Musicians Help Keep The Faith

Nearly three decades into its career, one of NewSong's founders says the group still is on "a faith trip."

"He's providing and he's guiding and we're following," says Billy Goodwin. "God has shown favor on us."

In addition to a long string of contemporary Christian hit singles and albums, NewSong also founded the annual Winter Jam tour.

Now in its 14th year, the tour features NewSong sharing the bill with some of Christian music's biggest names as well as some up-and-coming talent.

This year's lineup features TobyMac, Hawk Nelson, Brandon Heath and Francesca Battistelli. Previous lineups have included MercyMe, Steven Curtis Chapman, Newsboys, Jeremy Camp, Audio Adrenaline, Relient K, Tait and Sonic Flood.

"We were trying to come up with creative ways to get people to come out to concerts in winter," Goodwin says. "It started as January Jam and eventually expanded to all the way through mid-March, almost to spring time.

"We've been able to get some of the biggest names in Christian music" for the tour, he says. "As it began to expand, we asked God to direct us. He put it together we've gone along for the ride."

Part of faith for Goodwin is trusting that he's not supposed to know the future.

"We didn't think it could have happened," Goodwin says of himself and his band mates, Eddie Carswell, Matt Butler and Nate Sallie.

"If we had looked down the road we'd have been too scared to continue," Goodwin says. "We had only enough faith to see a little ways up ahead."

That kind of faith is what Francesca Battistelli sings about in "The Letting Go," the first single from her first album, last year's "My Paper Heart."

"I think I a lot of what I've learned to let go of is timing," Battistelli, 23, says. "Nothing happens when I want it to happen but it's always perfect."

When she was a young girl, she was serious about dancing and considered ballet as her profession. She dreamed of going to New York and joining a company.

Problems with her back derailed that dream but the teenager soon discovered theater, a natural choice since her parents met when both were working on a production of "The King and I." Her mother starred in the female lead as Anna; her father was the assistant conductor.

But even that didn't turn out to be her destination.

When she finally started listening to music other than show tunes, she felt compelled to begin writing and performing her own songs.

"I didn't plan to have this desire to be a songwriter and artist," she says. "Now I can't imagine doing anything else."

She was part of the Orlando teen-pop group Bella before striking out on her own.

One of her first big breaks occurred on last year's Winter Jam. Some friends of hers were scheduled to perform on the Orlando date of the tour and had to cancel. At their suggestion, Battistelli was chosen to perform. This year, she's on for the entire tour.

"It's so cool to come full circle a year later," Battistelli says.

Still, she's a little disappointed the tour won't visit Orlando again this year.

It would have been a hometown visit. She attended the University of Central Florida before moving to Nashville.

Alas, last year's Orlando concert was plagued by technical difficulties.

"I want to redeem myself," she says with a laugh. "Maybe everyone who was there will come to the Tampa show."

They won't be deterred by the price, $10 at the door. The low admission price is one of the tour's trademarks.

"The bottom line is encouraging fans to bring friends and family that need to hear what we're saying, the truth of what we're sharing," Goodwin says.

It's a matter of trust for the band to go out with a big show and a small admission price, Goodwin says.

"It's been going 14 years now and we always pay the bills," he says. "It doesn't make any sense but somehow it always happens."

ON TOUR

WINTER JAM

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