12/29/01 Even MORE Info. On New dc Talk Song! My boy, Teddy, comes through again with more Let's Roll information from the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly. Including a sampling of lyrics from the new song. What follows is a snippet from the article(the part which talks about dc Talk). I had to edit out one word, I'm sure you'll see which word I'm talking about: The phrase "let's roll"...the last words of Todd Beamer before he and his fellow passengers on Flight 93 took on their hijackers...provides the hook for two new records. The most stylistically au courant is dc Talk's "Let's Roll," in which the Christian pop trio lurch into full nu metal thrash: "Let's roll, let's fight!/Let's show the world what's right!" But would God want His followers to kick this much holy a**? I personally cannot wait to hear this new song, I wanna' know what they mean by 'nu metal thrash.' Stay tuned to ae, we'll let you know anything else we find out about this song. (Teddy Ray, Entertainment Weekly) 12/23/01 New Kevin Max Demo MP3's Here's yet ANOTHER Christmas gift for fans! At kevinmax.com, Kevin has released several new demo MP3's that were originally done during the Stereotype Be recording sessions. "My Sweet Lord," originally recorded by the late George Harrison, "Resonate," and "End of the Beginning" are just a few of the tracks available now. So what are you waiting for? GO GET THEM! (kevinmax.com) * 12/18/01 Toby's "This Christmas" Can Be Heard NOW! * Yeah! It's true! Go check it out RIGHT NOW at tobymac.com. It's a groovin' track that's sure to feel you with the holiday spirit. It includes vocals by tobyMac himself ofcourse, Truett Mac (Toby's Jr. Sidekick!), and Nirva (Toby's new female vocalist who will accompany him on the upcoming Solo Tour). Merry Christmas everyone! (tobyMac.com) 12/8/01 New tobyMac Christmas Single! According to tobyMac.com, Toby's in the studio working a Christmas song that will be broadcast over the radio ONE TIME ONLY! You can check it out on the Focus on the Family Christmas Special that will feature dcTalk. Most of the stations will air it on Saturday night, 12/22 at 9pm ET, but if you're lucky you may hear it Sunday as well. For all the web-radio fans out there, you will be able to catch it on LOTE Live online at www.lifeontheedgelive.com. (tobyMac.com) 11/30/01 Kevin's Existence Music Video Releases! Be the first to see the world premiere of Kevin Max's new video, "Existence," right now at ForeFrontRecords.com! "Existence" is the first video and second single to radio from Kevin's solo project Stereotype Be. Kevin recently commented on the video by saying "Shooting the video was quite an ordeal based on the events surrounding September 11. I was originally scheduled to film the video in Barcelona Spain with Revolution pictures. But as with everything else in the KMax life, things don't always happen the way we plan. God had a reason for us not flying overseas and now I see the big picture. What is interesting is that where we ended up filming was of no consequence, because of the awesome crew and director. We successfully penetrated the lyric and mental pictures I have always had concerning the song. The 'angel character' in the video was a personal favorite of mine. I have always wanted to grow wings, even though I do not deserve them." Well, we guess it's better than horns... right? Overall, an excellent and very entertaining video! Props to KMax! Check out the Existence video NOW over at ForeFrontRecords.com (as well as tobyMac's Extreme Days video and Tait's Altars video)! (ForeFront Records, KevinMax.com) 11/30/01 Seasons Greetings from Kmax and tobyMac! TobyMac and Kevin Max are sending out Christmas cheer via video greetings available for a limited time over at Christianbook.com. KMax keeps things "jolly" while tobyMac (the "island boy") goes pretty far to avoid a white Christmas. Get your dose of Christmas cheer here! (ChristianBook.com) 11/30/01 Kevin's Book Is Now Finished Work! Kevin's new book, Unfinished Work, is now OUT and ready to be bought, so what are you waiting for? Go score yourself a copy! In a recent interview with dctalksolo.com (which can be accessed here), Kevin Max stated that he is changing the name of his NEXT book of poetry from The London Cowboy Chronicles to Slip Of The Ink. According to Kevin, it's already completed. A release date for this collection has not been announced, but Kevin states that "hopefully I will be able to put that out [by] the beginning of next year (2002), statewide, worldwide and on the net." (KevinMax.com) 11/18/01 Ardent-Enthusiast Exclusive: Interview With The Tait! Recently our very own Jessica Folkins had the opportunity to sit down with Chad, Lonnie, and Mike from Tait and ask them some questions. Wanna see what they said? Check it out here. (ae) 11/16/01 Toby's a Heatseeker! Momentum has ranked #1 for the week of November 24 on the Billboard Heatseeker chart. Congrats to tobyMac on this awesome feat as well as for selling a whopping 12,700 CD's in the first week of Momentum's release. (tobyMac.com, Billboard Music) 11/16/01 Tait's Creek? This past Wednesday, the 14th, the title track from Tait's album, Empty, was featured on the hit teen show Dawson's Creek. This is amazing exposure for the guys in Tait. A very long clip from the song can be heard when the title character, Dawson, is at a frat party. (ae, Dawson's Creek Music, Forefront Records) 11/9/01 More Info. On New dc Talk Song! Here's the article from Entertainment Weekly, folks. Many thanks go out to Teddy Ray for hooking ae up, you're the man Jones. Keep in mind EW made a mistake, spelling Toby's name "Toby Mack." In times of tragedy, people tend to turn to spirituality, so it's no surprise that since Sept. 11, retailers have seen a 20 percent increase in sales