Northern Spirit Radio
500 episodes listed below
Songs as memory, witness, and spirit.
Song of the Soul gives musicians room to explain the lives behind their songs. Recent visits move from protest folk and Celtic-based music to grief, farming, spirituality, old-time music, and the strange comfort a melody can carry.
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Song of the Soul is a long-running music interview program with a plainspoken, reflective center. The basic shape is simple: a guest brings songs, and the conversation follows the emotional, spiritual, political, or biographical trail those songs open. It is slow in a good way. Recent episodes make room for extended answers, full musical passages, and the kind of follow-up questions that treat a song as more than a track on an album. Folk and acoustic music sit closest to the show's center, but the range is wider than that. David Rovix brings protest music, punk, metal, rock, children's songs, and direct political argument into the frame. His two-part visit turns toward activism, Gaza, U.S. politics, social change, and the weight of writing from inside a world that can feel saturated with death. Cheryl Prashker's episode has a lighter social warmth, moving through CC Railroad, Runa, the Goderich Celtic Roots Festival, FolkPod, heartbreak music, and how songs let people reach feelings they may not name directly. David Wilcox brings a different kind of depth. His visit connects story, childhood pain, grace, gratitude, and the hard work of telling a painful past without being owned by it. Ben Bedford's episode leans into poetic images, guitar, animals, and a wider sense of kinship with the living world. Peter Mayer's return moves between spirituality and science, Minnesota, greyhounds, and the miracle of life. Andy Jewell's conversation links Americana folk, progressive rock, organic farming, and the odd creative space of time spent in a self-driving combine. Retrospective episodes gather older visits around old-time music, bluegrass, spirituals, torch songs, grief, and the imperfect pull of the so-called good old days. The show is not glossy. It favors context, memory, and sincerity over tight packaging. For listeners who like music journalism with soul, patience, and lived experience, it offers a generous place to settle in.
Made for: For listeners who like folk-rooted interviews, spiritual reflection, and long-form conversations about how songs emerge from lived experience. It especially suits people who want music tied to memory, grief, activism, family, place, and faith.
What sets it apart: The show gives guests unusual room to connect songs with the life around them, from protest and farming to heartbreak, science, and spirituality. It feels closer to a careful radio visit than a polished promo stop.
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.
Based on 5 episodes we listened to · September 2026
It makes biography, conviction, and musical memory audible through generous artist conversations and thoughtfully placed song selections.
Song of the Soul asks musicians to bring songs that carry personal weight, then uses those selections to guide the conversation through memory, belief, work, and public life.
Mark Helpsmeet gets musicians talking until you hear the life inside the song.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A second, extended conversation with a prolific songwriter centered on protest, activism, and social change.
Song of the Soul returns to David Rovics after last week’s conversation ran long, and the episode plays like a second pass through the same engaged exchange.
A second Song of the Soul visit that moves from protest music to heartbreak and children's music, with Failed State at the center.
This second Song of the Soul visit with David Rovix stays close to protest music, but it also gives room to the wider range in his work, from politics to heartbreak and children's music.
A warm folk conversation that follows a life in music with patience and care.
The episode presents Cheryl Prashker as a musician, organizer, and interviewer with a long, settled place in folk music. She is shown performing with Runa now, having once played with CC Railroad, while also organizing the Goderich Celtic Roots Festival and hosting FolkPod.
A reflective conversation about The Way I Tell the Story, with Wilcox speaking plainly about pain, anger, and grace.
Mark Helpsmeet keeps this conversation with David Wilcox grounded in The Way I Tell the Story, and that focus gives the piece its shape. Wilcox talks through pain, anger, grace, his childhood anger, and the high school memory that still seems to sit heavy with him.
A steady portrait of Efrat that connects early training, family music, and a wide stylistic range.
Song of the Soul presents Efrat as a musician shaped by early training, family music making, and a wide musical range. It traces her start with the Oak Ridge Symphony at age 10, her work with the Knoxville Youth Orchestra at 11, and her playing alongside her dad in a…
Movie careers, remembered from the inside.
David Rovics returns to Song of the Soul for part two of a long interview, with the host noting that his catalog includes about 50 albums across folk, punk, metal, rock, and children's music.
David Rovics returns to Song of the Soul after 18 years and frames the conversation around touring, parenting, and the political climate from 2008 through Trump, Biden, and COVID.
Mark Helpsmeet welcomes Cheryl Prashker for a conversation centered on her life in folk music and the many roles she has taken on over the years.
Mark Helpsmeet welcomes David Wilcox back to Song of the Soul for a second visit.
This episode features an interview with musician Ben Bedford, discussing his latest album 'Valley of the Stars' and exploring how his music expresses spiritual themes and connections to nature.
Host Mark interviews musician Peter Mayer about his spiritually reflective and inspirational music, exploring themes of soul, science, and social justice.
A retrospective episode featuring clips from past interviews with musicians, focusing on old-timey and spiritual songs.
Host Mark interviews musician-farmer Andy Jewell about his music and spiritual journey, blending Americana folk and progressive rock.
Host Mark interviews musician Al Kleiner about his music and its role in spiritual exploration.
Host invites musician Katie Dahl to share her spiritual journey through music, exploring how her songs reflect soul-level experiences and responses to world events.
Song of the Soul visits Efrat in New Jersey for a long conversation shaped by music and devotion.
This episode features an interview with musician Ethan Eckert, who discusses his diverse musical background and creative process on the Song of the Soul program.
This episode features an interview with Claire Dacey, a folk musician with a background in biology and plant ecology, who combines her scientific knowledge with music to connect listeners to the natural world.
Host introduces the show's concept of exploring spiritual journeys through music, then interviews folk artist Sofia Talvik about her alternative Christmas albums.
Host interviews composer Ivar Lundi Jr.
This episode features an interview with Filipina-American singer-songwriter Frances Ancheta, discussing her music and spiritual journey on the podcast Song of the Soul.
Host Mark interviews Abalone Pearl about her music with Dusty James, exploring how their songs reflect a spiritual journey.
Host Mark interviews musician Bob Franke about his spiritual journey and the role of music in his faith, following news of Franke's death.
Host Mark interviews musician Bob Franke about his spiritual journey and the music that has charted his soul's path.
Host interviews musician Sage Cook about her spiritual journey and music, exploring how songs express the soul's language.
This episode features an interview with Andrea Prichett, exploring her journey as a musician, activist, and history teacher who blends Christian anarchism with her work in education and social justice.
Host interviews folk musician John McCutcheon about his spiritual journey and music, promoting an upcoming concert.
Host interviews musician and interfaith minister Linda Allen about her spiritual journey and the role of music in her soul's expression.
Host Mark invites guests to share music that has charted their spiritual journey, exploring soul-level encounters through song.
Host interviews musician Katie Dwyer about her music and its role in her spiritual journey.
Host interviews musician Lucy Kaplansky about her spiritual journey through music, exploring how songs express the soul's language.
Host Mark interviews singer-songwriter Rebecca Pidgeon about her musical journey and the spiritual significance of her songs.
Host Mark welcomes back musician Trette Fury to discuss her spiritual journey through music, focusing on her career as a women's music powerhouse.
Host Mark welcomes back singer-songwriter Cora Feeder to discuss her spiritual journey through music and her new album.
Host interviews musician Sage Leary about his music and spiritual journey, featuring his original songs.
This episode features an interview with singer-songwriter Kirsten Manville, discussing her music career, influences from Nashville to Boston, and her blend of country, folk, and rock.