A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH NYC PRE-LAUNCH CONCERT JULY 23
FEATURES PHIL JOEL, JASON GRAY, AARON COLE, WATERDEEP
Event to be Livestreamed From Historic St. George’s Church
Inspires Conservation, Earth Care
The multi-artist A New Heaven And A New Earth project is a full-length album slated to release Sept. 6 that celebrates the beauty of God’s Creation and calls believers to be faithful stewards of the earth. It brings recording artists and conservationists together on common ground, each seeing the beauty of the other. More than an album, it’s a conversation.
LOCAL INFORMATION:
City/State: New York, NY
Date/Time: Tuesday, July 23, 6:30 pm ET
Location: St. George’s Church, 7 Rutherford Place
Event Tickets: Register for free general admission tickets at this link.
Donations will be accepted. Doors open at 5:45 pm ET.
Prior to the album release, four of the project’s artists, iconic singer/songwriter Phil Joel (Newsboys), awards winning singer / songwriter Jason Gray, Dove Awards-winning, No.1 Billboard-charting, Stellar Award-nominated Aaron Cole, and husband and wife duo, Don and Lori Chaffer of Waterdeep, will perform during a July 23 pre-launch concert being held at St. George’s Church. Additional artists featured on the project will join via video, including GRAMMY®-nominated, Dove Award-winning Building 429 lead vocalist Jason Roy, recording artist, actress and producer MŌRIAH, and chart-topping recording artist and songwriter Micah Tyler. Free general admission tickets are available to the public at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-new-heaven-and-a-new-earth-concert-tickets-914722508647. The event begins at 6:30 pm ET and will be livestreamed internationally via www.calvarystgeorges.org.
There has never been a project like this, where well-known Christian musicians from various genres each wrote and recorded a song on how taking care of Creation is to glorify God. The artists felt called to the project, and each has a unique story to tell about why they joined and wrote their song.
Church leaders from around the world welcomed “Our Common Home” with joy last fall, declaring, “These artists felt called to express how care for Creation glorifies God.” The note was signed by:
– His Eminence Cardinal Peter K.A. Turkson, The Pontifical Academy of Sciences, The Vatican
– His Eminence Elder Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, Ecumenical Patriarchate
– The Most Reverend Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury
– The Most Reverend Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop & Primate, The Episcopal Church
– The Most Reverend Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, Presiding Bishop, Church of Norway, former General Secretary of the World Council of Churches
The recording also has an intergenerational aspect as several of the artists’ children are integrally involved.
About Phil Joel:
Auckland, New Zealand native Phil Joel first arrived in the United States in 1994 to join one of Christian music’s most iconic bands, Newsboys. During his 12-year tenure in the GRAMMY®-nominated, Platinum®-selling group, Joel was featured on such seminal albums as Take Me To Your Leader and Step Up To The Microphone. Joel, along with founding member Peter Furler, rejoined the supergroup for its Newsboys United Tour, 2018-2021, playing hundreds of shows around the country and releasing the album Newsboys United. In addition, Joel has seven solo recordings to his credit; he founded and fronted the acclaimed worship band Zealand; and his first book, Redwoods and Whales: Becoming Who You Actually Are—a collection of personal stories and truths learned from his life and musical journey—was published in 2019 by Thomas Nelson’s Emanate Books. His latest solo album, Better Than I Found It, released in 2021.
About Jason Gray:
Since his 2007 nationwide label debut, All the Lovely Losers, Gray has established himself as a true songwriter’s songwriter. He has garnered multiple ASCAP Performance Awards for popular songs like “Remind Me You’re Here,” “I’m Gonna Let It Go” and “Sparrows,” and summited the radio charts with hits like his first No. 1 AC standard, “With Every Act of Love,” and chart-topping inspirational single, “Nothing Is Wasted.” His current album, Land of the Living, plumbs the depth of human experience and serves up a batch of pop-friendly, radio-ready contenders primed for conversation.
Throughout his celebrated tenure, Gray has shared the stage with genre leaders like Michael W. Smith, Steven Curtis Chapman, Third Day, TobyMac, Lauren Daigle and others, in addition to headlining tours of his own. Moreover, he is the host of the popular writers-round radio show Acoustic Storytime heard on SiriusXM The Message on the second Friday of every month at noon ET.
About Aaron Cole:
Signing to Gotee Records in 2017 and touring with TobyMac on Hits Deep Tour, Aaron Cole released his major label debut, Not By Chance, and became the first hip hop artist to win New Artist of the Year in 2019 at the 50th Annual GMA Dove Awards. His Stellar Award-nominated sophomore album, Two Up Two Down (2021), featured collaborations with Tauren Wells, TobyMac, Terrian and Parris Chariz, among others. Newly signed to RCA Inspiration, Cole’s current album, Sorry I Changed, released April 26, 2024 to wide acclaim. Featuring a mix of hip-hop, R&B and pop, Cole has garnered three No. 1 singles on the Billboard Christian HOT AC/CHR Chart and has had multiple sync uses including promos for ESPN and Fox Sports. His songs have also been featured in the Netflix original series, “On My Block,” among other prominent sync placements, and earned him being named “One of 5 Top Gospel Artists to Watch” by Essence Magazine.
About Waterdeep:
Don and Lori Chaffer have released over 15 full-length albums together as Waterdeep. They spent their early years as a renowned midwestern jam band, selling over 150,000 albums independently before becoming nationally known in 1999 as Squint Entertainment recording artists (home to Sixpence None the Richer and Chevelle, among others). A decade later, they moved to Nashville, where they wrote songs, produced, and/or engineered records for numerous artists, including: Indigo Girls, Caitlyn Smith, Sara Groves, Big Daddy Weave, Third Day and Bebo Norman. Their songs have been featured on albums, on the radio, in television shows, and have won ASCAP songwriting awards. They have also been involved in writing several musicals for theater, and Don now teaches as a professor at Nashville’s Lipscomb University while Lori produces records for various artists in their home studio.
About The Fuel Music:
Established in 2008, The Fuel Music & Management, LLC, is a leading artist management and artist solutions company that independently distributes music internationally. Based in Nashville, TN, the Fuel team brings nearly 70 years of combined music industry experience in record label operations, major label distribution and marketing, and artist management for artists ranging from upstart bands to GRAMMY Award-winning, multi-platinum artists. More information on the company can be found at www.thefuelmusic.com.
