Episodes

Friday Aug 04, 2017
Friday Aug 04, 2017
In this third episode of Brews, Beards, & Shipwrecks, Jamey sits down with Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick to discuss his life growing up as a child of Protestant missionaries, his journey into Orthodoxy and the priesthood, and about how much he can't stand rap music. Fr. Andrew is the author of several books, the host of several podcasts, the father of several children, the husband of one wife, and the pastor of one church.
"Brews Beards & Shipwrecks" Theme Song by Royal Ruckus.
What’s your deal?
The difference between a “pastor” and a “priest.”
On cassocks and magic.
The calling of humanity is to be “priests.”
Interconnectedness of relationships.
Can’t you pray right now? Why do you need a church?
Part of being human is a drive for community.
Loneliness.
Experiencing the divine in nature vs. coming together in community to experience the divine together.
“It’s actually easier for me to pray in that liturgical context with other people, than it is for me to try to keep up a prayer rule on my own.”
Fr. Andrew’s childhood years as a missionary kid.
His dad was in the Navy, then they became missionaries to Guam.
Becoming Orthodox. Dad’s concerns about Orthodoxy.
No crisis of faith, but sort of hit a lull in his faith. “Once saved, always saved.”
The Baptist “Liturgy” and “Just As I Am.”
Mega church and Triangle Tim and Tina.
The Man Behind the Curtain—Disillusionment with Protestantism.
“Ode on a Grecian Urn" by John Keats.
The search for beauty.
“Shipwreck" by Cookbook and Uno.Mas from The Robertson Bullies EP.
A conversation with a friend. Searching Orthodoxy online.
First visit to an Orthodox Church.
“I remember seeing that and having a sense that heaven met earth. That God was somehow in that room in a way that I had never been able to sense before.”
An Irish Catholic break-up story.
Seminary and priesthood and changing religion scared the girl off.
The 3-5 year crisis mark for converts.
A graduation gift: traveling to England on pilgrimage.
Meeting Met. Anthony Bloom.
Jamey’s solidifying his break with Protestantism and Anglicanism.
Anniversary of Tolkien’s Fellowship of the Ring.
On Mormonism.
“Departures” by Royal Ruckus, featuring Shedlyn, Jeremiah Bonds, and Kalvin Coolidge. From The Summer of the Cicadas double LP.
On the Orthodoxy & Heterodoxy book.
On the An Introduction to God book.
Upcoming book: Bearing God, a book about St. Ignatius of Antioch.
The Areopagus podcast with Pastor Michael Landsman.
On religion and secularism.
On coffee: drip, Greek, Arabic, Turkish, Ethiopian coffee.
On “The Latte Show” song by Royal Ruckus, from the Self-Titled LP. Available free at http://noisetrade.com/royalruckus.
Fr. Andrew recommends a latte with honey and almond syrup.
Beard care tips.
Socials!
Fr. Andrew’s favorite rap song?
“I affirm you even though I can’t stand that part of what you’re doing. For me, rap is like someone shouting or screaming in my face.”
Snippet of “Pray” by MC Hammer.
Watching 8Mile with Fr. Andrew. On battle rap.
On Weird Al.
“White and Nerdy” by Weird Al Yankovic
Background instrumentals by J-Dilla. Honorable mentions: “Ode on a Grecian Urn" by John Keats, Michael Scott from The Office, Metropolitan Anthony Bloom, J.R.R. Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings, Orthodoxy & Heterodoxy book, Introduction to God book, Bearing God, Areopagus Podcast, How (Not) to Be Secular by James K.A. Smith.
http://orthodoxyandheterodoxy.org
http://facebook.com/royalruckusofficial

