Part one of a rich assortment of guests & original music of some Winter Holidays, like the Solstice, Hanukkah, Christmas, and the New Year.

Flamy Grant and their music is amazing & fun & deep & did I mention wonderful? You see, Flamy is such an unexpected combination of usually adversarial things like a drag queen singing Christian songs. In fact, Flamy's album Bible Belt Baby even made it to #1 on the iTunes Christian & Gospel chart. And in 2023 Flamy was a winner of the Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Competition.

Leslie Smith has shined as part of all the great folk locales, the Newport, Kerrville, and South By Southwest music festivals, and her songs have been done by many folk-greats, like Lucy Kaplansky and Dar Williams, although I think they are best out of Leslie's own mouth and guitar. Along the way to now she did a stint as part of a New York bluegrass band called Arabesque, but then she headed back to Pittsburgh, back to her center.

Chris Haddox has played so many instruments, hiked & paddled so many hills & rivers, and worked in so many fields that it's hard to wrap your mind around it. And even though Chris wrote his first song in 2^nd grade and played an astounding variety of instruments all through school and beyond, this past year, at 62, is the first time he's recorded his songs for the world.

Rich Morey grew up immersed in music and performed for years with the Chris Collat Band, yet he has only just begun to release his own music. The death of his mother and the pandemic ended up producing a chrysalis-like transition for Rich, the fruits of which today's listeners will witness. With an artist's hands on his guitar and a poet's tongue to create his lyrics, Rich will deepen and uplift at the same time.

Pat Humphries & Sandy O are the members of Emma's Revolution, an entity with its own soul & mission, beautiful music to call forth the deepest of emotions, both grief and joy, always with the aim of steering the world toward justice & healing. If only we could unite the world like Pat & Sandy blend & weave their voices & instruments, peace and justice would already be the norm.

Some people just shine with heart and soul in their music, and Sigrid Christiansen is a perfect example. In the 5 years since I first interviewed Sigrid, she produced two new recordings, full of introspective and nature-spective music, leading us to know our coyote, fox, swans, geese, and tree neighbors much better and closer, From Detroit, Michigan, comes the blessings of arms-wide-open love and a pathway to a deep centeredness.

Andrew Calhoun is the real deal, applying all the skill & integrity needed to faithfully channel folk songs & folk culture through his dancing, delightful guitar, but also his deep & evocative voice. With loads of recordings over the decades, he's distinguished himself through Scotch-Irish songs and his African-American spirituals. He lives just outside of Chicago, IL.

Ann Reed is a rich & wonderful source of music, stories, and even a book now - check out Citizens of Campbell. She's been a mainstay of the women's and folk music scene in the Twin Cities of MN area for 40 years now, having produced some 24 albums.

I was introduced to Michael Lille in the course of my tribute interview for Tom Prasada-Rao, a member of The Sherpas along with Michael and Tom Kimmel.