GND Music, under the leadership of Troy Duhon, executive producer of the film God’s Not Dead, has partnered with Harry Thomas, Jr., co-founder of Come Alive International to bring interactive elements to the industry’s largest Christian music festivals. The Creation festivals currently include Creation Northeast, Creation Northwest, Sonshine Festival, and the Ichthus Festival, which will relaunch in 2015.
Creation Festivals include six performance stages, in addition to an Extreme Fun Zone, kids entertainment and activities, exhibits, and interactive experiences. These festivals have featured artists including TobyMac, Switchfoot, Casting Crowns, Building 429, Newsboys, and more.
“I am so excited to become part of the Creation Festivals and its incredible history,” says Duhon. “Our goal is to help improve and expand the festivals by creating multimedia events that include advanced video technology and incredible movies. We will create future events under the Come Alive name that will be geared toward millennials. We want to be at the cutting edge with youth.”
The Creation Festivals currently consist of Creation Northeast, set for June 25-28 in Mt. Union, Pa.; Sonshine Festival, July 16-19 in Willmar, Minn.; and Creation Northwest, July 30-Aug. 2 in Kennewick, Wash. The 2015 relaunch of the Ichthus Festival is scheduled for July 8-11 in Lexington, Ky.

Kip Moore is set to headline a concert at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium on Oct. 17, 2014, beginning at 8 p.m. Newly signed MCA Records artist Sam Hunt and multi-talented Warner Bros. Nashville artist Charlie Worsham will open the show.
Moore has notched three consecutive chart-topping singles, including the Platinum-selling “Somethin’ ‘Bout A Truck,” “Beer Money” and  “Hey Pretty Girl.” He is promoting his current single, “Dirt Road,” which is from his upcoming sophomore MCA Nashville project.
Tickets go on sale Saturday, June 21 at 10 a.m. Tickets range from $25-$35 plus applicable service charges and are available at the Ryman box office, ryman.com, or by calling 800-745-3000.
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Randy Rogers Band will perform at the Ryman Auditorium on Friday, Sept. 26, 2014 at 8 p.m. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 20 at 10 a.m.
Tickets range from $25-$30, and are available at the Ryman box office, ryman.com or by calling 800-745-3000.
 
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Jerrod Niemann will headline at the “Mother Church of Country Music” on Friday, Sept. 12, 2014. Tickets will go on sale, Friday, June 13 at 10 a.m. Tickets range from $25-$30 and are available at ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster outlets, the Ryman box office, ryman.com or by calling 800-745-3000.
The Sony Music Nashville artist recently celebrated his second chart-topper “Drink To That All Night.” Niemann’s 2010 major label debut, Judge Jerrod & The Hung Jury, produced the No. 1 “Lover, Lover,” as well as the RIAA-Gold digital single “What Do You Want?”

“We’ll change the name of this song to ‘Drink To That All Afternoon,'” said ASCAP’s LeAnn Phelan, in greeting a throng of industry members gathered at Nashville’s Music City Tippler to commemorate Sea Gayle/Arista Nashville artist Jerrod Niemann‘s second chart-topping single, “Drink To That All Night.” Co-hosted by BMI, ASCAP and SESAC, the party doled out plaques to Niemann, as well as to the four “Drink To That All Night” co-writers Derek George, Lance Miller, Brad Warren and Brett Warren, and producer Jimmie Lee Sloas.
Representatives from Warner/Chappell Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing and StyleSonic Music were also on hand, as were industry supporters Avenue Bank and Northwestern Mutual.
While ASCAP honored co-writer Derek George, BMI’s Perry Howard paid tribute to the Warren Brothers, who were celebrating their fifth No. 1 single as songwriters. Meanwhile, SESAC’s Shannan Hatch honored songwriter Lance Miller for his inaugural No. 1 song, to the celebratory cheers of the audience. “Congrats to Lance, it’s been a long time coming,” Brad Warren said.
“Once you get to put out music, you realize all the things that have to go right for a song to reach No. 1 – all the phone calls and blood, sweat and tears that go into it,” Niemann said, thanking the Sea Gayle and Arista Nashville label staff, and the songwriters. Niemann wasn’t shy in sharing how he came to record the song, and injected his well-known sense of humor as he did. “I recorded this song after the Warren Brothers gave another song to a bigger artist. Instead of being upset, I told [producer] Jimmie, ‘Here’s another song they wrote.’ I took the high road, so this is a lesson for all sensitive people. Plus, no one recorded the other song, so I get to have it back. That lesson is, if you have a song about a topic that’s a little controversial, you might as well let me have it because no one else will touch it,” said Niemann, laughing and reassuring the crowd that he counts his co-writers as great friends.
The good times and drinking won’t be stopping soon – “Drink To That All Night” will soon have a pop remix featuring rapper Pitbull. On Sept. 12, MusicRow‘s April/May cover boy will headline a show at the historic Ryman Auditorium.