Finishing Well

Hello friends,

     

It is with many memories and deep feelings that we relay to you the decision we have made over the course of the last year. January 1st 2013 will mark the end of our traveling ministry for the foreseeable future.  

It has become very clear to us that this chapter of our journey, initiated by God, is drawing to a close. While we mourn the end of this season we also celebrate over a decade of ministry. It has been hard work and our families have paid a big price. The friends, songs, experiences, and lives changed as a result of hearing the truth of God's love have sustained us through many years and miles.  

For those of you who know us well, you know that this is not a band break up. In fact, we are open to playing a select few shows or events in the future. After many years and miles spent together we have become a band of brothers who love each other dearly. There is not one single variable that has initiated this change; rather it would seem the same sovereign hand that has guided us together for this season is now leading us in different directions. We are grateful for the role you have played in our lives. Your encouragement and support over the years has carried us through thick and thin.  

We have always wanted to finish well. We believe that means finishing together, as a band... and that is what we are going to do. We are working on setting up a few wrap-up shows this fall - more information will be forthcoming as things get solidified. 

Sincerely,

Jason, Marc, Glenn, & Jeremy

Downhere Christmas Chords

Many of you have been asking so here are the chords to Gift Carol and Glory To God. Both off of our album How Many Kings - Songs For Christmas.

Buy it from the Downhere Store now.

Or you can also find it on iTunes.

Newsletter Update - Foundation, Tour, New Album, Photoshoot

Here's a copy of our latest email update. To join the list click here.

Hi! Sorry our emails have been so spoardic as of late. We'll do better leading up to the release of this next record later this year. It's been a busy last few months as you'll soon discover (if you make it through to the end of this newsletter). We've finished the album (nearly), had a photoshoot, commenced our spring tour, and tried to fit in some time with our families as well (Glenn and his wife Sherri are expecting their 3rd boy any day now!). On that note... I was reflecting the other day on the number of kids that have been added to the downhere family since the release of "Ending is Beginning" - Liam, Karis, and Bram have all been born since September 2008 (you could also count Owen who was born to our ex sound guy Dave). That's 5 kids born to 3 families since our last album - in pregnancy terms, we're LONG overdue for a new album!

DOWNHERE FOUNDATION: PURPOSE

If you have been a long-term friend and subscriber to our email list, you have heard us talk about the Downhere Foundation before. It was initially set up late 2009 to help provide a way for people to donate towards the purchase of a bus (thanks to you we were able to buy a 1998 Prevost Coach). What you may not know is that the fund has been open and in operation since then with the primary purpose being paying for the maintenance and upkeep the bus requires.

Any time you buy a used vehicle you are bound to come across little things that need to be fixed/repaired/updated. A bus is no different - what IS different is the cost (a new tire is about $700). This past year has been fairly costly as we've rebuilt the engine ($18,000), had to do some work on the cooling system ($5,000), and done the regular upkeep. Thankfully we had a good amount of money saved up in the Foundation after the purchase of the bus to cover most of these expenses that we KNEW we'd run into at some point. However, after last year the coffers are running low and we wanted to present to you the need in case you were interested in contributing to the operational costs of our ministry.

Please don't feel any pressure here - the Lord has sustained us for the last 10+ years though thick and very thin, and we trust He will continue to do so. But if you are looking for an opportunity to partner with us, this would be a great "nuts and bolts" way to do so (pun intended). Just click here and enter your donation amount. You may want to commit to making a monthly donation (you'll have to set your own reminder every month) or simply make a one-time gift. Either way, you will receive a tax receipt at the end of the year for whatever you give.

If you can't give, we would appreciate your continued prayers. We are putting countless hours in on the road every month and we truly believe it is the prayers of our families, friends, and fans that keep bringing us back home safely every weekend. Thanks so much - as always, we look forward to seeing you in our travels!

"OUT AND ABOOT" TOUR MARCHES ON

We are currently on the road with our good friends Rush of Fools on our spring tour. It's been great so far - we've got another 13 stops before the tour wraps up. Here's where we'll be - come out and say hi!!

Apr. 7 - Henning, TN

Apr. 8 - Knoxville, TN

Apr. 9 - Charlotte, NC

Apr. 15 - Trenton, MO

Apr. 16 - Palos Park, IL

Apr. 17 - Worthington, MN

Apr. 27 - Madison, WI

Apr. 28 - Mequon, WI

Apr. 29 - Greenville, IL

Apr. 30 - Gallant, AL

May 1 - Louisville, KY

May 6 - Hardyston, NJ

May 7 - Quakertown, PA

NEW RECORD TO RELEASE AUGUST MICHAEL JORDAN

This past weekend Marc announced at a show that our new studio album would be released "August Michael Jordan". It made complete sense to me - there was a time in my life when my bedroom walls were plastered with Michael Jordan posters! For those who have no idea who he is (basketball legend) or what number he wore (23), let me break it down for you: our new album will be in stores on August 23rd - mark your calendars!

VIDEO FROM THE STUDIO

You may have already seen all of the videos we've posted from the studio as we've been working on this new record, but if not, check out our YouTube channel and catch a sneak peak of some of the songs (and observe some in-studio silliness!).

