WEBVTT

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Are you listening? This ain't no quiet thing

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We're screaming out our lungs Hey! Are you listening?

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Hey! Are you there? Hey! Are you listening? Or

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do you just not care? It's the end of the year.

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Are you listening? This is a podcast exploring

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the past, present and future of Christian music.

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My name is Joel. I'm here with my good friend,

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Brandon, and we connected over a mutual love

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of some different artists, but also have different

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tastes that we enjoy along the way. And so we

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get to experience some new stuff from each other.

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And sometimes we invite some friends along for

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the ride with that Brandon what's going on? I'm

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doing really good. I was finishing up a cookie

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before we started recording this I would eat

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that cookie real fast and I feel Energized now

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you're ready to go That's wonderful. I'm really

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thankful. Hey today's a different kind of episode

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for us Why don't you tell us a little bit about

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what we're gonna do today? Yeah today It's super

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exciting for me. So we're going to be listening

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our favorite releases of 2025. It's something

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I used to do every year growing up. I would put

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it on Facebook and I think one person would be

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like, cool. And so I just kind of stopped doing

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it. But this year's been a really good... My

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friend Miranda will be really excited that we're

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releasing this because the first year I didn't

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release it. She was like, where's the list? But

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yeah, so this year was a really good like reason

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to to jump back into it and I'm really excited

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because You go into every year excited about

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maybe like one or two releases and it's just

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it's Sometimes it's so easy to forget just how

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much stuff is out there and I mean even our list

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today like we're both gonna be choosing 10 albums

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that stood out to us or 10 releases and I mean

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honestly it wouldn't be surprising if we really

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if we discuss 20 different you know albums and

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I feel like that's really cool um that there's

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just so much music uh out there so I hope to

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um I hope to share some music that everyone can

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enjoy and I I'm really excited to get to learn

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about some music that I can go home afterwards

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and start enjoying. There might actually be a

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good chance that none of ours overlaps. I'm excited

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to see how that plays out kind of as we get into

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this for sure. But before we kind of run down

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that rabbit trail, what else do we need to talk

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about? Is there anything else we need to cover?

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Oh yeah, we've got a game we're playing. Oh nice.

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For a second I was like, oh man, I don't know

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what we're talking about. I'm glad you were able

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to point at our game. So, you know, this year

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has been really exciting that we got to... you

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know accurate accurately predict the skillet

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christmas single yes we did we did um that was

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a world premiere from hey are you listening yeah

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so we're just we're gonna double down on that

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and we are going to predict some more stuff from

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2026 awesome it's gonna happen so you know in

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the past couple of years we've been seeing a

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lot of bands return it'll be like a reboot of

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a band or maybe their front man steps away and

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um they bring someone else in So what we're going

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to do today is that we have a pile of bands that

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are either on hiatus or they have disbanded,

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and then we're also going to have a bowl of front

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men and women who are going to step in and now

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leave these bands. We're going to make some bold

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predictions. Oh, we are. So if you want to, Joel,

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I can draw the band. You can tell us who is going

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to be leading this. That sounds good. Let's do

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this. All right. Let's start off with Hawk Nelson.

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So Hawk Nelson is coming back. Are they officially

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like done? That's funny. I think because Jason's

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doing his own thing. And then I think the rest

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of them kind of just disbanded whenever John

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left the band. So yeah, I don't think they've

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they have Hawk Nelson has not performed since

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John. I think that maybe an original member too

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have performed with Jason just like at random

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shows. But yeah, they're coming back in 2026.

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Joel. Okay. Well, let me just let you know who

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is going to be taking over this. Who's going

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to be singing some punk pop. Who's going to be

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upfront for this. It is going to be Brandon Lake.

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Brandon Lake. Um, but there's no way that's going

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to happen. Can we make a prediction on our prediction?

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Um, yeah. Are you, are you, okay. Let's, um,

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Are you buying that ticket? Are you skipping

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it? I'm hardcore skipping that. Plus, it wouldn't

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financially make sense for Brandon Lake who's

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at the top of his game as a solo artist to join

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a band that has been successful but nowhere to

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the degree that he is as a solo artist. Do you

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think that you're gonna see more of a Brandon

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Lake so it's Hawk Nelson going full kind of worship

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mode or I mean Are we gonna see Brandon Lake

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branch out and go into pop punk? Yeah, um, I

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don't I don't know Brandon lake is on the swing

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right now Uh into like the mainstream and I don't

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know that hawk nelson is the avenue to get him

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there, but I guess we'll find out All right.

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The next band is me without you So a few years

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ago, they're kind of like, you know, they they

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haven't disbanded. They're just kind of on hiatus

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right now people are clamoring for them to come

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back for a reunion show so it looks like instead

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of a reunion show we're gonna get a full reboot

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um so Joel can you tell me so we're used to people

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have listened to me without you you know it's

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like storytelling they're screaming like me without

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you is just they're their own thing post hardcore

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yeah so you're gonna have albums that are about

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like circus train derailing and animals running

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away, you're going to have stuff that's dealing

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with questioning faith, then you're going to

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have songs that are just like praising Jesus.

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So, a little bit of everything. So, who is taking

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the helm of Me Without You? Well, it's interesting

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that I get to announce that the new lead singer,

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Me Without You... I don't know that Me Without

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You can exist without their current lead singer,

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but the new lead singer is Jason Dunn, formerly

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of Hawk and Olsen. Man, that could be interesting.

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Yeah. I guess. I don't know. So you're a big

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Jason Dunn fan personally. So what are your thoughts

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on that one? Man, I think that some of those

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could be pretty good. I'm for some reason I'm

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thinking of messes of men him singing it um and

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I feel like Jason always kind of liked that grittier

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side of it so yeah I I don't know I think that

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concert's gonna be interesting because you have

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a mix of some of like punk's me like a huck nelson

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and some of covers of huck and I just don't know

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what the new me without you stuff's gonna sound

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like yeah yeah I'm not sure how well we're doing

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this yet, but we'll see how it goes as we keep

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moving. All right, our next one, Family Force

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V. OK. So they're coming back. You know, I'm

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excited about this one to see. Because, you know,

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they're all over the place. Well, Soglo was a

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lot of dancing, jumping around when Kruton took

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the helm. um it turned into maybe more of like

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a like a pop side of it so i mean we could have

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pop we could have just screamo uh who's taking

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the helm of family force five brandon you're

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gonna love this one if i can pronounce it correctly

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francesca battistelli oh wow that's uh that's

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certainly interesting it's an interesting choice

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for them um for sure i feel like it might lean

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them a little more in the pop direction um just

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musically i when i think of francesca i think

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of like piano right i almost think of like piano

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covers of like love addict and country gentleman

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and i don't know yeah This has been a fun experiment

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so far. Oh, it looks like the next band returning

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in 2026, DC Talk. So we're gonna need three names

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out of there, Joel. Three? Yeah, so we're gonna

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need, I mean, DC Talk was you had your three

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front men. Can there not be any original members?

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No, they're all, Toby's doing his thing, the

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others are doing their thing. All right, so the

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new frontman of DC talk are David Crowder Do

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you think do you think he's like the the Kevin

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Maxx of the group? I can see that working. Okay.

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I'm I'm there so far Andy Meneo Okay, so he's

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like the Toby of the group sure and Jamie grace

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Man that's that's a That's interesting So Crowder,

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Andy Menio, Jamie Grace. Brandon, I'm hoping

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that we're wrong on pretty much all of these

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so far. This will make you happier, Joel. What

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about audio adrenaline? Okay. So they're going

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to be rebooted for about the seventh time. Oh

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my goodness. I thought about putting Kevin Maxx

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in that ball just for this one. That would have

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been fitting. We've got John Van Dusen, who's

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gonna be leading audio adrenaline. And honestly,

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if there's anybody that's up to the task, I feel

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like it's JVD. So you think this is the first

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one that you'd buy a ticket to that show? I would.

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And I actually think it could work. Okay. Yeah.

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All right. Next one we have All Star United.

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Um, so no, Joel, I think this is the band you're

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a little more interested in. So what, um, what

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qualities does this artist need to bring to this

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band? So Austin United has a real, um, kind of

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pop, um, pop rock, uh, like Weezer kind of vibe.

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And so there needs to be some good energy, some

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anthems and all that kind of stuff and so oh

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we've got tim skipper oh who's going to be fronting

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all -star united and it could totally work okay

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it could totally work it looks like we're starting

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to turn the corner a little bit yeah that would

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be one that you would go to yeah you would be

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there there we go i've bought a ticket to that

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one part of me kind of wants to get a ticket

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to all of these so far but i don't know if i

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want to go to all of them um next one cool hand

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luke um Another one, Joel, what qualities do

00:12:12.490 --> 00:12:14.629
we expect from this artist? Yeah, so Kool and

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Luke's kind of ranged from some pretty like screamo

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to emo to indie rock, almost Coldplay -esque

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radiohead along the course. And so you definitely

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need someone who can be emotional in what they're

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bringing to the table. And we've got Kristal.

00:12:42.220 --> 00:12:45.799
Yeah, my friend Mark Nix from Cool and Luke.

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I don't know how he would take that if Chris

00:12:48.620 --> 00:12:51.980
Tomlin took the reins. All right, Luke. Our final

00:12:51.980 --> 00:12:56.279
special announcement is OC Supertones. So this

00:12:56.279 --> 00:13:01.320
is ska. This is man. I'm trying to think how

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would you maybe like? Differentiate them from

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like five iron frenzy. So maybe they're the mighty

00:13:06.409 --> 00:13:09.549
mighty ballstones of christian scott. Okay, um

00:13:09.549 --> 00:13:15.149
pretty like standard third wave, um upbeats Um,

00:13:15.669 --> 00:13:19.009
yeah, so it's it's almost like a a little bit

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of like a rap Singing, okay kind of thing that

00:13:22.570 --> 00:13:26.529
you got going on So it'll take the right person

00:13:26.529 --> 00:13:33.350
and honestly phil wickem Maybe it could be that

00:13:33.350 --> 00:13:38.929
person. I don't really know. So that would be

00:13:38.929 --> 00:13:42.830
interesting. I'm just amazed that some of these

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high profile solo artists from today are willing

00:13:47.389 --> 00:13:51.129
to step into some of these bands that are coming

00:13:51.129 --> 00:13:52.909
back together. But maybe they're bands that they

00:13:52.909 --> 00:13:54.769
loved growing up and influenced them in a big

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way. And so they see it as a real opportunity

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to bring to light some of the stuff that's impacted

00:14:00.649 --> 00:14:04.340
them. And I'm still thinking about that DC talk.

00:14:05.919 --> 00:14:09.840
I think I'm out on that one. I would definitely

00:14:09.840 --> 00:14:14.980
sign up to go see the OG DC talk, but maybe not.

00:14:15.539 --> 00:14:18.379
Maybe not what we've got there. Well, before

00:14:18.379 --> 00:14:21.620
we start talking about our 2025 Brandon, what

00:14:21.620 --> 00:14:24.700
have you been listening to lately? So I've been

00:14:24.700 --> 00:14:29.600
listening to, um, um, honestly, make it like

00:14:29.600 --> 00:14:32.059
I'm working on this has been taking up a ton

00:14:32.059 --> 00:14:37.059
of like a ton of my listening time. But one I

00:14:37.059 --> 00:14:41.740
found myself adding a bunch from for my Christmas

00:14:41.740 --> 00:14:45.480
playlist this year is I don't know how many people

00:14:45.480 --> 00:14:51.419
are are are familiar with like the X series that

00:14:51.419 --> 00:14:54.840
like BEC records and like Tooth and Nell did.

