A new band has surfaced on the horizon, comprised of a recent Superbowl-winning football player and an Indiana-native musician

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Whenever y= ou bring two very different individuals together to write music, something original = is bound to come out. Such is the case in the duo Conners= vine, made up of Hunter Smith and Chris Wilson. Wilson, who started playing guita= r in elementary school, is the creative, artsy type, who always has new melodies running through his head. On the other hand, Smith is an outgoing, energetic pro football player (and recent Superbowl winne= r) whose songwriting is defined by poetic lyrics. Yet, as different as they were individually, they found their shared passion in worship.=

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Their hist= ory began when Smith and Wilson started leading worship together for a young ad= ult ministry at a church on the south side of Indianapolis. “Before long,= God really connected us and we began writing music together,” adds Smith.= As new audiences were introduced to Connersvine, f= ans immediately connected with their distinctive sound.

“God= opened up a lot of doors for us to play our music and lead worship at different churches,” Wilson shares. “As we did that, God began to expand = our vision for where He wanted to take us.”

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In the Fall of 2006, Connersvine = had signed a record deal with INO records. Literally days after Smith’s t= eam won the Superbowl, Conners= vine began recording their debut self-titled album with producers Ben Shive and Pete Kipley.

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Connersvine fuses their love for a variety of st= yles with a focus on music as a ministry. “We want to write great dynamic lyrics and beautiful melodies, but our main concern is that our music has an impact on people,” Smith says. “We want them to be more in love with our Creator, and that’s our heart’s cry expressed through = our lyrics.”

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This aspir= ation is clearly evident in Connersvine’s first si= ngle “Live for You.” Wilson describes their first single as the “lyrical heartbeat of the band.” Brilliantly constructed, the s= ong is a forthright declaration of how Smith and Wilson desire to live their li= ves wholly sold out to God. Smith adds, “In everything, we want to die to ourselves and live for Jesus—pure and simple.”

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Beyond “Live for You,” = their debut album is filled with many exceptional songs. “Hero” is a = song written for Smith’s son Josiah—and a special gift for his wife. “Hopefully, it’ll challenge men to love their families and be r= ole models for their children,” Smith says. “Hero” is a very special song because it will always remind me of the love I should not only feel, but also extend toward my children.”

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Another wo= rship song, “Hosanna” resonates with hearts that are reaching out in thanksgiving to God. Wilson says, “This song came out of doing a word study on Hosanna and discovering it’s true meaning— God saves. It really struck me that there is a specific word= to praise God for salvation and I think it is a fitting reminder of who God is= in our lives—and why He’s worthy of our praise.”<= /span>

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As Connersvine maintains their worshipful mind-set, they= feel strongly called to help other believers experience God through worship. Smi= th and Wilson both echoed, “We believe that God is the Father of Creativ= ity and we all have access to that creativity in worship. We feel called and are committed to writing songs that bring all believers to a closer place with God.” &= nbsp;

www.myspace.com/connersvine

**PRESS CONTACT: Velvet Rousseau Kelm=

615.591.7989

velvet@theMcollective.com