TobyMac Live On Stage - Special Guests Tenth Avenue North and Jamie Grace - Iowa State Fair, Des Moines, Iowa - Thursday, August 09, 2012 at 8:00 PM

TobyMac

With Special Guests Tenth Avenue North and Jamie Grace

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TobyMac’s combination of talent, hard work and humility has produced songs that resonate with people from all walks of life. His latest album, “Tonight,” features the prayerful “City On Our Knees,” the testimonial “Changed Forever,” the confessional “Start Somewhere,” and even the put-on-your-party-hat grooves of “Funky Jesus Music” and “ShowStopper.”

Starting with dcTalk, and then going solo when the group disbanded in 2000, Toby still clings to such rootsy notions as hard work, persistence, patience and—perhaps most relevant of all—the power of music, which he insists is still what keeps him going.

“It’s the truth,” he says. “I still believe that a song can penetrate a heart. I believe God can use a song to open someone’s mind and heart. Other songs can just drop what I call, 'the joy bomb' on somebody. I fight really hard to remain unjaded—to keep believing that you can actually walk into a studio and write a song that breathes life. That’s the hardest fight for a guy who’s been doing this for a while; it’s easy to fall into the trap of just making it your job. But I still believe that songs matter.”

Tenth Avenue North

Tenth Avenue North’s highly successful debut album earned them multiple Dove Awards for hits like “Hold My Heart” and “By Your Side.” In their highly anticipated follow-up album, “The Light Meets The Dark,”it is obvious Mike Donehey, Jeff Owen and Jason Jamison are taking a bold step forward on their musical journey. Once again the songs are poignant and powerful, as evidenced in the single “You Are More.” The band brings a more seasoned level of musicianship and intensity, honed from relentless touring.

“It’s been kind of crazy I guess when you think about it,” Donehey says with a smile. “In a lot of ways, we don’t feel like anything has changed. When we get up on a stage, more people are there to see us play and more people are familiar with the songs, but the objective really hasn’t changed. The objective is for people to encounter truth and be changed.”

Tenth Avenue North meets that objective head on with the music on “The Light Meets the Dark.”

“I’ve sort of stepped back and looked at this group of songs and really I feel like it’s a continuation of this last album,” Donehey says. “I’m not trying to blow people’s minds. I’m trying to take them to the next step.”

Jamie Grace

Jamie Grace’s first full-length album, “One Song at a Time” reveals the heart of a unique young woman in progress. Here, this self-taught musician who plays six instruments carves out some unforgettable new music, such as her single “Hold Me,” which infuses a funky, laidback vibe as unique as the young woman herself.

“She writes, sings and plays her own music. And she has this style that can’t be put into a typical label box,” says TobyMac, who signed the Atlanta-based Jamie Grace after tracking her clever YouTube videos for more than three years. “When some people sing and play, it’s almost effortless, and their joy is all over them. That’s what grabbed my attention with Jamie Grace. I’ve not been this excited to work with an artist in a long, long time.”

Jamie Grace’s effervescent spirit and contagious joy can only be understood in the context of her story. And her struggle. Diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome at age 11, her young life became a series of heartbreak and challenge, a long season of physical exhaustion, emotional stress and spiritual doubt. But at age 13, Jamie Grace came to a life-changing conclusion: “I knew, ‘I’ve cried enough. It’s time to accept my joy.’ I still have something to do with my life. I love to sing. I have a story, and I’ve got to share it.”