Song Revolution with John Chisum

Ex-mainstream rocker Zach Williams knows that Jesus is the real chain breaker, but Zach himself has burst onto the airwaves as a bonafide hitmaker with over 17m Youtube views of his debut single Chain Breaker and over 11m views of the totally singable follow-up Old Church Choir and the tally for each is growing by the minute.   Williams knows the power of Christ. His own chains of addiction were b...

Cody Carnes is a lot more than "Mr. Kari Jobe." Although he is married to one of the most popular worship artists of the day, Cody is emerging in his own power as a communicator, songwriter, and worship leader.   His new album "The Darker the Night/The Brighter the Morning" was produced with indie-pop producer Jeremy Lutito and has influences from Bon Iver, Coldplay, One Republic, and others. "I f...

Music business executives have come and gone through the years, but no one has outlasted Centricity Music's John Mays, the longest-standing A&R Director in Christian music. John's career has spanned thirty years and he has been influential in the careers of artists such as Cindy Morgan, Point of Grace, Phillips, Craig & Dean, and many more. John is currently directing the musical development of su...

Music business executives have come and gone through the years, but no one has outlasted Centricity Music's John Mays, the longest-standing A&R Director in Christian music. John's career has spanned thirty years and he has been influential in the careers of artists such as Cindy Morgan, Point of Grace, Phillips, Craig & Dean, and many more. John is currently directing the musical development of su...

Jared Anderson is one of our favorite songwriters. An international worship leader for many years with New Life Fellowship (Colorado Springs) and the Desperation Band, Jared always brings a down-to-earth spiritual perspective on music, songwriting, ministry, and business.   This interview is from his day on NCS Song Power Week 2018, a week long Facebook Live event sponsored by Nashville Christian...

Buddy Greene: Virtuoso Harmonica, Gaither Sideman, and Co-Writer of "Mary, Did You Know"   Over the last 30 years, Buddy Greene has performed across America, made numerous trips abroad, and established himself as a predominantly independent recording artist. In 1991 he won the Gospel Music Association's Dove award for Best Country Album, and has received 9 other Dove award nominations. Through his...

So God has given you a song. You just sat down one day and it started flowing out, or, maybe you were driving in your car when suddenly this melody came to you, and, before you knew it, you had pulled out your cell phone and started recording a melody that you've never heard before and you are still trying to put lyrics to it.   Or perhaps you've been writing poetry since 5th grade and you have ab...

Jon Thurlow is the living example of Psalm 45:1, "My heart overflows with a good theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is the pen of a ready writer."    Jon and his wife Kinsey live in Kansas City, Missouri, where they both serve on staff at the International House of Prayer Kansas City (IHOPKC). IHOPKC is an evangelical missions organization that is committed to praying for the releas...

Trevor Graves is an aspiring songwriter hoping to be heard in Nashville. His acoustic songs and sound are a blend of classic CCM with fresh influences a la John Mayer and Ed Sheeran. In this episode of The Song Revolution Podcast, John Chisum highlights Trevor's songs and sincere call to write for Jesus.   As a client of Nashville Christian Songwriters' coaching program, Mastering the Art & Craft...

David Baroni is one of those rare gifts to the Body of Christ as a songwriter, worship leader, and teacher. One of his early CCM hits "Soldiers of the Light" (Andrus, Blackwood, and Company) helped blaze the trail of pop Christian music. With over 200 songs on CCLI (and counting), his impact on the field of worship is perhaps crowned with the modern hymn "O Mighty Cross" (Baroni/Chisum), as well a...

If Brandon Heath could offer a word of advice about how to navigate a well-lived life, he would sum it up in three words: faith, hope and love. These tenants of the Christian faith have provided an unshakable foundation for his own journey with Jesus through the years, and they continue to be the three virtues he claims in times of both joy and struggle. For Heath, it's simply "instruction for a g...

Few songwriters cultivate more fertile creative soil when crafting a new album than Phillips, Craig, and Dean. Juggling dual vocations as both pastors and recording artists for more than two decades, Randy Phillips, Shawn Craig, and Dan Dean have created an impressive body of work inspired by what God is doing in their lives and their respective churches.  Transparency, passion and integrity have...

