Unhinged Christian
Welcome to Unhinged Christian Podcast, where we dive deep into the stories and perspectives that challenge conventional religious thought. Join me, Caleb Parker, your host and fellow seeker, as we embark on a journey to explore spirituality, faith, and humanity from a refreshingly open-minded perspective.
In each episode, I sit down with guests from diverse backgrounds and walks of life. From artists to activists, scientists to philosophers, we engage in candid conversations that transcend the boundaries of traditional Christian discourse. Together, we unravel the complexities of belief, doubt, and the human experience in the context of modern society.
Whether you identify as a devout believer, a skeptic, or something in between, Unhinged Christian offers a space for exploration and discovery. No topic is off-limits as we challenge assumptions, confront taboos, and embrace the richness of our shared humanity.
Join us as we navigate the intersections of faith, doubt, and everything in between. Tune in to Unhinged Christian and open your mind to a new dimension of spiritual inquiry.
Unhinged Christian
037: Christians And Secular Music. With Andy Sarmiento
Andy and I navigate the complex relationship between Christianity and secular music, exploring how believers can maintain spiritual integrity while creating or consuming non-worship music.
• Andy shares his journey into music starting with church influences and his uncle's rock music collection
• We discuss whether Christians should create secular music and how to maintain spiritual boundaries
• Andy explains his approach to writing music that deals with real struggles while pointing toward hope
• We critically examine Christian artists collaborating with secular musicians like Jelly Roll and Tech N9ne
• The danger of "merging church and world" potentially waters down the gospel for popularity
• Using Paul's principle that "not all things lawful are beneficial" to evaluate musical choices
• How mega churches sometimes compromise biblical principles to attract larger audiences
• The importance of discernment when deciding what music to create, perform, or listen to
• Finding balance between expressing authentic emotions and maintaining Christian witness
Check out Signal the Skies' new song "Escape" that just released! Let us know your thoughts on Christians and secular music in the comments or through our anonymous text line.
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What's going on, man? This is the new setup. I love it. I love it. There's so much that has changed. Have you always had the acoustic panels up there?
Speaker 2:No, stefan got those on the TikTok shop oh snap. And gave them to me. They help, but I would need to get more for every wall.
Speaker 1:You should get the. There's these sweet ones that we use for I don't know if you remember that I do audio at my church and there's like these sweet like two by 12s to about like two by 24 inch acoustic panels and you can get a set of four for like 60, 70 bucks on Amazon. That's a lot. Dude but you're making billions off of this podcast by now.
Speaker 2:I don't. I don't think I need that many right now, and it's probably better for music stuff yeah there's not a whole lot of bouncing off the walls when we're just talking. Oh, dude if we get loud and rowdy uh-huh sometimes that can happen, but I think that's with every podcast, yeah that.
Speaker 1:That's usually how it goes, unless you get one of those crazy episodes. Or one day you just invite a bunch of girls that do the horrible things and then you just have this big old debate about stuff and then they get loud. And then you get loud and then it's like whoa.
Speaker 2:Since this is a Christian podcast, I need you to explain what girls doing horrible things mean.
Speaker 1:Selling drugs OnlyFans. I don't want Shall I continue.
Speaker 2:No, I wouldn't have. No, I wouldn't have those girls on here. Those, those podcasts are so pointless they are.
Speaker 1:I've come to realize I get like snippets randomly on instagram every now and again and it's just like why, why, why even had these conversations at all?
Speaker 2:you know, because it sells, I guess it sells because it gets people to believe that that's how every girl is and then they just get angry. The guys watching just get angrier and angrier at women yeah and so they just want to keep watching more of those podcasts. It's like, man, these, these women are getting so owned right now and it's just like, yeah, there's girls out there that do that, but that's not all of them, and there is still good women out there.
Speaker 1:There is, it sells, it does sell, and that's the part that sucks.
Speaker 2:But anyway, that's my little rant, for today Also, that rock right there, yeah, the furthest one from you. Yeah, from Mammoth Cave.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, it's been a while since we've been up there or down there.
Speaker 2:I think it's been almost a whole year.
Speaker 1:Almost a whole year.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Dude, I remember catching one of the little drips from the stalagmites. Is that the proper one? They're stalagmites, and the stalagmites are in the bottom, Stalactites are top right, I don't know. I don't remember I always thought they were all just called stalagmites, but it's like the drops, and then I was like I wanted to like break a tip off just because.
Speaker 2:And then obviously, that is so illegal.
Speaker 1:It is. That's why I didn't do it. I wanted to.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think we all did yeah.
Speaker 1:It was super cool. What a good time that was. I remember we were, we had like two packets of hot dogs and we just like went to town on that whole entire thing. We had like no hot dogs left.
Speaker 2:You know that, yeah, between four guys, four guys I feel like that's pretty normal.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's true. I don't know what it is when it comes to camping, like my appetite is so much larger and I just can eat more, but when I'm at home it's like I don't even want to touch more than two or three hot dogs.
Speaker 2:I think it's because you're cooking them on the fire. You're with everybody. It's a good time. You're out in the elements. Yeah, so I think, even just being out in the elements, you're just burning more calories. Because your body it was because it was cold. It was cold, so we had to keep warm. And why is it? What's funny?
Speaker 1:because it's just I just remember we were like trying to like stay warm, um, and then you can like when the what is it? When we were done putting the air and stuff like that and trying to get comfy, and all of a sudden you just hear eli's headphones playing music in the background. That's just what it caught me in right now, oh yeah, he would sleep with those on yeah, I don't know how he did that I don't know.
Speaker 2:Oh, sometimes there's that famous dog.
Speaker 1:How do you know, dude, I watch the show. What do you mean?
Speaker 2:oh, yeah, so yeah apparently you can't really hear it, but you can hear it when we're recording right now. It's really really annoying yeah, I love it.
Speaker 1:It's hey, it brings character to your podcast.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it really does.
Speaker 1:What do you think? What kind of dog is it? You would know, it's your neighbor, right?
Speaker 2:I don't talk to him. I haven't met any of my neighbors.
Speaker 1:You don't talk to your neighbors. No Dude in the Bible. It's like you should make friends with your neighbor.
Speaker 2:He says you should love your neighbors.
Speaker 1:Hey, go love them.