00:14:55.399 --> 00:14:58.700
So it was like a collection of like I mean you

00:14:58.700 --> 00:15:01.200
had like I guess it's like kind of this overarching

00:15:01.200 --> 00:15:03.379
capital Christian music group So it's like tooth

00:15:03.379 --> 00:15:07.519
and nail solid state goatee Flicker records forefront

00:15:07.519 --> 00:15:12.000
in pop They did this Christmas album together

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And it's really cool. So it has I'll go through

00:15:16.700 --> 00:15:18.600
a couple. It's like Jingle Bell Rock thousand

00:15:18.600 --> 00:15:23.440
foot crutch They've got his favorite Christmas

00:15:23.440 --> 00:15:26.350
story about capital lights really good Christmas

00:15:26.350 --> 00:15:31.950
song, and I think my favorite version of this

00:15:31.950 --> 00:15:34.889
song ever is Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

00:15:34.889 --> 00:15:40.289
by The James Reunion. I think it is the best

00:15:40.289 --> 00:15:43.230
version of that song that I can think of, so

00:15:43.230 --> 00:15:47.480
I find myself every year adding Um, like those

00:15:47.480 --> 00:15:50.600
couple at least to my playlist Yeah, um, you

00:15:50.600 --> 00:15:52.720
also have some fun ones like felice navi dodd

00:15:52.720 --> 00:15:56.200
david crowder band jars of clay fm static august

00:15:56.200 --> 00:15:59.559
burns red so it's a really Pretty good mixture

00:15:59.559 --> 00:16:03.519
of A little bit of everything on there. So I

00:16:03.519 --> 00:16:05.620
always really enjoy that so i've been kind of

00:16:05.620 --> 00:16:07.519
going back to that one You probably should have

00:16:07.519 --> 00:16:12.259
compared the august burns red christmas Album

00:16:12.259 --> 00:16:14.700
to the striper christmas album that we just reviewed

00:16:14.700 --> 00:16:17.659
as in two metal Christmas records and seeing

00:16:17.659 --> 00:16:20.399
how they fanned out. If I remember correctly,

00:16:20.580 --> 00:16:23.960
I think this one is all just instrumental. They're

00:16:23.960 --> 00:16:26.580
Carol of the Bells. Okay. And so I remember like

00:16:26.580 --> 00:16:28.820
playing it and I kept waiting. Yeah. And then

00:16:28.820 --> 00:16:30.779
I just know, I was like, oh, I guess this is

00:16:30.779 --> 00:16:33.059
just all continental. Carol of the Bells fits

00:16:33.059 --> 00:16:37.019
well with, I feel like, metal. So yeah. Yeah,

00:16:37.059 --> 00:16:43.070
for me, a few weeks ago we had our our friend

00:16:43.070 --> 00:16:47.750
Ty from Ty Garvey from John Zetta on and he mentioned

00:16:47.750 --> 00:16:53.549
a record that he'd been listening to, Love Like

00:16:53.549 --> 00:16:58.450
Raindrops Made of Light and that's an album by

00:16:58.450 --> 00:17:02.009
Young Oceans that had just come out I think right

00:17:02.009 --> 00:17:04.809
when we were talking and so I added that. I've

00:17:04.809 --> 00:17:08.349
been listening to that and that's been a cool

00:17:08.349 --> 00:17:12.130
listen. There's a lot of, it's mostly like pretty

00:17:12.130 --> 00:17:14.910
chill um acoustic but there's like a lot of sonic

00:17:14.910 --> 00:17:18.769
scape around it and so it's um it's a really

00:17:18.769 --> 00:17:20.710
interesting listen and some really good really

00:17:20.710 --> 00:17:23.329
good songwriting and so i have some young ocean

00:17:23.329 --> 00:17:26.369
stuff on like some of my playlists like advent

00:17:26.369 --> 00:17:29.150
playlists and different things but um but i've

00:17:29.150 --> 00:17:31.289
really enjoyed listening to that like new record

00:17:31.289 --> 00:17:33.650
that they put out so i need to throw something

00:17:33.650 --> 00:17:36.569
out i just realized that james reunion you won't

00:17:36.569 --> 00:17:39.150
take a while guess who their drummer was No.

00:17:39.450 --> 00:17:44.609
Jared Meyers. I feel like I need to reach out

00:17:44.609 --> 00:17:46.670
and be like, Jared, is that your drums I'm listening

00:17:46.670 --> 00:17:48.690
to on that one? I don't even know what James

00:17:48.690 --> 00:17:53.250
Reunion is. Is it like a super group? I don't

00:17:53.250 --> 00:17:55.490
know. On some of those samplers, they would just

00:17:55.490 --> 00:17:57.609
pull together random people from different bands

00:17:57.609 --> 00:17:59.970
and get them to record a song. And so I wonder

00:17:59.970 --> 00:18:02.559
if it was just... random people. I thought we

00:18:02.559 --> 00:18:04.980
need, there's so much that Jared would just throw

00:18:04.980 --> 00:18:06.900
out when he was in his interview. And I'd be

00:18:06.900 --> 00:18:09.059
like, can we, can we pause for a second and dive

00:18:09.059 --> 00:18:12.279
a little more into this? So I feel like we touched

00:18:12.279 --> 00:18:14.500
on all of his big, like the big bands he was

00:18:14.500 --> 00:18:16.920
in. We just need to come back into like, let's

00:18:16.920 --> 00:18:19.200
go into all these smaller bands that you played

00:18:19.200 --> 00:18:21.000
for. We're gonna have to have Jared back. I did

00:18:21.000 --> 00:18:24.220
just notice that Bleach just got announced for

00:18:24.220 --> 00:18:28.220
Audio Feed for 2026, that music festival that

00:18:28.220 --> 00:18:31.799
happens in Illinois. summer and that's one that

00:18:31.799 --> 00:18:34.660
I've been like threatening to go to for several

00:18:34.660 --> 00:18:37.380
years now and so maybe this is my moment that

00:18:37.380 --> 00:18:40.359
John Van Dusen's played the last two years and

00:18:40.359 --> 00:18:42.299
I haven't gone and of course this will probably

00:18:42.299 --> 00:18:46.599
be the year he doesn't play um but um I've just

00:18:46.599 --> 00:18:48.480
never heard someone say I've been threatening

00:18:48.480 --> 00:18:53.579
to go I have been Do we need to inform the concert

00:18:53.579 --> 00:18:56.000
that like, hey, Joel's been threatening for a

00:18:56.000 --> 00:18:58.359
while. So he might be... My summers are just

00:18:58.359 --> 00:19:01.400
so busy that it's hard to like add another thing

00:19:01.400 --> 00:19:04.980
to them. So it hasn't really worked out. I kind

00:19:04.980 --> 00:19:06.720
of wish it was like in the fall or something

00:19:06.720 --> 00:19:10.539
instead, but I'd love to go. It's kind of like

00:19:10.539 --> 00:19:13.119
the new cornerstone. So it'd be fun to check

00:19:13.119 --> 00:19:19.089
it out. Well, let's dig into our top 10. album

00:19:19.089 --> 00:19:24.309
discussion for 2025. And Brandon, I would love

00:19:24.309 --> 00:19:26.450
it if you kind of guide us through this. You

00:19:26.450 --> 00:19:28.210
had the idea for us to kind of talk through some

00:19:28.210 --> 00:19:31.230
of these records, so. Yeah, so I think it's really

00:19:31.230 --> 00:19:36.890
cool to dive in because I think that like for

00:19:36.890 --> 00:19:39.670
both of us, music plays such a big role. And

00:19:39.670 --> 00:19:41.730
I think I think people listening to this, like

00:19:41.730 --> 00:19:43.470
if music is not important to you, you're not

00:19:43.470 --> 00:19:46.519
be listening to a music podcast. um so i think

00:19:46.519 --> 00:19:48.880
it's a great way like i said earlier to highlight

00:19:48.880 --> 00:19:51.660
stuff that has meant a lot to us um and get to

00:19:51.660 --> 00:19:54.039
share that but also get to learn some other stuff

00:19:54.039 --> 00:19:57.539
we should be checking out um so yeah i feel like

00:19:57.539 --> 00:20:00.619
it's it's cool just to dive in um and give a

00:20:00.619 --> 00:20:03.500
little bit of here's some albums that we felt

00:20:03.500 --> 00:20:06.099
like you know either just sounded great or on

00:20:06.099 --> 00:20:09.480
a personal level just really like hit us or whatever

00:20:09.480 --> 00:20:14.640
um so i will say that like for the first time

00:20:14.640 --> 00:20:17.319
ever I included EPs on my list because I used

00:20:17.319 --> 00:20:19.640
to always have a rule that it had to be an album

00:20:19.640 --> 00:20:24.059
and an album is minimum 10 songs so like I used

00:20:24.059 --> 00:20:26.859
to be very strict on I don't care if it's nine

00:20:26.859 --> 00:20:29.980
songs you're not an album you're just a weird

00:20:29.980 --> 00:20:35.279
long EP so this year I decided to add some EPs

00:20:35.279 --> 00:20:40.299
on just because I found myself like enjoying

00:20:40.299 --> 00:20:43.019
just these like random little pop -up releases

00:20:43.019 --> 00:20:46.940
um and so and i feel like i was thinking to myself

00:20:46.940 --> 00:20:49.259
sometimes it's harder to do that with an ep because

00:20:49.259 --> 00:20:52.059
you only have like three or four opportunities

00:20:52.059 --> 00:20:54.759
to enjoy it versus the album it's like if you

00:20:54.759 --> 00:20:57.859
have a 15 song album you can have five songs

00:20:57.859 --> 00:20:59.819
on there that are bad but you still are packing

00:20:59.819 --> 00:21:02.559
10 songs you know like two -thirds of the album's

00:21:02.559 --> 00:21:07.119
awesome um so yeah so i guess i'll go in i know

00:21:07.680 --> 00:21:10.680
Let me give a kind of opening thought to you

00:21:10.680 --> 00:21:13.920
on this. And so I know that this is a podcast

00:21:13.920 --> 00:21:16.180
about the past, present and future of Christian

00:21:16.180 --> 00:21:19.519
music. But Christian music isn't the only music

00:21:19.519 --> 00:21:23.000
that I listen to. And so when I put together

00:21:23.000 --> 00:21:28.019
a top 10 list of albums for me over the last

00:21:28.019 --> 00:21:31.680
year, that includes everything that I listen

00:21:31.680 --> 00:21:36.400
to. And so I would say looking into this, probably,

00:21:36.680 --> 00:21:45.759
let me see. Six out of my ten actually fall into

00:21:45.759 --> 00:21:48.940
that category But there are a few a few secular

00:21:48.940 --> 00:21:51.039
records that have stood out to me in a big way

00:21:51.039 --> 00:21:53.259
this year So I'm covering it all we're going

00:21:53.259 --> 00:21:55.859
everywhere No, I think that's good too because

00:21:55.859 --> 00:21:59.079
I mean there's there's stuff on here like I mean

00:21:59.079 --> 00:22:01.119
There's one that we'll eventually get to that

00:22:01.119 --> 00:22:03.920
they have like an explicit song on there, which

00:22:03.920 --> 00:22:07.009
I feel like it's I don't know growing up we were

00:22:07.009 --> 00:22:09.009
taught there like levels of bad words so I remember

00:22:09.009 --> 00:22:11.250
when I saw the explicit I was like so that's

00:22:11.250 --> 00:22:13.950
not like like a level one bad word but I was

00:22:13.950 --> 00:22:17.390
like I guess the record labels disagree on Brandon

00:22:17.390 --> 00:22:21.009
with Brandon um so like I feel like that's cool

00:22:21.009 --> 00:22:23.069
because like yeah you don't want to be sitting

00:22:23.069 --> 00:22:25.069
here and have someone be like wow they only said

00:22:25.069 --> 00:22:27.970
Jesus five times on this uh or whatever and I

00:22:27.970 --> 00:22:30.430
mean there's there's out there's bands out there

00:22:30.430 --> 00:22:34.789
that aren't Christian at all and sometimes they'll

00:22:34.789 --> 00:22:36.710
release stuff that, like, I remember one time

00:22:36.710 --> 00:22:38.690
there was a Green Day track I was listening to,

00:22:38.829 --> 00:22:41.390
and all of those members are very, like, clear

00:22:41.390 --> 00:22:44.390
about being, like, agnostic, you know, at the

00:22:44.390 --> 00:22:47.769
least. And I remember years ago there was a track

00:22:47.769 --> 00:22:49.670
they released, and I listened to it and I was

00:22:49.670 --> 00:22:53.230
like, it's so weird that as a Christian, I agree

00:22:53.230 --> 00:22:55.809
so much, like, with what they're saying. The

00:22:55.809 --> 00:22:57.730
difference is that I'm like, yeah, that's why

00:22:57.730 --> 00:22:59.809
we need more Jesus, whereas they're like, yeah,

00:22:59.849 --> 00:23:04.480
we need less of. So I find it interesting that

00:23:04.480 --> 00:23:09.799
sometimes you have bands that have a lot of...

