Hey, are you listening Hey, are you listening?
This is a podcast exploring the past present
and future of Christian music My name is Joel
and I'm here with my good friend Brandon We connected
over a love of some mutual particular artists
But we have kind of different tastes as well.
And so we get to experience some new stuff from
each other while sharing and love for things
that we have in common. And sometimes we invite
some people along for the ride. So it's exciting
to be here. Brandon, how are you doing today?
I'm doing great. Awesome. I'm glad you're doing
well. It is it's it's a Monday. We record these
episodes on Monday. I don't know if we've talked
about that before. Do you feel like for you recording
these episodes on Monday afternoon? like changes
your monday in any like significant way i i think
it does there's a lot of music on the weekend
like binging it so i feel like that's nice um
because it it depends on the artist but i am
someone that i've always enjoyed getting to Will
sit down and look through the lyrics. So I feel
like if I do that during the weekend I get time
but if it's during the week, there's a lot of
listening like primarily if it's like in the
car, but you also have Podcast you're trying
to catch up on so I feel like it gives a nice
The weekends are for the music and the weeks
for the podcast. Yeah. Yeah, I get that um mondays
I know for a lot of people mondays are like,
uh, it's monday but um, I actually really like
Mondays. Mondays around here, we have like our
staff meetings at our church and they're super
fun days just to get to hang out with everybody
and everything. So for me, it's just a good cap
at the end of the day. And I'm with you that
the weekend gives me space to like prepare, which
is, which is helpful. So that's good. So today
we're going to do something a little different.
But before we get kind of into that, let's talk
a little bit about what's in the news. So I don't
know if you really caught this Brandon I saw
this on social media this past week, but do you
know the actor Oscar Isaac? I've heard the name.
Yes, so he's in Like the Disney Star Wars trilogy.
Okay, he's Poe and He's also like Moon Knight
in the Marvel world and like some other stuff.
He's been in a lot of a lot of different things
So in 2000, in the early 2000s, Oscar Isaac fronted
a Christian ska band and they're called the blinking
underdogs. And they're actually pretty good.
Um, I have so many questions about this. I found
a clip, um, that people were sharing online and
I'm just like, this is one of the coolest things.
I mean, it's like him up there singing. um songs
about Jesus and I'm like this just opens up the
world for me like I we need to have Oscar Isaac
on the podcast I'm sure he's listening I've got
questions so maybe I don't even know how um we
we need like a a series of people that can help
connect us to Oscar so that uh we can we can
get him on the pod I feel like it's always interesting
when you see like random actors who like you
know, you'll have a story where it's like, oh,
the faith is really big part of their life or
whatever. But it's even more so when it's like,
it goes a step further. So it's not just a, oh,
they go to church or they, you know, or whatever.
But it's like, they're in a ska band, or they
used to do like Christian like sketch show or
something. And you're like, oh, that's, that's
deeper than just being a Christian, you're like
producing like art or whatever like that. So
I always feel like it's cool when you get to
Just have that like step further with it. Mmm.
Yeah, it's fascinating. And so that one just
kind of blew my mind I'm gonna have to do more
of a deep dive because apparently they put out
a full -length and an EP and so I need to get
these I don't know if they're on streaming or
not But I'm gonna have to figure this one out
and see if I can track it down somewhere out
there It's probably like independent. Yeah, so
we may have to dig it out. I don't know if if
Oscar himself has put it out on streaming, but
we'll have to see what we can find. So I just,
I thought that was an interesting thing. So I
thought today we could play a game and this is
kind of a back and forth one. Just a little bit
of us. I don't really have a name for it, but
it's kind of just the idea of what's the first
artist that comes to your mind when we say a
specific word or an adjective. So for instance,
if I told you the word hyper, what would be the
first Christian artist that pops in your mind
around the word hyper? Family force five. Family
force five. So there you go. So maybe we can
just kind of do a back and forth. Like you give
me an adjective, I'll give you an artist and
I'll give you an adjective. Just let's do it
All right cuz I already did one All right. Here's
the next one. I don't think this is an adjective.
So there's gonna be a couple of nouns thrown
in okay sounds good vinyl vinyl Sufjan Stevens,
okay. He's a little bit on my brain right now.