Speaker 2:You can love people from afar. That's fair. Anyway, today we are going to be talking about secular music. Yeah, I know. Big gasp and its impact on Christians how we think we should go about it. So let's start it off with what initially got you into music. We'll start there, just so people can get to know you a little bit.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I'm Andy. If you guys don't remember me, I used to. Actually, we used to hang out all the time with the Monday morning podcasts. Yep, good times, those were, were, I am thinking about bringing those ones back, do it. They were, they were fun.
Speaker 2:I don't even know if you still get emails for that anymore no, I well, I haven't checked, but if, when we do start doing it, I won't like I won't ask everybody to do it all the time but right, I'm gonna have it where it's just audio and no, no video. This one I want to focus on video to help grow it. But the time, but right, I'm gonna have it where it's just audio and no, no video this one. I want to focus on video to help grow it, but the other one is just like.
Speaker 2:I just want to like put them out good idea and it's just easier.
Speaker 1:Yeah, just like with like any of our friends that release music, just putting it out just a bunch of singles and stuff like that yeah so you're doing the same thing. I like that good plan, but um, where were we? Rabbit trailed a little bit.
Speaker 2:You getting into music.
Speaker 1:Yes, I was around 11 years old and I didn't really think of it too much, but it was a church service and the guitar player was just playing a really cool thing on the guitar, nothing too complex or anything like that. But I was like, holy cow, the song sounds, sounds awesome, and the electric guitar just looks cool. Right, yeah, like let's. Let's be honest, the electric guitar is a fun instrument. And so I was like whoa. And then I don't know what it was.
Speaker 1:Um, I think what activated that a little bit more was um, I used to get dropped off, uh, to school from my uncle and, uh, he would always have like the coolest cds he used to, he used to burn music and, uh, like blank cds and stuff like that. Oh yeah, good times, good old days. And, uh, he would have like led, zeppelin, motley crew, acdc and all these other crazy bands just playing and I was like this, this is cool, this is this is cool, this is this is cool. And then I was like, is that what the guitar does? I don't even know if I sang that part wrong, I forgive me. Acdc, um, but I was like, oh man, that's, that's sweet.
Speaker 1:And so, um, I don't know around, maybe during the summer. I was like talking to my grandpa and I was like I want to play guitar, I want to learn how to play guitar. And he's like you realize how much a guitar costs? And I was like I was like, yeah, but I want to play it, I want one so bad and so, um, it was like all of my aunts and uncles and my grandpa like pitching money and they bought me like my first cheapy little acoustic guitar. It's like a first act acoustic guitar too, like a Walmart brand, yeah.
Speaker 1:And then I was, I was, I was giddy, you know, and, um, I was just obviously didn't have a teacher yet, and so it was like, well, you know, just strumming around and making random noise, and then one of my uncles was like it sounds like poop. But he said the other word, yeah, anyway. So I was like, well, I don't know how to play. He's like you should get a teacher. And going back to the church service, um, of this church I used to go to back in Holland, um, and the guitar player. He was like their main guitar player and I asked them I was like, can you teach me how to play guitar? And he taught me for three months and then he moved to missouri and then that was that for the time being. Uh, and I was like I don't know anybody else, I don't know where to go to learn guitar. Um, so I was like youtube and all of the things, and YouTube just started introducing Was there a lot of good lessons on YouTube back then.
Speaker 1:They were okay. They were more awkward than anything, cause I think at that time nobody knew how to take videos of themselves.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it was probably just like set up. I don't even know if they'd really have phones for that but they just like put a camera on them.
Speaker 1:Yeah like a nice little.
Speaker 2:It's not like they don't have an internal cord going into the camera that actually records the good audio.
Speaker 1:It would be like You'd get room audio yeah basically, I just remember one guy I would watch and he would always be in this high chair and he'd just try to be so formal about it and he's like, hey, how you doing you know, like we're going to learn about scales today. Today's scale is the B scale. And I was like, yeah, you know. And so from there I just started learning more and more and within all these videos I was like finding more music and stuff like that. And funny enough, on the topic, it was a lot of secular music. Yeah, cause I, I at times I thought that the worship music sounded kind of bland around that time, still so it's not like today's cool like Maverick city and I think it's upper room.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it is. No it's not, it's great.
Speaker 2:Well, my church doesn't really play a lot of Maverick City or Upper Room. It's mostly older. Oh, you get the classics.
Speaker 1:Yeah, shout to the Lord.
Speaker 2:Like that. Yeah, Some of it is contemporary because we just have two acoustic guitars, a drum set that's in a cage oh nice A bass and a piano player.
Speaker 1:Okay, do you play bass for them? No, oh, you don't play bass for churches anymore.
Speaker 2:I don't ever play bass. I think what happened was when I was practicing for two to three hours a day, I got as good as I could get, and then, when you're even moderately good as a bassist, everybody wants you to play. Yeah, that's fair.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I'm almost in the boat of I just don't ever want to play it again, because at res I was playing Sundays, wednesdays, thursdays. Yeah, you were booked. I remember that. Yeah, I was in bands. People wanted me to be in their bands. Then if there's like extracurricular worship, like that's outside of res, I was the guy they'd call and like as good as that is and as fun as it was, it's still like man, I'm just burned out.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I think I'm taking a break from playing. I haven't sold it, so I'm not.
Speaker 1:I don't want to say I'm completely done, but yeah, you're just taking it as it is right now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and and trying to balance the podcast, the work, yeah, and I'm trying to read books because I do want to start doing book reviews on here, which I think would be really cool because, that way I could get, uh, single episodes out where it's just me. So that's what I'm kind of focusing on. So the base has taken a backseat.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah, heck yeah, that's fine, that's all right. Sometimes you got to take a break, you know, with the hobbies and stuff like that. I think right now too, I'm at a pay at a place where I haven't really been doing too much electric guitar stuff, especially with, uh, my band. Um, I don't do a lot of the a lot of the guitar writing anymore. I write like the bare bones and then I have a couple friends that just kind of help out within that now oh, so you're just writing the songs now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so okay, yeah I, I do the kind of like the structure and just kind of put my vision into it, and then everybody else just kind of puts some meat in all that other good stuff for the song. And that's kind of how it started off now, because all these members are just basically brand new, with Bree, jay and Sully, who just recently joined, being official members, and then um in the talks of getting a good friend of mine, uh, that I used to know his name is Daniel Um, really cool guitar player too. And then possibly maybe there's a there's a chance that I could get Noah back in the in the scene. Oh yeah, nobody knows who these people are. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Nobody knows, but, um, they're all some really cool friends and uh, yeah, funny enough, we just, we just uh, we don't necessarily write christian music, um, but we do write, just, yeah, I'll say secular, whatever you want to label it as, but it's like where the it's actually anti-christian anti-christian, that's fair. Yeah, anything that's screamo right now is all anti-christian chansky always thought screaming was demonic that's, that's true, I? I think I remember one time jt don't know if I can say whatever.
