AVERAGE EVERYDAY WORSHIP LEADER: Recent Episodes
Todd Wright
This isn't for the big shots. This isn't for the worship leader with a record deal.
This is for you - the guy or girl leading worship in the local church and doing your very best to bring God glory.
This week, we look at "Graves Into Gardens" and how you can make it that more accessible and enjoyable for your congregation.
Part 1 of a new series - helping you find ways to make your songs work better for congregational singing!
Went to work early (like a grown up) and recorded a podcast cause IMMA ABOUT THAT CONTENT 24/7
Only one podcaster is dumb enough to ramble for 17 minutes when his throat is on fire...
- Laity - "Close To You"
- Robin Mark - "Garments of Praise"
- Patrick Mayberry - "The Fire"
- Ascent Music - "Oh This Jesus"
- Bryan McCleery - "He Wears A Crown"
Honestly I don't even care if you listen to this episode...I'm happy if you just see "Release Day" as the title and remember to go listen to ALL HAIL THE POWER by TWB!
- You Are With Me - Andrew Marcus
- How Sweet The Name Of Jesus Sounds - Indelible Grace
- None Other Lamb - High Street Hymns
- Trisagion - Fernando Ortega
- King Forevermore - Aaron Keyes
- I Believe, I Declare - Metro Life Worship
- Your Name Is Matchless - Sovereign Grace Music
- As For Me & My House - Austin & Lindsey Adamec
- It Is Done - Grace Snellville
- "Christ Our Hope In Life And Death" - Getty/Boswell/Papa
- "Table Of The Lord" - Soul Survivor
- "Nothing But The Blood" - Lucy Grimble
- "What A Savior" - HTB Worship
- "You Restore My Soul" - St. Aldates Worship
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Vineyard Worship/Marc James - "Surrender"
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Sovereign Grace - "O The Deep Deep Love of Jesus"
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LIFE Worship - "This Is Not The End"
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SEU Worship/Dan Rivera - "A Thousand Generations"
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Mozaiek Worship - "Jesus Victorious"
- Lincoln Brewster - "O Come, O Come Emmanuel"
- Chris Tomlin - "Midnight Clear"
- Sidewalk Prophets - "O What A Glorious Night"
- Jason Gray - "Christmas Is Coming"
- Mindy Smith - "It Really Is A Wonderful Life"
- Todd Wright Band - "This Christmas Prayer"
- "Lamb of God" - Justin Tweito
- "According To His Word" - Jared Anderson
- "No Other Fount" - Travis Cottrell
- "Turn Your Eyes" - Sovereign Grace
- "All My Hope" - Fredonia Hill
- Scott Krippayne - "I Wanna Sing"
- The Village Church - "Praise Him"
- Corey Voss - "Look What God Has Done"
- Passion - "Fade Away"
- The Lowly Heirs - "It Wasn't For The Cross"
- "Oh the Power" - Philippa Hanna
- "You Never Let Go" - Tim Timmons
- "There Was Jesus" - Zach Williams
- "Be Still My Soul" - Resound Worship
- "Sing It Over Me" - Tommy Walker
Stuck in the house? Why not listen to a couple of bearded bros talk about worshipppppp!
We back! Fun convo w/ my boi Sam. Listen to the end to hear the song his campus produced for Facebook.
Last TWB for awhile - thank you to everybody who's been so helpful in sharing these songs.
This week, I give some tips on how to have difficult theological conversations. In this case, we discuss the Bethel Music question.
Music heavy episode - some talking, then some songs. FOREVER FAITHFUL (Todd Wright) JESUS, FIRM FOUNDATION (Various) ANCIENT OF DAYS (CityAlight)
Awesome call from our pal, Gregg! Song included is "Christ Is All" by Matt Boswell/Matt Papa.
Link for Alexis https://www.gofundme.com/f/1phwltn6mo
Link for song https://youtu.be/cFAIzm1Xx1E
Help spread the word! I decided not to put all the links here because I'm lazy. If you love me, you'll find a way to share this.
Let's support a podcast listener by downloading his song! MIGHTY ONE by The Olive Press is live now on all platforms!
Reading your emails, promoting all the cool stuff you're up to! This week's episode features "Rescue Story" by Zach Williams.
Bob Fitts - "Abundant" / Vineyard Worship - "Doxology Anthem" / Highlands Worship - "Crown Him Lord Of All" / Aaron Keyes - "The Valley" / Influence Music - "Kingdom" / Nashville Life Music - "My God"
A little joking, a little ranting and a little encouragement to Stop Hating Old Things.
