JFH News: Dove Award Nominees Eighteen Mile Return with a Message of Surrender

Dove Award Nominees Eighteen Mile Return with a Message of Surrender

NEWS SOURCE: Mountain Home Music Company
October 2, 2026

October 2, 2026 -- On the heels of the release of their acclaimed debut album for Mountain Home Music Company, Peace Be Still, and their first-ever Dove Award nomination - Bluegrass Recorded Song of the Year for "Above the Clouds" - youthful bluegrass group Eighteen Mile are dropping a brand new single, "Tears On the Altar." Inspired by a real-life old-fashioned altar call, the gentle, loping bluegrass track with a timeless fast-waltz feel was written by Eighteen Mile's Carson Aaron.

"We were playing at a church in Florida for a special service, and the preacher that night encouraged everyone there to pray for their loved ones that didn't know Jesus yet,"Aaron explains, telling the story of writing the song. "They had an old-fashioned altar call, where people came down to the front to pray. When we went up to play a couple more songs, I noticed that the stairs were actually wet in places from people crying as they prayed for their loved ones. I went back to where we were staying that night and wrote this song!"

The song, remarkably simple in its content and production, shines by genuinely inhabiting its message of surrender to the almighty power and mercy of God. Produced by Andy Leftwich, who joins the group on fiddle and mandolin as well and also produced Peace Be Still, "Tears On the Altar" sounds as if it could have been plucked from almost any era of bluegrass. The tight three-part harmonies of Carson Aaron, Hallie Ritter and Jack Ritter display just one reason why this young band continues to find their songs climbing the bluegrass gospel charts; that "Tears On the Altar" was also written by a member of the band - like the Dove Award- nominated "Above the Clouds" by Hallie Ritter - is yet another.

With heartstring-tugging twin fiddles, Eighteen Mile leaves us with the song's poignant, simple chorus:

Our tears on the altar we lay
For the souls of our loved ones we fervently pray
Aside from your power they'll never be saved
So our tears on the altar we lay

"This song almost feels like an old bluegrass classic,"Aaron continues, "in its arrangement, sound, and message. We are excited to contribute a song like 'Tears On the Altar' to that long and nostalgic tradition!"

"Tears on the Altar" is streaming in Dolby Atmos spatial audio on Apple Music, Amazon Music and TIDAL. Listen to it HERE.

About Eighteen Mile:

Formed by young musicians Carson and Savannah Aaron and Jack and Hallie Ritter - alumni of the ministry-focused Steve Pettit Band - Eighteen Mile brings a fresh, heartfelt sound rooted in faith and tradition. The South Carolina-based bluegrass gospel group, now Dove Award-nominated, signed with Mountain Home Music Company in the summer of 2025 and brings soulful songwriting, rich harmonies, and musical excellence to their performances. Mountain Home's A&R Director Jon Weisberger adds, "Eighteen Mile's distinctive identity and commitment to their vision deeply impressed us - we're excited to help bring their music to a wider audience."

About Mountain Home Music Company:

Mountain Home Music Company, a division of Crossroads Label Group is a premier Bluegrass label with global distribution, representing such elite artists as Lonesome River Band, Balsam Range, Bryan Sutton, Chris Jones & The Night Drivers, Kristin Scott Benson, Unspoken Tradition, Carley Arrowood, Mark Stoffel, Jaelee Roberts, Andy Leftwich, Benson, Ashby Frank, Jesse Smathers, Vickie Vaughn, Eighteen Mile and James Kee. Established in 1993, Crossroads is a market leader in the Bluegrass, Americana, and Christian Music fields.

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