Speaker 2:No, people aren't gonna know who he is. I would listen to screamo all the time, which was always weird because he was more of the really fundamentalist crowd of christianity and really strict, but then he'd be really down for screamo. I miss that guy so much In my mind yeah. I gotta I gotta hit him up again, cause he hit me up a couple of months ago and we were going to get lunch and then it just didn't happen. But I gotta get. I gotta get him on here.
Speaker 1:Oh, dude, yeah, he's, he's, uh, he's married now, right. Yeah, yeah, dude, he's married now, right, yeah, yeah, dude, way to go. I remember he was trying to find himself a lady back when we knew him. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:So anyway, but yeah, you're in a secular band, yeah.
Speaker 1:Funny how that all goes and that's actually the fun thing that we're going to talk about today and on how that really works. But the way we write our music, or the way I write the music, it's just like there isn't a lot of like heavy Christian aspects into the music, but there is that sense of it in there, while with right now kind of like doing like a story thing, where it's like right now we are in a point where love is lost. Right now we're trying to find this hope, this love, this, this thing that we can look to that can help us get through our mistakes and all our issues and all our you know, all our downfalls yeah, but somebody could make the argument that that thing that we're looking for should be, of course, God, More specifically Jesus Christ, because you can say God and that can mean a lot of things, yeah.
Speaker 2:So how do we reconcile writing secular music and for everybody here, I'm just going to preface it with I do record for a secular band, so this is not me coming with a hammer down yeah, judgmental against Andy with I do record for a secular band, so this is not me coming with the hammer down yeah, judgmental against andy. I'm genuinely wondering, because the reason why and I've been having these conversations with a lot of people is because I'm actually conflicted and being in a secular band right right now. It's not conviction, it's not like a heavy conviction that's burdensome and holding me down, but there is this conflict in me, like should I be doing this Right? That's fair.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, if any, if that is the case, what I can say if you do feel conflicted and if you are like should I be doing this, that obviously kind of just would indicate immediately like maybe I should let this go, kind of thing. Yeah, but that's john, I love that guy too. But yeah, I mean if it. If it's something where you feel like this is like way, way bad, like your heart it doesn't feel like in the right place and you just feel mentally that you just can't do it anymore or don't want to do it anymore, that's something that you should let go and and that goes for anybody, and it depends on how you feel. With my music, I haven't felt the need that I needed to stop. In fact, I feel like I've needed to do it more, where, like I said, going into it, it's like we're in the chapter of trying to find this love. And I will get to the point.
Speaker 1:It's funny enough that you mentioned it, like finding that love that is Jesus Christ, where, yes, I, all of my songs are very, very much internal, dealing with a lot of the stuff that I've dealt with, where losing my grandmother wrote a song about, about that it's called pneumonia. It's probably one of my favorites that I've written, or writing just one, that where you're dealing with depression, and that was one that John was on and just you know these things was like, oh, would it be different if I was happy. But what's going to make me happy in the end? Right now we're, like I said, we're still trying to find that. What is that? But my biggest thing with secular music, I think it's based more on how you look at it spiritually and how you want to interpret it, because obviously, music is like a poem and poems are like books and books are just these pages of knowledge and a story and books are just these pages of knowledge and a story and you want to be able to understand what is written there or what you're writing, whether you know. Vice versa, the dog is crazy. Yeah, my thing with that is that, like, for me, when I try to reconcile and try to figure these things out, it's on the idea of like, well, am I doing this for the right reasons?
Speaker 1:There has been songs that I actually stopped writing because I just felt it wasn't a message that needed to be heard or that needed to be done. You were actually a part of Signal the Skies for a little while, yeah, and I don't remember I don't know if you remember, sorry, if when we started writing, the song Drown a while back and that one was kind of in a dark place and finally getting back to it and starting to write it again and do some rewriting and stuff like that, I just felt very conflicted with the lyrics and the way the structure was and I let it go. I am not planning to release that song ever, um, just because it's just too dark and I feel like it's not something that it's funny enough to say that God wants me to put out Um where, yes, a lot of songs that I have written are kind of dark, but it's more on the aspect where I've noticed that these things are things that people can relate to. Um. Last year I released five songs and they all had something very, very intense that have happened throughout that whole entire year or a couple of years back.
Speaker 1:Um leaving was a funny enough about an ex-girlfriend, um, where it was the, the whole breakup situation. But the reason for the breakup is you both realized it was so unhealthy and so unnatural and so evil. Um, I wasn't a good boyfriend and she wasn't a good girlfriend during that time and, um, that was when I kind of didn't rely on God and I more relied on that relationship. And so it's like okay, this one felt okay to put out and, uh, it was a fun one. It's very, very poppy and very. It was a fun one. It's very, very poppy and very, very heavy at the same time. But I felt like there's many people that could relate to that one and it was just one of those things that I just kind of allowed myself to pray about it and I felt like it was just one of those things where God was like, yeah, go ahead. You know, see where it goes.
Speaker 1:Pneumonia is the loss of my grandmother, which anyone can interpret it as when they lose anyone in their lives, and so I was hoping that people and that one actually tracked quite a bit. I recorded that one with a friend of Eli's. He introduced me to them, he was like from Canada or something like that, so it was just one of those ones that I wanted to put out and I didn't have anybody to record it with at the time. So Eli's like yeah, check out this Canadian dude. I was like all right, hey, but yeah, um, but uh, yeah, and so he kind of was he was saying like dude, this one's like heavy emotionally and like he's like funny enough like I lost somebody in my life too. So I I kind of thank you for like allowing me to work on this.