SNEAK PEAK OF NEW PHOTOS

We had fun with our new photoshoot a couple of weeks ago and took some period pictures that actually turned out REALLY cool. Here's a couple of shots to whett your appetite - it looks like we're the spitting image of our great grandfathers!

DOWNHOMIEPALOOZA SET FOR JULY 29-30

This year marks the second time downhere fans and friends will converge on Nashville for a weekend of fun, service, and all things downhere. Two years ago we had people in from all across North America and enjoyed some time together serving at a local distribution center and fellowshipping together. If you are interested in being a part of this year's festivities please click here.

RELEASE TOUR WITH JASON GRAY AND AARON SHUST

We're thrilled to announce that we're going to be joined on tour this fall by Jason Gray and Aaron Shust. We've toured with both of these guys over the years, and consider them to be good friends. It will be an honor to share the stage together as we will ALL be playing and releasing brand new music this fall! It promises to be a fun, fresh tour with plenty of substance for you to chew on at the end of the night. We're still working on a catchy tour name, but regardless - make sure you come out and see us once the dates are announced!

Help Us Reach the Top 10!

Wow, our video for You're Not Alone has reached the list for a potential top 10 of 2010 on the Gospel Music Channel. We'll need your help to get it there though. Follow this link and vote as often as you can to help us reach the top 10.

http://gospelmusicchannel.com/vote

And since you're in a music video voting mood you can vote for us on CTS's "Most Requested" too. This is a TV show based in Ontario Canada. It's always nice to do well at home! To vote there follow this link!

http://www.ctstv.com/mostrequested/index.php

And in case you haven't seen it, here it is!

Just to keep you in the loop we just received the first draft of our new music video for "The Song You Sing" off of our newest Two At A Time project. It's looking really great. Once we have that totally completed we'll be sure to let you know!!

Glenn

Live Online Show

Watch us live online from South Carolina this weekend, October 23rd. Our friends over at Steelroots.com are broadcasting the show. We're taking a short break from the "You're Not Alone" tour and are doing the "Gimme Shelter" event which will feature us, The Wrecking and Philmont. Show starts at 7:30pm EST. Here's the link to check it out. http://www.steelroots.com/live

We've been enjoying a busy fall on our "You're Not Alone" tour. Thanks to everyone who has come out to see the show. We had the privilege of having Rush Of Fools on the road with us for the previous 8 shows and we'll be welcoming Chris Sligh back for the last 6 shows. Hope to see you there!

We Go to the Dominican Republic this week

This week promises to be a life-changing week for us as we embark on our first "vision trip" with World Vision to the Dominican Republic. We have had the privilege of working with World Vision over the last 10 years - you have probably heard us share about them and their ministry at one of our shows. This quick trip (Monday through Thursday) marks our first opportunity to see first-hand what your sponsorship dollars are doing in the lives of the poorest of the poor. We would like you to join us throughout the week and participate in the trip via live video chats, blog posts, your prayers, etc. Our hope is that the Lord will break our hearts with the things that break His heart (sound familiar?) and give us stories to bring back and share with you as we encourage the western Church to step up and give out of our enormous abundance. Here are a few ways you can join with us this upcoming week:

Twitter - if you are not yet following us (@downhere), now's the time! We will be tweeting real-time updates from the various projects we visit along with specific prayer requests throughout each day.

Facebook/Blog - each evening one of us will be posting some thoughts and pictures as we process what we are seeing and experiencing. Chances are that whatever is posted here on our blog will also be duplicated on our Facebook page - so it's your call as to where you check it out!

Video Chat - if you have been a part of one of our live streaming events via our Livestream channel you know what to expect. We don't have set times for this yet - that's why it will be important for you to be following our Twitter updates as that will be where we post the times. We WILL be in Eastern Standard Time and won't be streaming any earlier than 6pm any given day. We look forward to having you join us as we share our experiences of the day (as long as the internet service at the hotel is robust enough to handle it).

SPONSOR A CHILD

In the spirit of full disclosure, World Vision is taking us on this trip so that we can come back to North America, share our stories and experiences, and help them get even more kids sponsored. It is a well documented truth that - while some of us may not feel like it - we in North America are among the wealthiest people in the world. And as the North American Church it is our biblical mandate to take care of the orphans and widows - not just in our country but around the world. This week we are focusing on the people of the Dominican Republic, and we want to present to you a unique opportunity:

All the children you will see via this link are in one of the villages that we will be visiting on Wednesday. If you sign up to sponsor one (or more!) of these children and email/Twitter/Facebook us their names before Wednesday morning we will do our best to meet your child, take a picture with them, and tell them that one of our friends back in America (or beyond) has sponsored them. We cannot guarantee that we'll be able to meet each one, but if we have their name we can be on the look-out and ask around for your new sponsored child.

As always, we would covet your prayers as we travel. There will be a lot to digest in a short amount of time; we want to come back healthy as we have two shows to play right after we get home and don't want to share any bugs/sicknesses with our families. Thanks for all of your support - we look forward to seeing how the Lord extends the ministry of our music as we partner together in changing lives around the world. We can't wait to share this week with you!

Sincerely,

Jeremy, Glenn, Marc, and Jason

You're Not Alone Music Video

Thanks to Steelroots for putting together this great music video for us. We had a great time working with them. To see some behind the scenes footage from the making of this video you can also check out our youtube page at youtube.com/thebanddownhere.