of Christian and gospel music, according to the Christian Music Trade Association. "People are gravitating to spiritual things right now," says Toby Mack of faith rockers DC Talk. The band has recorded the title track of an upcoming album tentatively called Let's Roll. The disc, which is currently being assembled by producer Tony McAnany (Madonna, Missy Elliott) was inspired by the actions of Todd Beamer, the 32 year old businessman believed to be one of the passengers who tried to overcome the terrorists on United Airlines 93, the plane which crashed in Pennsylvania on Sept. 11. Proceeds from the CD, which will include contributions from Jennifer Knapp, Nicole Mullen, and others, will go to the Todd M. Beamer Foundation. "This man gave his life up for America," says Mack. "And the last words he said were the Lord's Prayer and 'Let's roll.' That's inspiring." (Entertainment Weekly, Teddy Ray) 11/8/01 dc Talk To Record New Song? It's true, according to Entertainment Weekly. The magazine reports that a CD to be released, dedicated to the memory of the victims of the September 11 attacks, will feature a title track recorded by dc Talk. The album, titled 'Let's Roll,' will feature several Christian acts. Expect more news about this from us tomorrow, including a quote from Toby on the project. (Entertainment Weekly, Teddy Ray) 11/8/01 Kmax Updates His Site. Kmax has a sample from his new book, Unfinished Work, posted over at www.KevinMax.net. It's pretty interesting and well deserving of a look. (kevinmax.net) 11/7/01 AE Is Recognized. Many thanks go out to CCM Magazine for listing ae in its top 10 fan websites for Christian Artists, be sure to click here to check out the article. Also many thanks to YOU guys for voting for ae in the dotMusic top 200 fan sites poll that we took part in a while back! Out of 2,611 sites that took part, ardent-enthusiast ranked in at number 99. That's right, we broke the top 100! Check THAT out right here. (tobyMac.com) 11/6/01 We've Got momentum, Baby! Momentum is now out! go to the store and buy it. It's an awesome album by the Mac, himself. My personal favs are Get This Party Started, Momentum, TruDog, In The Air, What's Goin' Down, and Yours. Go get Momentum TODAY! (tobyMac.com) 11/5/01 tobyMac.com Goes LIVE! tobyMac.com went LIVE today and it's a sweet site, folks. The CIAgency put together a great site here to compliment an even greater album, and let me tell you it is a GREAT album folks. Head on over to tobyMac.com by clicking the link, following this news piece. Also happening right now is the dcTalksolo.com premier party, if you're online, go give it a look. Once again, go check out tMac's site and tomorrow... GO BUY MOMENTUM! (tobyMac.com) 11/4/01 Let's Get This Party Started! Ardent enthusiast is proud to get the Momentum party started! We bring you 10 audio samples from Momentum (MP3 format), 12 new images from the Momentum CD booklet (coming November 6), AND a new video clip (Real Player format) from an interview tobyMac gave to Action House TV a while back about the Extreme Days movie (Click HERE for the video clip)! Check out the MP3's below... Audio Clips Let's Get This Party Started What's Going Down Irene J-Train (Ft. Kirk Franklin) Do You Know Momentum Yours Wondering Why Love Is In The House In The Air (æ, Julie Hart) 10/27/01 Lots of Toby Stuff & Radio Updates! tobyMac's album is getting closer and closer and we're all getting excited! Forefront Records is now offering three all new tobyMac wallpapers on their site, ForefrontRecords.com. Also, November 3rd, get ready to hear tMac on the radio. He'll be guesting on ZJam(zJam.com) and The Sound of Light(SoundofLight.com). Currently on the radio are three singles, one from each of the guys. From Kevin Max we have Existence, Tait has Loss For Words, and tobyMac presents J*Train. Call and request them at your local Christian station, heck try the mainstream ones too. (æ, Forefront) 10/27/01 dcTalkSolo Opens toby Section Check out dcTalksolo.com to see their all new Toby section. Adio samples, track list, and an exclusive interview with The Mac, himself.. (dcTalkSolo) 10/23/01 Feel The Momentum! dcTalksolo.com has posted the track list and lyrics to tobyMac's upcoming album, Momentum. Momentum drops November sixth guys, less than a month away. (dcTalkSolo) 10/15/01 New Stuff @ Taitband.com New stuff has been posted over at TaitBand.com. Some news, a "making of" for the new Tait music video, Altars, and ever more! Give it a look. (Tait) 10/15/01 dc Talk Rescheduling Tour Dates Ticketmaster.com is currently listing rescheduled dates for the postponed Solo tour. Many of the cities are popping up with new dates, and in some cases new venues. Check into Ticketmaster.com for what is being billed as "An Evening With dc Talk." (Ticketmaster) 10/15/01 Catch A Ride On The J*Train! tobyMac's third single has been released to radio. J*Train is availiable, in it's entirety, at ForefrontRecords.com Check it out, it's a great tune. (Forefront) 10/15/01 Are You Living In Extreme Days? The Extreme Days music video is availiable to watch courtesy of ForefrontRecords.com. The video is in Windows Media format and has several conection speeds to choose from. the video itself is very awesome. It's a video the likes of which we've never seen out of dc Talk. If you have the chance, check it out, you won't be disappointed. t-mac doesn't disappoint. (Forefront) 10/07/01 Backstage with Tait! At a recent concert last month, ardent enthusiast had the pleasure of meeting the Tait band backstage. The guys were cool enough to answer several short questions and now we present their answers to you (the fans). Enjoy by clicking here! (æ) 10/06/01 dc Talk Releases Official Statement On Fall Tour. The guys released an official statement on Thursday afternoon in relation