Friday Jul 28, 2017
Friday Jul 28, 2017
In this second episode of Brews, Beards, & Shipwrecks, Chunjay sits down after a concert he played at The Bottleneck in Lawrence, KS with Kansas rap artist, John "Whyte Lyte" Deterding. White Lyte was born to a mother on drugs, and he was taken into foster care with white parents in a small Kansas town, who eventually adopted him and raised him in the Lutheran Christian faith.
They talk about Whyte Lyte's joy over adversity, challenges he has faced as a man living with Cerebral Palsy, and how he has turned CP into a force for positivity and helping others with depression, with a special interest in helping those who are at-risk for suicide. They also talk about hip-hop, battle rapping, what it means to be a "Christian rapper," and using "spitting bars" to make a difference in the lives of others.
“Brews, Beards, and Shipwrecks” theme song by Royal Ruckus.
“Shipwreck” by Cookbook and Uno.Mas from the Roberson Bullies EP.
Who is Whyte Lyte?
Chunjay talks about Bakersfield and Royal Ruckus.
What is Christian rap? What does it mean?
How Royal Ruckus figured out how to relate to that.
Whyte Lyte started making raps in church to stay alert and deal with ADHD.
Cussing in music, cussing in life?
Rapping in church vs. bars?
On Lutheran Christianity.
More on Christian rap.
Crack cocaine = “the white made me” and “the white raised me.”
Dropjaw walks in and *imposes* himself on the conversation.
"A Letter to Live #ConstantlyPositive" by Whyte Lyte. Available at https://whytelyte.bandcamp.com/
Whyte Lyte’s biological mother was on cocaine, tells his story.
Whyte Lyte spits bars.
“Know Hope”/The Color Morale metal group/suicide prevention.
Props to A. Ward, a Christian battle rapper.
Snippet from an A. Ward battle.
Battle rap and word play.
How Whyte Lyte views CP: "I have many more blesses than curses, and I throw them all on verses."
Whyte Lyte discusses how he turned "disability" into joyful abilities.
Anxiety problems, "concealed depression," and how things falling apart made everything come together.
Chunjay discusses his divorce, and how it helped Royal Ruckus make a comeback.
Chunjay outlives his father in number of days alive on earth, and introduces the next song.
"Lost Boys" by Chunjay of Royal Ruckus, featuring Cookbook, Eligh, and Chris Felix, from The Summer of the Cicadas double LP.
A discussion of beards, and Whyte Lyte's experience as a man child.
Whyte Lyte and Dropjaw's friendship.
Cerebral Palsy, friendships, and theme park advantages.
Falling and not needing sympathy.
Heart Support - http://heartsupport.com/
Hip-Hop Pet-Peeve: Rapping over vocals.
A cricket joins the podcast.
Google #ConstantlyPositive project.
Hope for the Day organization http://hftd.org.
Dropjaw is drinking Dos Equis Amber.
Chunjay is drinking Guinness and cheap whiskey. On a proper Guinness pour.
Why Whyte Lyte doesn't drink.
Chunjay's Bluetooth water bottle.
Whyte Lyte loves Heath McNease.
Whyte Lyte's favorite rap song of all time:
"Nintendo Thumb" by Heath McNease from The Heath McNease Fan Club Meets Tonight.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkUUM_RtmUrrEl_lVtPLYlZKSgbLdfqLb
Chunjay discusses Chester Bennington's suicide and plugs http://hftd.org.
Props: Bakersfield, GalleryCat, recovery groups, Martin Luther, The Color Morale metal group, Dropjaw, A.Ward, Cash Hollister, http://heartsupport.com/, http://hftd.org, Heath McNease.

Tuesday Jul 18, 2017
Tuesday Jul 18, 2017
In this inaugural episode of Brews, Beards, & Shipwrecks, Chunjay sits down before a concert he played at The Bottleneck in Lawrence, KS with Kansas rap artist, Kory "Dropjaw" Pederson. They talk about using hip-hop as a force for good, discuss the current state of hip-hop music and technology, helping other hip-hop artists, and explore what means to be a "Christian rapper," especially when a Christian rapper loses his Christianity. They also talk about beard care, and beers.
"Brews, Beards, and Shipwrecks" theme song by Royal Ruckus. Lyrics and vocals by Chunjay. Music by Flatline.
"Shipwreck" by Cookbook and Uno.Mas from the Robertson Bullies EP.
First segment:
- Who is Dropjaw?
- His interest in youth ministry and helping at-risk youth
- Hip-hop stuff on Netflix
- Acts they were playing with that night
- Crazy and amazing stuff with life
- Technology and the state of hip-hop, offering a different perspective on current rap
"Don't Feel Bad" (demo) by Dropjaw, beat by Joey Murphy.
Second segment:
- What is a Christian rapper?
- Hip-hop and rock n roll as the fountain of youth
- Artists: Be yourself, but don't be a turd. Character matters.
- Jerks who make great art
- Is Dropjaw a Christian? That's a complicated question.
- Prayer and questioning faith
- On being a Jehovah's Witness
- His conversion experience to evangelical Christianity
- On break-up rap songs
- On walking away from church and faith
- Is there power in the death and resurrection of Christ?
"Dance" (demo) by Dropjaw.
Third segment:
- Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney
- What are we drinking?
- Beards: beard care with coconut oil and other oils, brushing the beard, why we don't shave down completely, ending the war on "rugs."
- Podcasts that inspire
- Rhymer's Block app - a tool for songwriters
"Still... (Reflections, Part 1)" by Royal Ruckus, Jeremiah Dirt of Shadow of the Locust, and Absent Minded. Music by Grizzly Beats. Lyrics and vocals by Chunjay, Jeremiah Dirt, Absent Minded.
Fourth segment:
- On artistry, positivity, and cussing in certain circumstances - "Talk your dirty mouth!"
- Hip-hop pet peeves?
- Building up other artists in the music scene instead of being critical
- Is it "hip-hop" to treat others with dignity and respect? Or do you have to be a head-hunter?
- Dropjaw's upcoming EP
- Royal Ruckus stepping away from music for a season, RR's 15 releases (mostly indie)
Shoutouts on the podcast to Bad Christian Podcast, Kanye West, LA Symphony, Pigeon John, Cookbook, Spoken Nerd, Dos Equis, Free State Stout, The Risk! Podcast (check out the best-of, and especially Ray Christian), Absent Minded, Bakersfield, Left. E. Grove, Jeremiah Dirt of Shadow of the Locust, Katy Hudson aka Katy Perry, Redcloud, Malachi Perez, Soup the Chemist, and Chunjay's brother Cory Bennett.
Featured Classic: "They Reminisce Over You" by Pete Rock and CL Smooth
http://soundcloud.com/dropjaw | http://twitter.com/dropjah | https://www.facebook.com/Dropjaw-6111569303/
http://summerofthecicadas.com | http://twitter.com/royalruckus | http://facebook.com/royalruckusofficial | http://instagram.com/royalruckusofficial