Song Revolution with John Chisum

Latest Episodes:

DARA MCLEAN: Writing from Your Heart May 19, 2018

Show notes

"It's the Lord that does the work. You are only responsible for being a child of God"

In episode 65, John sits down with Christian Artist and Songwriter, Dara Maclean. Dara's debut album You Got My Attention is earning her the attention of many. Growing up in a ministry focused family, leading worship was something that was almost inevitable for Dara. "I grew up singing, dancing and acting, and it's been in the church world. Music has always equaled ministry to me. Ministering to the broken, unloved and discouraged and ultimately showing people God's better way is what's in my heart. It's how I'm wired."

"The Lord just arrested my heart for rescue"

From songwriting to singing on stage in front of thousands, Dara has found her identity in something much deeper than just being a performer. In this episode, she shares her heart for ministry, writing, and how she's found her identity as a child of God, even in the midst of the storm.

"You need to stop praying away storms. You need to learn how to find peace in the middle of the storm"

Connect with Dara on instagram and be sure to keep an eye for a new project soon!

"In my heart I play the cello… never touched it in my life"

Some topics we talk about in this episode:

Introduction - 1:18
What's new with Dara Maclean - 3:40
Dara's Songwriting Story - 5:40
Missions and Partners - 8:38
Finding Identity as an Artist - 13:55
Finding Peace in the Storm - 19:15
Dara's Songwriting Process - 22:45
Wrap Up - 27:05

How to get involved

Join the Successful Christian Songwriters Group on Facebook and continue the discussion! https://www.facebook.com/groups/SuccessfulChristianSongwriters/
Check out all of the resources for you to become the songwriter you were meant to be at www.nashvillechristiansongwriters.com

If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

JOHN CHISUM: Writing Hit Hooks Part 3 - Emotion May 12, 2018

Show notes

"Music reaches beyond the thinking of the mind and goes straight into the heart and soul level"

In this week's episode, we're continuing our series on "Writing HIt Hooks." Today, we're talking all about emotion. What does a specific song make you feel? If you're like me, as soon as you hear a song you immediately go back to a memory or a time when you felt something similar. Songs have the power to speak deeply to us. We are emotional beings and the power of song goes much deeper than just a catchy beat or a smooth sound. Learning how to evoke emotion in your songwriting is the only way to write those hit hooks you've been trying to write.

"What kind of atmosphere am I creating for people as I present this song?"

Become a student of the songs you love. Start to identify the thoughts and feelings that a certain evokes in you. Once you identify these, work to replicate those in your songwriting. Nothing will connect someone to your song more deeply than emotion.

"Songwriting is about asking better questions"

There is so much going on at NCS and we want YOU to be a part! Don't miss our NCS Weekend Intensive coming up this Summer in Nashville. This is a time where we go deep and share valuable insights from masters of the craft, as well as a very intimate environment for you learn what you need to take your songwriting to the next level. Spots are filling up fast! Don't miss out on this amazing weekend.

"Without a GREAT idea, you'll never have a GREAT song"

Some topics we talk about in this episode:

Introduction - 1:20
NCS Weekend Intensive - 4:30
5 Tips for Writing Hit Hooks - 8:45
The Importance of Emotion and Feeling in Songs - 11:45
Examples of Song Emotion - 16:45
Using Emotion to Hook the Listener - 22:22
Wrap Up - 27:05

How to get involved

Join the Successful Christian Songwriters Group on Facebook and continue the discussion! https://www.facebook.com/groups/SuccessfulChristianSongwriters/
Check out all of the resources for you to become the songwriter you were meant to be at www.nashvillechristiansongwriters.com

If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

Audrey Assad - From the NCS Archives May 05, 2018

Show notes

This week, we went back into the archives to share a past episode with you.

Here's the thing... Each of these episodes have SO MUCH GOLD in them that it's hard to digest it all in one listen. So, today we're jumping back to our conversation with the amazing Audrey Assad.

Audrey Assad is, by her own admission, a very opinionated person.

