The Burn Bright Tour with Natalie Grant & Danny Gokey

• March 14, 2015 @ 8:00pm
• Tickets: $45-$20 (fees may apply)
• Buy Tickets Online or call 740.345.5483 
  Annual Fund ($100 level and up) Access begins Jan. 23 at 9:00am, and public on sale begins Jan. 30 at 9:00am. To become an Annual Fund Member, contact our box office at 740.345.5483.

 

In the opening lines of "In The End," the spirited but poignant unplugged track that wraps her latest Curb Records album Hurricane, Natalie Grant puts it as plainly as she ever has in dealing with the troubling storms we all face: "Can't catch a break/You've had your fill of old clichés…". Emerging from a dark, spiritually challenging time in her own life, the multitalented singer/songwriter—a Grammy nominated, five time GMA (Gospel Music Association) Dove Award winner for Female Vocalist of the Year – breaks through the well worn and cheerful, but not completely truthful, phrases that often leave those who are struggling in need of more.

Open and honest about her personal struggles and hardships over the past few years, the visionary artist offers a rare, gutsy vulnerability throughout ten tracks that chronicle her journey from despair to hope, darkness to light and distance to intimacy. A mainstay on the Billboard Christian Songs chart with numerous #1 hits over the past decade, Natalie — reaffirming her status as one of gospel music's most popular artists – is enjoying out of the box success with the infectious title track "Hurricane," which quickly hit #1 on iTunes, charted on Billboard and Mediabase and is the fastest rising single of her storied career.

"I love this album because while stylistically I am still very much in the pop realm, it's a much more personal project than I have ever done before," says Natalie, who wrote on eight of the ten tracks, her most ever over the course of eight recordings beginning with her selftitled debut in 1999. "I've never taken three and a half years between releases, but that lengthy process allowed it to be an honest reflection of what was going on in my life during this period. Because I am a mom to three girls now, I thought when I started the project I would be less involved than I usually am in the writing and production process because I wouldn't have the time." But the reality is that Grant was the most involved, and the result is the record of her career.

"Where at one point I thought I wouldn't have the emotional space to do an album this soul searching and raw," she adds, "once the creative dam broke, it was like therapy for me. I gave voice to the burdens I was carrying and feeling inside. Laying it all out there helped me begin to deal with the struggles I was going through in my life. Hurricane is full of my stories and is a reminder that no matter how dark the struggle may seem, we're not alone – and hope always wins. The last thing the world needs is just another singer and just another song. I want to be a voice that will burn bright with hope. People are desperate for something real, and that's why I make music."

There's a tremendous irony in Natalie finding herself so deep in an emotional, spiritual and creative rut that she originally considered recording only outside material for the new project. In the years prior to doing the recording, she had experienced some of her most exhilarating professional and personal triumphs. Her 2010 release Love Revolution was her second straight recording (after 2008's Relentless) to hit #2 on Billboard's Top Christian Albums Chart. She won her remarkable fifth Dove Award for Female Vocalist of the Year in 2012 (her other four were in consecutive years, from 20062009) and received her first ever Grammy nomination that year (Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Performance) for her song "Alive."

In addition, there has been the expansive growth and impact of Abolition International, the organization Natalie founded in 2005 to provide quality restorative aftercare to human trafficking victims both domestically and internationally. And in 2012, she partnered with longtime friend, pastor and international speaker and author Charlotte Gambill, to launch Dare To Be, a revolutionary women's live event that has thus far drawn tens of thousands of attendees across the nation. Natalie also visited The White House for a special guest performance for President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, among others.

On the personal side, after being told they had only a 3% chance to conceive a child, she and her husband and longtime producer Bernie Herms, after numerous fertility treatments, were blessed with twin girls (Grace Ana and Isabella Noelle) in 2007. Then in 2010, they got "the miracle we never asked for" with the birth of their third daughter Sadie Rose. Following that, however, Natalie experienced postpartum depression, driven in part by her feelings of inadequacy when it came to parenting and the overwhelming pressures of trying to balance her busy work schedule with motherhood, family and faith.

Making the spiral worse was her fear about telling anyone in the cultural community where she is an icon and role model that she was experiencing such terrible doubts about herself. "How could I tell anyone I was down when there were so many blessings around me?" she says. "Not long after, I also learned that a family member was struggling with drug addiction and my father was diagnosed with cancer. I felt like I had a dark cloud following me these past few years. I felt ashamed getting up to sing these cheerful inspirational songs when this inner war was going on inside me."

