Rain, Reunions, and Rock in Williamson, WV

Rain, rain, rain! It rained on the way and it rained when we were there, but we didn't let a little rain stop us.  We played Pneumafest on Sat. night, which is Williamson's outdoor music festival. We had a blast but were a little self-conscience at first.  It was ROCK day.  Although I believe that 33 ROCKS, it is days like this that I am reminded that we are not a ROCK band, and I am thankful!  We have elements of rock in our music but have many others as well and I love them all...pop, rock, country, worship, etc...THAT is 33!  Not taking anything away from the other bands (Decyfer Down was awesome!!) of course, but it was so great to be different from everyone else.   All in all, Pneumafest was "rockin"!   The rain held off, the crowd was awesome, and we rocked it 33 style and had a blast!!!  I even got to see some really good friends from Hurricane, WV!!! I met these guys at SonPower in Orlando this summer.  It was so cool for them to come to the show.  Also our buddy Eddie and his wife and daughter from Winchester, KY, came!!!  I met some friends of my brothers as well, so the whole day was a reunion of sorts.  Rain, when it it's not tons of it, is awesome.  Reunions are fun and ROCK...well, I think we fit in quite nicely!!!

Augusta, GA and WAFJ

Last night was AWESOME!!!  We played to 2,000 people in downtown Augusta, GA, for Faith Night of their Westobou Festival.  Our band was tighter than ever (great job guys!) and the new program we have worked up flowed perfectly. I don't know if I have ever seen so many people singing along with us like they did last night.  When we sang "One Life To Love" you could see husbands grabbing their wives hands and holding them closer.  People raising their hands. People praying.  People holding up the #1 with their index finger as if to say, "that's right!". It was POWERFUL and I feel so fortunate to be a part of what GOD is doing in the lives of people thru this great song.  I was also blown away by a lady who came up to me afterwards and said that the song "Apologize" saved her marriage!!!  Amazing!!!  I said before the record released that I believed that GOD was going to use these songs to speak LIFE into people...and that is exactly what HE is doing! Praise be to GOD who loves us, sustains us, and gives us this precious gift, this ONE LIFE.  May we never take it for granted!

Special thanks to the great people of Augusta and one of my favorite radio stations, WAFJ 88.3 for an amazing evening I will never forget!  Much love!

A Special Day!

She is kind, compassionate, talented, loving, beautiful, funny, witty, smart, caring, trustworthy, and loyal.  She's got a smile as big as TX and can light up the darkest place with her laugh! She's a cheerleader who encourages you every step of the way.  She is a blast to be around, is genuinely concerned for others and thinks of them before herself, and is a giver.  She doesn't hold grudges, keep a record of wrongs, or judge you. She is always there when you need her, no matter what. She can balance my schedule, along with the boys, and never miss a beat. She's a runner, a choreographer, an amazing friend...the kind you wish you had (if you aren't already friends with her).  She's a doting daughter, AMAZING mother, and the greatest gift of my life, my perfect partner, my loving wife, and today is her birthday!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABY!  The world is a better place because you were born and continue to shine your precious light!  I LOVE YOU!!!!

Greenville, OH

33 played a show Sat. night in Greenville, OH, and had a blast but we had a few disappointed fans because they weren't able to get some things signed. Let me be the first to say that 33Miles is sorry for the confusion. We realized that our autograph signing after our set was cut extremely short due to Caedmon's Call taking the stage earlier than we thought. We left the signing table out of respect for our friends performing and didn't want to take away from what they were trying to do onstage. Please know that it wasn't out of disrespect for our fans. We love, love, love our fans and always try and meet every single person and sign every single thing they want signed (within reason:) i.e. foreheads, etc...) We knew our time was too short which is why we told everyone in the line that we would be BACK to sign AFTER the show was over...and that's just what we did. We came back after the show and signed until we were last one's to leave that night. If you missed us, I apologize. Please know that we LOVE you and value you and would never just leave because we didn't want to meet you. We did want to meet you, which is why we stayed so long after the show. So come see us again and we will make sure you get that CD signed!!! We LOVE you!