Reminding you to help me today with the new song...and a peak at the original scratch track.
Why are upbeat songs so hard to find????? Quick little episode about fast songs this week. I LOVE YOU.
It's way more popular in ministry circles to talk about hard work and success, but sadly, it's not that way all the time. Let a broken down YouTuber remind you what God has called you to.
Todd's doing yoga and watch paranormal documentaries. WHAT. IS. HAPPENING? Plus a game of NO UUUUUUUU.
I'm not going to label this as worship leading conspiracy, but it kinda' is. Sorry. Spotify link, baby!
Todd cleans house. And yells about Jack Johnson. One of us survives a tornado. I preview a new song I'm trying this week. Spotify playlist this week is the ultimate EGO TRIP!
Pancakes. Sound drops. A call-in. Listener song. Setlist shoutouts. This one's got it all. Hit the playlist!
First episode. We ain't going viral. We're going family! Don't forget the Spotify list! https://open.spotify.com/user/toddwright/playlist/0Zqv1uES3KPKnPMLW3JpeZ?si=TJlBI3LuRzqOxGsJ6hYcbw
I told you this would be a "fun week" episode, but it's not. I don't have an episode this week. So I'm sharing the episode for next week. JUST GO WITH IT, PEOPLE.
This week we launch our new system with a plain ol' fun episode!
TV shows I'm digging, messing up Jesus Paid It All, Setlist Shoutouts, denying concert status and a new song demo.
Getting' real about real expectations.
https://www.gofundme.com/zhgyby-new-single
https://www.patreon.com/toddwrightband
Oh, snap...we're going there! Don't forget to donate to the GoFundMe!!!!! https://www.gofundme.com/zhgyby-new-single
We're doing this thing! You submitted songs and I'm sharing them with the listeners! Enjoy!
We got it all...banter, Sunday setlists, country music drops, album pre-order, Patreon, ruminations on fast songs and an interview w/ Jonathan Smith!
Go here to order the new Three Bridges record! https://clg.lnk.to/pjX_e
Very rough demo of a song I wrote and submitted to publishers. Please forgive my bad GarageBand skillz!
Talking about a suggested topic...how do you manage a song catalog? Don't forget to send in your songs for the MIDDLEMAN episode!
Halfway done! Thanks for sticking with the series. But that's not all. We got a gig recap, worship leader shoutouts, Illuminati talk, song 3 tips and songs I'm considering leading. FULL SHOW BABY!
Back at it...what's the best (and worst) way to lead your first song every week! Don't forget our selfie challenge and if you wanna' hear my songs for this week, you can go here!
I've moved from yelling-nice-things to flat out shaming you and calling you names. Deal with it.
We're back! New series on how to (and how not to) lead worship! Check here for the songs this week.
iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/cant-see-single/1386222115 Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Cant-See-Todd-Wright-Band/dp/B07D7M2QX2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1528404355&sr=8-1&keywords=todd+wright+band Spotify https://open.spotify.com/album/1RXlOVBbnuWZh8BFDqxpbH?si=Qy5S4UgjSnibPkwtkt1-wg
YouTube link https://youtu.be/5CTPuyiU5Dk
I took your suggestion! Opened up an album and previewed live on the mic. Send more recommendations - this was fun!
Very excited that my song releases today by Endless Highway! It would mean the world to me if you'd go download it today!
Yep. We're talking about hypnosis on today's show. My friend, Brent, who's a therapist and licensed in hypnotherapy sat down to talk to me about stage fright, helping our musicians and what our gifting really looks like. Prepare to have your mind blown!!!
A long and winding road into the movement of revivalism and a discussion of how it impacts our worship leading today. If you've never heard of revivalism, this is the show for you! Special thanks to Johnny Simmons for his help on the show. If you'd like to listen to the audio of ANXIOUS BENCH, go check out Johnny's podcast.
New Friday song. I listened back to it right before I posted and realized it's actually kinda terrible and I hate it. Oh, well. Ya boy needs content, so might as well share a song I don't think is very good.
A little front porch story about learning (the hard way) to prioritize people over performance.
This week, we're talking about how your NEED can encourage your TEAM! Plus some songs I'm digging..and one horrible celebrity impression!
I recorded a cool conversation with somebody today and somehow deleted it. So all you get is me talking, singing, eating Chuy's with the family and buying cupcakes. Not bad for a FREE PODCAST, huh?