Speaker 1:And that's when I also knew like, okay, this is a good one to put out too. Um, I'm not even going to talk. Well, I can talk about Violet, cause that one's a fun one too. That one's about Bailey Um, that one's neither a mistake nor an issue. Uh, but yeah, that one's just on the.
Speaker 1:Uh, that was just a fun one to write, cause my wife was like you never write a song about me and I was like bet, and so Violet came out, took me like four months to write that one. I didn't know what I was doing. And that was still at the point where I still remember when you were telling me, like Andy, you don't know how to sing, and I was like, okay, I gotta, I gotta, get better at this if I want to be the singer, and so, but that one flexed my, my singing vocals a little bit with a little bit of auto tune. I still use the little tiny bit there, but anyway I'm. I'm talking too much about it, but it's one of those things. How I try and work with it is just understanding how people can interpret this music, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I listened to a lot of metal and a lot of like rock and sometimes like some rap stuff and a little bit of country now too, but it's based on for me it's based on how you can interpret it and how you allow that song to affect you emotionally.
Speaker 2:Yeah, where, for example, if you are listening to like Lana Del Rey, a lot of her music is very sad and slow and well, a lot of it's very sensual, that too that's part of the reason why I stopped listening, because, like, yeah, she has a great voice and the genre that she's been put in is officially hollywood sadcore is what it's called I like that word. So it's cool music and it's like noir type. Yeah, right, it's called, I like that word. So it's cool music and it's like noir type. Right, it's like Frank Sinatra sounding.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Like something you could hear in a jazz club, but man, some of it. She's like talking about having affairs with dudes, like especially her earlier stuff. It's like it's even it's past secular and onto just straight up evil.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And it sucks because she's so. Her songs are so well written and she has like a one in a million type of way she sings, like sometimes she just like says the weirdest words, yeah, but I would say like, yeah, some of her songs are quite sensual yeah, they're.
Speaker 1:Yeah, she's a heavily sensual. I've never like so sad closer to god.
Speaker 2:Listening to her music is that so I said it never felt closer, uh, but some. But I will say her some of her sad songs do do like reach a certain part of your yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah and yeah, just going into that, it's just. I think for me it's just how you interpret it, how you want to see this song and what it speaks to you. Obviously, with worship music it's always about God's love and, you know, redemption and victory and all these beautiful appraisal type things, and that's good, that's great. Sometimes I just, for me, I need to hear more of when I'm in the rut, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, because I'm not against sad music. I know there's this new like toxic positivity going around the mainline church. That's like if you listen to, if you wonder why you're depressed, look at the music. But you're listening to and it's like sometimes you need to be sad, yeah, and you need those songs. And it's like, don't tell me not to be, because psalms out of 150 of them, there's some of them where david writes, where it's like, bro, what is he going through?
Speaker 1:yeah, yeah, talk about dark. No, yeah, it's so. Oh my gosh, that's actually what I wanted to bring up, like, yeah, david wrote some crazy stuff in the Psalms. Yeah, one moment he's like oh God, you care for me so much, you love me so much. Next verse is like you will kill my enemies and slaughter them, and the blood shall rain and I will be free. And I was like All right dude.
Speaker 2:Then there's the other ones where he's like how long are you going to forget my name?
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah Like.
Speaker 2:I don't, I don't feel you here and it seems as if you're, you don't exist. Those aren't the exact words, but that's what it sounds like he's talking about.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and yeah and like, and that's the same thing too is like how you interpret the Bible. How do you interpret music, you know, and so music is a joyful noise, as you know one would say, in in the church or anyone in general that listens to music. But, yeah, and then just another thing too is like when I'm writing, I will always think and pray about the song.
Speaker 1:Like that's just what I do, um and with with a little bit on the on the nose. I actually have one of my friends his name is Estevan and, uh, he was actually in one of my recent tracks and, uh, the way he just always interprets things and tries to help me with my lyric writing a little bit, he's, he's on, he's on a verge where he's actually writing a book, I believe too, but it's just his way of how he interprets, and when he helps me write my lyrics, he's like well, this is, I believe, the story that you're portraying and what you want to do, um, and so it kind of helps a little bit too and that brings more positivity in in in my brain for that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I would say that, especially with being in a secular band, going on tours, having shows, you could be bringing in a Christian crowd. There might be Christian people coming, but there's also always going to be a non-Christian crowd. And so one of the fears that I would have and this is where one of the conflicts coming in with being in a secular band is at one point you're going to have to compromise something. Yeah, because you have this crowd and if you start preaching and I'm talking like biblical gospel, like not holding back- yeah.
Speaker 2:You are going to lose those people.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And if you, all of your money and revenue is coming in from both sides, all of a sudden you have to stand up for your faith and lose half of your money or more, or you compromise and you keep your audience, but the doors of heaven are starting to close for you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, that's actually cool to bring that up. I will just go out and say it. As much as I am writing this music for the people to hear, I'm okay with losing a listener. I'm okay with if someone doesn't agree with what I see, because at the end of the day, I will write about what brings positivity in my life, and that is Christ. There's nothing in this world that does the same that what God would do for me, you know, yeah, so I mean, and if it ever comes to when I play shows and I don't know if I would I'm 30 years old now Uh, don't know, don't know if I really well, I'm going to be 30,.
Speaker 1:Sorry, but I'm already calling it. Uh but I don't know if I want to be out there, 30 years old and headbanging my head off in front of a couple.
Speaker 2:So is it more just like you're doing this as a side job.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Maybe not do it full time. You do it, you're passionate about it, but you don't want it to be your main income. Yeah, pretty much.
Speaker 1:It's a hobby of mine, it's something that I just enjoy doing yeah and uh, yeah, whatever effects it takes, you know, then you know, so be it. I just think for me it's like, if I mean, if god wanted me to go on tour or something like that, then okay, but it's that would take money and time, um more sacrifices than I'm not really.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's hard when you're married.
Speaker 1:Yeah, especially that Like if I go on tour, I'm leaving my wife alone and leaving my jobs behind and stuff like that, and I don't want to do that.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, the music thing is mostly for fun and, like I said, going back to it, it's like I'm okay with losing a listener, I'm okay with the fact that, like, if I ever do play a show and I'm like, hey, I'm here because of God and I want you to know that, even though all of this stuff is so depressing, I want you to know that, at the end of the day, I want you to look to God, to this positivity behind all of this. Um, and if people are like boo, and I'll be like, well, boo, you dude, you know, like, whatever I I know where I stand, but uh, yeah, that's just my take on that. And I think it's also the fact that, like I mean, if you look at it, like you, any, any singer or artist is going to have both sides of the spectrum and their listeners. You know, like, look at nf, like he is a christian person who writes what I say, secular or whatever but anyway he has both sides of the spectrum within that, both christian and non-christian people that listen to him.
