News
You will find all the latest Petra news right here! I try to go out of my way to find the latest scoop, but if you hear about any upcoming Petra projects, please and let me know. Please feel free to post the information you see here on message boards, newsgroups, or other Petra websites. I just ask that you include my name and a link to Petra Rocks My World if you do.
Unbelievable Petra reunion concert!
On June 12, 2004, all the original members of Petra will re-unite onstage for the first time in decades: John DeGroff, Bob Hartman, Greg Hough, and Bill Glover.
This special reunion concert will take place at 8 p.m. in Angola, Indiana at the Oak Hill Campground and Retreat Center, about 30 minutes north of Ft. Wayne, where Petra was founded.
The original band members will be performing songs from Petra's 1974 self-titled debut album. According to Glover, here are some of the songs you can expect to hear: "Backslidin' Blues," "Get Back To The Bible," and "Walking In The Light" and others. Glover also mentioned they will perform a concert classic, "Rockin' On With Jesus."
But that's not all! Petra's current lineup will perform on the same stage. Both Petra bands will be on one stage for one concert, for one night only.
Tickets cost $12 in advance and $15 at the door. Groups of ten or more pay only $10.
For more details about the concert, go to the Concerts page.
¡'Jekyll and Hyde' en Español!
It all started when Petra performed the title track from J&H live in Spanish for the Premios ARPA in Mexico in October. You can download a RealMedia file that contains some of Petra's performance (along with many other artists) here.
Then one of Inpop Records' forum moderators broke the news about J&H in español later that month. Since then there had been no official announcements or confirmation … until now.
Jamie Rowe (who sang BG vocals for J&H) hinted in a recent message on his messageboard that he was recording vocals again for the Spanish version. This message seems to have been deleted since it was originally posted.
And now ChristianRock.net is posting a release date for the Spanish album on their CD Releases page: April 20.
So it seems that, after 12 years of waiting, Spanish-speaking Petra fans are finally going to get another album in their own language. That's awesome!
How about a Petra-thon?
Around the World Radio is hosting a four-day, all-Petra music weekend to celebrate release of "Jekyll & Hyde."
The event starts Aug. 22 at 9 a.m. CST with an interview with Bob Hartman, followed by 96 hours of Petra music from the last 30 years.
To tune in, go to aroundtheworldradio.org.
Searching for a replacement drummer
Petra is continuing their search for a permanent replacement for Louie Weaver. The band hired a temporary drummer named Justin Johnson to fill in for their current tour dates, but he has not been announced as the permanent replacement.
One of the candidates Petra is considering is Bill Glover. Does that name sound familiar? It should! He was one of the original members of Petra in the early 1970s.
Petra fan Daniel Bryan Abbey has shared several emails Bill sent him about his hope to rejoin the band on the Petra Zone.
In his most recent email, Bill said "It was a blast getting together and jamming with Bob and the band! We ROCKED! I spent the night at Bob's and we stayed up all night talking! Great fellowship!"
In addition to performing with the band, Bill has also been interviewed by band manager Wayne Seboa. Bill said two potential obstacles to his being hired are that he doesn't live in Nashville and some issues from his past.
It'll be interesting to see who Petra chooses to be their long-term drummer.
To read Bill's entire email, see Daniel's message on the Petra Zone.
For more info about Bill himself, including articles he's written about different Christian topics, visit Daniel's website, Petra1.
Hear the first singles, get them on the radio
Want to help some airplay for Petra's rock song "Jekyll and Hyde"? Here's what you need to do:
- Check this list of rock radio stations and find one near you, or one you can listen to online.
- Send the station an email, or call them on the phone, to request the song. Remember to be polite.
- If you get a response that the station doesn't have the song, then tell them to contact James Riley at Inpop Records. James' email address is james@inpop.com.
But you can hear the rock single "Jekyll and Hyde" and the AC single "Till Everything I Do" right now, courtesy of Inpop. The links below will take you to pages where you can hear these great songs! By the way — "Till Everything I Do" will be released to AC radio stations on July 11.
