Worship Bass Coffee

What worship songs have shaped the way you play bass, approach worship, and even think about your faith? In this episode, Jay and Josh take a look back at some of the songs that have influenced them over the years, from learning when to add a little extra spice to a bass line to knowing when the best thing you can do is simply play the song as it was written. They share stories behind songs like G...

In this episode of the Worship, Bass, Coffee Podcast, Jay is joined by Scott Beavers to tackle a fun challenge: building a complete bass rig from scratch with just $1,000. They each put together different setups, exploring basses, DIs, pedals, and digital versus analog gear while sharing their favorite tones and ways to get the most out of a budget. Along the way, they talk about what a worship ba...

In this episode of the Worship, Bass, Coffee Podcast, Jay sits down with his friend and fellow Bridge Church bassist Kevin Eaton. Kevin shares his journey from playing punk, emo, and metalcore in his younger years to finding his place serving on worship teams, including the lessons he learned along the way about the Nashville Number System, preparing for a Sunday, listening well, and leading from...

In this episode, Jay and Josh sit down with Brandon Moore to hear his story of going from barely knowing what a bass was to serving regularly on a worship team just six years later. Brandon shares how God met him during a difficult season of life, how he found his way into worship bass, and the lessons he’s learned along the way about preparation, developing your ear, playing without charts, findi...

What makes a great worship bassist? In this episode, Jay and Josh step away from the normal interview format and sit down to talk about what really makes a great worship bass player. They talk about skill and preparation, serving the song, listening to the band and the room, being reliable and flexible, checking your ego, and knowing when to play—and when not to. But more importantly, they dig int...

This week on Worship, Bass, Coffee, Jay sits down with Raul “Rowdy” Alfonso, bassist for Big Daddy Weave. Raul shares his journey from growing up playing music in church to working in Nashville, touring, recording, and eventually joining Big Daddy Weave. We talk about the unexpected way God opened that door, the impact J-Dog had on his life, and what it looks like to keep Jesus at the center while...

In Season 2, Episode 3 of the Worship, Bass, Coffee Podcast, Jay and Josh sit down with good friend and fellow worship bassist Matt Reynolds to hear his story and talk all things worship, bass, gear, and community. Matt shares how he first fell in love with the bass, his early influences, playing in a large church in front of thousands of people as a teenager, and why he eventually stepped away fr...

In this episode of the Worship Bass Coffee Podcast, Jay sits down with David Puleo, founder of Puleo Guitars, to hear the incredible story behind his journey from serving in local churches to becoming a trusted guitar builder and tech and guitarist for artists like Bethel Music and Josh Baldwin. David shares how a willingness to serve, invest in relationships, and faithfully steward every opportun...

Josh and Jay sit down with Ian Martin Allison to kick off Season 2 with a conversation about creativity, worship, bass, and life. Ian shares stories from his journey through church ministry, Scott's Bass Lessons, and touring with Ben Rector, along with the lessons he's learned about balancing family, creativity, and a career in music. The guys also dive into worship bass, tone, gear, the value of...

In the Season One finale of the Worship Bass Coffee Podcast , Jay is joined by Josh for a special episode that flips the script, with Josh stepping into the host's chair to interview Jay. Together they reflect on the journey of the podcast over the past year, discussing how what started as a way to encourage and equip worship bass players unexpectedly grew into a worldwide community of musicians c...

Josh & Jay sit down with Ryan Owens of Trickfish Amplification, one of the most respected bass gear companies in the industry, for a conversation covering worship ministry, touring, bass gear, and everything in between. Ryan shares stories from his years playing alongside Robbie Seay, serving in church plants, and balancing family life while pursuing a career in music and the gear industry. Th...

In Episode 24 of The Worship Bass Coffee podcast, Jay and Josh sit down with Megan Pennacchio to talk about her journey from growing up on Long Island to serving in worship ministry, attending Liberty University, and finding her place in Nashville’s music scene. From learning bass at a young age and navigating worship ministry, to overcoming perfectionism, preparing for Sundays without charts, stu...

In Episode 23 of the Worship, Bass, Coffee podcast, Jay and Josh are joined by Scott Beavers for a full-on conversation all about overdrive. From first pedals and favorite tones to the philosophy behind using drive in a worship setting, the guys dive deep into the sounds, stories, and experimentation that shape a bassist’s tone. They talk through the history of overdrive, pedals they loved and reg...