to the postponement of the tour. To read a transcription of the release, click here. According to TaitBand.com the Solo Tour is officially postponed. However Tait will stil be doing their non-Solo Tour dates. (True Artist, dcTalkSolo, TaitBand.com) 9/25/01 Don't Hate Him Because He's Beautiful. This just in from the Tennesseaan: Kevin Max is one of the most beautiful people in Tennessea. Ain't it great? Here's the article given to us: Who's the most beautiful person in Nashville? According to Nashville Lifestyles magazine, it's Titans running back Eddie George - by a landslide. "Everybody nominated him," magazine publisher Stacie Standifer said. The magazine will feature an extreme close-up of Eddie's face. Other names you might recognize: The Warren Brothers and their hot wives, Michelle and Raquel, appear in a couples section, as do Channel 2 weekend anchor Kate Merrill and her newlywed hubby, Preds goaltender Mike Dunham. On the BIG list, of "Nashville's 25 Most Beautiful People," is dc Talk's Kevin Max, jazz singer Annie Sellick, a staple at F. Scott's restaurant in Green Hills, and one of my fave choices, Holly Thompson, co-host of Channel 4's morning show, News 4 Today. Sorry, fellers. Holly is married, to her college sweetheart, Lee Lynch, owner of Game and Fish Outfitters in Hendersonville.In addition to being called Nashville's most beautiful news anchor/host this year, she's tallest among the ladies. Holly stands 5-foot-11. (The Tennessean ) 9/23/01 Extreme Days Video and tobyMac.com. A video clip from tobyMac's Extreme Days music video has been posted over at Interlinc Online, so check it out RIGHT NOW! The clip is in Quicktime format, but expect a series of MPEG clips coming soon from ardent enthusiast. Also, a new "opening soon" page has been posted over at tobymac.com! This confirms that the CIA Agency, the company behind the designs of the official sites for dcTalk and Tait, will be designing this site as well! Look for a tobyMac "mini-site" opening soon right here at ardent enthusiast in celebration of Toby's November 6 release, Momentum. (tobyMac.com) 9/22/01 An Update Or Two... Reports are coming in that Kevin's heading to Barcelona (that's in Spain) to shoot the music video for "Existence," his next single. Look for updates as we get them about the video. We should be getting a copy of Toby's "Extreme Days" music video in the mail within the next few weeks, so maybe we can get a snipet of it up for you guys when we do. Next up. Lots of books in the guys' future. With Kevin's book "Unfinished Work" coming out in November, his next poetry book coming out one day, you'd think that'd be enough... Nope. Mike Tait is endoring an upcoming book entitled: "I Don't Want Your Sex For Now!" (pictured below on the far right). The book is a series of devotionals meant to help youth preserve their purity. And thirdly look for three "spin-off" books of the Jesus Freaks series (pictured below also). For all the info on those head over to dcTalksolo.com, where they can hook you up with all the goods. Kevin missed an appearance on ZJAM and right now it's unknown when, and if, he'll return. That's all I can think of for now. Peace and God Bless You All. (dcTalksolo, KevinMax.com) 9/22/01 Yes, We're Going To A Party, Party! Sheryl Stewart from Air1 radio has given us this bit of info. She tells me that Air1 Radio is holding a few pre-show tailgate parties with free food, good times, and some free giveaways. Autographed stuff, backstage passes, CDs, the works. Want to attend something like that? Well, if you're attending the Phoenix, Portland, or Los Angeles shows, then you are in luck! This means, for a little ae reunion going on, you guys can all have some free food while you're getting to know each other, offline. Cool beans, huh? (Sheryl Stewart, Air1) 9/19/01 Prayer Request... Sorry to everyone about the lack of news updates this past week. It's been due to a combination of things. My not having FTP access for a while, my not being able to get in touch with Jon, and much more. Before I go on with the news let me take this chance I have to ask you all to pray. Those on the message board, or visitors to my personal site know that I feel very strongly about all that's gone down this past week. The very least I can do is use this position I have to ask you all to pray for the victims, their families, and the rescue workers out there right now looking for glints of hope within the rubble of those acts of pure hate. Please keep them all in your prayers. On with the news... (æ) 9/9/01 Mark Townsend Takes A Final Bow! First Otto Price, now Mark Townsend! What's going on?? Well, it seems Mark has finally finished the dcTalk tour circuit in order to pursue a few of his other options. Recently, he has been busy producing Relient K's latest release (The Anatomy of the Tongue in Cheek), and it was mentioned at his final performance that he may take some time to teach a few guitar lessons. The announcement that it was Mark's last show came from Toby McKeehan at the end of yesterday's House Party 2001 (Raleigh, NC). This was followed by Mark showing off his guitar skills one more time as he played "Love Rollercoaster" and a little "Jesus Freak" for old times sake. Mark will be missed greatly but we all wish him the best of luck in all he does in the future! And to Tony Levin who is now filling in Mark's spot on the tour, we look forward to seeing you on the road buddy! (æ) 9/9/01 Kevin Max - A Busy Man! First of all, congratulations to Kevin Max on the release of his first solo album, Stereotype Be, which released last week!! In relation to that, all we know is that Kevin is suppossedly shooting a music video very soon for a single off his new solo record. We will keep you updated once we discover more about the video. In other