00:23:09.799 --> 00:23:12.119
dropping a lot of Jesus in the lyrics, and there's

00:23:12.119 --> 00:23:16.579
really not a ton there. And then you have some

00:23:16.579 --> 00:23:20.660
bands that are not Christian at all, but they're

00:23:20.660 --> 00:23:26.539
releasing stuff that's, in my opinion... very

00:23:26.539 --> 00:23:30.740
good for faith or ask questions that point someone

00:23:30.740 --> 00:23:35.180
towards Jesus. Do you want to go first or you

00:23:35.180 --> 00:23:37.960
may go first? I'll let you take us start this

00:23:37.960 --> 00:23:40.779
whole thing. Well, first off, I'm going to come

00:23:40.779 --> 00:23:42.980
out the gates with... We're starting with 10

00:23:42.980 --> 00:23:44.940
and counting down, right? Yeah. Okay, cool. It

00:23:44.940 --> 00:23:47.569
would be kind of boring if it was like... Okay,

00:23:47.609 --> 00:23:50.089
here's my top nine. Tenth one just made it here.

00:23:51.130 --> 00:23:54.630
So, number 10 on my list is Mount Zion by Josiah

00:23:54.630 --> 00:23:58.930
Queen. Okay. So, I first heard Josiah via his

00:23:58.930 --> 00:24:02.829
cover of Jesus Freak, and I'm not really sure

00:24:02.829 --> 00:24:07.089
what category this album falls under, because

00:24:07.089 --> 00:24:10.170
there's people that are saying he's like in the

00:24:10.170 --> 00:24:12.450
folk category, some people saying he's in the

00:24:12.450 --> 00:24:16.430
worship category, and I think what's nice about

00:24:16.430 --> 00:24:20.450
this album is that it just like, I don't know

00:24:20.450 --> 00:24:24.430
what category it falls under, but it feels authentic.

00:24:26.150 --> 00:24:29.170
So, I find myself just really, really enjoying

00:24:29.170 --> 00:24:31.950
it, and as someone who usually pushes back on

00:24:31.950 --> 00:24:35.170
some stuff that's like labeled worship, I find

00:24:35.170 --> 00:24:38.109
myself thinking like, yeah, like I don't think

00:24:38.109 --> 00:24:42.009
this stuff isn't doing what I... sometimes disagree

00:24:42.009 --> 00:24:46.549
with that genre. I just found it very authentic.

00:24:47.170 --> 00:24:49.250
Also bonus points because they featured Gable

00:24:49.250 --> 00:24:54.829
Price on a track. And by the way, on each of

00:24:54.829 --> 00:24:57.390
these, I kind of highlight a track that I'm like,

00:24:57.470 --> 00:24:59.690
this is my favorite track, or if you just check

00:24:59.690 --> 00:25:03.269
out a track on here. And then my favorite track,

00:25:03.410 --> 00:25:06.269
it would be Thief in the Night. It features Gable

00:25:06.269 --> 00:25:10.000
Price. I feel like it's not as like... maybe

00:25:10.000 --> 00:25:14.099
on the radar as the other ones, like Steal My

00:25:14.099 --> 00:25:18.940
Joy or whatever, or Dusty Bibles. But yeah, that's

00:25:18.940 --> 00:25:23.339
my number 10 album right there. Cool. That's

00:25:23.339 --> 00:25:25.220
good. That's one I need to check out. I know

00:25:25.220 --> 00:25:27.380
I see Josiah Queen everywhere, but I haven't

00:25:27.380 --> 00:25:29.779
spent a lot of time digging into his music. And

00:25:29.779 --> 00:25:32.339
so I will go with your song recommendation and

00:25:32.339 --> 00:25:36.160
check that one out. So number 10 for me is a

00:25:36.160 --> 00:25:40.130
band that I've been listening to probably For

00:25:40.130 --> 00:25:44.450
around the last 10 years or so and that's a band

00:25:44.450 --> 00:25:48.930
called Lord Huron And they just put out an album

00:25:48.930 --> 00:25:52.690
back in July called the cosmic selector volume

00:25:52.690 --> 00:25:58.369
one. Mm -hmm and My favorite record by Lord Huron

00:25:58.369 --> 00:26:02.990
is an album called strange trails It's just a

00:26:02.990 --> 00:26:06.549
killer album from beginning to end. There's so

00:26:06.549 --> 00:26:09.609
many good songs on it And they're kind of like

00:26:09.609 --> 00:26:17.390
an indie, they're hard to describe. Like we,

00:26:17.789 --> 00:26:20.349
during COVID we went, my family went camping

00:26:20.349 --> 00:26:24.210
a lot. And if there was any music that to me

00:26:24.210 --> 00:26:26.650
felt perfect for riding through the mountains,

00:26:27.730 --> 00:26:33.369
it was Lord Huron. their music's just like grounded

00:26:33.369 --> 00:26:37.529
and earthy and but yet indie rock and like Elvis

00:26:37.529 --> 00:26:40.230
influence like it's a weird combination of things

00:26:40.230 --> 00:26:44.190
but it's so so good and I feel like some of their

00:26:44.190 --> 00:26:46.730
recent albums have been kind of a just a miss

00:26:46.730 --> 00:26:51.369
for me but the Cosmic Selector just kind of brought

00:26:51.369 --> 00:26:55.150
it back to the forefront for me and it felt like

00:26:55.150 --> 00:26:57.730
yeah this is this is who this band is this is

00:26:57.730 --> 00:27:02.170
their sound and so a great place to start to

00:27:02.170 --> 00:27:03.650
try listening to that album is just starting

00:27:03.650 --> 00:27:05.769
from the beginning the first track looking back

00:27:05.769 --> 00:27:07.849
i feel like captures their sound and brings it

00:27:07.849 --> 00:27:13.049
into 2025 in a cool way but they're they're they're

00:27:13.049 --> 00:27:16.329
phenomenal phenomenal band that i highly recommend

00:27:16.329 --> 00:27:19.769
so that's cool they're they're on my list of

00:27:19.769 --> 00:27:23.789
whenever i have time to like check out My best

00:27:23.789 --> 00:27:26.210
friend Keith, this is like one of his favorite

00:27:26.210 --> 00:27:29.509
bands. They've went and seen him live, I think

00:27:29.509 --> 00:27:33.349
a couple of times. And what's funny is that Strange

00:27:33.349 --> 00:27:36.470
Trails album, so I feel like it's probably, it

00:27:36.470 --> 00:27:38.049
might be their biggest, I don't know if it's

00:27:38.049 --> 00:27:41.670
their biggest or not, but the night we met. So

00:27:41.670 --> 00:27:44.250
what's funny is that was used as, whenever Delle

00:27:44.250 --> 00:27:47.769
Reinhardt Jr. was retiring, Budweiser put out

00:27:47.769 --> 00:27:52.210
this this ad basically like the whole like story

00:27:52.210 --> 00:27:55.250
of del junior's like career and they used that

00:27:55.250 --> 00:28:00.190
song on there so like just imagine like seven

00:28:00.190 --> 00:28:02.650
eight years ago or whatever just like me sitting

00:28:02.650 --> 00:28:05.809
there like crying as i'm watching this like race

00:28:05.809 --> 00:28:08.150
car going around and like listening the night

00:28:08.150 --> 00:28:11.450
we met and so we used to always have this running

00:28:11.450 --> 00:28:14.650
joke me and keith like at the concert they were

00:28:14.650 --> 00:28:17.509
gonna like have him like drive out this like

00:28:17.710 --> 00:28:21.369
Race car on the stage and I'm sitting there thinking

00:28:21.369 --> 00:28:24.049
like I know that's the del jr. Song and everyone's

00:28:24.049 --> 00:28:27.970
like it's what are you talking about? that uh

00:28:27.970 --> 00:28:31.569
that song will totally do it and Yeah, they're

00:28:31.569 --> 00:28:34.769
that's such such a good such a good song and

00:28:34.769 --> 00:28:37.750
such a great album So but yeah, I've really enjoyed

00:28:37.750 --> 00:28:41.009
their new one too. It's been great My next one

00:28:41.009 --> 00:28:45.730
is, it's an artist you introduced me to. It's,

00:28:45.890 --> 00:28:49.390
as long as I'm in the tent of this body, I will

00:28:49.390 --> 00:28:54.069
make a joyful noise by John Van Dusen. I don't

00:28:54.069 --> 00:28:56.390
know if you get bonus points or deduct points

00:28:56.390 --> 00:28:59.369
for having a name that long, but I'll leave that

00:28:59.369 --> 00:29:03.390
to the listeners. As someone who like, yeah,

00:29:03.390 --> 00:29:05.450
I guess it goes back to like the Josiah Queen

00:29:05.450 --> 00:29:08.690
that I feel like a lot of people kind of put

00:29:09.019 --> 00:29:11.859
some of John Van Dusen's stuff into a worship

00:29:11.859 --> 00:29:15.640
category, if that's fair. But as someone who

00:29:15.640 --> 00:29:19.400
isn't the biggest listener of that, I found myself

00:29:19.400 --> 00:29:23.359
really loving this album. And I just felt like

00:29:23.359 --> 00:29:29.299
it had a lot that is missing from a lot of modern

00:29:29.299 --> 00:29:31.880
worship songs. And I guess it's kind of echoing

00:29:31.880 --> 00:29:35.319
what I said about Mount Zion, but I just felt

00:29:35.319 --> 00:29:37.119
like it was kind of like, it's almost like you're

00:29:37.119 --> 00:29:39.960
going through his journal. Yeah, like if you

00:29:39.960 --> 00:29:41.960
if you told me right now that you're like, oh,

00:29:41.960 --> 00:29:45.119
yeah each track of this is like a day He wrote

00:29:45.119 --> 00:29:47.940
about you know, or whatever Um, like I would

00:29:47.940 --> 00:29:50.960
believe you like it just felt like this was I

00:29:50.960 --> 00:29:52.460
want to tell these stories and i'm gonna tell

00:29:52.460 --> 00:29:55.140
them like it's not I want to cut out this because

00:29:55.140 --> 00:29:58.180
the record label needs me to Do something a little

00:29:58.180 --> 00:30:01.599
more like this or whatever. Um My favorite track

00:30:01.599 --> 00:30:04.940
on this was anything other than what I am right

00:30:04.940 --> 00:30:09.109
now. Yeah, it's a great one I'll have more to

00:30:09.109 --> 00:30:16.170
say on this album later. I figured. But yes,

00:30:17.269 --> 00:30:21.869
you do. You feel like John is inviting you into

00:30:21.869 --> 00:30:23.890
like a personal conversation that he's having

00:30:23.890 --> 00:30:30.809
with God. And for an album to be so... It's like

00:30:30.809 --> 00:30:32.809
a personal worship record. These aren't songs

00:30:32.809 --> 00:30:35.440
you would sing corporately in church. but it's

00:30:35.440 --> 00:30:37.700
like a personal worship record and being invited

00:30:37.700 --> 00:30:41.140
into those intimate moments somehow, it never

00:30:41.140 --> 00:30:45.220
comes across as like cheesy, but it always feels

00:30:45.220 --> 00:30:48.500
really genuine and authentic and I love it. Yeah,

00:30:48.500 --> 00:30:51.420
I'll talk more about that in a little bit. Number

00:30:51.420 --> 00:30:57.799
nine for me is an album by a band named Anxious

00:30:57.799 --> 00:31:02.119
and I didn't know anything about this band until

00:31:03.180 --> 00:31:07.119
In 2024, I went to Furnace Fest and was listening

00:31:07.119 --> 00:31:09.960
to the bands that were going to be playing at

00:31:09.960 --> 00:31:12.220
Furnace Fest just so that I could see who do

00:31:12.220 --> 00:31:16.420
I want to go see when I show up. And I caught

00:31:16.420 --> 00:31:19.920
some of their music and was instantly like, yes,

00:31:19.940 --> 00:31:25.099
this is really good. It's like... 2000s Midwest

00:31:25.099 --> 00:31:28.279
emo mixed with a little bit of like a modern

00:31:28.279 --> 00:31:31.579
sound and a little more production. And that

00:31:31.579 --> 00:31:36.000
Midwest emo sound is like the sound of my band

00:31:36.000 --> 00:31:39.859
days, my touring days. It's just like, I'm always

00:31:39.859 --> 00:31:42.440
going to have a super special place in my heart

00:31:42.440 --> 00:31:46.299
for it. And so to hear like a young band tackle

00:31:46.299 --> 00:31:49.420
that has been cool. So they put out an album

00:31:49.420 --> 00:31:56.119
called Bambi. in 2025 and it's really good. It's

00:31:56.119 --> 00:32:00.380
their second record and they're a super tight

00:32:00.380 --> 00:32:04.640
band. Do a lot melodically, a lot musically.

