PODCAST SHOW NOTES
Give Up The Dream? (JJT & Writer/Director Thomas Torrey re: Long December)
There’s a new “melancholy Christmas musical” to add to your list of indie film favorites, and when we had a chance to see an advance screening, we immediately knew that this story was YOUR kind of story. A hard-working, veteran singer-songwriter is trying to make it through to the end of another long year, wondering if it is time to lay down the dream. Boy does this one strike close to home.
Checking Russ Taff’s Cover Story (with Taff, Steve Taylor and John Mark Painter)
6-time Grammy winner Russ Taff’s voice has defined the emotional potential of Gospel music for over half a century. His perfectly raspy tenor transcends genre and era, first as the lead vocalist for Gospel legends The Imperials, then as a phenomenally successful solo artist. That legacy now takes on a whole new depth as Taff unveils Cover Story, a collection of rock, soul, and Americana songs that resonate deeply with the struggles he has privately endured throughout his life onstage.
Jennifer Knapp Goes Back to Kansas
Knapp has come a long way since her debut LP, Kansas, was certified Gold 25 years ago. She followed that with two more critically acclaimed and commercially successful LPs in the Christian music market and earned increased respect and opportunities to share her craft on mainstream stages. She gathered two Grammy nominations and sold a million albums in three years, but things were not well behind the scenes. In 2002, after fulfilling her contractual obligations, Jennifer dropped out of the scene, disconnected from the industry, and moved to Australia. After an eight-year hiatus and coming out as gay, Knapp returned in 2010. Jennifer recently revisited her debut, re-recording Kansas with producer Steve Hindalong to celebrate its 25th anniversary. On this episode of the podcast, Knapp visits John and Michelle Thompson in their East Nashville home to talk about her journey, her faith, and what it has been like to go back to Kansas. We’ll also hear a bit from Hindalong about how the project came together.
Fred Armisen, Daniel Smith, Chris White & Mike Norman Discuss “Come & Save Me”
Fred Armisen, Daniel Smith, Chris White, and Mike Norman discuss the new “Come And Save Me” short film on the True Tunes Podcast.
9 MORE Microdose Episodes!
Join us as we look back on our first 100 episodes with these specially curated highlights. This SECOND batch of NINE new MICRODOSE episodes of the True Tunes Podcasts offers […]
Luxury: Making The Most Of Their Second Act
In 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.
@45RPM – Luxury on the Jukebox (New Episode Preview)
The musical history of the band Luxury is explored on the True Tunes Podcast.
An Alternative Legacy Changes Hands
As Randy Layton faces a devastating turn in the battle he has been waging with cancer, he is handing the reigns of Alternative Records (77s, Steve Scott, Robert Vaughn and the Shadows) over to his son Matthias. On this episode, we hear from father and son, about this forty-year legacy, what it all meant, and where it goes when the road seems to end.
God Gave Rock and Roll To You: The Clash of the CCM Historians w Dr. Leah Payne and JJT
Dr. Leah Payne, author of the new book God Gave Rock and Roll To You; A History of Contemporary Christian Music, joins historian John J. Thompson 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 JJT wrangle with the odd and sometimes troubling history of the scene.
Rolling Lost Tape with Jim Goodwin of The Call
APPLE PODCASTS LINK Even 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 […]
9 New Microdose Episodes
This batch of NINE new MICRODOSE episodes of the True Tunes Podcasts offers short (5-minute or less) flashbacks to highlights from our first 100 episodes. This batch includes Propaganda, Terry […]
Microdose: Taylor Leonhardt
On 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 […]
Microdose: Michael Roe
We revisit a short bit of our chat with Michael Roe of The 77s and The Lost Dogs.
Microdose: Charlie Peacock
Welcome 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.
Mylon LeFevre (In His Own Words)
Mylon 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 […]
The Choir’s Classic LP ”Chase The Kangaroo”
The 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 […]
John Pantano (of Pantano/Salsbury) Hits The Switch!
John 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 […]
Loving The Alien: JJT & Aguirre Talk Bowie
APPLE PODCASTS LINK On 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 […]
Special Edition: Couples Skate (Jukebox Takeover)
APPLE PODCASTS LINK This 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 […]
Wild Harbors in Paris: Safety Is Overrated
We 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.
