The True Tunes Podcast
158 episodes - English - Latest episode: 24 days ago - ★★★★★ - 129 ratingsListening to better music and listening to music better - with music industry veteran, author, artist, and producer John J. Thompson and a diverse panel of artists, songwriters, producers, and industry innovators who seek the deeper resonances in music and culture. Knowing that all music is spiritual, can we sing along with the good, the true, and the beautiful in ways that make us better neighbors, more compelling artists, and richer reflectors of the light by which we live and move and have our being? Let’s try.
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Episodes
Luxury: Making The Most Of Their Second Act
June 20, 2024 12:36 - 1 hour - 210 MBIn the mid-nineties, it seemed to many of us that Luxury might be the band most likely to find real success in the wider alternative rock market. Their three-decade journey, however, has defied all expectations. From their early days of alt-punk abandon through a harrowing and deadly car crash and onto a very different path that found three of the members embracing Eastern Orthodoxy and eventually becoming priests, this is a story like none you have ever heard. Through all of the struggle an...
@45RPM - Luxury on the Jukebox (New Episode Preview)
June 17, 2024 17:13 - 17 minutes - 39.6 MBThis 45RPM episode features a look back at over 30 years of the music of a relatively obscure but critically acclaimed indie rock band, Luxury. We will go back to the beginning, when the band was known as The Shroud, playing with jangly punk abandon at their college in Toccoa, Georgia. We launched this podcast five years ago - when Luxury reconvened to record and release Trophies, their first new album in a decade. We've talked about that album since then several times (and you'll hear about...
An Alternative Legacy Changes Hands: Randy & Matthias Layton
May 21, 2024 21:30 - 1 hour - 156 MBRandy Layton has been a tireless advocate of some of our favorite artists since the 1980s. He was also an early influence and encourager of all things True Tunes. His "Alternative Records" imprint helped to define the indie / DIY approach long before it was common, and his current campaign to reissue yet another incredible (and obscure) album by Robert Vaughn and The Shadows is one more example of his undying passion and love. Now, as Randy faces a devastating turn in the battle he has been ...
God Gave Rock and Roll To You: The Clash of the CCM Historians w Dr. Leah Payne and JJT
March 04, 2024 12:28 - 1 hour - 190 MBDr. Leah Payne, author of the new book God Gave Rock and Roll To You, joins us to talk about the roots - and fruits - of the contemporary Christian music subculture. From the Pentecostal and Holiness movements of a century ago to the January 6th riots, Payne and host John J. Thompson wrangle with the odd and sometimes troubling history of the scene. You'll hear an amazing collection of historic and contemporary song clips along the way. Find the full show notes at TrueTunes.com/GodGaveRock. ...
@45RPM - Rolling Lost Tape with Jim Goodwin of The Call
February 02, 2024 16:01 - 33 minutes - 77.7 MBEven with champions like Peter Gabriel, U2, Jim Kerr, and others singing their praises, and songs like “The Walls Came Down,” “I Still Believe” and “Let The Day Begin” scratching out a presence on college and alternative radio, The Call never lived up to the commercial potential their fans knew they deserved. And when frontman, vocalist, and primary songwriter Michael Been passed away in 2010 while on the road with his son Robert Levon Been’s band Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, it became heart...
Microdose: Propaganda
January 04, 2024 21:42 - 4 minutes - 11.1 MBOn this "impossibly short version of the ongoing conversation you'll find at TrueTunes.com" we revisit our conversation with rapper, author, and activist PROPAGANDA! About The True Tunes Microdose Episodes: As we look back on our first 100 episodes we have gathered some of these "greatest hits" - never more than 5 minutes long - to remind long-time listeners of where we've been and give new folks a chance to check us out. To hear the original show CLICK HERE. If you want to support the...
Microdose: The Choir
January 04, 2024 21:27 - 5 minutes - 11.6 MBOn this "impossibly short version of the ongoing conversation you'll find at TrueTunes.com" we revisit our conversation with Steve Hindalong, Derri Daugherty, and Dan Michaels of The Choir. Few bands embody the spirit of spiritual yearning, artistic exploration, emotional risk, and impressionistic ambiance as completely as this veteran crew. About The True Tunes Microdose Episodes: As we look back on our first 100 episodes we have gathered some of these "greatest hits" - never more than 5 ...
