A self-proclaimed "Budd Lite" (as in Buddhism), Catholic-raised, Americana musician, Joe Fahey lives the questions through his music. Today the questions include life & death, but there are no definitive answers on tap here, just experiences, feelings, & some whimsy, from this Twin Cities-based artist.

Song of the Soul invites you to a soul-level encounter. Music has the ability to proclaim the soul's language beyond what mere words can speak. That's what we seek as we invite our guests to share their Song of the Soul. You will hear the music that has charted the steps of their spiritual journey, that has provided a touchstone in the soul's dark night, and sung the hearts awe and joy when come to the Light. As you listen to Song of the Soul, you are both witness and companion to our guest's spiritual path and sacred testimony.
Song of the Soul guests provide 20-23 minutes of the music of their soul, and Mark Helpsmeet explores with them the relevance and meaning of this music to their experience. Most guests are musicians, usually sharing their own music, but some guests are simply sharing music they've been impacted by, written and performed by others.
The theme song for this program is by Cris Williamson and is called "Song of the Soul". Please check out the wealth of great music Cris has gifted to the world.
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Simple Aussie Folk
First Air Date
Mandy Breeze and Doug Kelly take traditional folk tunes, mostly, and transform them into vibrant, living stories and culture. With rich, beautiful vocals and creative, engaging instrumentals, you'll discover a love for traditional songs with modern impact.
American Hunger
First Air Date
Liam Robinson & Jean Rohe largely birthed their Hunger EP at the Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology in Bellaire, Michigan, and a creative threshold was crossed into the duo called Robinson & Rohe. Their collaboration is a crucible for refining the American experience from many vantage points and creating a musical edifice of powerful lyrics, evocative harmonies, and consummate skill.
The Red Road (to Nashville?)
First Air Date
Bill Miller is a 3-time Grammy Awards winner, a Mohican Indian from Northern Wisconsin, and a Nashville-based singer-songwritter of incredible & diverse musical talents. He'll be the headliner at LaCrosse, WI's Great River Folk Festival Sunday afternoon concert, August 27, 2017.
Hope & Change Rise Again
First Air Date
Annie Patterson & Peter Blood support hope & change through their world-famous group singing books, Rise Up Singing and Rise Again. For close to 40 years they have been nurturing & leading group singing. Peter was editor for Pete Seeger's autobiography, Where Have all the Flowers Gone, and Annie performs in multiple configurations, including with Girls From Mars.
Whistling in the Womb
First Air Date
Juliana MacDowell is sure that she was making music before she ever saw the light of day, and her music will make you believe it. A soul-deep voice and wide-open heart, you'll want her for your new best friend, singing in your ear every day.
Ann Arbor's Banjo-toting Shoemaker
First Air Date
In the hours when Paul Tinkerhess is not repairing Birkenstock footwear for the people of Ann Arbor, he finds other ways to nurture his town - by organizing the Water Hill Music Fest, by keeping winter sidewalks walkable with Snow Buddy, and by sharing his banjo-playing and song-writing talents generously in the cause of community. A CD of the live music from this interview will be available for sale at NorthernSpiritRadio.org, the only current source of Paul's music!
Charlie King - Reprise
First Air Date
An old friend of Northern Spirit Radio, Charlie King, returns for the first time in nine years. Join us as this talented troubador shares his songs, stories, and trenchant wit with us and our listeners on Song of the Soul, tales from becoming a concientious objector as a Roman Catholic to being told by Pete Seeger to write a Woody Guthrie song.
Pete Seeger's Bountiful Harvest, Part 1
First Air Date
Pete Seeger planted seeds of music & change everywhere he went, and some of that harvest is shared today (& next week) by a visit with Leda Schubert, author of Listen: How Pete Seeger Got America Singing (and also The Princess of Borscht), and musician friends of Pete's, Joe Jencks, Charlie King, and Pat Lamanna (and several more folks next week!). Pete was inspirational & transforming for so many people!
Hobo & Deserter, Jersey & Heartland
First Air Date
A long-ago migrant from the Jersey Shore to the Heartland, Ian Alexy and his brother have been the Hobo Nephews of Uncle Frank, while his own band is Ian Alexy & The Deserters. It's driving rock, it's folk, it's real, it's great.