Mm -hmm, but Yeah, probably because I have everything
that he's ever put out on vinyl Okay contemplative
uh can you use that in a sentence um they were
contemplative oh that clears it up uh you know
i really don't i don't know what this word means
thoughtful um thoughtful okay i'm gonna go with
uh me without you Interesting. I was like that
word sounds mysterious. Me without you is mysterious.
They're thought. They think a lot. Yeah. Okay.
Radio. Radio. I don't know why this popped in
my head. Building 429. Why did that pop in? I
can see that. That's the first thing that came
to my mind. A spark. Uh, thousand foot crutch.
Okay. Um, was that, was that separate or is that
one word? I don't know. I'm just making this
up as I go along. Um, authentic. Rich Mullins.
Okay. Um, flavorful. Let's see Oh, I'm trying
to think of what what that pans name is I'll
go Lauren Daigle Lauren Daigle. Okay, interesting
Acoustic jars of clay. Yeah quiet Jars of clay.
It's almost like we just did that. Okay. Well
read. I'm staring at a bunch of books in my office.
I think I'm going to go with. Steve Taylor. Okay,
that's a good one. I'm trying not to use the
same band twice. I would have been like, oh,
Aaron Wise seems like he's just reading books
like in his sleep or whatever. Timeless. Amy
Grant. Okay. Maybe this will transition a little
bit into where we're going. Great live. Ooh,
great live. Tommy Mack. Okay. Awesome. All right.
How many more you want to do? That's good. Okay.
Maybe that's a good transition point for us to
talk about the fact that today we're going to
be talking about some of our favorite concert
experiences, some of the best shows that we've
been to. But real quick, before we dig into that,
like We've got to talk about what we've been
listening to lately. So for you, what's what's
been something that you've been spending time
with? I really like going on I was about to say
there's an unnamed streaming app that I use But
no on on Spotify, I would imagine there's something
similar with Apple and with Amazon music or whatever,
but they have like your like a on repeat playlist
they also have a thing called repeat rewind where
it's like songs that you were like were listening
on repeat to maybe like a month or six months
ago or whatever that's cool um so i love going
back and like sometimes if i just don't have
time to do a playlist or i don't know why i don't
listen to i'll listen to on repeat but then other
times i'll go back and i'll listen to like the
repeat rewind so it's like 20 songs or whatever
that at one point i was listening to a ton and
um so i feel like it's cool just going back and
kind of getting to rediscover music that um i
either just really loved or that maybe was like
helping me through a certain point in my life
or whatever um so i just i just love getting
to put that on and i think that it's what's cool
is like um i love when it can kind of like learn
what you're listening to so it's like i get my
playlist without having to put the effort into
it so it's just It's like if someone just delivered
a pizza to be nice. It's like I don't have to
order a pay for the pizza I just walk in my house
and there's a pizza on the counter That's cool.
Yeah apple music has playlists like that that
kind of capture um stuff you've been listening
to you and um, they also have like I check this
out every friday. There's a new playlist of like
things that they think i'm gonna like that's
new. Okay. Yeah. Yeah, which is kind of cool
So i'll check that out They also just made an
update to the way playlists work, where in a
playlist they'll connect songs together that
fit well together. and like what they're in like
the same key or are there something similar about
the rhythm and they'll transition from song to
song, but in like a really nice way. And so the
playlist feel kind of cohesive. That's nothing
to do with what we're talking about, but I just,
it's a feature that I appreciate Apple Music
doing. So for me, I've been kind of going back.
I mentioned him earlier. But Sufjan Stevens is
a guy that I've listened to a lot in my life.
And I've been just jumping back and spending
some time with him lately. And one of my favorite
records by him is a record called Illinois, where
he was doing like, doing basically for two states,
he did albums based on the states, one for Michigan
and one for Illinois. But Illinois is an amazing
record. It's technically called Come On, Feel
the Illinoiss. But most people just refer to
it as Illinois. But it's just a fantastic record
and one of my favorites of all time. So that
one's been fun to just kind of dig back into.
So, well, let's transition and talk a little
bit about some of our favorite concerts. All
right, so Brandon, you kind of have this idea
of like looking back at some of our experiences.
