Christian Music Online

SonFest 2005 Christian Rock

June 23, 2005 – 11:07 am

SonFest 2005 Christian Rock Fest Begins Tomorrow

Three days of worship, live music and Hollywood entertainment can be found at Paramount’s Carowinds during SonFest 2005. The three-day music festival showcases some of today’s greatest Christian artists in the Paladium Amphitheatre June 23-25.

With seven studio albums to their credit, Audio Adrenaline has garnered four Grammy Award nominations and multiple Gospel Music Association Dove Awards, Christian music’s highest honor. The band recently appeared on VH1’s documentary, “Religion — A Pop Culture,” telling the story of how they reach the masses in a secular market where Christian music is just beginning to gain momentum.

With a music career that stretches more than 10 years, Audio Adrenaline has achieved the longevity that only a handful of artists experience in today’s fast-paced, ever-changing music industry.

Platinum-selling rock band Third Day’s rise to superstardom began nearly 12 years ago. Since then, the five-man group has earned 23 Dove Awards, nearly two dozen No.1 radio singles and has surpassed the $5 million mark in career sales.

Following a phenomenal year in 2004 with the release of their album, “Wire,” Third Day won its second Grammy in February for best Rock/Contemporary Gospel Album. At the Dove Awards in April, the band won trophies for best Rock/Contemporary Album and for their participation in “The Passion of the Christ: Songs,” which won the Special Event Album.

Newsboys describes their 13th album “Devotion” as a natural progression from their previous blockbuster, “Adoration: The Worship Album.” Released in November, Devotion exemplifies the band’s renewed spiritual dedication and commitment to forge a stronger ministry for its audience.

“It’s the next step, isn’t it? You adore something, and then the next step is that you can become devoted to it,” said Peter Furler, lead singer of Newsboys. “Adoration isn’t quite enough, and I think devotion is moving one step further. It’s a process.”

Newsboys’ achievements include more than 20 No. 1 radio hits, three gold records, millions of records sold, three Grammy nominations and four Dove Awards.

Other artists confirmed for SonFest 2005 include Thousand Foot Krutch, Relient K, Stellar Kart, Hyper Static Union, Hawk Nelson, Kutless, Jeremy Camp, Josh Finklea, Third Day, Dizmas, Mainstay, Passing Thru, Casting Pearls, Casting Crowns, Toby Mac and Cameron Mills.

Advance ticket purchases for SonFest 2005 are available through Ticketmaster by calling 800-888-4386, by logging on to www.ticketmaster.com, or at any Ticketmaster outlet. Tickets include a reserved seat in the Paladium and park admission.

Discount tickets for groups of 10 or more are available by calling Paramount’s Carowinds.

Paramount’s Carowinds is open for daily operation through Aug. 28. Weekend-only operation resumes Sept. 10 through Nov. 6. The park also is open Sept. 5. The park is closed to the public on Sept. 24 and 25, and Oct. 1 and 2

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