Christian concerts bring up-and-coming artists to Eastern Iowa audiences

Eastern Iowa audiences will have a chance to see performances from five up-and-coming Christian artists this month.

Listen to the Sound Tour

Pop/rock band Building 429 will debut new music on a 20-city tour kicking off Wednesday in Iowa City. Guest artists Australian rockers Revive and pop foursome Anthem Lights will join Building 429 for the concert Wednesday at the Iowa Memorial Union on the University of Iowa campus.

Tour headliners Building 429 has toured with artists such as TobyMac and Casting Crowns. In 2005 the band's album “Glory Defined” was named BMI's Christian Song of the Year, and the band was named the Gospel Music Association's 2005 New Artist of the Year and nominated that same year for Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year and Song of the Year.

Building 429 will be joined on stage by Dove-nominated, high-energy band Revive. Revive also toured 2010 as part of the 44-city WinterJam tour, and earned its first Dove Award nomination in the coveted New Artist of the Year category for the 41st annual GMA Dove Awards.

Also taking the stage at the Iowa Memorial Union is Anthem Lights, a four-member group currently on tour with MercyMe, Jars of Clay, The Afters, Matt Maher and others on the Rock & Worship Roadshow Tour. Their self-titled debut is set to release this spring.

The Story of Your Life Tour

After a successful launch in the fall of 2010, Matthew West will continue “The Story of Your Life” tour with opener Josh Wilson, including a stop in Cedar Rapids at First Assembly of God Church on March 31.

West brings to life the very stories that inspired the songs on his “The Story of Your Life” album.

“What I want is to invite the audience, every single night, to embark on the journey of discovering the power in all of our stories and realizing that their life is a story worth telling,” West says.

The shared songs and stories will be from his latest album inspired by 10,000 stories he received from every state in the United States and 20 countries internationally.