City on a Hill; Songs of Worship and Praise

CAEDMON’S CALL made its national debut in 1997 and has since amassed a stream of accolades including five Dove nominations and an “Album of the Year” Dove Award, and a No. 1 and Billboard Music Video Award-nominated videoThe band’s current and recording, 40 Acres, made its debut at No. 1 on SoundScan compiled charts, and has also crossed the 250,000 sales mark in less than one year. The first radio single from the recording, “There You Go,” become the band’s 5th No. 1 song. Well-known on college campuses across the country, thousands of Caedmon’s Call fans will travel hundreds, even thousands of miles to see this band perform.

THE CHOIR, including CITY ON A HILL producer Steve Hindalong, has been heralded as one of today’s leading Christian modern rock bands. The group has recorded 11 albums throughout its’ 15-year history including Free Flying Soul which received a Dove Award for “Best Alternative/Modern Rock Record Of The Year.” They’ve also topped the CCM Magazine Reader’s Poll as “Favorite Alternative Band,” and received awards for “Favorite Alternative Album” and “Favorite Long Form Video.” While the band has been on hiatus for the past few years, its members have all played active roles in the Christian music community as producers, record company employees, engineers and songwriters.

In a year’s time, FFH has traveled from independent band-ville to landing a major label recording contract, performing more than 200 concerts, writing and recording a well-received Coca-Cola jingle, and garnering two No. 1 songs, “ One of These Days” and “I Want To Be Like You.” The group was named Christian Research Report’s Best New Artist of 1999, and received Dove Award nominations for New Artist Of The Year and Pop/Contemporary Song Of The Year. FFH’s second release, Found A Place features the signature harmonies and uplifting melodies for which FFH has become known.

Eugene Andrusco, better known as GENE EUGENE, had a vast and impactful entertainment career that spanned more than 30 years. Originally a child sitcom actor as the “young Darrin Stevens” on the ‘60s sitcom Betwitched, and later appearing in shows such as “Jake and the Fatman” and “Cannon,” Andrusco turned towards a love of music by his teenage years. He began playing in bands in junior high school, and those partnerships evolved into the group Adam Again by the early ‘80s. Adam Again released their debut, “In A New World Of Time, in 1986 to strong critical acclaim. In 1987, Andrusco was a founder of Brainstorm Artists International, an integral force in the development of Christian music on the West Coast, and in 1993, became co-owner of The Green Room recording studio. The Green Room has been a creative center for the Christian alternative community, and Andrusco was personally involved in the engineering and/or production of more than 200 records. Andrusco passed away in his sleep on March 20, 2000 at age 39. His contributions to CITY ON A HILL were recorded less than two weeks before his death.

Multi-platinum selling Grammy and Dove Award winning band JARS OF CLAY is best known for its successful radio single, “Flood,” from its 1995 self-titled and RIAA certified double-platinum debut. The band’s follow-up platinum-selling recording, Much Afraid, debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard Top 200 album sales chart and received a Grammy Award for “Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year.” Jars of Clay compositions have been featured in such major studio film release soundtracks as The Long Kiss Goodnight, Hard Rain, Jack Frost and The Prince of Egypt, as well as appeared in several television series, including “Providence” (NBC) and “One Life To Live” (ABC). In addition, the band has racked up 18 career Gospel Music Association Dove nominations and eleven No. 1 radio singles in just five years, including the first single, “Unforgetful You,” from its current and almost RIAA certified Gold recording, If I Left The Zoo.

SIXPENCE NONE THE RICHER has garnered numerous awards and accolades with their two pop chart hits, “Kiss Me,” and “There She Goes,” earning a Grammy nomination and watching their self-titled album go platinum. They have performed during Lilith Fair, on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and “The Late Show With Conan O’Brien.” Their two big hit songs have been featured in films like Girl Interrupted and She’s All That. Sixpence None The Richer has not only swept the Christian music industry, but they have soundly secured themselves in heavy pop rotations and airplay on an international scale.

SONICFLOOd released their self-titled debut album one year ago. With sales in excess of 300,000, the album has remained in the top ten overall Soundscan sales chart, and top five on the Rock Soundscan chart, every week since release. Two radio singles off the project, “I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever” and “I Want To Know You” were both number one chart toppers. SONICFLOOd is currently on a nationwide, 72-city arena tour with Newsboys through May 2001 and hosting a monthly praise, worship and prayer event, SONICPRAISe Nashville. After releasing a new, live, modern rock, praise and worship album, SONICPRAISE in August, the band will continue touring, playing all the major fairs and festivals this summer. SONICFLOOd appears on CITY ON A HILL with Peter Furler of the Newsboys.