Of Middle Eastern descent, yet raised in a small cult-like expression of the Plymouth Brethren denomination in New Jersey, she was not allowed to sing or read Scriptures in front of males and suffered tremendous personal repression as a child. Ironically, the very things she endured became the fuel of her deeply layered artistry that blends ancient-future influences into her uniquely beautiful music.

Her debut album The House You're Building (2010) was named Christian Album of the Year on Amazon.com and the Christian Breakthrough Album of the Year on iTunes and she has worked and toured with other great CCM artists such as Chris Tomlin, Tenth Avenue North, Matt Maher, and Jars of Clay.

In this episode, John Chisum and Audrey discuss the role of pain in art, literary influences in lyric writing, how the historic Christian traditions of beauty and literature are sometimes lost on the evangelical church, as well as:

How she came to Nashville with the help of Mike Donehy, lead singer of the band Tenth Avenue North
Being who you are as a singer-songwriter and how to use "discovery tools" like Spotify to build your own following
What it means to walk away from the "established" Christian music industry over artistic control and financial accountability
Writing religious music for the people who would never buy it or want to listen to "Christian" music
The role of catharsis and lament in art and how pain shapes our worship
Her "non-Christian" band called Levv and her foray into EDM
Contextualizing pain and how to redeem it in songwriting… "You can't heal from a wound that you don't know is there…"
Why she always writes the songs that she needs first in order to "preach the Gospel to herself" every day
The literary influences in her writing such as Jane Austen, Tolstoy, Rohr, Merton, John Donne, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Madeleine L'Engle, and Mother Teresa
Her musical influences from 70's folk/rock music, despite the strictures of the Plymouth Brethren beliefs
How to resource yourself through reading, imagination, and creativity to avoid rehashing Christian music from a decade ago
Approaching hooks with simplicity
How she wrote the song Restless from her first album, still one of her most popular songs
Setting poems to music
Her favorite exercises to add creativity and uniqueness to your music and to break out of ruts by intentional disruption

You can check out Audrey and her music at audreyassad.com, on Instagram @audreyassad, Twitter @audreyassad, and her EDM band Levv at Levvmusic.com and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LEVVmusic/

For more information visit www.nashvillechristiansongwriters.com and join the Successful Christian Songwriters Group on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SuccessfulChristianSongwriters/?fref=nf

BONNIE KEEN: First Call, The Eaglemaniacs, and Three Decades of Hitmaking Apr 28, 2018

Show notes

Not only has she been nominated for five Grammy® Awards, one Emmy®, and won three Doves, but singer, songwriter, recording artist, author, and actress Bonnie Keen is one of the most-loved talents in Nashville. One-third of the classic CCM trio First Call with Marty McCall and Melody Tunney, Bonnie began her Christian music career when her neighbor, Mike Blanton, asked her to sing backing vocals for a young artist she'd never heard of named Amy Grant. It was on those first tours with Amy that Bonnie's own heart for expressing her devotion to Christ was discovered, starting her down the path of becoming one of CCM's leading vocalists and performers, including fourteen studio recordings with First Call alone.

Bonnie has performed on stages throughout the world including The Grammy Awards, Johnny Carson's Tonight Show, and on tours with First Call, Amy Grant, Sandi Patty, and BeBe and CeCe Winans to name but a few. She performs with the Nashville Shakespeare Theatre and travels with Windborne Music's "Tribute to the Music of Michael Jackson" performing most recently with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. Theatrical highlights include the roles of Stephanie "To Kill A Mockingbird, The Witch "Into The Woods" Grace in "Cinderella" with the Nashville Symphony, Petie Quince (The Nashville Shakespeare Festival), Tiny "Comedy of Errors", Maud/Pinky in "Pride's Crossing" (Lipscomb University), Mama Legend "Scarecrows" (Playhouse Nashville), Mrs. Whitehead in "Man and Superman" and Gingy in "Love, Loss and What I Wore".