Speaker 1:Um, and I think it's just the fact, on how you want to talk about it, where people will be like, whoa, I respect that, like I don't think there's too many people out there that are like, oh, I don't want to listen to NF anymore because he's Christian, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but I also think that a lot of the non-Christian listeners of his listen to him because he's not as polarized as a Christian should be Right. That's fair too, because, like when you claim jesus and jesus, uh, unabridged right, like the full gospel, people are don't like you, right, it's just how it goes, no matter, no matter what. So I'd like. That's where my disconnect is. I don't think it's a sin to listen to nf. That's not what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but is he really living a Christian lifestyle of secular people are all into him because Jesus didn't like pretend to be something. He wasn't around non-Christians. He was Jesus through and through Right and that's why he made so many people mad and nobody had to question. I wonder what this guy's about? No, they just knew.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:With NF. It's like if you're listening to him and somebody doesn't tell you that he's a Christian rap artist you wouldn't think.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you wouldn't think of it. Yeah, that's fair, yeah, and that's another one of my well. I guess I'm going to ask you to like how do you like, how do you intake the, the whole music thing? Like I know, you probably listen to a couple secular artists and Christian artists Like how to? How do you take it for yourself Like, um, if you're ever listening to Lana Del Rey or I don't remember what else you listen to right now the White Stripes.
Speaker 2:No, I do not listen to the White Stripes.
Speaker 1:I'm kidding, but anyway, whatever music you listen to right now, how do you let that affect you? And are you just listening just to listen to it at this time, or are you actually like paying attention to things within the music?
Speaker 2:It's a good question. I do listen to secular music. Right now it's jason isbell in the 400 unit. It's like a neo blues band, really good yeah it's chris stapleton I've been listening to, and then some sam barber. Um, what did you ask? Sorry, how?
Speaker 1:do you let it affect you?
Speaker 2:how do I let it affect me? Um, it's like if they start singing about drinking or some sexual act that happened. Like if, even if it's an innuendo, like oh, I slipped him the hotel room key right like we know where that's.
Speaker 2:It's like I try and turn it off because and not listen to that song, because I know that the devil is smart, not evil. I'm sorry, he's evil, not dumb. Wow, yeah, he's definitely an evil guy, but we always think of him as because he loses the battle in the end as just dumb. But he's really not he's.
Speaker 2:He's smart and evil you can be both, and so that's a slippery slope because you start thinking that it puts that little image in your head of what would it be like if I could be with somebody who slips me the road.
Speaker 2:The hotel room key yeah, like just one night of fun yeah, or what, yeah, or whatever, yeah and so that's how it affects me is, as I know, that when there's songs like that, if I keep listening to even that specific song or they have other songs like that, eventually it's going to lead down to the path of me going about that lifestyle. Now, listening to other songs that are just purely secular and there's nothing like they're not praising Jesus but they're also not singing about evil, it's just life. Yeah, I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing, but I'm at the point in my life where I hope I become so enthralled by God that he and his glory, that he makes it so that my desires don't even want to listen to that anymore, that's.
Speaker 2:that's where I'm at.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's a good growth thing right there too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but am I there yet? No, I'm not.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think it's also just really hard. I mean, I I know plenty of Christian people that will still listen to secular music, but they mostly just listen to it for fun. It's like an ebb and flow type of situation where it's like oh yeah, you know, like sometimes if you're going to the gym, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, and that's where I listen. That's mostly where I listen to music, because I don't really listen to a whole lot of music in the car or when I'm at work, it's mostly just at the gym.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. It's just one of those things where it's like, well, you don't want to like pump up to God's not dead. You know, I'd rather listen to. I don't know, what do you listen to nowadays? Like T-Pain or something like that at the gym? I don't know.
Speaker 2:Whatever anybody listens to, you know what I'm saying. I.
Speaker 1:I think T-Pain was making a comeback for a little bit. What a guy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but then it fell off again.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's T-Pain.
Speaker 2:It is, he comes and goes.
Speaker 1:No one wants to hear the good old yeah, well, that was Lil Jon.
Speaker 2:No, not the when he used to do so many songs.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the auto-tune with Chris Brown all the time. Not Christian, chris Brown brown, not the guy that sings uh, uh. What's it called praise um with uh. Was that maverick city?
Speaker 2:praise.
Speaker 1:Give him praise that one, no, not that one, that one's, that one's funny too, uh. No, the other one, the one that everybody, everybody was listening to for a while. Uh, praise the lord, oh my soul oh yeah yeah, it's chris brown, and uh, that other famous singer that did that song with jelly roll that's yes, that's another thing that I wanted to talk about.
Speaker 2:I I don't, I don't think that's good. I, um, I'm with you on that one. I want to preface it with, I don't know, jelly rolls heart. Yeah, I'm not god, but I, I can say that with his songs on spotify that still have explicit labels, and I mean it's a lot of songs, even if it was just wanted to be like bro, what are you doing? But yeah there's a lot of his songs have explicit label on them. Uh, he also has that song like halfway to heaven, halfway to hell.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I think really promotes lukewarm Christianity, which Jesus warns us about. Yep, I think that there's a few problems with the Brandon, like in general song.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:First of all, what does it say about us Christians If Brandon Lake says I'm going to have jelly roll on my song Because he knows that his listeners know who jelly roll?
Speaker 1:is yeah, oh yeah, a hundred percent.
Speaker 2:So that's the first problem.
Speaker 1:Yeah, when I heard that he was going to do his and what the, the, the hard fought hallelujah song, right, and I was already very I wasn't such a huge fan of that song. I don't such a huge fan of that song. I don't know why it's. I mean it sounds good. I just don't like the idea where it's like it doesn't feel like like the Christian song that needs to be heard. You know what I mean. But like I get it. I mean, you know, it's one of those things where it's like, you know, even though I'm struggling, like I'm still kind of thing, but it's like the way he was, like the way it's done. It's not my favorite thing, you know. I think he tries too much to and what I think what he's doing is just bringing a little bit of that, that secular style, into this and that's kind of something that's like.
