Shows
Building Your BandPeter James | Clashing With Every Single PersonWe’re joined by legendary Hillsong keyboardist and sound designer Peter James. Peter has been playing piano/keys for the last 25+ years, and has been heavily involved with Hillsong Church as a volunteer on the weekends, as well as being employed by Hillsong United and Hillsong International Leadership College as a lecturer for the past 13 […]2018-02-1900 minBuilding Your BandGrant Norsworthy | Prancing, Stancing, Left And Right GlancingA Grammy-nominated, Dove Award-winning musician (formerly with Sonicflood and Paul Colman Trio), Grant Norsworthy is also the founder, owner, content developer and principal instructor for More Than Music Mentor, providing online and on-site training to equip church singers, instrumentalists and technicians for artistic excellence and authentic worship. In this captivating podcast episode, we talk about […]2018-01-0900 minBuilding Your BandChristian Nuckels | Open Up Your HandsChristian Nuckels joins us to talk about his unlikely journey into ministry and songwriting, the process of songwriting, how production is part of that (but can also get in the way), and how collaboration can mature a song and invest others in it. Christian show us a more generous way of creating- a way that […]2017-10-0200 minBuilding Your BandDan Cuomo | Something’s Wrong With That Click TrackDan Cuomo joins the show to share his thoughts, wisdom and experience playing rock drums, getting signed to a major label (40 Records) and touring Europe, and then deciding what’s next. Today you will find Dan playing modern worship drums in churches all over the DC/MD/VA area. I hold Dan up as an example of exactly […]2017-07-2400 minBuilding Your BandNikki Lerner | You All Know The WordsWith Nikki Lerner as our guest, we immediately get to the heart of doing multicultural worship. Nikki helps us explore our motivations, ask better questions, and avoid common pitfalls. She gives us a way to think about multicultural worship that has nothing to do with meeting quotas. Instead, she asks us to be deliberate and base our […]2017-06-2600 minBuilding Your BandJon Waller | Destroyed an Entire GenreJon joins the show discussing a range of genres based around Jazz to include Gospel and Neo Soul. Along the way, he shares samples from some projects he has done. We wrap up with his thoughts on the kinds of music that belongs in church, the role the church plays in moving music forward, as well as his thoughts on […]2017-05-2200 minBuilding Your BandWilliam Brew IV | The Way It IsWilliam Brew joins us for an enlightening episode of drumming and discovery. Along the way we discuss his love of the CCM genre, what he really thinks of when he thinks of “space”, and how you get there overnight. If you aren’t allowed to have a drum kit in the house, Brew recommends Vater Double Sided Practice Pads. #noexcuses Reach […]2016-10-1000 minBuilding Your BandDavid Loftis | Diverse By DesignFriend of the show, David Loftis, talks to us about about the challenges of producing three very different worship services each week: one old school featuring a choir, one new school with a band, and one somewhere in between with multiple (SAT / SATB) voices. If that isn’t enough, Dave is has a heart for growing the next generation of […]2016-05-2300 minBuilding Your BandTrent Walker | Experts in PhotoshopTrent Walker talks to us about stepping out in faith- leaving a perfectly good job as a church worship leader to take the show on the road with his wife, Siobhan, and their five kids. Obviously passionate about the mission of the Church, Trent challenges us in simple but direct ways with profound implications: to put away […]2016-02-1500 minBuilding Your BandGavin Morris | Never Really Said AnythingAs the frontman and lead songwriter of Break The Fall, Gavin walks us through the process of creating their latest EP “The Wanderers“. From the preproduction writing, to choosing a producer, to packing up a van and driving eight hours to Nashville to record, it’s fantastic to hear the intentionality behind their creation. Break The Fall: Website | […]2016-01-2500 minBuilding Your BandSteven Kristopher | 40th Birthday GiftSteven Krisopher shares what was behind his most recent project, With Abandon, (edit: released December 15th, 2015). With sixty minutes of music in ten songs, he talks about how his desire for this project was