The song "Hurricane," penned by Natalie with veteran tunesmiths Matt Bronleewe and Cindy Morgan, proved not only to ultimately be the perfect thematic choice for the title track, but also the spiritual breakthrough she needed. "It was the first song we wrote for the album," she says, "and I remember the day we wrote it, I went into the studio with nothing substantial, just that catchy ‘oohoooo' hook that runs throughout the tune. That morning, I had read the Biblical account of Jesus coming to the disciples who were in a boat in the middle of a raging storm. People think sometimes every life situation resolves itself easily and we come out happy with a little bow on it. But what it actually says is that He's there reaching out His hand even as the 12/17/2014 25 Artist Agency &bull Natalie Grant http://25ccm.com/wpcontent/ themes/25ccm/print.php?id=621 3/4 winds continue to rage. We always want the storm to stop, but instead He says that He'll come to us in the middle of it. That imagery inspired the song. Originally, we thought the title ‘Hurricane' sounded a little too angstfilled a title for the album. But the cover, featuring a very peaceful image of me, says it all. There is hope and a resource for peace amidst the darkest storms."

The way Natalie arranged the tracking allows listeners to experience her full journey, from the image of her crying on the floor, feeling completely inadequate and far from the heart of God ("Closer To Your Heart") to the assurance that "In The End"—a boisterous countryflavored live acoustic gospel singalong recorded at Nashville's Blackbird Studios—the sun will shine, our tears will dry and somehow it will all make sense.

The mark of any great songwriter is the ability to make the personal universal, and Natalie finds the perfect way to address a world in need (while sorting through her own trials) on the heartrending ballad "Born To Be," a duet with Gary LeVox, lead singer of superstar country music trio Rascal Flatts. In the song, they plaintively address a complex, increasingly broken world and ask for guidance to become all that we were "born to be."

Along the way, Natalie explores her need to hear the "still small voice" of heaven when our natural tendency is to expect the crashing thunder and everything spelled out for us (on the hypnotic song "Whisper"); channels the glorious spirit of St. Francis of Assisi about the need to live a life of love (the propulsive poprocker "This Is Love"); and whispers a heartfelt, eloquent prayer for her twins Grace and Bella and baby daughter Sadie Rose on "When I Leave The Room," whose haunting piano melody by Natalie and Herms underscores the gracefilled lyrics of renowned singersongwriter Nichole Nordeman. The triumphant declaration "For All of Us" is a song that would be equally at home in the worship setting or on radio. One of the most powerful moments on the project is "Burn Bright," an honest heart cry, written to a family member struggling with addiction.

With such glorious rebirth comes responsibility, and Natalie is keeping everything in perspective as she embraces her role as the mother of three while also performing from 75100 dates a year for fans all across the U.S. Continuing her duties on the board of Abolition International, she is happy to report that in addition to measured progress throughout the United States, India, Cambodia, and Moldova, the organization has written the first ever curriculum designed to train doctors how to recognize victims of human trafficking. The singer is also excited about the success and continued work of Dare To Be, which will be in 15 more U.S. cities for a single evening conference/musical event over the coming year. Natalie will also be appearing in her second independent film "Persecuted," playing the wife of an evangelist framed for murder. Produced by Oscar winning producer Gray Frederickson, it stars James Remar, Dean Stockwell, Bruce Davison and Fred Thompson.

"I really felt like a Hurricane was going on in our lives these past few years, and I wrote the songs on the album from the perspective that there is always a better day coming," Natalie says. "These are the strongest songs I've recorded in a long time and are a true reflection of the hope I find in my faith – songs I am eager to deliver to audiences night after night. It's one thing to do something creative and cool in the studio, but I really want to deliver them even better and with more emotion onstage. The best part of the experience of making the album was being reminded of the truth once again. Not that I had stopped believing, but I felt like I had forgotten it. I found hope in the midst of my own circumstances and feel like I have created something with all of my heart that can bring hope to those who will listen. Along the way, I rediscovered myself, my art, and my faith and feel as a result, that I can honestly help others find the same."

Danny Gokey

Music feeds the soul and few people understand its power better than Danny Gokey. His young life has been a rollercoaster ride and music has been his constant companion. It sustained him following the death of his first wife, Sophia, and it propelled him up the charts after the world discovered his talent on American Idol. Music has shaped his life, providing a sense of purpose and direction, even in the most trying times.

On Gokey's new album, Hope in Front of Me, the Milwaukee native delivers a potent collection of songs brought vividly to life by his warm, soulful voice. The project percolates with energy on such vibrant up tempo tunes as "Take it to the Limit" and simmers with emotion on such tunes as the compelling title track where he sings "I know in my soul no matter how bad it gets, I'll be alright. There's hope in front of me." For Gokey, those words are more than just lyrics to a great song. They define his life and underscore his mission to reach others with hope and entertainment. Those words might seem mutually exclusive to some, but Gokey knows the value they have combined.

