When I let people be amazing at what they do, things change.” – Brian Johnson

Today we welcome Brian Johnson back to the podcast. Brian & his wife Jenn lead the amazing ministry that is Bethel Music. The sheer number of great songs & amazing artists on the Bethel roster is quite remarkable.

I wanted to talk to Brian about the early days of Bethel Music and some of the values he built into the culture early on. We talk about leadership, how to lead leaders, songwriting, the new album, and more.

Enjoy!

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Good art invites the listener to have as big a part of the interpretation as the one saying it.” – David Gungor

No one would debate that 2016 was a polarizing year. But in the midst of such political unrest & cultural anxiety, The Brilliance created a record. And a beautiful one at that.

David Gungor & John Arndt have been creating beautiful music for the last few years that has challenged and inspired many. In this conversation we talk about the new record, songs in church, and living lives of love.

Don’t miss it!

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The writing process is always hard, but if you keep pushing through it you get more adjusted to the difficulty of writing songs.” – Ryan O’Neal

If there’s anyone who knows how to write lyrics and melodies, it’s Ryan O’Neal from Sleeping at Last. For years I’ve been inspired by how Ryan approaches his craft – with discipline, hard work, joy, and purity. If you’ve never heard his music, you’re welcome. Now is the time.

Ryan isn’t your typical musician – rather than releasing an album every 3 years, he releases new songs every month. He’s done this for years now and it has worked incredibly well for him. In addition to all his albums and projects, his music has been featured on TV shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Ellen, So You Think You Can Dance, and commercials for Mercedes Benz, Budweiser, and more.

Trust me, his music will help you savor life more, persevere through hard times more, and help you see the beauty in all things.

Today we talk about creative process, lyric writing, software instruments, recording, production, movies, and more. Let me know what you think!

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We find a sound and we’re like, ‘Wow, that’s nothing like what we want’ and we just screw it up until it sounds like something neat.” – Chris Greely

What happens on stage is only a fraction of what it takes to have great services at church. Without skilled, smart, and worshipful people running production, everything is a mess.

That’s why I wanted to bring Chris Greely on the podcast. Chris works for Bethel Music as a producer, live sound engineer, and mixer, working with a stellar team of guys like Gabriel Wilson, Bobby Strand, Garrett Viggers, Daniel Mackenzie, & Michael Pope. He has worked on the albums Without Words, We Will Not Be Shaken, You Make Me Brave, Have it All, the upcoming live album, and many others.

In this chat we talk about the ins and outs of church sound, producing albums, video games, how to get a great mix, gear, and more. Be sure to share this with your production team!

Enjoy!

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