Category Archives: Featured Artists

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New Featured Artist: Sam Rocha

Sam Rocha

This week on the Catholic Playlist our new featured artist is Sam Rocha. Sam began playing guitar at the age of 5, and began singing soon thereafter. His musical influences cover a wide range of genres from folk, Latin, funk, soul, hip-hop, and jazz, but he claims his roots are in church music and the Mexican folk tradition. Over the past ten years, he’s performed with various ensembles playing everything from gospel and contemporary Christian music, blues, pop, neo-soul/nu jazz, Latin folk, and Latin jazz.

His debut collection of music, titled “Late to Love” and available on Aug 28, 2014, is musically inspired by the genealogy of soul music that scans the genres of spirituals, folk, gospel, country, R&B, blues, funk, jazz, hip-hop, neo-soul and nu-jazz. Artists such as T-Bone Walker, Ray Charles, Gil Scott Heron, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Bill Withers, and Curtis Mayfield—with dashes of Willie Nelson and Pat Metheny—serve as the “old” foundation for something entirely new: Augustinian soul music.

“Late to Love” is an original concept album that performs a reading of Augustine’s Confessions through soul music. It’s not a generic ode to a saint or holy person, nor it is a neutral and uncontroversial celebration of an important ancient book. From beginning to end Sam offers a bold and fresh reading of Augustine’s Confessions where the form is the content, where melody and verse take the place of assertions and argument. This music is truly something totally new and original.

In Catholic Playlist #53 we’ll be playing the title track “Late to Love”, where the chorus sings, “Late / have I loved you / beauty so old / beauty so new,” adapted from Augustine’s Confessions.

You can learn more about Sam Rocha and his new album here at Wiseblood Books.

You can sample the songs and perhaps pick up the brand new album starting on Aug 28, 2014 here on iTunes:

Please join us in welcoming Sam Rocha to the Catholic Playlist Show!

Interesting Factoid: Sam is musically illiterate – he doesn’t read or write music, despite having a PhD in philosophy of education.

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New Featured Artist: Pete Buncher Band

Pete Buncher Band

This week on the Catholic Playlist our new featured artist is The Pete Buncher Band. Pete Buncher is a musician and worship leader hailing from St. Louis, MO where he has been involved in music ministry for over a decade in St. Louis and around the country. His debut album, “Come To Me With Hope”, was released in 2008 and featured songs written to help guide us through the ups and downs of the roller coaster called life.

His second album, “Am I Worth Stealing”, was just released this week (8/19), and dives into issues of self worth in this media crazy generation, ultimately revealing that our true worth is found only in Jesus Christ. According to his website this album “confronts the walls we sometimes build between us and God. The songs express the issues of self worth and doubt that are part of those walls. ‘Am I Worth Stealing’ offers prayers to break through the darkness and see ourselves as God does.”

In Catholic Playlist #52 we’ll be playing “Set Us Free”, a song that has a good praise & worship feel too it that we think you’ll enjoy.

You can learn more about Pete Buncher and their music at their website: www.petebuncher.com

You can sample the songs and perhaps pick up the brand new album right now here on iTunes:

Please join us in welcoming The Pete Buncher Band to the Catholic Playlist Show!

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New Featured Artist: The Project

The Martyrs Project

This week on the Catholic Playlist our new featured artist is The Project. Michael Glen Bell & Duane W.H. Arnold, who both just entered the Church this past Easter, form the nucleus of The Project. Their first album is called “Martyrs Prayers”, which they say “is an extraordinary endeavor born out of love – love for the Church, love for music and, perhaps most importantly, love for friends.” The album contains songs that honor those who, through the centuries, gave their very lives for their faith, their freedoms, their communities and their friends. Many of the martyrs honored are familiar names including Archbishop Oscar Romero, Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch and others. The music is an eclectic collection – it ranges from acoustic performances with close knit harmonies to rock to cutting edge experimental – the album offers a little bit of everything to the listener.

On the occasion of the birthday on August 15th of Archbishop Oscar Romero of San Salvador who was murdered while he said Holy Mass in 1980, we present the song ‘Romero’. The lyrics of ‘Romero’ are the words of Archbishop Romero, and at the beginning you can hear him and the actual gunshot from that tragic day.

