Voices of the Methow

I ran across this recording I made a few years ago and thought I’d share it with you. In these complex and troubled times we live in I think it’s important to step back once in a while and reflect with gratitude where we have come from and who helped us get there! Rock on Methow Valley and beyond! Get full access to Byron Odion at byronodion821766.substack.com/subscribe

Preserving Wenatchee tribal stories through film—where tradition, storytelling, and youth come together in The Winter’s Tale. The Winter’s Tale brings together renowned Wenatchee storyteller Randy Lewis and local film students to preserve the legends, history, and land-based traditions of the Wenatchee Tribe. This cross-cultural filmmaking project blends oral storytelling with modern media training, teaching students the art of camera work, sound, lighting, and editing while recording the timeless stories of North Central Washington. Rooted in the ancient winter tradition of elders sharing stories by the fire, The Winter’s Tale connects youth to their heritage—and to the land—with creativity, respect, and wonder.For more Info:https://icicle.org/winters-tale/ Get full access to Byron Odion at byronodion821766.substack.com/subscribe

This is an interview I did in early 2018 with the late Rico Stover, Classical guitar master. At the time, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, tried to remove policy and budget protections that had shielded state-legal marijuana activity, aiming to restore broad federal enforcement discretion. Rico wanted to share his views on the benefits of Cannibus and we go back to the 1930’s and Rico introduces us to “Scary” Harry Anslinger and how and why he made Cannabis illegal. This interview originally was for a radio show I had on the ROOT- KTRT 97.5 Twisp. I knew Rico was a good guitar player, but at the time of this interview, I had no idea the width and breadth of his knowledge and skill! He also was the inspiration for and started the Acoustic Music Group MAMA, Methow Acoustic Music Association that formed in 2018 and is still going strong today! (we meet the first Sunday of the month at Cove 2 in Twisp). I was fortunate to be able to have the conversation with Rico because he passed away a year later on Feb 3rd 2019. My main goal in sharing this is to share the link below. There is a detailed documentary of Rico’s life available on YouTube. I highly recommend checking it out! Blessings to you Rico! It is and was an honor to know you! RIP Get full access to Byron Odion at byronodion821766.substack.com/subscribe

* A candid five-minute interview with a friendly saxophonist I met on a Twisp street corner a few years ago. Brayan Daniel is from Nuevo Leon, a town in north eastern Mexico. He loves music, and was pursuing a college degree in accounting. Here is an example of how the universal power of art connects us—especially in times when immigrants are unfairly framed. Tune in to hear his reflections, his music, and a reminder that humanity crosses borders, and the ways immigrants enrich our communities. Rock on Brayan!https://music.apple.com/us/artist/brayan-daniel/958701776 Get full access to Byron Odion at byronodion821766.substack.com/subscribe

On 10-3-25 Randy Lewis and Aaron Naumman gave a talk at the Winthrop Barn titled Dams and the Impacts on Salmon - Weaving Indigenous and Western Knowledge. At least that was how it was billed! It started off with an introduction by David LaFever, director of the Methow Valley Interpretive Center, and then Arnold Cleveland, a Wenatchi/p’squosa tribal member graced the stage with some with some significant thoughts and a flute prayer. Randy Lewis is a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation of the Wenatchi/p’squosa, Methow and Okanagan bands. Randy is a storyteller, teacher, civil rights organizer and historian. Randy took the stage and proceeded to deliver a chilling, riveting, humorous, and intimate look into his own past as well as tracing a broader historical perspective from the Native view. A view that is at times uncomfortable to hear and has been all to often brushed aside or forgotten due to Cultural silencing. Aaron Graciously deferred his portion of the evening to Randy, who was on a roll! Deep Gratitude to Arnold, Aaron, Randy, the Methow Valley Interpretive Center and all who made this evening possible.Methow Valley Interpretive Center Websitehttps://www.methowvalleyinterpretivecenter.org/ Get full access to Byron Odion at byronodion821766.substack.com/subscribe

You are in for a special treat! On 11-16-25- I asked a friend of mine Ken Bevis to host a podcast episode with Mark Tesch and Bruce Herron. We gathered at the Kroot radio station studio 97.5 FM, thanks Don Ashford! Ken explored Mark’s past including picking apples, hitchhiking, Hospital Facility Manager, Montessori teacher, Crew leader at Holden Village, Habitat for humanity board member, House builder, to name a few as well a singer Song writer and strawberry picker! We also talk about the Methow acoustic music association (Mama), where we all are members, and cover the musical project Bruce and Mark are engaged in, recording some of mark’s songs. In fact, after we spend some time talking with Mark we weave several of his songs into the episode. Deep appreciation to Mark for sharing his wonderful spirit and songs, and to Bruce for recognizing the gift Mark has to offer and to Ken for taking a risk and doing a fine job of hosting the podcast!Mama meets the 1st Sunday of the month at Cove 2, across from city hall, in twisp. 3-5pm. If you don’t play an acoustic instrument, come anyway and listen!Ken Bevis is a talented musician and singer in his own right and has a couple mighty fine albums out. Subscribe to my Substack to get all my podcasts. I’m also open to receiving paid subscriptions. Thanks for Listening! https://substack.com/@byronodion821766 Get full access to Byron Odion at byronodion821766.substack.com/subscribe