00:32:05.259 --> 00:32:07.839
There's a lot of cool like time signature stuff

00:32:07.839 --> 00:32:12.099
and they're just they're really really good and

00:32:12.099 --> 00:32:17.619
it's a great record. So I recommend Again, I

00:32:17.619 --> 00:32:19.640
mentioned this before, but like, start at the

00:32:19.640 --> 00:32:24.519
beginning, never said Bambi's theme, there's

00:32:24.519 --> 00:32:26.599
a song Counting Sheep that I think was the first

00:32:26.599 --> 00:32:30.660
single, and so they're a really, really, really

00:32:30.660 --> 00:32:38.160
fun band. That's really cool. So my number eight

00:32:38.160 --> 00:32:42.240
is the Everything You Ever Wanted EP by Grace

00:32:42.240 --> 00:32:45.410
Graber. Okay, um, I really hope i've been like

00:32:45.410 --> 00:32:47.509
telling people to listen to her music But I don't

00:32:47.509 --> 00:32:49.109
know if i've ever heard someone say her name.

00:32:49.109 --> 00:32:52.049
So I hope it's not like a great bear or something.

00:32:52.190 --> 00:32:56.809
Yeah um, but this this ep It it took me back

00:32:56.809 --> 00:32:59.750
to the mid -2000s and like for all the right

00:32:59.750 --> 00:33:03.789
reasons um, and I feel like grace she really

00:33:03.789 --> 00:33:06.650
captures that sound and like she does a really

00:33:06.650 --> 00:33:12.170
amazing job of um like Putting her own spin on

00:33:12.170 --> 00:33:14.430
that. So it's like she's blending the present

00:33:14.430 --> 00:33:19.210
with nostalgia And I think that's that's really

00:33:19.210 --> 00:33:22.470
cool because that's that's I I love that genre

00:33:22.470 --> 00:33:25.890
like this like 2000s like pop punk or whatever

00:33:25.890 --> 00:33:29.789
But it's it's something they can honestly it

00:33:29.789 --> 00:33:33.069
can grow Like you can get tired of it pretty

00:33:33.069 --> 00:33:37.509
quick. And um, so like it made me When I was

00:33:37.509 --> 00:33:39.309
thinking of kind of like placing this I kind

00:33:39.309 --> 00:33:41.730
of thought to myself like it was really good

00:33:41.730 --> 00:33:44.650
but like I wonder What would it look like if

00:33:44.650 --> 00:33:46.670
there would have been six more like of these

00:33:46.670 --> 00:33:50.809
tracks on here? But there weren't so it just

00:33:50.809 --> 00:33:54.509
made it to like number eight my favorite track

00:33:54.509 --> 00:33:58.789
on this was she does a cover of everything you

00:33:58.789 --> 00:34:03.089
ever wanted by Hawk Nelson and just does it like

00:34:03.089 --> 00:34:06.839
really really well and And I think just a track

00:34:06.839 --> 00:34:10.539
like that like I think for a lot of people like

00:34:10.539 --> 00:34:14.699
that and zero were two tracks that just a lot

00:34:14.699 --> 00:34:17.679
of people felt like That's that's me. They're

00:34:17.679 --> 00:34:20.559
singing about me. Yeah So it's just cool and

00:34:20.559 --> 00:34:23.280
you can take a track that is it has a really

00:34:23.280 --> 00:34:26.619
personal feel And make people love it instead

00:34:26.619 --> 00:34:28.760
of just you know wanting to turn off and run

00:34:28.760 --> 00:34:33.400
back to hawk nelson's version Yeah, that's cool.

00:34:33.400 --> 00:34:35.429
You're gonna have to send that one to me Um,

00:34:35.469 --> 00:34:38.269
so that I can check that out, um, because I haven't

00:34:38.269 --> 00:34:41.429
listened to any of her stuff yet, but I would

00:34:41.429 --> 00:34:44.489
be really interested, um, I think to, to be able

00:34:44.489 --> 00:34:49.469
to do that. So number eight for me, um, um, a

00:34:49.469 --> 00:34:51.610
band that I've loved for a while, The Head and

00:34:51.610 --> 00:34:55.050
the Heart, um, put out a new album called Aperture,

00:34:55.050 --> 00:34:59.449
um, this, this year. And, um, I don't know if

00:34:59.449 --> 00:35:00.769
you've ever listened to The Head and the Heart,

00:35:00.829 --> 00:35:03.309
but their self -titled album, The Head and the

00:35:03.309 --> 00:35:06.030
Heart. is one of my favorite records of all time.

00:35:07.150 --> 00:35:11.630
There's not a bad song on it. You feel like you're

00:35:11.630 --> 00:35:14.809
in the room with them on that entire record in

00:35:14.809 --> 00:35:20.170
a beautiful way. It just feels really present

00:35:20.170 --> 00:35:24.969
and it feels like just a group of people that

00:35:24.969 --> 00:35:27.309
love each other sitting around singing songs

00:35:27.309 --> 00:35:31.010
together. the harmonies and the melodies and

00:35:31.010 --> 00:35:35.110
like everything just works so well on it. And

00:35:35.110 --> 00:35:40.710
then they kept releasing albums that were like

00:35:40.710 --> 00:35:47.369
more full band and more production. And it just

00:35:47.369 --> 00:35:50.889
like, it felt like it was lacking something that

00:35:50.889 --> 00:35:54.070
was present in the beginning and it wasn't really

00:35:54.070 --> 00:35:56.630
working as much. And then when this album aperture

00:35:56.630 --> 00:36:01.010
came out this year, I felt like they recaptured

00:36:01.010 --> 00:36:06.050
some of that original sound on this record where

00:36:06.050 --> 00:36:11.090
they're able to boil it down to let's stand on

00:36:11.090 --> 00:36:14.510
top of the hill in Hollywood with they did this

00:36:14.510 --> 00:36:17.349
live like recording with LA in the background

00:36:17.349 --> 00:36:21.289
just with the guitar and vocals and just create

00:36:21.289 --> 00:36:25.219
something beautiful and And this album just does

00:36:25.219 --> 00:36:27.760
it really well. And so I highly recommend it,

00:36:27.760 --> 00:36:30.199
especially if you were a fan of the Head in the

00:36:30.199 --> 00:36:32.599
Heart or want to check them out. I think it's

00:36:32.599 --> 00:36:35.900
a good place to start. I love the first track

00:36:35.900 --> 00:36:40.800
after the Setting Sun or Arrow. There's a lot

00:36:40.800 --> 00:36:44.739
of really great songs on this album. And so it's

00:36:44.739 --> 00:36:47.119
probably my second favorite album by the Head

00:36:47.119 --> 00:36:51.559
in the Heart. That's really cool. I feel like

00:36:51.559 --> 00:36:55.219
it's cool when you have a band that kind of recaptures.

00:36:55.420 --> 00:36:57.699
Because I know there was a release this year

00:36:57.699 --> 00:37:01.739
that I was so excited for, couldn't wait for

00:37:01.739 --> 00:37:04.460
it. And some of the like singles leading up to

00:37:04.460 --> 00:37:07.360
it, I was like, I don't know, I like this, but

00:37:07.360 --> 00:37:10.039
I don't like this. And when it came out, I just

00:37:10.039 --> 00:37:13.539
found myself not really like it was if you would

00:37:13.539 --> 00:37:16.179
have asked me back in March or April, I would

00:37:16.179 --> 00:37:17.460
have told you, man, that's definitely going to

00:37:17.460 --> 00:37:20.559
be top three, like in my favorite albums. And

00:37:20.559 --> 00:37:23.099
instead, it's ends up not even being on my top

00:37:23.099 --> 00:37:25.760
10, like it wasn't even considered like to make

00:37:25.760 --> 00:37:27.400
it on there. So I feel like it's cool whenever

00:37:27.400 --> 00:37:29.619
you have a band that starts going back in that

00:37:29.619 --> 00:37:32.800
direction instead of wait, I'll wait till the

00:37:32.800 --> 00:37:37.280
next one. Yeah, for sure. Yeah. I really, really

00:37:37.280 --> 00:37:40.360
love that one. That's awesome. Moving into number

00:37:40.360 --> 00:37:44.739
seven. So my, uh, my seventh favorite album of

00:37:44.739 --> 00:37:49.300
the year is heaven on my mind by Toby Mack. Um,

00:37:49.599 --> 00:37:54.099
For me, I really love learning the background

00:37:54.099 --> 00:37:57.679
behind an album. To me, it means a lot when I

00:37:57.679 --> 00:38:02.360
know what are they going for. Back in the day

00:38:02.360 --> 00:38:04.960
when I first found out about Jack White, it was

00:38:04.960 --> 00:38:07.440
so cool where it would be, yeah, he's recording

00:38:07.440 --> 00:38:12.739
this on machines from the 70s. Stuff like that

00:38:12.739 --> 00:38:14.900
where I'm like, I love this album so much more

00:38:14.900 --> 00:38:17.809
because I'm like... hey do you know to get this

00:38:17.809 --> 00:38:21.630
sound they had to like put so many amps around

00:38:21.630 --> 00:38:24.010
this piece of metal and hit it with this thing

00:38:24.010 --> 00:38:27.429
to like create the sound that didn't exist you

00:38:27.429 --> 00:38:31.090
know whatever um and with this one it's it's

00:38:31.090 --> 00:38:33.969
really interesting because it's it's on the heels

00:38:33.969 --> 00:38:36.909
of his son passing but as well as his like best

00:38:36.909 --> 00:38:39.929
friend Gabe and anyone who has ever been to like

00:38:39.929 --> 00:38:44.690
a Toby Mac show or knows Toby like Gabe was always

00:38:44.690 --> 00:38:48.710
there and all um and so for me like I just find

00:38:48.710 --> 00:38:53.230
this album super like genuine and I just think

00:38:53.230 --> 00:38:56.750
it's like it just feels as though this is what

00:38:56.750 --> 00:38:59.730
like Toby's going through these moments of like

00:38:59.730 --> 00:39:01.809
praise but then these moments of like man I'm

00:39:01.809 --> 00:39:04.309
still walking through this or hey if you're if

00:39:04.309 --> 00:39:06.630
you're here with me right now I'm I'm with you

00:39:06.630 --> 00:39:09.329
like I'm you know we were talking about that

00:39:09.329 --> 00:39:12.440
recently um just when people's going through

00:39:12.440 --> 00:39:15.440
something not just saying well like god's got

00:39:15.440 --> 00:39:18.679
this or like i've been there um but like just

00:39:18.679 --> 00:39:21.179
being genuine and just being like hey like if

00:39:21.179 --> 00:39:26.239
you need to talk i'm here and um i just i i really

00:39:26.239 --> 00:39:31.739
appreciate that about the album and um just just

00:39:31.739 --> 00:39:35.500
coming from that and um so yeah and i feel like

00:39:35.500 --> 00:39:39.090
too it's just with every With any like Toby album,

00:39:39.090 --> 00:39:41.030
you're gonna get a little bit of everything on

00:39:41.030 --> 00:39:43.869
there and I just always appreciate that Not every

00:39:43.869 --> 00:39:46.190
album is gonna be the same and there's some albums

00:39:46.190 --> 00:39:48.429
that aren't as popular as others because it's

00:39:48.429 --> 00:39:50.690
him being like Well, this is what's popular right

00:39:50.690 --> 00:39:53.610
now and I'm gonna make four tracks like that.