New album, great communion song and 10,000 Fathers. https://open.spotify.com/album/3f2YcbkUCUZYGRH4NusH4c?si=_o9kxWnwQIeocb7Z_Xa3Vg
A mysterious phone call, plus listener questions. Songwriting episode coming this Friday!
Next Wednesday show will be all "call-ins" so if you got a thought or questions, send me a message!
We're talking about "blended worship!" Thanks so much for listening, liking and linking the show to your pals. Love y'all!
Don't forget to send in your Easter songs...share your wisdom with us!
Watch yo' mouth! This week, we talk about things to say (and not say) and how they impact our people. Thanks for listening!
Normally, these are new songs, but this is a tune from 2017 that I totally forgot. I wrote it and did a demo in a hotel in Kansas. I was trying to write something choir-ish to submit to a publisher. They liked the verse melody but told me it wasn't "a fit."
That's what it's come to...me making you listen to rejected song ideas.
Music drops - BOTTOM OF THIS by Blackberry Smoke / INTERVENTION DUBSTEP / I LOVE YOU SO MUCH by DJ Khaled & Chance The Rapper / ROCKY trailer audio
Rough worktape of a song in process. Written by Ross King and Todd Wright.
To download or for lyrics, go here or here.
Sadly, I didn't get to record a Friday song. Looks like cold & flu season finally got me, gang. So here's me talking about youth camps.
Driving in the rain, just a rantin'. MUSIC DROP - "New Light" by Alanah Sabatini. Minisodes are small episodes recorded (usually in a car) where I freeform thoughts on worship leading. I'm like jazz music.
Some new songs that might work great in your church.
https://open.spotify.com/user/toddwright/playlist/1eMiIS5STaxDDR1hyESfDj
Music drops: Buble - "It's Beginning to Look"
Check https://open.spotify.com/user/toddwright/playlist/1eMiIS5STaxDDR1hyESfDj for our Christmas song playlist!
Happy Thanksgiving, friends! I am thankful for you!
MUSIC DROPS
"Five Fat Turkeys"
"That Way" by TWB
Don't forget our playlist!!!!
Not really...but if you do struggle with praying in public, maybe these tips will help! Don't forget our Spotify playlist where I share some of the songs I'm digging!
MUSIC DROP - MC Hammer - "Pray"
Jordan Bryan's new album is great! You can even sample it at our Spotify playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/user/toddwright/playlist/1eMiIS5STaxDDR1hyESfDj
There are lots of resources out there. But it's still hard to know exactly what you're getting into.
This week, I review the great new album from Worship Central. If you'd like to hear it, too, you can subscribe to our Spotify playlist here https://open.spotify.com/user/toddwright/playlist/1eMiIS5STaxDDR1hyESfDj
Also, plan on buying Doxology: Hymns of the Trinity by Fredonia Hill this Friday!
Go get new music from Tyler Ellison (https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/come-to-the-table/id1270209340?i=1270210194) and Caroline Cobb (https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/a-home-a-hunger-songs-of-kingdom-hope/id1271186333)
How to lead your church in tough times. Plus, a preview of Tyler Ellison's new single and a hymn worktape. Thanks for listening!
Vertical Church Band - 1000 Tongues / Vineyard - All Things Rise / Andrew Marcus - Good To Me / Cory Asbury - Reckless Love / Chris Tomlin - Yes and Amen
Music drop - "Bringing Country Back" by Zane Williams. I talk about the new EP, ASMR, Southern Gospel music. It' a wild ride is what I'm saying.
Music drops: B.o.B - "Haters" / Foo Fighers - "No Way Back". Get the new AWL shirt at www.toddwright.bandcamp.com.
Music drops: Keith Urban - "You Look Good In My Shirt." Head to toddwright.bandcamp.com to get a shirt from the MERCH page!
I talk about the great new release from 10,000 Fathers, share a demo of an old song I'm trying to rewrite and my son makes an appearance. Rate and review this podcast. I'm trying to become famous with this show and y'all are doing very little to make that happen.
What makes worship leading so difficult...
MUSIC DROPS
"It Goes Down In The DM" - Yo Gotti
DRUM SOLO from Birdman soundtrack
"Easy" - The Commodores
This podcast has rambling, a Harry Styles song, some thinking about instigation in a clickbait culture and an interview with my friend, Ken.
Another solo show. Lots of banter. Airport voice mail. Pontifications on the duality inside worship leading.
Music drops - "Rango" by Vulfpeck and "Everyone's Looking For Home" by Sam Outlaw.