news, Kevin will be appearing on the cover of the October issue of Up Front magazine, where he will be part of an article about the current Christian rock music explosion. Up Front Magazine is distributed in high schools across the country and reaches over 800,000 students. Kevin will also be doing an interview on September 15 with ZJam Radio, a nationally syndicated Christian music radio show geared towards teenagers! (æ, dctalksolo) 8/27/01 Contest Results! At Ardent-Enthusiast, the winners receiving a black and white 8x10 photo of Kevin are... (SUNDAY NIGHT) Morris Drinnenberg, AL Allyson Hogan, MN Brooke Gasser, OH Cecilia Pastore, ME Kenny Darden, VA (MONDAY NIGHT) Mindy Holmes, Michigan Trevor Downs, Vancouver Justin Montante, California Adam Gulledge, Ohio Jeremy Jewell, Ohio The following winners will receive a Kevin Max poetry journal from dctalksolo.com... (SUNDAY NIGHT) Melinda Lio, Kentucky Richard London, Maryland (MONDAY NIGHT) Juan Liborio, California Melissa Meech, North Carolina The following winners will receive an autographed 1'x1' Kevin Max poster from dctalksolo.com... (SUNDAY NIGHT) Miriam James, Alabama Kyle Boyd, Texas Rebecca Lucas, Missouri Kevin Cooper, Tennessee Rita Coomes, Indiana (MONDAY NIGHT) Kelly Bolter, WI Dallas Puente, Texas Heather Irvin, Maryland Stephaine Kah, California Hannah Scott, Indiana A special thanks goes out to ForeFront Records for providing these prizes for the premier! Congratulations to the winners! You all should be recieving an e-mail from ardent-enthusiast.com and dctalksolo.com shortly, giving you further instructions to accept your prize! To everyone who didn't snag a prize this time around, better luck next time at the next release party! (dctalksolo, æ) 8/26/01 Experience Stereotype Be... TONIGHT! Tonight and tomorrow are your only chances. It's time for the Kevin Max Online Premier Party! Tonight from 8-11 EST, and tomorrow from 8-11 EST you can hear Stereotype Be streaming LIVE over the internet. How you ask? Check back here at that time for a special link to the party where you can not only tune into the tunes but also enter to win prizes(both dcTalksolo.com and ardent-enthusiast.com are giving away prizes). Remember folks, this will happen today and tomorrow, with prizes going out each night! Feel free to use our chat room or message boards during the party to talk about the album. I will be making my way to the chat room during the party to see if it is actually being used. See you guys tonight. (dctalksolo, æ) 8/26/01 Existence Exists On The Air! Reports pouring in from all over, "Existence" has been released to radio. We even got an email from someone at RadioU who tells us the song has been added to their playlist. So do yourself a favor and call the stations nearest to you and ask for Kevin Max's "Existence" right now. On a related note, don't forget that tonight is the Kevin Max Premier Party brought to you by dcTalksolo.com and Ardent-Enthusiast.com 8-11 EST tonight and tomorrow. (æ) 8/23/01 Unfinished Work Pushed Forward? According to MusicForce.com Kevin Max's upcoming book, Unfinished Work, is now set for an October 9th release date. I'll try and get to the bottom of this, we may end up with the book sooner than we thought. (MusicForce.com) 8/13/01 Momentum Album Cover? The below artwork is what's currently being displayed for the cover of Momentum at ChristianBook.com. So this could be the true cover or possibly a prerelease cover. Who knows? Either way, it's TIGHT! (christianbook.com, dctalk.net) 8/13/01 dc Talk To Be Availiable On-Demand! This just in from Brentwood, Tennessee. EMI CMG (That's Christian Music Group) has announced the launch of HigherWaves.com. This new site/company will offer thousands of songs from Christian artist in CD quality sound files. Users will pay a monthly subscription fee in order to have access to song by Audio Adrenaline, Avalon, Steven Curtis Chapman, dc talk, Delirious, Jennifer Knapp, Newsboys, Supertones, CeCe Winans and many more. This, to me, seems like a logical first step past Napster in which we get our music and the record companies get their money. (æ) 8/12/01 Before Momentum, There Were Two! Even before tobyMac's debut album, "Momentum," has released, there were two... two #1 radio singles that is! That's right! TobyMac is celebrating another #1 this week. “Somebody’s Watching Me” can be found at the top of R&R’s Rhythmic chart, and is also hitbound on the CCM Updates CHR chart. As to when Momentum will actually release, ForeFront Records has chosen November 6 as the new official street date. Hopefully this date will stick, but if anything changes, will let you know. (dctalksolo.com) 8/12/01 Special Booklet for Select Buyers! The early bird gets the worm, or in this case the extended CD booklet for "Stereotype Be." A limited number of CDs will include a 32-page booklet that will feature more photos from Kevin's latest photo shoot that you can't find anywhere else. After the first few are gone, the remaining number of CDs will include a smaller, 16-page booklet. So don't get left behind! (ForeFront Records) 8/12/01 Stereotype Be Early Debut! Mark your calendars! The Stereotype Be release party will be held on Sunday, August 26 and Monday, August 27 from 8-11pm EST right here at ardent-enthusiast.com along with dctalksolo.com. Part 1 of a dctalksolo.com exclusive Kmax interview has been released (here) but part 2 will be available at the release bash. Also, if you can't wait until the 28 for Kevin's music, every track will be streamed in its entirety at the release party. So DON'T MISS IT! (There will even be prizes!) In other news, Kevin's first single, "Be," is a CCM Update Chartbuster this week. Kevin's second single set to release soon is "Existence." No word yet on when it will hit the airwaves. (dctalksolo.com) 