The CCM Deep Dive Podcast
Each week we go song by song and story by story through some of Christian music’s most influential albums with the artists who created them.
Episodes
Danny: Yeah, I don't remember why I had dad's journal. If he, don't know if he, he didn't ask me to take a look at it, but I don't know why I must've been digging around, rooting around through his stuff or something, but I was moved by the poem.
As the guys wrap up this season, Michael, Danny and Kevin discuss future projects, disc golf and the poem One Of These Days that Danny&...
Michael: And Hampton was like, I want to let this go as long as we possibly can. He's like, I want to anticipate that moment where somebody's like, like you would if you were listening to vinyl and you felt like the needle had gotten stuck, you're gonna wait and wait and wait, okay, it's stuck, I'm gonna get up and move it. And he's like, at the point where they reach for the fast forward...
Michael: It's okay if people mislabel you. It's okay if people don't get what you're doing. You've got a lot of room to grow. And there's a God that created a great big universe.
On this episode, the guys in Smalltown Poets break down Quasar, including that introduction, you know,....this one:
"You listening out there are going to hear sounds that are a little different from...
Danny: On one of our more recent records, we've got a song called Say Hello, where we have all these Easter eggs in our lyrics where we pay homage to Keith Green and White Heart and Petra and all the early rockers like DeGarmo & Key.
On this episode, Danny Stephens, Kevin Breuner and Michael Johnston talk about the influence and contribution of their label head, Dana Key had as well as their confessi...
Michael: It was not something that the record company was looking for at the time. I just to be, I think to be quite candid about it, I think the idea was, hey, we want to get a song or a couple of songs that we think we could get on more adult contemporary stations.
Danny: Yes, that's right.
The guys in Smalltown Poets discuss the influences of David Wicox (as it relates to their cover of Hold It Up To ...
Michael: One image in particular, I just couldn't get away from it was the kid with the magnifying glass up to his mouth....
This week, Danny, Kevin and Michael talk about Calcutta, India and the impact a boys home had on the making of the record, including an old Sunday School song written over 160 years ago. All that plus their song, The Gospel Is Peace.
New episodes release each Monday.
Danny: I think the story that goes with this one is that we were,...was this the night that Kevin, you and I were walking through the park in San Francisco that's right by the Golden Gate Bridge and we were,...
Kevin: When we thought we were going to die. We thought that was our last night.
This week, the guys talk about some of their favorite musical influences growing up as well as the Danny Stephens-penned...
Michael: I don't want to throw anybody under the bus, but just something that you said reminded me of something that was kind of happening in the background while we were writing this record.
This week, Danny talks about the influence that CCM artist, Keith Green while the guys discuss their songwriting process as a band as well as the song, 48 States.
New episodes release each Monday.
Danny: And I see the jars of clay guys standing by the escalator. go over and say, Hey, we just came up with this new name. not going to call ourselves Villanelle anymore. And one of the guys, think it was Steve Mason says, that sounds like a rap group. Are you really going to do that?
This week, Danny Stephens, Michael Johnston and Kevin Breuner discuss changing their name from Villanelle to Smalltown Poets ...
Michael: At the height of the cake fight, so in the shots where you see crumbs and wads of cake going in front of us as a band, there were two 12-year old boys, one on either side of the stage, who had been given full reign and full permission to throw cake at our faces to just go nuts....
From the meteoric start of their Ardent debut album to cakewalks and food fights, Michael, Kevin and Danny talk through some c...
Kevin: You know, we just kind of went our separate ways. It was like a scene out of a movie....
The making of a band from their early days as Villanelle to finding Kevin at the Gospel Music Association's GMA Week. Michael talks about the inspiration behind the album's biggest hit, "Anything Genuine", which also appeared on the 1999 WOW compilation album.
New episodes release each ...
MICHAEL: So that combined with just an honest wrestling of a 19, 20 year old, you know, am I all in on this? Is this something that I'm okay with going public with, you know?
The Christian alt. rock band from Tifton, GA speaks about getting their start as Villanelle where Ardent Records president, Dana Key found the opening track, "Call Me Christian".
New episodes release each Monday.
In August of 2023 I released a podcast series with Jennifer Knapp, going song-by-song through her 1997 major label debut album, "Kansas" with Gotee Records. After the release of the series, Jennifer announced she was going back into the studio to re-record the album in its entirety for the 25th anniversary.
In this special episode, we circled back around with Jennifer to discuss, not song-by-song n...
In this special episode, we interviewed Joel Smallbone, one half of the CCM pop duo For King & Country to discuss everything from 80's christian rock bands to 90's pop music. All of which provided the inspiration for the soundtrack to their autobiographical film, Unsung Hero.
I keep saying yes because people keep asking me to play. And that's kind of all you ever get to do. Like don't stop writing and doing what you're doing. And if people say yes, then go play. It's that simple.
On this episode of the CCM Deep Dive Podcast, we hear from Jennifer's first manager and the man who introduced her to Toby Mac and Gotee Records - Byron Funk. Oh, and why Katy Pe...
It's a very vulnerable position to say, you know what, today I really actually need you to say out loud that you love me. You know, whatever, you know, you don't have to have done anything wrong or screwed anything up. Just sometimes we really have a need to say out loud, I need to audibly hear you say, I need to physically feel, I need you to show up right now to this place and tell me that I am loved.
...
What does this revelation mean? That, those are like, in terms of like a theological study, I think that's the question you theologically ask is why is Christ significant and what is that a revelation of?
On this episode of the CCM Deep Dive Podcast, Jennifer Knapp discusses how she was first introduced to Christ in college and the one song on the album she didn't write - Refine Me. We also hear fro...
Oh, it's a funny thing, you know, for a while there, you know when you walk into, well, for whatever it's worth, I'm about ready to answer that. This is what it's worth....
On this episode of the CCM Deep Dive Podcast, Jennifer Knapp discusses her thoughts on her #1 hit song, Romans (and singing the name, "Jesus" in the chorus), along with what it was like working with producer a...
It's been a really wonderful gift back. And in fact, it's been a song for me that's been redemptive to kind of reclaiming my Christian catalog when I go out and play live....
This week we discuss Gotee Records, its label head Toby Mac and "keeping it in the family" along with the 6-1/2 minute prayer, "Martyrs & Thieves".
I didn't intend on writing a song about that day because I just didn't feel it was the right thing to do or not and that song just came out of nowhere, it was a Godsend.... - Alan Jackson
For this episode, we pause on our walk through "Kansas", Jennifer Knapp's debut album to remember the events of September 11, 2001 and the songs that came out from that day.
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