PostConsumer Reports Podcast

Nathan Peterson returns to the podcast for an in depth discussion of his recent song "Is It a Sin?" It's not so much an interview as it is a conversation about the song and how we respond to art that challenges us and perhaps even offends us. Please check out out www.nathanpeterson.net  for Nathan's music and writings.

Jeremy Casella is a singer-songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee. He has released four albums over the years and is currently putting on a Kickstarter campaign to fund his fifth album  Spirit . Jeremy is an artist I've had the privilege to get to know over the years after meeting him after a Caedmon's Call concert in 2004. Episode 59 features two interviews with him, one from 2014 done right before...

Kevin Wright is the pastor of First Covenant Church in Peoria Illinois and is also author of The Danse trilogy, a series of horror/mystery novels. If you are thinking that is a strange combination you'd be right, but it is also makes Kevin the perfect conversation partner surrounding the issue of what Christians are supposed to do with the holiday of Halloween. Get ready for a complex and "nuanced...

Ep 57 of the PCR Podcast features my conversation with Dave about his re-launch of UTR Media, which has already started with 5 new podcasts and looks to continue with live concerts, videos, interviews, and articles featuring independent music by Christian artists. You can find out more at:  http://utrmedia.org/

Andrew Osenga is a veteran musician, artist, and producer. Lead singer and founding member of The Normals, Osenga also had a stint as the lead guitarist and vocalist for Caedmon's Call, and continues to record and tour with Andrew Peterson's band. Lately Osenga has morphed into an artist mentor and consultant, as well as a podcaster with The Pivot, which focuses on interviews with people who find...

An "archive" episode of the podcast, this is part 2 of my 2014 interview with Nathan Peterson. Nathan is a singer-songwriter from Peoria, Illinois who recently got a vinyl release of his new EP  So Am I  funded on Kickstarter. This part of our interview features a fascinating story about how he lost his voice (which is his livelihood!) and what he chose to do about it. You can find out more of his...

Nathan Peterson is a singer-songwriter from Peoria, Illinois. Currently he is attempting to get a vinyl release of his new EP  So Am I  funded on Kickstarter. You can find out more of his story, listen to his music, and purchase his book of the same name as the EP here: http://nathanpeterson.net/ https://nathanpeterson.bandcamp.com/

Nathan Peterson is a singer-songwriter from Peoria, Illinois. Currently he is attempting to get a vinyl release of his new EP  So Am I  funded on Kickstarter. You can find out more of his story, listen to his music, and purchase his book of the same name as the EP here: http://nathanpeterson.net/ https://nathanpeterson.bandcamp.com/

Fr. Greg Lynn is the vicar of  Epiphany Church in Peoria, Illinois . He also happens to be my pastor and my friend. On Sunday, August 20 he preached a message that had been weighing on his heart and mind, "What Does the Bible Say About Race?", and I wanted to offer a place for people to hear it. If you go to the PostConsumer Reports website for episode 54 you will find the slides that go along wit...

The Mosley's are Stephen and Rachel Mosley, a husband and wife sing-songwriter duo from Florida. Their music is earthy and reflective and indicative of the Americana folk of the South. Their first full length album  Ordinary Time  was produced by Phil Madeira and co-produced by Jimmy Abegg. I got to sit down with them for an interview at UTR Media's Escape to the Lake festival. You can read more a...

As a bonus to our previous episode with Pastor Dan Leman on worship in the church, Dan this time offers insight and practical steps for how to worship, pray, and read Scripture together as a family .

Episode 52 features an interview with musician and composer Fernando Ortega, who releases his newest album  The Crucifixion   of Jesus  on August 4, 2017. Our talk runs the gamut of topics, from politics in the American church, his love of bird watching, the tension between performing and worship leading, as well as an in depth look at the songs and making of the new album.

Three years ago my long time friend Pastor Dan Leman and I sat down to have a long chat about the Church's worship. Dan is the lead pastor of Faith Evangelical Free Church in Germantown Hills, Illinois  ( http://faithefree.net/ ). It's taken a while, but I am finally sharing our conversation. The main point of our talk is "What exactly is the point of us meeting together to worship?" We go in-dept...

