John Janzen is on his way to “living the dream”, largely because he successfully planted the seeds of the dream of life as a musical artist in his young sons' hearts, and they've taken over making the dream a reality. The result is some really go-getter music makers known as The Janzen Boys. Though along the way they've lived in Japan for some years, home for them is Winnipeg, Manitoba, in Canada, so I count myself lucky to have discovered John, who, with his 2 oldest sons, is this multi-talented, multiple-harmony, roots and singer-songwriter band, all of them Janzens.

Past/present religious/spiritual influences: Mennonite, Pentacostal, Anglican, Catholic

Guest-host Peterson Toscano of Citizen's Climate Radio is sitting in today, and he brings with him a wealth of connections to world-healing work. There are a few books and authers: The Twenty-One, The True Story of the Youth Who Sued the U.S.

Randy Sinz recently released his first personal album, This One's For You Dad, after a lifetime of performing, given that his dad pulled him onstage to perform in Randy's early teens. While he's mainly known as a bass player, and his native music genre is country, in fact he's played many instruments and numerous varieties of music.

Tom Draughon has written & performed music for more than half a century, on his own, on all kinds of stringed and keyboard instruments, and as part of a wide variety of groups, including Wild Oats, Second Wind, Indian Summer, Take 3, 

We all know that the world needs all the energy for change that we can give it, but we also know how easy it is to burn out on activism. Fortunately Omkari Williams has formulated methods of activism for the long haul, and she shares the insights and strategies in her book, Micro Activism: How You Can Make a Difference in the World without a Bullhorn. Omkari has lots of earned wisdom about the issue because of her former work as a political consultant, followed by her decades as an activism coach. Considering the approaches and factors that make activism sustainable, she helps us find which kinds of work are right for us, including the structures that can keep us energized and effective long-term.

Jim Bear Jacobs & other Native Americans lead Sacred Sites Tours in the area around the Twin Cities of Minnesota. He is a founder and convener of Healing Minnesota Stories, and he's also a member of the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican Nation in central Wisconsin.

Dan Wolff, along with Sarah Vos, have been the stable nucleus of Dead Horses since the band's inception. I interviewed Sarah back in 2016, fell in love with their music, so I'm so excited to have Dan here to share more of the riches they've created in the ensuing 7 years. Every song they share is an opportunity to feel deeply the heart of the world, and to be part of its healing as well. Dan was a punk rocker back in high school, but broadened his musical smorgasbord to include the folk-Americana flavors of Dead Horses, which he enhances with his upright bass.

Today for Song of the Soul, Peter Phippen & Ivar Lunde, Jr., are sharing music & stories they've created together.

There was an article by Bill Durland in the May/June 2023 issue of Western Friend called Martyrs for Conscience's Sake (and there is also a podcast of a visit with Bill) which provides a very short history of those martyred as they “spoke truth to power”.