Scott Stewart led the Madison Scouts through one of the most distinctive eras in drum corps history. In this conversation, we explore the system behind the sound, the shows, the culture, and the crowd connection that made Madison a powerhouse—and why the experience still resonates decades later.

What if Christianity is not primarily a moral code, a private belief system, or a set of religious customs, but a way of seeing reality? In this episode, Dr. Zachary Porcu joins the podcast to discuss his book Journey to Reality: Sacramental Life in a Secular Age. The conversation begins with the origin of the…

Composer Daniel Elder found himself at the center of intense public backlash after an Instagram post made during the unrest following George Floyd’s death. In this written interview, presented with AI-synthesized voices, Daniel gives his account of what happened, why he chose not to apologize, how institutions responded under pressure, and what the experience revealed…

What does it mean to ask about “the role of history”? Is history its own entity with agency of its own, or is there more to the story? In this episode, we reflect on how the past shapes the present through context, inheritance, memory, precedent, and constraint.

https://jamesdnewcomb.com/jeannie “The Orthodox mind, the mind of the Church, is the mind of Christ.” We welcome biblical scholar and author Dr. Jeannie Constantinou for a sweeping, heartfelt, and clarifying conversation on phronema—the ancient Christian mindset preserved in the Orthodox Church. I open the conversation by sharing my own journey of transitioning into Orthodoxy, reflecting on…

Honest speech requires the freedom to be wrong. In this episode, I reflect on students afraid to speak, a mob moment from my trumpet podcast days, and the difference between correction and public shaming. When decent people are afraid to speak, fools fill the silence. I’m James Newcomb, and that’s what I meant to say.…

I was recently asked by Deacon Stephen Wehr at my home parish (St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church in Minneapolis) for a personal conversation about, well, me. Steve asked me about my upbringing, my military service, my musical endeavors, marriage, faith, and how I discovered and was drawn to Orthodox Christianity. This is not some tidy…