to let the songs breathe. Primarily a pianist, Steven wrote this project on the acoustic guitar and did a textbook rock keyboard/piano treatment, after programming the drums […]2015-12-1000 minBuilding Your BandJohn B Stanley | The Language of HeavenJohn B Stanley (Twitter, Reverb Nation, iTunes) challenges us to do better music in our services and gives us the behind-the-scenes story of his “Drum Spectacular”. Also check out his post on this in Modern Drummer. Along the way we discuss his influences, most especially Lee Ritenour (Wiki, iTunes, Amazon) with Omar Hakim (Wiki, iTunes), and Hans Zimmer (Wiki, iTunes, Amazon). Without further […]2015-09-2800 minBuilding Your BandDave Tauler – Not Enough Bassoon GigsIn this podcast episode, Dave talks to us about how playing wind instruments informs the way he approaches singing and composition, and warns us about how solo instruments can conflict with vocals. He then gives us his formula for using these instruments in a band setting, describing not only where to play but where not to play. Along the […]2015-08-1700 minBuilding Your BandSeason 1 Remix | Kaleidoscope EditionWhile recording and editing the first 18 episodes of the podcast, I began to notice some of the content commented on some of the other content. I began to think how awesome it might be to hear these ideas back-to-back, remixed into a super-episode, which would demonstrate both the importance of the ideas, as well as some of the different ways they’re approached. […]2015-08-0300 minBuilding Your BandJay Smith, ‘Cathartic Worship’Guitarist Jay Smith spends 45 minutes with us pretty much not talking about guitars at all. Instead we discuss worship, art, venue, and the role of music in the church. If you like discussions that go deep, you won’t want to miss this one. To connect with Jay in DC, visit our convergence.org “Eminent”; composed, […]2015-03-3000 minBuilding Your BandLaura Blankenship, ‘Unbelieve It’Laura shares the secrets and struggles of her journey as a Worship Leader and songwriter as a wife and mother of two young children. In particular, she addresses the maturity and people skills required to be successful in leadership. You’ll hear how she programs her musicians for three services with respect to their individual availability. Finally, she talks about […]2015-03-2300 minBuilding Your BandJayson D. Bradley, “3/4 Waltz”Jayson talks to us about his passion for leading worship in a small church, the pitfalls and dangers of turning worship into a formula, and why the church needs more laments. For more of his thoughtful musings read “A Worship Leader Questions Modern Worship“, and visit jaysondbradley.com2015-03-1600 minBuilding Your BandTerri Plant, ‘Carrying Shoes’Vocalist Terri Plant talks to us about cross-cultural singing in both English and Arabic, and how music has both moved into (been a gift) and out of (been a hindrance to) her life in service to God. Terri sings “En Tal El Layl” “If the night should prolong” Words: Wafaa Adel Music: Amgad Saad Zakri […]2015-03-0900 minBuilding Your BandChordy, ‘Four out of Five Times’Keyboardist John “Chordy” Teagle talks to us about growing up with a love for playing keys, the impact of learning theory in his playing, his wish for the direction of popular music, and some parting thoughts on genres. Chordy’s Influences: James Poiser (Website) Corey Henry (Amazon, iTunes) Snarky Puppy (Amazon, iTunes) Vince Guraldi (Amazon, iTunes) Johnny Costa […]2015-03-0200 minBuilding Your BandBrandon Peoples, ‘Back Pew Baptist’Brandon (keyboardist for Break The Fall) talks to us about his thoughts as a “Back Pew Baptist“, sitting in the rear of a church, helping with the tech program, watching, and thinking about why we’re doing a lot of the things we do in church. This podcast all started with a thoughtful tweet (and my followup […]2015-02-2300 minBuilding Your BandEileen Graham, ‘Wax On, Wax Off”Eileen’s love for singing is the subtext throughout this episode during which she surveys the typical range of vocal responsibilities in a church – that of worship leader and backing vocalist – and contrasts both of those with the role of the soloist. Eileen goes on to provide all kinds of ideas for how to improve as […]2015-02-1600 minBuilding Your BandZach Bulanow, ‘A Tale of Two Worship Teams’Zach talks to us about playing acoustic guitar in two different student worship teams: one going very well, one