Uploaded October 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Danielle Martain, host the Failure to Thriving Podcast the Puff Puff drummer, an excellent ExJW, all female band, fronted by Cindy Elvendahl, who's featured in our Witness Underground documentary. Get to know Danielle and check out her relatable and humanizing podcast Failure to Thriving.
Subscribe - Like - Comment
@WitnessUnderground
Learn more:
WitnessUnderground.com
Watch & Support:
vimeo.com/ondemand/witnessunderground
Patreon.com/WitnessUnderground
YouTube.com/@WitnessUnderground
ExJW Art:
witness-underground-cult-documentary-release.pledgebox.com/preorder
Danielle Martain is connected to every person featured in the Witness Underground documentary. Check out her podcast, Failure to Thriving!
instagram.com/failuretothriving
Listen to their albums:
puffpuff.bandcamp.com/album/echo
Within the confines of an elusive cult, a vibrant alternative music community thrived, deprogramming themselves through art. Poignant live performances punctuate tragic losses to beautifully illuminate shunning by Jehovah's Witnesses. đ
We successfully hit our goal on Kickstarter to release Witness Underground, thanks to your support and shares, the hard work of Danielle Martain for having me on as a guest just before our launch, and our global collaborative team.
Reach out directly:
XJWdoc@gmail.com
-~-~~-~~~-~~-~-
Please watch: "Big Announcement - ExJW-Live - Are we bashing Jehovah's Witnesses?"
youtube.com/watch?v=kX-x-L-ilq0
-~-~~-~~~-~~-~-
Danielle Martain, host the Failure to Thriving Podcast the Puff Puff drummer, an excellent ExJW, all female band, fronted by Cindy Elvendahl, who's featured in our Witness Underground documentary. Get to know Danielle and check out her relatable and humanizing podcast Failure to Thriving.
Subscribe - Like - Comment
@WitnessUnderground
Learn more:
WitnessUnderground.com
Watch & Support:
vimeo.com/ondemand/witnessunderground
Patreon.com/WitnessUnderground
YouTube.com/@WitnessUnderground
ExJW Art:
witness-underground-cult-documentary-release.pledgebox.com/preorder
Danielle Martain is connected to every person featured in the Witness Underground documentary. Check out her podcast, Failure to Thriving!
instagram.com/failuretothriving
Listen to their albums:
puffpuff.bandcamp.com/album/echo
Within the confines of an elusive cult, a vibrant alternative music community thrived, deprogramming themselves through art. Poignant live performances punctuate tragic losses to beautifully illuminate shunning by Jehovah's Witnesses. đ
We successfully hit our goal on Kickstarter to release Witness Underground, thanks to your support and shares, the hard work of Danielle Martain for having me on as a guest just before our launch, and our global collaborative team.
Reach out directly:
XJWdoc@gmail.com
-~-~~-~~~-~~-~-
Please watch: "Big Announcement - ExJW-Live - Are we bashing Jehovah's Witnesses?"
youtube.com/watch?v=kX-x-L-ilq0
-~-~~-~~~-~~-~-



![Music Heals Trauma - Q&A - Witness Underground Podcast #25 (S02E05)
Subscribe - Like - Comment
@WitnessUnderground
Watch all of the other full episodes in the XJW Coming Out Playlist
SUPPORT & WATCH: https://Patreon.com/WitnessUnderground
FEATURE & PODCAST: https://WitnessUnderground.com
NEWSLETTER: https://sendfox.com/BananaIsland
Post Production: https://Podmachine.com Promo code: PODSCOTT
[You get a 10% discount]
Guesting: https://joinpodmatch.com/witnessunderground
[The best way Iâve found to grow my audience and convert]
Youtube Growth: https://www.Tubebuddy.com/pricing?a=WitnessUnderground
[Amazing growth tool!]
