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I'm going to take a break from reflecting on the spiritual truth found in music to tackle a more lighthearted topic - one that I hope to get your feedback on. Traditionally (esp. from the 80s & 90s) there exists three main ways that one discovers new music: (1) the recommendation of friends & families, (2) live concert events, and (3) radio airplay. However, in recent years - with the advent of MySpace, Facebook, iTunes, Twitter, Napster, NoiseTrade, and the list goes on - the rules have dramatically changed. The traditional methods still exist, with a whole extra layer of social media that opens us up to a world of …

Does your church have an usher like mine? At 10:28AM, he's strolling the foyer giving folks a 2-minute warning. When the praise music begins at 10:30, he starts exclaiming, "Let's go folks! You're going to be late for church!" He's even been seen breaking up conversations in his zealous attempt to get people in the pews on time. Unfortunately, my definition of church is vastly different from my usher's. I remember a few years ago at a different church, I was having a very deep and meaningful conversation with a friend in the hallway - while the praise music was playing inside the auditorium. After our talk, he apologized that …

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Two weeks ago, music fans worldwide were shocked to hear that Michael Jackson had died at the age of 50. Regardless of your musical taste and impressions about his private life, the chatter on Twitter & Facebook shows two quite universal impressions people have about Michael. (1) He lived a tragic life. From the way he was exploited as a child to all the identity issues, we all watched the wild ride of a lonely and broken individual. (2) He was one of the most talented and creative musicians in pop music history. Even non-fans admit that his creativity and raw talent could not be denied. In life, we as …

Father's Day is just around the bend, and I'll admit that it's nice to get that proverbial pat on the back from the family. But as a wise radio station manager once told me, "You can never outgive your kids." Yes, so true! Even though parents give up time, energy, money, and freedom to care for children, it can't compare to the love, fun, joy, and newfound purpose a parent receives in return. As a dad of 3 children, I know first-hand the weight of responsibility a father carries. My kids learn a lot more through my everyday actions than I care to admit to. And not just the times …

The summer blockbusters are upon us. There's something about summer that makes us more willing to accept storylines involving aliens, dinosaurs, Klingons, asteroids, hyperspeed, & superheros. Recently, I caught up on a couple of the biggest summertime movies of all time that I had missed: 2002's "Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones" and 2005's "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith". [Each film made over $300M domestically.] I really like the Star Wars series, but as you can tell by my procrastination, I'm not as madly in LOVE with it like some. I'll keep the movie review to myself [although Episode III was MUCH better]. Instead, let …

One of the artists we've featured on UTR, Katie Herzig, wrote this song with indie artist Matthew Perryman Jones. Here's a live recording of "Where the Road Meets the Sun" - a song that was featured on the recent season finale of ABC's "Grey's Anatomy".

I haven't heard of many artists who don't have the desire to have a hit. A painter getting her work into a gallery showing. A filmmaker getting a movie into the top ten at the box office. Musicians getting that single on the radio and up the charts. It's all very natural. I roll my eyes when a producer, songwriter, or artist says they have no interest in having a hit song. They carry an air of artistic piety about their music - obviously the masses are just too superficial to accept such fine work. I find this attitude more of an excuse than a mission. Common sense will tell …

On the last day of GMA Music Week 2009, I left my hotel and drove to a neighborhood eatery in Nashville called the Pied Piper. It was at this small sandwich shop that I finally met Eric Peters in person. Eric is an "under the radar" artist, for sure - and those who don't know about the Square Peg Alliance have likely never heard of him. He's a singer-songwriter that is writing honest and thoughtful music, and is currently in the studio working on his sixth album. [I'm playing his 2003 song "Love is Real" on this weekend's edition of UTR.] Over sandwiches and fries, we talked about families, ministry …