Parachute Band Cover Story
http://www.praisecharts.com/live/articles/437/1/Parachute-Band-Cover-Story/Page1.html
Parachute Band
With a mission to use music to connect people with Jesus, and a mandate
to raise the standard of Christian music in NZ, Parachute Music came
into being. The year was 1989 and the time was right. Founder Mark de Jong, who had his roots in Youth For Christ big concert
events, launched into the deep and began a ministry that has seen 19
years of rapid growth. Passionate about working with musicians who are
not afraid to sing about what they believe in, Mark is all about the
potential in a song that can change the heart. “There’s power in a song
to touch the human spirit when words are simply not enough.” Parachute Music grew into a national organisation very quickly, filling
the gap between artists and record companies and hosting the largest
four day festival outside the US to showcase both local and
international musicians. The event has not only become a “must” on the
kiwi summer calendar but evangelical, in that a large percentage of
unchurched people attend the annual event. Visit the Parachute Music Site. By Parachute Band
Published on October 10, 2008
The new Parachute Band from New Zealand (Integrity Music) packs a punch with a fresh young sound. With their new album release "Technicolor," set for October 14th, the band shares their testimony of this new project. Join us for a closer look at the heart of the Parachute Band. Be sure to see the second testimony video as well!
Technicolor
The Parachute Band was originally formed in 1996 as the worship band
for New Zealand’s Parachute Music Festival. As the band’s popularity
grew in its home country, so did the band’s mission: to lead people of
all races and ages in worship, using songs as a tool to see lives
changed and hearts connected with God.
In advance of the Oct. 14th release of their new CD Tehnicolor, Integrity Music’s Parachute Band will be featured on RelevantMagazine.com’s The Drop, starting today. And, this Wednesday night, they just might be the “people’s choice” in their home country of New Zealand.
The Drop is Relevant Magazine’s online media player that promotes new and upcoming CDs. Starting Tuesday, Oct. 7 and for the next seven days, visitors to the site at http://www.relevantmagazine.com/thedrop.php will get a sneak preview of Technicolor’s dozen fresh new worship songs. The Drop is a free site that also allows visitors to “buy now” after they hear the record.
Wednesday night in New Zealand, Parachute Band could become the choice of the people at the 43rd annual New Zealand Music Awards, the Kiwi version of the GRAMMYs. Parachute Band has been nominated alongside Antiform, Horsemen Family, Nesian Mystik and The DFenders for “The People’s Choice”, one of the award show’s biggest honors and the only category voted on by the public. The Parachute Band is also a finalist in the Best Christian/Gospel album category for Roadmaps and Revelations.
Technicolor is the follow-up to the 2007 critically-acclaimed Roadmaps and Revelations, which had marked the debut of the re-fashioned Parachute Band, made up of Omega Levine (vocals), Sam de Jong (drums), Rhys Machell (bass) Alister Wood (keyboards) and Simon Moore (guitars). Parachute Band, which has existed for more than a decade, was first created to host New Zealand’s annual Parachute Festival.
Technicolor includes songs written by acclaimed New Zealand songwriters, including several tracks written by members of the band. Integrity will service at least two songs from the new Technicolor CD to radio. “Living Rain” will go to Inspirational radio and "Your Word” will be serviced to the Adult Contemporary format. Another notable song on Technicolor is “Everlasting,” a song which includes the Tanzanian choir The Sowers Group.
“Technicolor represents a concept we developed for this album which is ‘water equals life, equals colour’ - full blazing colour, when we live with God at our side,” says band member Sam de Jong. “As we were preparing for this album, we noticed that quite a few of the songs had an underlying theme of water or, God’s living water. For us this living water is God’s love, grace and mercy flooding and cleansing our lives as we worship Him."
Testimony
The project will be released with a bonus DVD that contains live concert footage from last year's Parachute Festival and a powerful segment featuring behind-the-scenes footage and Omega Levine's testimony of overcoming depression, low self esteem and thoughts of suicide as a teen. Download and print the current supply of Parachute Band charts.
In advance of the Oct. 14th release of their new CD Tehnicolor, Integrity Music’s Parachute Band will be featured on RelevantMagazine.com’s The Drop, starting today. And, this Wednesday night, they just might be the “people’s choice” in their home country of New Zealand.
The Drop is Relevant Magazine’s online media player that promotes new and upcoming CDs. Starting Tuesday, Oct. 7 and for the next seven days, visitors to the site at http://www.relevantmagazine.com/thedrop.php will get a sneak preview of Technicolor’s dozen fresh new worship songs. The Drop is a free site that also allows visitors to “buy now” after they hear the record.
Wednesday night in New Zealand, Parachute Band could become the choice of the people at the 43rd annual New Zealand Music Awards, the Kiwi version of the GRAMMYs. Parachute Band has been nominated alongside Antiform, Horsemen Family, Nesian Mystik and The DFenders for “The People’s Choice”, one of the award show’s biggest honors and the only category voted on by the public. The Parachute Band is also a finalist in the Best Christian/Gospel album category for Roadmaps and Revelations.
Technicolor is the follow-up to the 2007 critically-acclaimed Roadmaps and Revelations, which had marked the debut of the re-fashioned Parachute Band, made up of Omega Levine (vocals), Sam de Jong (drums), Rhys Machell (bass) Alister Wood (keyboards) and Simon Moore (guitars). Parachute Band, which has existed for more than a decade, was first created to host New Zealand’s annual Parachute Festival.
Technicolor includes songs written by acclaimed New Zealand songwriters, including several tracks written by members of the band. Integrity will service at least two songs from the new Technicolor CD to radio. “Living Rain” will go to Inspirational radio and "Your Word” will be serviced to the Adult Contemporary format. Another notable song on Technicolor is “Everlasting,” a song which includes the Tanzanian choir The Sowers Group.
“Technicolor represents a concept we developed for this album which is ‘water equals life, equals colour’ - full blazing colour, when we live with God at our side,” says band member Sam de Jong. “As we were preparing for this album, we noticed that quite a few of the songs had an underlying theme of water or, God’s living water. For us this living water is God’s love, grace and mercy flooding and cleansing our lives as we worship Him."
Testimony
The project will be released with a bonus DVD that contains live concert footage from last year's Parachute Festival and a powerful segment featuring behind-the-scenes footage and Omega Levine's testimony of overcoming depression, low self esteem and thoughts of suicide as a teen. Download and print the current supply of Parachute Band charts.