8/11/01 Ardent-Enthusiast.com Brings You Something Special! Recently Sheryl Stewart of Air1 Radio interviewed Kevin Max, talking about a lot of things... From his album to the first song he ever wrote. Unfortunately not all of the interview made it to the final cut. But luckily Ardent-Enthusiast.com has gotten the content cut from the interview and we were given permission to share it all with you. A lot of interesting tidbits coming out of it. Check out the extra interview content right here! (Sheryl Stewart, Air1 Radio) 8/8/01 dcTalk.com Receives a Face Lift. It appears that dcTalk's official home on the web, dctalk.com, will be reopening August 15 with a brand new design! since the CIAgency (same design team that created taitband.com) is designing the site, the new design is sure to rock! It also looks like the new design is going to rely on Macromedia Flash, so be sure to download the plugin before you try to visit the new site! (dctalk.com) 8/7/01 dc Talk and Solo Chart Updates! It's a new week, it's new song charts, let's get into it. "All You Got" is up one spot, landing squarely on number 2 on CHR, second only to the Newsboys. On AC tait dropped two spots, finding a place in the 12 spot. Empty jumped a spot, landing in the number 8 spot in Christian retail, Solo tracking at number 24. Believe it or not Intermission is still in those charts, falling in at number 37. Kevin Max's "Be" has yet to chart in the top 20, call you radio station and request it right about... NOW! (dctalksolo.com) 8/5/01 Will Kevin Max Ever Slow Down? It seems Mr. Max has been doing interviews non-stop lately. During a recent visit to KragerØ, Norway, Kevin did an exclusive interview for PeSju Web Radio that you can watch here in the Windows Media format. Although the text on the hosting site and in the clip are not in english, the verbal interview IS ofcourse spoken in english. Also, check out the interview Kmax did recently for Air1 Radio's Sheryl Stewart (pictured below), located here. In other Kevin news, the lyrics to Stereotype Be have been posted over at dctalksolo.com. Check 'em out ASAP for an amazing glimpse into the mind of a poet. (Beto, dctalksolo.com) 8/5/01 Extreme Video and Sport. Not only will the Extreme Days Movie be debuting soon (September 28), tobyMac's recently-shot music video for the song of same title will release soon as well. In other news, the dcTalk/Michael W. Smith sixth annual Golf Classic Weekend, to benefit PR Ministries, will take place August 26 and 27th at The Legends Club of Tennessee. The tournament was born from tobyMac's long-time passion for the game. (dctalksolo.com) 8/5/01 Radio Listeners at Loss For Words! The second single from Empty selected by Tait to be released to national radio stations this month is "Loss For Words." This song was originally featured on the "Extreme Days Soundtrack" back in April 2001 even before Tait's solo project released, but has just now been sent out to radio. Pick up the phone and request it RIGHT NOW! (dctalksolo.com) 8/4/01 Toby's Going To Gain More Momentum! We've just heard that tobyMac's debut album has been pushed back over a month, to be released some time in November. This will give Toby that added time to work out all the kinks on his album and just make it that much better. We'll get back to you as soon as we hear a definite date. (dctalksolo.com) 8/4/01 Two More dcTalk Shows Confirmed! Two more dc Talk shows have been confirmed by Ticketmaster. They are: The House Party in Raleigh, NC on September 8th and a date for the fall tour, October 6th in Atlanta, GA coming at you out of the HiFi Buys Amphitheater. Tickets for the Atlanta show go on sale August 8th and tickets for the House Party are on sale now! (Ticketmaster) 7/31/01 Unfinished Work Cover Image. Here is the current cover of Kevin Max's book (Unfinished Work) releasing November 6, 2001, compliments of Thomas Nelson Publishing. Check out the book's information page located here. (Thomas Nelson Publishing) 7/30/01 dc Talk Fall Tour Date Confirmed! One date for the fall tour is already on sale. For those of you living in the Los Angeles area, dc Talk will be rocking the Greek Theater on October 12. Tons of tickets are still availiable (in fact, last I checked, only the first three rows were sold out, with a single seat still availiable first row, center). This is your chance to see what will probably be a more expanded version of what the guys are doing this summer. If you can, go to this show. It will surely rock. (Ticketmaster) 7/29/01 Sugarbear Exits Stage Left... We have learned that Otto "Sugarbear" Price has parted ways with dc Talk's touring ensemble to spend more time producing and with his family. Otto was last seen playing with the guys during GMA week when he hurt his ankle (Which has since healed completely). dc Talk, as well as us here at ardent-enthusiast, send our best wishes and blessings to Otto as he starts this new chapter in his life. We miss you already Otto! (ae) 7/27/01 Kmax and Tait Pray with Jabez! Anyone heard of the New York Times bestseller, The Prayer of Jabez? Well, on August 28 ForeFront Records has plans to release an album that will serve as a companion to that book. The inspirational disc will be compiled of original tracks, performed by artists who have been impacted by the book (including Kevin Max and Michael Tait). Michael will be performing a long-awaited duet with Rebecca St. James titled "Lead Me Away," written by John Hartley and Gary Sadler. Kevin will be singing the song "The Day Is Dawning" with Jill Phillips, who also penned the song several years ago. Other artist on the album include Margaret Becker, Geoff Moore, Steve Reischi, Erin O'Donnell, Adrienne Liesching (of The Benjamin Gate), Jamie Rowe (first featured on the Extreame Days soundtrack), Phil