Microdose: Young Oceans
January 04, 2024 21:02 - 5 minutes - 12.3 MBOn this "impossibly short version of the ongoing conversation you'll find at TrueTunes.com" we revisit our conversation with Eric Marshall, who has been releasing some of our favorite alternative worship music for well over a decade under the moniker YOUNG OCEANS. About The True Tunes Microdose Episodes: As we look back on our first 100 episodes we have gathered some of these "greatest hits" - never more than 5 minutes long - to remind long-time listeners of where we've been and give new fo...
Microdose: Neal Morse
January 04, 2024 20:56 - 4 minutes - 10.7 MBOn this "impossibly short version of the ongoing conversation you'll find at TrueTunes.com" we revisit our conversation with Prog Rock legend Neal Morse (of Spock's Beard, Transatlantic, Flying Colours, and The Neal Morse Band.) Morse took us on a journey through the history of progressive rock and his own artistic and spiritual discoveries. About The True Tunes Microdose Episodes: As we look back on our first 100 episodes we have gathered some of these "greatest hits" - never more than 5 ...
Microdose: Phil Cook’s Spiritual Helpline
January 04, 2024 20:50 - 5 minutes - 11.6 MBOn this "impossibly short version of the ongoing conversation you'll find at TrueTunes.com" we revisit our conversation with Pianist, songwriter, and filmmaker Phil Cook. Cook - who cut his teeth as a member of Bon Iver - has been releasing some incredible solo material lately AND has been chronicling some of the best North Carolina roots Gospel music through his label Spiritual Helpline. His film Stay Prayed Up knocked us out! About The True Tunes Microdose Episodes: As we look back on ou...
Microdose: Natalie Bergman
January 04, 2024 20:43 - 5 minutes - 11.5 MBOn this "impossibly short version of the ongoing conversation you'll find at TrueTunes.com" we revisit our conversation with the Third Man Records artist Natalie Bergman. Her story, and her music, captivated us as she added her humble (but seriously impressive) offering to the Jesus Music repertoire. About The True Tunes Microdose Episodes: As we look back on our first 100 episodes we have gathered some of these "greatest hits" - never more than 5 minutes long - to remind long-time listene...
Microdose: Sandra McCracken
January 04, 2024 20:38 - 4 minutes - 11.4 MBOn this "impossibly short version of the ongoing conversation you'll find at TrueTunes.com" we revisit our conversation with songwriter, worship leader, artist, and hymnist, Sandra McCracken. Having recently joined forces with Taylor Leonhardt, Jess Ray, and Leslie Jordan to form The Paper Horses, Sandra continues to evolve and innovate. About The True Tunes Microdose Episodes: As we look back on our first 100 episodes we have gathered some of these "greatest hits" - never more than 5 minu...
Microdose: Terry Scott Taylor
January 04, 2024 20:30 - 4 minutes - 10.7 MBOn this "impossibly short version of the ongoing conversation you'll find at TrueTunes.com" we revisit our conversation with songwriter, artist, and pioneer, Terry Scott Taylor. Between his solo work, his groundbreaking work with the band Daniel Amos, his collaboration with The 77s' Michael Roe, The Choir's Derri Daugherty, and Adam Again's Gene Eugene as The Lost Dogs, and even his more experimental or humorous work with The Swirling Eddies or as the composer of soundtracks for animated sho...
Microdose: Steve Scott
January 04, 2024 20:16 - 3 minutes - 8.89 MBOn this "impossibly short version of the ongoing conversation you'll find at TrueTunes.com" we revisit our conversation with artist, poet, author, and theologian STEVE SCOTT - who also served as the Arts Editor of the original True Tunes News magazine back in the 90s. Scott just released The Way of the Sevenfold Secret, a collection of poetry with accompanying music and ambient sound, that he described to us when he originally joined us on the show. About The True Tunes Microdose Episodes:...
