We make no apologies here: Our goal is to help artists as they work to make the world a more beautiful and musical place, and to help grow audiences for those artists, both in scale and in depth. You might notice that our conversations with artists, producers, authors, and industry leaders are usually focused on those two main themes: artist and audience development. I experienced this first-hand for decades at the Cornerstone Festival – and I have dedicated my life to it for over forty years. And now, as an artist and author myself – and as a professor and director of music industry studies – helping the next generation of songwriters and artists find their way in this algorithmically addled environment is very close to my heart. I’m still here – working to make sense of it all right alongside everyone else.
This is what we believe:
We believe music is spiritually significant, not merely entertaining. All music participates in something larger than itself.
We believe human curation is more valuable than algorithmic convenience. Trusted guides with great taste and earned judgment matter more than a machine that gives you more of what you already like.
We believe gathering matters more than commerce, though commerce makes gathering possible. The transaction is credible because the curation is trustworthy.
We believe countercultural conviction can be held without apology and without aggression. We know who we are. We are not interested in being popular in the wrong rooms.
We believe the artist and the audience are equally sacred. The line between them nearly disappears when music is doing what it is supposed to do. The faith underneath all of it shows up in the questions we bring, not in the answers we insist on.
We are a virtual – and occasionally real-life venue, not a feed, with lots of rooms to explore. A gathering place with human voices at the center -- asking what the work is doing to us, where it comes from, and why it matters.
We still believe. So do you. Come join us.
Episodes
Feb 24, 2022
Feb 24, 2022
1hr 37 min
On this episode we are joined by singer-songwriter Andy Zipf on the eve of the release of his latest single, “Did You Know I Was A Ghost?” and in anticipation of his upcoming album, How To Make A Paper Airplane. Zipf, a 20-year veteran artist, has worked with labels and functioned as an indie. He has been in bands and has been a solo artist. His latest album, however, takes his work to a whole new place. Drummer and percussionist Jay Bellerose, bassist Jennifer Condos, keyboardist Tyler Chester, and upright bassist Dennis Crouch, have played with T Bone Burnett, Robert Plant, Over The Rhine, Madison Cunningham, and too many others to list. As Zipf’s band, they bring sparkle and depth to his excellent songs about loss, doubt, mystery, and beauty. And speaking of sparkle and depth, we cue up U2’s Achtung Baby on the True Tunes Jukebox and take a careful listen 30 years on. Artist manager and certified geek Nick Barre joins JJT to examine the lingering legacy of this postmodern classic.
Don't miss Andy's exclusive acoustic performance of "Did You Know I Was A Ghost?" on True Tunes at 45RPM.
The True Tunes Podcast is sponsored by VisionTrust.org. Help us change the world for one child at a time by sponsoring today. Visit VisionTrust.org/TrueTunes for more information. If you would like to support the show, please consider joining our Patreon community or dropping us a one-time tip and check out our SWAG STORE.
As always, THANKS to our Patreon supporters and to the amazing staff and volunteers at VisionTrust.org.
Andy Zipf's Official Website: https://www.thecowardschoir.com/
Feb 17, 2022
Feb 17, 2022
8 min
Singer-songwriter Andy Zipf is about to release a new album, How To Make A Paper Airplane, and will soon be featured on the full-length True Tunes Podcast. In this advance peek we get to hear a special live, solo, recording of his new single, "Did You Know I Was A Ghost".
The True Tunes Podcast is sponsored by VisionTrust.org. Help us change the world for one child at a time by sponsoring today. Visit VisionTrust.org/TrueTunes for more information. You can support this show by joining our group of patrons at Patreon.com/truetunes or dropping us a tip via PayPal.
Feb 13, 2022
Feb 13, 2022
13 min
Singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Phil Madeira, who can regularly be found backing up amazing artists like Emmylou Harris, is out with his latest project, "BLISS." This collection of love songs may seem like a bit of a change-up by this famously acerbic artist - especially after last year's edgy "Hornet's Nest," so we caught up with him to talk about this project and the concept of "love songs" in general.