Talk to me about that and why you kind of wanted
us to have this conversation. Yeah, I think for
me, so we grew up in a place where there wasn't
a ton of artists that came through. so we probably
had to drive 45 minutes an hour to like the nearest
where you have a band come but even for us that
would have been Columbia, South Carolina but
even a lot of bands even nowadays they'll probably
hit up Greenville and then maybe Charleston so
really they're hitting everywhere around except
for Columbia so for me growing up I just remember
it was so cool the like these songs that meant
so much to me um you know just in life or uh
just like my faith too i feel like it was just
this gateway to not just what i was growing up
in but like what the entire world was and how
there's different like thoughts out there yeah
um so for me it was so cool that when you would
get to take these these songs that meant so much
and then you got to go to a concert and you got
to see that person perform them and um and as
someone who just like I loved opening a cd and
looking at the booklet and looking at what design
was on the um disc itself I feel like it's a
whole other step when you go to a show and you
get to see where oh they changed that lyric about
this or they're telling the story behind it um
so for me it's just such a such an experience
and I love getting to see people who go to their
first concert and they just get to go man I felt
like I knew music but now seeing it live is so
and you know as as someone too like it's it went
from these like giant places where it's thousands
of people to now going to concerts where it's
like maybe 100 people um to me it's just cool
like getting to experience that and I think for
both of us we've not only gotten to experience
that but I think too just we got to experience
like different like eras of that. Yeah for sure.
So I feel like it's cool just going back and
seeing like the people that were my like my favorite
bands versus yours and seeing if there's like
overlap to that or if you know whatever it looks
like. Yeah yeah that's fun. I agree with you
like live music probably shaped a lot of my love
for music in general. Just some of the first
times that I was able to to experience artists.
I feel like for you, it's just something that
I've gleaned from hearing you talk about music
is that concerts actually really do play a really
important part in your discovery of artists.
And a lot of bands that you really love, you
love because you went to a show and they were
an opening act or whatever it may be. And I think
that's true. That's really true for me too, that
there's just a lot of artists that I've been
exposed to. This is not a a Christian music situation,
but I went to see one of my favorite bands, Wilco,
live one time. And the opening act was this guy
sitting on the stage with an acoustic guitar
called Bon Iver. And today Bon Iver is probably
bigger than Wilco pretty significantly. But getting
able to see him in that setting before he was
who he is was just kind of a cool thing. And
so it is neat being able to to capture moments
like that live and be able to experience something
that's pretty special. Yeah. So I'm with you
and I'm excited for the conversation. Yeah, so
I guess we can go ahead and jump into maybe what
the first concert was or maybe the first one
you remember playing a huge role. So is there
one you remember that was just like a wow this
is something else yeah i probably like i probably
went to concerts as a kid um that um were more
like pop oriented or i don't honestly don't really
know um i went in middle school to a camp um
in texas um a summer camp with my youth group
called friends forever And this was like a youth
camp at Baylor University. And the interesting
thing about it was, you know, you go to most
youth camps, you do games during the day, you
have this morning thing, do games during the
day, and then you have like teaching and worship
at night, and then you like break off and go
talk to your youth group or whatever. Friends
Forever was like, you would, it was a similar
camp model in that you had and you had worship,
some kind of worship thing in the morning. You
do some fun stuff during the day. At night you
would go and they had worship and teaching. And
I remember it was like, this is, I'm dating myself
pretty significantly. This is the 90s. So this
is like the beginning of like the worship movement.
um in the early 90s probably 90 91 um and uh
and so all that was out there and worship was
like the really old stuff like um word I lift
your name on high and stuff like this back then
and so worship was kind of um this was before
like passion and stuff and I remember that because
I think Maranatha singers were like the worship
leaders and I'm pretty sure Louis Giglio was
like the teacher of the camp, but he also was
part of that group, like singing and leading
and worship, which is kind of interesting. But
anyway, so you do worship and teaching, but then
every night ended with a concert, like every
night of camp. So you're there for like five,
four or five nights and every night you get an
artist. And so I remember at Friends Forever
that year, it was like for him one night, it
was Steve Camp one night. But the one that really
stuck out in my mind was Petra So Petra played
at Friends Forever and that concert was the first
rock concert I ever went to Was ever a part of
and I remember being down front somehow we got
good seats that night and And just seeing Petra
they were on their unseen power tour So this
was the album like after Beyond Belief probably
like the height of their popularity and they
killed it like it was so good and it it opened
up this part of me that I didn't know like existed
because I'd never really been exposed to anything
like that before and man I bought the cassette
took that thing home and I wore it out And it
was all I listened to. And then I'm like buying
more Petra records, trying to get into it. And
I didn't stay in the Petra world for like too
long after that. But it really opened a door
for me that that to just a world that I hadn't
experienced. And so I'll always be super like
thankful for that. What about you? Like, what
was the first concert that was really meaningful?