Atlanta rock band THIRD DAY has been bolstered by an outpouring of critical and commercial success with more than 750,000 albums sold spanning three best-selling recordings and 12 No. 1 songs in only three years. Its current work, Time, has already collected the band numerous awards including three No. 1 songs with “I’ve Always Loved You” marking the band’s first Adult Contemporary No. 1, four Dove Award nominations, including its first for “Group of the Year,” and its second Grammy nomination. Featured on numerous magazine covers including CCM Magazine and Release Magazine, Billboard magazine has hailed the band as “not only one of the best Christian bands of the ‘90s, but one of the best rock bands period.”

You know that feeling when you find a CD that you just can’t stop listening to? That CD you can pop in anytime—in the morning over coffee, at work on headphones, in the evening while you make dinner. The acoustic and folk sounds of CITY ON A HILL: SONGS OF WORSHIP AND PRAISE are so unified and subtle, you’ll find yourself repeating the uplifting choruses and drawing near to God’s presence every time you push play.

As a unified compilation, the sounds of individual artists remain distinct and yet blend just enough to create a warm mix of guitar, piano, percussion and voices. And the calming choruses leave you repeating truths about God throughout your day.

The first track, “God of Wonders” is based on Romans 1:20: “For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen….so that men are without excuse.” Expounding on the track’s inspiration, Marc Powell of Third Day explains, “If God is who He says He is, or who we know and feel him to be, He is so much bigger than any of us can imagine or comprehend. He is the Creator of the universe. His ways are higher than ours.

“We think of God in a sense of physical size, but He is omnipotent and omnipresent, knowing all and being everywhere,” Powell continues. “So He is not only beyond our “galaxy” in His presence, but in His ways also.”

Dan Halestine of Jars of Clay explains the basis of the second track, “The Stone,” where God is described as a sanctuary. “I think the best example I have comes from understanding that He is a rock we cannot get off. Often, I think of the foundation of Christ as a small ledge with the ocean of waves crashing around me—I am safe as long as I stay toward the center of the rock. But, actually, this is not the proper image. A better image would span outward in every direction without end. It is upon this rock that I am given the gift of dealing with every issue, emotion and doubt without fear of falling. God is a refuge.”

Steve Hindalong, of The Choir, wrote the lyrics for “Precious Jesus,” repeats the words Jesus prayed for His attackers, “Father, forgive them, they don’t understand.” Hindalong explains why we need to be reminded to follow God’s example of forgiveness, “We are commanded to follow His example and to forgive our enemies?our persecutors even. Christ emphasized this over and over in His teaching. It is probably the greatest way for Christians to prove themselves to be different from those without Jesus in their hearts.”

“Prayerfully, and with the help of His Holy Spirit, I believe we are capable of forgiving almost any offense against us.” Hindalong says. “Saints before us have shown remarkable courage to forgive. But such mercy is absolutely contrary to our human nature.”

Let the lyrics of so many of your favorite artists remind you of God’s goodness and grace in your life through the worship and praise songs of CITY ON A HILL.

“Never before have so many artists collaborated together with one purpose -- worshipping God,” says The Choir’s Steve Hindalong.

And when genuine Christians gather together, it is no wonder that the bright fire of their praise “can not be hidden.” The community who created CITY ON A HILL: SONGS OF WORSHIP AND PRAISE includes the most visible talent in Christian music today. The audio project involves both solo and collaborative efforts from Jars of Clay, Sixpence None The Richer, FFH, Caedmon’s Call, Third Day, The Choir, Gene Eugene and SONICFLOOD with Peter Furler of the Newsboys.

Setting aside other priorities to create one body, the musicians of CITY ON A HILL (COAH) shaped an album that pays tribute to God and God alone. Peter Furler of the Newsboys declares on the 9th track “Unified,” “We are one body, of one spirit, with one hope that carries us all.”

The Choir’s Steve Hindalong (and producer of COAH) explains “Our concept of ‘community,’ is one that takes the emphasis off of the particular artist who may have their name on the song, and places it where it belongs, in worship and exaltation of God. CITY ON A HILL allowed us the opportunity to join the talents and hearts of these artists in such a way that I think God was truly glorified within that unity.”

In the spirit of authentic Christian community, every song on CITY ON A HILL is a joint effort. Acting as one body, the artists helped each other in all stages of production—critiquing one another’s work, adding background vocals, guitar riffs, lap steel tracks, and percussive support.

Leigh Nash of Sixpence None the Richer joined efforts with The Choir on “Precious Jesus.” Cliff and Danielle Young of Caedmon’s Call spent time with Third Day’s Mac Powell to create “God of Wonders.” Third Day also partnered with the late Gene Eugene on “I Remember You” less than a week before Eugene’s death. Eugene is also supported by all of the artists on “Marvelous Light.”