Dadville with Dave Barnes and Jon McLaughlin

Hey friends, Well, we have a bit of a setback this year with our yearly gift guide. Jon will explain. Here's the gift guide: https://dadville.substack.com/p/the-2025-dadville-gift-guide Join us: ⁠http://dadville.substack.com⁠ Wanna advertise? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Thanks to our sponsors! Quince - Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://quince.com/dadville⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 365-day returns, plus free shippin...

In this episode of Dadville, we dig into the life and mind of a true comedy legend—the best-selling comedy recording artist of all time, Jeff Foxworthy. We talk about the grind behind his success, including the years of focused “10,000-hour” effort it took just to get on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show, which he describes as “the Everest of comedy.”He opens up about wrestling with the blank page, the...

This week the fellas caught up with Tonic's Emerson Hart, one of the biggest hitmakers of the '90s! Hart reflects on Tonic's multi platinum success, including the exhaustion of the '90s, during which he witnessed the aftermath of Princess Diana’s car crash and later slept for three days. Also, why does Hart's eyes twitch when collaborating with young artists? Plus, he gives solid advice that keeps...

Tony Hale returns to Dadville! You might know him from Veep or Arrested Development, but we know him best as that lovable actor who's entering the "evolution and expansion" season of his career. Tony chats with the fellas about the long process of producing his new film, Sketch, and the motivation to move out of Hollywood. Also, he talks about the amazing experience of playing a nurse oncologist o...

Wertz is back! Longtime friend Matt Wertz details the daily chaos of his "punk rock" family of four, including managing the mental load and surviving on essential baby tech like the Snoo and the revolutionary swivel car seat. But the true trauma centers on his $300 green hoodie that was ruined by an oil stain.  We also reflect on the benefits of late-life fatherhood, having gotten the "hustling" o...

Welcome to the vortex of Jon and Dave, where the fellas discuss the profound struggles of the middle-aged musician—a job akin to being a 60-year-old accountant desperately trying to invent a new Greek number! They dive into the logistics of hosting a terrifying 100-kid Halloween rager that thankfully "backed down" from a midnight curfew to 11 PM. Hear about the genuine fear of losing a child in a...

We welcome back visionary storyteller Glenn Henry (Belief in Fatherhood) as he discusses his new book, Father Yourself First (dropping November 4th). Glenn gets real about the hard work of parenting, moving past the romanticized YouTube version. He shares the personal crisis that fueled the book, including throwing a tantrum in the office mirror and the dilemma of his inner child being jealous of...

The fellas sat down with former NFL long snapper, Vanderbilt grad, PhD candidate, and full-time force of nature, Andrew East. Dave kicks things off by recounting his extremely awkward cornhole tournament experience, a moment of social anxiety where he suddenly found himself in a new "gauntlet" of gigantic, ripped athletes. Andrew then dives deep into the absurdity of competing on Special Forces: W...

Dr. Peter Enns joins the fellas for a candid discussion on faith, complexity, and institutional conflict. Enns recounts the "very scary" reality of losing his academic boundaries after teaching at Westminster Theological Seminary for 14 years, following the controversy surrounding his book, Inspiration and Incarnation. He delves into the core issue: the historical evidence showing the Bible is wri...

They demanded it, so here we are: satisfying the masses with a conversation featuring just Jon and Dave. But even a simple chat can’t escape the daily grind. The fellas dive deep into the brutal reality of music promotion and Jon explains the existential crisis behind his deadpan viral video where he unwraps his own albums as gifts, and why his new album, Scenarios, required the discipline to only...

We finally did it! After five years of plotting, leveraging, and extreme Arsenal giddiness, we landed an absolute legend. Yes, Jon is honoring Dave’s obsession (who wore a full Arsenal kit, naturally), as we have the legendary Lee Dixon joining Dadville! We dive deep into his legendary career, which started with his humble beginnings as a tiny striker whose permanent shift to right back only happe...

Welcome to the ultimate therapy session for dads trapped in the youth sports mess! We’re coming in scorching with Pure Athlete co-founders Britt Lee and Brad Williams, who bring their hard-earned wisdom (and admissions of doing a lot of things wrong) to the table. We tackle the agonizing questions facing parents in the thick of it. Why are we compromising our spiritual commitments—like skipping ch...

