Down-home music is what you should expect from Jake Soha of the duo Rock Creek Song Dogs. Jake makes some banjo-spicy music with his wife, Dani Jo Soha, and they self-describe their music as “a little folk, a little rock, a little gritty with a hint of bluegrass”. You'll also find him on stage with Tim Case and Ramblin' Lou Carver. Jake Soha brews his eclectic melange in Mondovi, Wisconsin.

All featured music is written & performed by Rock Creek Song Dogs, Jake & Dani Soha, unless otherwise noted:

The Corrosion - from The Corrosion

As It Seems - from The Corrosion

Sound Advice - from The Corrosion

Dr. Nicole Avena didn't start out to specialize in her concern for how added sugar is affecting our well-being, but was led there by the data. Nicole is assistant professor of neuroscience at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City and she's also a visiting professor in health psychology at Princeton University. The latest of her 5 books is SUGARLESS: A 7-Step Plan to Uncover Hidden Sugars, Curb Your Cravings, and Conquer Your Addiction, drawing on a mix of her training and research in both psychology and neuroscience to address one of the most consequential life-style issues in America.

We interviewed Tom Paxton & John McCutcheon back before Christmas about their jointly written and performed album called Together. We're talking about an overabundance of music creation skills by two folk musicians who have released over 100 albums between them. If you don't know their songs then it's finally time to come out of your sheltered existence and to let the sun shine. You're going to laugh and cry and find a home in their voices, instruments, and songs.

Ben Cook-Feltz is an Iowan boy who got lost and wondered north to the Twin Cities of Minnesota. Ben has found a stable and fertile place to grow and make music in the Twin Cities, enough so that he does that at the same time he's parenting a 4-year old. Particularly insightful is the description that Iowa Public Radio had for Ben when they described him as “Paul Simon singing songs about broken hearts and pants” - wow, does that capture both Ben's artistry and his amazing and quirky creativity. His spouse is the amazing Ellen Stanley, AKA Mother Banjo.

Second part of Songs Beyond the Norm for the December 2023 Holidays, focused today on Christmas, but with twists both deep and heavy, and still moving toward Light. Today's 5 songs are by our 6 guests are John McCutcheon & Tom Paxton, The Janzen Boys, Sofia Talvik, Si Kahn, and David LaMotte.

Past/present religious/spiritual influences: Catholic, Quaker, Mennonite, Pentacostal, Anglican, Non-affiliated, Jewish, Presbyterian

Albert Bellg has followed a long and mindful path in his life, and he shares the essential experiences and insights in his new book, Living the Deepest Truth You Know. Drawing on deep inner resources and availing himself of external supports and mentors, Al recounts the times his decisions were guided by unexpected and surprising truth and wisdom, available to all, but often neglected. Al retired from work as a psychologist recently, but continues to facilitate retreats, lead meditation sessions, and write, including poetry and books.

Christine Platt and Catherine Wigginton Greene are exploring the potentials and pitfalls of interracial friendships, and, really, all friendships with “the other”.

First part of Songs Beyond the Norm for the December 2023 Holidays, with humor and humility, for Hanukkah, Solstice, & Christmas, in ways you'd never expect. Today's 5 guests are Chuck Brodsky, Peter Alsop, Joe Jencks, Chris Rosser, and The Rustic Riders. 5 more guests next week.

Past/present religious/spiritual influences: Baha'i, Jewish, Indian, Buddhist, Christian, Presbyterian, Unitarian Universalist

Featured Music:

Today's guest-hosts from the Climate Changed Podcast of the BTS Center present a few heart-and-soul-deep features, starting with a moving audio essay called “Daddy, Did We Hurt Them?” by co-host, Ben Yosua-Davis and his 5 year-old-son, Michael. Co-host Nicole Diroff and her father, Michael DiMonte, continue the discussion, and then Nicole does a deep-dive with Hannah Malcolm who is an ordinand in the Church of England and is writing a PhD on a theology of climate and ecological grief.