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Hello everyone,
If you’re not familiar with the music of John Angotti, you’re missing out! Not only is he a great singer, songwriter, pianist, and performer, but also a great public speaker. Well-respected by many, John has a unique way of sharing his faith and pulling people together to discuss the tough issues head-on. I want to take this opportunity to share something new that John has been spearheading: Living Real Radio. I asked John if he would share the vision of this new project on Setting The Tone.
—E.B.
LIVING REAL RADIO
by John Angotti
A couple of months ago, one of the parishioners from St Philip’s in Franklin, TN, Leann Didier, and her husband Tony, approached me and asked what I would do with a one-hour show, Sunday mornings on their radio station: the Hippie, 94.5. I jumped at the opportunity because I’ve always felt that, as a Catholic Artist, we need to be heard on secular radio. Christian radio is set up for those who already believe and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, but the mission of Jesus is to go out to those who don’t believe or struggle with faith. The question has always been for me: how do we reach and invite the unbeliever, or those whose faith is weak, or the doubter into our places of worship where we can share our faith stories? Using the airwaves to accomplish this mission is one way for sure.
I approached our communication person and my good friend, Greg Walton, who is also a Catholic artist with Spirit and Song, as well as Robert Fedducia, who is a Catholic speaker and dear friend, to be co-hosts with me. I wanted to invite Jamie Rose Plum, a mother and singer at St Philips, for her perspective, too, but she was unable to make the first recording date. Instead, I asked Julianne Staley, our youth minister, to sit in. It worked out well because we now had the voice of the youth with us. That’s been the team for the last 8 weeks.
The mission of the radio show had two objectives: one was to promote Catholic artists and Catholic music, but the other was to talk about issues of faith that are real and current in the lives of all those around us, especially the youth. I didn’t want this show to be an apologetic, though it’s almost impossible to not have some of that. I didn’t want to talk about Catholic doctrine, but rather more about how faith matters in our lives. I want to reveal through real life issues how our Catholic faith makes a difference and is relevant through the trials of everyday life. I felt this format would be a softer approach to those who don’t ‘do’ church, or to those who ‘question’ church or ask, “How is this relevant in my life now?”
Guests on the show have been our parish priests along with Catholic artists like Sarah Hart, Josh Blakesley, Mathias Michael, and Dana Daniel. We’ve also had international singing star from Croatia, Tajci Cameron, who is now a Catholic artist. We’ve welcomed members of the Annie Moses Band, internationally acclaimed artists who all became Catholic at the same time as one family. We’ve played music from other Catholic artists as well as other songs on the pop and CCM side.
One of the ways to obtain our goals is to entertain our audience. Some may get upset with the word entertain, but, if you look up the definition of entertain, it means ‘to hold one’s attention.’ In a world that is constantly trying to entertain us, we are trying to focus everyone’s attention on God and share how our Catholic faith can aid all people in the trials and tribulations of living real, authentic lives.
Tune in to Living Real Radio on podcast, iTunes, or 94.5 Nashville online (or live Sundays 8am–9am) as we talk about real issues in real time.
—J.A.