NASHVILLE, TN…February 9, 2007…INO/Ardent Records along with Gospel Music Channel are eager to announce the winner for the Skillet “Rebirthing” Video Contest, which included amateur video submissions of Skillet songs from their dedicated fanbase—the Panheads. Hailing from Lapeer, Michigan, 20-year-old youth pastor Andrew Kluck has been awarded the grand prize winner for the video contest featuring “The Thirst is Taking Over” from the album Alien Youth.
“I learned about the contest only five days before the deadline, so my band and I immediately went to work on our video,” shares winner Andrew Kluck. “I spent more than 50 hours over the course of three days putting the video together to make it for the deadline. I submitted the video for fun, and it has been awesome to watch God open these doors of opportunity for our band.”
Andrew will receive a trip to Memphis as well as the opportunity to record at the world famous Ardent Studios, which is celebrating their 40th anniversary. Fulfilling a Skillet fan’s desire, Andrew will also receive a personal call from John and Korey Cooper, and a full library of autographed Skillet CDs. The runner-up, Adam Philpott of Indiana, will receive an autographed guitar as well as a complete autographed Skillet collection.
“We are looking forward to a great time with Andrew and his group here in Memphis,” states John Fry, President of Ardent Records. “We’ll give him the personally guided tours of Graceland, Sun Studios, Stax Museum of American Soul Music, Smithsonian Rock and Soul Museum, Beale Street, Gibson Guitars, and all the other cool music stuff Memphis has to offer. “
“Seeing the outpouring response of Panheads submitting their videos was so rad,” states Skillet’s John Cooper. “We were honored to have this contest with Gospel Music Channel and to see the songs that our fans covered.”
The Skillet “Rebirthing” promotional contest ran on GospelMusicChannel.com from November through December promoting the new critically acclaimed studio release, Comatose, from Skillet. Panheads were asked to submit their music video of themselves covering their favorite Skillet song online. The Gospel Music Channel staff judged the videos.
“Providing the loyal Skillet fans with this rare opportunity to simultaneously showcase their creativity and devotion to the group on a popular destination like GospelMusicChannel.com generated an overwhelming, and impressive response,” commented Justin Williams, Senior Director for Internet and New Media, Gospel Music Channel. “These fan videos are very well done, entertaining and worthy of repeated viewing.”
Skillet’s explosive, critically-acclaimed and best-selling new Lava/Atlantic Records release, COMATOSE, follows the band’s 2004 Lava/Atlantic top-selling debut, Collide, which launched the group into the public eye with the single “Savior” and garnered the quartet a prestigious Grammy Award nomination. COMATOSE’s first Christian Rock and radio single, “Rebirthing” was a smash hit, spending eight consecutive weeks at No. 1 on Rock, and currently at No. 4 and still climbing at CHR. Their first single at Mainstream Active Rock radio, “Whispers In the Dark,” was the second most added single two weeks in a row, and their newest single, “The Older I Get,” was just released to the Mainstream, Active and Alternative Rock formats this week and is already being spun on top market stations in Nashville, Houston, Memphis, Sarasota, Richmond, and Philadelphia. This week alone they received 29 adds (including early adds) on the formats. Skillet closed out 2006 as one of the most lauded groups in the industry with COMATOSE garnering “best of” reader’s poll results with ChristianityToday/ChristianMusicToday.com, CBN Music.com, MusicFaith.com, About.com, and ConcertLivewire.com, as well as lead singer John Cooper being named favorite bassist by HM Magazine and CCM magazine, with the remaining band members being named favorite guitarist, drummer and keyboardist by CCM readers. Skillet and COMATOSE have also received critical acclaim from mainstream outlets such as Billboard, Metal Edge and The New York Times.