This is the third visit of Anne Hills to Northern Spirit Radio, and she brings together for us stirring visions of our past, present, and future, often glimpsed from on the wing. Anne has a rich history of writing and performing folk music, on her own, and with the likes of folk greats like Tom Paxton, Michael Smith, David Roth, and others.

Claire Dacey is a wonderful gift of music, too-little known. Her arrival on the folk music scene was delayed, in part, by her studies in Biology, Botany, Field Naturalist, and finally, Ph.D. studies at Harvard in Physiological Plant Ecology. Twas near the end of these studies when she realized her passion for music could be her chosen path, alongside her work of introducing folks to the more-than-human world and neighbors.

We're headed out to Pennsylvania today, with hopes that we'll see today's guest in Wisconsin within a couple months. His name is Dann Pell (music on bandcamp), and he came to my attention from an email offer he sent to my local Quaker meeting of a tour he is planning for March.

A visit to a rich variety of musicians featured on Song of the Soul in the early days of the pandemic, highlighting themes of The Road, The Reason, The Destination, with songs by Spook Handy, Andi Renfree, Laura Marie, Ksenia Mack, 

We're headed to Whitefish, Montana, for a deep-end encounter with Jamie Wyman. Jamie was headed toward work as a lawyer, in the role of either a criminal prosecutor or a healthcare attorney, but, as she says, her Saturn Return radically altered her trajectory, and music became her pathway and vehicle to world betterment. She spent some time with the Sunraven Band, but most of her years creating & performing music has been as leader of the Jamie Wyman Band.

Cliff Eberhardt has performed with oodles of well-known performers I've loved, like Lucy Kaplansky, Dave Van Ronk, Richie Havens, and Odetta, generally of the folk-rock-Americana-acoustic varieties, and I'm so excited to have him here today.

Time today for some seasonal music, but, of course, with a twist. Sofia Talvik has joined us twice before, and with the release of her 2^nd compilation of her annual Christmas songs, songs which Sofia has written to explore the wider experience of Christmas, including the distressing and challenging sides of the holiday, we again reached out across the sea to her, to Berlin, Germany, where this Swedish-born folk artist sometimes lives when she's not touring the USA or living in her other home in Spain.

Today for Song of the Soul, we are straying far from my safe and well-known musical turf to the the wonderful works of Ivar Lunde, Jr, a prolific and accomplished composer, pedagogue, performer, and conductor. Born in Norway, educated in Norway & Austria, he has performed & taught in many corners of Europe & the USA, including 35 years teaching at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire. His works have been performed by at least 7 different symphony & chamber orchestras in the US & Norway.

A delightful retrospective of Song of the Soul guests from Summer 2020, ranging lighthearted to profoundhearted.

We're headed to the west coast today for a deep & touching visit with Frances Ancheta, a Filipina-American singer/songwriter and acoustic musician. Frances has a rich repertoire of thoughtful and eclectic indie folk/pop/rock songs. I hear tell that before long she may also share some of the music from her family's country of origin, The Philippines, but right now we'll be blessed with her US-born and inspired songs, again, from the tenderest and most vibrant of hearts.