This episode concludes our tribute to the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr and to the movement of freedom, although we know the legacy and the movement continue very much even today.  We start this Part 2 with as always an acknowledgment of the fact that we all need a Rude Awakening (Della Mae).  King’s last Sunday sermon before his death was at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC on March 31, 1968 and was entitled, REMAINING AWAKE THROUGH A GREAT REVOLUTION.  That title was the lead in to my conversation with Dr. Richard Lischer the James T. And Alice Mead Cleland Distinguished Professor Emeritus of the Divinity School, Duke University.  Dr. Lischer is the author of many books—check them out at: www.richardlischer.org .  His prize winning book, The Preacher King: Martin Luther King,Jr. and the Word that Moved America was the springboard of our conversation together.  The main part of our conversation with Dr. Lischer was a discussion of sorts about King’s Letter from the Birmingham Jail.  Lischer gives a great introduction as to the context of the letter and then we read passages from the letter with commentary from Dr. Lischer.

This episode is a 2 part tribute to the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr and to the movement of freedom.  This Part 1 episode takes a look at how music is the soul of the movement.  Our guest Yara Allen, Director of Cultural Arts, Repairers of the Breach and Co-Director of Cultural Arts with the Poor People’s Campaign-A National Call for Moral Revival.  Another term that has been given to what Yara does is ‘theomusicologist’.

Yara answers questions like—“what in the world sent you into the streets singing”? And gives a great story about how music draws people into the movement.  The interview even includes Yara singing parts of a few of the songs in the movement like..”I’m on my way up..my mind is made up..gonna hold my head up..walking on in love”.

Check out the movement at: www.poor people’s campaign.org and www.breachrepairers.org

SOUL CAFE PODCAST EPISODE 4

With Special Guest: ALATHEA (Mandee Radford Langley and Cristi Johnson)

This episode includes an interview with Alathea who are two acoustic, Americana-folk singer songwriters with many albums.  The interview zooms in on relationships, family, integrity and nature. As always the Podcast starts with the bluegrass, Americana band Della Mae belting out Rude Awakening—“splash your face with a gentle disgrace of a reign blowing in unexpectedly”.

I (Frank the Podcaster) have had Alathea perform at countless events over the last 20 years and we tell stories about some of those.  But more importantly we talk about the thread of family and building community by being real and honest and open with each other.

We also listen in to excerpts from two of their songs and talk about them:

Be My Guide from the My Roots Grow Deeper Album

Halls of Heaven from the Tremble Album

Both songs were used with permission of Alathea who are the songwriters and both albums were self-published and copyrighted.

WELCOME TO--------PULL UP A CHAIR AT THE SOUL CAFÉ PODCAST---THE SOUL CAFÉ WHERE LIFE IS SERVED-UP FRESHLY BREWED.

SO WHAT DOES A RETIRING PASTOR OF 40 PLUS YEARS—ACTIVIST—FATHER—GRANDFATHER---HUSBAND AND JUST GENERAL SELF-PROCLAIMED SEMI-COOL DUDE DO BUT------HAVE A PODCAST RIGHT?

WHY BECAUSE DEEP IN MY SOUL---I BELIEVE THAT THE TABLE IS HUGE—AND THERE IS ROOM FOR EVERYONE---AND OH---WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER---PANDEMIC—RACISM—WOMEN’S RIGHTS—GREED GONE WRONG---WE NEED EACH OTHER TO SHOW UP AT THE TABLE—AND OH YES, WE NEED A HIGHER POWER—SO COME HUNGRY AND FEED YOUR SOUL WITH SOME REVOLUTIONARY LOVE.   SO PULL UP A CHAIR AT THE SOUL CAFÉ---CAUSE SISTERS AND BROTHERS YOU ARE WELCOME HERE---NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE OR WHERE YOU ARE ON LIFE’S JOURNEY---SO PULL UP A CHAIR.