Microdose: Taylor Leonhardt
November 26, 2023 16:08 - 4 minutes - 11 MBOn this "impossibly short version of the ongoing conversation you'll find at TrueTunes.com" we revisit our conversation with the always impressive and effervescent singer, songwriter, and producer, Taylor Leonhart. Taylor - who has recently joined forces with Sandra McCracken, Jess Ray, and Leslie Jordan to form The Paper Horses - continues to bring old-school songwriting soul to a new generation. About The True Tunes Microdose Episodes: As we look back on our first 100 episodes we have gat...
Microdose: Michael Roe
November 22, 2023 14:47 - 3 minutes - 8.74 MBOn this "True Tunes Microdose" (an impossibly short version of the ongoing conversation you'll find at TrueTunes.com) we revisit a short bit of our chat with Michael Roe of The 77s and The Lost Dogs. The episodes with Mike proved to be some of the most popular in the history of our show, with many long-time fans chiming in and some new fans joining the tribe as well. About The True Tunes Microdose Episodes: As we look back on our first 100 episodes we have gathered some of these "greatest ...
Microdose: Amy Grant
November 15, 2023 18:07 - 5 minutes - 11.8 MBWelcome to the True Tunes Microdose, an impossibly short version of the ongoing conversation you'll find at TrueTunes.com. As we look back on our first 100 episodes we have gathered some of these "greatest hits" - never more than 5 minutes long - to remind long-time listeners of where we've been and give new folks a chance to check us out. Amy Grant's music may be a bit more "mainstream" than most of the stuff True Tunes was known for back in the day, but her commitment to honesty, integri...
Microdose: Charlie Peacock
November 06, 2023 00:15 - 3 minutes - 8.47 MBWelcome to the True Tunes Microdose, an impossibly short version of the ongoing conversation you'll find at TrueTunes.com. As we look back on our first 100 episodes we have gathered some of these "greatest hits" - never more than 5 minutes long - to remind long-time listeners of where we've been and give new folks a chance to check us out. Charlie Peacock is one of the hearts, minds, and voices who inspired the True Tunes story when it first launched in the mid-80s! He was our first guest ...
Mylon LeFevre (In His Own Words)
September 22, 2023 14:42 - 1 hour - 119 MBMylon LeFevre was an award-winning, genre-defining, trailblazing artist and songwriter who had a song cut by Elvis when he was just a teen, got kicked out of his family's legendary Souther Gospel band for wearing his sideburns too long, and released on the earliest and most significant Gospel Rock albums ever ("We Believe" circa 1970.) He went on to work with a Golden Rolodex full of mainstream rock royalty in the 70s, including George Harrison, Eric Clapton, The Who, and many others, before...
@45RPM The Choir’s 1988 Classic LP ”Chase The Kangaroo”
August 03, 2023 16:28 - 28 minutes - 64.6 MBThe Choir's 1988 LP Chase The Kangaroo is a classic, and when we heard that they had launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise the necessary funds to remaster and re-release it on vinyl and CD, we decided to pull together this special episode to lend some support. We spoke to primary songwriters Steve Hindalong and Derri Daugherty about the album a few years back but never used most of the recording. Here it is, along with clips from the recently remastered LP. You can join us in support of...
@45RPM John Pantano (Pantano/Salsbury) On Their 1977 Larry Norman Produced LP ”Hit The Switch”
July 27, 2023 22:18 - 23 minutes - 54.1 MBJohn Pantano’s rock and roll roots go back to the 1960s psychedelic rock scene and the very genesis of the Jesus Movement. He and his friend, the late Ron Salsbury, were the core of JC Power Outlet - one of the earliest Jesus Rock bands on the scene. After two albums for Myrrh Records, the two signed with Larry Norman’s vanguard Solid Rock label and changed their creative moniker to “Pantano Salsbury” for the release of their acclaimed, beloved (and doomed) 1977 album, Hit The Switch. That L...