She has recorded three solo projects and authored three books with Harvest House Publishers. Her story graced the covers of Today's Christian Woman and Virtue magazine. Bonnie's vocals can be heard on commercials for Pepsi, Dodge Trucks, Fritos, Wrigleys Gum and Coke, work with Garth Brooks, Steve Winwood, Barry Manilow and Michael Crawford. Bonnie is currently touring her two-woman musical co-written and performed with Nan Gurley called Women Who Dared to Believe. When she's not on the road she performs with an Eagles revival band called The Eaglemaniacs and with Tim Akers and The Smoking Section, an R&B revival band in the Nashville area comprised of some of Nashville's finest musicians and singers.

In this conversation with John Chisum, Bonnie reveals her deep heart for truth, for a return to the real Gospel, and some of her writing inspirations. She shares some "Keen insights" on songwriting and encourages younger generations to find their own voice and make their contribution to Gospel music and the Kingdom of God as only they can. Anyone wanting more insight into this amazing artist will find it here, as well as aspiring songwriters seeking direction and keys for powerful productivity.

You can connect with Bonnie at bonniekeen.com.

For more information, connect with us at nashvillechristiansongwriters.com.

JOHN CHISUM: Writing Hit Hooks Part 2 - Memorability Apr 21, 2018

Show notes

Why do some songs leave you flat while others stick in your head forever? What are the key ingredients in a song's basic theme and "hook" that make it stay with you days, even years, after you've heard it for the first time?

In Part 2 of the Writing Hit Hooks series, industry leader John Chisum shares some of the most important ways to make your song stick with listeners no matter what genre or style. If you've been struggling to connect with listeners and be recognized as the songwriter you long to be, don't miss these insightful tips for making your songs and song hooks memorable like you may never have done before.

For more information visit us at nashvillechristiansongwriters.com

SANCTUS REAL: 22 Years of CCM Music Making Apr 14, 2018

Show notes

When tenth-graders Chris Rohman and Mark Graalman started making music together in their parents' basement in a small Ohio town, they could not have imagined that they would one day look back after 22 years of touring to see multiple industry award nominations and wins, 24 radio hits, over 750,000 albums sold, and thousands of loyal fans who've followed their ministry from the beginning to this day.

With the solid message of the Gospel and of our identity in Christ still intact after over two decades, the band is gearing up for a 16-city tour promoting their new album, "Changed," due out later this month. Containing all new songs co-written with new lead singer, Dustin Lolli, the album marks some significant changes in approach and tone that will be both familiar and fresh to Sanctus fans.

In this episode, John Chisum sits down with Mark and Dustin to discuss not only the origins of the band's often mispronounced name, but life on the road and the challenges of integrating a new lead singer. Lolli admits there were "high highs and low lows" as he was joining the group and that they almost ended their ministry not so long ago during one of the lowest points. Bouncing back with an even stronger resolve through writing and producing "Changed" is the continuation of a ministry and message that has become known and loved as Sanctus Real.

For more information visit us at nashvillechristiansongwriters.com.

JOHN CHISUM: Writing Hit Hooks Part 1 - The Hit Song Equation Apr 07, 2018

Show notes

Do you ever wonder how hit songs are written? You've probably heard of "formula songwriting" and maybe even learned about song form, hooks, and melody writing. But what does it take to write a truly great song?

In this episode, music industry veteran John Chisum takes you to a deeper understanding of the key equation that professional songwriters use time and time again to write songs that consistently stand out among a million others to be the songs you hear on the radio or sung in churches worldwide.

Find critical new principles to ramp up your songwriting game with this informative and inspirational episode that will change the way you look at songs forever.

For more information visit us at nashvillechristiansongwriters.com

KATIE GUSTAFSON HILL: Singer-Songwriter & Psychotherapist Mar 31, 2018

Show notes

Katie Gustafson Hill is that rare and exquisite blend of musician, singer-songwriter, and healer. Suffering an eating disorder as a child, Katie knows the long road of recovery and seeks to help others, especially women, find their true selves and greater power through her counseling practice in Nashville.

Katie comes from a strong Christian family that is quite musical. Her Dad, Gerrit Gustafson, helped co-found Integrity Music and that legacy continues in Katie as she writes and performs her own songs. Married to a prominent music publisher, Katie is no stranger to the glamor of the music business or to the emotional struggles that go with it. Her deep commitment to freeing others from perfection and what she calls "the inner critic" flows through everything she does.

