June 7 2011

Show open and studio lineup

The episode opens at the Pathway Studios in Johnston. A host introduces himself by name on-air ("My name is Ben Foost," seg-00015) and names the studio lineup: Mike Foost (seg-00021), the Hudsons (seg-00020), Troy Spanglinger arriving (seg-00019), and special musical guest Ashton Powers (seg-00022–00024).

Tonight's lineup and opening riffs

A host previews the show: a round of the game Deuteronomy Dan (seg-00031), a CNN article on phrases mistaken for being in the Bible (seg-00048–00060), a riff on what makes someone a "scholar" ("Dan Hudson, scholar," seg-00081), a joke about a new-Christian pamphlet cover model ("I'm voting brawny man," seg-00086–00100), and a bit on toilet-paper commercials featuring a bear (seg-00105–00126).

Ashton Powers interview: background and songwriting

• Was there a point in your songwriting where it clicked?

The hosts interview musical guest Ashton Powers (introduced at seg-00134–00135): born in North Carolina, now living in Witten, Iowa after meeting his wife (seg-00140–00152); picked up guitar at nine after hearing Elvis Presley and learned "Don't Be Cruel" in an hour (seg-00165–00186); started songwriting at twelve (seg-00238–00260); plus riffs on Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl," modern country music, and a Conway Twitty wig joke (seg-00260–00316).

"Speak, Honestly" performance

Ashton Powers introduces and performs his original song "Speak, Honestly," a surprise song born from a conversation with his wife about modern country music (seg-00318–00329).

ReverbNation, show shirts, and co-host jokes

After the song, the hosts compare it to a movie soundtrack and discuss Notting Hill (seg-00335–00383). Ashton plugs ReverbNation.com/Ashton Powers and credits his wife with running his music operation (seg-00385–00402). The hosts riff on show merch — zero shirts sold — and Father's Day gift ideas including the "secular Solomon" and "big Solomon" shirts (seg-00417–00463), then joke about making Ashton a co-host if he moves closer (seg-00464–00478).

First jobs: dishwashers, paper routes, and blackjack

• What was your first job?

Asked about jobs before music (seg-00479), Ashton says his first job was dishwashing near Seattle, Washington (seg-00483–00505). The hosts trade their own first-job stories: Godfather's Pizza and Spaghetti Works (seg-00523–00534), paper routes by bike in Ankeny and by loud car in Atlantic — including throwing a paper through a front-door window (seg-00535–00575) — and one studio voice's run of short-term jobs: shuttling checks at the airport, dealing blackjack at Meadows, and being banned from every Godfather's Pizza (seg-00590–00619). The bit closes on whether Godfather's still exists in Des Moines (Hickman, seg-00621–00631).

Recap and "Lullaby for My Family" performance

A station recap plugs the YouTube channel and ReverbNation for Ashton's music (seg-00644–00653) and mentions an August military homecoming event in Creston, Iowa (seg-00654–00668). Ashton introduces "Lullaby for My Family," written for his wife and kids (seg-00669–00676), and performs it (seg-00677–00680).

Facebook likes, busking, and wedding ushers

• Would you busk as a street musician in Italy or London?

Reactions to the song praise its honesty about marriage (seg-00682–00700). A debate follows on whether to chase people who don't "like" you on Facebook — illustrated by a John Macmillan story and Ted Danson jokes, plus the hosts' habit of replying to negative YouTube comments but ignoring positive ones (seg-00750–00824). Ashton answers travel questions (never left the US; wants Italy and England), a marmoset-smuggling joke, whether he'd busk in Europe, and the "exotic attraction" shirt idea (seg-00826–00920). The segment closes with the church connect-slip joke about burning down the store that sold Dan his shirt, the meaning of "good sermon," and wedding usher tyranny (seg-00921–001026).

Broadcast schedule and next week's preview

Promo block: the show airs Mondays 10 to midnight on livefromthepath.org and Sundays 4–5 on Praise 940, AM 940 Des Moines (seg-01027–00031). Next week brings hip-hop artist Echo (heard on Pulse 99.5) while Dan is on vacation in Washington, D.C. (seg-01034–00048).

Which celebrity would be your buddy?

• Which celebrity would actually be your buddy if you met them?
• Where do you see yourself in five years with your music?

A rapid-fire round: Ashton's five-year music outlook (one step at a time, wherever God leads; prefers intimate venues, seg-01062–00083) and then the celebrity-buddy hypothetical — who would actually like you back if you met them (seg-01391–00392). Picks include Elvis, Jim Carrey, Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell (Ashton); John Stamos and Dave Coulier of Full House; Russell Crowe — with a bit where Ben imagines calling him "a phony" until he weeps (seg-01207–00231); Bill O'Reilly (Dan, seg-01291–00298); Danny Glover, Sandra Bullock, Reese Witherspoon, Ed Holmes, Jason Bateman, Steve Carell, Kevin James (Danielle); John Krasinski and John Goodman; and Luke Wilson.