The Night the Lights Went Out in Hazard

Power issues.  That was the theme of last night's show in Hazard, KY.  We played their Black Gold Festival and had a blast but not without an hour's worth of drama beforehand.  They didn't have enough power to support our equipment.  It wasn't an issue during sound check because it was daylight, but when the sun went down the lights came on for all the booths at the fair and stole our power.  They had to shut down many corn dog, funnel cake, and kettle corn booths for us to be able to play.  It was a sad time for those of us who love carni food. We couldn't even use stage lights!  Regardless, the show was fun and as always, we love playing for the good people of Hazard, KY.  Thanks to Theresa and the gang for bringing us back.  We'll see you again soon, but don't keep the light on for us...save that power!!! :)

The Verdict Is In...

The verdict is in and here is what people are saying....just click on a link to read some of the latest reviews of 33's sophomore effort.  

Click here,

here,

and here!

Soooo, what are you waiting for?  Go out and grab your copy of One Life right now!

TODAY IS THE DAY!!!!

I am so excited to say that today is the day that our new CD "One Life" if officially in stores everywhere.  Staying true to our 33 style there is something for every listener on this CD.  There are rock moments, worship moments, country moments, and it's all pop to me!  The album is full of songs to encourage you on your journey as you walk out your "miles" following Christ.  I am  especially fond of "Gone", "One Life To Love", and "Apologize"!!!  In honor of today's historic event in my life, I am going to give-away a few signed copies.  All you have to do is leave a comment and I will let Jake and Jonah decide who wins!!!  Let the games begin and remember, you only get "One Life" so go out and live it to the fullest!!!!!!!!!

You're Invited!

We are only 3 days away from the release of 33's sophomore project "One Life" and I want you to know that you are invited to a special event.  Go to www.33milesonline.com/listeningparty/ and join us by streaming the new album for free!  You can listen as much as you want and can also

 order your copy of "One Life" direct from our website.  I am so excited about this record!  I am really proud of the songs as well as the production.  I think that you are going to love it.   So come on!  What are you waiting for?  Join us online!   I'll see you there!!!

IKE VS 33MILES

The last two weekends hurricanes have cost 33Miles big-time!!  Last weekend we were supposed to play in NC and Hanna put an end to our fun there.  We had to cancel the whole weekend because no one knew for sure what she was going to do.  Now we face in important weekend in TX and as of right now most of this weekend has canceled.  People are evacuating like crazy and rightfully so.  We were scheduled to be in Houston, Livingston, Kilgore, and Dallas.  We will see if Sunday and Monday happen, but for sure, Fri. and Sat. are canceled.  I was really looking forward to being with our friends in TX.  Don't get me wrong...I'm not complaining.  I have more time at home with my family.  I get to go to Jake's soccer game on Sat.  I am not in harms way.  My home won't be demolished by strong winds or flooding.  I am always jealous of people who live on the coast but not during hurricane season!  I am praying for our friends on the Gulf Coast of TX and LA (esp. my family in Lake Charles!) Love you all and stay safe!

From PA to NYC!