Speaker 1:Well, you do realize that a lot of songs you write like we want to play them at the church too you know, like a lot of churches would play a lot of these maverick city songs or whatever, like praise, yeah, but is anybody really going to want to try and play hard fought hallelujah probably churches are becoming more and more worldly as we speak maybe not my church, but my church isn't on that like whole, like mega church. Yeah, mine isn't either it's.
Speaker 2:It's so weird now where like church is so different for me, but the big, mega churches are mega for a reason they're popular because they feed into people's fleshly desires in one way or another yeah they have these simple, like emotional, like a rock concert gets you emotional and then it gets you primed for their watered down gospel sermon where it has to be entertained, entertaining, wow.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, that's what it is, it's like like when you think about it.
Speaker 2:Jesus was not popular.
Speaker 1:No, he was, yeah, no, he was very much hated and you know, no, and I get that.
Speaker 2:And I'm not saying like church growth can't happen, but when it's to a point where you're just having thousands of people come in and it speaks to them and it speaks to just anybody like, you should be offering people something new.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And the thing about mega churches is they're trying to look just like the world so that they can win people of the world, but in reality they only win people to that there's not actually a new thing being offered. Jesus is like hey, don't be friends with the world. You're in this world but you're not of this world. And so I think, that when you have churches like that you just have to win them.
Speaker 2:You have to keep them with what you win them over at. Yeah, I think that when you have churches like that, it you just have to win them, you have to keep them with what you win them over at.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think Jesus needs to just come back and quickly flip some more tables again, you know like yeah. Like you remember when it was like, what were they doing in the churches? Again they were. They were doing like some sort of type the selling stuff. Yeah, they was stuff. Yeah, they was.
Speaker 2:They were like doing like markets or whatever and that's why I get uncomfortable and churches have like bookstores and clothing stuff coffee shops yeah, good coffee, but you know but it is weird that like they're selling stuff and it's overpriced.
Speaker 1:That's true.
Speaker 2:I'm not, I'm not gonna name the church, but we can both make six bucks on a on a small coffee.
Speaker 1:I know what you're talking about. Yeah, we can.
Speaker 2:We can both think of a church that we've both attended.
Speaker 1:That do that yeah but anyway, going back because, uh, we keep re-advertising and that's okay, uh, but it's just like hearing that song and then all of a sudden he's like hey, I'm re-releasing it, but I'm gonna have a secular artist. I can't remember who I talked to. It was one of my friends and she was very, very concerned and like her spirit did not feel easy with it, and neither did I, cause I was like well, I've heard songs from jelly roll. The dude does not like speak like any type of good thing.
Speaker 2:He claims to be Christian and struggling with his faith, and it's okay to be struggling with your faith and having things but like dog. Yeah, there's a difference between struggling and having like blatant sinful songs. Yeah.
Speaker 1:And all that jazz on your music profile. Yeah, 100 profile. Yeah, that's why I think I don't know there's. There's plenty of artists that have definitely taken that route too, like christian artists. Um, going back to nf, I remember he brought tech nine. Which tech?
Speaker 2:nine that's that's.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's an issue, yeah and tech nine is one9ne is one of those very heavy on the. What he raps about isn't great.
Speaker 2:Oh, I know.
Speaker 1:He's fun to listen to. Every now and again he'll pop up in my stuff, but not all the time. But anyway, tech N9ne is one of those heavy, very, very non-Christian rappers and the moment I saw him on an NF song I was like, oh man, like NF is branching out to all of these things. Now, granted, yeah, I think he. He is more on like the writing, the secular style, more than anything.
Speaker 2:Um, well, it's money. Yeah, you start getting that money. It's like you will compromise.
Speaker 1:I mean the.
Speaker 2:Bible warns about it plenty of times, about being rich.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I, I wish I had a little bit more knowledge on the biblical aspect of everything. But it's like I mean you can break it down a little bit where it's like, yeah, like the Bible does warn us, like all these things that seem good, you know, aren't actually good.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And so.
Speaker 2:Because I just read in first Timothy I think it was the last chapter of first Timothy he says I have food and clothing, so I'm content. Why do I need all these riches? Because riches and money is the root of all kinds of evil.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And it's like I think that's what happens with Christian artists like NF. I'm not going to say whether or not he's with christian artists like nf. I'm not gonna say whether or not he's saved I. I don't know, I'm not god yeah but he's having tech nine on bro like he's not.
Speaker 1:He's not being led by the holy spirit. I can confidently say that yeah, yeah, no, especially you know he has like tech nine and uh hobson also. Um, I was very impressed with the idea that they didn't like say anything like completely vulgar in the nf songs.
Speaker 2:I think they strayed away from what they normally rap about but like I guess yeah, but still it's still like fellowshipping with somebody who has no shame to be a part of the world.
Speaker 1:It's like a very unequally yoked relationship type of situation but chris tomlin did that same thing.
Speaker 2:he he had an album with like oh yeah, Chris Tomlin and friends. Then it had a bunch of country artists on there and it's like here's Thomas Rhett praising Jesus, but he's got a whole album about drinking beer. It's like what do we? What are we doing? I?
Speaker 2:just and and that's what I wanted to go with, because the second part of the problem with the jelly roll and Brandon Brandon Lake, as well as the Chris Tomlin and Friends album and NF and Tech N9ne, I think that it's the merging of the church and the world. Yeah, so we're, you know, like the one world religion they talk about. You can't get Christians to start believing that unless you start merging and making it easy to become a Christian, because that's another thing Jesus talks about. Is it making it easy to become a christian? Because that's another thing jesus talks about. Is it ain't easy to follow jesus?
Speaker 2:no, it's not path is narrow, many are called, but few are chosen, like that's. Those verses should really make us start to think yeah, that's scary.
Speaker 1:It is scary to think about.
Speaker 2:He also says many will come in my name and cast out demons and say that we prophesy in your name and I still turn away. Turn you away and say you never knew me.