Scary stories and fire-escape pants

Chat-prompted scary stories: Ashton's all-night Michael Myers/Halloween marathon ended by his sister looming over him in an It clown mask (seg-01451–00479); a studio voice's tale of grabbing a guitar in his underwear during a suspected break-in (seg-01481–00485); and the running bit that a man in a house fire must wear pants to be effective, while sweatpants are "for women and children" (seg-01491–00535).

Supporting touring musicians and festival preview

The hosts plug the show's YouTube channel (near 50,000 hits, seg-01551–00559), ask listeners to support a touring band whose green van broke down via a PayPal fundraiser on the show's Facebook page (seg-01577–00597), mention musician Kevin Lindgren's gigs at the Greenwood Lounge and Vaudeville Muse (seg-01598–00613), and preview the Spirit Midwest Festival in early August with a possible remote broadcast (seg-01615–00627).

"Playing Out Backwoods Country" performance

Ashton introduces and performs "Playing Out Backwoods Country," a self-explanatory song about being a country boy (seg-01628–00639).

Break montage, host roll-call, and news bits

A break montage airs — including a fake "REMAX Studios in downtown Des Moines, 6 a.m." intro and rapid-fire bits (seg-01644–00788). Returning, the three hosts name themselves on-air: "My name is Ben Foost," "My name is Daniel," "I'm Mike Foost" (seg-01789–00793). News bits: Macho Man Randy Savage has died in a car wreck (seg-01836–00840); Ashton ate seven and a half Slim Jims and a box of Everlasting Gobstoppers on the drive in (seg-01817–00833); and "scaf" is defined as "everything but Ashton Powers" (seg-01851–00865).

Deuteronomy Dan: food-law edition

The full Deuteronomy Dan game show: "With your host, Dan Hudson" (seg-01895), who reads ten laws while the studio (including guest Ashton Powers, plus Troy and Danielle) guesses "Deuteronomy or Dan" (seg-01882–00910). Laws: flying insects unclean (Deuteronomy 14:19); organs of any animal (Dan); eating found-dead animals (Deuteronomy); goat cooked in its mother's milk (Deuteronomy 14:21); debt cancellation after twelve years (Dan — the real law is seven, Deuteronomy 15); no cutting or shaving for the dead (Deuteronomy); the Mario Brothers green one-up mushroom and flapping arms in the temple courts (Dan); cross-dressing (Deuteronomy 22:5); drinking a mother goat's milk in front of the kid (Dan); ignoring a brother's straying ox or sheep (Deuteronomy 22:1). The game closes with a sung "Deuteronomy Dan" theme (seg-02365–00380).

Podcast and website promo

A short promo block: sign up for the weekly podcast at livefromthepath.org and catch past performers on the website and YouTube channel (seg-02401–00416).

CNN's "That's not in the Bible" and what goodness means

• Is Satan mentioned in the Genesis garden account?
• According to the Bible, does what you do make you good?

The hosts discuss a CNN Belief Blog article titled "Actually, that's not in the Bible" about phrases people mistake for scripture: "God helps those who help themselves," "spare the rod, spoil the child," and the claim that Satan tempted Eve — noting the Genesis account only names a serpent (seg-02417–00451). They push back on the article's scholar, Sidney White Crawford of the University of Nebraska, who defined biblical goodness as "defining one's worth by what one does for others" (seg-02467–00484). The hosts argue goodness belongs to God alone ("you call me good... God alone is good," seg-02499–00501), that the Bible is not a self-help manual, and that recognizing one's need for Christ's death is the stumbling block (seg-02507–00599).

"Take My Hand, Precious Lord" performance

Ashton performs the old gospel song "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" — his favorite and his mother-in-law's favorite, chosen since she may watch online later (seg-02601–00612) — followed by praise for its sincerity (seg-02615–00616).

Favorite hymns, the Gaithers, and beatboxing

A hymn conversation: favorite gospel songs and a lost CD of southern-gospel music (seg-02617–00634); a Sanka/Maxwell House coffee-smoothness bit ("the Barry White of coffees," "the Donny Osmond of coffees," seg-02635–00663); Ashton's memory of George Jones's "I Can Live Forever" from his dad's gospel album (seg-02671–00675); Elvis's "American Trilogy" and "Glory, Glory, Hallelujah" (seg-02678–00687); and Bill Gaither — someone in the studio says they sang on stage with the Gaithers twice — plus the Gaither Vocal Band's "It Is Well With My Soul," Guy Penrod, and pianist Anthony Berger (seg-02738–00822). The segment ends previewing next week's hip-hop guest Echo with a beatboxing audition ("boots and cats," seg-02824–00882).

The pamphlet guy and show close

The hosts revisit the new-Christian pamphlet cover from the opening: the model looks like he should "travel to Wyoming, grow a mustache, and comb back your hair" — and "skin a possum" (seg-02916–00938). They admit they never got to the basic tenets of Christianity and defer them to Dan's return (seg-02941–00943), thank Ashton Powers, plug ReverbNation and the YouTube channel (seg-02962–00972), preview next week's show with Echo and Dan on vacation (seg-02973–00976), and sign off.