00:39:53.610 --> 00:39:57.690
Yeah, and um, so yeah, but I Yeah, it was number

00:39:57.690 --> 00:40:01.210
seven favorite track was rear view. I felt like

00:40:01.210 --> 00:40:03.760
it was kind of like felt like a kind of like

00:40:03.760 --> 00:40:06.900
an older to like the toby mac that I really started

00:40:06.900 --> 00:40:11.039
enjoy this almost like I guess hip -hop -esque

00:40:11.039 --> 00:40:13.639
type thing that's a little like deeper than like

00:40:13.639 --> 00:40:17.500
some of the other ones um yeah that's cool i

00:40:17.500 --> 00:40:19.579
don't think i even knew that toby put out an

00:40:19.579 --> 00:40:23.400
album this year So you need to keep me educated

00:40:23.400 --> 00:40:27.539
more. I need to What's going on whenever they

00:40:27.539 --> 00:40:29.179
used to come out of life where they'd be like

00:40:29.179 --> 00:40:31.480
five dollars Yeah, I'd buy a couple and I would

00:40:31.480 --> 00:40:33.619
just whenever someone's like he's got an album.

00:40:33.619 --> 00:40:39.539
I'd be like here it is. I Love that my track

00:40:39.539 --> 00:40:44.539
or album number seven is the album anything at

00:40:44.539 --> 00:40:48.909
all by Denison Whitmer. I don't know if you've

00:40:48.909 --> 00:40:51.510
ever really listened to Denison Whitmer, but

00:40:51.510 --> 00:40:55.989
he was a late 90s, early 2000s like singer -songwriter,

00:40:57.349 --> 00:41:01.570
kind of from the world of like Sufjan and that

00:41:01.570 --> 00:41:07.090
category. But I think was, I want to say originally

00:41:07.090 --> 00:41:14.369
on like BEC, but he has like kind of a 70s folk

00:41:16.210 --> 00:41:20.570
sound and I just love his voice and his melodies

00:41:20.570 --> 00:41:26.489
and so I think for a guy like him to come in

00:41:26.489 --> 00:41:29.630
2025 and release an album like this is pretty

00:41:29.630 --> 00:41:34.289
astounding to me because in a lot of ways I think

00:41:34.289 --> 00:41:36.510
it's some of his best songwriting that he's ever

00:41:36.510 --> 00:41:39.590
done. and in fact the first song on the album

00:41:39.590 --> 00:41:42.190
is called Focus Ring and it's the whole record

00:41:42.190 --> 00:41:45.329
I think is produced by Sufjan but Focus Ring

00:41:45.329 --> 00:41:49.530
is two minutes and 28 seconds. It's a short song

00:41:49.530 --> 00:41:54.389
but I honestly think it's a masterpiece in songwriting

00:41:54.389 --> 00:41:57.989
and I think it's probably my song of the year

00:41:57.989 --> 00:42:01.489
for 2025. That's really cool. My favorite song

00:42:01.489 --> 00:42:05.670
that's come out and It's one of the best songs

00:42:05.670 --> 00:42:08.730
that I've ever heard, just to be honest, and

00:42:08.730 --> 00:42:11.429
I highly recommend everybody go check it out.

00:42:11.710 --> 00:42:15.150
It's a perfect song, and it starts off a great

00:42:15.150 --> 00:42:19.389
album by Dennis and Whitmer, and so that's number

00:42:19.389 --> 00:42:23.429
seven for me. That's really cool. Number six

00:42:23.429 --> 00:42:29.550
for me is Breach by 21 Pilots. Feel I feel like

00:42:29.550 --> 00:42:33.269
I get labeled as a huge 21 pilots fan but honestly

00:42:33.269 --> 00:42:35.710
their stuff can be very hit or miss like even

00:42:35.710 --> 00:42:39.809
blurry face I I bought that album and liked a

00:42:39.809 --> 00:42:41.869
couple of tracks, but it wasn't probably a year

00:42:41.869 --> 00:42:46.050
into having it that I actually sat down and Really

00:42:46.050 --> 00:42:48.789
started to appreciate what that album was. Yeah,

00:42:48.809 --> 00:42:51.449
and um, I feel like breach was kind of the same

00:42:51.449 --> 00:42:53.269
way where it came out I listened a little bit

00:42:53.269 --> 00:42:55.789
of it and just like kind of didn't get around

00:42:55.789 --> 00:42:58.800
to it but with the list came in up it kind of

00:42:58.800 --> 00:43:05.139
motivated to jump into it. But I really appreciated

00:43:05.139 --> 00:43:08.480
what they did on this album. And I think as a

00:43:08.480 --> 00:43:11.599
whole, like not every track always like is a

00:43:11.599 --> 00:43:13.739
hit for me, but I appreciate that they're always

00:43:13.739 --> 00:43:17.699
stretching creatively. And I think even in this

00:43:17.699 --> 00:43:19.739
one, like there's stuff where it'd be so easy

00:43:19.739 --> 00:43:22.679
just to kind of do like a blurry face part two

00:43:22.679 --> 00:43:25.519
or like a, I think scale it and I see was there.

00:43:25.929 --> 00:43:29.789
Last one before this one. Yeah like it'd be so

00:43:29.789 --> 00:43:32.869
easy to do that, but I think they're always kind

00:43:32.869 --> 00:43:36.309
of stretching and So yeah for me for me this

00:43:36.309 --> 00:43:39.909
one it fells in number six Favorite track was

00:43:39.909 --> 00:43:46.150
drum show So I really enjoyed it cool My number

00:43:46.150 --> 00:43:49.929
six is the new album from Tyson Motzenbacher

00:43:49.929 --> 00:43:54.190
modern worries and I've loved everything that

00:43:54.190 --> 00:43:59.039
Tyson has put out Um, as an artist, um, been

00:43:59.039 --> 00:44:02.440
a big, been a big fan of all that. And he, um,

00:44:02.440 --> 00:44:04.739
put out this record this year. It's an interesting

00:44:04.739 --> 00:44:08.579
album in a lot of ways. It's, it's got a theme,

00:44:08.579 --> 00:44:11.280
uh, like it's called modern worries. And so the

00:44:11.280 --> 00:44:13.219
theme of the album is like, what are things that

00:44:13.219 --> 00:44:15.940
we should be concerned or worried about in the

00:44:15.940 --> 00:44:18.039
modern world that we, that we live in today?

00:44:18.400 --> 00:44:21.159
And so a lot of it is about the internet and

00:44:21.159 --> 00:44:25.280
how the internet's dangerous. Um, and, um, but.

00:44:25.280 --> 00:44:26.940
He has a song in there called I don't want to

00:44:26.940 --> 00:44:30.340
be on the internet anymore. Um, um, and so it's

00:44:30.340 --> 00:44:33.760
interesting, but he, there's also like a, um,

00:44:33.760 --> 00:44:37.599
uh, what's sort of like an audio book in the

00:44:37.599 --> 00:44:39.699
middle of the album, two tracks called Nathan

00:44:39.699 --> 00:44:42.760
one and Nathan two about the dangers of the internet.

00:44:43.340 --> 00:44:46.840
Um, but it's like, uh, uh, like a Dr. Seuss book,

00:44:46.840 --> 00:44:51.460
um, taking the internet and putting it down in

00:44:51.460 --> 00:44:54.239
a kid's story about how dangerous it is. It's

00:44:54.239 --> 00:44:59.019
really weird. But outside of the weirdness of

00:44:59.019 --> 00:45:03.699
that, the album works really well. And so songs

00:45:03.699 --> 00:45:08.780
like I Will and Minor Love, and he has a great,

00:45:08.780 --> 00:45:10.400
there's a great track later in the album called

00:45:10.400 --> 00:45:14.940
I'm Doing My Best. And it's just about his struggles

00:45:14.940 --> 00:45:20.900
with Christianity in a modern world. And so he

00:45:20.900 --> 00:45:23.559
just says, Jesus, I'm doing my best. I'm trying.

00:45:24.480 --> 00:45:26.820
I want to keep believing. I want to keep following.

00:45:27.639 --> 00:45:33.079
But we've got some struggles. And so it's a really,

00:45:33.079 --> 00:45:35.519
really, it's been a really good record I've enjoyed.

00:45:35.800 --> 00:45:37.559
I've enjoyed spending time with it this year.

00:45:38.860 --> 00:45:41.179
Number five on my list. So we're moving into

00:45:41.179 --> 00:45:44.840
the top five is Music on the Shelf by the Rocky

00:45:44.840 --> 00:45:51.800
Valentines. This album, it felt like like a time

00:45:51.800 --> 00:45:55.139
machine, like it's really nostalgic. Yeah. And

00:45:55.139 --> 00:45:59.039
the way I see it is so Charles Martin, he's the

00:45:59.039 --> 00:46:01.500
son of Jason Martin from Star Flyer 59. For those

00:46:01.500 --> 00:46:04.500
who don't know, I feel like he falls in his dad's

00:46:04.500 --> 00:46:07.320
footsteps, but he also blazes his own trail.

00:46:07.360 --> 00:46:09.639
Yeah. And I really love that about this album

00:46:09.639 --> 00:46:14.340
is that you you could hear the oh, man, this

00:46:14.409 --> 00:46:17.630
feels like it is associated with Starfly 59,

00:46:18.050 --> 00:46:21.530
but it's not just a, Oh, let me go grab some

00:46:21.530 --> 00:46:24.130
songs. My dad hasn't recorded. You put it out

00:46:24.130 --> 00:46:27.849
there. Um, and I just, I, I really appreciate

00:46:27.849 --> 00:46:31.510
that. Um, cause Starfly are like, I've, I've,

00:46:31.510 --> 00:46:34.090
I've known people that they'll pick up, uh, I

00:46:34.090 --> 00:46:36.690
very much disagree with this as I know you do,

00:46:36.849 --> 00:46:38.690
but they'll be like, well, if you've heard one

00:46:38.690 --> 00:46:41.210
of their songs, you've heard them all. And, um,

00:46:41.250 --> 00:46:43.730
and I, I think to a certain degree, if you don't

00:46:43.730 --> 00:46:46.780
know the band. I can see how you kind of think

00:46:46.780 --> 00:46:51.119
this one sounds like this one or whatever, but

00:46:51.119 --> 00:46:53.679
I think that he just does a good job of that

00:46:53.679 --> 00:46:56.719
this album, you know, you're still enjoying it

00:46:56.719 --> 00:46:58.599
come to the end. You're not waiting for it to

00:46:58.599 --> 00:47:01.699
get over. My favorite track on here is a track

00:47:01.699 --> 00:47:08.670
called The Clock Says It's Noon. Yeah, this one

00:47:08.670 --> 00:47:11.190
I think falls in an honorable mention category

00:47:11.190 --> 00:47:15.809
for me. It's probably my number 11. I didn't

00:47:15.809 --> 00:47:19.190
quite make the list, but it's a great, great

00:47:19.190 --> 00:47:21.989
album and I really have enjoyed it this year

00:47:21.989 --> 00:47:24.150
and spent a decent amount of time with it too.

