Best TrueTunes Podcasts (2024)

1
Luxury: Making The Most Of Their Second Act 1:31:45

22d ago1:31:45

1:31:45

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. From their early days of alt-punk abandon through a harrowing and deadly car crash and onto a very different path that found three of the …

1
@45RPM - Luxury on the Jukebox (New Episode Preview) 17:18

23d ago17:18

17:18

This 45RPM episode features a look back at over 30 years of the music of a relatively obscure but critically acclaimed indie rock band, Luxury. We will go back to the beginning, when the band was known as The Shroud, playing with jangly punk abandon at their college in Toccoa, Georgia. We launched this podcast five years ago - when Luxury reconvene…

1
An Alternative Legacy Changes Hands: Randy & Matthias Layton 1:08:16

2M ago1:08:16

1:08:16

Randy Layton has been a tireless advocate of some of our favorite artists since the 1980s. He was also an early influence and encourager of all things True Tunes. His "Alternative Records" imprint helped to define the indie / DIY approach long before it was common, and his current campaign to reissue yet another incredible (and obscure) album by Ro…

1
God Gave Rock and Roll To You: The Clash of the CCM Historians w Dr. Leah Payne and JJT 1:22:58

4M ago1:22:58

1:22:58

Dr. Leah Payne, author of the new book God Gave Rock and Roll To You, joins us 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 host John J. Thompson wrangle with the odd and sometimes troubling history of the scene…

1
@45RPM - Rolling Lost Tape with Jim Goodwin of The Call 33:55

5M ago33:55

33:55

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 Day Begin” scratching out a presence on college and alternative radio, The Call never lived up to the commercial potential their fans knew they deserved. And when frontman, vocalist, and primar…

1
Microdose: Propaganda 4:51

6M ago4:51

4:51

On this "impossibly short version of the ongoing conversation you'll find at TrueTunes.com" we revisit our conversation with rapper, author, and activist PROPAGANDA! About The True Tunes Microdose Episodes: 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…

1
Microdose: The Choir 5:02

6M ago5:02

5:02

On this "impossibly short version of the ongoing conversation you'll find at TrueTunes.com" we revisit our conversation with Steve Hindalong, Derri Daugherty, and Dan Michaels of The Choir. Few bands embody the spirit of spiritual yearning, artistic exploration, emotional risk, and impressionistic ambiance as completely as this veteran crew. About …

1
Microdose: Young Oceans 5:21

6M ago5:21

5:21

On this "impossibly short version of the ongoing conversation you'll find at TrueTunes.com" we revisit our conversation with Eric Marshall, who has been releasing some of our favorite alternative worship music for well over a decade under the moniker YOUNG OCEANS. About The True Tunes Microdose Episodes: As we look back on our first 100 episodes we…

1
Microdose: Neal Morse 4:39

6M ago4:39

4:39

On this "impossibly short version of the ongoing conversation you'll find at TrueTunes.com" we revisit our conversation with Prog Rock legend Neal Morse (of Spock's Beard, Transatlantic, Flying Colours, and The Neal Morse Band.) Morse took us on a journey through the history of progressive rock and his own artistic and spiritual discoveries. About …

1
Microdose: Phil Cook’s Spiritual Helpline 5:02

6M ago5:02

5:02

On this "impossibly short version of the ongoing conversation you'll find at TrueTunes.com" we revisit our conversation with Pianist, songwriter, and filmmaker Phil Cook. Cook - who cut his teeth as a member of Bon Iver - has been releasing some incredible solo material lately AND has been chronicling some of the best North Carolina roots Gospel mu…

1
Microdose: Natalie Bergman 5:00

6M ago5:00

5:00

On this "impossibly short version of the ongoing conversation you'll find at TrueTunes.com" we revisit our conversation with the Third Man Records artist Natalie Bergman. Her story, and her music, captivated us as she added her humble (but seriously impressive) offering to the Jesus Music repertoire. About The True Tunes Microdose Episodes: As we l…

1
Microdose: Sandra McCracken 4:59

6M ago4:59

4:59

On this "impossibly short version of the ongoing conversation you'll find at TrueTunes.com" we revisit our conversation with songwriter, worship leader, artist, and hymnist, Sandra McCracken. Having recently joined forces with Taylor Leonhardt, Jess Ray, and Leslie Jordan to form The Paper Horses, Sandra continues to evolve and innovate. About The …

1
Microdose: Terry Scott Taylor 4:40

6M ago4:40

4:40

On this "impossibly short version of the ongoing conversation you'll find at TrueTunes.com" we revisit our conversation with songwriter, artist, and pioneer, Terry Scott Taylor. Between his solo work, his groundbreaking work with the band Daniel Amos, his collaboration with The 77s' Michael Roe, The Choir's Derri Daugherty, and Adam Again's Gene Eu…