Did The Joshua Tree Fall on The 77s? (More Roe From The Cutting Room Floor)
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 Electric Jesus Podcast to finally answer one of the most fascinating questions of all time: Did U2’s breakthrough album The Joshua Tree inadvertently KILL one of our other favorite LPs?
More ”Alternative” Than You’ll Ever Be (Randy Layton’s Long Strange Trip)
Randy 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 […]
Charlie Peacock Revisited (From The Vault)
For this special “From The Vault” episode, we have found some previously unheard “tape” and framed it with some of Charlie Peacock’s recent jazz music to highlight even more of his important insights and observations.
@45RPM U2’s Achtung Baby Jukebox Rewind
APPLE PODCASTS LINK This 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 […]
Outsider Art w Finster & Yingst + Mountain Goats on The Jukebox
True 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.
Tonio K. Walks On: Notes From A Lost World
It 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 […]
Drew Holcomb Comes To Class
On this extraordinary episode of the podcast, Drew Holcomb comes to class! Thompson is joined by nine students as guest interviewers, each bringing one excellent question, and Mr. Holcomb offers a world of wisdom, wit, humor, and inspiration. We hear about everything from his earliest days as a struggling artist to last fall’s disastrous Moon River rain-out. We hear about making music with a spouse, managing a band with friends, learning how (and when) to co-write, his biggest mistake, and much more. Throughout the conversation, we also hear clips from a slew of rare tracks by Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors and other friends and comrades.
Calling Out The Ghosts: The Wayside + Producer Matt Goldman discuss new music
If 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 […]
Prog Rock, Complex Art, & Cultivating a Discerning Ear: Neal Morse’s Epic Journey
John J. Thompson explores the legacy 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 personal and musical journey is as inspiring as his epic music. We also ponder the backlash “prog” received in the punk / new wave movement of the 70s and what complex, intricate art might offer us as we strive to become deeper thinkers, better discerners, and more imaginative humans.
Nikki Lerner + The Music of Nowhere Else
APPLE PODCASTS LINK We 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 […]
David Bunker on Artist Care & Nurturing the Creative
APPLE PODCASTS LINK David 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 […]
Tyson Motsenbocker Loses His Milk Teeth
APPLE PODCASTS LINK Tyson 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 […]
@45RPM What Good Is Music? (with Pastor Chris )
APPLE PODCASTS LINK What 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 […]
Creativity Will Save The World (w Tom Willett)
Tom 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 […]
Bill Mallonee: Love Vigilante for Life
APPLE PODCASTS LINK Bill 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 […]
Beatles & Outlaws: Ken Mansfield Comes Down From The Roof
APPLE PODCASTS LINK Ken 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, […]
Phil Cook’s Spiritual Helpline
After 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. He discusses his long and dynamic musical journey with True Tunes’ John J. Thompson on the True Tunes Podcast in this rare interview.
Love Is Underrated: Undercover
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.
David Eugene Edwards of Wovenhand: Apocalypse Ain’t for the Faint of Heart
Few 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 […]
Michael Bloodgood: A Long Obedience in a LOUD Direction
In 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 […]
@45RPM The Prayer Chain: Backstage in ’18
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 […]
Chagall Guevara: Revolutionary Art, Halcyon Days, & Long-Play Redemption
APPLE PODCASTS LINK 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 […]
The Cornerstone Festival: 10 Years Gone (and counting…)
SPOTIFY LINK APPLE PODCASTS LINK 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 […]
Walking St. Paul’s Blvd with Michael McDermott (+ Peter Himmelman on the Jukebox)
APPLE PODCASTS LINK 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 […]
@45RPM – New Tunes From Rich’s House (An Early Listen to a New Tribute)
True 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, our listeners, an early glimpse at this very special project.
Michael Roe Did It For Love (Pt.2)
APPLE PODCASTS LINK 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, […]
@45RPM – Character Witnesses for Michael Roe
Apple Podcasts Link 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 […]
Michael Roe Did It For Love (Pt. 1)
APPLE PODCASTS LINK 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 […]
@45RPM – Listening Carefully w Buddy Miller & Ian Fitchuk
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.