going not so well. It’s your typical insightful conversation with a 15 year old sophomore in high school; we can learn a lot by looking at things from the student’s perspective. This is a must-listen-to if […]2015-02-0900 minBuilding Your BandBrian Beasely, ‘Gospel of Brian’Worship Leader, Backing Vocalist, and Bassist, Brian Beasely talks with us being a highly involved lay-musician in a local church. Brian Beasely Music | Twitter | Facebook 2015-02-0200 minBuilding Your BandAaro Keipi, ‘Keyboardists Agreeing’Aaro Keipi and I agree for about an hour on playing classical, worship, and funk keyboard, the preeminence of pads, improvising, composition, language, and communication. The difference between us being, Aaro is actually educated on the topic, as informed by his Masters’ Thesis. This is our first international podcast from Finland. Connect with Aaro: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, […]2015-01-2600 minBuilding Your BandJustin Pinkney, ‘Translating CCM’Justin talks to us about growing up in Gospel Drumming, needing a “third eye” to keep tabs on what’s going on, the importance of transitions, the differences playing CCM, and ultimately how these genres influence one another. Justin on Twitter, Reverb Nation, Facebook, Website, with Chris Collat. Links: Hawkins Family, Love Alive Series (Amazon) Hezekiah Walker (Amazon) Chick Corea […]2015-01-1900 minBuilding Your BandAmanda Joy, ‘Blending’Amanda Joy talks to us about singing background vs. lead vocals, and listening to everything to include the band to inform your singing. Amanda: Facebook, Twitter. Never in Denver: Facebook, iTunes, Also, this is our first ever podcast to offer “bonus material“.2015-01-1200 minBuilding Your BandAmanda Joy, ‘Bonus’Amanda and I kept talking after the show was over. We got into talking a little bit about generational worship which wasn’t on the schedule. So this is my first podcast with bonus material.2015-01-1200 minBuilding Your BandDan Rebeiz, ‘Unifying’Guitarist* Dan Rebeiz talks to us about unifying the emotional content of the music we create in this sweeping interview. Contact Dan @ Daniel Jack Productions or Facebook or The Excentrics *Music, Lyrics, Instruments, Vocals, Programming, by DJR. Mixed and Mastered by Micah Wilshire. Links: Sarah McLachlan‘s Music It Might Get Loud, with Jimmy Page, The Edge, Jack White 2015-01-0500 minBuilding Your BandAron Lee, ‘All In’Aron “Teo” Lee (Twitter | Facebook) talks to us about owning the support role of bass. Topics include: Roles and responsibilities of the bass player Being in the driver’s seat vs riding shotgun & navigating Commitment to the groove How a rhythm section liberates everything else (Negative) Space Communicating with a bass player as a producer Genesis by Matthew […]2014-12-2900 minBuilding Your BandMichael Thomas, ‘Four Notes’Cellist Michael Thomas talks about the minimum technical skill required to play in a worship band, tells us the secret for how to get the best out of strings, and gives us the inside scoop on employing cello with a rock band. “You can become a musician that sounds good in half the time that it take […]2014-12-2200 minBuilding Your BandChris Green, ‘What They Enjoy To Do’Drummer and Audio Installation Engineer Chris Green talks to us about production from a plethora of perspectives. Connect with Chris at 703 300 0300 or avchrisg at yahoo If you liked this episode, also check out Bassist Aron “Teo” Lee’s episode “All In”. Chris uses: K Custom Zildjian Cymbals | Hot Rods | Nylon Brushes Edit: if you liked this episode, […]2014-12-1500 minBuilding Your BandSarah Begashaw, ‘Multicultural Worship’Sarah talks about her origins playing and singing in Venezuela, to leading a band at an intentional multicultural church in Harrisburg, PA. She’s one of the few worship leaders I know who stepped out from behind the comfort of an instrument to lead worship with just a mic in order to more closely connect with her […]2014-12-0800 minBuilding Your BandKishore Carey, ‘Honest Worship’Worship Leader and instrumentalist Kishore Carey talks about building a band in a church plant, his approach to producing, his advice to new band members “Listen more than you play”, and his ultimate goal of “Honest Worship”. Twitter: Chasing Agnus, Already Immortal Facebook: Chasing Agnus, Kishore Carey Websites: Chasing Agnus, CrossPointe Church Lyrics vs. Music post […]2014-12-0100 min