This week we have Matt Nathanson joining the fellas for a chat that  dives into MySpace nostalgia, discussions about Hugh Grant-level hair, and the general 'churn' of parenting – sometimes involving mooning your daughter from the garage. The banter is sharp, the compliments are lavish (especially about Matt's violently attractive looks), and the self-deprecating humor flows freely. It's a laugh-ou...

Welcome back to a "Classic D&J" episode as the fellas reunite after what feels like ages. They cover the latest twist in Dave's long-shot quest of getting his album into the hands of a Beatle and the comical challenge of penning a compelling note to a music icon. They also go deep on their shared home improvement struggles, mundane DIY victories, and the neverending search for approval artists fac...

This week we have comedian (and bow-tie enthusiast) Mike Goodwin joining Dadville to share his blend of *wit, warmth, and wisdom.  Mike is celebrated for his clean, clever comedy that makes audiences think AND laugh.  Goodwin discusses his deeply personal look at the gut-wrenching experience of dropping his daughter off at Vanderbilt University and the emotional shift in fatherhood, including his...

Join us for an unforgettable conversation with music legend Dann Huff, whose career is so extensive it takes "four finger scrolls" on Wikipedia. Discover his candid insights into his dual role as a prolific session guitarist and an award-winning producer Dann opens up about playing on colossal, core-memory songs for global icons like Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and Madonna, and producing for...

This episode is so jam-packed with talent, our brag sheets literally broke! Join us as we chat with Broadway sensation Melissa Errico, a self-proclaimed "solopreneur" who's singing better than ever, and tennis legend Patrick McEnroe, the longest serving Davis Cup captain in history. After 27 years of marriage, this duo navigates demanding careers and three teenage daughters. Discover Melissa's par...

A few weeks ago the fellas headed out to the Heaven on Earth Festival in Moab, Utah for the first ever LIVE episode of Dadville! Amongst the picturesque mountains, they break down some of the most outrageous tips and tricks for family vacations including a whitewater rafting trip turned VBS singalong, the baffling mystery of children packing tubs of hair gel, and the Official Dadville Dos and Don'...

At this point, Elliott Cherry is the official Pastor of Dadville. We bring him back for a yearly check-in, where we kick things off with giggles before digging into how much pastors pay attention to church attendance. Then, Elliott drops some golden takes on the vital role of forgiveness in marriage, why corporate worship is a powerful realignment with reality for our insanity, and the little know...

Get ready for a wild ride as we chat with Brett Swayn, a chef from Perth, Australia, whose life journey is anything but ordinary. You'll discover how his profound spiritual experiences included feeling God playfully call him "dummy" and being "absolutely smashed in the spirit." Hear about his less-than-glamorous arrival in Nashville via a Greyhound bus with a broken toilet, his ingenious method of...

Dig coffee and vinyl? Help us out by taking this very short survey for a chance to win both! The fellas finally wrangled Charles Kelley! We kicked things off with his legendary brag sheet—apparently, they stopped counting at 80 bullet points! As one-third of Grammy-winning country trio Lady A, you definitely know "Need You Now" (and so does AC radio, judging by how often Charles hears it instead o...

The fellas are back from vacation and have lots to catch up on! Jon recently returned from Europe. He bravely transformed into "vacation Jon," embracing the holiday spirit by not stressing about money and being ready to spend "enchanted money," despite usually being more frugal. He even endured intense cycling in Mallorca and had a run-in (kinda) with Obi-Wan. Meanwhile, Dave took his own family t...

In this episode, the fellas interview journalist and author Dr. Susan Dominus about her book, "The Family Dynamic, A Journey Into The Mystery of Sibling Success". Have you ever wondered how birth order affects things? Susan shares profound insights into how siblings uniquely shape each other's lives, often more profoundly than parents. This is an insightful episode about the inherent magic of fami...

We always just assume that David and Sissy (pronounced SIS-E) just want to hang. Well, we finally get that chance today while they talk about the new line of Daystar Dogs books for kids. The new books feature characters like Lucy and Owen, which focuses on teaching courage and resilience. The duo discusses the importance of resilience, especially as kids take fewer risks, the challenges of parenta...

This week, the legendary Dan Wilson joins Dadville from "the Minneapolis of California." You surely know Dan from the many, many, many hits he's written for The Chicks, Adele, Chris Stapleton, and dozens of others. Oh yeah, he's also behind one of the biggest hits of the '90s, "Closing Time." We unpack Dan's incredible career, from his time in Trip Shakespeare and Semisonic to his ridiculously lon...