Speaker 1:I mean, that's just like yeah, that's, that's very, very crazy to think about too, and so that's that's one thing is like for how long can can I do this whole like secular music thing, you know, and um, yeah, no, I, I think I think about it too, where it becomes a a contemplation of whether or not I keep writing the music that I write, you know yeah but at the same time I've never felt like uneasy about something, like, yeah, I guess some songs have been a little more on the on side and kind of more on the angry side of things, but it's more on just expressing something you know, and I don't think God would be like oh, you wrote a song about being so sad.
Speaker 1:That's a sin in my eyes. I don't think God will necessarily say that. A sin in my eyes. I don't think God will necessarily say that but, it's like I think God would be more like on the well. Hey, I'm glad that you're talking about this. Let's start, you know, bringing in the light of everything you know, which I think we're we're going to get to.
Speaker 1:But anyway, it's just so crazy to just think about um with all of these artists and it's like, well, what, what can, what can we do, um, to try and spread a good word? With all of this going on where the church and the world is combining, you know like what? What is something that we should be doing right now to where, when that spiritual warfare does happen, you, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2:How do we talk to people about it? Yeah Well, the thing is you can't Right Because Well, I feel like you could, in a way, Well, you can.
Speaker 2:but it also does say in Timothy that. I believe it's Timothy, it might be Thessalonians, I don't know. The T's always mix me up Titus or Titus that's another one that I forgot. It might even be that one. It could be that there's going to be a time when people want messages that just tickle their ears. Yeah, I walk around and say like hey, you really shouldn't be doing that If you're going to be a Christian. Now, all of a sudden, I'm hey, thou shall not judge. And uh, the the the first one. Cause it makes me so mad when people are like the, the one who hasn't sinned be the first to cast a stone. It's like okay. First of all, that story in context is they were going to kill a lady because she was living in adultery and Jesus was there and they were saying, hey, shouldn't we stone her? And he's saying, hey, if you're going to stone her.
Speaker 1:Might as well stone, you guys too, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and if you're going to stone her for sinning, then any of you who haven't sinned you do it. So I'm not. I'm not out here trying to kill anybody.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I'm out here trying to actually do the opposite, when I'm telling you not to live in sin, because you are living in death when you are living in sin. So that's where I'm coming from. So I just don't like when people pull the whole stone thing because it doesn't. It's just taken out of context and they don't understand what was really happening at that moment. The other thing is the thou shall not judge. It's always like oh, you're just so judgmental. It's like bro Jelly Roll has all these songs that are just not okay. Yeah, they're not okay.
Speaker 1:I can only imagine what the because it's obviously like the mega church that tends to be more easy with these kinds of things, Because it's just because it brings in the money. I'm sorry to say, but I mean, it's the truth, yeah it's the truth.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it is the truth, and so it's like unfortunate truth, yeah.
Speaker 1:And it's like I wonder how they interpret it. Interpret that, you know, like I have. I have a feeling that some places, like, would be like hey, how about this? You know, like, and they try and make it look the artists and trying to help them overcome and, you know, lead them to Christ, but that's like the opposite of what's happening.
Speaker 2:you know, yeah, I just that's, that's just like not the way that you should be doing it, because if Jelly World wants to become a worship leader and not saying he can't, that's what I want people to know Like it's not impossible for him. He is not beyond redemption. He needs to disappear for a while. Go study the scriptures I mean like heavily study and really get to know the bible yeah and then come on.
Speaker 2:I think every worship leader should be studying theology so you actually know what you're talking about, which the majority of them don't. Why are we having high schoolers lead worship? But that's a topic for a different day. I think that because there is always the argument like we want to bring people from the world. It's like, yeah, but when you're having these secular artists on, first of all, the people from the world are going to go find that music and be like, oh, this is okay to listen to and this is okay to do because he's up there singing about Jesus, but he's also doing this, so this is okay now and, like I said before, you're offering them nothing new. Jesus is supposed to be something apart from the world. It's not supposed to look like the world. You're not supposed to look at Jesus from the outside of the world and be like, yeah, I don't want to change. You're supposed to look at it and be like man, I want to be like him, and you're not getting that when we're combining the world with the church.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, that's that's actually really really good to to put out there. I actually like the how you're, how you're bringing that, the fact that it's like yeah, it's. So I think I think it is a bad idea to to put these two things together, cause, like you said, when you find something and then it's like it's joining up with this bad thing, you're going to look at it and then, yeah, interpret it into like hey, this is okay. You know, it's like it's okay to eat a rotten fruit that's already like found within this clean fruit and like it's, it's, it's all right. Right, I'm not going to get sick, I'm not going to get affected by it.
Speaker 2:It's kind of the same. This is this, this. Yeah, that's what we were doing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and so it's. Man, I just it just breaks my heart to just know that these types of things are happening it, which is why I think one of the biggest things was like I don't ever want to do the whole record label thing. I not, I'm not saying it would happen. You know metal isn't for everyone, so it's not the most famous thing. But you know, I wouldn't want to get into the point where it's like, hey, let's bring this artist on Cause it's going to bring us money, you know. And I'm like, I'm like no, I would. I would be just like no, I don't think it's a good idea. That's not what we're about, and this artist doesn't speak upon the same type of things that we do you know, yeah, that's that's.
Speaker 2:Another thing that I've been thinking about is like I don't know if I want to be rich yeah like to be honest. It's like again, the bible puts emphasis on like you should be content with with what you have with what you have like. Like I said before, I have food and clothing. What else do I need?
Speaker 2:I mean, somebody in the bible wrote that yeah and so I think that, yeah, I would be careful with record labels, like if you, if someone's like you, want this label, because then you're, you're pretty much owned by them. Yeah, and that's why part of me wants to just do this podcast as a hobby, where I work full time still doing the welding and then doing this on the side, Because if I start taking sponsors, then it's like I have to abide. What if I say something that they don't agree with?
Speaker 1:What if I say something that they don't agree with. Yeah, did you get sponsored by Milwaukee? Milwaukee has welding tools. Imagine that snap diggity.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but I don't know if they'd want to Dude you gotta post more welding videos, dude.
Speaker 1:But no, yeah, it's just yeah, it's one of those things that I, going back to it now, it's like my biggest thing is just to make sure to always be careful on how you're interpreting or what you're wanting to do with your music. You know what I mean. Like, for example, like we have a couple good friends out there that write music and it's it can be on the secular side of everything, but at the same time it's like, um, sorry, I like brain farted for a second. At the same time, it's like, sorry, I like brain farted for a second. At the same time, it's like they seem to at least at least the people that I'm thinking about they seem to at least know how to correlate those two things together. You know, obviously, our good friend Eli I'm just going to bring him up.
