February 20th, 2012

Hey friends!! I hope all is well. 2012 has been a pretty quiet year for me thus far. It has been great to spend some much needed time at home. Every now and then I just need to rest, spend time with my wife, and remember why I do this whole music thing. Some people could be on the road 365. Others hate leaving home. I’m somewhere in between. When I’m super busy I tend to forget what a privilege it is to be able to share my music for a living. January of 2012 has definitely helped me get back to where I’m excited to create, to travel, and to share what God has given me!

I’m beyond excited about two things coming up. First is my tour with Todd Agnew. For most of March and April we will be traveling from church to church on the “An Evening with Todd Agnew and Jonny Diaz” tour (we didn’t have much budget to come up with a name haha). Todd will be using his deep, husky voice to play his hit songs such as “Grace like Rain.” Meanwhile, I will be using my Kermit the frog, “did this guy finish puberty?” voice to play old songs and new. Speaking of “new songs” this brings me to my second announcement.

Late in 2011 I wrote a song called “Scars.” Just a few days after writing it I felt led by God to play it at a concert. I normally wait until songs are recorded and available for purchase before sharing, but who am I to ignore God’s prompting? The response to the song was pretty overwhelming. I started playing “Scars” every night, and every night people would come tell me how much it impacted them.

I wanted to share this new song with my label (Fair Trade Services), but I didn’t want them to just hear a guitar/vocal version. I wanted to make sure they got the big picture of what the song could be with full production involved. To get the label peeps excited, I started looking at making a good demo. However, I quickly learned it was going to cost a decent chunk of money to create what I was hoping for. I realized that this was a silly waste of money. Even if the label didn’t love the song, I did, and I knew God wanted me to record it. So, I skipped the whole demo idea, and decided to go big. I worked with producer Brent Milligan (he does Steven Curtis Chapman’s records). We spent time making sure we were doing things right. We worked with some of the best players in Nashville. We meticulously crafted each part of the recording. We even hired a full 5 piece strings section to bring it all to life. What resulted was not only a song I’m really proud of but, also, a recording that I can honestly say is the best I’ve ever done.

Great news! My record label LOVED the song. They liked it so much they basically wanted to get it on radio ASAP. I was a little scared by this proposition because I’m still writing songs, and there’s no way an entire new CD would be done in time to support this new single. However, in an industry dominated by iTunes singles, we decided just to go for it! Again, who am I to get in the way of God’s timing and desire?

I have no predictions for what the song will do on radio, but it’s obvious that God wants to use this song. I’m so excited to share this with you. The song goes to radio on March 9th. Please do two things for me on that day. Get the song on iTunes, and pray that your Christian radio station adds it to their rotation! Here’s a small clip of “Scars.” Enjoy!

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Article source: http://www.jonnydiaz.com/rest-todd-agnew-and-scars/

“For 10 years we have climbed this mountain together. Hawk Nelson has gone through thick and thin, challenges and blessings. Jason is a brother, and we will miss everything he brings to the band. We know that God has a plan for him as well as for the future of Hawk Nelson. We’re excited to share about the future of Hawk Nelson very soon, and we constantly give God all the praise and glory.”

-Daniel Biro, Jonathan Steingard, and Justin Benner

Article source: http://www.hawknelson.com/official-hawk-nelson-announcement/

HAWK NELSON TO HEADLINE FIRST ANNUAL MUSIC WITH A MISSION TOUR PRESENTED BY COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL IN SEPTEMBER!

Veteran artist managers Scott Andrews and Yogi Allgood, along with Mark Claassen (owner of Elite Talent Agency), in partnership with Compassion International and NewReleaseTuesday.com, are proud to announce the launch of the annual MUSIC WITH A MISSION TOUR. Scheduled to hit cities across the US in September and October, the tour will feature Grammy-nominated group Hawk Nelson, Superchic[k], and Fireflight, along with MIKESCHAIR, Manafest, Hyland, Kiros, Samestate, and, on select dates, Chasen.
The MUSIC WITH A MISSION TOUR will be an experience unlike any other. Focusing on the strength of Christian communities, the tour aims to give bigger purpose to music by providing a platform for organizations to help give to those less fortunate than themselves.
With the help and support of prominent Christian recording artists and organizations, the MUSIC WITH A MISSION TOUR will offer at majority of the shows admission for only $15 at the door. A select number of VIP Ticket Experiences will be sold for each date, which will give fans access to behind the scenes action, early entry, and exclusive merchandise, among other bonuses.

The MUSIC WITH A MISSION TOUR has partnered with several organizations, including Compassion International, Jedidiah Clothing and serving in support of TOM shoes. Attendstar Ticketing will unite both fans and artists to prove that music is more than just a melody; it can have a genuine purpose.

“When we came up with the idea of this tour, we knew weʼd have to partner with organizations that share the same worldview as the tour,” says Scott Andrews, one of the tourʼs owners and organizers. “Compassion has really stepped up for us; we couldnʼt pull this thing off without them. Tom Shoes, New Release Tuesday, Jedidiah Clothing, and all of the other tour partners are helping us in ways we didnʼt originally count on. Its as if the tour has the power of all the supporters of these organizations, which is truly amazing.”