Keaggy and more! The Prayer of Jabez is based on 1 Chronicles 4:10. (Audio clips courtesy of dctalksolo.com). (dctalksolo.com) 7/27/01 dcTalk Cover Stories Becoming A Regular. dcTalk can be seen gracing the cover of Christian Musician Magazine for the months of May/June 2001. The same issue also contains a story by Denny Keitzman, dcTalk's long-time road manager. (The cover for this magazine is the same as the cover of Music Row Magazine posted lower down on this page earlier this year). Michael Tait is also on the cover of the August 2001 issue of Christian Single Magazine shown below (a LifeWay Christian Store publication). You can read that article here. (Christian Musician, Christian Single) 7/24/01 Tait Shoots First Video. The following is an exact quote from Forefront Records' Buzz List: "The guys(Tait) just got back from a few days in New York City where they filmed a video for their song 'Altars.' The song will be featured on a Fall TV Special for the Salvation Army." (ForeFront Records) 7/24/01 Kevin Knows How To Climb Those Charts! We have recieved word that Kevin's first single "Be" is steadily climbing the radio charts. He should be shooting a video here shortly, we'll give you what we can as it comes in, alright? Also, Barry Graul of dcTalk's live band (also currently playing with Tait on the road) was kind enough to let us know that Charlie Lico is managing Kevin's solo career. (Thanks Barry for the info!) (ForeFront Records) 7/22/01 dcTalk Host the CBA Pacemaker. Pictured below are dcTalk with Point of Grace at the CBA "Pacemaker" event Sunday night (July 15) during this year's convention in Atlanta. Pictured backstage (l-r) are: Terry Jones, Kevin Max, Michael Tait, Denise Jones, Toby McKeehan, Heather Payne, and Shelley Breen. (CCM Update) 7/22/01 Somebody's Watching Toby's 2nd Single. TobyMac's 2nd solo single (titled "Somebody's Watching Me") has been released to Christian radio and should be gaining air play as the days roll on. Keep your ears peeled for a taste of tobyMac's smooth hip-hop vocals on the radio or just download a sample (low quality - high quality) from our audio section. Enjoy! (ae.com) 7/22/01 Kevin Max Solo MP3's! First of all, you might find it interesting to know that Kevin Max's solo career is not being managed by True Artist Management (like that of tobyMac and Tait). As soon as we are informed of which company IS managing his solo work, we'll let you know. Moving right along, MP3's from Kevin's prerelease of Stereotype Be (pictured below) have been added to æ's audio section! So check 'em out right NOW! (Thanks to the best LifeWay Christian Store Assistant Manager in the world -- Carlotta Prather -- for the prerelease!) [Stereotype Be Prerelease Cover] (ae.com) 7/22/01 Tait Has Two #1's! Michael Tait and the Tait Band have hit #1 twice recently! This week, their current (and debut) radio single, "All You Got," is #1 on the Christian Hit Radio charts... AND their debut album, "Empty," (which just released 2 weeks ago on July 3) is ALSO #1 on the CCM album charts!! BIG Congrats to Tait! Way to go! (ae.com) 7/22/01 Is dcTalk Tough Enough? ZJam Online Youth Ministries mentioned in their regular news report this week that TobyMac, Kevin Max, and Tait will all be appearing this weekend on MTV’s "Tough Enough" WWF wrestling program. Other artist will include Bleach, Switchfoot, Earthsuit, and PAX 217. Be sure to catch the show to check out all the CCM samples! (ZJam Youth Ministries) 7/22/01 Kevin Max to Release Unfinished Work! Thomas Nelson's Street Sheet recently reported that Kevin Max will release "Unfinished Work," a book of personal reflections, on November 3, 2001. The book will illustrate his ideas with fascinating stories from his life as a musician, complemented by behind-the-scenes photographs from his own collection. To read what Kevin has to say about his upcoming book release, head on over to dctalksolo.com. (Thomas Nelson Publishers) 6/29/01 UpTait? Sorry, Update on Tait. The guys over at dcTalkSolo.com have some interesting stuff to show. They have a sound clips of the recently added "Altars" which does not appear on the "Empty" prerelease and they also have scans of the album's liner notes. Check them out by clicking here. (dcTalkSolo.com) 6/27/01 dc Talk Hits The Road This Fall! Looks like dc Talk will be taking their solo extravaganza beyond summer festivals when they hit the road this fall. No dates have been set yet but look for dc Talk, this fall, in a city near you. (ae.com) 6/22/01 Toby Shows His WWF Attitude. Hey guys, Chris here. Any avid fans of professional wrestling were probably tuned into the WWF's new reality show on Mtv tonight called "Tough Enough." Well, if you did tune in you probably heard TobyMac's song "Extreme Days" playing in the background. Kind of odd? I'm truly thinking Toby is a fan of the WWF because in the song he also sampled WWF Superstar "Stone Cold" Steve Austin (Yep, you hooked me up with that one Jonsey). Anyways, check out the WWF: Tough Enough website by clicking here. (ae.com) 6/21/01 Stereotypical Audio! Anybody out there about to go crazy waiting for Kmax's solo album to release? Well, this might calm your hunger for a while. dctalksolo.com has posted real audio clips from "Stereotype Be," so be sure to give them a listen! (dcTalkSolo.com) 6/21/01 Tait's Open House Party. Tait has finally moved in to their brand new online home! And boy, does it rock!? It's got all new pictures, a band biography, tour information, and there's still much more to come. Feel free to drop in any time to check it out! (TaitBand.com) 6/21/01 Record Company Owners Spoke Up. At the "Super-Tuesday / Backstage Pass" event last week, artists spoke with moderator Marcia Ware and an audience of over 200 about the challenges of being artists who own record