Luke Bulla joins me to talk about growing up in a musical family, a musical career, and his upcoming concert at New Brackett Church, May 1st at 7:00 pm. He's played with many bands and musicians, from Bela Fleck to a long-running tour with Lyle Lovett. Luke also is a songwriter in his own right and will be performing original music as well as covers at New Brackett.

For more on Luke, check out his website: lukebulla.com

You can support him directly through his website, or check out his music on streaming platforms. I particularly like Temperance Reel, but there are tons of great tracks to choose from.

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Shannon Heaton, her husband Matt Heaton, and the Tokyo-based Irish musicians O'Jizo come out to Peaks on March 14th to perform at the New Brackett Church at 7pm. In this conversation, Shannon and I talk about the upcoming performance, but also the worldwide nature of traditional Irish music along with her upbringing in Thailand and Nigeria, and her podcast Irish Music Stories. At the end, you can hear two pieces - on by the Heatons and one by O'Jizo - for a taste of what's in store on the 14th.

Shannon Heaton's website

O'Jizo's Website

Irish Music Stories Podcast

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Dr. Chuck Radis sat down with me to discuss his latest book The Mystery in the Room - a memoir of his 40+ years in medicine. The book is more than that, though, including his reflections on doctor-patient relationships, his childhood, and more. This conversation covers it all, and then some. I hope you enjoy!

If you want to pick up Chuck's book, it's available locally at Print and other bookstores, as well as digitally for the e-readers in your life.

Chuck also hosts a book release party at Print coming up January 20th at 7pm. Find the details at Print's website here: https://printbookstore.com/event/2026-01-20/dr-chuck-radis-presents-mystery-room

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I spoke with Liz Knowles, who has performed on Peaks a few times, including a great St Patrick's Day show with her trio Open the Door for Three, and she returns with her husband Kieran O'Hare and Portland's own string quartet Palaver Strings on December 20, 2025 at New Brackett Church. The performance is at 7:00 pm.

Liz talked with me about creating the "mood" for the holiday show, how she approaches songwriting and arranging, how teaching plays a role in her life as a musician, and more. Well worth a listen as we approach the show and the holidays. Enjoy!

For more info: https://www.peaksislandconcerts.com/whats-on

Liz Knowles: https://www.lizknowles.com/

Andrea and I discuss the youth musical she's directing Malice in the Palace, featuring over 20 island youth. The performance will be held at the Guild Hall at the Cathedral on Congress St in Portland, November 22, 2025 at 6:00 pm.

In our conversation, Andrea talks about the story of Esther, the music in the play, and why it's important for kids to engage in live performance in an increasingly digital and curated world.

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National politics has made food security a big issue, and I know islanders are looking for ways to "act locally" on this topic as well. I talked with Libra Cusack about the Peaks Island Food Pantry, operated out of New Brackett Church, about the Pantry's mission, the goods and services it provides, and ways we all can help.

In the episode, Libra mentions several ways to get donations to the Food Pantry. You can reach out to Libra directly (listen for how), donate through Zelle using this email address: lcusack1957@gmail.com, make out a check to the Peaks Island Food Pantry, drop it off to Libra, or reach out to the New Brackett Church with your donation.

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Chris talks with Bill Anton, new principal of Peaks Island Elementary School about his background, path to education, observations about Peaks and PIES, and his goals for the coming year.

This is the edited version of our conversation starting with Bill's decision to become a teacher. If you would like to hear the full episode, please check out our BONUS full version.

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Chris talks with Bill Anton, new principal of Peaks Island Elementary School about his background, path to education, observations about Peaks and PIES, and his goals for the coming year.

Listen to Peaks Island Radio

Support Peaks Island Radio