It was a dark and stormy mid-September night of two thousand and eleven in Philadelphia. Matthew Jurasek and Tyler March were preparing for their bi-weekly ritualistic “Cure World Hunger” feast by serenading one another with tunes of their childhood. It was as Matthew plucked his stringed wooden baton, surrounded by the flames of hundreds of candles (necessary for the ritualistic feast), that Tyler had a life-altering vision. Tyler quotes, “While Sir Matthew gracefully, yet aggressively coated me in a Dreamscape of sound, I came to realize that if either of us were going to make it through that night alive, we would have no choice but to start a band.” Tyler translated this message to Matthew through their shared telekinetic abilities, and the movement, now referred to as “Thee Idea Men”, had begun. Without a word uttered between them, they left their feast behind and trekked out into the world in search of bandmates, capable of both musical genius and sexual superiority.

Two days later, Matthew and Tyler found themselves deep in the deserts of Saudi Arabia. Both were growing weary of the journey they had endured thus far, but they knew what they had come for, and could not leave until they had found it. Urban myth states that, buried deep into the earth somewhere in the heart of the Ad-Dahna desert lives a being capable of performing the most beautiful bass lines ever heard by man. As Thee two Idea Men powered along aimlessly in the hot, dry desert, they began to feel a rumble beneath their feet. They rapidly moved closer to the source of the vibrations below them, slowly becoming more aroused with each step. When they had traveled just over half a mile, the tremors beneath them became so intense that both Matthew and Tyler fell to their knees, and climaxed. They had found what they had come for (get it?). When the tremendous earth-hum had subsided they began to dig. They dug straight into the dirt for five days straight with their band hands, accepting not a second of rest, nor a drop of water. Finally, just as neither Man thought they could go any further; their bloody fingers broke through the dirt below, and into a dimly lit cave. There he lie asleep, in all of his glory and talent, Mr. Kristopher Pirnat. As Matthew and Tyler did not want to risk the possibility of Kris saying “No” to their proposal to play bass for Thee Idea Men, they quietly lifted him from his bed, making sure not to disturb his slumber, and carried him back to Philadelphia. Kristopher awoke upon arrival (he is a VERY deep sleeper) and did not question his being in America. He simply looked his two captors in the eyes and knew that this was his purpose in life. He accepted his position in the band, and worked alongside Matthew and Tyler to conceive Getcho Groo Von, Thee debut Idea Men album.

A few months after having written and recorded Getcho Groo On, the three Idea Men decided they needed to crank up the pizazz levels. They felt that if they brought in a new member, they could skyrocket their success to the next level. The level they were on was great, but it was rumored that there was chocolate cake on the next level. So this is where they wanted to be. They scoured the country for weeks in search of the perfect fit for their sound, kidnapping and forcing every guitarist they came in contact with to play for them, in hopes that He would be the one. While at a rest stop in American Fork, Utah, Thee Men heard a sound coming from behind a nearby Eighteen-Wheeler that none could ignore. It was power-driven and soulful, the likes of which had not entered the three men’s earholes in far too long. They rounded the trailer bed and saw a young bearded man, who they assumed to be homeless, with an acoustic guitar, belting warm, gruff vocals, and drilling into his guitar with the deep passion that they had been on the search for all along. Matthew, Tyler and Kristopher glanced at each other, noticed one another’s erections, and knew they had found their match. They approached they’re potential new member and requested he play rhythm guitar with the band. While hesitant at first, the mysterious traveler, who later came to be known as Matt Raspanti, agreed to a practice session, and a night out on the town. The practice session went great, but the night out was what sealed the deal. Seven mimosas in and a solid few high-fives later, Matt decided he would play with Thee Idea Men, and the world has never been the same.

Sharing the stories of North Carolina and North Carolinians.

Podcast Description:

Many have heard of his name – Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  And many know he was a martyr under the Nazi regime during World War II. Yet, what many do not know, is that he was a theologian, a professor, a humanitarian, an ethicist, a prolific writer, and his most dearest role, an Evangelical pastor who loved the church and called it to take the higher, yet more difficult road, during the most turbulent time in history. 

We can glean from Bonhoeffer’s approach in examining and proposing solutions to the various crises, controversies, and conflicts that he encountered in his era – and that we encounter in our world today.  Join us on our journey of not only discovering Dietrich Bonhoeffer, but on continuing his work to restore integrity to a Christianity contaminated and disfigured by political cooptation and exploitation.  

The Host
Rev. Dr. Rob Schenck

The Rev. Dr. Rob Schenck is an ordained Evangelical minister and president of the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Institute, located in Washington, DC.  A leader among American Evangelicals, Rev. Schenck served a 2-year term as chairman of the Evangelical Church Alliance, America’s oldest association of independent Evangelical clergy, and is now an advisor to the Office of the Secretary General of the World Evangelical Alliance. 

Rev. Schenck holds a B.A. in Religion, M.A. in Christian Ministry, D.Min in Church and State, and is a senior fellow at the Centre for the Study of Law and Public Policy at Oxford.  

Rev. Schenck serves on numerous boards and committees, including the National Advisory Board on Community Engagement in the State Courts. 

Rev. Schenck lives in Washington, DC, with his wife, Cheryl, a psychotherapist in private practice.

After taking time crafting a landscape of experimental music with F.O.R. & Sugarsmack Daddy, I decided to create music that is as atmospheric and it’s totally grooved worthy. My musical accomplishments are too numerous to explore in detail, But it can’t hurt to list them. I’ve been a drummer / percussion player for a little bit over 30 years. I’ve been a member for some of Philly’s well respected outfits like, Phil Moore Browne, West Vienna, Public Record, FOR, Sugarsmack Daddy, In Like Flynn, Goodbye Friday, Mark Boyce Combo, Gentlemen 4, The Back 2 Basic Band, Lines of Oppression, The Goats, Stereo Wreck, Akash, Rockers Galore, Whore House Suicide, The Skin Tone’s, and The London Victory Club. Playing places like Ohio, New York, Boston, Chicago, Louisiana, Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, DC and Philadelphia.  I have worked with some of Philly finest like King Britt, Chris D (G-Love / Slightly Stupid), Blayer Pointdujour, J. C. Price, Shawn Walker, Daniel "Gravy" Thomas and June Lopez among others. I spent years crafting my art, my only desire is to present my sound all over the world.

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