Abundant Life Church Youth Band to Tour with Award-Winning Canadian Group

Canadian Christian rock band Downhere will embark on a UK tour starting February 2007 with Abundant Life Church's youth band, RPM.

The six-date tour takes the bands to Belfast, Portsmouth, Dartford, Kilsyth and Newton Aycliffe (Co. Durham), before the tour concludes at the Abundant Life Centre in Bradford.

Downhere took home three trophies at GMA Canada's 28th Annual Covenant Awards in October. The Canadian melodic alt-rockers' 2006 critically-acclaimed release, Wide-Eyed And Mystified, was named Rock Album of the Year.

In addition, the project's top 10 AC smash "A Better Way" received the Covenant Award for Recorded Song of the Year, while the CHR hit "The More" was named Rock Song of the Year. Both songs were written by Downhere's Marc Martel and Jason Germain.

"This year's CGMA's were definitely a highlight of my year," said Downhere's Marc Martel. "My favourite thing about the event was the community that it brings out. It was amazing to see the growing sense that we're all doing this together with excellence as Canadian artists, with one spirit and one mind, as artistically varied as that may be. We put a lot of hard work into Wide-Eyed And Mystified, and now seeing people respond to the music and the things we're saying on this record-in such a deliberate way- is an enormous encouragement. It's these mile-markers that keep us going as a band seeking out the mysteries of God and life, through the joy and the pain, with our music."

"Winning three Covenant Awards was so encouraging for Downhere, especially since they grew up in Canada," said John Mays, vice president, A&R, Centricity Records. "We couldn't be more proud of the band, and knowing how hard they worked on the record, we are so happy to see them recognised for a job well done."

Downhere's Covenant Award-winning single, "A Better Way," is #12 on CRW's Signature AC chart, according to the publication's November 6 issue. The group is currently featured on BarlowGirl's 30-city "The Don't Conform" Tour, along with Matthew West.