The first one I remember going to and just being
like, this is going to be so amazing, was Winter
Jam 2007. Our dates are so far away from each
other. So I remember being a young young man.
How old were you then? I would have been so they
usually came February. So I guess I would have
been 14 at the time so a little older than I
was yeah and um before going into like why it
was amazing I just want to highlight a little
bit of the lineup for this so you have Jeremy
Camp and at the time everyone like Jeremy Camp
was known as like oh he's a good singer but all
of the like girls thought he was just really
cute and then Steven Chris Chapman you just have
like kind of like who I thought was going to
be this random person there. You have Sync Disreal
and that's when they'd like just released Face
of Love. So that's probably right when they're
starting to pick up a lot of steam. But what
stands out to me is that they had a guy there
who was a impersonator of George W. Bush and
I just thought like What a time 2007 was. Can
you imagine in just the past 10 years, our political
climate, imagine how divisive it would be if
you had someone that got up as a Trump impersonator
or a Biden. I feel like it's so weird thinking
back then, there was no one who's upset about
it. I mean, sure, some people were, but no one
was like... Oh, this is outrage. It's more of
like either. Oh, he is kind of funny or yeah,
he that's silly what he said He hadn't ruined
a ship. Yeah, and um, And so I just thought it
was interesting. But yeah, I remember that concert.
Um, I remember sink you left out new song new
song was there too. Um No, I I like the show
um, I remember the two that stood out was saint
is real and I was just like, man, this is so
cool. And I remember Steve and Chris Chapman
just being surprised because I guess it's like
you listen to stuff on the radio and you just
assume, okay, he's gonna be this like guy that's
just out here singing like, I don't know, kind
of like boring. Yeah. But like, I love seeing
him live. It was a really good show. And I just
remember being so excited going up to like the
merch booths and buying like my CDs. getting
in the car and immediately putting them in the
CD player just to be like, oh man, I gotta listen
to that song again or like what was that song
about, you know, and discovering other ones and
um so yeah it was that was the first show and
two it was like before Winter Jam just became
like too overboard because like you would still
kind of like fill up the the place and they also
would give like booklets So like each each person
got a booklet that was like here's the artist
here. Here's some information And I still have
mine from I think the 2008 one And so now I just
go and i'm like you have too many people showing
up to winter jam You have no booklets. And so
I feel like winter jam just really I I um, they
turned their back on our fans like me that oh,
man That's such a bummer I'm sure they're really
upset that I'm not showing up and being like
so you're saying we print off 10 ,000 booklets
you're gonna show back up. I'm like, yes a booklet
I would like I'm pretty sure they have that available
available digitally for you now Brandon So a
QR code I can scan as you walk in through the
through the gates That's cool what what I know
for me like there's probably like stages to this
of like walking through my life and hitting moments
where I'm like, oh, my eyes were opened in a
new way through seeing a different a different
artist. You know, one that's probably like a
next one for me. That was a big deal. So in Jackson,
Mississippi, where I grew up, we had the Coliseum.
I mean, a lot of big cities have a Coliseum,
right? Um, and so we had the coliseum and I got
to go see This was probably high school or late
middle school Wait, it was It was 93. So yeah,
it could have been either one like it's probably
either my eighth or ninth grade year. Um, I got
to see um The michael w smith change your world
tour. Um, and so michael w smith I always loved
and I love I love that record a lot and it was
like one of these like You talk about like a
big show um, like super produce like yeah, they
like put in like the walkway that comes like
through the crowd and like I remember michael
lv smith coming down the walkway and um, I remember
it just being like this really big deal and um
And he had some super that that record was kind
of his like if he had a record that was like
his breakout record it was that one like he had
a song that was pretty big yeah unlike the secular
charts um and um it was a great a great album
and pretty innovative and so it's cool seeing
him but um probably went more for the openers
than even to go see him. And that's because the
band that was opening for him was DC Talk. And
they were touring their Free At Last record,
which is their third record. And it's up there
for me, for sure. It's a pretty great album.
