Song of the Soul

Today for Song of the Soul we head to England for a visit with Hilary James . A couple weeks back we had a wonderful time with her partner, Simon James , with some of his songs including Hilary's beautiful voice and singing. Hilary's love of music is wide, and while much of it was part of the English folk club scene of the 1960s and 70s, her musical palate definitely included blues and other forms...

Part 2 of our sampling of Kerrville New Folk winners who we've interviewed on NSR.

A different kind of Song of the Soul today, a sampling of our guests who have competed at the  Kerrville Folk Festival  New Folk Competition. We're grabbing glimpses of Kerrville alumni who we've interviewed on our show in recent years, giving you a taste of the rich talent and spirit of Kerrville artists.

We're headed to England today for a visit with  Simon Mayor . Unlike in the US where mandolin is a common instrument in many areas, it is a less common and less-vaunted source of fine music in England, except in the hands of Simon Mayor and a handful of other Brits.

Celebrating the winter holidays with 6 artists & songs, with very different glimpses & ideas about Christmas. Some are whimsical, some thought-provoking, some passionate.

Part one of a rich assortment of guests & original music of some Winter Holidays, like the Solstice, Hanukkah, Christmas, and the New Year.

Flamy Grant and their music is amazing & fun & deep & did I mention wonderful? You see, Flamy is such an unexpected combination of usually adversarial things like a drag queen singing Christian songs. In fact, Flamy's album  Bible Belt Baby  even made it to #1 on the iTunes Christian & Gospel chart. And in 2023 Flamy was a winner of the Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Co...

Leslie Smith  has shined as part of all the great folk locales, the Newport, Kerrville, and South By Southwest music festivals, and her songs have been done by many folk-greats, like Lucy Kaplansky and Dar Williams, although I think they are best out of Leslie's own mouth and guitar. Along the way to now she did a stint as part of a New York bluegrass band called Arabesque, but then she heade...

Chris Haddox has played so many instruments, hiked & paddled so many hills & rivers, and worked in so many fields that it's hard to wrap your mind around it. And even though Chris wrote his first song in 2 nd grade and played an astounding variety of instruments all through school and beyond, this past year, at 62, is the first time he's recorded his songs for the world.

Rich Morey  grew up immersed in music and performed for years with the  Chris Collat Band , yet he has only just begun to release his own music. The death of his mother and the pandemic ended up producing a chrysalis-like transition for Rich, the fruits of which today's listeners will witness. With an artist's hands on his guitar and a poet's tongue to create his lyrics, Rich will deepen...

Pat Humphries & Sandy O are the members of  Emma's Revolution , an entity with its own soul & mission, beautiful music to call forth the deepest of emotions, both grief and joy, always with the aim of steering the world toward justice & healing. If only we could unite the world like Pat & Sandy blend & weave their voices & instruments, peace and justice would already b...

Some people just shine with heart and soul in their music, and  Sigrid Christiansen  is a perfect example. In the 5 years since I first interviewed Sigrid, she produced two new recordings, full of introspective and nature-spective music, leading us to know our coyote, fox, swans, geese, and tree neighbors much better and closer, From Detroit, Michigan, comes the blessings of arms-wide-op...

Andrew Calhoun  is the real deal, applying all the skill & integrity needed to faithfully channel folk songs & folk culture through his dancing, delightful guitar, but also his deep & evocative voice. With loads of recordings over the decades, he's distinguished himself through Scotch-Irish songs and his African-American spirituals. He lives just outside of Chicago, IL.

Ann Reed  is a rich & wonderful source of music, stories, and even a book now - check out  Citizens of Campbell . She's been a mainstay of the women's and folk music scene in the Twin Cities of MN area for 40 years now, having produced some 24 albums.

I was introduced to  Michael Lille  in the course of my tribute interview for  Tom Prasada-Rao , a member of  The Sherpas  along with Michael and  Tom Kimmel .

Since his early teens,  Neale Eckstein  has been in a love affair with the guitar, music, and the dream of the singer/songwriter, though he allowed that passion to take a backseat for many years to his work as a pediatric dentist.

Will Fudeman  (also  on Bandcamp ) joins us to share his second Song of the Soul, most of it based on music from his newly released album,  What It Takes .

Part 3 of our tribute to  Tom Prasada-Rao , this time through the stories and songs selected by 3 of the women in Tom's life: his sister,  Patty Prasada-Rao , his ex-wife and musical partner in the  Dr

Part 2 of a tribute to Tom Prasada-Rao , who passed on 6/19/24. Today's stories & music are shared by the other members of  The Sherpas,   Michael Lille  &  Tom Kimmel .

Part 1 of a tribute to Tom Prasada-Rao, who passed on 6/19/24. Today's stories & music are shared by the other members of the  Fox Run Five :  Neale Eckstein ,  Matt Nakoa ,  Eric Schwartz , & Jagoda.

Lydia Violet is an amazing musician, songwriter, educator, & community activist, combining fiddle, clawhammer banjo, & voice to change & heal the Earth. Mentored by Joanna Macy, Lydia got her degree in Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness from the California Institute of Integral Studies, and weaves her music & Earthcare studies together in her Music Medicine program...

Carrie Newcomer  joins us for a Song of the Soul drawn from her latest album,  A Great Wild Mercy , including some songs co-written with  John McCutcheon  and with  Siri Undlin/Humbird .

Sue Orfield  wields her saxophone in the way that the pied piper played his pipe, mesmerizing all people, great & small, and leading them on a joyful, haunting, dancing, enthralling journey to the center. A part of dozens of groups of performers of numerous genres of music, Sue magically brings out the best in the artists and the audiences she showers her abundant gifts upon.

While  James Spartz  currently makes music with  Dogtown Hollow , he has sometimes been onstage as part of  Jim James & The Damn Shames  and under oth

Gretta Stone  became a musician because she loved being part of all the folk music that many Quakers shared together when she became part of  Doylestown Friends Meeting , and at one point was part of a band called  Faith and Practice . Gretta's path led to various travels, including her evolution into instrumental music and sacred harp singing.