You can learn more about The Project and the music at their website: themartyrsproject.com

You can pick up the album right now here on iTunes:

Please join us in welcoming The Project to the Catholic Playlist Show!

PS: Here’s a video of ‘Romero’!

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New Featured Artist: Andrea Thomas

Andrea Thomas

This week on the Catholic Playlist show our new featured artist Andrea Thomas. Andrea is a Cincinnati, Ohio native who left her hometown at 18 to study music at Belmont University in Nashville, TN. Her next stop was to Franciscan University of Steubenville to finish her degree in Theology, Finance, and Marketing. Andrea’s passion for music led her to start an all-women’s singing group at Franciscan University which performed regularly throughout her three years on campus. It was during this time that she began writing her own music. In 2011 she debuted with multi-platinum, country music mega star, Collin Raye, on his first inspirational album, His Love Remains. Several months later, Andrea released her first album, Crying out to You, in 2011. Andrea travels and sings both solo and with Collin Raye at concerts and conferences throughout the United States.

You can learn more about Andrea and her music at her website: andreathomasmusic.com

You can pick up her album right now here on iTunes:

Please join us in welcoming Andrea to the Catholic Playlist Show!

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New Featured Artist: Jaime Thietten

Jamie Thietten

This week on the Catholic Playlist show our new featured artist is Jaime Thietten. Jaime was raised in Twin Falls, Idaho, the second of three siblings, and started singing at age 2. She was performing solos publicly by 13 and eventually discovered that through song, not only could she find meaning for her own life, but also inspire and encourage others. Jaime has recorded a total of 7 albums and her latest contemporary CD, Love Along The Way, brings together a collection of songs that encompass not only her desire to encourage others, but also a look into the heart of a woman who has experienced her share of pain.

We’ll be playing her song “Surrendering”, a simple reminder that God is in control and because of that, we can surrender and allow his love to lead us to something beautiful. She says that “My hope for this record is that it brings joy, peace and motivates people to let love be what drives them to meet the needs of those that are hurting…the title of the album is exactly what I want this record to convey.”

You can learn more about Jaime, her music and her pro-life work at her website jtmusic.net.

You can pick up her album right now here on iTunes:

Please join us in welcomeing Jaime to the Catholic Playlist Show!

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New Featured Artist: Katy Blythe

Katy Blythe

This week on the Catholic Playlist show we are featuring Katy Blythe, who just released her debut EP ‘N E W’. Currently studying at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Katy had the opportunity to grow as a musician when she did mission work with NET Ministries and was able to lead worship everyday.

According to Katy, “The reason this EP is called ‘N E W’ is because of how I recognized this Spring that the Lord doesn’t just free us from the chains that bind us, but He then gives us new hearts. New experiences. New outlooks. He makes us into a new creation. The journey to a new version of you is messy, but the rebuilt “you” is far better than who you were yesterday.”

Most of her songs were written in everyday circumstances, such as time between classes or working outside on campus. The song we’ll be playing on the next Catholic Playlist show is called “New & Free”, which Katy says “was written after being sick and tired of lies from the Evil One. We are rebuilt renewed and we can stand on the truth of His love for us.”

If you can’t wait for the show, you can pick up her new EP right now on iTunes:

Join us in welcoming Katy to the Catholic Playlist show and show her some love in the comments!

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New Featured Artist: Jackie Bissin

Jackie Bissin Faithful

This week on the Catholic Playlist show we are featuring a new single from Jackie Bissin. Jackie is a Catholic worship leader at St. Joseph Church in Placentia, CA. She started singing at an early age while she attending Catholic school and credits worship leaders like Matt Maher and Audrey Assad for inspiration. Her new single “Faithful” is an original composition and highlights her powerful voice.

You can buy on Amazon right now – Faithful

Join us in welcoming Jackie to the Catholic Playlist show and show her some love in the comments!

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New Featured Artist: Alverlis

Alverlis - SpeakThis week on the Catholic Playlist show we are featuring a new single from Alverlis. Alverlis Pena is a Catholic worship leader and songwriter born and raised in New York City. She picked up a guitar after she had a personal encounter with the Lord in her teenage years and has not stopped making music ever since.