SO---ARE YOU READY FOR SOME ‘RUDE AWAKENINGS’ TODAY?   AT THE BEGINNING OF EVERY EPISODE OF THE SOUL CAFÉ PODCAST WE LISTEN TO THAT WILD SONG BY DELLA MAE TO REMIND US THAT WE ALL NEED A LITTLE RUDENESS—A RUDE AWAKENING----A ROUSING FROM SLEEP—A ROUSING FROM INACTIVITY OR INDIFFERENCE –SO SING US INTO SOME AWAKENINGS DELLA MAE………  PLAY SONG—RUDE AWAKENINGS

THANKS DELLA MAE AND ROUNDER RECORDS/CONCORD MUSIC FOR THE PERMISSION TO USE RUDE AWAKENINGS AND OUR WRAP UP SONG—FOR THE SAKE OF MY HEART.

SO IF YOU ARE NOT AWAKE YET—YOU WILL BE SOON AS OUR GUEST DEAN CYCON JOINS US.  DEAN IS FOUNDER AND OWNER OF DEANS BEANS AN ORGANIC/FAIR TRADE—KOSHER CERTIFIED COFFEE ROASTER BASED IN ORANGE MA.  NOMINATED  FOR 2022 ROASTER OF THE YEAR FINALIST----“TAG LINE OF—SPECIALITY COFFEE AS A VEHICLE FOR POSITIVE CHANGE.  I HAVE DEAN WITH US TODAY FOR MANY REASONS---BUT AS WITH MOST OF MY GUEST THERE IS ALWAYS A PERSONAL REASON—AND THAT IS THE FAMOUS COFFEE THAT WAS CREATED AT DEANS BEANS JUST FOR THE SOUL CAFÉ---SOUL CAFÉ BLEND—A BLEND OF 3 FRENCH ROASTS—GUATAMALEN—SUMATRAN—NICARAGUAN—GO TO DEANS BEANS.COM---AND YOU TOO CAN HELP CREATE YOUR PERSONAL BLEND.  MY WIFE AND I DRINK THIS SUPER BLEND CALLED SOUL CAFÉ EVERY MORNING---AND SERVED AT LOTS OF SOUL CAFÉ EVENTS OVER THE LAST 10 PLUS YEARS---AND WHEN WE DRINK IT WE FEEL LIKE WE ARE JOINING WITH DEAN’S BEANS IN THEIR MISSION OF PEOPLE CENTERED DEVELOPMENT----HOPEFULLY DEAN WILL TALK TO US A LITTLE ABOUT THAT TODAY.  Yes, you can have a successful business that actually makes a difference in the lives of real people.  And---by the way my close second favorite to the soul café blend is Artic Sunrise.

And DEAN IS ALSO AUTHOR OF THE BOOK---JAVATREKKER—DISPATCHES FROM THE WORLD OF FAIR TRADE COFFEE---AND RIGOBERTA MENCHU SAID THIS ABOUT DEAN AND JAVATREKKER—“COFFEE IS MORE THAN JUST A DRINK.  IT IS ABOUT POLITICS, SURVIVAL, THE EARTH, AND THE LIVES OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES.  JAVATREKKER IS A GREAT BOOK FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO KNOW WHAT IS REALLY GOING ON IN THEIR MORNING CUP.”

WELCOME DEAN---CAN’T YOU JUST SMELL THOSE FRESHLY ROASTED BEANS….

WELCOME TO THE SOUL CAFÉ---WHERE LIFE IS SERVED-UP FRESHLY BREWED---PULL UP A CHAIR 

AN OLDER SINGER SONGWRITER---BRUCE COCKBURN USE TO-- IN A SONG ASK A RECURRING QUESTION---“CAN ANYBODY TELL ME---WHAT IS THE SOUL OF A MAN?”---FOR ME HE WAS ASKING---WHAT DRIVES YOU—WHAT GIVES YOU PASSION—WHAT ENERGIZES YOU EVEN TO THIS DAY---WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO THAT DEAN?

OKAY—THE BURNING QUESTION—MUCH DEEPER----WHAT IS DEAN’S---THE DEAN OF DEANS BEANS—WHAT IS YOUR TOP 3 COFFEES YOU ROAST---NAMES AND BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS?