Loving The Alien: JJT & Allan Aguirre Talk Bowie (Plus Scaterd Few & Spyglass Blue on the Jukebox)
July 19, 2023 12:02 - 1 hour - 221 MBOn this episode we are joined by veteran artist and author Allan Aguirre (Scaterd Few, Spyglass Blue) to explore the artistic legacy of the late – and truly great – David Bowie. We’ll also crank up the Jukebox to listen to some of Allan’s music, which was clearly inspired by the Thin White Duke, but took that inspiration in many different directions. For full show notes, including a list of all of the music used on this episode, check out the show notes page by clicking HERE or visiting ...
Special Edition: Couples Skate (Jukebox Takeover)
June 30, 2023 12:05 - 59 minutes - 135 MBThis special Couples Skate episode of the True Tunes Podcast started out as a normal Jukebox feature for the Wild Harbors In Paris episode. But as we dug deeper and deeper into the world of amazing music made by couples, the dang thing demanded to become a separate show! So, we just rolled the Jukebox out into the middle of the rink for an extended exploration of music being made by married folks – from famous names to newlyweds. And don’t miss the massive corresponding Spotify mix, cura...
Wild Harbors in Paris: Safety Is Overrated
June 20, 2023 23:21 - 57 minutes - 131 MBWe often hear that being in a band is like being in a marriage. But what about when being in a marriage is like being in a band? What about those truly crazy people whose marriage IS a band? Chris and Jenna Badeker, aka Wild Harbors, have been carving out a functional and creatively exciting path as indie pop artists for several years. On this episode, they join us from Paris, where they were serving as Artists In Residence. We hear about their uniquely risky career choices, the path that le...
@45RPM Did The Joshua Tree Fall on The 77s? (More Roe From The Cutting Room Floor)
May 01, 2023 16:42 - 32 minutes - 74.4 MBThe 77s' 1987 self-titled album was not only that band's first real shot at the "big-time" success their fans knew they deserved. It was also the climax of a creative explosion from a unique Sacramento community that had been cooking up spiritually driven, culturally engaged, artistically excellent music for about a decade. On this special "From The Vault" episode of the podcast, we unveil previously unheard tape culled from frontman Michael Roe's conversation with True Tunes and with The El...
More ”Alternative” Than You’ll Ever Be (Randy Layton’s Long Strange Trip)
March 30, 2023 18:16 - 1 hour - 226 MBRandy Layton may not be a household name, but that's not the point with people like him. Layton has been advocating for some of the most important - if not famous and successful - artists of the last forty years through his label Alternative Records and his previous work with the enormously influential Sacramento label Exit Records. He was all about the "Alternative" back when that word meant something. Layton has helped release projects by The 77s, Vector, Steve Scott, 2 Pound Planet, Rober...
@45RPM Charlie Peacock Revisited (From The Vault)
March 17, 2023 15:49 - 30 minutes - 69.5 MBThe very first episode of this podcast - which premiered back in 2019 - featured a conversation with award-winning producer, songwriter, and artist Charlie Peacock. Charlie, one of the artists who inspired the launch of the original True Tunes in the 80s with his progressive, genre-bending, standard-setting music, was later associated with artists like Switchfoot, Civil Wars, and others. He is currently experiencing one of his most prolific phases as both a musical artist and as a visual art...
@45RPM U2’s Achtung Baby Jukebox Rewind
March 10, 2023 02:07 - 23 minutes - 54.3 MBThis 45RPM episode opens the True Tunes Vault and finds a conversation host John J. Thompson had with friend, fan, and artist manager Nick Barre about U2's initially shocking album, Achtung Baby, 30 years after its original release. With the band back in the news - both for Bono's stunning new memoir Surrender and their corresponding collection of reimagined older songs - and the announcement of their Las Vegas homage to their 30-year-old re-birth - it seemed a good time to revisit this refl...
Outsider Art w Finster & Yingst + Mountain Goats on The Jukebox (True Tunes Live)
February 16, 2023 00:38 - 1 hour - 210 MBTrue Tunes host John J. Thompson recently traveled to Cleveland, TN, to speak at a festival in honor of Rev. Howard Finster – the enigmatic painter, pastor, and musician who first came to international prominence when his art was used on album covers by Talking Heads, R.E.M., and Adam Again, and is considered by some to be the father of contemporary folk art. Painter and woodcut printmaker Kreg Yingst, whose art has graced recent album projects by Vigilantes of Love and others, presented at ...