And one that just really stood out to me, one
that... impacted me, I think in a lot of ways,
like kind of a rap rock kind of thing. And so
it was so cool. I remember as great as Michael
B. Smith was, and I still have a lot of respect
for that guy. I remember walking away and the
only thing I could think of was DC Talk. And
I had already been a huge fan. So I already had
the music. Nothing was a surprise to me, but
experiencing it live. just like amplified it
to another level. Being able to see Toby do his
thing, being able to hear Kevin sing like, and
you're like, oh, he actually is like that good
of a singer. Just being able to experience all
that stuff live was just such a cool experience.
And it was, they weren't like, it wasn't a tape,
they had a band and it was just a killer show.
they definitely knew how to put on an amazing
show. And so I, that's one that just really stands
out to me kind of as like a next one that that
was pretty impactful. When you think about your
thing, can you think of like another one a little
further down the road that was pretty impactful
for you? Yeah, so we started going to Winter
Jam pretty much every year, like me and my mom
and we went in 2010 they had audio um it's called
audio unplugged so it was mark and will from
audio adrenaline and then it was a couple of
other members and they would go on to form i
don't know if you ever listened to no hope connect
uh collective so it was kind of just like worship
christian collective or whatever they did they
just released one album but it was kind of i
guess in between audio adrenaline going on hiatus
and then them coming back with like kevin max
but it was this the like the whole day the whole
evening was just them singing audio adrenaline
songs then a couple of the new songs they had
sung and it was just so cool because with winter
jam it was always a the artists are up there
on stage so you're far away from them if you
want to meet them you either got to get like
some kind of pass or you got to stand in line
And at this audio unplugged show, it was just
at a church, like maybe the size of our church,
maybe a little smaller. So it was just so cool
getting to hear, like, the stories behind all
these songs. And I'm sitting there thinking,
like, man, we can do that. Like, we can trade
pyro and all for more, like, storytelling. Yeah.
Yes, please. That's awesome. so after the show
I got to go up and I got a photo with Mark and
Will and I remember just thinking like this is
so cool that I got to like meet these people
so it was kind of that next step and not just
like getting to hear them sing but feeling like
I got to meet these people and be like hey this
is so cool um and I think too at that point it
was audiojournalist had kind of already like
started making like an impact in my life and
so then that worship project they did it was
cool too because it kind of I think started like
maybe softening my heart for like worship music
doesn't have to be like fake or artificial whatever
and so yeah I think that was my next step in
being like oh man like this is it's cooler just
to have a couple of hundred people here than
to have like 10 ,000 people here. Yeah, I love
that. I think that's really cool. Moments like
that. I feel like, yeah, for me, like when I
think through a moment that kind of like brought
things down to a smaller level, but I was impacted
pretty significantly. I in high school started
a band and we were terrible and then got to be
okay. But there was a point in time in college
where we got added on to a show for a band that
we really loved and were excited. And it was
a couple of hours away from where we lived. And
so I like a Christian college in Hattiesburg,
Mississippi. And so we hopped and went down and
we were playing with a band, 238, which was a
Tuthenell artist. And I had never seen them live
up until that point, but being there, And seeing
them play with probably 100, 150 people in the
room, just in like a big room at this college
campus, was one of the coolest experiences that
I had ever had. And seeing their... chemistry
and how tight they were and how full and big
the sound was in a small space. You just felt
like you were part of the music as it was happening.
