• Jennifer Knapp & Derek Webb
• 7:00pm

$20 advance/$23 at the door

ABOUT DEREK WEBB

It’s been a big year for singer-songwriter Derek Webb. His 2005 release Mockingbird earned rave reviews and elicited responses ranging from deep appreciation to bristling concern due to its controversial subject matter. Then in late 2006 he poured fuel on the fire by giving away over 80,000 free downloads of the album on-line in partnership with his label INO Records. Major music industry media wrote all about the radical idea, and the nouveaux troubadour saw his concert audiences double in several markets. By daring to tackle difficult subjects like ethics, politics, and personal integrity with disarming vulnerability, Webb turned more than a few heads in an all too predictable music industry.

Thus it is to a larger, and increasingly excited audience that he introduces his fourth solo project; The Ringing Bell. As the title suggests, this collection sounds clearly through the noise of the day, beckoning some, and warning others. It’s a call to meaningful conversations and it’s a great time. It injects songs into the cultural bloodstream that will move listeners to reflection and action while moving their feet. For, while those who have followed Webb’s career, first as a member of Caedmon’s Call and then as a solo artist, will not be surprised at yet another collection of memorable, reflective and significant songs, they may be surprised to hear the Texas native rock and roll! “I have just been listening to too much Beatles and too much of the great plugged-in Dylan music,” Webb admits with a laugh in his East Nashville home. “I love that raucous kind of rock and roll music and I felt like it was just time. The songs were asking for it. It’s time to plug in and turn it up.”

Realizing that several of the songs he had been writing on the road were more riff-driven than strummed, and that the last thing he wanted to do was to re-tread previous musical territory, Webb took a left turn from the acoustic simplicity of Mockingbird to use 60’s era rock and roll, the supposed music of rebellion, to explore the radical idea of…. Peace. “I don’t do things in moderation,” Webb admits enthusiastically, “so when I get into an idea or concept I really get into it. When I study a certain thing I will pile up books about that subject and just go crazy for awhile learning it.” On the heels of Mockingbird, and following numerous confrontational and challenging conversations with fans on the road, the difficult subject was close to his heart. “I think The Ringing Bell is a record about peace on the whole,” he explains. “Several of the songs have to do with peace, be it literally or conceptually or personally or nationally or even spiritually.”

In fact, the title of the album’s thesis track, “A Love That’s Stronger Than Our Fears,” is cribbed from the subtitle of John D. Roth’s influential book Choosing Against War, a recent favorite of Webb’s. “I felt like there was more to say about the subject,” he says. “I wanted to get further into the nuances of it. This is too important of a moment historically to not say more about the idea of peace. It’s right in my face at all times if I claim to be at all concerned with anything that Jesus ever said.” Not that he considers himself an expert or perfect practitioner of the concepts he is exploring. In fact, it is his own personal struggle with being a peaceable person that fuels his songs. “I feel like I have violence in me,” he admits, “that if left unchecked, could show itself in really ugly ways. It’s not just physical violence, but emotional and relational violence. John Lennon was asked about the peace movement he was a part of in the 1970s and he said ‘I don’t do this because I’m peaceful. I’m a really violent person.’ That’s probably why I’m so drawn to this. I know what an important issue this is because it’s an issue for me. I don’t know much about peace; it doesn’t come naturally to me. I don’t like it. It’s not ‘natural.’ It’s counterintuitive.”

ABOUT JENNIFER KNAPP

The Los Angeles Times called Jennifer Knapp "a rising star"; People Magazine described her as "an uncommonly literate songwriter"; and Billboard proclaimed, "Knapp proves herself to be the cream that rises to the top." Her impressive critical praise only hints at her musical gifts, but grasping the true Jennifer Knapp experience is realized only by the empowering touch of her voice.

The Kansas-born singer-songwriter has sold over one million copies of her three label releases, Kansas, Lay It Down, and The Way I Am. The strong performance and critical acclaim garners drove sales enough that Kansas is now RIAA certified Gold.

Coupled with extensive touring, Jennifer has proven herself as a folk-inspired rock artist whose masterful stroke paints redemptive portraits of life's bumpy road. Song after song, she empties her soul through catchy poetic lyrics that utter the precise words so many hearts have long struggled to find.

From the London Symphony Orchestra to the profoundly intimate percussion, Jennifer Knapp’s albums have consistently featured realized, full-sounding backdrops and intense lyrical impressions. These musical dynamics draw out the emotion and passion, especially with the compelling spiritual themes that run through her songs. In fact, the struggles and inner-conflicts addressed in her music are often expressed in the form of confessional prayers. In this way, Knapp’s songwriting joins artists like Macy Gray, Bono, Lauren Hill, and others.

As a teenager, the classically trained Knapp attended Pittsburgh State University on a music scholarship. From there, Knapp began performing throughout the Midwest selling her two independent recordings at shows.

Her second album, Wishing Well, attracted the attention of Nashville label Gotee Records, who signed her the following year. With her personal songwriting and gut-rock vocal style, Knapp immediately connected with a national audience who, like herself, had known difficulty in life and was looking for genuine insight.

As an incredibly active performer, Knapp has shared the stage with many greats, including several peers during dates she did on the last Lilith Fair tour. In the 120+ shows she performed yearly from 1997-2002, Knapp impacted millions of individuals. This makes it no surprise that Pollstar Magazine included her among its Top 50 touring acts of the Winter/Spring 2001 season.

Jennifer is currently in the studio recording her highly anticipated new album with plans for an early 2010 release date.