00:47:24.389 --> 00:47:27.389
And so I wanted it to be on there, but I just

00:47:27.389 --> 00:47:29.920
couldn't make it. Yeah, just couldn't make it

00:47:29.920 --> 00:47:32.360
happen. But I really do enjoy that record by

00:47:32.360 --> 00:47:34.139
the Rocky Valentine's as well. Yeah, it's really

00:47:34.139 --> 00:47:39.539
good so my number five for me is a live album

00:47:39.539 --> 00:47:42.699
a liturgy a legacy and the songs of rich Mullins

00:47:42.699 --> 00:47:47.530
by Andrew Peterson and friends And so this, I've

00:47:47.530 --> 00:47:49.449
talked about this on the podcast before, but

00:47:49.449 --> 00:47:53.070
a few years ago, Andrew Peterson decided to do

00:47:53.070 --> 00:47:56.329
a whole concert kind of in two parts of Rich

00:47:56.329 --> 00:47:58.210
Mullins music. The first part is just some of

00:47:58.210 --> 00:48:01.190
his favorite Rich Mullins songs. And then the

00:48:01.190 --> 00:48:04.949
second half is basically a kind of note for note

00:48:04.949 --> 00:48:07.769
cover of Liturgy, Legacy, and Ragamuffin Band

00:48:07.769 --> 00:48:12.619
by Rich Mullins. And man, I have just loved going

00:48:12.619 --> 00:48:15.099
back and listening to this and hearing. There's

00:48:15.099 --> 00:48:17.659
different voices on here, not just Andrew Peterson.

00:48:18.519 --> 00:48:23.480
Lee Nash from Sixpence sings on this. And it's

00:48:23.480 --> 00:48:27.880
really well done and really well produced. And

00:48:27.880 --> 00:48:31.980
I really love, I've loved listening to this and

00:48:31.980 --> 00:48:36.920
kind of reliving this, the songs of Rich Mullins,

00:48:37.119 --> 00:48:40.659
but my favorite. album by rich mullins as well

00:48:40.659 --> 00:48:43.559
and so i'm super thankful that um andrew peterson

00:48:43.559 --> 00:48:46.280
decided to to put this out and make it happen

00:48:46.280 --> 00:48:49.460
that's really cool that's um i didn't get you

00:48:49.460 --> 00:48:51.840
didn't get around a chance to to listening to

00:48:51.840 --> 00:48:54.739
it but that's definitely on my listen listen

00:48:54.739 --> 00:48:58.519
yeah i don't know why i said that twice my listen

00:48:58.519 --> 00:49:00.780
listen yeah my listen listen there's my listen

00:49:00.780 --> 00:49:10.099
list there's listen listen So my fourth favorite

00:49:10.099 --> 00:49:14.739
album or release is the St. Augustine EP by a

00:49:14.739 --> 00:49:18.139
band called Small Town Poets. Oh, here we are.

00:49:18.219 --> 00:49:21.300
We are in the EPs. Yeah. And Small Town Poets

00:49:21.300 --> 00:49:23.980
appears. Oh my goodness. Yeah. I had never heard

00:49:23.980 --> 00:49:29.340
of this band before. And so like I always Like

00:49:29.340 --> 00:49:32.860
I follow a lot of Jesus Freak Hideout, just kind

00:49:32.860 --> 00:49:35.059
of keeping up releases. And this was one that

00:49:35.059 --> 00:49:38.960
popped up and I was just trying to listen to

00:49:38.960 --> 00:49:42.139
as many albums as I could reasonably, because

00:49:42.139 --> 00:49:44.480
I'm always afraid that I'm going to miss something

00:49:44.480 --> 00:49:48.960
and love it. And this one, I think it has like

00:49:48.960 --> 00:49:52.159
four and a half stars. And I'm like... Well,

00:49:52.159 --> 00:49:54.559
if they think it's that good, like, let me go,

00:49:54.559 --> 00:49:56.719
like, check it out. Because a lot of indie stuff,

00:49:57.139 --> 00:49:58.980
like, you know, this is the kind of stuff you

00:49:58.980 --> 00:50:01.559
don't, you know, they might have 3000 monthly

00:50:01.559 --> 00:50:06.219
listeners on eBay, on Spotify. But yeah, this

00:50:06.219 --> 00:50:10.039
album, it has such an 80s vibe, which it had

00:50:10.039 --> 00:50:12.760
me really confused why I was loving it so much.

00:50:13.079 --> 00:50:14.659
Because usually that kind of stuff, it's just

00:50:14.659 --> 00:50:18.599
kind of like an eye roll almost for me. but it

00:50:18.599 --> 00:50:21.599
was just it's such a fun listen like it was just

00:50:21.599 --> 00:50:27.360
so catchy and like the the lyrics were so good

00:50:27.360 --> 00:50:30.079
and like they were just like there was so much

00:50:30.079 --> 00:50:32.659
condensed without like like overstaying their

00:50:32.659 --> 00:50:36.059
welcome yeah um and this is this another one

00:50:36.059 --> 00:50:40.199
that i think like if it if it would have been

00:50:40.199 --> 00:50:42.719
a whole album i don't know how i feel but i think

00:50:42.719 --> 00:50:45.639
that the i believe it was six tracks like it

00:50:45.639 --> 00:50:48.860
just had all of that. It was fun. It had more

00:50:48.860 --> 00:50:52.320
serious stuff. It had one, it's called Florida

00:50:52.320 --> 00:50:55.940
Man, so it's about basically just talking about

00:50:55.940 --> 00:50:59.760
the legacy or legend of the Florida man and all.

00:51:00.800 --> 00:51:03.760
My favorite track on this one was All the Voices.

00:51:05.539 --> 00:51:09.480
That's fun. So Small Town Poets was a 90s forefront

00:51:09.480 --> 00:51:14.900
band. And their first album, which was self -titled,

00:51:15.320 --> 00:51:17.960
I listened to like crazy. They were kind of like

00:51:17.960 --> 00:51:21.480
the Christian Jen Blossoms. And the Jen Blossoms

00:51:21.480 --> 00:51:25.920
were a band that I loved a ton back in middle

00:51:25.920 --> 00:51:27.980
school and high school. And so when they came

00:51:27.980 --> 00:51:32.119
out, man, I was all in on Small Town Poets. And

00:51:32.119 --> 00:51:34.579
I haven't checked that out. So I need to listen

00:51:34.579 --> 00:51:40.679
to that. In fact, my band Bellador... recorded

00:51:40.679 --> 00:51:44.139
our record with a guy named Matt Goldman in Atlanta,

00:51:44.320 --> 00:51:46.800
and Matt was the drummer for Small Town Boats.

00:51:47.559 --> 00:51:50.019
I don't know that he still is, but he was at

00:51:50.019 --> 00:51:53.440
that point in time. And so that's kind of a cool

00:51:53.440 --> 00:51:58.130
thing, but I love that. So my number four is

00:51:58.130 --> 00:52:02.789
the album forever phase by Paul Meany Which I

00:52:02.789 --> 00:52:04.650
don't know if you ever got around to listening

00:52:04.650 --> 00:52:09.429
to that one Brandon, but Paul is was the lead

00:52:09.429 --> 00:52:13.929
singer of the band mute math and He is the producer

00:52:13.929 --> 00:52:17.889
for 21 pilots and Has done a lot of stuff with

00:52:17.889 --> 00:52:20.710
21 pilots. Mm -hmm. And so as someone who loves

00:52:20.710 --> 00:52:23.510
21 pilots I think you would absolutely adore

00:52:23.510 --> 00:52:29.130
this album. Mm -hmm um by him but um i have really

00:52:29.130 --> 00:52:31.369
really enjoyed listening to ed i was a huge mute

00:52:31.369 --> 00:52:35.309
math fan and um really bummed that they haven't

00:52:35.309 --> 00:52:38.230
made music in a while they're a band from new

00:52:38.230 --> 00:52:41.710
orleans um but paul um putting out his first

00:52:41.710 --> 00:52:49.030
solo record um man it's it's good and um and

00:52:49.030 --> 00:52:51.610
i love that he's really upfront about his faith

00:52:51.610 --> 00:52:56.599
on it um and um I just really if you ever listen

00:52:56.599 --> 00:52:59.380
to mute math or maybe you're into the 21 pilot

00:52:59.380 --> 00:53:04.679
sound or I don't know you just like a guy that

00:53:04.679 --> 00:53:09.800
can sing like crazy and just his vocals are amazing

00:53:09.800 --> 00:53:14.539
and he's such a great record so I highly highly

00:53:14.539 --> 00:53:17.940
highly recommend and you can just go to the first

00:53:17.940 --> 00:53:20.900
track hold the record and get a sense of what

00:53:20.900 --> 00:53:24.610
the whole album is like It's really great stuff.

00:53:25.889 --> 00:53:28.829
That's awesome. Well, now we're moving into the

00:53:28.829 --> 00:53:32.730
top three. So I'm pretty excited to see what

00:53:32.730 --> 00:53:36.710
was on the podium or whatever. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:53:37.309 --> 00:53:41.710
So I'm pretty excited to see. So first off, it

00:53:41.710 --> 00:53:45.670
is kind of like Small Town Poets. It's a band

00:53:45.670 --> 00:53:51.250
I'd never heard of. but saw they got, they were

00:53:51.250 --> 00:53:53.329
highlighted on Jesus Freak Hideout and I saw

00:53:53.329 --> 00:53:57.530
them pop up on Velvet Blue, which I think this

00:53:57.530 --> 00:54:00.550
makes Rocky Valentine's, I think they're on Velvet

00:54:00.550 --> 00:54:04.670
Blue too. So this one is This World Ain't Mine

00:54:04.670 --> 00:54:11.070
to Change by Fepeste. This album, it's just so

00:54:11.070 --> 00:54:14.670
simple. Like it just, it feels like this guy

00:54:14.670 --> 00:54:18.360
just I picture them being in an old house and

00:54:18.360 --> 00:54:21.500
Jason Martin just bringing like a tape recorder

00:54:21.500 --> 00:54:27.199
recording it but it's just like it's so like

00:54:27.199 --> 00:54:31.400
like raw like both musically and lyrically like

00:54:31.400 --> 00:54:35.800
it just feels like it's so unrehearsed but like

00:54:35.800 --> 00:54:39.760
in all the right ways like it just feels like

00:54:39.760 --> 00:54:42.400
this was all just one take and it's just a guy

00:54:42.400 --> 00:54:47.110
like having a Bunch of like scattered pages or

00:54:47.110 --> 00:54:49.889
whatever picking up and singing up, but it's

00:54:49.889 --> 00:54:56.030
just so It's just so cool and like with something

00:54:56.030 --> 00:54:59.769
that's so simple like You're you're always afraid

00:54:59.769 --> 00:55:02.329
that you're gonna like like lose something with

00:55:02.329 --> 00:55:05.710
time And this was one that I loved and I was

00:55:05.710 --> 00:55:07.789
almost afraid to go back and listen because I'm

00:55:07.789 --> 00:55:10.929
like Is it gonna drop down or be like this was

00:55:10.929 --> 00:55:12.989
this is you listen to it once and you're over?

00:55:13.880 --> 00:55:16.760
um but i feel like it still holds up like i feel

00:55:16.760 --> 00:55:20.360
like the songs i felt catchy was still held up

00:55:20.360 --> 00:55:22.800
i think the lyrics that i still felt like hitting

00:55:22.800 --> 00:55:27.199
me still hit me whenever i um listened to it

00:55:27.199 --> 00:55:31.780
um my favorite track was be forgotten and i'm

00:55:31.780 --> 00:55:35.340
pretty sure it's the opener on the album um but

00:55:35.340 --> 00:55:38.239
it's just this like group vocals and just this

00:55:38.239 --> 00:55:41.139
very like short little minute and a half maybe

00:55:41.139 --> 00:55:44.940
two minute track But yeah, I love that album.

00:55:45.599 --> 00:55:47.679
I remember you mentioning them before, and I

00:55:47.679 --> 00:55:50.820
still haven't checked them out. And so I've got

00:55:50.820 --> 00:55:53.739
to go do that. I've got to go do that. It makes

00:55:53.739 --> 00:55:55.579
you feel better, Joel. There's been about seven

00:55:55.579 --> 00:55:58.260
artists so far that's been like, have you checked

00:55:58.260 --> 00:56:01.219
those ones out yet? Oh, they're on the listen,

00:56:01.320 --> 00:56:04.780
listen, listen list. Listen, listen, listen list.

00:56:05.000 --> 00:56:08.489
Yeah, that's a good list. All right. So my track

00:56:08.489 --> 00:56:11.429
three would be no surprise or album three would

00:56:11.429 --> 00:56:15.690
be no surprise to people that know me. My favorite

00:56:15.690 --> 00:56:19.030
band of the last 20 years is the band Wilco.