Why do we all keep going back to art - even silly love songs - when it comes time to walk through our most important experiences? Consider this short episode a long-awaited sequel to our two-part conversation with Madeira in early 2021.
The True Tunes Podcast is sponsored by VisionTrust.org. Help us change the world for one child at a time by sponsoring today. Visit VisionTrust.org/TrueTunes for more information. You can support this show by joining our group of patrons at Patreon.com/truetunes or dropping us a tip via PayPal.
(A longer edition of this conversation will be made available to our Patreon Backers.) For a full music list and more visit the Show Notes page at TrueTunes.com.
Feb 6, 2022
Feb 6, 2022
1hr 58 min
We are beyond thrilled to welcome one of the most essential artists of the last half-century to the True Tunes Podcast. Bruce Cockburn has written over 350 songs and released 30 studio or live albums since 1970, and four different compilations. 22 of his albums have been certified either Gold or Platinum in Canada. He has received 13 Juno Awards, is in the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, and in 2001 he was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at a ceremony that included testimonials by Midnight Oil’s Peter Garrett, Margo Timmins of Cowboy Junkies, and Bono. He holds multiple honorary Doctorate degrees – and continues to write and record. He recently released a 30-song collection of his singles called – simply – Bruce Cockburn’s Greatest Hits 1970 – 2020.
This wide-ranging conversation, presented in context with many of his most beloved songs, covers everything from his roots in the 60s to his most recent projects. Cockburn and host John J. Thompson contemplate the significant influence spirituality plays in the music, how Bruce formed as a songwriter, and more. On the Jukebox segment, Thompson is joined by singer-songwriter Chris Taylor to explore some of their favorite Cockburn songs that were not necessarily “hits.”
The True Tunes Podcast is sponsored by VisionTrust.org. Help us change the world for one child at a time by sponsoring today. Visit VisionTrust.org/TrueTunes for more information. If you would like to support the show, please consider joining our Patreon community or dropping us a one-time tip and check out our SWAG STORE. You can also find our 50-song COCKBURN JUKEBOX mix here.
Full music list and other links and info can be found on the SHOW NOTES PAGE at TrueTunes.com.
Feb 5, 2022
Feb 5, 2022
10 min
On our second episode of the new short-form TrueTunes@45RPM show, we bring you MORE Bruce Cockburn! Host John J. Thompson and singer/songwriter Chris Taylor continue their dive into 2 more favorites from Bruce: "Loner" and "Gospel of Bondage." For more info visit TrueTunes.com.
Thanks to our sponsors at VisionTrust.org. You can support this show by joining our group of patrons at Patreon.com/truetunes or dropping us a tip via PayPal.
(Believe it or not, there was even MORE to this conversation, which has been sent to our Patreon backers separately.)
Don't miss the full show, and keep spreading the word!
Feb 4, 2022
Feb 4, 2022
12 min
Introducing TRUE TUNES @ 45RPM - the new short-form version of the deep-dive conversations happening in the main True Tunes Podcast and at TrueTunes.com. In honor of the release of his stunning new solo double-album This Beautiful Mystery, this premiere episode features a conversation with Terry Scott Taylor from the Daniel Amos Alarma! Radio Special (produced by our own Bruce A. Brown in 1981) alongside a clip from our conversation with Taylor in the fall of 2021.
As always, THANKS to our Patreon supporters and to the amazing staff and volunteers at VisionTrust.org. CLICK HERE TO MAKE A DONATION or find us at Patreon.com/TrueTunes to join our support team.
For more information visit TrueTunes.com
Jan 24, 2022
Jan 24, 2022
1hr 35 min
As we crack open the True Tunes Vault once more, we unveil a previously unheard 1994 interview with Michael Been of The Call – one of the most under-rated and under-appreciated bands of the 80s. Peter Gabriel once called them “The Future of American Music” and The Chicago Tribune said they “may well be the closest thing America has ever had to its own U2.” Their urgent, inspiring, blood-and-guts rock and roll may have never gotten the attention it deserved, but those fortunate enough to have heard their music – either on record or in concert – were impacted for life. True Tunes’ John J. Thompson interviewed Been, The Call’s chief songwriter, vocalist, and bassist, around the time of the release of his solo album On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakthrough. This long-lost cassette has been found, restored, and presented here, contextualized with a career—wide exploration of the band’s music and legacy.
