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
Oct 30, 2019
Oct 30, 2019
58 min
In Part Two of our "live" True Tunes 30-Year Reunion we listen in on JJT’s conversation with singer-songwriter Michael McDermott, and Jeff Elbel’s interview of JJT, plus we get After The Fire and Avett brothers on the Jukebox.
Check out the FULL SHOW NOTES HERE, or here: https://truetunes.com/podcast-ep-5-michael-mcdermott-jjt-after-the-fire-avett-brothers/
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!
Sep 27, 2019
Sep 27, 2019
1hr 3 min
The original True Tunes opened in June of 1989, and in the summer of 2019 a group of friends – including Glenn Kaiser, Michael McDermott, Jeff Elbel, Josiah Viland, and The Wayside, gathered in the Chicago area to celebrate that 30 Year Anniversary and to talk about new all-new True Tunes as well. On Episode Four of the True Tunes Podcast, we re-visit that gathering with excerpts from the conversations with Jesus Music pioneer Glenn Kaiser, and rock journalist for the Illinois Entertainer and the Chicago Sun-Times, Jeff Elbel. (Don’t worry, the rest will be included in Part 2. In the Jukebox, we take a listen to Threads, the brand new album by Sheryl Crow, and the 1976 classic Welcome To Paradise by Randy Stonehill.
Find the FULL SHOW NOTES HERE, or here: https://truetunes.com/episode-four-30-year-reunion-part-1-glenn-kaiser-jeff-elbel-plus-sheryl-crow-randy-stonehill/
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!
Sep 11, 2019
Sep 11, 2019
49 min
Host John J. Thompson talks with independent singer, songwriter Christa Wells and reflects on the latest album by Sam Phillips (World On Sticks) and the 1979 classic, Straight On, by DeGarmo and Key on the True Tunes Jukebox. Listeners also get a sneak peek at a song from the film Electric Jesus and a listen to a song from the very first performance by The 77s in 1979 (as The Scratch Band) in honor of their 40th Anniversary!
Check out THE FULL SHOW NOTES HERE, or here: https://truetunes.com/true-tunes-podcast-episode-three-show-notes/
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!
Aug 27, 2019
Aug 27, 2019
50 min
Tommee Profitt may not be a "household name," but you've heard his music. As the producer and co-writer of hit rapper NF's music, and as the composer and producer behind some of the most successful film and TV music out there, Profitt has been quietly - and not so quietly - finding a new way to be successful in today's music scene. And it all started by giving up on a dream. This episode also looks back on two of the greatest pop records of the 80s by one of the most under-appreciated bands of the modern era, Bourgeois Tagg.
Check out the FULL SHOW NOTES PAGE HERE, or here: https://truetunes.com/episode-two-tommee-profitt-bourgeois-tagg/
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!
Jul 2, 2019
Jul 2, 2019
52 min
Grammy Award winning producer, songwriter, and artist Charlie Peacock has worked with artists like Civil Wars, Switchfoot, Ruby Amanfu, and others, and his songs have been recorded by Amy Grant, dc Talk, Bela Fleck and more, but back when True Tunes' founder John J Thompson was just getting his idea out of the blocks Charlie was one of his favorite artists and deepest inspirations. One night, at the Cornerstone Festival in 1989, Charlie offered John some advice that shaped his life and work in profound ways. Recently, 30 years on since that initial meeting, the two got back together to talk about music, theology, success, and the unnecessary limitations many artists place on themselves.
The "Jukebox" feature takes a look at Charlie's 1984 album Lie Down In The Grass and The Raconteurs' newest, Help Us Stranger, and the News feature explores Buddy & Julie Miller, The Beatles, and Ireland's Inhaler.
Check out the FULL SHOW NOTES HERE, or here: https://truetunes.com/episode-one-charlie-peacock/
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!