companies. Pictured are (l-r): Peter Furler, Newsboys/inpop; Michael W. Smith, Rocketown; host Marcia Ware, WAY-FM; Mark Stuart, Audio Adrenaline/Flicker; and Toby McKeehan, dc Talk/Gotee. (CCMUpdate.com) 6/16/01 Stereotype Be Cover... Compliments of ForeFront Records. (ForeFront Records) 6/21/01 Tait Studio Images... AND Empty Lyrics! Our good buddy over at dctalksolo.com has posted brand new images of the Tait Band AS WELL AS the lyrics to many of the songs from their upcoming release "Empty." (dctalksolo.com) 6/10/01 All New Material From First Public Solo Concert! Chris here, again. Geez, am I making a habit of this? Anyways, all new pictures and small video clips of the night of dcT. Check out Greg Mill's media here, and Jonathan Gainey's review here. They are very good stuff. (GregMills.com) 6/9/01 ...And Then They Hit The Web. Hey all, Chris here. So you guys know, splash pages for the guys solo projects have been posted at TobyMac.com and TaitBand.com. If you'll remember, according to the Solo EP liner notes it lists Tait's site as TaitMusic.mu. Check these splash pages out, I'm particularly fond of the TobyMac.com image, it's very hip. (ae.com) 5/30/01 Kevinmax.com Keeps You Satisfied kevinmax.com recently posted a mother load of new material from the one and only Mr. Max himself. NEW poetry, recording studio photos, and 4 new MP3's of demos from his upcoming solo album are all there. You MIGHT wanna check a few of them out! (Prepare your world for rocking!) (kevinmax.com) 5/4/01 Empty Album Update Our good friends over at dctalksolo.com recently posted the album cover to Tait's upcoming (July 3, 2001) release, "Empty" (shown below). They also posted the track list (1. Alibi, 2. Bonded, 3. Loss Of Words, 4. All You Got, 5. Spy, 6. Tell Me Why, 7. Looking For You, 8. American Tragedy, 9. Talk About Jesus, 10. Carried Away, 11. Empty, 12. Unglued), as well as real audio clips of each song. So head on over to dctalksolo.com to check 'em out!! (dctalksolo.com) 4/26/01 A Dove for Dive A huge congratulations and round of applause goes out to the guys for their win tonight at the Dove Awards. They picked up the award for best Modern Rock/Alternative song, for "Dive" (off of Supernatural). We here at ardent enthusiast are so thrilled for them! Check out CCM's website for a complete list of the winners. The show will be broadcast Friday May 4th (see the Dove Awards site for more info), although this award is not included in the television broadcast. Great goin' guys! Tune in next year as we hope Toby, Mike, and Kevin will all take home awards for their solo albums... (æ) 4/26/01 Tait's in the 'Air' During a recent publicity tour, Tait stopped by the offices of internet radio station Air 1. Here they are with some of the Air 1 staff... visit the website to see fun pics of the guys adding their handprints to the wall. (Air1 Radio ) 4/23/01 Three Men, Three Titles. The titles of the three solo album titles are as follows: Tait's will be "Empty," KMax's will be "Stereotype Be," and tobyMac's will be "Momentum." And, according to the 'Solo' liner notes, you can look for Tait online at http://www.tait.mu, not taitband.com. This is all, of course, subject to change. (ForeFront Records) 4/22/01 First Good Look at Tait! Yet another slice of happiness. We have the first good look at Tait, Mike's new band. We had an image earlier in the year, but to be honest it wasn't a great image. Check this picture out (click to enlarge) and get the new album on July 3. (ForeFront Records) 4/22/01 dc Talk on CCM. Guess what we have here. That's right, the three individual covers for the issue of CCM Gone Solo (click to enlarge). One cover for each guy and we have them all. tobyMac, Tait, and Kmax each grace their own cover in what should be an awesome issue of CCM Magazine. (ForeFront Records) 4/13/01 dcTalk on Music Row. dcTalk is on this months cover of Music Row, a magazine printed in Nashville, TN. More information on this article will come soon. For now, see the cover below (click to enlarge). (Music Row Magazine) 4/13/01 Late Night Concert. Check out new music from Tait, Kmax, tobyMac and introducing The Benjamin Gate. dc talk will perform some classic hits too! That's Tuesday, April 24 in the Renaissance Hotel Ballroom, Nashville, TN, at 9pm. BE THERE! (ForeFront Records) 4/6/01 CCM Goes Solo? Just got word, in May dc Talk wil be featured on the cover of CCM magazine. The issue will be sold with three different covers, one for each member. Be sure to get to the newstands when this one(s) comes out. It's sure to be a keeper. (æ) 3/21/01 TAIT to Headline ERACE Show. Michael Tait's band, "Tait" (formerly referred to as the "Tait Band") will headline a concert for the ERACE Foundation on Wednesday, April 4, 2001. The show will be on the campus of Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Mich. The show's flyer is shown below as well as a new photo of TAIT, (left to right) Pete Stewart, Chad Chapin, Michael Tait, and Lonnie Chapin. Considering that www.tait.com is already taken, it will be interesting to see where Tait's website will be (two possibilities include www.taitband.com and www.tait.cc). (ERACE) 3/20/01 More SOLO News! According to a newsletter sent tonight by dctalk.com, the upcoming SOLO EP will feature these songs (note: this list does not match Chordant Distribution's list posted earlier this month on March 3): Alibi - Tait All You Got - Tait Somebody's Watching Me - Toby Mac Extreme Days - Toby Mac Be - Kevin Max Return of the Singer - Kevin Max Forty - dcTalk Also, the cover was finally posted on dctalk.com (displayed directly below). The image on the Chordant Distribution sheet posted here earlier this month (March 3), is how the CD will look on the shelf. The silver strip is actually a band that slips off, to reveal the