00:56:19.929 --> 00:56:24.750
And they have loved every album pretty much that

00:56:24.750 --> 00:56:28.769
they've put out pretty much. And such a soundtrack

00:56:28.769 --> 00:56:33.570
to my like last even more 25 years probably.

00:56:34.800 --> 00:56:38.559
And so their lead singer Jeff Tweedy just put

00:56:38.559 --> 00:56:42.679
out a solo record. He's put out a few, but his

00:56:42.679 --> 00:56:46.360
newest one is called Twilight Override. And it

00:56:46.360 --> 00:56:51.039
is a triple album. So there are three albums

00:56:51.039 --> 00:56:55.280
that make up the album Twilight Override. And

00:56:55.280 --> 00:56:58.659
it's the best solo record that he's ever put

00:56:58.659 --> 00:57:05.489
out by far. And it, man, is It's just a master

00:57:05.489 --> 00:57:09.269
class in songwriting and creativity. And the

00:57:09.269 --> 00:57:11.489
band that he put together to record this and

00:57:11.489 --> 00:57:15.269
tour this is made up of his two sons and some

00:57:15.269 --> 00:57:19.309
of their friends. And so it's cool. It's a real

00:57:19.309 --> 00:57:25.550
family affair. And really, really creative and

00:57:25.550 --> 00:57:28.309
wild in a lot of ways. And so I love a bunch

00:57:28.309 --> 00:57:32.230
of songs on it. But one of my favorites that's

00:57:32.230 --> 00:57:36.980
just kind of a Jam song is the start of a disc

00:57:36.980 --> 00:57:40.679
three It's called Lou Reed was my babysitter

00:57:40.679 --> 00:57:45.059
And it's a great great great great song great

00:57:45.059 --> 00:57:48.179
album. So I'm always here for Jeff Tweedy and

00:57:48.179 --> 00:57:54.260
Wilco So moving into my top two this one I felt

00:57:54.260 --> 00:57:59.159
like these two from like the real the very start

00:57:59.159 --> 00:58:03.519
Like I knew they were gonna be like One or two

00:58:03.519 --> 00:58:05.739
just more I listen like they separate themselves

00:58:05.739 --> 00:58:08.800
and I feel like honestly depending on the day

00:58:08.800 --> 00:58:13.519
they might be like switched And so but for today,

00:58:13.519 --> 00:58:17.199
this is the order they're in So my number two

00:58:17.199 --> 00:58:21.400
favorite release of this year is 77 part one

00:58:21.400 --> 00:58:24.760
by colony house. Yeah until this year. I had

00:58:24.760 --> 00:58:27.860
no idea who colony house was it wasn't until

00:58:27.860 --> 00:58:32.889
July that we happened to be—our church took some

00:58:32.889 --> 00:58:36.349
of our kids to summer camp, and they're having,

00:58:36.349 --> 00:58:39.570
like, their field day or whatever, and on their

00:58:39.570 --> 00:58:41.989
playlist they start playing, playing, would you,

00:58:42.070 --> 00:58:44.670
could you by Colony House. And I was like, that's

00:58:44.670 --> 00:58:47.590
a pretty catchy song. So, like, I type it in.

00:58:47.650 --> 00:58:49.929
I'm like, Colony House. I've heard of that. I've

00:58:49.929 --> 00:58:52.630
heard that name before. Yeah. And it just started

00:58:52.630 --> 00:58:56.920
this this road of going down and just like loving

00:58:56.920 --> 00:59:01.599
the band and so they released 77 part one and

00:59:01.599 --> 00:59:04.019
from my understanding this release is a little

00:59:04.019 --> 00:59:09.099
divisive among Colony House fans but like I loved

00:59:09.099 --> 00:59:13.380
it. It's a mix of like this super fun stuff but

00:59:13.380 --> 00:59:17.039
also just like a super serious side and like

00:59:17.039 --> 00:59:20.079
I love that because I feel like growing up like

00:59:20.349 --> 00:59:23.630
I love bands that could do both like it life

00:59:23.630 --> 00:59:26.570
isn't all like sunshine and all but it's also

00:59:26.570 --> 00:59:28.630
not all rain so it's like I don't want to listen

00:59:28.630 --> 00:59:31.630
to a band that's all all depressing or whatever

00:59:31.630 --> 00:59:36.110
um but yeah I feel like the um like the mood

00:59:36.110 --> 00:59:39.010
also changes before it kind of overstays so before

00:59:39.010 --> 00:59:42.829
it starts getting labeled as a this is too too

00:59:42.829 --> 00:59:46.190
light -hearted or cheesy like it you'll have

00:59:46.190 --> 00:59:49.789
like a shift so I really appreciated them um

00:59:49.719 --> 00:59:53.139
And also, I got to see them live, and I think

00:59:53.139 --> 00:59:56.659
what was so cool was that all of the songs from

00:59:56.659 --> 01:00:00.239
this that they played live translated well. And

01:00:00.239 --> 01:00:04.079
there are so many times that I'll love a song

01:00:04.079 --> 01:00:08.320
and I hear it live and I go, ooh, that's... I

01:00:08.320 --> 01:00:11.980
don't care for that. So I feel like that's just

01:00:11.980 --> 01:00:15.920
bonus points. My favorite track was the opener,

01:00:16.079 --> 01:00:20.250
Telephone Pole. And I think for me, that's probably

01:00:20.250 --> 01:00:25.909
my track of the year. I think that it just stands

01:00:25.909 --> 01:00:29.429
out as just a song that I've listened to it so

01:00:29.429 --> 01:00:33.070
many times and it still hits me every time I

01:00:33.070 --> 01:00:35.170
listen to it. Yeah, that's cool. I don't know

01:00:35.170 --> 01:00:37.269
how you missed Silhouettes back in the day. It

01:00:37.269 --> 01:00:40.869
was a massive, massive song. I was too busy listening

01:00:40.869 --> 01:00:44.849
to Toby Mac. I guess so. Yeah, Colony House is

01:00:44.849 --> 01:00:46.409
a great band. I haven't checked out the new one

01:00:46.409 --> 01:00:49.690
yet, but... Um, I'll do that for sure. Um, so

01:00:49.690 --> 01:00:51.789
my number two is one that you've already mentioned.

01:00:51.809 --> 01:00:54.070
As long as I am in the tent of this body, I will

01:00:54.070 --> 01:00:57.730
make a joyful noise. Part one by John Van Dusen.

01:00:57.929 --> 01:01:00.389
I'm hoping that part two is coming out in 2026.

01:01:01.230 --> 01:01:06.789
Um, but, um, man, this album, holy cow, 18 songs

01:01:06.789 --> 01:01:12.909
on a part one album. And, um, it is. I've loved

01:01:12.909 --> 01:01:16.929
everything that John has put out as a solo artist,

01:01:17.010 --> 01:01:20.130
but honestly, even before with his previous band,

01:01:20.250 --> 01:01:27.389
The Lonely Forest. But this record, there was

01:01:27.389 --> 01:01:30.489
a lot to it, and it goes a lot of different places

01:01:30.489 --> 01:01:34.289
sonically. And he's made worship records like

01:01:34.289 --> 01:01:36.309
this before, like personal worship records like

01:01:36.309 --> 01:01:40.559
this before. Um, his I am origami part two is

01:01:40.559 --> 01:01:45.639
probably my favorite worship album. Um, and I

01:01:45.639 --> 01:01:48.519
still think it's, it's probably over this one

01:01:48.519 --> 01:01:52.699
for me. Um, but, um, but man, this album has

01:01:52.699 --> 01:01:55.900
grown on me and, uh, he released a lot of these

01:01:55.900 --> 01:01:58.739
like single by single before the full album.

01:01:58.960 --> 01:02:02.440
So like, like at least like six to eight songs

01:02:02.440 --> 01:02:04.559
were already out before the full thing dropped.

01:02:04.559 --> 01:02:07.119
And so I got to experience it in pieces as it

01:02:07.119 --> 01:02:09.719
went, and I felt like that helps with an 18 -song

01:02:09.719 --> 01:02:13.239
album, just to kind of get to know some of them.

01:02:13.260 --> 01:02:15.579
But the first song I heard off of it was Jesus

01:02:15.579 --> 01:02:21.280
of Nazareth, and it's a killer song. But I think

01:02:21.280 --> 01:02:25.800
we've talked about this already, but just an

01:02:25.800 --> 01:02:28.659
album where John invites you into his conversations

01:02:28.659 --> 01:02:33.139
with God, And there's just a lot of substance

01:02:33.139 --> 01:02:39.119
there and a lot of scripture there. And it's

01:02:39.119 --> 01:02:42.719
such, such, such a great album. I think some

01:02:42.719 --> 01:02:46.320
highlights for me are track number four, The

01:02:46.320 --> 01:02:51.039
Red Sea Within Me. And if you listen to my Apple

01:02:51.039 --> 01:02:53.219
Music replay, it would tell you that my song

01:02:53.219 --> 01:02:56.940
of the year is close enough off of this album.

01:02:57.980 --> 01:03:01.599
I love, love, love this record. It's really fantastic.

01:03:02.820 --> 01:03:04.800
That's it's really interesting because I feel

01:03:04.800 --> 01:03:09.719
like, um, for both of us, I feel like this whole

01:03:09.719 --> 01:03:11.860
year of like, it's kind of been the year of like

01:03:11.860 --> 01:03:14.619
Colony House for Gable Price and Friends. And

01:03:14.619 --> 01:03:17.460
so I feel like, like there's a spoiler. So Colony

01:03:17.460 --> 01:03:20.340
House is second and like Gable Price and Friends,

01:03:20.820 --> 01:03:23.079
they just had a bunch of singles this year. So

01:03:23.079 --> 01:03:25.619
like they're not number one. And I feel like

01:03:25.619 --> 01:03:27.739
going into it, I was like, oh, that John Van

01:03:27.739 --> 01:03:30.659
Dusen album is going to be. So I feel like it's

01:03:30.659 --> 01:03:34.300
kind of a mystery. So I'm kind of excited to

01:03:34.300 --> 01:03:36.280
get to kind of share mine and get to hear what

01:03:36.280 --> 01:03:38.099
your number one is. I can't wait to hear what

01:03:38.099 --> 01:03:42.300
your number one is. So my number one is the stronger

01:03:42.300 --> 01:03:47.880
EP by The Last Bison. Okay. And like the only

01:03:47.880 --> 01:03:51.400
problem with this release was that it's only

01:03:51.400 --> 01:03:57.380
four songs. Each song was just so awesome. And

01:03:57.380 --> 01:04:01.300
so Last Bison is a band that I love. I've loved

01:04:01.300 --> 01:04:04.559
them ever since I first saw them in concert.

