CRESTVIEW — Carrying heartache into 2014 is not on the agenda for North Okaloosa residents.
At least, the Down East Boys, a North Carolina-based gospel music quartet, hope it's not. And to help with that, they'll perform a Saturday concert at Central Baptist Church.
"We will bring some good ballads to lift spirits for the new year," lead singer and manager Ricky Carden said.
The group, represented by Waynesville, N.C.-based The Dominion Agency,annually travels across the country performing at numerous churches and community events. The quartet's songs, including "Waiting for the Day," are fixtures on local Southern Gospel radio station WTJT 90.1 FM.
This weekend, the men will perform songs from their latest album, "Amen," which features "I Won't Trade My Crown" and "Under the Blood," a Top 40 hit on the Southern Gospel Music's Singing News chart.
Performing classic hymns like "How Great Thou Art" and "Oh, I want to See Him" are crowd pleasers, and Carden said fans can expect a mix of new and old songs.
The Down East Boys said they will enjoy "visiting some old friends" when they arrive in town. Libby White, organizer for the Libby and Friends concert ministry, is one of them.
This is the fourth year that the concert series has hosted the quartet, White said.
The Boys' "great music (and) tight harmonies" are just some of the reasons that make the Down East Boys such an "amazing group of men," she said.
WANT TO GO?
WHAT: Down East Boys concert
WHEN: 6 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Central Baptist Church, 951 S. Ferdon Blvd., Crestview
COST: Suggested $10 donation
Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Matthew Brown at 850-682-6524 or matthewb@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbMatthew.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Down East Boys bring 'Amen' tour to Crestview