NOW BACK TO THE IDEA OF YOUR COMPANY HAVING AS ITS MISSION –PEOPLE CENTERED DEVELOPMENT—YES, I READ JAVATREKKERS—LOVED THE CHAPTER—GOOD FRIENDS, COLD BEER AND A WATER BUFFALO—SUMATRA, 2003—

NOW I DID GIVE DEAN THIS QUESTION YESTERDAY---KNOWING THAT IT MIGHT TAKE A MOMENT OR TWO TO JOG HIS MEMORY OF SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED  ALMOST 20 YEARS AGO----THIS IS WHAT I REMEMBER –PAMAN DEAN THE BUFFALO ROAMS---WATER BUFFALO ECO-MANAGEMENT PROJECT---I THOUGHT OF THIS AS AN EXAMPLE OF PEOPLE-CENTERED DEVELOPMENT---PAGE 201-202 –TELL US THE STORY PLEASE…….AND EXPLAIN MORE ABOUT PEOPLE CENTERED DEVELOPMENT AND HOW YOUR COMPANY DEANS BEANS HAS BEEN DRIVEN BY THIS PASSION FOR MANY YEARS.

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE GOOD DUNG—OKAY MOVING ON..

LET’S TALK A LITTLE MORE ABOUT DEAN’S BEANS—WHERE DOES YOUR ROASTED COFFEE GO?  WHO BUYS IT OTHER THAN MYSELF?

I KNOW IT MAY SOUND A LITTLE CORNY BUT I FEEL THAT WHEN I DRINK COFFEE THAT HAS BEEN ROASTED BY DEANS BEANS AND HAS COME FROM THESE SMALL FARMERS AROUND THE WORLD—THAT I AM JOINING WITH DEAN’S PASSION AND MISSION---“SPECIALITY COFFEE AS A VEHICLE FOR POSITIVE CHANGE”  I BELIEVE WE SHOULD BE JOINING IN MANY WAYS GOOD STUFF THAT IS GOING ON –DRINKING THE BEST CUP OF COFFEE POSSIBLE CAN DO THAT—I AM CONVINCED THAT DRINKING A CUP OF DEANS BEANS COFFEE IS DOING MY SMALL PART IN POSITIVE CHANGE—

From the prologue of Javatrekkers---“The Inner Worlds of Coffee----when you sit back with a good cup of coffee you are engulfed in the aroma, the taste, the acidity, and the body of the brew.  You take in all the dimensions of the cup—yet this is only the surface.  Swirling beneath are worlds within worlds of culture, custom, ecology, and politics.  All of the major issues of the twenty-first century---globalization, immigration, women’s rights, pollution, indigenous rights, and self-determination----are being played out through this cup of coffee in villages and remote areas around the world.  The coffee trade is immense, second only to that of oil in its value.  It is also complex, with several levels of middlemen removing the 28 million growers in fifty distant countries far from the ultimate consumers, far from your cup.”------and then one more little part----“not all coffee growers look like Juan Valdez---coffee farmers come in all shapes and sizes, colors, and genders………yet what they all share are the common dreams of good health, love, food on the table, an education for the kids, and a great sense of humor”.

DEAN---HOW HAVE ALL THESE RELATIONSHIPS CHANGED YOU? (IN TWO MINUTES OR LESS—HAHA)

DEAN IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU CAN DO TO CONVINCE THESE GOOD PEOPLE THAT ARE LISTENING IN TODAY—CONVINCE THEM TO STOP DRINKING ALL THE NOT SO GOOD COFFEE OUT THERE—NOT SO GOOD IN SO MANY WAYS---AND AS DEANS BEANS SAYS---DRINK DEEP?????

THANK YOU SO MUCH DEAN FOR TAKING YOUR TIME TO JOIN ME TODAY AND THANKS FOR DEANS BEANS---AND I DO HOPE THAT WHEN THIS EPISODE IS RELEASED SOON THAT YOU WILL POST IT ON DEANS BEANS FACEBOOK PAGE SO THE SOUL CAFÉ PODCAST CAN REACH MANY MORE.

END OF INTERVIEW

So I hope you are wide awake now---make sure you join us for the December episode of the soul café podcast.

So hopefully we have learned today to DRINK DEEP---to be vehicles of positive change—to only drink good coffee—deans beans.com

By drinking life deep we will create change in the world---so get started—get outside and as we go off the air—we go with the blessing of Della Mae---open your eyes---cause “where there’s healing in the sun when she rises—and forgiveness when she settles back down in the hills---there’s strength in the love of the living and in knowing how to be still.” And may our motto be like an old friend of mine who used to say---“I am too blessed to complain”--   drink deep—get outside!!   PLAY------  FOR THE SAKE OF MY HEART.

