Listening 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.
Episodes
Saturday Dec 19, 2020
Saturday Dec 19, 2020
On this special “Christmas Jukebox Takeover” edition of the podcast, we take a look at the three Christmas music releases by Over The Rhine, as well as their live-streamed 2020 Concert Special and Fundraiser, and talk about their long example of intentionally making space for beauty and grace, and how Christmas might serve as a sort of artistic and liturgical example for all of us during these cold days. Pour yourself something cheerful, make yourself comfortable, and join us by the speakers for a musical Christmas card that we hope might propel us all into, and through, the darkness that we know cannot overcome us.
Tuesday Dec 01, 2020
Tuesday Dec 01, 2020
This is an out-of-sequence "bonus track" from the conversation with Marc Byrd (Hammock, Common Children) that was hidden on the Show Notes page for the previous episode, and only a handful of folks found it. If you have not heard that episode check it out first. Here, Marc and John talk about the possible return of Hammock, and maybe even Common Children, in concert - and riff a bit more on the challenge of pursuing theological understanding. This "bonus track" also represents the launch of the new True Tunes PATREON program. In the future, extended conversations such as this will be available to our patrons! Find more information at Patreon.com/TrueTunes.
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 NEW MERCH!
Monday Nov 23, 2020
Monday Nov 23, 2020
As one half of the instrumental duo Hammock, Marc Byrd has been crafting some of the most influential ambient music of the last 20 years. His songs have found their way into major films, the stunning Ricky Gervais Netflix show After Life, and many more amazing places. But prior to his current career in the post-rock vanguard, Byrd wrote one of the biggest “worship” songs of the last couple of decades (“God of Wonders,”) and got his start in the alternative Christian rock world. And all along he has been haunted by the lingering effects of abuse, addiction, and trauma. On this episode of the True Tunes Podcast, we engage in an extended conversation with a man who is learning how to listen to the sounds resonating deeply within his heart, soul, and mind, and is inviting us to do the same.
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 NEW MERCH!
Monday Oct 26, 2020
Monday Oct 26, 2020
The late Larry Norman has been called the “father of Christian Rock,” though he said he never intended to create an alternate genre. U2, The Pixies’ Frank Black, and Dylan have called themselves fans. However, many who worked closely with him, came away seriously wounded in one way or another. What are we to make of messy, painful stories like his? Might the lasting legacy of Larry Norman have something to teach us about listening for the good, and discerning our own path to healing and beauty amongst damage? In this episode of the True Tunes Podcast, we visit with Larry’s son Mike Norman and hear what it was like to live with Larry and how he has come to terms with his father’s complicated legacy. We also unearth some previously unheard interview clips with Larry himself in which he talks about his regrets, offers advice for artists coming up behind him, and more. We'll also hear a lot of music, including an All Norman Jukebox takeover, and some Larry rarities.
Full Show Notes at https://truetunes.com/ep-17-larry-norman-its-complicated/
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Thursday Oct 01, 2020
Thursday Oct 01, 2020
Billed as "The 80's Hair Band Music Comedy You've Been Saving Yourself For," Electric Jesus is making its way across the country, appearing at film festivals and special screenings. In this episode, we visit with writer/producer Chris White, and composer of both the original songs and the score, Daniel Smith (Danielson Famile.) We also go back to last summer and visit the set of the film to talk with cast members, including Brian Baumgartner (a.k.a Kevin Malone from The Office) and the rest of the key actors.
Along the way, we discuss the strange beauty of failure and the difference between propaganda and art that explores the nature of faith. We also offer an advance listen to a lot of the new music from the film, including a brand new track from Steve Taylor and the Danielson Foil.
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 NEW MERCH!
Thursday Sep 10, 2020
Thursday Sep 10, 2020
Buddy Miller is a true master. He has spent his award-winning career as an artist, guitarist, songwriter, and producer, transcending trends, honoring history, pointing out beauty, and serving others well. On this episode, we visit Miller in his legendary home studio- the very space that has captured musical moments crafted by not only Buddy and Julie Miller, but Emmylou Harris, Jim Lauderdale, Robert Plant, Steve Earle, Carolina Chocolate Drops, The War and Treaty, and so many more. We talk about his earliest memories of music, how it captivated him, and how his professional path emerged. On the Jukebox, we survey his various solo albums and collaborations.
What does it take to become a good listener? Buddy’s got “big ears,” as you’ll soon come to understand. With some discipline and effort, we might develop big ears, and big hearts, as well.
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 NEW MERCH!
Tuesday Aug 25, 2020
Tuesday Aug 25, 2020
Why is it that some of the most compelling art is the dark stuff? Likewise – why is it that when it gets too dark, it becomes less interesting, and not more? And why is it so difficult for spiritually anchored music to get this right? We’re diving into the deep end on this episode of the podcast, with a look at pain and darkness and just how important they can be to genuinely redemptive art.
Join us as we visit with Ella Mine, a brand new artist who recently released her debut album and left us all slack-jawed. Dream War blends progressive rock, classical, folk, and modern pop elements into something that sounds timeless, fresh, and enveloping. Conceived as a live performance piece, it plays like the soundtrack to an epic film or Broadway experience – and yet is as intimate and immediate as a breath. And the whole thing was birthed in and deals with tremendous pain. You’ll hear all about it, including a guided tour through the entire album when Ella takes over the Jukebox.
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 NEW MERCH!
Wednesday Aug 12, 2020
Wednesday Aug 12, 2020
We wrap up our wide-ranging conversation with veteran artists, songwriters, and producers, Don and Lori Chaffer, with a look at their latest Waterdeep album, Tandem, and some practical and inspirational words for young artists and producers looking for a path in these challenging days. The Chaffers have confronted all manners of challenges in their 25+ years as artists and have re-defined "success" in this new creative economy. Tandem demonstrates their artfulness and excellence in ways that remind us of specific radical, Biblical ideas about love.
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 NEW MERCH!
Wednesday Aug 05, 2020
Wednesday Aug 05, 2020
In this conversation we explore the unique challenges and opportunities of "adult music" as we catch up with Don and Lori Chaffer of Waterdeep and reflect upon all three albums by Buddy & Julie Miller on the Jukebox. Independent artists and aspiring songwriters and producers take note, the Chaffers are a thriving creative cottage industry unto themselves and they offer a fascinating example of what success looks like these days. (Part 1 of 2)
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 NEW MERCH!
Tuesday Jul 14, 2020
Tuesday Jul 14, 2020
What about when you don't feel like singing? Is "Worship Music" exciting to you, frustrating, both? We’re “Singing a New Song” on this episode, with songwriter, artist, worship pastor and fountain of wisdom and grace, Sandra McCracken, including some sneak peeks into her not yet released album Patient Kingdom. We also re-visit one of the most important “modern worship” albums ever – 1991's At The Foot of the Cross on the True Tunes Jukebox as we contemplate the worship/music conundrum this time on the True Tunes Podcast.
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 NEW MERCH!