If you’ve been following Ben and Rose, you probably know Conrad Fisher has been part of their story from the beginning — producing their music, playing on their recordings, and showing up in their video clips. The Associated Press recently did a piece which centers on Conrad and Ragamuffin Hall — a former Presbyterian brick church building in the rural Pennsylvania community of McCoysville —…
Over 300 Amish and Plain community writers got together in Berlin, Ohio on March 13 and 14 for the Plain Community Writers Workshop — an event that has grown from a small home gathering five years ago into one of the more noteworthy literary happenings involving the Amish. The two-day event was held at Dayspring United Mennonite Church in Holmes County. Publishers, sponsors, and book…
It’s been about a month since their last release, but Ben and Rose are back with a new song just out this afternoon. After covering a contemporary Christian song in “Mighty To Save“, the Amish-roots couple shift back to country music, striking a somber chord with this cover of a song popularized by Hank Williams – “Lonely Tombs”. Shot in part with the backdrop of…
When a call comes into Ripley County, Indiana 911 and New Marion Volunteer Fire Department responds, the scene that follows isn’t one you’d see at most departments. Amish firefighters arrive from the surrounding countryside — on tractors. Their non-Amish crewmates climb into the fire vehicles and drive. Then everyone pulls on the same gear, follows the same protocols, and goes to work side-by-side. Different lifestyles,…
Nice new song just out from brother and sister duo Mike & Marty. “Go Rest High On That Mountain” is a song by country artist Vince Gill. This song gives me similar vibes to the duo’s first studio song on YouTube, “Sing Me Back Home“. It’s a country tune with Christian themes, as you’ll see in the lyrics below. Mike sings lead on this one;…
In early March, an Amish man named Jason Yoder, age 30, was killed in a chain-reaction crash on a Holmes County, Ohio highway while riding an e-bike. The accident – which also left a Good Samaritan in critical condition – has put the spotlight back on safety concerns over the e-bike. As we’ve covered before, e-bikes have skyrocketed in popularity among Amish in the Holmes…
Ben and Rose have released a song in time for Easter. This is a more contemporary tune, called “Mighty to Save”, originally written and performed by members of Hillsong Church. The description reads: “Ben & Rose sing “Mighty to Save” written by Ben Fielding and Reuben Morgan celebrating Resurrection Day!” This one has a bit different feel to it. It kicks off with some nice…
If you’re a birder in Ohio, this might qualify as the most exciting thing you’ve heard all week. I’m not a birder, but I still find this story neat – for a few reasons. First, what is a sage thrasher? What was it doing all the way in Ohio, when its habitat is much further west (think Colorado, Utah, Wyoming)? And what is it about…
“I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.” It’s a sentiment that resonates with a lot of us, at times stronger than at others, I suspect. That is one of the best-known lines from “This World Is Not My Home”. And Ben and Rose are back to tease another upcoming (I assume) production, with this little demo sample of the well-known hymn. This song…
We’ve got another new tune from Mike & Marty, this one a Dolly Parton classic – “Coat of Many Colors”. Not having any other paper at hand, Parton famously wrote the lyrics to this song down on a dry cleaning receipt while on tour in 1969. This is a favorite song of many. The coat of many colors here is not the Biblical coat given…