Tag Archives: New Catholic Music

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New Featured Artist: Emily Wilson

Emily Wilson Christian Singer

This week on the Catholic Playlist our new featured artist is Emily Wilson. Emily is a young, energetic, and charismatic Catholic musician and speaker who travels the world sharing her faith through witness and worship. It’s interesting to note that while she was attending Arizona State University, Emily began leading worship with Ike Ndolo, a Catholic Playlist favorite, who after hearing her voice and seeing her passion to lead others, invited her to tour with his band. Together they have attended conferences and events all over the country.

The heart of Emily’s ministry though is offering encouragement to young women in their search for their true identity. She is on a mission to draw others to Christ through her speaking and her music that is both prayerful and powerful. In the summer of 2014, Emily released her debut EP entitled “Joy Will be Yours” and with prayerful songwriting, pure vocals, and piano melodies, Emily conveys a message of redemption, worship, and hope.

In Catholic Playlist #55 we’ll be playing the song “Beautiful and Yours”.

To learn more about Emily and her music, go to www.emwilsonmusic.com or here on iTunes:

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New Release: Alanna Boudreau

Alanna Boudreau

Alanna Boudreau is set to release her new full length album “Hints & Guesses” tomorrow, Thursday September 4, 2014. The 12 song album was made possible through a successful Kickstarter campaign earlier this year. We are pleased to be able to debut the first song on the album titled ‘Davey’ in this week’s Catholic Playlist show (#54).

Here is a great video interview with Alanna about her new album:

You can learn more about Alanna and buy her music at her website – www.alannamariemusic.com.

Order her new album here in iTunes:

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Crowdfunding: Benjamin Brekke

Benjamin Brekke

One of the more enjoyable aspects of the rising popularity of the Catholic Playlist is that we can help artists pursue their dreams of recording music. One such artist is Benjamin Brekke, who is hoping to raise $2,000 on Kickstarter by September 4 to finish his project. He’s close to the finish line, but could use a little more help. Please prayerfully consider pledging some support for Benjamin’s project.

For a great story about Benjamin and his music, check out this article in The Catholic Spirit from the Archdiocese of St Paul & Minneapolis.

For details of the his project and to pledge, go to his Kickstarter page.

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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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Crowdfunding: Shaun Garrison

Thanks to our friends Lori & Adam Ubowski of Out of Darkness for letting us know about this project. After 15 years of dreaming, Shaun Garrison has decided to step out in faith and pursue his dream of recording his original music. Right now, as this post is published, Shaun needs a little less than $6,000 to meet his goal of $20,000. But there’s only 10 days left and if the goal isn’t reached, there is no money, no project. Watch his Kickstarter video below, check out the project on Kickstarter, and prayerfully consider helping Shaun reach his goal to professionally record and produce his music.

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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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Crowdfunding Opp – Dee Simone

Dee Simone

When the Catholic Playlist show started in July 2013, it was about playing some great contemporary Christian music from Catholic artists on the radio. There are so many talented people who are using their gifts to inspire and spread the joy of the Gospel through the power of music and we’re trying to help them get heard by as many people as possible.

And by doing the show, we’ve discovered that there are many equally as talented people who want to use their gifts too, but need a little help getting there. Recently we featured the campaign of Fr Kevin McGoldrick to help him raise the funds necessary to get his music recorded and released. Thanks be to God and your response his campaign reached and exceeded his goal. And just today, we’ve come across another campaign on IndieGoGo that we want you to know about.

Dee Simone (www.deesimone.com) is a Catholic worship leader and music missionary looking to fund her very first EP titled “Lovesick”. Her campaign on Indiegogo ends on August 5, 2014 and she needs a little help to reach her goal. Check out her campaign here and prayerfully consider making a contribution.

And here’s a new video of her singing the title track:

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Song of the Week – July 28, 2014

Ike Ndolo Band

Our song for the last week of July 2014 is “Wade in the Water” from Ike Ndolo. One of our personal favorite songs, “Wade in the Water” is a new version of a classic spiritual that shows the full depth of his musical background and abilities. The song comes from his 2009 debut album “We Are the Beggars”, which jumps out and grabs you with both its intensity and its strong lyrical content. Which describes our Catholic Playlist Song of the Week pretty well – “Wade in the Water” from Ike Ndolo:

Like this song? Then check it out along with Ike Ndolo’s other releases on itunes:

What do you think of this song? Let us know in the comments!