Song of the Soul

Ksenia Mack is great writing and performing on her own, but is part of a quintuple threat with the Porch Party Mamas. Her songs and music are evocative, warm, & touching, guiding the listener through complex landscapes & emotions, always in the company of beauty. The Porch Party Mamas are a Boston, MA, area group of women with deep talents and a great combined voice.

Laura Marie brings to her music exactly the talents & inspirations that make for exquisite, soul-moving, life-affirming, path-changing songs. With the honesty, vulnerability, clarity, and power of a person who has experienced daunting adversity, faced it squarely, and triumphed over the injuries, Laura Marie perfectly demonstrates how to make beautiful music, shining with soul.

Andi Renfree stormed into Nashville, scoring almost immediately with one of her songs recorded by Chris LeDoux. She's collaborated with a number of songwriter/performers, and has performed with several groups, for a number of years as one-third of 2-Bit Palomino, but now with her husband as The Renfrees. Andi touches hearts with her poetry & music of the soul.

Spook Handy saw 2 images in the mirror, did not choose the actuarial path, and it has made all the difference. Taking the stage with Pete Seeger more than 50 times didn't hurt his street cred, but mostly his upbeat, folky, deep and relatable songs, along with Spook's poise and talent make him a pleasure and a joy to listen to and sing along with. When not solo, catch him with The Seed Planters, though no longer with Things Between (fka Sofa Kingdom).

There is a power & depth, a vibrant, evocative rootedness in the music of Claudia Schmidt. Over the 24 recordings Claudia has created has run the reflection of the earth & water of the Midwest, but also the freedom & inspiration of the wind & the stars above our entire planet. With lyrics, music, and voice to charm us all, Claudia channels enthusiasm, inspiration, & healing.

Donna Lynn Caskey is a Banjo Gal on Facebook and in person. From a musical family, headed to art studies, she got hijacked by a banjo, and pays for her music addition by her job as a social worker. She appeared on the Banjo Babes 2015 Calendar, and on other years as well. A self-proclaimed recovering perfectionist, Donna releases her music with a deep heart, a stirring voice, and an open spirit. She calls Ventura, CA, home.

Kerry Patrick Clark in no way claims to be a perfect guy, but he aims his music to inspire the world in that direction. His folk-singer/songwriter pedigre is deep & long, and it overlaps seamlessly with the spirituality of his very part-time day job as Director of Contemporary Music at the Maumee United Methodist Church. His home stomping grounds are the Toledo region of Ohio.

Terry Kitchen has been making fine folk music since 1991, mostly solo, after his initial career as a rock star with Loose Ties. Terry's songs mostly emerge from the deep, introspective places, accompanied by beautiful acoustic guitar work. Terry hasn't always been Terry, because once he was Max, as you'll hear during our conversation. Occasionally you'll find him on stage with other folks, like the wonderful Mara Levine, but today he joins us solo, from Boston.

A collage of song & interview from first quarter 2019! Some of the rich tapestry of Song of the Soul leading up to 2019's spring weather, from the guests who graced our airwaves at that time, and which can hopefully inspire us through our own determined progress out of winter. Guests snapshots include: Stuart Stotts, Wendy Martin, Lou & Peter Berryman, Ali Handal, Xanthe Alexis, Katy Vernon, & Jennifer Levenhagen.

Terry Holder came to her career as a musician & performer relatively late in life, but the pay-off is well worth the wait. She writes songs of great emotional depth and they come to life through her evocative voice and beautiful instrumentation. She’s well and widely-loved, including at the Kerrville Festival in Texas where she has been selected 4 times as a Kerrville New Folk Finalist.