Tonio K. Walks On: Notes From A Lost World
January 24, 2023 00:04 - 2 hours - 289 MBIt takes some special instruments and a unique perspective to appreciate the frustrating version of "success" that weaves in and through Tonio K.'s long strange trip of a music career. He should have been one of those critical reference points of the heady '70s and '80s, right up there with Warren Zevon and Joe Jackson. He had the wit, the sneer, the shades, and the major label hookups. But even with the odds in his favor, a hall-of-fame roster of supporting band members, and people like T B...
Drew Holcomb Comes To Class
January 04, 2023 22:40 - 1 hour - 236 MBDrew Holcomb is one of the most successful – and innovative – independent singer-songwriters working today. His rootsy, unadorned style has filled theaters and halls around the country, driven several singles up the Americana chart, seen some major placements in prominent films, television shows, and ad campaigns, and earned him a devoted fan base. Moon River, the festival he originally founded in Memphis, now draws tens of thousands of fans to Chattanooga, Tennessee, each September and has ...
@45RPM Calling Out The Ghosts: JJT & Michelle Thompson (The Wayside) + Producer Matt Goldman (Underoath, Luxury) discuss new music
December 19, 2022 20:33 - 41 minutes - 94 MBIf you think True Tunes host and founder John J. Thompson is objective about music - merely a dispassionate observer or fact-gathering journalist... think again. "Before I wrote about music," he admits, "before I worked in the industry at all - before I promoted concerts or started True Tunes back in the 80s - I was a kid with a guitar, bad hair, and way more confidence than talent. Inspired by heroes like T Bone Burnett, Steve Taylor, Bob Dylan, Bono, Mark Heard, Bruce Cockburn, The 77s, an...
Prog Rock, Complex Art, & Cultivating a Discerning Ear: Neal Morse’s Epic Journey
December 07, 2022 23:38 - 1 hour - 250 MBWe finally scale the misty mountain of PROG ROCK on the True Tunes Podcast - with none other than the venerable Neal Morse as our guide! As a founding member of Spock's Beard, Transatlantic, Flying Colors, and his own Neal Morse Band, he has been setting the standard in modern prog rock for decades. He has also developed his own streaming app to deliver his entire catalog (over 80 albums!) and curates his own Morsefest - an annual gathering of progressive rock fans from around the world. His...
Singing In The Choir w Nikki Lerner + Over The Rhine’s Nowhere Else Fest rocks the Jukebox
November 21, 2022 23:30 - 2 hours - 278 MBWe knew that Over The Rhine’s Nowhere Else Festival was going to be something special. We've heard about the meals, the music, the songs being sung under a big tent in their wide Ohio backyard. And yes, we grew up seeing Over The Rhine play show after breathtaking show under a similar tent at the Cornerstone Festival in West Central Illinois. We knew it would be great. But we were still not prepared for just how wonderful two days of understated, organic, family-style music could be. A stead...
@45RPM David Bunker on Artist Care and Nurturing the Creative
November 15, 2022 23:28 - 11 minutes - 27 MBDavid Bunker, who currently serves as the chaplain of Judson University's Music Business and Entrepreneurship program, and has a long history as both a music industry leader and as an artist and songwriter himself, joins JJT to talk about the idea of "artist care" from the perspective of both creatives and those who wish to serve them. Bunker has been deeply embedded in the True Tunes DNA since John first shared his vision for a store, venue, magazine, and community that would dare to engage...
Tyson Motsenbocker Loses His Milk Teeth (+ Madison Cunningham’s ”Revealer” on the Jukebox)
November 01, 2022 12:44 - 1 hour - 261 MBTyson Motsenbocker is quite an anomaly. He's a young, hip songwriter/artist who crafts alternative, modern-sounding pop (in the tradition of Postal Service or Death Cab) with obvious compositional influences coming from sources much older. He is also willing to tackle difficult, even controversial issues – including racism, hypocrisy, addiction, immaturity, and mental health challenges – with both scathing insight and self-deprecating wit. And as if that is not enough, after spending his for...
