Laura Farley, along with her husband, Jym, are High and Rising, a duo from La Crosse, Wisconsin, getting ready to release their first CD. For some years now they, and up to 4 other people, are known as the Merry Weathers, playing folk/Americana, including bluegrass, folk, country, and rockin music, with a major emphasis on original tunes and including some long-loved covers.
Larry Heagle is an Eau Claire-centric, Midwest-roaming musician with a specially in comedy stand-up, who just published a memoir, of sorts, loaded with all the kinds of comedy & quirky world-view he's famous for. It's called Not Really Sane, Not Really Sorry: Tales of an Itinerant Performer and you better get ahold of Larry if you want a copy - not Amazon or anyone else. You can find Larry on Facebook or you can email Larry.
Carl Fields emerged from 16 years in prison with a passion & a gift for healing. In addition to his work a program manager with the Hospitality Center at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, he has been on the board of EXPO Wisconsin, heads ROC (Restoring Our Communities) with Racine Interfaith Coalition, and was just appointed to the new Mayoral Task Force on Police Reform for Racine, WI.
Past/current religious/spiritual influences:
Baptist, Buddhism, Non-denominational Christian
Peterson Toscano recounts the epic story of a "day in the life" of Jesus and the disciples as found in Mark chapter 5. There we see a demon possessed man, a herd of pigs, really pissed off towns people, and very frightened disciples. As an actor, Peterson is curious about the backstory of "the man who dwelt amongst the tombs." What brought him to this place in his life? What trauma did he experience that he feels safe among the dead while avoiding family and friends?" This raises questions for Liam about the way queer people, particularly trans people are treated by society and family.
“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions.” -Albert Einstein.
As climate change advocates, our ability to imagine a better future sometimes requires supernatural skills. Still engaging our imagination is essential to stirring up the kind of hope and excitement that inspires others to action. We need to articulate what it is we are fighting for? What is the world we want to create? Through a mind-expanding thought experiment, three guests join us to help unleash our imagination potential. Imagine a world without fossil fuels. What does it look like? What does it sound like? What does it smell like?
Barbara Luetke recently retired after 10 years as the Outreach & Literacy Coordinator at the Northwest School for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children and decades more in the field. She's written a number of textbooks in that field. Her latest book is an historical novel, The Kendal Sparrow about Elizabeth Fletcher, an early Quaker teacher & activist in an century that did not empower 15-year old females to speak in public, especially as equal with male preachers.
Remembering the Gems & Jewels of Summer 2019 shows, with Jerry Hui (Voices United), Jennifer Evans (Just Folk in Boston), Randall Adams (Wind, Waves, Dreams, & Music), Regla Garcia-Schmidt (Sweet Angel Warrior), John McCutcheon In Person!, Joe Iadanza (Long Island's Exceptional Common Man), Ben Reel (Ireland's Darkness & Light), and Steve Suffet (Old-Fashioned Folk Singer).
Song of the Soul broadcast retrospective of a simpler, less COVID-19, time, one year ago, in 2019, with Victoria Shoemaker (Bewitching), Kora Feder (Painting the Sky with Music), Peter Phippen (Living Music, Sacred Flute), Ira Levin of The Levins (Harmonizing With Lamed Vavniks, Hafiz, & The Gita), Sally Rogers (Happy 100th Birthday Pete Seeger), Pat Humphries of Emma's Revolution (Pete Seeger's Last Songs), Charlie King (Pete Seeger's Last Songs), and Annie Patterson (Pete Seeger's Last Songs).
Chad Seales writes & speaks eloquently on neoliberal capitalism, religion, spirituality, & their intersection with U2 star, Bono, in his book Religion Around Bono: Evangelical Enchantment and Neoliberal Capitalism. Scrutinizing secularism, sincerity, and the factual effects of well-intentioned attempts to be helpful, Chad spotlights the realities behind the forms. Chad Seales teaches in the Dept of Religious Studies at UT-Austin.
Past/current religious/spiritual influences:
Baptist, Christian Fundamentalist, Methodist
When Tom Pirozzoli isn't making or playing folk music, you can pretty much find him painting in his New Hampshire studio. Having rambled widely over many continents, Tom has gathered lots of "grist for the mill" in his song writing. His fingers dance the guitar strings, his voice dances the tunes, and his heart dances touching, fun, and insightful lyrics into our lives. Be sure to catch his video of This Is What Love Is Like on Tom's Facebook page.