In this audio we have MVIC (Methow Valley Interpretive Center) Director David LaFever giving a warm welcome to the gathering and introduce Arnold Cleveland ( a Wenatchee or “P’Squosa” Tribal member, who shares some meaningful words and a flute prayer, then Richard Hart speaks about the Difference between executive orders and treaty reservations and especially what we have to remember about today’s Moses Columbia reservation. This conversation is based in part on Richard’s book Lost Homeland, where you can find a lot of relevant info. Our thanks to the Methow Valley Interpretive Center and all the people behind the scene supporting and making this possible. Also a shout out to John Sirois for his contribution to the discussion.Methow Valley Interpretive Centerhttps://www.methowvalleyinterpretivecenter.com/Video of the eventhttps://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=mvic+methow+valleyAn interview with Richard Hart (with Ken Bevis), on his book, Lost Homeland- Voices of the Methow Get full access to Byron Odion at byronodion821766.substack.com/subscribe

On December 19th 2018, I attended and recorded a book launching presentation given at the Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center. The book, Red Star Blue Star co authored by Historian and author Bill Layman and Wenatchi/P’squosa Colville Tribal elder and Activist Randy Lewis, tells the tale of a pair of twins fighting Spexman an elemental being that is defeated with the help of some of their friends. Randy also speaks of a time before rock island was submerged and the power and cultural heritage of the petroglyphs that his Grandfather witnessed as a youth, as well as the gathering and drying of salmon to share with tribal members during the winter months. Randy also spoke of the dream of his Mother, Mary Miller Marchand, and her wish that the petroglyphs, and photos of the petroglyphs that are scattered could be collected and preserved in a cultural center that would support the history and culture of native people of the area. You can pick up a copy of the book at the Sweet River Bakery in Pateros, as well as at the Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center book store. Randy is a gifted Story Teller! As always, thanks for listening! Get full access to Byron Odion at byronodion821766.substack.com/subscribe

This is an interview I recently recorded with Hilary Kaltenbach. I had several reasons for wanting to do this. I knew almost nothing about her and I wanted to give her an opportunity for a low stakes interview where she might be able to practice organizing her thoughts, so I decided to reach out and see if she was up for a chat. She was, and She didn’t disappoint! I want to share that I already recorded a similar interview with Boo Schneider, who is running for the same school board position as Hilary. Boo’s interview is also available on Voices of the Methow.Hilary’s Websitehttps://sites.google.com/view/hilary-for-schools/about-hilary Get full access to Byron Odion at byronodion821766.substack.com/subscribe

This is an interview I recently recorded with Boo Schneider. I had several reasons for wanting to do this. I knew almost nothing about her and I wanted to give her an opportunity for a low stakes interview where she might be able to practice organizing her thoughts, so I decided to reach out and see if she was up for a chat. She was, and She didn’t disappoint! I want to also share that I am offering the same opportunity to Hilary Kaltenbach, who is running for the same school board position as Boo. Hilary has agreed to record a convo with me using the same format I did with Boo. I will be sharing that as well soon. Check out Boo’s webpage link below!Boo’s Webpagehttp://Booschneider.com Get full access to Byron Odion at byronodion821766.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of Voices of the Methow, we are once again talking to musician and wildlife biologist, Ken Bevis. This is the culminating conversation in a 4 part series that began with a 2017 interview on my radio show on KTRT FM 97.5. In this episode we talk about the arc of Ken’s musical career, how he integrates it into his work as a biologist, and how he got involved with the Lost Homeland project. Get full access to Byron Odion at byronodion821766.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of Voices of the Methow, Byron is joined by retired Deputy Marshal and AI hobbyist Ken Bajema for Part 1 of an in-depth discussion about the accelerating development of artificial intelligence and its potential impacts on society, for better and worse. Ken describes how he built a personal AI chatbot at home, based on open source models and using existing AI agents to help him. He then draws on what he’s been learning from this experience to reflect on the formidable power of this technology and the unpredictable changes it may bring forth. The conversation is both technical and philosophical, but never boring. Please give a listen and let us know what you think. Get full access to Byron Odion at byronodion821766.substack.com/subscribe

This is a conversation I recorded in 2020 with an old friend of mine named Leaf Running-rabbit. About 25 years ago, Leaf and I worked for three years on a construction site with a special group of people building a magical house. This is the story of some important lessons we learned, how we grew in the process, and how those lessons spiraled out into our own lives and many others. Get full access to Byron Odion at byronodion821766.substack.com/subscribe

In this conversation we dive into Meditation and Braver Angels. Long time meditation and mindfulness based stress reduction teacher Sharon Cohen and Braver Angels advocate Janice Dickinson joined me to talk a little about themselves and about what each is doing to help build community in our valley. Also cover the work Kim Frey and Janice are doing supporting communication bridge building at the coaches lounge in Twisp as well.You can contact Sharon Cohen at:https://www.mindfulmethow.com/For info on Braver Angels and also the Coaches lounge contact Janice Dickinson at:[email protected] check out Braver Angels at:https://braverangels.org/ Get full access to Byron Odion at byronodion821766.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to Voices of the Methow, a new podcast series I am launching featuring conversations with interesting people in and around the Methow Valley. For this episode, I invited Barry Stromberger and Ken Bajema to join me telling some funny stories. Content warning, a couple of Ken’s jokes may not be suitable for all audiences. Please join us as we time travel to talk about the valley as it was 50 years ago on up through more recent times. We share some some funny stories, some that were perhaps not so funny at the time! Hope you enjoy them! If so, please share the links! Get full access to Byron Odion at byronodion821766.substack.com/subscribe