Episode #26

Paul is a phenomenal operatic singer who came to America when he was 12. His thoughts of the genre as a whole and his transition between styles was a fascinating conversation and I hope you enjoy it as well!

CHAPTERS

0:00-Intro

0:30-How we met / acting

3:28-His story

13:40-Embassy to America

17:30-Getting serious about music

25:10-Transition from pop/emo/rap to classical

27:45-Listening to operatic / Gospel music in the gym

32:14-Progression of old music to future styles of sacred / music taste standards

38:50-Musical style equals attitude

42:10-Operatic genre and its progression

46:40-AI isn't eternal / souls are

52:02-Story Behind "It Is Well" and its continued impact

53:55-Doctorate and beyond / hindsight

56:28-Outro

Episode #25

The controversy of this topic can be felt among many circles regardless of which side you land on. I felt this conversation was an immense blessing with a fantastic end goal of how the church can still rally around the Gospel and Jesus Christ. I couldn't have spoken with anyone better than Serge as a friend, as a musician, and as a representative of certain lines of thought. I hope you enjoy this episode and walk away with some solid takeaways!

CHAPTERS

0:00-Intro

1:10-Serge, his music, and philosophy intro

7:55-Mutual history

8:35-“Nothing New”

12:45-Writing process / variety of subject matter

17:05-Being labeled / categorizing / exploring

19:35-The divide between sacred and secular

23:03-Branding

25:15-Secular to sacred and vice versa

28:28-Artists leaving the faith

31:25-Sacred and secular (an intro)

36:52-Redemption of certain contexts

40:10-History of Christian Hip-Hop

44:00-Common grace / universal innovation

49:00-Association / separation debate

57:20-Conscience and music

59:45-Denomination hot-take

1:02:35-Unification within the church

1:06:20-Energy of non-traditional music

1:08:50-Music is like food

1:10:35-Concern for fellow Christians

1:11:30-Outro / final thoughts / music plug

Episode #24

I loved digging into Josiah's experience and getting to know his perspective on vocal technique. I hope you enjoy this episode!

CHAPTERS

0:00-Intro

0:34-Story of getting into music

7:48-Switching major nuances

9:40-Growing in music / singing technique

14:05-The value of specializing

17:20-Becoming a tenor

19:20-Nitty gritty of singing technique

21:03-Singers are athletes (in a sense)

23:00-Handling practicing lows

24:30-Recording behind a mic vs. singing live

30:00-Pros of classical vocal technique

32:15-Venturing into other genres’ vocal styles

35:50-Open throat in a breathy singing style

38:40-Technique of singing “forward”

39:50-The work that goes into effective expression

41:00-"Budgeting” vocal health

47:20-Emotional effect of singing in various genres

56:30-The different feel of different genres

58:50-Editing vocals

1:01:40-Outro

Episode #23

Ethan is one of my best friends and this conversation was a long time coming. In this episode, there are many memories and points I hope to never forget, and I'm grateful our words can be immortalized here. :) Thank you, and enjoy!

CHAPTERS

0:00-Intro

0:20-Ethan’s story seeking God

8:15-Music philosophy connections

10:50-Shared history

14:40-Prayer memory

16:55-Other memories

18:55-Ramifications of seeking God

21:15-Heartache and comfort from God

24:40-Doubts about trusting God (story)

26:50-Assurance through answered prayers

28:20-Two keys to our spiritual growth

29:40-Illustration of a Gospel life perspective

32:20-The buildup of the discipline of prayer

34:40-Waking up early to be with God

37:45-Ethan’s focus spending time with God

42:40-How God receives the most glory

44:00-Failed attempt to end the conversation

44:50-Music philosophy and social media

48:15-Outro

Episode #22

Enjoy this conversation with Estevão Gonçalves! 10/10 convo. His perspective on growth in skill and having a correct mindset toward God is incredible and I hope it is a blessing to you.

CHAPTERS

0:00-Intro

0:15-The level it takes to be happy with an instrument

1:15-Getting serious about singing

4:50-Fulfillment in doing music

10:07-Music style distinctions in church services

14:45-On the vocal style, "crooning"

16:33-The context of the body of Christ

22:55-Worship between generations

29:07-Individuality related to the gift of music

33:10-Brazilian who lost his singing voice

34:50-God gave us all we have

36:20-Motivation in glorifying God

43:05-An example of leveled motivation

47:00-Being relaxed during performance

52:30-The work behind musicianship

53:00-Obsessing over your craft

58:00-Prioritizing God

1:04:40-God’s gifts to His children

1:06:45-Outro

Episode #21

Christian and I talk about how he got into music, using our gifts for God, and his health journey. I hope you enjoy this episode, and if you're a musician and want to come on this podcast to share your story, feel free to email me at cjmurraymusic@gmail.com.

CHAPTERS

0:00-Intro

0:22-Getting into music

3:10-Going into speech therapy

10:35-Peak music moments

14:35-On opening gifts from God

15:40-Intentionality in church services

19:10-All Christians under the blood

21:12-To those needing to commit to their gifts

23:30-Health journey

34:00-Options on the future

36:30-Potential of being young

37:40-Cryptocurrency tangent and investing

39:25-Compound interest of investing in people

44:12-Faithful are the wounds of a friend

45:00-Future process of this podcast

47:40-Outro

Episode #20

Ben Everson is an evangelist/musician whose purpose is to encourage God's people via music and preaching. This conversation felt very real, genuine, and insightful into another way of looking at music as a whole and our approach to it. I'm very grateful he was willing to be a guest on this podcast and I look forward to having him on again in the future.

LINKS

Please check out his website and music at https://beneverson.com

Episode #19

Marshall Teague has an extremely diverse portfolio in his acting career from Roadhouse, to Walker Texas Ranger, to other familiar action movies, as well sci-fi and meaningful dramas. It was a privilege to dive into his mind and experiences to glean from his wealth of knowledge.

CHAPTERS

0:00 - Intro

0:37 - History

4:23 - Becoming characters and going home

8:06 - Actors as co-workers and inspirational actors

9:36 - On Denzel Washington

10:41 - On actors going viral for anger on set

12:13 - Improvements in the craft

13:42 - Don't act — become

16:53 - On actors portraying real people and true stories

18:51 - Most challenging character to become

22:09 - Acting in film versus stage plays

24:04 - Acting for television

26:48 - On sustainably being in acting for so long

29:02 - Pushback on being an actor

32:17 - Screen acting versus voice acting

35:41 - Original Roadhouse versus Amazon Prime's

43:04 - On saying no to people

44:00 - Faith in the music industry

46:16 - On being hit by a helicopter

47:52 - Most interesting locations

52:40 - Marriage advice to newly weds

56:12 - Outro