Full Show Notes, including links to videos, a new book about The Call, and information about our amazing sponsor, VisionTrust, are available at TrueTunes.com/TheCall. And make sure to SUBSCRIBE to the show so you don’t miss our upcoming episode which features a brand-new interview with none other than Bruce Cockburn. (You can also leave us a one-time Paypal tip HERE.)
Jan 13, 2022
Jan 13, 2022
1hr 55 min
As Young Oceans, Eric Marshall has been crafting thoughtful, artful, often liturgical music for over a decade. That makes him an “elder statesman” (or at least a mentor and role model) to many of the young, passionate, alternative worship artists in the trenches today. But his story goes back much farther than that. Through his early, and often frustrating days as a guitarist in a rock band, to several years signed to a failed mainstream pop development deal, to years working in the New York indie rock scene, Marshall developed a musical language, and a particular set of skills, that came into perfect alignment when the vision for Young Oceans emerged. On this episode, we will hear all about Eric Marshall’s challenging journey, as well as the valuable lessons, maturity, and wisdom it has given him. We’ll dig deep into some of the most daunting questions facing sacred artists today. On the Jukebox, we’ll listen to one of the most fascinating, experimental, genre-defying sacred music groups of the last half-century as we revisit the musical catalog of The Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus.
Worship and the pursuit of sacred beauty is a radical endeavor that has been producing challenging art for a long time. We take a deep look at the nature and purpose of art, music, and worship, on this episode of the True Tunes Podcast.
As always, THANKS to our Patreon supporters and to the amazing staff and volunteers at VisionTrust.org. Head over to TrueTunes.com/YoungOceans for the complete show notes for this episode, including the music list, links to relevant resources, and more. If you would like to support the show, please consider dropping us a one-time tip and check out our SWAG STORE.
Find YOUNG OCEANS MUSIC HERE.
Find THE REVOLUTIONARY ARMY OF THE INFANT JESUS MUSIC HERE
Check out and follow our Spotify Playlist covering The Sacred Indie Underground HERE
Dec 31, 2021
Dec 31, 2021
1hr 39 min
From major names to indies from the underground, and across a slew of genres, this True Tunes Jukebox Rewind is our attempt to shed light on some of the music that has meant a lot to us over the last twelve months. Relax and check out thirty albums and thirteen singles as we brace for whatever the next year holds. And don’t miss our massive accompanying playlist with these and many more songs from 2021. Hard times make for fascinating, and important, music. Tune in and listen with us. Thanks to all of the artists who continue to dig deep and push against the tide, to our sponsors at VisionTrust.org, and our Patreon members for helping us curate this conversation.
Click HERE for the full show notes - or find them at TrueTunes.com
Nov 30, 2021
Nov 30, 2021
47 min
On this Special Edition, we introduce a new “spin-off” concept show we hope to launch next year called “From The Vault” with a previously unheard interview John J. Thompson conducted with Randy Stonehill and Phil Keaggy around the release of their 2009 album Mystery Highway. The two legendary artists were in rare form as they shared stories about their first meetings, their early days, and their unique camaraderie over the years. We also present a special medley of songs from the incredible new Stonehill tribute project There’s A Rainbow Somewhere, featuring contributions by Amy Grant, Sixpence None the Richer, Ashley Cleveland, Jars of Clay, Andrew Peterson, Phil Keaggy, and many others. As Keaggy announces a significant slow-down in his live appearances for 2022, and he and Stonehill gather to perform one more show together in Dayton OH (True Tunes will be there,) we present this special show “From The Vaults” to celebrate this rare story of artistry, imagination, and faithful friendship.
See the Show Notes Page for a full music listing and all links and thanks to our sponsors at VisionTrust.org. Learn about how you change the world for one boy or girl today. Click HERE to make a secure donation to support the True Tunes Podcast.