Evanescence 
Disavows Connection
with Christian Music

Evanescence Boldly Proclaims They Aren’t A Christian Band In Recent Entertainment Weekly Article; Several Christian Bookstores Pull Records From Their Shelves By Christa Farris

     In the April 18 issue of Entertainment Weekly, a feature article on Evanescence has lead singer Amy Lee denying any Christian roots in the band’s debut Fallen . Lee says, "There are people hell-bent on the idea that we’re a Christian band in disguise, and that we have some secret message. We have no spiritual affiliation with this music. It’s simply about life experience."  

     Signed to Wind-up Records along with other spiritually inclined acts like Creed and 12 Stones, the band’s first single "Bring Me to Life" was prominently featured on the recent Ben Affleck movie "Daredevil" and also performed well on Christian radio. Ben Moody, Lee’s musical companion in the group, questions that chart placement adamantly in the article. "We’re actually high on the Christian charts," says Moody, "and I’m like, what the (expletive deleted) are we even doing there?"  The story says that "the perception hardly came out of nowhere; Lee and Moody discussed their faith in some early, pre-Fallen interviews, which they now count as youthful indiscretions."  

    Lee elaborates, "I guarantee that if the Christian bookstore owners listened to some of those songs, they wouldn’t sell the CD." The writer of the article then suggested that after the interview, that may no longer be a problem. "Thank you," Lee said in response.  

    CCM Magazine said, "With our goal at CCM Magazine and CCMmagazine.com of promoting 'faith in the spotlight,' we wanted to make our readers aware of this fact and also say that we’ll be pulling Evanescence advertising from future issues of our publication. Also, in our upcoming May issue, which went to press far before this issue was brought to our attention, we listed "the buzz on Evansecence" as "Now" on "The It List" on our From the Editor page. Please disregard this endorsement and our review of the CD that’s listed in our "In Review" section. We apologize for any confusion this may provide and don’t want to provide an endorsement for the band or its message.

Ot her Christian Music Notes

    MINUS ONE, PLUS A LOT MORE – During the hubbub of Gospel Music Association (GMA) Week a couple weeks back – when all the Christian music world converges in Nashville, Tenn. for media ops, showcases, industry meetings, etc. – Plus One announced a line-up change, a label change, and a major change in management and booking. For starters, the fivesome is now a foursome as former member Jason Perry left the group sans fanfare back in late 2002. A new entertainment company and its label, InPop Records, have embraced the 2001 Dove Award winning "New Artist of the Year" and "look forward to this new chapter in Plus One's remarkable career," says Wes Campbell, a business partner along with Charlie Lico and Newsboys front man Peter Furler who lead the charge at 1-2-3 Entertainment and InPop. A new manager, Teresa Davis of Paradigm Management who also manages KJ-52 and Mizzie, as well as a new booking agency, Jeff Roberts & Associates, round out the pop band's makeover. Hairstyles and clothing are subject to change on a continuing, seasonal basis. But do look for a new studio project from Plus One later this year, as well as several key appearances at events including Promise Keepers and Xtreme Summer Conference.