Send Ben a message, he'd love to hear from you. What makes a small town more than just a place to live? It’s the people who pour their hearts into it. In this episode of Morton Muse & News, we sit down with John Cirilli—a lifelong Morton advocate, local banker, and dedicated community volunteer. From his journey back to Morton after college to meet…

Send Ben a message, he'd love to hear from you. Ever thought about volunteering but didn’t know where to start? Or maybe you’re curious about the impact volunteers have on Morton? In this episode of Morton MUSE & News, I sit down with the incredible JoLynn Weiler—lifelong Morton resident, community champion, and self-proclaimed volunteer expert (se…

Send Ben a message, he'd love to hear from you. Since 1952, Johnson’s Floral has been a cornerstone of Morton, providing beautiful floral arrangements for life’s most meaningful moments. In this episode, we sit down with Paul Grethey, third-generation owner, to talk about the history, challenges, and triumphs of running a family-owned business in a…

Send Ben a message, he'd love to hear from you. *****Part II In this heartfelt and deeply moving episode of Morton Muse & News, we sit down with Tom Van Ness as he shares his incredible journey of resilience, healing, and finding purpose after the devastating loss of his wife. Tom’s story isn’t just one of grief; it’s about how the support of a sma…

Send Ben a message, he'd love to hear from you. In this heartfelt and deeply moving episode of Morton Muse & News, we sit down with Tom Van Ness as he shares his incredible journey of resilience, healing, and finding purpose after the devastating loss of his wife. Tom’s story isn’t just one of grief; it’s about how the support of a small-town commu…

Send Ben a message, he'd love to hear from you. Scott Witzig is the Executive Director of the Morton Community Foundation (MCF), a role he has held since 2007. He is deeply committed to supporting Morton, Illinois, and its surrounding communities through philanthropy and community development. Known for his quiet yet impactful leadership, Scott has…

Send Ben a message, he'd love to hear from you. The Morton High School band, based in Morton, Illinois, has a stellar reputation for its exceptional musical talent and competitive achievements. Over the years, the band has become a powerhouse, consistently performing at a high level in both state and national competitions. Their success is largely …

Send Ben a message, he'd love to hear from you. Ms. D'Alfanso is the Cross Country coach for Morton Junior High School. Her team recently won the state competition, highlighting her success as a coach and the accomplishments of her athletes. She plays a key role in shaping the young runners, guiding them both physically and mentally to perform at t…

Send Ben a message, he'd love to hear from you. Kim Litwiller is the Executive Director of the Morton Chamber of Commerce and the CEO of the Morton Economic Development Council in Morton, Illinois. She was initially hired as the Director of Business Development in January 2024, but by June 2024, she was promoted to Executive Director and CEO of the…

Send Ben a message, he'd love to hear from you. Jeremy Short serves on the board of directors for the Morton Chamber of Commerce and works for Precision Planting, a company that specializes in advanced agricultural technology solutions to optimize planting performance. Precision Planting is known for its innovative tools, such as the eMHD planter, …

Send Ben a message, he'd love to hear from you. In 2015, Williams took on the role of director at Morton Public Library, succeeding a director who had held the position for 36 years. Since then, she has focused on enhancing community engagement and partnerships, bringing her expertise in public relations to strengthen connections between the librar…

In this special episode of The Second Muse, former guest Ella Mine returns with collaborators Jac Thompson and S. Grant Parker for a live performance at North Wind Manor and a discussion about how art arises from pain to become a safe place during times of suffering. This episode originally aired during Hutchmoot: Homebound 2021. See omnystudio.com…

In this last episode of Season Two, Drew Miller asks three questions of the Rabbit Room staff: How did you listen to music growing up and how have your listening habits changed? What is your advice for becoming a better listener? And who are some artists you're listening to right now? You'll hear the voices of Andrew Peterson, Pete Peterson, Jennif…

In this second-to-last episode of Season 2, Andrew Osenga joins the podcast to interview Drew Miller and Evan Redwine about Drew’s song “Death of a Dream.” They speculate on what precisely the dreams are that died and how this song and its accompanying Desolation and Consolation EPs came about. Then they geek out about how Evan played Pro Tools plu…

Drew Miller talks with Taylor Leonhardt and Lucas Morton about the making of Taylor's new song "Hold Still" from her upcoming album. They discuss Taylor’s quest to dig deeper into the songwriting process for her second album, songs as streams of water always seeking new spaces to fill, and the imperfect magic of recording an album live in the room …

Drew Miller talks with Don Chaffer about the song "Be Invisible" from his musical, The (Almost) Unforgettable Edwin Booth. They discuss the creativity to be found in the “fenced-in areas” of musical theater, the magic of seeing so many people bring your work to life on stage, and art as a way of practicing empathy. See omnystudio.com/listener for p…

Drew Miller talks with Ella Mine and Evan Redwine about the making of Ella's song, "Sound & Fury." They discuss Ella’s process of discerning how to tell such a personal story in the form of a concept album, the integral role of Shakespeare in “Sound & Fury,” and the tricky process of faithfully adapting a live performance into a crystallized record…

Drew Miller talks with Jeremy Casella and Ben Shive about the making of Jeremy's song, "Many Waters." They discuss the magic of mixing high language with common vernacular—in both music and lyrics—and God’s utter lack of pretense. They also geek out over those delicious chords in the second verse. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information…

Drew Miller talks with Becca Jordan and Lori Chaffer about the making of Becca's song, "Keeping Time." They discuss the catalyzing conflict between ideas and reality, the rhythms of confidence and insecurity over the course of making a song, and what it means to wait collectively. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

Drew, Asher, and Aedan discuss the gift of a blank page, the importance of beginning somewhere for the simple sake of beginning, and the indispensability of other people’s perspectives. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By Rabbit Room Podcast Network

In Season 2, Episode 4, Drew Miller talks with Ben Shive about his album, The Cymbal Crashing Clouds, and together they break down his song "The Fire Pit." They discuss the scandal of parables, the indispensability of collaboration, and the implications of sabbath for the creative process. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

Drew, J, and Lucas discuss the necessity of listening to negative emotions while writing songs, the deceivingly difficult work of self-honesty, and the mutual contingency of beauty and suffering. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By Rabbit Room Podcast Network

Drew and Andy discuss Andy’s abiding love of math, the silent power of omission, the symbiotic relationship between convention and invention, and several iterations of “The End of a World” that preceded the final record. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By Rabbit Room Podcast Network

Drew, Sara, and Brown talk about the deceivingly difficult task of telling the truth in a record, the under-publicized connection between beauty and justice, and the magic of a well-written bridge. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By Rabbit Room Podcast Network

In this episode, Drew Miller interviews Andrew Osenga about his song, “Mercy.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By Rabbit Room Podcast Network

In this episode, Drew is joined by his bandmate Janie Townsend and engineer Evan Redwine to discuss the making of The Orchardist’s album People, People—specifically the song “Drink It Down.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By Rabbit Room Podcast Network

Drew is joined by Wild Harbors (Chris and Jenna Badeker) and Andrew Osenga to discuss their song, “Tomorrow Morning.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By Rabbit Room Podcast Network

Drew is joined by Chris Slaten (stage name: Son of Laughter) and his producer, Ben Shive, to discuss Slaten’s song, “The Fiddler.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By Rabbit Room Podcast Network

Singer-songwriter Jordy Searcy and producer Lucas Morton discuss the evolution of Jordy’s song, “Explaining Jesus.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By Rabbit Room Podcast Network

We discuss the storied evolution of Andrew Peterson’s “Maybe Next Year” from the album Resurrection Letters, Vol. 1. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By Rabbit Room Podcast Network