@45RPM What Good Is Music? (with Pastor Chris Williamson of Strong Tower Bible Church and Transformation Crusade)
October 18, 2022 23:51 - 19 minutes - 44.1 MBWhat good is music, anyway? Is there something happening in the arrangement of certain melodies, harmonies, rhythms, and lyrics that might actually have a meaningful impact on hearts and minds in these dark, divided, and confusing days? We decided to talk to someone who would know; a man who is a pastor, an artist, an advocate for social change, and a fan of great music. Chris Williamson is the Pastor of Strong Tower Bible Church in Nashville, TN – a community that has been passionately ...
@45RPM Creativity Will Save The World w Tom Willett (12” Extended Mix)
October 11, 2022 23:48 - 27 minutes - 62.5 MBTom Willett's roots go back to the counterculture of the 60s. He played bass in one of the earliest "Gospel Rock" bands (Sons of Thunder) and worked alongside artists such as T Bone Burnett, Tonio K, Mark Heard, The Choir, Sam Phillips, Phil Keaggy, and many others as an A&R rep, marketing man, and career coach. He has also spent decades as a teacher, helping college students as they sought to carve out meaningful careers as songwriters, artists, or future industry leaders. Since his ret...
Bill Mallonee (Vigilantes of Love): From Americana’s ”Next Big Thing” to Indefatigable Digital Busker
September 28, 2022 20:53 - 1 hour - 264 MBBill Mallonee has been lauded as one of the 100 greatest living songwriters by Paste Magazine and honored by Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Billboard, and more. Before “Americana” was even known as a musical genre, his Athens GA band Vigilantes of Love was helping to define it. Later, with albums produced by Peter Buck of R.E.M., Mark Heard, Jim Scott, and Buddy Miller, it seemed all but inevitable that Bill and his band of outlaws would break through to the big time (whatever that means...
@45RPM Vigilantes Of Love’s Welcome To Struggleville
September 18, 2022 12:54 - 9 minutes - 20.9 MBThe Vigilantes of Love really started to "click" with the release of their 1994 Capricorn Records album "Welcome To Struggleville." In anticipation of a forthcoming full conversation with that band's founder, Bill Mallonee, we offer this special look at the album that is currently seeking funding via Kickstarter for a special vinyl re-issue. If you're already familiar, then you know exactly how important this album is. If not, take ten minutes to hear from an artist Paste Magazine ranke...
Beatles & Outlaws: Ken Mansfield Comes Down From The Roof
September 14, 2022 02:52 - 1 hour - 221 MBKen Mansfield has been "in the room" for several major cultural watershed moments. After a meteoric rise through the ranks at Capitol Records in the 1960s, where he worked with artists like Lou Rawls, The Band, and The Beach Boys, Ken was personally chosen by The Beatles to head their Apple Records enterprise in the US. He happened to be working at the Apple offices in London during the sessions that were captured for the Let It Be album and film, including their now famous live concert fina...
Phil Cook’s Spiritual Helpline (From Bon Iver, Hiss Golden Messenger, & Megafaun to Gospel Glory)
August 31, 2022 11:38 - 1 hour - 246 MBAfter being affiliated with Bon Iver, Hiss Golden Messenger, and Megafaun – and releasing a series of his own acclaimed solo projects, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer Phil Cook surprised many with the launch of his new roots gospel label, Spiritual Helpline, and producing a rousing new live roots Gospel album by North Carolina local legends, The Branchettes. Though the group was formed over a half-century ago, they never recorded a live album until now. The soul-stirring expe...
Love Is Underrated: Undercover (+ What’s Shakin’ & Reality Rock on the Jukebox)
August 16, 2022 23:25 - 1 hour - 216 MBOn this episode, we are joined by keyboardist and songwriter Ojo Taylor, guitarist and writer Gym Nicholson, long-time lead vocalist Sim Wilson, and drummer Gary Olsen of the Orange County rock band Undercover for an expansive conversation recorded in front of a live audience at the Audiofeed Festival in Illinois. Undercover emerged in the early 1980s at the pole position of the frenetic “second wave” of Jesus Rock that saw an explosion of New Wave, Punk, Rock, and pop bands like Lifesavors,...