The last few days have been moving so fast I haven't had time to blink, much less blog, but I wanted to catch you up on all the great people I have been meeting along the way on our promo tour.  Thursday morning we woke up with WGRC in Lewisburg, PA.  It is so hard to sing 33 songs at 7am but we still had fun.  Then we headed back down to Lancaster to WJTL to be on their midday show.  Again, great people.  It is such a privilege to meet and hang with the people that are pumping the Gospel across the airwaves!  After this visit we drove to Bath, NY, to be on Family Life Ministries network.  They have a huge audience across NY and PA.  We finished up here around 6pm and made the long drive to NJ to get ready for more radio in the morning.  Friday I woke up and had breakfast with an old friend, Trey Vincent, from Lake Charles, LA.  Good to see you Trey! Our first stop on our last day was WAWZ!  This was one 
of the best morning shows on our trip.  So much fun!  Thank you Johnny Stone and gang! Last, but not least, was Sirius Satellite in NYC!  Although it was kind of depressing going into the city for only 5 hours it was still a BLAST.  I will write more about NYC later.   For Sirius we recorded about 5 songs in their studio to be aired whenever they choose along with stories behind the songs as well as liners.  This Northeastern trip was a very successful one and a lot of fun due in part to a good friend and an awesome radio promoter, Mr. Mark Giles.  Mark is one of the coolest and most strong/tenderhearted men of God I have ever met.  It was a pleasure to serve with him this past week.  Mark, thanks for everything, buddy!

WRBS, WGTS, and XM!

33Miles is in the northeast visiting radio stations for the next few days.  We had an early start this morning considering we flew in to Baltimore late last night and didn't get to the hotel until 1am.  We were up and at the 1st visit, WRBS, at 6:30.  This station is always so much fun.  They are some of the sweetest people in the "biz".   The morning show is tri-hosted and in the round sort of, so it makes for fun atmosphere AND they had breakfast for us.  Thanks guys!  Next stop was WGTS which is right outside of DC.  We had never visited them before and had an absolute BLAST with them!  They greeted us with this awesome sign (right).  We sat around laughing and sharing stories for about an hour and a half.  Little did we know they taped the whole thing so look out DC!  When they air that it could be interesting!  We finished visits for the day by stopping in at XM Satellite radio in DC with Jim Epperlein.  This was by far one of the coolest places I have ever visited.  I love XM and listen to it quite a bit on the road.  My favorite channels are the 90's on 9, top 20 on 20, and of course, the Message.  Jim was a great host and invited us to play XM LIVE in Jan. of 09!  If you don't have XM you should try it but be warned...it is addictive!  More from the road tomorrow.  We are hitting up stations in PA and NY!

Labor Day Fun!

After driving thru the night to get home to Jen and the boys I was ready for a fun filled day of hanging out!!!  When I rolled into town around 10:30am they were already at the pool so I met them there.  Then it was lunch and naps at home followed by a lazy afternoon watching the US Open and then a dinner date with Jen.   Can anyone say, mexican?!?! Her parents are in town escaping Hurricane Gustav so they were willing to keep the boys to give us some time to ourselves!  Many thanks to Bill and Debby!!!  We finished up the day prepping for the boys first day of Mother's Day Out this year and playing Kung Fu Panda! I had to add these pics of us playing Jake's favorite game of the moment.  He took the one of me with my phone!  Too funny! It was a perfect day!

Lifelight Festival '08

We drove 6 hours from Kansas City to Sioux Falls, SD,  to play this AMAZING festival called Lifelight on Sunday.  This was by far one of the coolest festivals we have ever played.  There were about 120,000 people in attendance and they were eager to rock!  It was an honor to be a part of the lineup for Sunday.  We shared the stage with our friends Building429 (pictured above), my buddy, Mr. Matthew West (left), Phil Joel, Natalie Grant, and Casting Crowns! I really enjoy playing these festivals because it is a good excuse to catch up with friends that we don't get to see because we are all so busy.  We also spent some time with our friends, Jon and Sherrie Rivers, of KLOVE radio network.  It was great hanging with them, on and off the air, talking about life and the new record.  They were very encouraging and they really dig the new single...AWESOME!  We are so grateful for their support!  It was also good to run into Natalie.  You may not know this, but I have a cut on her new record, "Relentless".  It is a song I wrote for 33 but we decided not to cut it.  Fortunately, Natalie did! It is called "Perfect People".  You need to check it out!  She kills it (and this means that it is REALLY good!).   33 had a really great weekend and I am reminded how truly blessed I am to be able to do this for a living.  So cool!!!