actual cover directly below. (dctalk.com) 3/14/01 The Tonight Show With Michael Tait? For those of you on the west coast, you haven't missed it. Tonight (March 14), on Jay Leno (airing at 11:35 PM) Tait will, reportedly, be in the Jaywalking portion of the show. This is a bit where Jay goes on the streets to talk to passers-by. Looks like he ran into Tait today. Give it a look if you can. (æ) 3/3/01 Solo MP3 Clips! According to Chordant Distribution, dcTalk's next release will be titled "dcTalk Solo - Special Edition" and it will release on April 24, 2001. Shown below are the list of songs that will be on the CD, according to a promotional sheet sent by Chordant Distribution to Christian bookstores. Also, below that are MP3 CLIPS of several of the tracks (from a Chordant CD sampler). Following is what might be the album cover (it was also on the promotional sheet from Chordant Distribution but not labeled as the official cover). And, the current release dates for each of the guys' solo CD's (once again provided by Chordant) are : Tait - July 3, Kevin Max - August 28, and Toby Mac - October 9. Alibi - Tait Carried Away - Tait Be - KMax Return Of The Singer - KMax Extreme Days - Toby Mac There In The Air - Toby Mac Forty (Live) - dcTalk Be - KMax There In The Air - Toby Mac Alibi - Tait (chordant, Matt "diggydug") 2/28/01 Kevin's Album Title Revealed At Last! Just got word from Kevin and he dropped the name of his forthcoming solo album. The album wil be titled: KMAX-stereotype BE. Odd title although Kevin tells me the meaning behind it all will be revealed in the April issue of CCM Magazine. (æ) 2/21/01 Bad News About Extreme Days. Thought i'd drop a quick note that I got the chance to talk to the executive producer of Extreme Days, Howard Kazanjian. The movie, with a soundtrack produced by Toby Mac, was scheduled to release April 20 of this year but had been unexpectedly pushed back until this September. Fortunately the soundtrack is currently availiable with not only and all new track by the Mac but also a new song from the Tait Band. (æ) 2/2/01 Kevin Is Simply Soupernatural. I was just dropped an e-mail from the production company of Soupernatural, the feature film starring our very own Mr. Max. Here are the details: The official movie site IS open and it DOES feayure all new pictures of Kevin (which are displayed here for your viewing pleasure; gotta' love a|e.) The site also includes a story summary, the rest of the cast, and much, much more. Now if you'll all remember back quite a while, in November of 1999, a crazy old guy named chris e. predicted this movie, right on down to the cast. See, I told you it would all come true one day. Welcome to that day! Be sure to visit the site at: http://www.soupernaturalmovie.com. (Soupernatural) 2/2/01 TrueMC Breaks Away? Had you going for a second there, huh? No, Toby is NOT leaving dcTalk. But he IS going to be on the cover of the February issue of Breakaway Magazine! (See an image below and click to enlarge). No word yet on what the article will concern, but it will most definitely be worth reading. Pick up a copy ASAP! (ForeFront Records) 2/2/01 Awards Galore. dcTalk has been nominated for two Dove Awards this year in the 32nd Annual Dove Awards. Their hit single (Dive) was nominated for "Modern Rock/Alternative Song of the Year" and their contribution (Spirit In The Sky) to the Jesus Epic Mini-Series Soundtrack earned them their other nomination in the category of "Special Event Album of the Year." dcTalk also snagged a total of 5 awards at the first ever "About Christian Music Awards." As a group they took home "Artist of the Year," "Best-of Album of the Year," "Album Cover of the Year," and "Favorite Song to Dance, Jam or Headbang to." To finish things off, Kevin recieved "Most Peculiar Artist." BIG congrats to the guys! (Dove Awards, About.com) 1/14/01 Take The Stage With dc Talk! Well, it's about time! dc Talk WILL tour this summer on the festival tour circuit. Luckily I'll be seeing the boys at Spirit West Coast. (Anyone else going?) Here's the fun part: Want to sit on stage with dc Talk during the show? ForefrontRecords.com (in association with Creation Fest) is having theirselves a little contest. The winner will recieve 2 tickets to their choice of Creation East Or West and will be able to sit ON the stage during the dc Talk show. Sounds like a winner to me. To find out more about the contest click here. (ForeFront Records) 1/14/01 KevinMax.com Goes Live, Again. Well kids, not one to dissappoint, Kevin Max has completely remade his official site. And if you ask me, it is in true Kevin fashion. I honestly dig the flash work they have going and can't wait to see the completed project, so head on over and give this place a look. Good work, as always, Kevin. (KMax.com) 1/14/01 Toby's Extreme Days. I wanted to let you guys know about Toby's brand-spanking new song. It's called Extreme Days and is a very hardcore rap song. It's got the whole rap-rock thing going. The song recently premiered on Acaza.com and a clip can be found at ForefrontRecords.com. The album, produced by Toby, releases this February, and is the soundtrack to the movie (also titled Extreme Days). I encourage you all to go give it a listen because this is hopefully a sneak peak on what to look forward to on Toby's solo album. (æ) 1/7/01 Toby Mac Spills The Beans. In a recent chat with crosswalk.com, Toby McKeehan stated, "The next dcTalk record will be a seven-song CD that comes out this April called DC Talk Solo; it will have two songs by Michael, two songs by Kevin, two songs by [me], and one kind-of new dcTalk song. So that is definitely our next move, and then all three solo records will follow in, probably, July, August, September." (crosswalk.com)

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