By Andy Argyrakis

JARS STREET DATE SET

Following an EP and spending last summer on the “Music Builds Tour,” Jars of Clay returns to the studio for a full-length release. The Long Fall Back To Earth drops April 21 on its own Gray Matters/Essential partnership and is said to continue in the artistic tradition of the critically acclaimed Good Monsters with production from Ron Aniello (Guster, Lifehouse, Leigh Nash). The project’s lead single, “Two Hands,” was just released to radio, covering the topic of trading in selfishness for compassion.

HEATH IN NEW YORK TIMES

Getting ink in the New York Times isn’t exactly an easy task for any entertainer (especially a Christian act), but Brandon Heath scored some highly coveted space in Sunday’s edition previewing the GRAMMY Awards. Columnist Jon Caramanica dubbed the nominated singer/songwriter someone “that shouldn’t be allowed to slip through the cracks.”

OAKS AT SXSW

The secular mega-festival South By Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas, occasionally hosts faith-based groups for concerts or seminar sessions. This year (Thursday, March 19 to be exact), country/bluegrass/gospel legends the Oak Ridge Boys will be interviewed at the Austin Convention Center, with topics pertaining to a vast career that features over 30 million albums sold to date.

CHRIS AND CONRAD COLLABORATION

Chris Kuti and Conrad Johnson, better known as vertically-framed pop/rock duo Chris and Conrad, may be brand new, but they score a little help from an already established friend. Brooke Fraser wrote the group’s debut single “Lead Me To the Cross,” which comes from the group’s May 5 release on VSR Music Group (with distribution via EMI CMG).

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