In this episode, John Chisum sits down with Katie to discuss the need for more openness for all creative types to wrestle down their emotional demons and to embrace their own healing journeys. She believes that greater creativity hides behind the lies of religion. Healing came to her as she let go of the false impressions of God and the church and came to genuinely know Christ in one of her lowest periods, embracing His love for her like never before.

Offering solution based therapy and coaching, Katie uses an innovative modality called brainspotting that bypasses talk therapy in order to release trapped emotions in the brain. If you're interested in Katie's music or her counseling practice, visit her at katiegustafsoncounseling.com.

For more information about The Song Revolution Podcast and what we offer at Nashville Christian Songwriters, go to nashvillechristiansongwriters.com.

DRAKEFORD: Living the (Real) Singer-Songwriter Life Mar 24, 2018

Show notes

Drakeford (Drake & Lucy-Jayne Lanier), embody the most romantic notion of today's singer-songwriter lifestyle, though they would be the first to tell you that it has its challenges and drawbacks. Newlyweds who met on the mission field, the singing duo have grown accustomed to a nomadic lifestyle of coffee shops, universities, home concerts, and occasional church gigs as they share their own unique blend of folk-influenced pop rock music.

Though the couple will perform cover tunes when necessary (and extraordinarily well), their true heartbeat is in their originals penned together and performed with simple acoustic guitar (Drake on guitar and most lead vocals) with Lucy-Jayne providing solid backing vocals and the intermittent lead. Together they harmonize in perfect rhythm, even in tough near-rap melodic and lyrical passages that remind you of Ed Sheeran or Jason Mraz.

Drakeford ministers mostly in non-church settings such as bars, universities, and coffee houses because they believe their message is larger than the four walls of the sanctuary. They are dedicated to taking Jesus to the people they meet and get to sing to, even if their listeners are unaware of their faith-based leanings.

In this interview with John Chisum during NCS Power Week 2018, Drakeford opens up their hearts to share some of the joy and hardships of the singer-songwriter lifestyle and gives insights into their own songwriting process. They also share two of their most popular songs and show all who experience them the power of their love for God, each other, and their audience.

For more information, visit us at nashvillechristiansongwriters.com.

DON MOEN: Change the World with Your Music Mar 17, 2018

Show notes

Ask Don Moen what he does, and the answer might surprise you. He won't say he's a songwriter even though he's written more than 100 songs. He won't say he's a worship leader even though he's led worship on every continent but Antarctica and recorded numerous albums.

He won't say he's a businessman or producer even though he has produced and directed hundreds of successful projects. If you ask Don Moen why God put him on this planet, he'll tell you, "To be an architect who designs products and events that help people experience God's presence in a new and fresh way." And in more than three decades of ministry, he's had lots of opportunity to fulfill that purpose.

His discography reflects his passion to create resources for the church that lead people into an honest and intimate relationship with the Lord. In 2002, his peers recognized that lifelong commitment and presented him with the Ray DeVries Church Ministry Award.

Don has also received a Dove Award for his work on the musical "God With Us" and has received multiple Dove Award nominations for his songs, CDs and choral resources. In addition to his writing and recording, Don makes time to tour domestically and abroad and has performed with artists such as Chris Tomlin, Twila Paris, Sara Groves and Paul Baloche to name a few. He also has served as worship leader for past National Day of Prayer events and as a music industry spokesperson, having been featured on Fox News, NPR and in USA Today.

Don is as popular overseas as he is at home in the U.S. His travels for concerts and seminars have taken him to Ghana, South Africa, Singapore, the Philippines, South Korea, Brazil, Canada, Australia, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Guatemala, Honduras, and elsewhere. Today, Don is President of Don Moen Productions in Nashville, Tennessee, where he resides with his wife Laura and five children.

In this episode of The Song Revolution Podcast, Don Moen has joined John Chisum as part of The NCS Song Power Week 2018 to talk about his lengthy ministry and career and how God has touched millions through his life and music.

For more information go to nashvillechristiansongwriters.com

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