Stu G became known as the lead guitarist and songwriter for the revolutionary worship band Delirious? but after years of touring with other artists and logging lots of time as a studio musician, Stu finally decided to take on a passion project long in gestation: a multimedia work based off of The Beatitudes, the opening words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. It started out as a se...

Today's episode features and interview with Doug Chu on multicultural worship, the Asian-American experience, and a segment I like to call "I wish white churches would..." Doug was kind enough to play along.  Doug is a musician and worship leader based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is a volunteer worship team leader at Madison Square Church's Ford campus. An American-born Chinese, Doug was raised...

Ted Yoder is a recording artist, composer, and hammered dulcimer player. He's released five albums, has another one on the way, and regularly tours the country playing concerts. Ted Gained much acclaimed when his cover version of Tears For Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" became a Facebook Livestream sensation. I sat down with Ted after his concert at the Gebhard Woods Dulcimer Festival...

Episode 47 features an interview with Dr. Lester Ruth on the history of contemporary worship in the Church. The research professor Christian worship at Duke Divinity School, Dr. Ruth co-authored his new book Lovin' on Jesus: A Concise History of Contemporary Worship  with Dr. Swee Hong Lim, assistant professor of Sacred Music at Emmanuel College in Toronto. Our interview covers numerous topics rel...

Quinton Thomas is a Peoria, Illinois based artist. His work is a convergence of numerous influences all at once, creating a blossoming artistic vision all his own. Our conversation covers his upcoming show at the gallery Ear in the Envelope , various possible interpretations of his work, and our thoughts on the new TV show Dear White People . You can find images of his work on Facebook at:  https:...

Brooks McDaniel is a professor of philosophy and religion, now retired from Illinois Central College. He is also an ordained minister in the Presbyterian church (PCUSA) and a writer and poet. Brooks was actually one of my own teachers in college and we sat down to talk about faith, spiritual experiences, and what he would like written in his obituary.

Natalia Villaneuva Linares and Earl Power-Murphy are the founders of Yaku Peoria, an organization intent on restoring the beautiful Hale Memorial Church of Peoria, Illinois and turning it into a center for arts and culture in the city. You can find out more at their website: http://www.yakupeoria.org/  and read their magazine at:  http://www.ukayzine.org/  Natalia is herself and artist whose work...

Jimmy Bridgeman is the owner and operator of Rock Solid Studio, a professional Peoria based recording studio. With his business partner Jeremy Moser, Jimmy offers a space that can take an artist through the whole recording process, from recording, producing, mixing, and mastering. In our talk we cover all our mutual friends and acquaintances as well as our mutual love of the iconic Cornerstone Mus...

Alec DeJesus is a Peoria, Illinois based artist. His works seem to come from another time while also drawing from pop culture. They are familiar and otherworldly, earthy and sacred. In our conversation we covered where he draws inspiration for his works and how he has had to work hard and think creatively in order to make a living as an artist. You can find Alec on Instagram at: https://www.instag...

In the latest episode of our Dialogues With Brandon series, I chat with Brandon about all aspects of the fear of missing out or FOMO. There are many layers to this phenomenon from missing out on moments with your friends or missing out on great life experiences. I become a bit manic in the process but Brandon keeps everything on balance and offers us a way out of a tortured life of the FOMO. This...

Kagan Masters is an artist from Central Illinois, specializing in painting with coffee. Her light and dark contrasts are accentuated by the deeply dark reddish brown tones from the coffee base and her subjects range from whimsical animals drunk on coffee to pop culture homages. And yes, they all smell good too! You can find her work at:  http://redeemedink.com/index.html , or you can visit her wor...

Musician Jared is releasing his new album  Masters on March 3, 2017. This podcast extra features a few minutes of our previous conversation that didn't make the cut for episode 38. We talk about "hard" music and hearing loss. Visit  https://jaredgrabb.bandcamp.com/  to stream and purchase the new album.