Somatic singer and teacher Marisa Michelson shares information on the powerful work of connecting to the body through song and uninhibited self-expression.

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In this episode of The Indie Spiritualist, Chris and Marisa have a conversation about:

• Vocal ‘de-armoring’: working with voice, the body, and the psyche to release blocks
• Bringing somatic relationship and embodiment into the classical music world
• How Marisa discovered that singing could bring her into transcendent bliss
• Navigating information overload in our fast-paced, tech-driven age
• A roadmap to reconnect with the body and relearn the language of direct experience
• Letting spontaneity flow through the liberating practice of somatic singing
• A jaw-focused practice for releasing tension and unlocking full expression
• Trust and vulnerability to open up our bodies, hearts, and minds
• Simple somatic practices to weave into day-to-day life

About Marisa Michelson:

In addition to being a sought-after somatic singing teacher, Marisa is an award-winning composer of music-theatre, experimental musicals, oratorios and choral works, and was the founding director of the psychedelic singing ensemble Constellation Chor | an immersion in voice, movement, and spirit. Marisa has written four full-length musicals, two of which were produced off-Broadway by Prospect Theater Company. Her most personal composition project to date was her Desire|Divinity Project, a three part music-theater piece exploring the connection between sexuality and spirituality through an exegesis of the Song of Songs and a musicalization of Sappho’s poetry fragments. She currently travels around singing with the vocal quartet, Agrol Agra, which performs Hungarian folk songs and Bartok arrangements of said folk songs. Marisa is beyond grateful to live and work and teach on acres of land in Upstate New York (Ancram/unceded Mohican land). Marisa gives her gratitude to the trees, red-winged blackbirds, deer, hares, water and wind, dirt, bees, and non-human life for the profound support. Connect with Marisa on her website.

“It’s been such a gift for me to work with processes, particular exercises, and practices that are developing my understanding of how energies are moving through my body, how muscles are moving in coordination with each other, and how emotions are coordinating with the physical body, the nervous system, the energy body. Getting to go deeper into this is like learning a language that can then allow us to have more and more clarity in our own direct experience.” – Marisa Michelson

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Musician Craig Wedren reflects on his rise to fame in the D.C. hardcore scene, blending together punk rock, spirituality, and healing.

In this episode, Chris and Craig converse about:

• From punk rock roots to a spiritual path: how Craig’s musical journey shaped his creative and personal life
• Craig’s first exposure to meditation in his 20s
• The origins of music, sound, and vibration
• How music transcends language, culture, and generations to connect all people
• Transcendental Meditation and inspirational tricksters
• Searching for deeper meaning and spirituality in modern, often soulless society
• Craig’s improvisational practices: free writing & free-form guitar playing
• Craig’s work creating original music for a therapeutic ketamine clinic called Kanopy
• Ketamine treatment for addiction recovery
• Craig’s rise to fame in the D.C. punk scene with his band Shudder to Think
• The synergy between performer and audience
• How Craig’s cancer diagnosis brought him back down to earth and showed him what truly mattered

“I found a lot of punk rockers or hardcore people are particularly drawn to eastern religions. A friend of a friend said once, ‘the search for something deeper in a world increasingly devoid of it’. It makes perfect sense that I am meeting people that later on get drawn to different paths, traditions, and teachings.” – Chris Grosso

About Craig Wedren:

Craig Wedren first gained notice as the dynamic, multi-octave-wielding frontman of Shudder to Think – one of the first Washington, D.C. bands to make the transition from the revered Dischord punk label to the majors during the grunge era. Wedren has released a series of solo albums and related collaborative projects. At the same time, Wedren’s music has become an essential part of some of film and television’s most popular and lauded shows. In recent years, Wedren’s endlessly creative spirit has also seen him release Adult Desire 360--a VR app comprised of 360° panoramic music videos featuring songs from his album Adult Desire; share the limited edition hard-bound book My '90s, featuring photos he took on his Polaroid Spectra in the 1990s and early 2000s that documented his late nights and early mornings on the road with Shudder to Think and time with friends including Fugazi, Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, members of The State and more; and Sabbath Sessions, his multi-episode podcast featuring musical meditations that represent his first explorations of ambient choral music, where Wedren’s technique of sampling and looping his famously elastic voice results in a unique kind of sound bath. Check out Craig’s website.

“In general, the playground of my work, the sandbox of it, is pretty regulating I would say. I’ve been programming playlists and now I am starting to write original music for some friends of mine who have a ketamine therapy clinic.” – Craig Wedren

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Blending together hardcore punk and spirituality, Ray Cappo inspires listeners to deflate the ego and serve something bigger than themselves.

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This time on The Indie Spiritualist, Chris and Ray delve into:

• The powerful intersection between hardcore punk and spirituality
• Living on the fringes of society
• How the hands of God can touch anybody, even in the most unexpected places
• The beginning of Ray’s spiritual path and being inspired by Harley Flanagan of hardcore punk pioneers Cro-Mags
• Shifting inward: moving beyond the senses and the mind into subtle awareness
• From chaos to calm: being in Samadhi rather than emotional turmoil
• Kirtan and serving something bigger than ourselves instead of being the center of attention
• The presence of ego even in yogic and spiritual communities
• Finding oneness and connection with all beings, beyond outer labels
• Letting go of idolizing people or things and reserving reverence for the divine
• Considering how being in the spotlight can inflate the ego if one does not offer praise back to God and surrender
• Recognizing rock bottom as a spiritual turning point and a hidden blessing

"Nothing else will fit in that God shaped hole. If you make your spouse your God, or your dog your God, your house your God, that God is always going to let you down." –Ray Cappo

About Ray Cappo:

As a teen in the 80s, Ray Cappo founded the hardcore punk band Youth of Today, which championed the principles of clean living, vegetarianism, and self-control. After experiencing a spiritual awakening in India, he formed a new band, Shelter, devoted to spreading a message of hope through spiritual connection. Ray currently leads yoga retreats, trainings, and kirtans at his Supersoul Farm retreat center in Upstate New York, as well as annual pilgrimages to India. He is the co-founder and co-host of Wisdom of the Sages, a daily yoga podcast that has been ranked #1 on Apple for podcasts about spirituality. Check out Ray’s recently released memoir, From Punk to Monk.

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