Ahhhh, the sounds of Christmas…. the ubiquitous Salvation Army Santa outside of Walmarts and Best Buys with that annoying little bell clanging till you give him a buck just to make him stop, but he never does... The bustle of shoppers and imaginary tinkling of Silver Bells, the very real laughter and shooshing of ice skaters in Rockefeller Center... The carols and classic songs in all the movies w...

In 12th Century Benedictine tradition, the Church was viewed as a warm and hospitable place always open, and desirous, of wanderers and weary travelers. In fact, one monk would always be posted as the lookout, scanning the horizon for those in need of shelter called the "porter." Whenever a road-worn traveler found his way to the monastery, the porter made sure that all the monks were alerted to g...

We've had so much response on Facebook posts about how to record your songs at home that we decided to record a special podcast to address that topic. In this episode, John Chisum joins NCS/Song Revolution Podcast producer, songwriter, and all-around great guy, Bryant Urich, to dig into all things demo. Bryant is more than a podcast genius. He is an accomplished songwriter and music producer in hi...

Dave Clark is the real deal. He's one of those down-to-earth and unassuming characters who would NEVER talk about himself or his accomplishments, but who has nonetheless impacted the world with his songs and career in the Christian music industry for over three decades. Dave's very real accomplishments include: Creative Director for Lillenas Publishing, a Kansas City-based Christian music company....

Tim Timmons' life has always been one of adventure, but for the first time, the singer/songwriter feels awake enough to actually live it. After nearly two decades of ministry and a lifetime as a believer, Timmons is no stranger to the tenets of the Christian faith. Now he finds himself moving beyond believer to follower, awake and alive to the nearness of Jesus. His sophomore album, Awake Our Soul...

Over the past decade, Aaron Shust has earned a reputation as one of Christian music's most compelling songwriters and a vocalist of considerable depth and passion. He was named both New Artist and Songwriter of the Year at the 2007 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards and the impact of his song, "My Savior My God" was recognized with the Song of the Year honor. He has continued to build on that ea...

The piano intro of Journey's mega-hit Don't Stop Believin ', written and performed by Jonathan Cain, stands as one of the most iconic musical motifs in all of rock 'n roll history. Cain's own journey through over 40 years of music to date is epic, too, having written monster hits like "Faithfully," "Who's Crying Now," "Open Arms," and with "Don't Stop Believin'" being iTunes #1 rock catalog tune o...

Ginny Owens became a household name as the Gospel Music Association's 2000 New Artist of the Year. Growing in notoriety as both a singer and a songwriter, winning 3 Dove awards and multiple ASCAP Awards along the way, Owens has sold over a million records over the course of her career. A top performer on the Christian radio charts with hits like "If You Want Me To," "Free" and "I Wanna Be Moved" a...

Jared Anderson did not always see himself writing worship music. The career of one of the most distinct voices in modern worship - with songs like "Glorified," "Amazed," and "Rescue" widely sung in churches around the world - almost never happened. In fact, Jared considered distancing himself from worship music entirely, but always felt a pull to write something for the church. "God revealed to me...

By all accounts, Tony Wood is the epitome of successful Christian songwriting. Take five minutes now to read the following list of artists who've recorded his songs and then ask yourself if Tony Wood might not have something very valuable to say to you about how to craft songs that span genres, styles, and even generations. With over 700 songs recorded in the Christian music marketplace, Tony Wood...

Many aspiring songwriters wonder why their songs aren't having the impact they desire. Is this you? After all, you've felt the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to write down your thoughts, feelings, and passionate worship for God. Maybe you've felt driven to share a part of your story that is difficult, but you feel the need to help others through what you've been through, so you're risking the vuln...

So, how does one go from being laid off and barely scraping by to a new high-quality EP release? In this episode, NCS songwriter, Terrance McCoy gets real about sleeping on a blow-up mattress in a house he was painting to becoming a brand new music artist releasing his first EP on September 29th. A graduate of the NCS "boot camp" program called "Mastering the Art & Craft of Christian Songwriting,"...

Many aspiring songwriters wonder why their songs aren't having the impact they desire. Is this you? After all, you've felt the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to write down your thoughts, feelings, and passionate worship for God. Why isn't anyone listening and how can you step up to really fulfill your call to write impactful songs for Jesus? In this episode of The Song Revolution Podcast, veteran...