A good portion of The Square Peg Alliance were on hand for the first night of Behold the Lamb of God: The True Tall Tale of the Coming of Christ on Tuesday night, November 27. Two busses filled with artists that may have been a bit nervous, pulled into Bethany Lutheran Church in Elkhorn, Nebraska to launch yet another year of this sublime program.
Well, the calendar still says November, and America hasn’t entered its tryptophan-induced coma yet, but Christianity Today already has their list of the best albums of 2007. Obviously, given the publication’s title, this is skewed to the “Christian music market”, whatever the heck that is, but here’s how the Square Pegs came in on it:
I personally would have Recovery up there at the top, but that’s just because it’s such a breakthrough in sound for Jeremy, a truly unique work of art in a “Christian music marketplace” seemingly content in making homages to other folks. [Which isn't to say that such homages can't be a lot of fun, because The Ringing Bell certainly is. It deserves the lauding that Paste and others have given it.]
This time next year, I fully expect that we’ll be having much the same discussion, with two of the Andy’s with new projects due to release and rumblings that Osenga might put out one himself, a new record [and an EP of duets with Sandra!] coming from Derek, and what all else, I don’t know just yet. Should be music for your ears…
Two important pieces of information from the Gullahorns that you need to be aware of:
First is that Andy’s new CD “Reinventing the Wheel” (which Jill tells me is amazing) is available for pre-order. The official release date is December 18, but there’s a chance that pre-orders will get in the mail sooner. If you know Andy’s writing (and if you don’t, you should), you’ll want to get in on the pre-ordering goodness. The new CD is $12, and they’ll even pay for shipping.
Second, Jill and Andy are running a bit of a holiday sale. Several CDs are marked down to $8 each, and you can get 4-pack bundles of CDs for $20. And this is with no shipping costs. Do you know 4 people who need awesome music this Christmas? Yeah, me too. Jill’s store has all of these great deals for another week or so…don’t delay and miss the good savings.
And, just in case you’ve just not been paying attention lately, Andrew Peterson’s “Behold the Lamb of God” tour (which includes Jill and Andy) hits the road in the very near future. (It’s not officially Christmas time in my home until I’ve heard Jill sing “Labor of Love.”) Check the schedule, and plan a road trip.
You might have seen this other places, but now you’re seeing it here. 
Here’s a list of dates for the 2007 Andrew Peterson-led Behold the Lamb of God Christmas tour:
Here’s the lineup of the band:
Most folks know that the show at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville always brings out a few extra folks. This year, Randall Goodgame, Pierce Pettis, and what AP termed “a very special guest” in an email to me will be there.
Me personally, I’ll be at one of the two Huntsville shows and plan on being at the Ryman as well. [I'd make both shows here in my hometown, but it looks like I'll be out-of-town for at least one of them.] And yes, before anyone asks, I’ll have my recording gear. 
We hope that the tour comes somewhere near to you; if not, we hope that you’ll inspire people in your area to bring it to your town. After all, AP already has two venues that have booked it for 2008.
Last year, EP sold Scarce for $2 apiece. This year, Eric’s selling Miracle of Forgetting for $3 apiece. You should take advantage of Eric’s volume discount and spread some good music to your friends and family. [Can you say Christmas presents? I can!]
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