MONOLOGUE EPISODE! MONOLOGUE EPISODE!
What can we learn from the recent Gungor Twitter controversy? For me...A LOT! BTW - don't forget to hit up bethelsongs.com.
#musicdrops - "Sunset" by The Midnight
Full episode this week:
- Anthony went to California
- Todd's in a remodel but got some songs signed
- JALAPENOS
- Anthony doesn't like the new Elevation record but Todd does
- They talked about it
- Todd goes way long on "production value"
- Todd officially begins turning the show into a conspiracy theory podcast
Audio Drops:
- U2 - Elevation
- Alex Jones (via YouTube)
- Will Todd Hate This Theme Song (Wofford/Wright)
- Elevation Worship - "He Is Lord"
- Conspiracy Theory (1997) trailer
Music drops...
T-BONE - "Ride With Me"
CARMAN, COMMISSIONED & CHRIST CHURCH CHOIR - "Celebrate Jesus"
MARTY STUART & HIS FABULOUS SUPERLATIVES - "Mojave"
We're back! Well, Todd is back. Anthony was off doing something dumb. Vlogging, probably. Two parts to this episode: first, we hear from listeners about IEMs and then we listen to Todd's keynote talk from a worship training night at Anthony's church.
(Anthony also put together a video of the talk that we'll be sharing at the AEWL Facebook page. If you'd rather look at Todd than just listen. LOOK I GET IT I AM VERY HANDSOME.)
In this new episode, we talk about songs we're doing, the kind of prayer God will say yes to and the recent Hillsong movie.
Over halfway done! Audio from the Facebook live I did on "how to teach your songs." It actually DOES help to think about how you're going to share the songs you write!
This is audio taken from a new thing I'm doing on Facebook Live. Over five videos, I'm hoping to encourage worship leaders out there who want to write worship songs but don't know how to get started.
Part 2 is called PARTS! Next time, we'll talk HOW TO TEACH YOUR SONG.
In this episode, we pull right from the blog over at www.bethelsongs.com and talk about ways you can be sure and lead with excellence when you're NOT the regular worship leader. We also introduce a brand new segment called CONTROVERSIAL THOUGHT!
This is audio taken from a new thing I'm doing on Facebook Live. Over five videos, I'm hoping to encourage worship leaders out there who want to write worship songs but don't know how to get started.
Part 1 was on OBSTACLES and the next video will be called PARTS.
This week, Todd gets mad at Anthony for a podcast recommendation then talks about stirring up trouble on Facebook. After that, the guys hit four questions from the mailbag before Todd's story for the week. And of course, we wrap up the show with a little "Will Todd Hate This" regarding patriotic church services!
MUSIC - Brad Wofford (soundcloud.com/bradthedesigner)
Ross King is a good friend and songwriting mentor who just released a brand new album called WE KNOW HOW THIS THING ENDS. And what's the point of having a very successful podcast if you can't help promote your friends??
In this episode:
- Todd gripes about his dog.
- Anthony and Todd answer questions.
- We debut a new theme song.
- Todd gets grumpy (again.)
Special thanks to Brad Wofford for our "Will Todd Hate This" theme music. Check out some of Brad's work at www.soundcloud.com/bradthedesigner.
Closing music: "Praise God" as recorded by Todd Wright Band. (Russell/Howard/Wright)
Happy New Year! Season 2 has officially begun. I talk Christmas, my new album, desire vs. value, hats in worship and...welcome our brand new 2017 co-host, Anthony Croff.
Had a blast on this episode, especially our new segment - WILL TODD HATE THIS?
Here's your chance to hear the whole record. Available for download on December 16.
PRAISE GOD (Blake Russell, Sky Howard, Todd Wright)
ONE AND ONLY HOPE (Todd Wright)
CHRIST HAS COME (John Paul & Joseph Allen, Todd Wright)
DRINKING DEEPLY (Ross King, Todd Wright)
TOOK MY CHAINS feat. Ross King (Ross King, Todd Wright)
OUR GOD IS STRONGER (Todd Wright)
LOVE SO TRUE (Britton Wesson, Todd Wright)
FOUNTAIN OF GOD (Todd Wright)
Worship leaders have access to amazing technology - stuff that lets us speak into the lives of our congregants on a daily basis. But are we using it the right way?
MUSIC:
It's My Life - Bon Jovi
Online - Brad Paisley
Featured music from Charlie Brown and Integrity's Hosanna!
Thanks for listening. Happy Thanksgiving!
