Worship Band “Evensong Rising” Unveils National Debut Album

Nashville, TN - Ahwiyah Records, in partnership with Infinity U, has announced the September 9, 2008 release of worship band Evensong Rising's self-titled national debut album, produced by GRAMMY and Dove Award-nominated producer Brian Hardin (FFH, Manic Drive, Vicki Yohe). Merging diverse modern musical expression with hauntingly beautiful lyrics of faith from centuries past, Evensong Rising delivers a dichotomous yet unified ancient/future worship record. Stirring something deep inside the listener's soul, the album connects post-modern worshipers to the vast procession of worshipers who have gone before them over the past 2,000 years.

Evensong Rising's story began in 2002, when Rev. Chris Sorensen and a group from one of the nation's oldest and most historical churches, the Greenwich, Connecticut-based Stanwich Congregational Church, got together to re-think what church and worship could be. A church that predates the American War of Independence and is now over 275 years old, Stanwich has become ground zero for a worship revolution where the ancient and future coalesce, ushered in by the music and ministry of Evensong Rising.

"What we found is that the answer for post-modern culture is pre-modern worship," says Sorensen. "The post-modern seeker wants a church that looks, acts and sounds like a church rather than an imitation of the world. Our church service and music place an emphasis on following the ancient liturgy as a method of bringing worshipers into the presence of God. This liturgy is something the church used for 1,800 years, and it was thrown out by many denominations with the rise of the Industrial Revolution. There is a hunger among post-modern seekers for something authentic, relevant and with ancient authority to help govern their lives, which is what we want to share with them."

With a deep and abiding respect for the heritage of the early church, Evensong Rising fuses the energy and passion of diverse contemporary influences with revered, time-honored hymns of the ancient church. The result is an atmosphere that invites worshipers to step outside the here-and-now and encounter the God who inhabits not only today, but yesterday and tomorrow.

Diversity is intrinsic to Evensong Rising. "The music is a melting pot of sounds from rock to bluegrass to reggae to jazz to soul and then back to rock again," Sorensen says. The diversity of the music reflects the members of the band as well. Sorensen explains, "When you have three Jamaicans, a Celtic violinist, a rock drummer, a pop guitarist and a lead singer from the South, together playing the music that they love, Evensong Rising is what you get."

Sorensen's personal journey has also had a strong effect on the music and ministry of Evensong Rising. A former drug addict, he was once the lead singer of Brown Root Seed Company, a popular band in the vibrant southeastern college rock scene of the 90s, playing the same tour circuit as Dave Matthews Band, Hootie and the Blowfish and Edwin McCain. Though offered a major label deal, Sorensen, a new Christian at the time, felt God's call to the ministry instead. He went on to earn a Master of Divinity degree from Alliance Theological Seminary and became a popular speaker/singer for Young Life before taking his current position as Senior Associate Pastor at Stanwich Congregational Church.

Even though Evensong Rising is blurring the lines around worship music as we know it, they are about much more than just music. "We founded our own non-for-profit called The Rising Group," says Sorensen. "The steadfast goal of The Rising Group is to bring about spiritual awakening and humanitarian activism." Since then, the band has been doing "Rising Events" all over the northeast, raising thousands of dollars that go directly to the band's Rise Up! outreach programs to aid impoverished people around the world. Armed with a purpose and a cause that eclipses musical aspiration, they are passionate about sharing their mission with a wider audience.

Evensong Rising's self-titled album will be available on Ahwiyah Records, in partnership with Infinity U, and distributed by TAG Artist Group. For more information on Evensong Rising and their new album, visit www.evensongrising.com.