Production: https://www.riverside.fm/?via=scott-homan
[The highest-end recording tool. Richest tool set on the backend of any tool Ive used]
Welcome to our channel! In this exciting Q&A session, we dive deep into the transformative power of music and self-expression with the talented musicians featured in the documentary, Witness Underground. Join Annie from the band Vaureen, Chad Rhiger from Daytrip, Ghost Army, and HighTV, and Ryan Sutter from The Lavone, Trumpet Marine, and Ryan Sutter music as they share their experiences and insights.
Listen to the music:
http://WitnessUnderground.com/Art
http://Vaureenband.com
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
05:44 Annie Vaureen - Power of music to heal and save lives
08:26 Ryans Sutters JW music origin
13:38 Audience question: How did we decide to frame our documentary around the Jehovahs Witness indie music scene in Minneapolis?
15:26 Godfather & Speculatio - Chads nickname for Ryan & Scott
16:51 Audience question: Has the cult become more lenient over time?
17:25 Ryan Relates last personal interaction with cult family members.
21:30 Song Errands by Ryan Sutter - inspired by interactions with cult member father.
22:30 Guest discussion: What Just Announced means in cult terms
28:37 Control and fear is the enemy of love
29:26 The Apostle Paul McCartney & Pop Riveter on love
33:40 The Akai Pretty Songs About Ugly Things - Eric Elvendahls production Opus excellent art!
35:14 Hira Hira - search instructions to download present version
36:44 Trinity guest - Their unraveling moment after leaving
40:05 Advice - Check the references and quotes
40:46 Advice - RecoveringFromReligion.org
42:28 Fuck Im an atheist moment - also a great fresh start - label becomes powerless
47:10 Outro
From March through May, we hosted live, private Virtual Cinema events resembling a Film Festival experience, followed by engaging Q&A sessions. Our esteemed panel includes Annie from Vaureen (never-JW), Chad Rhiger from Daytrip, Ghost Army, and HighTV, and Ryan Sutter from The Lavone, Trumpet Marine, and more. Ryan is not only an incredible musician but also the co-founder of the Nuclear Gopher music production studio, a focal point of the documentary. Scott Homan, the films director and our podcasts host, joins us as well.
We were fortunate to have exceptional guests in the audience who made valuable contributions throughout the event. Join us on this enlightening journey as we explore the incredible influence of music and self-expression in transforming and even saving lives.
Dont forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay updated with our latest content. Share your thoughts and questions in the comments section below. Thank you for supporting Witness Underground!
#WitnessUnderground #PowerOfMusic #QandA #Documentary #MusicTransforms
ADD Chronicles - Oh The Crib!
The Directors first album:
https://add-chronicles.bandcamp.com/album/oh-the-crib
-~-~~-~~~-~~-~-
Watch Next: Cult members speak out Rock the Watchtower Cult Awareness Conference - WITNESS UNDERGROUND highlight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2tYsA9nIXY
-~-~~-~~~-~~-~- Music Heals Trauma - Q&A - Witness Underground Podcast #25 (S02E05)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/d30sbIu2oX8/mqdefault.jpg)






![Christian ministers punish teen woman - Elders sexual harassment - Witness Underground 5/8
Christian ministers punish teen woman - Elders sexual harassment
[5 of 8]
Watch WITNESS UNDERGROUND on: Apple TV, Amazon, Tubi TV, & YouTube Movies
All global links to watch:
https://WitnessUnderground.com
Watch WITNESS UNDERGROUND with this Full Documentary Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSh1p2dV3s8fgd4ST3VNE835oRFYwa-N2
In this powerful fifth installment of an 8-part YouTube series [5 of 8] on the Banana Island Films channel, we dive into the captivating world of Witness Underground, a documentary that explores the indie rock christian music scene that flourished within the confines of the Jehovahs Witness religion until they went too far.