Yeah. And I think it's one of the first times
that I really like felt like even though I'd
been in a band myself, like I really felt like
caught up in what was happening at a concert
in a deeper kind of way and like drawn in like
this isn't just a group of like people on the
stage that we're all watching but we're like
all part of this experience together and that
concert just stands out to me and we played with
them a bunch in the future so I got to see them
live a ton. They're still to this day one of
my favorite live bands that I ever saw but but
there was just something special when when they
played and that night was a really special night
and the cool thing was like we were just a bunch
of college kids trying to figure out how to be
in a band but they spent a ton of time with us
afterwards talking about amps and eqs and amps
and all kinds of stuff because we opened up for
them and they were just like super helpful and
the most genuine dudes and um and so that that
one Like just hit me in a big way, but it kind
of felt like like you were saying that more kind
of like intimate moment But one that still felt
so powerful I think for me Like when you talk
about like you're a part of the show. I remember
the first time so I went out to California to
visit one of my friends Jess and she had invited
me out to a concert and it was funny because
looking back on it, it was for like the Kony,
things like Kony 2010 or whatever. And it was
a benefit concert for them. And so this lineup
was Aaron Gillespie, the guy from I think it's
Nickel Creek, the lead guy, John Foreman. Was
it Fiction Family? So they came out and did that,
but they also did their separate stuff. So I
guess essentially they... It's cool. Did their
thing then they became a third band. I love fiction
family and so They did a couple of their stuff
and the opener I believe his opener for a whole
night was a guy named erin wise and um It and
it was crazy because they get on stage and there's
like I don't know 15 maybe 20 people on stage
and Come to find out later on It was just he
had put on social media like hey if you guys
want to show up and you know our songs bring
your instrument And I was just like that that's
so cool and so uh fast forward um they were like
on hiatus so me without you they're releasing
10 stories so they're gonna start touring again
and they're coming to columbia so me and my friends
go and we go in this like this little um it's
like this little bar in um in columbia i'm forgetting
the name of it but um they came and all these
people are in the bar and i'm sitting there like
new brooklyn tavern that's what it is yeah um
and so they they're about to get on stage and
i look at my friends and i'm like these people
are about to be so confused as to who this band
is turns out like we were the ones that weren't
huge like me without you fans because there was
like half the songs i hadn't heard before but
everyone in that room is just like singing along
and just paying it and it's like we're We're
all there because we love this band. There's
no one there that's just, I got dragged here
or whatever. It's like everyone there is just
so into it. And what was cool is with Me Without
You, they had like, their set list was just changing
night to night. So it was like, if you go to
a lot of bands nowadays, you might have one.
maybe two songs change, you know, like if Need
to Breathe comes to Charleston, maybe they sing
a song that's about, you know, that or whatever,
but most bands have the same stuff. With Me Without
You, if they're playing 20 songs, there might
be 10 of them that are the same, and then there's
just 10 that are different, so you could go to
a concert three nights in a row and you're not
getting the same show, and I just always thought
that was so special that like It just felt like
what what we have in this night tonight No one
else is going to like share this like this is
our like special time and It just felt like that
with like every me without you show that um,
they would do like because I got to see them
Um see Maybe like three or four more times. Yeah,
and it was just like every time it was just cool
thinking like um Like it wasn't just we're just
punching the clock and we're getting at that
in and out of here It's we want to put on something
special for everyone In a college My band there
is this club this like Christian concert venue
in the same town as our college that the guy
who like works Recorded our first record. He
and his wife ran. It was called the CLB And so
there were concerts at the CLB every weekend
um and we played at a bunch of them and bands
like jonesetta and stuff were playing there um
but it was hoping you were going to build earlier
when you're talking about like being in mississippi
i actually never played a show with jonesetta
sadly um but um but anyways so this room's pretty
small probably like it's smaller even than our
church lobby um pretty small room but um We played
with a band there one time called the operation
and they're like an indie rock Emo kind of band
and they had a record out that was awesome called
there's hope for a tree cut down I want to say
it was on like the militia group or something,
but I can't exactly remember But the drummer
for that band was a guy named Aaron Weiss And
I think that a couple of guys from the operation
started me without you as a side project Because
Aaron wanted to try out being a front man. Uh
-huh. And so it's kind of an interesting thing
But I remember we played with the operation and
then we were at cornerstone In 2003 it's probably
the same year honestly and there was at Cornerstone
back in the day, there'd be like generator stages
where bands would just kind of like set up and
play, bring a generator. And we were walking
by and saw my first Me Without You show on a
generator stage. And we're like, some of the
guys from the operation, which is kind of fun.
I've got one more that I can mention. Yeah, I
don't know if you have any more. Yeah, I got
one more too. Okay. Um, so I think just like
a next one for me that was pretty impactful.
Um, started listening to a guy that I've already
talked about on this podcast, Sufjan Stevens.
Um, and, um, and so Sufjan like blew up at a
point in the early two thousands. Um, after Illinois,
Illinois was kind of this big breakout record
for him. But then he put out another album after
that called Age of Odds. And that was my first
opportunity to get to see him live. He played
in Asheville. And so I remember Emily and I went,
we met some friends up there and went to go see
him play. And just the scope of that show, you
talked about having a lot of band members on
stage, but there were probably about 15 musicians
on stage. I remember there are two drum kits.
