I followed the Cornerstone festival for most of my life as it was in my home state.  But I never actually attended the event until the last run, when I went to two of the last three years.  I went to the final Cornerstone in July 2012 as I watched the bitter-sweet ending to a truly historic annual event.  We quickly put together a podcast to pay tribute to Cornerstone, but I knew I could …Read More »
Episode Artists:
Ashley Cleveland, Josh Garrels, The Wayside, Karina Mia, Kye Kye , Maron Gaffron, Michelle Thompson, The Farewell Drifters, The Choir

About a year ago, Doug from Rockford IL emailed me about a year ago with an episode theme idea to play the closing tracks of albums.  I loved the idea and agreed that the final tracks of albums are often really special songs with significant depth.  We're excited to pull the trigger on that idea this week.  And you'll hear some doozies, like Needtobreathe, Andy Gullahorn, The Choir, and more. Let us know if you …Read More »
Episode Artists:
Audrey Assad, Andrew Osenga, Aaron Lee Martin, Needtobreathe, Tal & Acacia, The Choir [ft. Leigh Nash] , Sara Groves, Griffin House, Jars of Clay, Andy Gullahorn

Getting the annual pulse of the UTR Critics is a fun experience for me personally.  Not only does each member have great taste in music, but songs connect with them for a variety of reasons.  One critic picked a Ginny Owens song because it was emotional.  One picked a Chris Taylor song because of the unique style. And one picked a track by The Choir because of the poignant lyrical content.  Whenever we pool top …Read More »
Episode Artists:
Kings Kaleidoscope, Andrew Peterson, Steffany Gretzinger, Carolyn Arends, Chris Taylor, The Choir, Jason Gray, Colony House, Ginny Owens, Christopher Williams

This is always one of my favorite episodes to produce each and every year. It's a privelege to have 10 panelists that love plumbing the depths of new gourmet music each year.  And since there's 10 of us, it's not a list of just one guy's opinions.  To make this Top 11 list, an artist had to really catch the ear of multiple critics, so it raises the standards on what makes our final Top …Read More »
Episode Artists:
Melanie Penn, All Sons & Daughters, Jason Gray, The Choir, Colony House, Nichole Nordeman, John Mark McMillan, Jeremy Casella, Jill Phillips, Ellie Holcomb, Needtobreathe, Steve Taylor & The Perfect Foil

June was filled with "specialty shows" like Kelly's farewell and the Critics' picks.  July was all repeat episodes.  So we've collected a fair number of listener requests over the last 2-3 months, and it's always fun to dedicate a whole hour to the songs and artists suggested by our UTR family.  As it seems to happen regularly with these types of episodes, we are introduced to a fair number of artists that we weren't aware …Read More »
Episode Artists:
6'10, PawnShop Kings, Judah & The Lion, Andrew Peterson, Maeve, The Diving Bell, Carolyn Arends, The Choir, Levi Weaver, Savannah Ellis, Jenny & Tyler

Episode Artists:
Melanie Penn, Rend Collective, NEEDTOBREATHE, Chris Taylor, Jeremy Casella, Johnnyswim, Copperlily, The Farewell Drifters, Ellie Holcomb, Mike Mains & The Branches, 100 Portraits & Waterdeep, The Choir

Episode Artists:
Son of Laughter, Rend Collective Experiment, Eric Peters, Strahan, Deas Vail, The Autumn Film, The Choir, Caleb Carruth, Ben Shive, Vanita Joines, Giants & Pilgrims, Chris Haines, The Vespers

Episode Artists:
The Choir, Nichole Nordeman, Waterdeep, Cindy Morgan, Bebo Norman, All Sons & Daughters, House of Heroes, Starfield, Jenny & Tyler, Jon Troast, Paper Route

Episode Artists:
Ashley Cleveland, The Farewell Drifters, Josh Garrels, The Wayside, Karina Mia, Kye Kye, Maron Gaffron, Michelle Thompson, The Choir

Episode Artists:
Phil Madeira, The Choir, Eric Peters, Andrew Greer, Rosie Thomas, Audrey Assad, The Followers, The Vespers, David Crowder Band, Julie Lee & The Baby Daddies, Imagine This, Sarah Macintosh, Jenny & Tyler

Episode Artists:
The Choir, Waterdeep, Melody Olson, The Hawk in Paris, Brooke Fraser, Andrew Peterson, Aaron Lee Martin, Adam Wheatley, Gungor, The Followers, Alli Rogers, Phil Wickham

Episode Artists:
Above The Golden State, Bethany Dillon, Heather Miller, Sons of Korah, Tyler James, Jars of Clay, Sarah Sadler, The Khrusty Brothers, Matt Brouwer, The Choir, Cory Asbury

Episode Artists:
Lovelite, Bruce Cockburn, Audrey Assad, The Choir, Johnny Cash, Sleeping At Last, Jars of Clay, Hark the Herons, Sky Sailing, Rhona Kelley, Josh White, Addison Road

Episode Artists:
Paige Aufhammer, Jill Phillips & Andy Gullahorn, Jill Phillips & Andy Gullahorn, Jon Troast, Jill Phillips & Andy Gullahorn, Erika Chambers, Andy Gullahorn, Carolyn Arends, The Choir, Brooke Waggoner, Jill Phillips & Andy Gullahorn

Episode Artists:
The Choir, Enter the Worship Circle, Melanie Penn, Steven Delopoulos, Jars of Clay, Sandra McCracken, Derek Webb, Buddy Miller & Julie Miller, Resurrection Band, Fernando Ortega

Episode Artists:
Above The Golden State, Bethany Dillon, Heather Miller, Sons of Korah , Tyler James, Jars of Clay, Sarah Sadler, The Khrusty Brothers, Matt Brouwer, The Choir, Cory Asbury

Episode Artists:
Jake Smith, Lanae Hale, David Dewese, Lanae Hale, JJ Heller, Adam Watts, Lanae Hale, Sam Judd, The Choir, Alexander, Lanae Hale

Episode Artists:
The Choir, Eric Peters, Jill Phillips, Eric Peters, Leeland (w/ Brandon Heath), Eric Peters, Kate Hurley, Nevertheless, Christine Dente, Michael Card, Eric Peters

Episode Artists:
Jake Smith, Lanae Hale, David Dewese, Lanae Hale, JJ Heller, Adam Watts, Lanae Hale, Sam Judd, The Choir, Alexander, Lanae Hale

Episode Artists:
Micah Dalton, Sufjan Stevens, The Fray, Justin McRoberts, The Choir, Christine Evans, Andy Gullahorn, Sara Groves, Shelly Moore Band, Chris Spring, Derek Webb