Josh and Jay continue their conversation with Jordan Ray Landers of Backburner Noise in Part 2 of this two-part series. In this episode, Jordan dives deeper into his approach to preparing for worship—focusing on intentional listening, understanding the heart behind the lyrics, and grounding everything in Scripture. Rather than relying on charts, he shares how internalizing songs and connecting the...

Josh and Jay sit down with Jordan Ray Landers of Backburner Noise for Part 1 of this special two-part conversation. In this episode, Jordan shares his journey from growing up in Dallas to life on the road as a touring bassist, giving an inside look at the realities of the “weekend warrior” touring schedule and how he balances music, marriage, and calling. The conversation dives deep into his early...

In this episode of Worship, Bass, Coffee , Jay sits down with Miguel Jimenez—a faithful member of the community and a full-time tile installer from Wisconsin—to talk about balancing work, family, and serving on a worship team. Miguel shares his journey into music starting with orchestra and eventually finding his place on bass through his church, along with the influence of early worship music lik...

In this episode of Worship, Bass, Coffee , Jay sits down with his friend and guitarist Jordan Lavagnino to talk through his journey from growing up in a church plant in California to touring as a professional musician and eventually transitioning into full-time videography in Nashville. Jordan shares how early exposure to worship music and instruments shaped his love for guitar, his experience bui...

In Episode 18 of Worship, Bass, Coffee , Jay sits down with his friend and fellow musician Nate Sousa (aka “The Sooze”), the Music Director at The Bridge Church in Spring Hill, Tennessee. Nate shares his journey from growing up in a musical family to becoming a multi-instrumentalist and seasoned worship music director. The conversation covers Nate’s early years playing drums, teaching himself guit...

Josh Summers is back in the Worship Bass Coffee Studio—and this time we’re doing a full NAMM 2026 gear roundup with honest takes, practical worship context, and plenty of laughs. We kick things off with the Walrus Audio Mantle , why the price shocked us at first, and why it makes more sense when you think of it as studio-grade gear you can throw on a pedalboard. From there we get into DI/preamp op...

Episode 16 of Worship Bass Coffee features session and touring bassist Samuel Rady , a longtime “Insta-friend” of Jay’s whose playing you’ve probably heard even if you didn’t realize it. Sam shares his story of getting started on bass, landing early opportunities with Housefires , and how that path led into the rise of Maverick City Music —including what it was really like going from church gigs t...

Episode 15 features the first non-bassist guest of 2026, and one of my best friends — drummer Jeremy Williams from The Bridge Church. In this episode, Jay and Jeremy talk about serving on worship teams from a drummer’s perspective and how real friendships off-stage directly impact chemistry, feel, and tightness on-stage. Jeremy shares his story of growing up in church with a worship-pastor dad, st...

Episode 14 kicks off 2026 with Nashville session bassist Jacob Lowery, whose résumé spans everyone from Reba McEntire and Michael McDonald to Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, and more. Jacob and Jay talk about what a “normal” week in the studio really looks like, how inspiration (and learning songs) often beats practicing scales, and how relationships + being a great hang can open doors just as much a...

In Episode 13 of Worship, Bass, Coffee , Jay sits down with bassist, worship leader, real-estate pro, and longtime supporter of the show Phil Lawson . Phil was one of the very first people to reach out when the podcast launched, and this conversation feels like the full-circle moment it was always meant to be. Jay and Phil talk through what everyday life looks like when you’re juggling family, ful...

In this Christmas-season episode of Worship, Bass, Coffee , Jay sits down with fellow Texan and tone architect Bryce Vaughn for a conversation that’s equal parts gear talk, real-life honesty, and worship-community heart. They dig into what life actually looks like when your weeks are stacked with Sunday sets, midweek services, artist dates, studio sessions, and the constant tension of staying crea...

It’s a Worship, Bass, Coffee Christmas special! In Episode 11, Jay is joined once again by his friend and fellow bassist Scott Beavers for a full-on worship bass gear wish list—perfect for Cyber Monday hunters or anyone dreaming up their next tone move. They kick things off with budget-friendly bass options for newer players, then work their way into boutique builds from Puleo, Bluesman Vintage, M...