"I wanted to mix hope and entertainment but not in a way that would be cliché or sappy," Gokey relates. "I want to deliver a message that feeds the soul, but makes you want to move and groove to the music. That's always the goal when I write. I'm a person of faith, so I always want my songs to have a strong message of hope. I want to write them in a way that is fresh. 'Hope In Front of Me' has got a great message, but it's also got a great groove to the song so you are moving and your soul is getting fed while you are singing and jamming to the music."

"Hope in Front of Me" is the lead single from Gokey's finely crafted sophomore album and has enthusiastically been embraced by the gatekeepers at radio and the fans who have been supporting Gokey since he placed third on season eight of American Idol. He followed his Idol experience with a debut album on 19 Recordings/RCA Records that spawned the hit singles "My Best Days Are Ahead of Me" and "I Will Not Say Goodbye." The album debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard charts and earned Gokey the best opening-week sales by a debut country male artist in 18 years. He hit the road in support of the album touring with Sugarland, Taylor Swift and other high profile acts.

"I loved it and had a lot of fun making the first album," Gokey says. "It was a big learning experience. I feel like God ordained it and it brought me to Nashville."

Music City definitely felt like a comfortable home for the talented Wisconsin native who grew up listening to a variety of music from Keith Green to Tim McGraw to the Tempations. "My dad was my biggest influence for music," says Gokey, who was born the fifth of six children. "We listened to Dallas Holm, Ray Boltz, dcTalk and Sandy Patti, but we also listened to country music like Brooks & Dunn and Lee Ann Womack as well as funk and soul music like the Temptations, the Four Tops, The Chi-Lites and the Average White Band. My dad had really diverse taste in music and it was a great music education."

Gokey has always loved music, but in the early days, it wasn't the job that paid the bills. "I drove an eighteen wheeler semi-truck, a big rig," he says. "I liked it actually. Was it what I wanted to settle with for the rest of my life? No, because music was where my passion was."

His wife Sophia encouraged his dreams and urged him to audition for American Idol. Just a month before his audition, Sophia died unexpectedly after what should have been a routine heart surgery. The couple had been high school sweethearts and Danny was devastated. Yet in the midst of his sorrow, he honored Sophia's wish and auditioned for American Idol a month after she passed. He advanced through the competition. Viewers were touched by Danny's story and the depth and power of his voice made him a fan favorite.

American Idol not only helped Gokey land a record deal and catapulted his voice into the homes of millions, it also help provide a platform for him to launch Sophia's Heart, an organization founded to carry on the legacy of giving started by his late wife. The organization provides a place to live for homeless families in Nashville, and Gokey is proud of the way Sophia's Heart has expanded to care for a growing number of families each year.

Even as he juggled his work with the growing non-profit venture, Gokey still found time to co-write all but two songs on his new album. Produced by award-winning music legends Keith Thomas (Amy Grant, Vanessa Williams) and Bernie Herms(Natalie Grant, Barbra Streisand) Hope in Front of Me showcases the depth and breadth of Gokey's artistry as a songwriter and vocalist. Each song reverberates with the emotional honesty and life-affirming messages that have become hallmarks of Gokey's music. "Love Will Take You Places" boasts a hauntingly beautiful melody and powerful lyric about love's ability to take us places we never imagined we could go. "It's Not Over" starts with a sweet soulful vibe that builds into a vibrant anthem of survival and triumph.

"Tell Your Heart to Beat Again" is a gut-wrenching ballad that talks about pain and loss, yet serves as a reminder of the hope that is always present even in the most trying times. "This is What It Means" is a revealing ballad that Danny says is the most autobiographical. "That song is the most about me," he says. "Literally every line in there is written from a true experience. It talks about love and says 'there's fear, there's faith, there's loss, there's grace. I've seen it from both sides. This is what it means to be alive.' It's the truest song on the album."

Danny Gokey is a survivor. When he sings, there's an authority and conviction that comes from life experience. He's been through so many challenges, yet hope was always a part of his journey. These days Gokey is in a sweet season. He's remarried and he and his wife, Leyicet, have a beautiful son, Daniel Emanuel, born January 20, 2013. Gokey chronicles his life in his autobiography, also titled "Hope in Front of Me" and in the songs on his new album. "Life might not always makes sense," he says. "There's no justice in it and sometimes it might not seem fair, but it's not the end of the road. Turn the page. Move forward and keep putting your life is God's hands. There is always hope ahead."