EPISODE 2 NOTES FOR SOUL CAFÉ PODCAST—October 2021

Special Guest: Carrie Newcomer

As always the Soul Café Podcast begins with Della Mae singing Rude Awakenings---an awakening is a rousing from sleep or a rousing from inactivity or indifference. We then introduce Carrie Newcomer our guest is has been described by the Boston Globe as a “Praire Mystic”. And Rolling Stone Magazine says, “she asks all the right questions”. Carrie is a singer/songwriter and author that has released 19 albums.  We start the conversation with some light stuff like Carrie telling us about her dog and she actually has a song on her new album—Until Now entitled—My Dog. Then we touch base about how in the cover photo on her new album she actually grew 2 inches for her legs to be able to touch the bycycle in the picture (take a look at the album cover and you will understand). I launched us into deeper conversation by telling my Carrie Newcomer story about the time my wife and I took the train from Norwalk Ct into New York City to see Carrie at Joe’s Pub. This was in early December of 2016 soon after that presidential election that left many of us activist types kind of tired and drained and maybe slightly disillusioned. And then Carrie started singing her songs and spoke to our very souls. Songs like You Can Do This Hard Thing---Sanctuary-“will you be my refuge-my haven in the storm-will you keep the embers warm-when my fire’s all but gone?-be my sanctuary, till I can carry on—in a state of true believers, on streets called us and them, it’s gonna take some time-till the world’s safe again”. And then Lean In Toward the Light followed by Room at the Table (which in part inspired this whole Pull Up a Chair at the Soul Café idea—“come on pull up a chair—there’s room at the table for everyone”. And after we were exhausted and emotionally drained the entire crowd is standing at Joe’s Pub singing to the top of our lungs—If Not Now—if not now tell me when-I may never see the healed land—and yet we’ll take the journey and walk hand in hand—we’ll work it until its done—if not now tell me when”. What a night!! To say the least Carrie was moved by the fact that her music had this kind of impact on myself and others that night. This all moved us into a lengthy conversation about the “great unraveling” we have all experienced in this Pandemic and spent some time on Parker Palmer’s thoughts about hope—“hope is holding a creative tension between what is and what could and should be, each day doing something to narrow the distance between the two”. And that led Carrie into reading a poem from her new book—Until Now entitled ‘What You Want Hear on the Cable News”. We talked a little about a song from her new album—‘When the Wolf is at the Door’---and how that really was her way of thinking about how the Pandemic came ‘like a train coming up through the floor’----and the “we can’t just be healed we need to be transformed”. We began to wrap the interview up with some thoughts on her new song—I Will Sing a New Song and how it was inspired by her readings of Howard Thurman and then we ended with a conversation about the song-‘Like Molly Brown’ which was probably my favorite part of the interview. Over the course of the conversation we talked a lot about how connecting with the natural world has continued to move us in the Pandemic. And, this episode ended as always with Della Mae singing a song that reminds us to get out into nature---‘For the Sake of My Heart’. Of course I also pointed out my gratitude for my adult children helping me with all things Podcast—Amie with Main Street Photography and Brooke with Allobee.com and Page with keeping the song going in our crazy family.

Next month---Dean Cycon founder and owner of Dean’s Beans—organic and fair trade coffee for change and author of JavaTrekkers-dispatches from the world of fair trade coffee.

Episode 1 of Pull Up a Chair at the Soul Café Podcast
With special guest Celia Woodsmith of Della Mae

In this episode I have a great conversation with Celia Woodsmith the lead singer of the Americana, Bluegrass label defying all female band Della Mae.  Celia kicks the conversation off with what makes her tick—gives her passion.  She talks some about Della Mae’s life changing visit to Pakistan which led to a little TED TALK entitled—A Soft Drink and a Song in the Hills of Pakistan. Even though this happened many years ago the current relevance is eye opening.  When asked about something funny that has happened to Della Mae---let’s just say the story is hilarious.  We talked about how the Pandemic is changing us and that led to Pretty Stories on Sunday’s and more.  The conversation ends with an honest talk back about a couple of Della Mae’s recent songs---Headlights and The Way it Was Before that address—or better said tell stories of our current reality of how we are divided as a people and how we must speak truth (tell stories) and hopefully let people move into the change that we can all make.