01:04:05.420 --> 01:04:08.280
But the double -edged sword of that is that the

01:04:08.280 --> 01:04:12.340
expectations are so high. And like I said, there's

01:04:12.340 --> 01:04:16.090
another band that I had... Huge expectations

01:04:16.090 --> 01:04:18.389
for and I feel like it kind of fell flat because

01:04:18.389 --> 01:04:21.349
I was expecting this album to be this amazing

01:04:21.349 --> 01:04:25.949
thing And it wasn't So whenever they released

01:04:25.949 --> 01:04:29.269
this it's like man like they've done so much

01:04:29.269 --> 01:04:31.630
over the years So it's like I don't know what

01:04:31.630 --> 01:04:36.210
sound I'm gonna get with the last bison But like

01:04:36.210 --> 01:04:38.550
they're a band that they like I said, they've

01:04:38.550 --> 01:04:42.320
evolved over time And it's just awesome when

01:04:42.320 --> 01:04:46.099
a band can take like the heart And they can bring

01:04:46.099 --> 01:04:48.840
that to each direction they go on and I feel

01:04:48.840 --> 01:04:53.639
like that's what um like the last bison did with

01:04:53.639 --> 01:04:56.860
this is that that's something that has been like

01:04:56.860 --> 01:05:00.239
Present with every release Is just this like

01:05:00.239 --> 01:05:04.800
heart of it. Um, so I just like it's a four -song

01:05:04.800 --> 01:05:08.900
ep But as I was looking through i'm like they're

01:05:08.920 --> 01:05:12.179
there's no other release other than 77 part one

01:05:12.179 --> 01:05:16.199
that I felt like I found myself like listening

01:05:16.199 --> 01:05:19.639
to as much or is being like just as like hit

01:05:19.639 --> 01:05:25.179
like as hard by my favorite track on it was it's

01:05:25.179 --> 01:05:29.539
the last track and it's the outside so like I

01:05:29.539 --> 01:05:31.619
think that one's short enough that I could have

01:05:31.619 --> 01:05:34.320
been like the easy route and just said what's

01:05:34.320 --> 01:05:37.179
only four so my favorite track is all four but

01:05:37.179 --> 01:05:40.300
i think that one's just a little um edges out

01:05:40.300 --> 01:05:43.940
the other three on the ep that's cool i know

01:05:43.940 --> 01:05:46.079
you've been talking about them for a while and

01:05:46.079 --> 01:05:47.900
it's another band that i still haven't really

01:05:47.900 --> 01:05:51.440
checked out yet um and so i think since they're

01:05:51.440 --> 01:05:53.599
definitely in your number one i owe them owe

01:05:53.599 --> 01:05:57.389
them some listening time so Yeah. So my number

01:05:57.389 --> 01:06:00.349
one is definitely my number one listen to album

01:06:00.349 --> 01:06:03.789
of the year to hit that way in my Apple music,

01:06:03.789 --> 01:06:07.829
um, replay. And, um, that is the album Jesus

01:06:07.829 --> 01:06:13.110
by John Guerra. And, um, I haven't had an album

01:06:13.110 --> 01:06:18.050
I think impact me like this album has, um, in

01:06:18.050 --> 01:06:21.630
a while. Um, it's been the soundtrack to a lot

01:06:21.630 --> 01:06:24.570
of my life this year, um, good times and bad

01:06:24.570 --> 01:06:27.849
times. And it's just an album that kind of grounds

01:06:27.849 --> 01:06:33.409
me and reminds me of what is important. And it's

01:06:33.409 --> 01:06:38.070
an album that's all about Jesus. And whether

01:06:38.070 --> 01:06:40.690
they're songs that are based on things that Jesus

01:06:40.690 --> 01:06:44.130
said or songs about Jesus, it's called Jesus

01:06:44.130 --> 01:06:47.030
for a reason, because it's an album just kind

01:06:47.030 --> 01:06:52.030
of, again, sort of a personal... Even more than

01:06:52.030 --> 01:06:54.349
a personal worship record it is that but it's

01:06:54.349 --> 01:06:58.489
also just like theological Because most of this

01:06:58.489 --> 01:07:02.989
album is just scripture Scripture puts a music

01:07:02.989 --> 01:07:05.409
like the first song is called in the beginning

01:07:05.409 --> 01:07:09.829
was love and it's basically John chapter 1 it's

01:07:09.829 --> 01:07:17.099
a music and it's gorgeous and beautiful and Man,

01:07:17.119 --> 01:07:20.539
I've listened to this so many times. And if you

01:07:20.539 --> 01:07:22.659
asked me to pick a favorite song on it, I don't

01:07:22.659 --> 01:07:25.440
think that I could. I honestly would say every

01:07:25.440 --> 01:07:30.380
song, like you just said. I really like track

01:07:30.380 --> 01:07:34.340
number four, I See the Birds. But I honestly

01:07:34.340 --> 01:07:37.679
really like every, love every song on this album.

01:07:38.159 --> 01:07:41.699
Love Your Enemies. There's just so much good

01:07:41.699 --> 01:07:47.239
on this album and I can't. I can't speak enough

01:07:47.239 --> 01:07:50.440
about it and I can't encourage people enough

01:07:50.440 --> 01:07:55.380
in it. I think this album is like the Keith Green

01:07:55.380 --> 01:08:00.719
and the Rich Mullins of today. John Guerra is

01:08:00.719 --> 01:08:05.619
doing that level of songwriting and it's just

01:08:05.619 --> 01:08:09.639
incredible and everybody needs to go and spend

01:08:09.639 --> 01:08:13.860
a lot of time listening to it. It's 100 % my

01:08:13.860 --> 01:08:17.739
number one album of the year. I feel like that's

01:08:17.739 --> 01:08:21.079
really cool because just looking them up Like

01:08:21.079 --> 01:08:23.500
I see that it was released in like the beginning

01:08:23.500 --> 01:08:26.079
of April. Yeah, and I think it's just always

01:08:26.079 --> 01:08:30.840
cool when You have something Because I mean like

01:08:30.840 --> 01:08:32.680
I know for me they didn't release something but

01:08:32.680 --> 01:08:35.060
like Gable Price and Friends that's kind of when

01:08:35.060 --> 01:08:39.359
I started listening to them and like it I kind

01:08:39.359 --> 01:08:42.199
of can see where you're coming from with this

01:08:42.199 --> 01:08:45.039
one where it's like you listen to it and it's

01:08:45.039 --> 01:08:48.380
like you're like man this is cool but as you're

01:08:48.380 --> 01:08:50.340
going through your year you're like picking up

01:08:50.340 --> 01:08:54.720
more of like oh man this like it's it's meaning

01:08:54.720 --> 01:08:57.859
more and more instead of a okay let me put this

01:08:57.859 --> 01:09:01.239
to the side go listen to yeah whatever Um, so

01:09:01.239 --> 01:09:03.220
to me that's just it's cool because it's easy

01:09:03.220 --> 01:09:05.180
to be like this album came out in september and

01:09:05.180 --> 01:09:07.380
I still love it but like it's harder when it's

01:09:07.380 --> 01:09:10.140
like I've had this almost for a year and I still

01:09:10.140 --> 01:09:13.600
like love it. Yeah, I think I said In a conversation

01:09:13.600 --> 01:09:16.640
when it came out when we were talking early on

01:09:16.640 --> 01:09:19.020
that like this is my album of the year so far

01:09:19.020 --> 01:09:21.899
Um, and it's nothing's ever pushed it and if

01:09:21.899 --> 01:09:23.380
there was anything that was going to do that,

01:09:23.380 --> 01:09:27.119
it would be a john venducin record and so, um

01:09:27.119 --> 01:09:30.550
john came close but um, but yeah, this record

01:09:30.550 --> 01:09:36.010
I love. So, but I think that's really cool. I

01:09:36.010 --> 01:09:40.390
feel like it's just cool getting to listen to

01:09:40.390 --> 01:09:43.409
them. And I know for me, too, like I always thought

01:09:43.409 --> 01:09:46.449
it was cool. I keep mentioning Jesus Free Hideout,

01:09:46.590 --> 01:09:49.850
but like they always do their year end. But what

01:09:49.850 --> 01:09:52.949
I always appreciated was that they do like whole

01:09:52.949 --> 01:09:56.510
staff. So it's like six or seven different people's

01:09:56.510 --> 01:09:59.430
list. and I feel like it's just cool because

01:09:59.430 --> 01:10:01.430
as a kid like last year I thought was really

01:10:01.430 --> 01:10:05.229
as a kid last year when I was 32 years old um

01:10:05.229 --> 01:10:07.430
but like whenever they would mention like neon

01:10:07.430 --> 01:10:10.390
horse I'm like man that's so cool that there's

01:10:10.390 --> 01:10:14.069
someone out there recognizing it and even um

01:10:14.069 --> 01:10:16.430
you know I don't I don't know all the the numbers

01:10:16.430 --> 01:10:18.810
on your list but I mean like there's some artists

01:10:18.810 --> 01:10:22.170
that are on my list that I honestly looking back

01:10:22.170 --> 01:10:25.489
like I think Fepeste might be like two or three

01:10:25.489 --> 01:10:28.829
thousand listens a month on Spotify. So, I mean,

01:10:28.930 --> 01:10:31.229
you have these bands like a Toby Mac that's,

01:10:31.229 --> 01:10:34.250
you know, or 21 Pilots who were north of a million

01:10:34.250 --> 01:10:37.909
listens a month. Do you have these smaller bands

01:10:37.909 --> 01:10:41.010
that like they're, you know, Last Bison is not

01:10:41.010 --> 01:10:43.130
going to be selling out Madison Square Garden

01:10:43.130 --> 01:10:45.449
or something. Right. But it's like they're still

01:10:45.449 --> 01:10:48.050
putting out stuff that's like from their heart

01:10:48.050 --> 01:10:51.869
or whatever. Yeah, I love that. So that's it

01:10:51.869 --> 01:10:56.210
that's our top ten albums of the year It's been

01:10:56.210 --> 01:10:59.409
fun to kind of look back and it makes me excited

01:10:59.409 --> 01:11:02.489
for 2026 to think about what's to come that there

01:11:02.489 --> 01:11:06.189
could be albums like this That kind of step in

01:11:06.189 --> 01:11:09.670
and impact our lives as much as these have this

01:11:09.670 --> 01:11:13.729
year. I feel like this has been a year of a Few

01:11:13.729 --> 01:11:18.949
like really standout albums for me But I feel

01:11:18.949 --> 01:11:21.850
like the breadth of it hasn't been as much like

01:11:21.850 --> 01:11:24.170
a lot of my favorite artists haven't put out

01:11:24.170 --> 01:11:28.289
a lot this year and so And I feel like 2026 might

01:11:28.289 --> 01:11:30.750
be an album where we get like a little bit more

01:11:30.750 --> 01:11:34.270
breadth but maybe not as much for me like Depth

01:11:34.270 --> 01:11:36.750
of like really loving a few records. So we'll

01:11:36.750 --> 01:11:41.710
have to see how it pans out. Mm -hmm Well, um,

01:11:42.109 --> 01:11:44.550
let's kind of finish up our discussion talking

01:11:44.550 --> 01:11:57.460
about our lyric of the week So our lyric of the

01:11:57.460 --> 01:12:02.140
week this week is from the namesake of our podcast

01:12:02.140 --> 01:12:07.380
star flyer 59 I pulled a lyric from the song

01:12:07.380 --> 01:12:11.659
just try off of everybody makes mistakes So this

01:12:11.659 --> 01:12:14.560
is how it feels when you've got no one. So this

01:12:14.560 --> 01:12:17.739
is how it feels when you've got no home I don't

01:12:17.739 --> 01:12:20.899
want to be alone sitting by a no ringing telephone.

01:12:21.060 --> 01:12:25.859
I don't want to be alone. So we'll just try Just

01:12:25.859 --> 01:12:30.600
try. I love that album and I love that song.

01:12:31.800 --> 01:12:36.640
So it's fun. We'll always on these random weeks

01:12:36.640 --> 01:12:39.079
try and throw out a Star Flyer 59 lyric until

01:12:39.079 --> 01:12:42.920
we cover another Star Flyer 59 album. Well, Brandon,

01:12:42.960 --> 01:12:45.760
this has been fun. Thanks for being willing to

01:12:45.760 --> 01:12:50.699
dig into your 2025 with us. And I'm excited for

01:12:50.699 --> 01:12:54.659
us to step into next time that we have an episode

01:12:54.659 --> 01:12:58.180
come out. It's going to be 2026. Who knows what's

01:12:58.180 --> 01:13:03.359
ahead? Oh, we do. We predicted it. Get ready

01:13:03.359 --> 01:13:06.819
for that Jamie Grayson, David Crowder, and Andy

01:13:06.819 --> 01:13:11.579
Mineo treat. All right. So there's some interesting

01:13:11.579 --> 01:13:14.520
things ahead for 2026. So we're looking forward

01:13:14.520 --> 01:13:16.399
to seeing. We'd love it if you guys keep joining

01:13:16.399 --> 01:13:19.489
us. You can find us on Facebook. Hey, are you

01:13:19.489 --> 01:13:24.689
listening on X? Hey, are you pod? And come subscribe

01:13:24.689 --> 01:13:28.069
to the podcast. Leave us a review and we will

01:13:28.069 --> 01:13:30.890
talk to you in 2026.