Every week at the end of performance night during 'Idol' season, I take to my cell phone and dial the voting number (which I can recite in my sleep) for my favorite contestant, along with millions of other loyal viewers. Every season I seem to have a favorite that stands above the rest, and season 6 was no different. A contestant by the name of Phil Stacey earned my loyal vote (okay, okay... VOTES) each week.  There was something very genuine and personable about him, not to mention his voice... Wow!  You know those artists you can point out within seconds of hearing a song, even if you have never heard it before?  One of those artists for me, as well as many others, is Phil Stacey.

I was sad to see him go, but he did make it into the top five out of thousands of contestants.  What an accomplishment!  As he sang his farewell song "Blaze of Glory," I knew this was definitely not the last his fans were going to see of him.

If you know me, it's no secret that I am a fan of Pop music.  I feel as though I should be half ashamed that my friends and I have been known to blast Britney and Miley in my Jeep going through town, but I'm not!

That being said, I tend to sometimes (just sometimes) gravitate towards that kind of music in CCM as well.  This had originally led me to the artist by the name of Britt Nicole.  I enjoyed much of her first album, and seeing her live performance and sitting in on her press conference at Creation, she really does come across as genuine.  I don't know about you, but I like genuine people! 

Since we sat down with Matt Carter (guitar, vocals) and Josh Head (keyboards, vocals) of Emery at last year’s Purple Door Arts and Music Festival, the band has been busy.  Between touring and releasing an EP last fall, with a follow up full-length disc which hit the streets in June of this year, we wonder how they find time to spend with their families.  While inReview is getting ready to set sail on another Purple Door event, Emery is headlining a tour in support of their most recent release, … In Shallow Seas We Sail.  These veterans of the music scene spoke to inReview in this exclusive interview.

Most of the time we hear of album release dates pushing back, often times for weeks or months.  However, in this case, due mostly to pressure from the fans, Fervent Records/Word Entertainment is poised to release Love and War on September 8th instead of the original date of September 22nd.  Love and War is the fourth release from the three sisters that comprise BarlowGirl.  An official release party is scheduled for September 13th in Orlando, Florida as part of Rock the Universe.

Some of the best interviews I’ve had the opportunity to conduct were completely on the spot and unplanned. This doesn’t happen often, due to the busy schedule of most bands; but I had the pleasure of happening upon one quite recently.

While attending a show on the Drop Dead Gorgeous tour, I was fortunate enough to run into a band that I hadn’t heard of before and that I immediately fell in love with. As they took the stage, tuned, and then began their first song, I inhaled a breath of fresh air. At a predominantly intense hardcore show, their heavy guitars and pounding drumbeats were lightened with melodic vocals. Two songs into their set, the piercing screeches of the venue’s fire alarms could be heard, causing the bewildered band members to cease playing their instruments as the crowd was ordered to exit the room until all was clear. Those two songs were my first introduction to Before Their Eyes.

This morning, it was announced that Apple and the music industry are hoping to prop up album sales by offering interactive features with full-album purchases.  I, for one, welcome the change, although I'm not sure it will change my buying habits much.

You see, I'm pretty sure I've never been the average music consumer.  I get CDs from plenty of Christian music labels for review and I listen to the ones that interest me.  In the late '90s I spent all my money on CDs.  And, to this day, I still buy probably a couple CDs per month, although that may be on the rise.  The data out there says that most music buyers just purchase the song or two they like digitally, but I've never really gotten around to doing that.  I will buy songs in their lonesome on iTunes, but it's still mostly those that are only going to be released digitally.

Approximately six years ago, The Classic Crime was born. This alternative rock band provides a little bit of musical brilliance for everyone. With a mixture of powerful vocals, great instrumental compositions and thought-provoking lyrics, this West Coast act is gaining national ground. "I guess we don't have many fans on the East Coast," vocalist Matt MacDonald shared before our interview at a meagerly attended New Jersey show, that also happened to be inconveniently scheduled on Father's Day. But if my estimations are correct, that fan count will soon be changing as they play a few large festivals this summer, including Cornerstone and Creation East.

Matt, along with Alan Clark (bass), Robert Negrin (guitar), Paul "Skip" Erickson (drums), and Justin DeQue (guitar), comprise the five-piece band. Listen in to what Matt had to share with inReview:

Ask most bands whether having an iconic lead singer is a good or bad thing and they'll likely tell you that it's a little bit of both. On the one hand, having a strong, readily-identified presence behind the microphone can often be just the ticket to propel a given musical collective to the very heights of commercial triumph. On the other side of the coin, though, many of those same groups have stood by and watched helplessly as fan interest fell through the floor in the wake of their vocalist's departure. Deny it as they may, the members of the Newsboys have almost surely been pondering such matters since early March, when word of lead vocalist Peter Furler's retirement from touring and recording duties (he will continue on in a songwriting and producing capacity) – and subsequent replacement by former dc Talk singer Michael Tait – was first made public.

After hit single and title track from 2006's album, Nothing Left to Lose, took off Mat Kearney found himself on the road continuously. Supporting acts like John Mayer, Sheryl Crow and The Fray as well as his own headline stints, Kearney has been making a name for himself ever since.

Three years and many traveled miles later, Kearney is back with City of Black & White. Of his release, Kearney has said it is a record about community. "There's definitely the theme of this traveling/sojourner/vagabond kind of guy landing in the midst of people that he loves, and who love him."

Midway through the set list Fiction Family had put together for their show at the Grey Eagle in Asheville, I remember thinking "This is for real...this has become more than just a side project for SeanFiction Family's Jon Foreman Watkins (Nickel Creek) and Jon Foreman (Switchfoot)."  And I can't say that the prospect of seeing more Fiction Family shows and several follow up albums bothers me in the least.  

I'm a huge fan of Fiction Family, so attending the show in Asheville was a given, especially considering the rarity of these shows and the fact that Asheville is just a four hour drive from my home.  I was originally drawn to the band because of my great affection for both Nickel Creek and Switchfoot, and the fact that I've now experienced two Fiction Family shows is not something I take for granted. There are PLENTY of fans who still have yet to see these guys in action.