“We are thrilled that Music With A Mission is teaming up with Compassion International to bring a missional opportunity to each tour stop. Our hope is that the lives of many children who live in underdeveloped nations across the globe will be impacted and released from poverty in Jesusʼ name.”

Stephanie Waldrop Artist Relations, Compassion International

I’m excited that this is more than “just another concert.” This is a touring festival atmosphere with a purpose; the fans are going to walk away having experienced the event, not just attended. Music With A Mission tour is a next-­‐generation tour, and will give fans a LOT of bang for the buck.
Mark Claassen
Owner, Elite Talent Agency

About Compassion International: Compassion International (www.compassion.com) is the world’s largest Christian child development organization that permanently releases children from poverty. Founded in 1952, Compassion successfully tackles global poverty one child at a time, serving more than 1.2 million children in 26 of the world’s poorest countries. Recognizing that poverty is more than a lack of money, Compassion works through local churches to holistically address the individual physical, economic, educational and spiritual needs of children— enabling them to thrive, not just survive. Compassion has been awarded ten consecutive, four-star ratings by Charity Navigator, America’s largest charity evaluator.
The official media partner of The MUSIC WITH A MISSION TOUR is newReleaseTuesday.com (NRT), one of the largest Christian Music websites. NRT Founder Kevin McNeese commented, “Christian Music has purpose and eternal value rooted in our faith in God. It’s an honor to be able to partner on a tour whose very name shouts this truth and with artists who have dedicated their careers to ministering in music. We’re excited to see what God has in store for this tour.”

Full tour details, along with a list of dates, will be posted soon to www.musicwithamissiontour.com.

About New Release Tuesday: (http://www.NewReleaseTuesday.com) was launched in August of 2002 and offers the most complete and up-to-date listing of upcoming releases online, exclusive artist interviews, commentary from a variety of columnists, weekly New Christian Music PodCasts and the latest in Christian music news. It is also the home to the NRTeam, an online music community that maintains one of the largest online databases of Christian artist profiles, album reviews and song lyrics. NewReleaseTuesday.com is part of the FrontGate Media group.

Article source: http://www.hawknelson.com/music-with-a-mission/

Here’s the info:

Hawk Nelson Concert
9:30pm July 22nd
Memorial Hall – Chapman U
One University Drive
Orange, California
$15/ticket CASH ONLY

Tickets are on sale 8pm-9pm on the front lawn outside Memorial Hall
Limited seats (300) available

Article source: http://www.hawknelson.com/tickets-released-for-hawk-nelson-concert/

April 19th, 2011

Watch the video below to hear the story behind the Chick-Fil-A song, then click on the player to listen to a sample. The song is available now on Jonny’s newest self-titled CD. You can purchase the CD today on iTunes.

Listen to a clip from the Chick-Fil-A song:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

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Article source: http://www.jonnydiaz.com/story-behind-the-chick-fil-a-song/

May 31st, 2011

Check out this interview with Jonny on the Atlanta Co Morning Show:

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Article source: http://www.jonnydiaz.com/jonny-on-atlanta-co/

Hawk Nelson’s song “Live Life Loud” is featured on the promo for Nickelodeon’s Worldwide Day of Play 2011! Check it out below

Article source: http://www.hawknelson.com/worldwide-day-of-play-2011/

New Release Tuesday posted a review of what a Hawk Nelson show is like. Read below to check it out and then see our upcoming shows!

I’ve seen Hawk Nelson multiple times over the past few years, but this was probably the most fun set I have ever seen them play. They played the show like they were there to hang out with their fans, even pulling a huge group onto the stage to dance with them at one point. They did break up their set with a mellow moment when they played their earnest song “Everything You Ever Wanted” followed by “Take Me.” This more serious note carried to the conclusion of their set with the upbeat, encouraging “Crazy Love.”

Perhaps the most fun moment of the evening came at the end, when Hawk Nelson reclaimed the stage for the traditional encore. Instead of coming out to play one last Hawk Nelson song, the guys took the stage wearing massive 80s mullet wigs and aviator sunglasses. They launched into an enthusiastic cover of Journey’s iconic power ballad “Don’t Stop Believing.” Few bands could pull it off with as much style as Hawk Nelson, but they have the decided edge of knowing when not to take themselves too seriously. It was brilliantly done.

Have you been to a Hawk Nelson show? Tell us about it below in the comments!

Article source: http://www.hawknelson.com/hawk-nelson-live/

We’ve been getting a lot of questions as to who won the Cymbal Giveaway back in August. We chose a Noah Vaughn as the winner. Congrats Noah! Hope you are enjoying the cymbal!

Link to tweet: https://twitter.com/hawknelson/status/101375590233415680

Article source: http://www.hawknelson.com/cymbal-giveaway-recap/

Article source: http://www.hawknelson.com/new-christmas-ep/