This harrowing chapter of Witness Underground reveals the destructive mechanisms of the Jehovahâs Witness organization. Chad Rhiger, a member of Daytrip, HighTV, and Ghost Army, opens by describing the extreme social isolation used to erase the positive collective memory of former members. Whether individuals leave voluntarily or are disfellowshipped, the congregation enforces a system of complete emotional and social isolation using libel. Eldersâthe men in charge of congregation disciplineâuse this form of punishment to maintain control, punishing anyone caught communicating with removed members. Such actions reinforce that all relationships within the group are conditional and devoid of genuine love. Many people refer to the Jehovahâs Witnesses as a hate group for mandating such extreme forms of isolation.
Ryan Sutter shares his struggles in this segment of the film. After his wife left him, she threatened to inform his father about Ryanâs changing beliefs unless he disclosed them himself, forcing him into an emotionally excruciating position. Additionally, Ryan reflects on the downfall of the music scene that once thrived within the religion. After leaving, Ryanâs music studio and website were handed to his brother, Reed, who rebranded them under the label Band Kids Unite. Over four years, the scene withered under this new management, illustrating how control within the religion can extend to creative expression and community.
Eric Elvendahl provides an insider perspective on how this internal rule of law is enforced. Decisions by the elders often depend not on rule-breaking but on whether a person seems sorry enough. However, gossip can tip the scales toward the harshest punishment: one full year of isolation while enduring public shaming in silence during 3-5 weekly church sessions. Victims are barred from speaking, sharing meals, or making eye contact with others, effectively destroying their social and familial ties.
The clip also touches on deeply personal accounts of emotional abuse and manipulation. Cindy Elvendahl exposes an unprecedented form of sexual harassment by Jehovahâs Witness elders, recounting her experience as a teenager during a judicial meeting. This has since come out powerfully in narrative form in the short film Debutante. In this invasive and coercive process, three older men interrogated her about intimate sexual details, crossing her boundaries in ways that no Christian ministers should ever impose on a young woman. Cindy reflects on how this traumatic high-stakes experience at risk of losing her entire family and community shaped her as an adult, revealing the broader pattern of Jehovahâs Witnesses controlling women through fear and humiliation.
This clip unflinchingly exposes the intersection of eldersâ sexual harassment, emotional abuse in religion, and the soul-crushing punishments inflicted on members. From coercive meetings to the conditional love that tears families apart, this segment paints a stark picture of the Jehovahâs Witnessesâ oppressive control. It also sheds light on the strength required to heal and rebuild after escaping these abusive systems.
#cult #jworg #deconstructingfaith #igotout #recoveringfromreligion #riotgrrrl #musicvideo
#jworguk #documentary #documentaryfilm #documentarymusic #jw #freedocumentary #jworgsitio #jworgusa #abuseofpower #cultdocumentary2024 #christianmovies #atheist #atheism #humanist #humanistdocumentary #jesusmovie
#CultSurvivor #ReligiousTrauma #EmotionalAbuse #FamilyHealing #BreakFree #MentalHealthAwareness #SpiritualAbuse #WomenEmpowerment #HealingJourney #SpeakYourTruth
#ExJW #JehovahsWitnesses #Disfellowshipped #CultRecovery #ShunningSurvivor
#RiotGrrrl #ExJWCommunity #HighControlGroup #ExCultMember #ReligiousFreedom
#UndergroundMusic #Rockumentary #IndieFilm #HealingThroughMusic #DIYMusicScene #RiotGrrrlRevolution #BandKidsUnite #CreativeFreedom #MusicDocumentary #IndieArtists
#StopShunning #ExposeCults #NoMoreSilence #SupportSurvivors #FaithDeconstruction #AdvocateForChange #TraumaInformed #ReligiousAccountability #EndReligiousAbuse #CultAwareness
-~-~~-~~~-~~-~-
Watch Next: Cult members speak out Rock the Watchtower Cult Awareness Conference - WITNESS UNDERGROUND highlight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2tYsA9nIXY
-~-~~-~~~-~~-~- Christian ministers punish teen woman - Elders sexual harassment - Witness Underground 5/8](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/fgwCsgj5zy4/mqdefault.jpg)