Like two drummers two drum kits up there And
playing that that concert and if you listen to
that album age of odds, it's bonkers Like it
is a bonkers record and all the good ways But
like Perfectly pulled that album off And was
just one of the coolest music experiences that
I've ever seen. There's like a 20 minute song
That ends that record um and uh it's amazing
it's called impossible soul um and uh and they
did the whole thing live and at the end of it
it's just like this explosive like all out one
of the poppiest things that you've like ever
heard um but just such a cool like celebration
and uh and there's balloons and confetti and
it's just like it was just this magical moment
just being able to catch it live and so that
one I feel like is one that I'll never never
forget it was just kind of a next level one for
me of kind of opening up my eyes that even as
an adult I can still be like wowed at a concert
yeah that's really cool um I think for me the
next step was um so I grew up like a huge House
of Furos fan and just never got to see them live.
What's crazy was that like it wasn't until like
college that now I was like, okay, cool. I can
drive far away. And then everyone I love stopped
touring. So there were so many shows that I'm
like, you guys would have stuck it out for one
more year. I could have made that drive to Greenville.
So they announced they were gonna do a reunion
show in Nashville. And I was like, Okay, we'll
do this and it's like an eight -hour drive, but
I was like it beats having to drop to Ohio for
a show. Yeah, and um So we drove out and it was
in Nashville and they were playing the end is
not the end in its entirety and so jealous it
it was so cool because I think that if you can
relate or anyone listening can relate that you'll
go to a concert and You know, they can only play
so many songs. So there's bound to let off like
a song on the album But like there's some of
those songs that like never get played live.
Yeah, I think even at that show there was a few
that either had never been played or Might have
been played like once like at the very beginning,
but it's just as time goes on you pull maybe
if you're lucky three songs from that and um
So it was so cool just getting to have an album
that was so special get played But also just
a show like that. It's kind of the same way with
the the me without you that just everyone there
is There to see the house of heroes people So
everyone there is there because like they love
it. So just everyone is just really loving it
I don't know why if like I need to say that fuck
I said like everyone's loving it just in four
different ways They're opener, tedious and brief.
It was an awesome band and it was cool just afterwards
getting to see them because I had met Tim and
Stephanie years ago. They came to our church
and played and we got to open for them. So technically
I got to open for Copperlily but not House of
Heroes. but it was just so cool getting to talk
to them and also them remembering us so like
that's a big key is that it's not just like you
mean so much to me and going I who are you and
um so it was cool getting to walk up and be like
hey Tim I'm like I remember you and it's like
that's all right my this trip is worth it yeah
and um so yeah it was uh it was cool just getting
to experience that um live and also just At that
point, you're a band that you're not doing that
show just because you have an obligation with
your label. You're doing that because everyone
wants to get together and play it. And so it's
just cool. To me, you can tell whenever bands
are putting out music, putting out shows, and
they're just there just to say, all right, we
did this, we're out. Versus the ones that are
like, no, we're here because we love this or
we love our fans. I did have, before we wrapped
up, I did have... Can I ask you one question
really quick about that? Yeah. So you probably
know how Sphere is playing another show in December
in Columbus, Ohio. Yeah. Are you going to that?
Did they just release the opener or something?
I don't know who the opener is, but I was just
wondering if you were going to go. I don't know.
I'm on the fence about it. There's a low ticket
warning. I'll just call Tim up and say, yo, Tim,
get me a ticket. Probably be like, who is this?
I don't know. My friend Miranda, she like loves
House of Heroes, like with a passion. And I know
she's going to be there. So it's funny because
the Nashville one is the one show she missed.
