, NewSong organizes another series of annual events, which specifically target youth. The band hosts four Xtreme Conferences each year with thousands of youth in attendance.
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