1
Microdose: Steve Scott 3:52

6M ago3:52

3:52

On this "impossibly short version of the ongoing conversation you'll find at TrueTunes.com" we revisit our conversation with artist, poet, author, and theologian STEVE SCOTT - who also served as the Arts Editor of the original True Tunes News magazine back in the 90s. Scott just released The Way of the Sevenfold Secret, a collection of poetry with …

1
Microdose: Taylor Leonhardt 4:47

8M ago4:47

4:47

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 - who has recently joined forces with Sandra McCracken, Jess Ray, and Leslie Jordan to form The Paper Horses - continues to brin…

1
Microdose: Michael Roe 3:48

8M ago3:48

3:48

On this "True Tunes Microdose" (an impossibly short version of the ongoing conversation you'll find at TrueTunes.com) we revisit a short bit of our chat with Michael Roe of The 77s and The Lost Dogs. The episodes with Mike proved to be some of the most popular in the history of our show, with many long-time fans chiming in and some new fans joining…

1
Microdose: Amy Grant 5:09

8M ago5:09

5:09

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. Amy Gran…

1
Microdose: Charlie Peacock 3:41

8M ago3:41

3:41

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. Charlie …

1
Mylon LeFevre (In His Own Words) 1:26:25

10M ago1:26:25

1:26:25

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 Souther Gospel band for wearing his sideburns too long, and released on the earliest and most significant Gospel Rock albums ever ("We Believe" circa 1970.) He went on t…

1
@45RPM The Choir’s 1988 Classic LP ”Chase The Kangaroo” 28:14

11M ago28:14

28:14

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 it on vinyl and CD, we decided to pull together this special episode to lend some support. We spoke to primary songwriters Steve Hindalong and Derri Daugherty about the album a …

1
@45RPM John Pantano (Pantano/Salsbury) On Their 1977 Larry Norman Produced LP ”Hit The Switch” 23:38

12M ago23:38

23:38

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 Salsbury, were the core of JC Power Outlet - one of the earliest Jesus Rock bands on the scene. After two albums for Myrrh Records, the two signed with Larry Norman’s vanguard Solid Rock label an…

1
Loving The Alien: JJT & Allan Aguirre Talk Bowie (Plus Scaterd Few & Spyglass Blue on the Jukebox) 1:36:22

12M ago1:36:22

1:36:22

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 truly great – David Bowie. We’ll also crank up the Jukebox to listen to some of Allan’s music, which was clearly inspired by the Thin White Duke, but took that inspiration in many different direction…

1
Special Edition: Couples Skate (Jukebox Takeover) 59:07

1y ago59:07

59:07

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 dug deeper and deeper into the world of amazing music made by couples, the dang thing demanded to become a separate show! So, we just rolled the Jukebox out into the middle of the rink for an extended…

1
Wild Harbors in Paris: Safety Is Overrated 57:15

1y ago57:15

57:15

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 epis…

1
@45RPM Did The Joshua Tree Fall on The 77s? (More Roe From The Cutting Room Floor) 32:29

1y ago32:29

32:29

The 77s' 1987 self-titled album was not only that band's first real shot at the "big-time" success their fans knew they deserved. It was also the climax of a creative explosion from a unique Sacramento community that had been cooking up spiritually driven, culturally engaged, artistically excellent music for about a decade. On this special "From Th…

1
More ”Alternative” Than You’ll Ever Be (Randy Layton’s Long Strange Trip) 1:38:47

1+ y ago1:38:47

1:38:47

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 not famous and successful - artists of the last forty years through his label Alternative Records and his previous work with the enormously influential Sacramento label Exit Records. He was all abou…

1
@45RPM Charlie Peacock Revisited (From The Vault) 30:20

1+ y ago30:20

30:20

The very first episode of this podcast - which premiered back in 2019 - featured a conversation with award-winning producer, songwriter, and artist Charlie Peacock. Charlie, one of the artists who inspired the launch of the original True Tunes in the 80s with his progressive, genre-bending, standard-setting music, was later associated with artists …

1
@45RPM U2’s Achtung Baby Jukebox Rewind 23:42

1+ y ago23:42

23:42

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 initially shocking album, Achtung Baby, 30 years after its original release. With the band back in the news - both for Bono's stunning new memoir Surrender and their corresponding collection of …

1
Outsider Art w Finster & Yingst + Mountain Goats on The Jukebox (True Tunes Live) 1:31:43

1+ y ago1:31:43

1:31:43

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 contemporar…

1
Tonio K. Walks On: Notes From A Lost World 2:06:19

1+ y ago2:06:19

2:06:19

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 career. He should have been one of those critical reference points of the heady '70s and '80s, right up there with Warren Zevon and Joe Jackson. He had the wit, the sneer, t…

1
Drew Holcomb Comes To Class 1:43:14

1+ y ago1:43:14

1:43:14

Drew Holcomb is one of the most successful – and innovative – independent singer-songwriters working today. His rootsy, unadorned style has filled theaters and halls around the country, driven several singles up the Americana chart, seen some major placements in prominent films, television shows, and ad campaigns, and earned him a devoted fan base.…

