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
Wednesday Jul 27, 2022
Wednesday Jul 27, 2022
The 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 these four friends looking back on twenty years of friendship and music – and the persistent questions about labels, limitations, and purpose.
Full Show Notes, and photos, available at TrueTunes.com/PrayerChain18
The True Tunes Podcast is sponsored by VisionTrust.org. Help us change the world one child at a time by sponsoring a child 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 NEW MERCH!
Tuesday Jul 19, 2022
Tuesday Jul 19, 2022
The 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 Chagall Guevara just did. True Tunes’ John J. Thompson was invited to the band’s secret Music City rehearsal lair for an extended conversation about everything from their origin in the late 80s to their unlikely resurrection during a global pandemic. Steve Taylor, Dave Perkins, Mike Mead, and Lynn Nichols are our guests on this episode of the True Tunes Podcast as we contemplate Halcyon Days, memory, and just how amazing “failure” can sound in the right hands.
On the Jukebox, we take a listen to Taylor’s long-lost Squint Entertainment label and how he channeled his artistic frustration and lessons learned into an artist development story that launched one of the biggest global hits of the 90s; (Sixpence None The Richer’s “Kiss Me,”) as well as Burlap To Cashmere, LA Symphony, Chevelle, and more. (Full music list and more can be found on the SHOW NOTES PAGE at TrueTunes.com/halcyon.)
The True Tunes Podcast is sponsored by VisionTrust.org. Help us change the world one child at a time by sponsoring a child 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 NEW MERCH!
Tuesday Jun 28, 2022
Tuesday Jun 28, 2022
The 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 burning. With a radical lineup – both musically and educationally – this event was unique in the world. It was responsible for launching several artists not only into the thriving underground, but to mainstream rock, alternative, and metal success as well.
The final Cornerstone Festival happened in July of 2012 and on this special edition of the True Tunes Podcast we revisit the event both through archival interviews and performance audio, and newly recorded interviews with some of the festival’s founders. We hear from some of our listeners about the ways Cornerstone impacted them, and co-producer Bruce A. Brown even interviews our host, John J. Thompson, for his perspective. True Tunes traces its roots directly to this incendiary event – when John was just a 13-year-old kid watching The 77s, Rez Band, and others in a field outside of Chicago. We’ll hear that story and a lot more.
If you were ever at Cornerstone, you know. If not – take a listen and hear about one of the most unlikely, insane, wonderful, and influential events few people have ever heard of. We’ll also ponder what we miss most about it ten years later – and what, if anything, we might do about that.
Music list and more are available on the Show Notes Page for this episode at TrueTunes.com/CstoneRemembered
The True Tunes Podcast is sponsored by VisionTrust.org. Help us change the world for one child at a time by sponsoring a child 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.
Tuesday Jun 14, 2022
Tuesday Jun 14, 2022
Not 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 the most inspiring, and heartbreaking gritty folk-rock this side of the Graceland Cemetery since he burst onto the scene in 1991. His latest may be his best yet – and that’s saying something.
While in this soul-searching, folk-rock mood, we crank up Peter Himmelman on the True Tunes Jukebox and hear from another – very different – master of the genre. Himmelman has tapped into the therapeutic, spiritual, communal powers of song for decades – from radio hits like “Woman With The Strength of 10,000 Men” to Grammy-nominated children’s music, and beyond.
Full music list and more are available on the Show Notes Page for this episode at TrueTunes.com/StPaulsBvd.
Find our review of McDermott's album What In The World HERE.
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.
Tuesday May 31, 2022
Tuesday May 31, 2022
In the conclusion of our conversation with Michael Roe we talk about one of JJT’s favorite 77s songs in great detail, along with the birth, evolution, survival, and impact of The Lost Dogs, and the hard-won lessons Roe has learned along the way. The Choir’s Steve Hindalong and Derri Daugherty offer some revealing perspectives on their brother-in-arms and singer/songwriter/visual artist and Love Coma frontman Chris Taylor reflects on Roe as both a fan and as a young artist under his tutelage.
And don’t miss Part One in which Roe talks about his earliest influences as an artist, the progressive faith community that embraced him and made space for The 77s to emerge, and our special 45RPM episode in which his bandmates Aaron Smith, Jan Eric Volz, Terry Scott Taylor and Jimmy Abegg riff on Roe along with longtime friend and advocate Randy Layton. Find the complete Show Notes page, including a complete list of all music used on this episode at TrueTunes.com/Roe2.