I know she'll be there. Yeah, Nashville would
probably be a little more doable. I don't know
how far Columbus is. You have to drive through
mountains and snow and I don't know what else
is in Ohio. That's funny. I had a quick question
though before we wrap this up. I feel like you
named a lot of bands you loved. Is there one
or two bands that you you missed either back
then or now so you could either like i don't
know if you want to go with time machine so if
you want to go back to the 90s and see peak or
just just in general like is there is there one
or two bands that you're like man i wish i could
have seen or right now i want to see yeah actually
think house of heroes probably would have been
one of those bands um for me um Because I just
never got I mean I got into them when they were
active, but I feel like they never came super
close by I started listening to them after the
end is not the end came out So yeah, they'd probably
be up there for me I feel like it's tough to
think because right now I'm hoping that you take
time so I can look up because I don't have an
answer. While you think of yours, we can throw
it back and forth. I think Star Flyer 59. That's
a band that it's cool and we talk about these
bands that you meet and it's like they open up
this new chapter or this new room of music. And
I think that's a band that, you know, when you
talk about just authentic, that's a guy that
like is releasing music because that's what is
on his mind. So I feel like that's one of those
shows that I wouldn't want to go see Star Flyer
59 in a coliseum of people. I'd want to go that
even if it was just 50 people in a room, I feel
like that'd be the most amazing show. Just getting
like the story or just hearing him talk. What's
upsetting though is that he probably wouldn't
bring merch and that would upset me because i'd
be like I want to buy stickers and he'd be like,
uh, I don't I don't care That's funny I think
I saw them at cornerstone that year that I was
there in 2003. I'm pretty sure they played um
One for me is probably rich mullins, okay I can
talk about an artist that's impacted me more
than maybe any other. In the Christian music
world, I never got to see Rich perform live and
I would have loved that. So I think that definitely
would have been one that stands out to me. All
this talk makes me think about another band that
I got to see that I deeply love that I did mention
and that's PFR who I can't wait to talk about
PFR at some point, but They were my favorite
band for years Throughout the course of all this
and I I did get and get a chance to see them
a couple of times and those were always really
cool experiences so I Think for me the other
artist that comes up is like of course like John
Rubin Because when you asked about the concert,
I was like, I was telling you earlier, I'm like,
man, if they announce he's the opener, like that
might seal the deal of driving up. I do think
it's funny that there's some bands that you like
you love and you just have to wait forever for
them to come. But then I think of other bands
like this year, Gable Price and Friends, like
if I had like an artist of the year, like for
me, that would probably be them or Colony House
and literally Gable Price, like Got to see them
like within like a week or two of finding their
music I think colony house started listening
to them in like July and we went and saw them
in October So I feel like it's funny that there's
up There's some bands you wait like years to
try to check them off your list and the other
ones you're like, oh that was easy I got to go
see them live. They played my favorite song.
I got to buy some merch. Yeah, it's like there
you go. I'm They're off the list Yeah, that's
cool it's so cool and I feel like just There
are bands that I never got to see that some of
the nostalgia fests that have happened, like
a Furnace Fest or whatever, opened the door for
me to see bands that I never had the chance to
see. The first Furnace Fest that I went to was
able to see Mineral. It was one of my all -time
favorite bands. Stretch Armstrong. I had never
seen this last one that I went to being able
to see Slick Shoes. Yeah. And so, yeah, I'm thankful
that so many of these bands are like still active
or will do occasional concerts. Yeah. Just kind
of giving an opportunity to to connect and and
catch up on things that we missed back in the
day, which is really fun. Yeah. Yeah, that's
awesome. All right. Well, let's kind of finish
up. talking about our lyric of the week the lyric
of the week i almost forgot that it was my turn
to choose because i was about to just wait for
you to be like all right uh when is it getting
here um Actually, give me a second. I pulled
the wrong one. It's all good I will say that
when we don't have a specific artist that we're
talking about we typically like to pull from
a Starfire 59 lyric as we've talked about on
this podcast because they We got the name of
this podcast from a Starfire 59 song and they're
one of the artists that we originally Connected
over so all right here we go Yeah, this is from
the I am a CEO the title track of I am a ceo,
uh, you can sail across the sea You can climb
the highest peak you can build it on your own,
but you're still not in control Yeah That's a
great a great song and a great record. Um I remember
when that one came out. Um, it actually Was the
album that like drew me back into star flyer
59 really? Yeah, which is pretty cool Um, because
I had i'd been out for a few records and that
one's the one that kind of pulled me back in
and said no you you you love this band like spend
time with them again so um that's great that's
great well this has been fun getting to talk
about some of our favorite experiences so i appreciate
the idea brandon and it's fun getting to kind
of look back and remember some of the stuff We
hope that you guys will continue to join us on
this journey. And we actually, we have a form
that if you go to our social media and you'd
like to come on and be a guest and talk about
one of your favorite records, you can fill out
that form and we'd love to have you on at some
point. But we're just thankful that you're with
us for the journey and excited to continue to
talk about some fun stuff that's coming up. And
so we look forward to catching you again next
week. Hey, are you listening? This ain't no quiet
thing We're screaming out our lungs