Former cult member musician discusses nuance of music in our lives @bananaislandfilms

Uploaded November 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

Music has been part of my life and has allowed me to reach incredible messages. Through music I feel life deeply, in this first chapter Ryan, Wesley and I talk about that.

Watch WITNESS UNDERGROUND our documentary on: Apple TV, Amazon, Tubi TV & YouTube Movies + more...
WitnessUnderground.com

WesleyDavidMusic.com

Watch WITNESS UNDERGROUND on TUBI TV & Amazon
WitnessUnderground.com

We dive into the ongoing availability to stream Witness Underground at Portland Film Festival and our upcoming screening and afterparty at Sound Unseen Film + Music Festival Nov 12th at The Women's Club and concert at The Hook and Ladder Theater and Lounge in Minneapolis.

Wesley, Ryan and I discuss nuance of music in our lives, his tours and album, his and Ryan's next projects and more. Enjoy this and part 2/2, episode 10 coming soon. :)

As always, please share in groups, on social, or with people privately who you think are interested.
#pdxff21 #PDXFF #portlandfilm #film #filmfestival #exjw #extj #xjwdoc

Listen to the Coming Out series soundtrack:
xjwdoc.bandcamp.com/releases

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Patreon.com/WitnessUnderground

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Please watch: "Big Announcement - ExJW-Live - Are we bashing Jehovah's Witnesses?"
youtube.com/watch?v=kX-x-L-ilq0
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Former cult member musician discusses nuance of music in our lives

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$Social impact on families - Jehovahs Witness removal Social impact of Christianity on families Jehovah Witness removal shunning birthdays XJW Coming Out original episode [exjw, jehovahs witnesses, jehovah witness, christian movies, jehovah witnesses] Watch WITNESS UNDERGROUND on: Apple TV - Amazon - Tubi TV - YouTube Movies https://WitnessUnderground.com Stream on YouTube with this Full Documentary Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSh1p2dV3s8fgd4ST3VNE835oRFYwa-N2 This heartwarming video captures the emotional journey of former Jehovahs Witnesses celebrating a babys first birthday. The new mom, a first-time parent who left the faith a decade ago, hosts a joyous gathering for her child, surrounded by family members who have also broken free from the religions strict rules. The celebration highlights the stark contrast between their current lives and their upbringing, where birthdays were forbidden and considered pagan. As the baby experiences important milestones, the camera captures the genuine excitement and love shared by the extended family. An aunt, now a seasoned mother, reflects on her childhood within the Jehovahs Witness community. She discusses the restrictions she faced and how she now strives to nurture her childrens curiosity and ambitions. Her story provides a meaningful comparison to the life she left behind. The video also touches on the bittersweet reality of fractured family relationships. While the gathering is filled with love and laughter, theres a noticeable absence of relatives still active in the Jehovahs Witness faith. The family discusses the pain of being shunned by their Witness relatives, who refuse to participate due to fear of punishment from their religious community. This intimate portrayal showcases the real social impact of the Jehovahs Witnesses ban on birthdays. It celebrates the freedom found in leaving the religion while acknowledging the ongoing struggles faced by those who break away. The video serves as a powerful testament to the resilience of these families and their determination to create new, joyful traditions despite the cost In the month that I shot WITNESS UNDERGROUND, I also shot this with some of my oldest friends as part of the Seed&Spark commitment I made to the the crowdfund backers then to expand XJW Coming Out series after shooing the feature documentary. This birthday was just happening while I was visiting Madison and these friends so we made a special short video idea come together about a first birthday for a new mom and the implications of that on the kids and to discuss how the active members of the family treat them for doing this with a ten year recap on what life has been like after getting out of the culty faith. I was out of the religion at 19 but meeting these folks drew me back in. In part to honor that connection but also because we have an enduring friendship, I included the new mom, Jennifer Trucks, in the film WITNESS UNDERGROUND. She originally connected me to Nuclear Gopher folks, showing me the website. The uncle in the background, Mitchel Vandeheuvel, took me to Minneapolis to see a Nuclear Gopher show and meet some of the people in the film in 2001/2. He became a massive part of the film festival run in 2021, even hosting a major screening at the Wisconsin Film Festival when it was nearly impossible to do so during government lockdown safely. It was a massive success! He then helped to represent Debutante the shunning short filim by Kamila Dydyna, with me at Chicago Irish Film Festival. Im happy to say we are all still friends and all out of the religion. A lot of the Nuclear Gopher people came through Madison Wisconsin, a 5 hour drive from Minneapolis, in a music migration to Chicago, where the Amazing Fruit Jehovahs Witnesses were making music and on one fateful weekend during Weezers Green album tour after a seven year hiatus, we all collided in Madison at the house that these two sisters and Mitchel were living in for late parties and the love of music. #jehovahswitnesses #cult #jworg #deconstructingfaith #igotout #recoveringfromreligion #jworguk #documentary #documentaryfilm #documentarymusic #jw #jworgusa #abuseofpower #christianmovies #atheist #atheism #humanist #CultSurvivor #ReligiousTrauma #EmotionalAbuse #FamilyHealing #BreakFree #MentalHealthAwareness #SpiritualAbuse #WomenEmpowerment #HealingJourney #SpeakYourTruth #ExJW #JehovahsWitnesses #Disfellowshipped #CultRecovery #ShunningSurvivor #ExJWCommunity #HighControlGroup #ExCultMember #ReligiousFreedom #UndergroundMusic #Rockumentary #IndieFilm #HealingThroughMusic #DIYMusicScene #RiotGrrrlRevolution #CreativeFreedom #MusicDocumentary #IndieArtists #StopShunning #ExposeCults #NoMoreSilence #SupportSurvivors #FaithDeconstruction #AdvocateForChange #TraumaInformed #ReligiousAccountability #EndReligiousAbuse #CultAwareness -~- Cult members speak out Rock the Watchtower Cult Awareness Conference WITNESS UNDERGROUND highlight https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2tYsA9nIXY -~-$

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