Join us to explore the flourishing community singing movement. We open with Ursula Goodenough’s Earth-centered reinterpretation of the Lord’s Prayer, then we get into the music. This episode showcases how repetition-based songs invite listeners to join in collective celebration of our planetary home. We introduce Jan Roundy, our gateway to the movement, followed by offerings from Heather Pierson & Bernice Martin. Patricia Norton’s “A Breath of Song” project features compositions that honor trees and rain. The second half features new releases from Lilianna Parker and Heather Houston. We also highlight the collaborative Minnesota-based “Sea Others Glow” project, where dozens of community singers and songwriters collaborate. These songs, characterized by simple, repeating phrases and nature-centered imagery, demonstrate how ecological spirituality can be made accessible through the most ancient and democratic of instruments: the human voice in community.
Author: Bart Everson
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0051: Folk Fest
Exploring folk music’s central role in ecological awareness, a tapestry of contemporary and traditional songs that honor our connection to the living world — from Nessy Williamson’s blackthorn-inspired reflections on habitat loss to Heather Pierson’s sing-alongs that would make Pete Seeger proud. The first half features spring-themed British and American folk traditions, including Kate Daisy Grant & Nick Pynn’s “Fearn (Alder Song)” from their tree calendar project. After the break, the definition of “folk” expands globally through Yaima’s folktronica, Iris da Selva’s Portuguese celebration of Mother Nature, and El Compost del Sistema’s playful Argentine reminder that humans are “just one more animal.” The hour concludes with powerful advocacy pieces like Twilight Fields’ “The Animal’s Song” and Dakota Sid Clifford’s “Freedom, No Cash Value,” demonstrating folk music’s enduring role as a vessel for environmental values across cultures and generations.
PS: The storm sounds in the background were very real!
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0049: Field Infusions
“Field Infusions” explores the fertile intersection where composed music meets environmental sound. From Synne Sofie’s Brazilian valley recordings to Cassie Watson Francillon’s harp-centered outdoor installation in New Orleans, these artists don’t merely sample nature—they collaborate with it. Journey through the woods and streets surrounding Dalton Alexander’s childhood home. Pray for Earth with Ernesto Escaf. Explore tree biology with Sunken Lanes. After a brief sample of AC Lavender’s violin-water dialogue, the program concludes with Buruntuma’s homage to the endangered Timneh Parrot, and Dead Can Dance’s rarity “Bird.” Each piece demonstrates how field recordings transcend mere background texture to become essential voices in musical conversation, creating works that don’t just represent nature, but embody our relationship with it.
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0047: Climbing the World Tree
“Climbing the World Tree” takes listeners on a journey through this universal mythic symbol across musical cultures. From Kate Daisy Grant’s contemporary British folk tribute to the ash tree, through Latvian, Magyar, and Norse interpretations, to Bartholomäus Traubeck’s experimental translation of tree rings into piano notes, we journey through diverse sonic landscapes. There’s even a brilliant slice of French pop courtesy of Frêne. The program culminates in Bronius Kutavičius’s powerful Lithuanian oratorio “The Tree of the World” – a piece that emerged during the Baltic “Singing Revolution” and speaks to both cosmic harmony and cultural resilience. The DJ apologizes for mangling the pronunciation of so many words!
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0045: Title Tracks
Earth Eclectic’s 45th voyage presents a gathering of title tracks — those sacred anchors where artists have concentrated their ecological messages with particular intensity. Join us as we explore how these namesake songs carry an extra measure of power and intention.
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0043: Songs of Place
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0041: Songs for the Trees
Is there any other living being that symbolizes life on Earth more readily than the tree? Microbes are fundamental, but they’re a lot harder for us humans to perceive. Trees are visible. While Dan Sperling bemoans the fact that we can’t see the forest, in this episode we celebrate the fact that we can, indeed, see the trees. Kate Daisy Grant & Nick Pynn’s forthcoming album, “Songs for the Trees,” makes an especially strong case with each track honoring a different species. Folk singer Tom Neilson shares what might be his most spiritual song, “Tamarack Tree,” and we end with a devastating tribute from Dana Lyons.
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0039: Songs of Morning
Pete Seeger said you should start each day with a song. That’s according to Joe Uehlein of the U-Liners, who went on to create a “Morning Song.” (Thank you listener Ken for the tip.) In this episode, we present a collection of gorgeous melodies inspired by this special moment in Earth’s continual rotation. Whatever time you listen — good morning!
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0035: Songs of Naturewave
Way back in 2017, Simon Chandler wrote: “Vaporwave is notorious for its many proliferating subgenres and memes… while ‘naturewave’—for lack of a better term—isn’t big enough to be recognized as a legitimate subgenre by the vaporwave community, the number of albums that this term describes has been steadily growing…” The volume of releases self-described as naturewave has only increased since then, and this show is mostly composed of music released in the last few weeks and months.