1
@45RPM Calling Out The Ghosts: JJT & Michelle Thompson (The Wayside) + Producer Matt Goldman (Underoath, Luxury) discuss new music 41:04

1+ y ago41:04

41:04

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 music," he admits, "before I worked in the industry at all - before I promoted concerts or started True Tunes back in the 80s - I was a kid with a guitar, bad hair, a…

1
Prog Rock, Complex Art, & Cultivating a Discerning Ear: Neal Morse’s Epic Journey 1:49:04

1+ y ago1:49:04

1:49:04

We finally scale the misty mountain 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 de…

1
Singing In The Choir w Nikki Lerner + Over The Rhine’s Nowhere Else Fest rocks the Jukebox 2:01:30

1+ y ago2:01:30

2:01:30

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 under a big tent in their wide Ohio backyard. And yes, we grew up seeing Over The Rhine play show after breathtaking show under a similar tent at the Cornerstone Festival in West Central Illinois. We kn…

1
@45RPM David Bunker on Artist Care and Nurturing the Creative 11:46

1+ y ago11:46

11:46

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 and as an artist and songwriter himself, joins JJT to talk about the idea of "artist care" from the perspective of both creatives and those who wish to serve them. Bunker has b…

1
Tyson Motsenbocker Loses His Milk Teeth (+ Madison Cunningham’s ”Revealer” on the Jukebox) 1:54:03

1+ y ago1:54:03

1:54:03

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 compositional influences coming from sources much older. He is also willing to tackle difficult, even controversial issues – including racism, hypocrisy, addiction, im…

1
@45RPM What Good Is Music? (with Pastor Chris Williamson of Strong Tower Bible Church and Transformation Crusade) 19:17

1+ y ago19:17

19:17

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 hearts and minds in these dark, divided, and confusing days? We decided to talk to someone who would know; a man who is a pastor, an artist, an advocate for social change, an…

1
@45RPM Creativity Will Save The World w Tom Willett (12” Extended Mix) 27:17

1+ y ago27:17

27:17

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 such as T Bone Burnett, Tonio K, Mark Heard, The Choir, Sam Phillips, Phil Keaggy, and many others as an A&R rep, marketing man, and career coach. He has also spent decades as a teach…

1
Bill Mallonee (Vigilantes of Love): From Americana’s ”Next Big Thing” to Indefatigable Digital Busker 1:55:21

2y ago1:55:21

1:55:21

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 more. Before “Americana” was even known as a musical genre, his Athens GA band Vigilantes of Love was helping to define it. Later, with albums produced by Peter Buck of R.E.M., Mark Heard, Ji…

1
Beatles & Outlaws: Ken Mansfield Comes Down From The Roof 1:36:44

2y ago1:36:44

1:36:44

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, where he worked with artists like Lou Rawls, The Band, and The Beach Boys, Ken was personally chosen by The Beatles to head their Apple Records enterprise in the US. He happened to be working at…

1
Phil Cook’s Spiritual Helpline (From Bon Iver, Hiss Golden Messenger, & Megafaun to Gospel Glory) 1:47:22

2y ago1:47:22

1:47:22

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…

1
Love Is Underrated: Undercover (+ What’s Shakin’ & Reality Rock on the Jukebox) 1:34:26

2y ago1:34:26

1:34:26

On this episode, 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. Undercover emerged in the early 19…

1
David Eugene Edwards of Wovenhand: Apocalypse Ain’t for the Faint of Heart 1:21:56

2y ago1:21:56

1:21:56

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 16 Horsepower to the last two decades of material he has offered via Wovenhand, Edwards practically haunts every stage, and album, with spirits that are simultaneously s…

1
Michael Bloodgood: A Long Obedience in a LOUD Direction 42:01

2y ago42:01

42:01

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 career that really took off in the 80s metal scene, Michael was a true "metal missionary." We already miss him sorely. Presented in cooperation with Blue Tape Records and the Elect…

1
@45RPM The Prayer Chain: Backstage in ’18 8:41

2y ago8:41

8:41

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…

1
Chagall Guevara: Revolutionary Art, Halcyon Days, & Long-Play Redemption (+ a Squint Jukebox Meltdown) 2:11:49

2y ago2:11:49

2:11:49

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 al…

1
The Cornerstone Festival: 10 Years Gone (and counting...) 2:25:21

2y ago2:25:21

2:25:21

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 mo…

1
Walking St. Paul’s Blvd with Michael McDermott (+ Peter Himmelman on the Jukebox) 1:52:04

2y ago1:52:04

1:52:04

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 li…

1
Michael Roe Did It For Love (Pt.2) [The Lost Dogs, 77s, Kerosene Halo] 1:46:36

2y ago1:46:36

1:46:36

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-ar…

1
@45RPM - Character Witnesses for Michael Roe (Terry S. Taylor, Jimmy A, Randy Layton, A-Train, & Jan Eric Volz) 14:26

2y ago14:26

14:26

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 D…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

TrueTunes Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide