The Newsboys’ drummer, Duncan Phillips, had much to share from his experiences in worship, especially with people of many backgrounds and religions. His sense of humor made me laugh, and he has some amazing stories of the band’s experiences around the world. Duncan even has a few words of advice regarding relationships and living out the Great Commission. Read on to hear the top 10 things you must know about Duncan and the Newsboys’ latest album, Go. […read more]

With pale skin and white hair, Jimmie Ingram knows he stands out in a crowd. It’s something he’s had to deal with his entire life. Jimmie is albino, an inherited condition resulting from the combination of recessive alleles passed from both parents. He has a lack of pigmentation in his eyes, skin and hair. In addition, Jimmie is legally blind. In school he had to use large-print textbooks, and he must rely on others for transportation, because he can’t drive a car.

“Albinism causes me to stand out in a crowd or to be stared at,” he says. “There’s not much hiding or blending in when I’m out in public. This has, at times, caused me to be insecure about my appearance.” Listen in as Jimmie tells how he found his security in Christ. […read more]

Nashville, Tenn., native Brandon Heath never planned on recording his songs. “My goal was to be the dude who stayed home, had a normal life and wrote songs for other people,” he says. So how did he end up recording his own album, Don’t Get Comfortable? “Bebo Norman is one of those people who encouraged me to be the one to sing my songs. That’s really where my foot got into the proverbial door,” Brandon explains. Brandon stopped by Brioland while touring with Bebo and Aaron Shust. Keep reading to discover what he told us about songwriting and getting involved in your community. […read more]

These are some of the words music critics have used to describe the voice of Grammy-nominated Sarah Kelly. And, surprisingly, these words also describe Sarah. The Brio staff got the chance to meet her when she visited Colorado in March.

Here’s what we learned: Sarah is a hugger, she loves girly shoes, she has a blind pet rabbit, and she graduated from high school when she was 16. But there’s more to Sarah than this trivia. She has a history of abusive relationships, which has shaped her into who she is now. Keep reading to learn how her past met today. […read more]

One week into her eighth-grade school year, Jessie Daniels received threats from someone wanting to beat her up. “A girl from another school thought I liked her boyfriend,” Jessie says. “As soon as I heard rumors that she was going to beat me up, I thought, Well, I’m not talking to you anymore. I didn’t want to give this girl any more of a reason to hate me, if she did. The whole time I avoided different places and being alone.”

But one Saturday afternoon the threats stopped when Jessie was beat up at cheerleading practice. Not only was she hurt physically, but her self-worth also took a hit. “I felt like somebody just belittled me — I wasn’t worth much.” […read more]

Singer and songwriter Josh Bates will never forget when the news that he was a singer leaked to the fifth-grade class he was substituting for. One day a girl told the class Josh could sing. The children said, “Mr. Bates, will you please sing for us?”

They continued with their school subjects, but Josh promised to sing at the end of the day. “All went OK,” Josh says, “and at the end, they started crying. I don’t know if it just freaked them out that their teacher was singing to them or what. One girl said, ‘It’s beautiful.’ Two girls and two boys cried.” […read more]

When Krystal Meyers wrote her first song at age 10, she never dreamed of having three top-10 singles, performing on the same stage as tobyMac or touring in Japan—all before she turned 18. But she did dream of using her music to challenge the youth of her generation.

Krystal’s self-titled debut album was released in the United States in 2005 when she was 16. And in September 2006 her sophomore project, Dying for a Heart, went public. Over the last year she was nominated for the New Artist of the Year Dove Award and performed for more than 400,000 people. [ …read more]

When the five guys of the new band Leeland aren’t playing a show, they say they can be found at one of four places: at church, watching a movie, at Starbucks or attending a gun show. But with their debut album, Sound of Melodies, now on music store shelves, they have little time for those things. These young guys are too busy using their musical gifts to encourage other teens to seek a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.

“Walking with the Lord and staying close to Him has its rewards,” says lead singer Leeland Mooring, 18. “Doors will begin to open for you, and God will show you what He’s going to do with your life. It’s an incredible thing, walking with the Lord.” Keep reading to learn more about the sound of Leeland. […read more]

You may have heard the Newsboys’ radio single “I Am Free,” originally recorded by Desperation in 2004. Your friends may have talked about “seeing Desperation” at an Acquire the Fire rally. But what is this Desperation thing all about?

We got the scoop from Glenn Packiam, one of Desperation Band’s three worship leaders/songwriters, and David Perkins, a leading voice in the Desperation movement. Here’s what they had to say about writing music, discipleship and the family dinner table. […read more]

At first glance, it’s doubtful that music fans would mistake artist Red for a run-of-the-mill Christian cover band. But for longtime friends Michael Barnes and twin brothers Randy and Anthony Armstrong, the humorous fact that the hard-edged outfit’s founding members cut their rock ‘n’ roll teeth playing songs by dcTalk, Audio Adrenaline and Jars of Clay will always keep them humble. “Some video will probably surface eventually,” bass player Randy says. “We’re just looking forward to showing it to Toby [of dcTalk] and those guys because it’s hilarious.”

Michael, Randy and Anthony grew up together in Pennsylvania, where they admittedly dipped into a predictable bag of tricks, including acoustic-driven melodies and the occasional dance step. But as the guys got older, their tastes started to change, and a serious shift in musical direction followed. […read more]

Bear Rinehart (lead vocals, guitar, piano) could’ve made it to the NFL. Bo Rinehart (guitar, background vocals) had his chance to be on the WB’s “One Tree Hill.” Seth Bolt (bass, background vocals) is a talented recording engineer, and all the guys say Joe Stillwell (drums) is a genius. So, why are they in a band? Brio wanted to find out. We talked with them in Nashville, Tenn. Here what these guys from Seneca, S.C., had to say. […read more]

These are some of the words music critics have used to describe the voice of Grammy-nominated Sarah Kelly. And, surprisingly, these words also describe Sarah. The Brio staff got the chance to meet her when she visited Colorado in March.

Here’s what we learned: Sarah is a hugger, she loves girly shoes, she has a blind pet rabbit, and she graduated from high school when she was 16. But there’s more to Sarah than this trivia. She has a history of abusive relationships, which has shaped her into who she is now. Keep reading to learn how her past met today. […read more]

With the shaky beginning Joel Engle experienced in life, it’d be easy to imagine him living on the streets or involved in crime by now. You see, Joel didn’t grow up in a two-parent home. His dad left when Joel was a month old. So when his mother died of a massive stroke when Joel was 11, he had to leave all that was familiar to him in San Francisco and move to Oklahoma to live with his grandparents — his only immediate family in the United States.

“My mom would stand over my bed each night and say, ‘I love you more and more every day,’ ” Joel says. “She’d kiss me on the forehead, and I’d go to sleep. We did that as usual one night, and the next morning I woke up at 7:27, walked in the kitchen and found her lying facedown. She’d told me if anything ever happened to call the ambulance. I called, and she was taken to the hospital.” [ …read more]

Josh dreamed of playing in a band, going on the road and signing a record deal. And at 22 he thought his dreams were fulfilled as the frontman of a secular rock group called Full Devil Jacket. “As my band started getting bigger and bigger, so did my [sex and drug] addictions,” Josh says. He toured with Nickelback, Fuel and Creed. At that time, he lived by what he calls “the system of the world.” He sought to satisfy and serve himself through drugs and alcohol. It wasn’t until he overdosed on heroin that he sought rehab and his life began to change. God began speaking to his heart. [ …read more]