June 29, 2026: Merchant of God's Canyon

In a brand new collection from Restless Books, it’s made apparent that we as a country have been trying to figure out our relationship with the divine for centuries. A Nation Wrestles with God: American Prophets, Philosophers and Firebrands is a collection of writings from before this was a western recognized nation to to present day and we speak with editor Ilan Stavans and contributor Reza Aslan about the ways the untied states have engaged with and without religion. This past weekend one of the most lauded guests at Wilco’s every other year festival was a surprise to Solid Sound attendees. Natalie Merchant was all over the festival, performing pop-ups, and comedy, and sitting in on sets over all three days. We chatted with her about her history with the project, and her musical education work including her project with the Chicago Symphony: Mother Goose & the Cabinet of Wonder.  And Mr. Universe, Kainaat Studios' Salman Hameed, is fresh off a trip to the southwest and returns to relate how our approach to the Grand Canyon gives a lot of insight to the ways people lay claim to the Moon.