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Country music giants Diamond Rio, with more than 10 million album sales and a slew of Country Music Association awards, have inked a deal with Word Records and are releasing their first non-holiday Christian collection The Reason on September 22.

"These songs share what we believe in," said guitarist Jimmy Olander on the band's MySpace page. "This is who we are." Co-writers include Matthew West (Rascal Flatts, Point of Grace), Bernie Herms (Casting Crowns), and Chris Eaton (Vince Gill, Margaret Becker).

For those interested in finding out more about the group's faith, September 22 also marks the release of the book Beautiful Mess (Thomas Nelson). In addition to shedding light on members' personal lives, the autobiography will also address the group's legacy in country music.

Over 16,000 fans entered to win, but 14-year-old Austin Kempton from West Alexandria, Ohio scored the ultimate summer hangout with one of his favorite bands from down under. Not only did the Newsboys invite him and a guest to a cookout in Antioch, Tennessee, but the band popped for plane tickets, lodging, and a tour of Inpop Records (the label which houses this Aussie outfit). The winner also picked up VIP seats to the band's performance at Camp Electric, a music camp staged in Music City.

It may be primarily known as an annual summer festival, but for the second year in a row, Creation Festival: The Tour hits the road (kicking off September 17). Like its predecessor, the all-day affair will mix music and messages, along with breakout seminars and extracurricular activities. Headliners Jars of Clay will be joined by Thousand Foot Krutch and Audio Unplugged, featuring Mark Stuart and Will McGinniss from Audio Adrenaline singing old hits and sharing their testimonies. Opening acts include soul singer B. Reith, alternative rockers This Beautiful Republic, and pop/punkers FM Static.

Provident Label Group just launched a Twitter account. Acts that fall under that umbrella include Michael W. Smith, Third Day, Casting Crowns, Jars of Clay and multi-artist projects like Glory Revealed. Anyone can view the page by clicking here, though those hoping for new "tweets" alerts will have to register for the service and become a "ProvidentPress" follower.

John Reuben will release his provocatively titled Sex, Drugs and Self-Control CD on Dec. 22. But fans won't have to wait until then to hear tunes from the collection as the singer/songwriter/rapper will release one track and corresponding music video each month in advance of the album. "Town Folk" just landed on iTunes, telling the tales of Old Testament figures like Sampson, Daniel and Elijah.

The Cisco Bluesfest in Ottawa, Ontario, had a jolt of joy thanks to a gospel roster led by Israel & New Breed over the weekend. Other faith-based acts in attendance included reggae rocker Papa San and jazz/jam band Newworldson. The otherwise secular setting featured KISS, Ben Harper, Ludacris, Jeff Beck, Joe Cocker, Styx, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ice Cube and the Brian Setzer Orchestra.

Though Pillar's lineup often changes, frontman Rob Beckley and guitarist Noah Henson continue as the consistent core. They're now joined by bassist Rich Gilliland (KJ-52, Brandon Heath) and drummer Taylor Carroll (After Edmund), and they're gearing up for Confessions on September 22. The project marks the group's first collaboration with producer Rob Graves (Red, Wavorly) and features compositions from Red guitarist Jasen Rauch and Building 429 front man Jason Roy.

Copyright © 2009 Andree Farias subject to licensing agreement with Christian Music Today. Click for reprint information.

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