New album title
Petra's next album will be called "Jekyll & Hyde," taken from the title of one of the songs. The album is scheduled to come out Aug. 19, a week later than had been announced earlier.
Louie Weaver speaks out, says he was fired
This weekend Louie Weaver released a statement about his separation from Petra. The statement is available on his website louieweaver.com. Here are four of the most important details:
- Louie did not leave the band. He was fired on Feb. 8.
- He was fired by lead singer John Schlitt and manager Wayne Seboa.
- The firing was unexpected. Louie said he was "shocked" and "surprised."
- Louie is continuing on in ministry and has started a new musical project.
Where things stand
The recent news about changes in Petra has been confusing. Essentially, here's where things stand right now:
- Three members of the band are gone
- Louie Weaver (fired)
- Quinton Gibson (joined another band)
- Bryce Bell (touring with Rebecca St. James)
- Bob Hartman is back on tour again, replacing Quinton
- The band is continuing work on their new album, which comes out in August.
Petra says Louie is gone; Quinton says he is too
Ending months of fan speculation, Petra announced Thursday that longtime drummer Louie Weaver will not be performing in the band any longer. Earlier in the week, guitarist Quinton Gibson told several fans online that he also was no longer touring with Petra.
The band's announcement was made by manager Wayne Seboa through the band's new website, www.petraband.com. Louie was Petra's drummer for 22 years.
Though Louie has not yet commented publicly on his separation from the band, both his wife, Penny, and his personal manager, Rick Adams, have told the webmaster of this site that he will issue a statement soon.
The band said that they and Louie had come to "an impasse" and that after seeking the Lord, they felt "this (is) the Lord's will for this situation."
Two confirmed departures in one week
Louie isn't the only one out of Petra. Michael Jones of guidetopetra.com reported earlier this week that guitarist Quinton Gibson confirmed he is no longer touring with Petra.
Quinton has been touring with a band called "Strange Celebrity" since January. His website no longer lists any Petra concert dates -- only Strange Celebrity dates.
Other changes
While it wasn't stated in Petra's announcement, Bryce Bell appears to also have left the band. He has been touring with Rebecca St. James since February.
But the great news is that Bob Hartman has come out of "touring retirement" and should be performing at all Petra concerts. He made his debut May 2 at the Red Wing, MN show. Initial fan concert reports were that Bob totally rocked out and that the band performed all fast songs... nothing slow. That is quite intruiging.
Rumors started in March
Rumors had been circulating since March that Louie was not in the band anymore.
In response, Wayne Seboa issued a statement in March asking fans not to participate in the spreading rumors. At that time he declined to respond the rumors about Louie, but did say that "...many changes are taking place with the band and (its) infrastructure."
New album
In addition to the news about Louie, Petra's announcement included a few bits about their upcoming album. The site featured artwork, presumably the cover art, of a man standing in a "crop circle" in the shape of a guitar. The man is holding a sign that says "Petra - Blue Collar Rock."
On the site, the band said that they are trying to work out a way for loyal fans to buy the album before it is released in bookstores.
Petra's next album comes out in August
Think you can wait four months? Petra's new "loud rock" album is scheduled to come out on Aug. 12, 2003.
"We want to make this the best record we have ever released, combined with an exciting fall tour," said Petra's manager Wayne Seboa.
Here's a quick rundown of what is known so far:
- Petra has been in the studio working on songs for the album. Bob Hartman had written about 7 songs and John Schlitt had recorded several demos as of February.
- The album is being produced by Peter Furler of the Newsboys (also one of inPop Records' founders).
- According to inpop's Breeon Phillips, the album does have a title, but it hasn't been released yet.
- A moderator at inpop's Petra messageboard stated Apr. 1 that Petra's lineup has changed since last year. So far the band itself has not publicly announced the change, but Seboa has promised to comment on the issue closer to the release of the album. The moment this information is released publicly, I will report it here at PRMW.