David Eugene Edwards of Wovenhand: Apocalypse Ain’t for the Faint of Heart
August 02, 2022 23:56 - 1 hour - 188 MBFew artists have committed to the ethic of apocalyptic – even gothic – Americana as completely as Colorado’s David Eugene Edwards. From his early work with The Denver Gentlemen and 16 Horsepower to the last two decades of material he has offered via Wovenhand, Edwards practically haunts every stage, and album, with spirits that are simultaneously spectral and Biblical. On this episode of the True Tunes Podcast, John J. Thompson sits down with Edwards in front of a live audience at the Audiof...
Michael Bloodgood: A Long Obedience in a LOUD Direction
July 31, 2022 02:13 - 42 minutes - 96.2 MBIn memory of our friend Michael Bloodgood, we revisit a conversation we recorded with him for the Electric Jesus Podcast in 2021. With roots in the Jesus Movement, but a career that really took off in the 80s metal scene, Michael was a true "metal missionary." We already miss him sorely. Presented in cooperation with Blue Tape Records and the Electric Jesus Film, and co-hosted by the writer and director of Electric Jesus, Chris White. Rest in peace, Michael.
@45RPM The Prayer Chain: Backstage in ’18
July 27, 2022 23:27 - 8 minutes - 19.9 MBThe Prayer Chain is the only band that ever appeared on the cover of the old print version of the True Tunes magazine twice! Though their original run lasted only six years, the band has reunited a few times since breaking up in 1996. One of those was a 2018 show in Anaheim, and JJT was there – in a backstage freight container at a "secret show" at a club called The Wayfarer the night before they rocked the House of Blues. This podcast didn’t even exist yet! But here we have a glimpse of the...
Chagall Guevara: Revolutionary Art, Halcyon Days, & Long-Play Redemption (+ a Squint Jukebox Meltdown)
July 19, 2022 23:56 - 2 hours - 302 MBThe musical highways and byways of this great land are littered with the bedazzled corpses of countless, failed, one-shot rock bands. How many of them, though, would be able to enlist the support of thousands of fans three decades after their demise and raise over $140,000 to mix and master a long-lost live recording – and – release a new studio album – and – celebrate it all with a blistering live show at none other than Music City's hallowed Ryman Auditorium? That’s what Nashville’s Chagal...
The Cornerstone Festival: 10 Years Gone (and counting...)
June 29, 2022 02:43 - 2 hours - 333 MBThe original Woodstock Festival happened once. The Cornerstone Festival, however, gathered an unlikely and diverse group of rock and rollers from around the world to two different pieces of land 29 years in a row. Even as the so-called “Jesus Movement,” of the late 60s, and its’ fascinating musical soundtrack, transformed throughout the 80s into more of a subculture than a counterculture, and "Contemporary Christian Music" became more mainstream, Cornerstone kept the fire of revolution burni...
Walking St. Paul’s Blvd with Michael McDermott (+ Peter Himmelman on the Jukebox)
June 15, 2022 00:52 - 1 hour - 257 MBNot everyone walking St. Paul’s Boulevard makes it out alive. No one survives it unchanged. This mythological road plays home to a haunting cast of characters, and our guide on this episode of the True Tunes Podcast is none other than the road’s creator - and street-sweeper: singer, songwriter, and seeker, Michael McDermott. No one tells a story like this Chicago native. Maybe that’s because so few who walk the path he’s walked live to tell their tales. McDermott has been crafting some of t...
@45RPM - New Tunes From Rich Mullins’ House (An Early Listen to a New Tribute)
June 07, 2022 19:35 - 21 minutes - 48.8 MBTrue Tunes is excited to come alongside our friends at Old Bear Records and UTR Media as they pay loving homage to the songs of Rich Mullins with a brand new, analog recording made in a house Rich owned outside of Nashville. On this special 45RPM episode of the podcast, we check in with Old Bear owner and member of The Brothers McClurg, Chris Hoisington, who – along with others – conceived of this special conceptual tribute album. Chris also got us some rare audio so that we could offer you,...