Joe Firstman, Cordovas, Baja Wondergrass

Jazz Guitarist, Justin Allison, Making Good Vibrations

When I first heard jazz guitarist, Justin Allison play, about five years ago, I was so happy. He sang some of my favorite jazz standards while mixing in his unique interpretations of familiar pop songs, many having wonderful uplifting messages. His performances are the kind where you want to simply stop everything and listen. Justin’s guitar playing is stellar and unique and his voice is glassy smooth with punctuations of scat singing. His life has been filled with playing music since he was a kid and he works hard to continue to perfect his craft daily. Can you believe his other skills lie in herding cattle? Join me, Mama Jill, for this informative chat with this talented Colorado musician, exploring his journey around the US interacting with many, many well-known musicians that helped support and educate him along the way. Justin speaks also to his love of the Salida area as well as fond memories of the exploding jazz scene in Denver during the 1980s. We end our discussion with an original performance. If you’re lucky, you can catch him playing live this summer. https://www.justinjazz.com/

Salida Circus Founder, Jennifer Dempsey: How Clowns Can Save the World

Jennifer Dempsey came to live in Salida, Colorado about 20 years ago. After ruminating about her future, she ended up doing what she does best: “circusing.” Her story is a study in how our childhood can influence our adult journey. Jennifer founded the Salida Circus in 2007. My first encounter with this charming organization came about 10 years ago, while watching the 4th of July parade travel down the main street of Salida. It was a bit of a surreal experience that seemed to transport me to a long-gone era as I observed the acrobats, clowns, jugglers and unicyclers pass by in their sequined outfits. In this interview we learn about social circusing, which, at minimum, aims at cultivating inclusiveness between all participants. During our conversation Jennifer reflects on her time with the Belfast Circus during the Troubles. She shares her notion that clowning can be a catalyst for breaking down barriers and providing perspective in tough situations. We learn how the isolation of COVID helped her to begin the self-reflection that has transformed into her ongoing one-woman play, “Something Great.” Jennifer, always bubbling with new ideas, is helping to showcase lesser known stories through her Colorado Tints theater company and her most recent project, HEAL, (healsalida.com) a creative approach to personal development. Jennifer Dempsey is a passionista. She is a hard-working, purpose-driven, curious and enthusiastic creative, constantly churning out ways to manifest joy, humor and fun for all. Please enjoy this very substantial conversation.

Cynthia Swanson, Colorado Best-Selling Author

Mama Jill sat down with New York Times bestselling author and longtime Colorado resident, Cynthia Swanson, whose novels are known for their thought-provoking storytelling. Readers may already know Cynthia from her acclaimed debut, The Bookseller, her follow-up suspense novel, Anyone But Her and now her latest work, debuting May 21st, a collection of short stories showcasing the struggles of women through history, This Isn’t New. Cynthia is launching this new book at the Northwest Denver bookstore and podcast partner, West Side Books on the evening of May 28th at 7pm. During this discussion, Cynthia recognizes that her previous novels have featured complex female characters navigating challenges and "containment" that, may be slightly disguised through different time periods, but are indeed, nothing new. This realization and the results of the last election urged Cynthia to explore this subject further, resulting in a collection of stories that showcase women acting within the challenges of job discrimination, sexism, body image and overall misogyny. A read that any woman might find validating and that every person should read to gain perspective. Cynthia shares her origins in the writing profession and how she got the idea for her first novel while navigating motherhood with three young children. She advises on the publishing process as well, having worked with both the big national publishing houses and, more recently, forging her own path with self-publishing. After discussing her tendency to include Denver as the backdrop for many of her books, she shares her journey of arriving in Colorado from Boston after college, commenting that there is no other place where she has felt more grounded. Enjoy this insightful conversation with this soulful, Colorado writer!

Photographer Tim Brown: Salida has his Heart

If you have lived in Colorado for a long time it’s not a new story; a handful of starving artists discover an untapped, affordable and lovely place to set down roots. But as they settle and create, they attract people and suddenly it’s not an undiscovered place anymore and it’s also no longer affordable – this has been our cycle of gentrification. Salida, Colorado is still a pretty small town. A few decades ago, it was much more isolated due to state-wide economic challenges. In this episode of Colorado Soul Stories, you will hear photographer Tim Brown describe his humble arrival to this secluded mountain town in 1982 and how it captured his heart. Tim drove out West back then in search of his photography career. An avid photographer since a kid, he was hired to capture the open-mouthed expressions of the tourists rafting the white waters of the Arkansas River. We touch on the fact that the digital revolution began to squeeze him out of his career, but that he was reborn in his art by discovering the 19th century method of tin type photography, which now is his legacy in the area and in the world. Tim reminisces about the simpler days of Salida, cherishing the sense of community in a place located near so much natural beauty. We talk about how the original affordability welcomed the artist type to inhabit the forgotten buildings. Tim and his friends were making something out of virtually nothing, that hardship cultivating the unique Colorado grit. We hear how his evolution and style as a photographer has been synonymous with his life growing up in this wonderful Western space. You can learn more about Tim Brown at https://www.timbrownphotography.com/ [https://www.timbrownphotography.com/] and you can hear more about his original arrival to Salida and his 2024 exhibit “Broken” here: https://music.amazon.de/podcasts/19a834a5-a486-499b-b991-1ca8d063e2ff/we-are-chaffee-podcast [https://music.amazon.de/podcasts/19a834a5-a486-499b-b991-1ca8d063e2ff/we-are-chaffee-podcast] Please share, rate, subscribe and review the Colorado Soul Stories Podcast, it helps!

Joe Firstman, Cordovas, Baja Wondergrass

RAW, UNEDITED, INTENSE conversation with the both rough and refined, Joe Firstman. Mama Jill is in Baja Mexico for the Baja Wondergrass music festival organized by COLORADO-based Bonfire Entertainment. She and her tribe enjoyed listening to the powerful and  eclectic band, Cordovas at opening night at Polvora, surrounded by dark skies, sparkly stars and immense cacti. The next morning Mama Jill ran into Joe Firstman, frontman of Cordovas at a serene coffee house in town.  She asked Joe if he would like to continue their conversation through the podcast. They met up later that night with Mama Jill's buddy Mark Schoenecker of KHEN, Salida, Colorado next to the beach stage during sound check for the band.  Mama Jill chose to offer up this interview within the energy of the moment while still down in Mexico where the energy and the vibe has its own way of guiding you. Thus there's pauses and a little goofiness on her part, a little starstruck! but it's the real deal, complete with a falling star...cherish it!