Voices of the Methow

I ran across this recording I made a few years ago and thought I’d share it with you. In these complex and troubled times we live in I think it’s important to step back once in a while and reflect with gratitude where we have come from and who helped us get there! Rock on Methow Valley and beyond! Get full access to Byron Odion at byronodion821766.substack.com/subscribe

Preserving Wenatchee tribal stories through film—where tradition, storytelling, and youth come together in The Winter’s Tale . The Winter’s Tale brings together renowned Wenatchee storyteller Randy Lewis and local film students to preserve the legends, history, and land-based traditions of the Wenatchee Tribe. This cross-cultural filmmaking project blends oral storytelling with modern media traini...

This is an interview I did in early 2018 with the late Rico Stover, Classical guitar master. At the time, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, tried to remove policy and budget protections that had shielded state-legal marijuana activity, aiming to restore broad federal enforcement discretion. Rico wanted to share his views on the benefits of Cannibus and we go back to the 1930’s and Rico introduces us...

* A candid five-minute interview with a friendly saxophonist I met on a Twisp street corner a few years ago. Brayan Daniel is from Nuevo Leon, a town in north eastern Mexico. He loves music, and was pursuing a college degree in accounting. Here is an example of how the universal power of art connects us—especially in times when immigrants are unfairly framed. Tune in to hear his reflections, his m...

On 10-3-25 Randy Lewis and Aaron Naumman gave a talk at the Winthrop Barn titled Dams and the Impacts on Salmon - Weaving Indigenous and Western Knowledge. At least that was how it was billed! It started off with an introduction by David LaFever, director of the Methow Valley Interpretive Center, and then Arnold Cleveland, a Wenatchi/p’squosa tribal member graced the stage with some with some sign...

You are in for a special treat! On 11-16-25- I asked a friend of mine Ken Bevis to host a podcast episode with Mark Tesch and Bruce Herron. We gathered at the Kroot radio station studio 97.5 FM, thanks Don Ashford! Ken explored Mark’s past including picking apples, hitchhiking, Hospital Facility Manager, Montessori teacher, Crew leader at Holden Village, Habitat for humanity board member, House bu...

In this audio we have MVIC (Methow Valley Interpretive Center) Director David LaFever giving a warm welcome to the gathering and introduce Arnold Cleveland ( a Wenatchee or “P’Squosa” Tribal member, who shares some meaningful words and a flute prayer, then Richard Hart speaks about the Difference between executive orders and treaty reservations and especially what we have to remember about today’s...

On December 19th 2018, I attended and recorded a book launching presentation given at the Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center. The book, Red Star Blue Star co authored by Historian and author Bill Layman and Wenatchi/P’squosa Colville Tribal elder and Activist Randy Lewis, tells the tale of a pair of twins fighting Spexman an elemental being that is defeated with the help of some of their fr...

This is an interview I recently recorded with Hilary Kaltenbach. I had several reasons for wanting to do this. I knew almost nothing about her and I wanted to give her an opportunity for a low stakes interview where she might be able to practice organizing her thoughts, so I decided to reach out and see if she was up for a chat. She was, and She didn’t disappoint! I want to share that I already re...

This is an interview I recently recorded with Boo Schneider. I had several reasons for wanting to do this. I knew almost nothing about her and I wanted to give her an opportunity for a low stakes interview where she might be able to practice organizing her thoughts, so I decided to reach out and see if she was up for a chat. She was, and She didn’t disappoint! I want to also share that I am offeri...

In this episode of Voices of the Methow, we are once again talking to musician and wildlife biologist, Ken Bevis. This is the culminating conversation in a 4 part series that began with a 2017 interview on my radio show on KTRT FM 97.5. In this episode we talk about the arc of Ken’s musical career, how he integrates it into his work as a biologist, and how he got involved with the Lost Homeland pr...

In this episode of Voices of the Methow, Byron is joined by retired Deputy Marshal and AI hobbyist Ken Bajema for Part 1 of an in-depth discussion about the accelerating development of artificial intelligence and its potential impacts on society, for better and worse. Ken describes how he built a personal AI chatbot at home, based on open source models and using existing AI agents to help him. He...

This is a conversation I recorded in 2020 with an old friend of mine named Leaf Running-rabbit. About 25 years ago, Leaf and I worked for three years on a construction site with a special group of people building a magical house. This is the story of some important lessons we learned, how we grew in the process, and how those lessons spiraled out into our own lives and many others. Get full access...

In this conversation we dive into Meditation and Braver Angels. Long time meditation and mindfulness based stress reduction teacher Sharon Cohen and Braver Angels advocate Janice Dickinson joined me to talk a little about themselves and about what each is doing to help build community in our valley. Also cover the work Kim Frey and Janice are doing supporting communication bridge building at the c...

Welcome to Voices of the Methow, a new podcast series I am launching featuring conversations with interesting people in and around the Methow Valley. For this episode, I invited Barry Stromberger and Ken Bajema to join me telling some funny stories. Content warning, a couple of Ken’s jokes may not be suitable for all audiences. Please join us as we time travel to talk about the valley as it was 50...