BUY Michael Roe’s music HERE
Check out our special Spotify Mix of Roe’s music HERE
Don’t forget to check out Michael Roe’s special Jukebox Takeover mix, including over 60 of the most influential records in his life HERE
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.
Tuesday May 24, 2022
Tuesday May 24, 2022
On this special @45RPM episode we continue our exploration of the life, music, and legacy of Michael Roe by checking in with some of his closest friends and compatriots. We hear from his 77s bandmates: Aaron "A-Train" Smith and Jan Eric Volz, Exit Records soulmate Jimmy Abegg, longtime advocate Randy Layton of Alternative Records, and fellow Lost Dog Terry Scott Taylor.
On Part 2 we will continue to dig deep with the man himself, diving into one of JJT’s all-time favorite 77s songs and hearing all about the formation, evolution, and tragic beauty of The Lost Dogs. We’ll hear about what it might mean to “do it for love,” after all these broken, beautiful years.
If you have not heard PART ONE of our conversation with Mike "Dr. Love" Roe - check it out now.
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.
Tuesday May 17, 2022
Tuesday May 17, 2022
Very few artists have accomplished what Michael Roe has over the last forty years. Between his work with the seminal rock “laboratory” (The 77s,) his membership in a veritable supergroup of unknowns, (The Lost Dogs,) his own solo work, and numerous collaborations (Kerosene Halo with The Choir’s Derri Daugherty for instance,) Roe has made an indelible mark on thousands of hearts and minds. That he has done all of this in relative obscurity is a testament to the deep, spiritual, drive that propels him even when the “system” has let him down. In a fair world, Michael Roe would be a flat-out rock star. It seems someone had better plans for him.
In this “part one” of our two-part feature, Roe talks about his earliest influences as an artist: the record player in his parents’ living room. We get to hear a bit of an extremely rare 1969 record on which a 15-year-old Roe made his recording debut. We hear about the progressive faith community that embraced him and made space for The 77s to emerge. And the True Tunes Jukebox spilled records all over the show. On part 2 Roe will talk about his work with The Lost Dogs, the way his community has shaped him and his work, and what lessons he has learned after four decades in the trenches. We’ll also hear from several of his closest friends and co-laborers about what Mike’s life and work has meant to them.
BUY Michael Roe’s music HERE
Check out our special Spotify Mix of Roe’s music HERE
Don’t forget to check out Michael Roe’s special Jukebox Takeover mix, including over 60 of the most influential records in his life HERE
Find a list of all of the music on this episode on the SHOW NOTES PAGE at TrueTunes.com/Roe1
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.
Wednesday May 11, 2022
Wednesday May 11, 2022
On this special "from the archives" edition of our @45RPM podcast, we re-visit excerpts from two episodes from 2020 that had a profound impact on the direction of the show. Artist, songwriter, producer, and Americana legend Buddy Miller, and Ian Fitchuk (who won Producer of the Year that year for his work with Kacey Musgraves) both talk about how important it is to listen carefully - and how listening skills impact both their work as artists and their relationships. For more information visit the Show Notes page at TrueTunes.com/45-Listening.
Listen to the FULL EPISODE with Buddy Miller
Listen to the FULL EPISODE with Ian Fitchuk
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.
Wednesday May 04, 2022
Wednesday May 04, 2022
Aside from being one of the most exciting indie hip-hop artists around, Jason "Propaganda" Petty is an academic, an author, a poet, and a lover of great coffee. Join us as we talk through his idea of "Terraforming" - making space for life to thrive in hostile environments. And speaking of hostile environments, it has been said that every animal in Australia wants to kill us. On this episode's Jukebox feature we listen carefully to the passionate and socially engaged alternative rock that Down Under's Midnight Oil has been crafting for fifty years. No, they don't want to kill us - far from it. It's all about music that moves more than our butts on this episode of the True Tunes Podcast! Find the full music notes and links on the SHOW NOTES page for this episode or by hitting up TrueTunes.com/propaganda.
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.
Wednesday Apr 27, 2022
Wednesday Apr 27, 2022
In this second installment of our conversation with poet, author, teacher, and pastor, Steve Scott, we listen in on a conversation he hosted in JJT's home a few years back. Following up on the theme of "the mission of sacred art" from Part 1, this time we hear about Steve's observations on The Gospel of John as both a call to - and an example of - creative cultural critique. Show notes and links available at TrueTunes.com/scott2
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.