Speaker 1:His music isn't always on the on the Christian side of things, but his songs are more or less like they're not threatening whatsoever spiritually. I'm just going to point that out right now. Um, he writes cutesy little pop, you know stuff, and it's more about like either his wife or just kind of like oh, hey, I'm I'm sad in this moment, but I'm going to try and be better kind of thing in this moment, but I'm going to try and be better kind of thing, Um, but I, as I talked to him, he's more always like oh, you know, like I, I love God and I'll always follow God. And you know, we try and do this stuff with in in worship music too, and every now and again he weighs, he writes a worship song too, and I think he does his best to kind of like put those two things together and to always protect his spiritual life within all of this music.
Speaker 2:And so and but my question would be is is he putting these worship songs on the same artist profile as his other one?
Speaker 1:I don't think he's really put them out yet, though that's my thing.
Speaker 2:And was? Is he planning on doing them with the same artist name, or is he going to have a different one?
Speaker 1:I think he would just plan to do it with the same artist name. Okay, yeah, as we've talked about it. I don't know too much about what his plan is for that, but I mean, I know he's played them like a few times, like when he's leading worship at church and stuff like that. Like he's written like actual songs and played them, which I think is really really cool songs and played them, which I think is really really cool. Um, but yeah, I, I can just say that that's um one way to look at it as well, with I, I, I like talking to other people and how they plan to do things. You know, um, cause it's so hard to to just think about it where it's like every artist person that I know isn't always writing a Christian song, even though they go to a church, they serve at a church or work at a church, even, you know, and so and I.
Speaker 1:I just want to point it out there that I don't think it's a bad thing. I think it's just how, how are you going to let that affect you? You know what I mean. Yeah, so, going back to you and your band being, you know, secular as it is and it's still fun, you know, like, I think, all looked out as a very, very fun band. They are great, um, and the music writing has been phenomenal, um, I think it's just the fact that, like, how do you let that affect you and your heart? You know what I mean when I know John writes a lot about, I think, like breakups or whatever. Sometimes I feel like it's about breakups. I could be wrong.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it seems like a lot of his songs are.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but like, how do you let his words affect you? You know, because, as I, as I think, I think about it. It's like you're just the instrument, you're just part of it, you write your parts yeah and I don't know if you write any lyrics or anything like that no, no lyrics yeah, but I think it's just unlike how do you let that?
Speaker 1:you know, how do you deal with it? Because I'm like you're just more listening to a song and being like I'm just writing the bass part. You know how is my bass gonna fit into this song?
Speaker 2:not necessarily yeah, but even though I'm not really listening to the lyrics and not a part of the song writing, I'm still affiliated with and that's where it affects me right. And even now, if I'm being honest, some of the lyrics are getting a little bit questionable.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yes, and that's one thing that is stopping me from wanting to be a part of it anymore is when we start singing about certain topics and saying certain things. It's like I don't know if I I don't know if I can be a part of this, and it's like the shows like I don't want to. I don't want to go to Mulligan's like if Jesus comes back. He ain't going to be looking for me there.
Speaker 1:He'll know you'll be there if you are.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I know.
Speaker 2:It's more or less like a joke, but yeah, it just seems like when I'm there, I don't think people are looking at me on stage thinking I bet this guy's a Christian. I just I just don't, unless I wore like an I am a Christian t-shirt or something you need to start doing it.
Speaker 1:Remember how your hat like sports team just how you get another hat says Christian, oh yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, or something like that. So how it affects me is I would say that I don't know it's. When it comes to secular music, I think it fits into the category when Paul talks about like not all things are unlawful but not all things are beneficial.
Speaker 1:Right. So, that's good.
Speaker 2:I think that it's. I think, ultimately, it's not necessarily against the law, but is it really benefiting me? And I would say no, it's not point blank. No, it's not benefiting me. Yeah, no, it's not bringing me closer to christ either.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think that goes just in general, like to. To point it out like this is all for anybody who's listening like just take it as you will. You know, whatever it does to you, whatever it does to your heart, you know, take it as you want to, whether it's like oh, do I, should I start like not listening to secular music anymore. And I'm not saying like all of that, it's just more of like well, if you feel it in your heart where it's not good, for you anymore and you notice that it affects you heavily emotionally and spiritually, then maybe it's time to cut ties.
Speaker 2:Yeah, use discernment and be careful.
Speaker 1:I wouldn't be jamming out to Kendrick anymore if you're feeling like it's not good for you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, I wouldn't jam out to that anyway, but and we're at about an hour, so I think that's a good time. Holy crap, an hour long episode. I know I honestly I thought this was going to be like 20, 30 minutes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, dude, I didn't so this is a surprise for me this is a surprise for me. Yeah, overall, I just want to say it. You know, if you don't listen to metal, don't check it out, but go ahead and check out some signal. Those guys. We had a song come out, uh, this past friday, um, which I was so excited because we were going to do it. I thought we were going to do the episode last friday and be like hey, can I like quickly plug this up real quick for you?
Speaker 1:and yeah, but it wouldn't have came out that friday ah well, yeah, no, yeah, yeah, it came out last friday. Yeah, your song.
Speaker 2:But if we would have recorded last week. The episode of ours wouldn't have come out the same day as your song oh yeah, oh yeah yeah because it takes me a little while to edit yeah, you do, uh, um, what do you call them?
Speaker 1:a nice little little um, I don't know what it is it cuts back?
Speaker 2:yeah, like when you're talking it shows you.
Speaker 1:And then yeah, because I think I was watching your episode that you put out today and then you were talking about the date in february and I was like, oh, this is an old one, and he just put it out, or something like that yeah yeah it's because, yeah, I'll tell you, I'll tell you afterward, but I had fun yeah, yeah, well, thanks for coming on.
Speaker 2:Yeah, dude, but yeah Signal the Skies Escape. Go check it out, and everybody else. What do you think about Cycled Music? It'd be cool to get your opinion. If you're on YouTube, obviously you can comment. If you're on Spotify, it has comments, and if you're on the other audio, we do have a text message in the link and it's anonymous, so I won't get your number or anything. But anyway, thanks for listening to everybody and have a blessed week later.