How do YOU plan Christmas? If you struggle with "how" to plan services in December, this podcast might be a help to you! In this episode, we're talking about three specific ways you can plan songs for the holiday season.
I can't think of a better tip than "think small" when it comes to writing songs for your people. In this episode, I break down three ways to hone in on songwriting that I believe will immediately improve your songwriting.
If you have questions or comments, don't forget to hit me up @toddwrightband on Twitter. (Always love it when you recommend ideas for topics!) Also, if you'd like updates on the forthcoming EP, SIGN UP HERE.
A little self-reflection and brutal honesty go a long way. Reminding myself to spend time on stuff that will stand the test of time!
Continuing our discussion from the previous episode about leading "intuitively." This post is also based on the most recent post over at bethelsongs.com.
Once again looking at Bethel Redding, home of some of the most popular worship songs being sung these days, and what we can learn from the style and technique of their worship leaders. This is the first of a two-part series. In our next episode, we'll talk more about leading "intuitively" in worship.
Does a "song" culture contribute to a diminished focus on personal integrity? It might.
MUSIC FEATURED:
George Thorogood - "You Talk Too Much:
Figured I'd take a page from www.bethelsongs.com and share some of the songs I'm enjoying - either from a personal perspective or as potential additions to the catalog of songs we sing at my church.
SONGS FEATURED:
Vince Gill & Time Jumpers - Bartender's Blues
Snarky Puppy - Lingus
Tommy Walker - Sing It Over Me
Christian City Church/Steve Deal - Letting Go
Zach Williams - Chainbreaker
Casey Corum - Who Is Like Our God
Vertical Church Band - Your Mercy
The debate about "paying players" will probably always be a a part of worship leading culture. In this episode, we're talking about something a bit loftier than that - instead of worrying about hired guns who can bring excellence to the music, why not work for professionalism regardless of volunteer or "pro" status?
This episode features three things that pro bands do and how your team can add those skills to your worship each week.
MUSIC CUES:
The Louvin Brother - There's A Higher Power
Larry Groce - Junk Food Junkie
Todd Wright Band - Love So True
Nobody really deep down wants to be the center of attention when leading worship. But it can be hard to stay humble. And invisible.
If you've ever wondered how in the heck to go from one song to the other, this is a podcast for you. Simple, practical tips on transitions for the average everyday worship leader!
This episode pulls from a "new member" talk I usually give at our church. I've found these words help people to approach worship rightly, no matter how they're feeling.
P.S. - Trying a new setup this go 'round, so bear with me on volume issues.
For this episode, we look at how easy it is to lead from a place of "personality" or persona. Knowing your strengths (and weaknesses) allows you to dial in just the right amount of who you are to lead your people effectively!
What can we learn from churches who opted to pay tribute to the iconic songwriter and performer?
How can we fight the frustration that so easily seeps into ministry? What can we do to correct our bad attitudes about the people and places we're serving?
In this episode, we talk about those things we've set aside. Those early lessons and skills developed when we first started leading worship. They may seem silly, but you never know if God may want to use some of your earliest abilities to bring Him glory!
BONUS: Listen to the very end to hear a very embarrassing live recording of a song I wrote in my 20's.
How can you cope if you happen to work under a pastor who's a narcissist? Here's PART 1 of how you can deal!
Should we "pick or pass" on songs based on who makes them? Or does the song stand alone? How much time should we invest in the theology of the creators of these songs we use in church?
In this episode, I tell you what I think about this issue, but more importantly, I hope you'll take this podcast as an encouragement to think seriously about these issues. You don't have to think like me, but you do have to THINK. Period.
If you've got comments or topic ideas, send them via twitter @toddwrightband or on Facebook!
"What makes a good melody" is an argument songwriters have been having for years. And so we're probably not gonna' solve that long-running riddle on our little podcast. But we can answer your questions!
The idea for this show came from one of our listeners who asked, "What if we're not good at melody? How do we get better?" It's a great question and if you're wondering the same thing, I hope this episode will encourage you.
Referenced link: https://karlverkade.bandcamp.com/
This week's episode is brief, but hopefully it will encourage you to think about what your ministry actually is. Are you a singer? Are you a set-maker? And is it possible that real value of your job is more than just the stuff you do on a Sunday morning?
Three very practical tips to build singability. (Okay...the first two are good, but the third tip is a little hard to get a handle on.) But don't give up! You can write songs that your congregation will WANT to sing!
First in a three-part series on writing songs that are easily learned and sung by your congregation. This episode focuses on some general concepts when it comes to songwriting for the local church.