Ashland University Schedules Christian Concert

The Ashland University Center of Religious Life is sponsoring a spring concert that will feature Christian rock band Tenth Avenue North and opening group Rend Collective Experiment. The concert will be held on March 30 at 7 p.m. in Hugo Young Theatre, with doors opening at 6:30 p.m.

Tenth Avenue North has six Dove Award nominations and was named New Artist of the Year in 2009 and had the top Song of the Year in 2010.

The band’s debut album, “Over and Underneath,” was released on May 20, 2008, on Reunion Records, and their song "Love Is Here" hit the Top 20 on the Contemporary Christian Music chart and reached No. 3 by June of 2008. The song spent 13 weeks on Billboard's Christian Songs chart. It ended 2008 as the 12th most-played song on Christian Hit Radio.

The band's next single, "By Your Side", was released in late August 2008, and eventually reached No. 1 on Christian CHR radio in 2009 and stayed at the top position for three weeks by February of 2009. It spent 48 weeks on the Billboard Christian Songs chart. It won the GMA Dove Award for Song of the Year at the 41st award ceremony in April 2010. "Hold My Heart" was released as a single in 2009 and spent 44 weeks on the Christian Songs chart, peaking at No. 4.

The band's next album, “The Light Meets The Dark,” came out on May 11, 2010. The first single from that album, "Healing Begins," was released on March 2, 2010, and spent 29 weeks on the Billboard Christian Songs chart.

The band has toured with David Crowder Band, Casting Crowns and MercyMe and now headlines their own dates throughout the United States. They won the "New Artist of the Year" award at the 40th GMA Dove Awards in April 2009.

Tenth Avenue North consists of Mike Donehey on vocals and acoustic guitar, Jeff Owen on electric guitar and backup vocals, Ruben Juarez III on bass guitar and backup vocals, and drummer Jason Jamison. The group was formed while they were attending Palm Beach Atlantic University.

The opening band Rend Collective Experiment started in 2004 as a group of confused 20 something’s trying to figure out life, God and community. Then in 2007, it grew into a collective of musicians and artists trying to share with the world what they were learning.

All of the band’s music is grown out of an organic environment and they hope those attending can appreciate the band’s bond through music. A huge part of the group’s ethos is generating money to help those who are less fortunate.

Tickets for the concert go on sale Feb. 1 and are $20 in advance, $15 for groups of 10 or more, $25 the day of the show and $4 for Ashland University students with Ashland University ID. Tickets can be purchased at the Ashland University Box office by calling 419-289-5125, Mon. through Fri., 1 to 6 p.m. or online at www.ashland.edu/tickets. Additional fees apply for online purchases.

Ashland University, ranked in the top 200 colleges and universities in U.S. News and World Report’s National Universities category for 2012, is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University (www.ashland.edu) values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong, applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students.