Song of the Soul

ISMAY  is a musical experience wrapped around Avery Hellman. Without trying to limit  ISMAY  by any of the boxes we often put musicians in, their music is bluegrass, or country, or Americana, or folk, or something completely new.

Humbird  is a musical experience with Siri Undlin at its center. Her music has been described with terms like contemplative folk musings and resigned tenacity, but I would simply call it heart and soul stirring combined with instrumental genius. Siri lives in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, while the rotating band membership of  Humbird  reaches further afield.

Darryl Purpose  says he's never had a real job, earning his living either from blackjack or making music, but he's worth every cent and more. Determined to live outside the box, Darryl's music regales the listener with beauty, inspiration, & free-flowing spirituality.

Michael Johnathon  is a farmer - a songfarmer - and he cultivates folk music from his log cabin just outside of Lexington, Kentucky, by his personal writing, playing and touring, through his 20 albums, but also via the radio and video show called  WoodSongs  that he's been broadcasting on hundreds of stations for the past 18 years.

Emily White  is Memphis-raised, but Chicagoan as adult, self-describing as Southerner by heart, Midwestern by choice. While Emily's voice and music are beautiful and compelling, her lyrics elevate her to the top ranks of performers, touching the deep places and raising it all to golden heights. Her newest album is called  Songs You Didn't Know I Wrote About You , and that's likely the tr...

A sampling of the full  3-plus-hour collaborative concert  held on February 11 th , 2023 as part of the  People's Music Network (PMN)  Winter Convergence hosted at  The People's Forum  in New York City.

This is our 2nd visit with Earth Mama/Joyce Rouse and her rich assortment of musical influences, combined with great lyrics and a truly beautiful voice, all in service of the people and creatures of this planet. Joyce's 15 albums of fun, deep, joyful, and thought-provoking songs make Earth more stunning and hopeful. Past/present religious/spiritual influences : Lutheran, Catholic, Buddhist, Hindu,...

Annie Capp 's music has sometimes been called Midwest Urban Folk and it has also been called Folk Therapy, and the music that she shares today is from an especially deep and somewhat confessional project called  How Can I Say This .

Erin Zindle  and the Ragbirds play songs with a deep center, and with rhythms and melodies gathered broadly, from around the world. Erin is a multi-instrumentalist, playing her magic on the violin, keyboards, accordion, & many more instruments.

Usually we have songwriters sharing their own songs, but today we have  Chris David Westover-Muñoz , (and  on Facebook ) associate professor and director of bands at  Denison University  near Columbus, Ohio.

Bill Isles  was into all kinds of music and several instruments back in his youth, but then there was a hiatus of around 25 years where he was focused elsewhere. It took a near-death experience, where he had no heartbeat for 2 minutes, to spur him back to his passion for music, now partnered with his wife, Kate. Deeply rooted in the soil and water of his homeland in Northern Minnesota, Bill t...

Randie O'Neil 's music is magnetic, especially in the deeply honest feelings and aspirations of her songs. Randie has self-described as a Americana/Folk-Pop artist, but she is also standing on the shoulders of a number of heavy-rocking, strong-and-assertive-and-determined women who blazed a way in a mostly male-dominated rock world. Though her songs are largely solo artistry now, back in the day R...

Back in 2020, early in the pandemic, I discovered the music of  Raianne Richards and Mark Mandeville  and instantly adored it, and had Mark as my Song of the Soul guest.

Kiran Ahluwalia  was born in the Punjab, in India, but moved with her family to Canada when she was 7, well after she started training in the traditional music of her region. Kiran has continued her training, both deepening it and widening it. While her 8 albums are definitely rooted in the music and dance of her homeland, she has also enriched, extended, and diversified the songs she creates...

Part 2 of a birthday celebration for  Si Kahn  on his 80th birthday, this week with  John McCutcheon  and  Cathy Fink , sharing streams of music and meaning that flow from  Si Kahn .

As a happy birthday to  Si Kahn  for his 80th birthday, this week and next week we are sharing songs and stories by & about Si as performed by the hand-chosen successors to Si's work and music. Today that means we are joined by  Phoebe Rees  &  Joe Jencks .

Idris Phillips  left this world in July 2022, and we remember him today with my  interview with him from December 2017 , although I also interviewed him again in person, 

Andy Hanson  has lots of history with making music, but has only only seriously worked on conveying his music to the world in the past 5 or so years. Having performed previously with the band WYBLUE, Andy is now principally a solo act, able to draw on his guitar, keyboards, and even saxophone.

Leslie Evers  joined me for her first Song of the Soul back in 2020, just after the advent of COVID, and it was a rich occasion of musical and spiritual sharing. She has been a singer and songwriter since she was a kid, so in some ways the release of her first record in 2014 and the second one this year represents a fruition of decades of creativity and art on the folk/jazz/rock continuum.

Nick Foytik  brings with him music deeply marinaded in blues, soul, and rock n' roll, something not-so-common in Wisconsin's north woods where Nick grew up. Nick has been building his chops for some 20 years, and yet it's really only the past few years when he's really launched his music career full-scale, still focused mostly in the upper Midwest. In addition to his solo gigs and those with...

Our guest is Nerissa Nields, who shares equal lead billing with her sister, Katryna, of the group known as  The Nields . Their website proclaims them to be " equal parts Beatles, Cranberries and Joni Mitchell ", and that description is admirably accurate and concise. It's hard to adequately capture the power of their songs and voices except to tell you that you need to brace yourself to be in...

Although Lee Mynett had music in her bones and heart from a tender age, she didn't start writing songs till the age of 50, sort of like what happened with Melvina Reynolds of Little Boxes fame. Lee has a passion for music and story-telling, and has played music as Magdaleena's Muse, Gypsy Maggie, and as  Lee Mynett and the Root Tappers , and after decades in the South, she has returned to her...

Geof Morgan was a pioneer in the men's music that emerged around 1980 and which was so transformational for so many. Geof's path began in New England, matured and deepened in Nashville, and then migrated to Bellingham, Washington. His healing work continued all the while, though Geof's music lay largely dormant for decades, till about 6 years, where it sprung fully back to life. Geof released the...

My guest today is Kat Moore, and she's bringing us the music of the  Super Saturated Sugar Strings  from Anchorage, Alaska. Words fail in terms of describing the power and energy of their songs, though the phrase orchestral alternative folk-rock captures at least part of it. We're talking about band members playing multiple instruments at the same time, while the music sails and dives an...

In December I interviewed  Chuck Brodsky  about his song,  On Christmas I Got Nothing , which introduced me to Chuck's wry sense of humor mixed with cultural insight, Today we'll get a full chance to explore the range of his songs, complete with tinges of Bob Dylan's tones, mixed with heart-tendering stories, irony, and inspirational vision. And let's not neglect the imprint of the...