Ep 57: Does Christian Music Need a Savior? UTR Media's Dave Trout Thinks So

Dave Trout is an industrious guy. He's the kind of person I understand. He has big dreams and big plans for his company UTR Media and the music festival he puts on every year Escape to the Lake (http://escapetothelake.net/). The thing is, Dave's field of expertise is a niche interest, in his case "Christian music" or CCM. In other words, Dave Trout is a Christian music nerd. But that's OK, he is in safe company here at PostConsumer Reports.

Ep 57 of the PCR Podcast features my conversation with Dave about his re-launch of UTR Media, which has already started with 5 new podcasts and looks to continue with live concerts, videos, interviews, and articles featuring independent music by Christian artists. 

Music industry has changed significantly in the past 15 or so years, changes which have forced the CCM industry to become an increasingly small pond consisting of increasingly unvaried lifeforms. With UTR Media Dave is hoping to stir things up, to explode the pond even into a lake or a river....anyway, enough with metaphors.... Dave is just as disgusted and unsatisfied as you are with the sounds of Christian radio and his hope is to provide a place where great music can be heard and incredible artists can be discovered. Check out the interview below, their new promo video, and all their new podcasts on whatever podcasting app you use the most.
http://utrmedia.org/
You can read my profile on UTR's annual Escape to the Lake Music Festival here.


 You can stream the episode above, subscribe to the podcast on itunes or Check out the podcast page to subscribe on Stitcher, Google Play, Tunein, and PocketCasts.


Related Episodes and Articles
Ep 56: Andrew Osenga
Andrew Greer Interview and a Recap of Escape to the Lake
Jimmy Abegg Interview

The Troubled Future Legacy of Christian Music

Why I Cringe Everytime Someone Says "I Hate Christian Music"
Ep 55: Singer-songwriter Nathan Peterson
Ep 53: The Mosleys—Husband and Wife Duo
Episode 52: Fernando Ortega's The Crucifixion of Jesus
Episode 50: Stu G on the Beatitudes Project

Ep 53: The Mosley's—Husband and Wife Duo

The Mosley's are Stephen and Rachel Mosley, a husband and wife sing-songwriter duo from Florida, who make earthy and reflective music indicative of the Americana folk of the South. Their first full length album Ordinary Time was produced by Phil Madeira and co-produced by Jimmy Abegg. I got to sit down with them for an interview at UTR Media's Escape to the Lake festival (read my in depth look at the festival here). You can read more about The Mosleys and purchase their music at their website: http://www.themosleysmusic.com/



You can stream the episode above, subscribe to the podcast on itunes or
Check out the podcast page to subscribe on Stitcher, Google Play, Tunein, and PocketCasts.

Related Links:
http://escapetothelake.net/
https://radarradio.net/
https://www.windsofheavenstuffofearth.com/ (website for the new Rich Mullins book)

Check below for related podcast episodes.

PROFILE: UTR Media's Escape to the Lake Music Festival

The first week of August 2017 I jutted up to Cedar Lake, Indiana, just south of Chicago and Gary, for UTR Media's Escape to the Lake music festival and retreat. UTR's Dave Trout had invited me up to cover the event, do some interviews, and attend the Rich Mullins Tribute concert on August 4. This is a profile of my time there.

I can best sum up my time at Escape to the Lake with this brief anecdote: 
I was sitting on the front porch of one of the dorms at the retreat center, taking in an unplugged rehearsal with Jimmy Abegg, Ben Pearson, The Mosley's, and half of For Brothers (more on that in a minute), when a familiar looking woman sat down and started listening along with us. I was there as a hanger-on, a privileged guest who never would have otherwise been given access to a front row seat for hearing one of Christian music's most revered artists (Abegg) and photographer/cinematographer (Pearson). But I was the journalist. Who was she?