#190: John Mark McMillan on Metaphors, Creative Process, & New Music [Podcast]

There’s always trends, but a good instrument, played well, with a good melody, will almost always be relevant.” – John Mark McMillan There’s something inspiring about sitting down with a seasoned songwriting veteran in his prime. John Mark McMillan is a legend with no signs of slowing down. His music keeps getting better. My first interview with John Mark was one of my favorites of all time. His perspective on creativity, honesty, and a flat-out love for music is so inspiring. And this conversation doesn’t disappoint. We talk about his new projects, upcoming projects, metaphorical vs direct songwriting, new instruments, touring, and so much more. Enjoy! Click to Listen Show Sponsor This episode is brought to you by the Pads Live app from Coresound Pads. Coresound Pads are my favorite pad loops on the market.  If you’re looking for a way to raise the quality and sound of your worship team, this is probably the easiest way to do that. And Coresound now has a powerful, easy-to-use pads-player app called PADS LIVE that helps you transform your worship service’s atmosphere INSTANTLY by downloading and playing their top-rated pad loops on the fly from your mobile device.  This is an POWERFUL tool for worship leaders at any-size church. If you go to PadsLive.com, you can link to download the app for FREE, which also comes with all of Coresound’s Pads in the key of D for free.  You can let the pads loop infinitely, crossfade gently into the next pad or into silence, and build songs & playlists.  And when you’re ready to unlock all 12 keys instead of just the key of D, you can purchase and download those pads directly within the app. Now the app doesn’t take promo codes, BUT if you buy a Pads Bundle online from Coresound and use the promo code BEYONDSUNDAY, you’ll get an additional 20% off your purchase.  And your online purchase WILL unlock those very same pads within the app, as well as let you download the 20-minute MP3s to use the pads elsewhere. In This Episode You’ll Hear More About: Staying busy and productive as an artist. What JMM would have done if music didn’t work out. The creative process behind the new record Mercury & Lightning What is was like to work with producer Gabriel Wilson An instrument called a guqin and why it inspired the new record. The power of abstract and very direct lyrics. Why JMM decided to do the Mercury Sessions & the Lightning Sessions. What is next for JMM and his new projects. The tension between writing worship songs and singer/songwriter songs. Songwriting gear setup. Resources Mentioned: Show Sponsor: Coresound Pads Website: John Mark McMillan Music: Mercury & Lightning by John Mark McMillan Music: The Medicine 10th Anniversary Edition by John Mark McMillan Music: The Mercury Sessions Music: The Lightning Sessions Podcast: Music Production, Songwriting, & Moving Gods Heart: An Interview with Gabriel Wilson Podcast: Gabriel Wilson on Being a Pro Musician, Intentional Practice, & Creativity in the Church Subscription Links Subscribe via iTunes Subscribe via Stitcher Subscribe via RSS Your Feedback If you have an idea for a podcast you would like to see, a special guest you’d like to hear from, or a question for an upcoming episode, please email me. If you enjoyed the show, I would be so appreciative if you would rate it on iTunes and write a brief review. That helps me so much! Thanks. Question: What was your biggest takeaway from this interview with John Mark? You can leave a comment by clicking here. [ois skin=”Beyond Sunday 2″] The post #190: John Mark McMillan on Metaphors, Creative Process, & New Music [Podcast] appeared first on Beyond Sunday Worship.