![Off The Tracks](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/10483087/offthetrackssqblue2.jpg)
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A podcast centered on going beyond the music to dissect song lyrics and how they relate to philosophy, data, anecdotes, current events, and more. What do these songs have to say about the world and what does that mean for our lives? It's a music podcast for academics. It's a TEDx series for punk rockers. We focus primarily on lyric-driven artists of all genres.
Episodes
![Episode 10 (ft Chase Tremaine): Relationships as Conquest (Developments)](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/10483087/offthetrackssqblue2_300x300.jpg)
Monday Apr 26, 2021
Episode 10 (ft Chase Tremaine): Relationships as Conquest (Developments)
Monday Apr 26, 2021
Monday Apr 26, 2021
On this episode, we sit down with Chase Tremaine, a Nashville-based songwriter with a new album out this year. We live in a state of complex relational dynamics, where we either deceive others or ourselves in order to manipulate people and situations to our advantage. Even good intention can result in bad results. We explore this complexity and more as we look at Chase's song "Developments", one of the thematic centerpieces to his sophomore LP.
![Episode 9: The Condescension of Christ (My Epic - Lower Still)](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/10483087/offthetrackssqblue2_300x300.jpg)
Friday Apr 02, 2021
Episode 9: The Condescension of Christ (My Epic - Lower Still)
Friday Apr 02, 2021
Friday Apr 02, 2021
On our Good Friday special, we explore a topic that can feel routine and boring. When viewing Jesus' life through a Hallmark lens, we see a good teacher who had a few issues with the authorities of the day. But the reality is much more powerful. Today, we look at how God forfeits the glory of heaven to enter into a broken world and live a life wrought with greater and greater challenges - and how this is a beautiful message much of the world has yet to hear.
![Episode 8: Global Responsibility (American Arson - Let Conviction Grow)](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/10483087/offthetrackssqblue2_300x300.jpg)
Sunday Mar 14, 2021
Episode 8: Global Responsibility (American Arson - Let Conviction Grow)
Sunday Mar 14, 2021
Sunday Mar 14, 2021
We live in an age of convenience, one where we are distanced from how our tax dollars are spent and the conditions of where our clothes come from. And while technology affords us many benefits, it has also numbed us. The state of instant gratification has created a sense of entitlement which is simply fuel on the fire of the American savior complex in international affairs. Today, we look at what it means to have an awareness of a global humanity and how bipartisan effort continues to fail in resolving deep-seated national issues.
![Episode 7: Fatherlessness and Forgiveness (As Cities Burn - The Widow)](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/10483087/offthetrackssqblue2_300x300.jpg)
Tuesday Mar 09, 2021
Episode 7: Fatherlessness and Forgiveness (As Cities Burn - The Widow)
Tuesday Mar 09, 2021
Tuesday Mar 09, 2021
There's a crisis where millions of children are raised in single-parent families, many led by young mothers who toil to support their families. Children also suffer in this process, often feeling neglected or unwanted. Today's song dives into one account of fatherlessness and a stunning show of love in light of damage done. How should this challenge us to respond to single parents in our own lives? How do we react to those who've harmed us?
![Episode 6: Community, Loneliness, Trust, and Healing (Abandon Kansas - Alligator)](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/10483087/offthetrackssqblue2_300x300.jpg)
Tuesday Mar 02, 2021
Tuesday Mar 02, 2021
An alarming number of people are finding themselves with fewer strong ties and community support. A staggering amount of men lack friends they truly trust, and many hypermasculine stereotypes of being stoic and not showing signs of weakness continue to be damaging, leaving many to suffer alone with nowhere to turn. We unpack this and more as we dive into Abandon Kansas' "Alligator", a song rife with uncomfortable honesty that arguably set the standard for how we should approach talking about our own struggles.
![Off The Topics 1: Music Industry Marketing](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/10483087/offthetrackssqblue2_300x300.jpg)
Sunday Feb 28, 2021
Off The Topics 1: Music Industry Marketing
Sunday Feb 28, 2021
Sunday Feb 28, 2021
This is a bit of a trial as I get used to a new microphone that opens up the ability to record remotely or while on the move. These are candid, unedited thoughts on how marketing has changed as music has become decentralized, why Tiktok and Patreon are better than spending money on ads, and why the saturated creative space resulting in competitive pressures that force artists to think outside the box.
![Episode 5: Don't Forget Your Roots (Eager Seas - 1992)](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/10483087/offthetrackssqblue2_300x300.jpg)
Thursday Feb 25, 2021
Episode 5: Don't Forget Your Roots (Eager Seas - 1992)
Thursday Feb 25, 2021
Thursday Feb 25, 2021
When I first head Eager Seas' (at the time, Lakes) Fire Ahead, I wondered how anyone could love their home state so much. On today's episode, we explore migration trends over the past few decades while diving into a track that feels like the album's thesis statement as we wrestle with how much of our childhood environment impacts us today.
![Episode 4: Sacred Simplicity (Former Ruins - Slow Embrace (When Dylan Dies))](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/10483087/offthetrackssqblue2_300x300.jpg)
Tuesday Feb 23, 2021
Episode 4: Sacred Simplicity (Former Ruins - Slow Embrace (When Dylan Dies))
Tuesday Feb 23, 2021
Tuesday Feb 23, 2021
One set of folks raise the banner of "Your best life now" - leave no desire unfulfilled and no pleasure untasted. Do more, BE more. Rest in your own efforts and work until you've sorted things out. The other side says to hide away from anything that might lure or corrupt, even if that means leaving friends, family, and the world at large behind. But maybe there's a better way, one that's neither hedonistic nor monastic.
![Episode 3: Appropriating the Divine (Justin Bieber - Holy)](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/10483087/offthetrackssqblue2_300x300.jpg)
Monday Feb 08, 2021
Episode 3: Appropriating the Divine (Justin Bieber - Holy)
Monday Feb 08, 2021
Monday Feb 08, 2021
There has been an interesting trend in popular songs using "churchy" language. Hozier had "Take Me to Church". Pop country takes about church being nothing more than listening to the radio in your car. Now, Justin Bieber has returned with "Holy", a track that seems to sum up this trend's influence. Should we simply take it at face value or is there more here than would seem? Let's explore together.
![Episode 2: The Futility of Utopia (Attalus - Desolate Isle)](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/10483087/offthetrackssqblue2_300x300.jpg)
Sunday Jan 24, 2021
Episode 2: The Futility of Utopia (Attalus - Desolate Isle)
Sunday Jan 24, 2021
Sunday Jan 24, 2021
On this episode, we take a look at humanity's attempts to build the ideal society, the role of democracy, and the shifting ideals that both heroes and villains seem to employ. Have we even progressed morally or are we repeating the same mistakes as those before us?
Resources mentioned on this episode:
-Ten Global Trends Every Smart Person Should Know: And Many Others You Will Find Interesting
-The Everlasting Man