Something (rather than nothing)

After releasing her first EP ‘everything is light work’ in May 2021, Blair  Borax released her debut full-length album “Keep Walking” in June 2022.“Keep Walking” will take you on an emotional journey of moving forward ~with your head held high~ beyond trauma and heartache.It is the perfect companion to help you keep walking too.New single 'Delight Me' out on December 9, 2022.Check out her website for calendar update and merch blairborax.comFollow Blair on Instagram and TikTok @blairartthouHer music is available on Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp, and wherever you listen to music.https://www.blairborax.com/SRTN WEBSITE

Taubnernaut was formed several months before the first pandemic lockdown with the intention of creating a power trio with the improvisational intensity of Jimi Hendrix and the darkness and heaviness of Black Sabbath. In the end, what you have is heavy psych with a variety of influences and always a hunger for improvisation. Taubnernaut is Guitar-Vinny Taubner, Bass-Nathan Crumpler, Drums-Mike Land.https://taubnernaut.bandcamp.com/musicSRTN WEBSITE

Shea Glasheen is an innovative, musical craftsman from Long Island. His artistic work includes sound design and film production as well as musical work with CRONIES and The Real Codington FactoryMatthew Kyle Levine is a filmmaker and cinematographer based in New York City.  His short films have won awards and played at numerous film festivals throughout North America, including the Williamsburg Independent Film Festival and the Canada Shorts Film Festival, most notably for his short film “Miss Freelance”.Daddy's Wallet was recently screened at the Bowery Film Festival in NYC.Watch Trusted Hands (clip played at the top of the episode) and other short films on Mathew Kyle Levine's Vimeo: MKL VimeoSRTN Website

Elyse Kelly is an award-winning director based in Washington DC. Her strength and passion is storytelling through an animated lens, and leading teams of world-class artists to create content that entertains, challenges and changes the hearts and minds of audiences. Elyse runs a full-service animation studio, Neon Zoo, that specializes in content for documentaries, brands, and NGOs.In 2020,  Elyse was animation director on the feature documentary, In the Dark of the Valley. The film won a number of awards in festivals and was released in 2021 by MSNBC Films. In 2022 it received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Social Issue Documentary.In 2017, Elyse co-directed Fired Up, an animated short that depicts the origins of President Obama’s “fired up, ready to go” chant. Released on the final day of the Obama presidency, the film was featured by The Atlantic and has been viewed more than 8 million times.Elyse Kelly  over 15 years of experience in animation and film, working for clients such as Netflix, the ACLU, The Atlantic, Sesame Workshop, Sony Music, the United Nations Foundation, and Disney Research. Her films have won awards and been exhibited in festivals worldwide, including Sundance, Tribeca, Annecy, Zagreb, and OIAF.Check out Elyse's work in:Smart JusticeEmmy nominated In the Dark of the ValleySpeech WarsMiss AmericanaVisit the Neon Zoo Animation Studio homepage and follow Elyse on @e.l.y.s.e.k.e.l.l.yNeon ZooSRTN Website

Born in Latrobe Pennsylvania, Kenneth Nicholson received his AFA from Westmoreland County Community College in 2010, BFA from Seton Hill University in 2014, and MFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 2016.  He currently teaches as an adjunct instructor at University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, Seton Hill University, and Westmoreland County Community College.  His work has been exhibited in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Ohio, Washington DC, New Jersey, and New York.Follow Kenneth's works in progress on Instagram @grosssferatuCheck out the finished pieces at https://kennethnicholsonart.comSRTN Website

Sammy Westervelt of the Death Valley Girls and Egg Drop Soup is back on the show following her Portland streetcast (Episode 155)!   "I feel as though I'm a conscious being, and I'm almost certain that I'm observing things around me, and those things are somethings thinging."    Check out the SRTN streetcast with Death Valley Girls in Episode 155 Watch I Got Us Journals   Check out the puppet action in the OR Durves Video Follow on Instagram: Egg Drop Soup, Death Valley Girls, Sour Party Movie Listen on Spotify, Apple Music Merch available on Bandcamp and Suicide SqueezeSomething Rather Than Nothing Website

Enjoy this wonderful conversation with the amazing painter and artist Robyn Tsinnajinnie. Robyn is a Native artist based in the New Mexico.Robyn and I spoke about the Southwest, representations of Indigeneity, native shows & art & fashion, philosophy, color and Art School, and so much more!Her paintings are to be adored and loved.Find her at sanftmutig_one on InstagramSRTN Website

I’m Jonathan Case - a cartoonist from the great Pacific Northwest. I love to make art, to write stories, and to go on adventures with loved ones - especially if there’s a hammock involved. Daddy’s sleepy.Stuff I’ve done:My 2015 graphic novel, The New Deal (author/artist, Dark Horse), was a nominee for the Reuben, Harvey, and Oregon Book awards for best graphic album. In 2012 I snagged an Eisner award for Green River Killer, A True Detective Story (Dark Horse). My other books include Dear Creature (author/artist, Dark Horse), Batman ’66 (artist, DC), Superman: American Alien (artist, DC), and Over the Garden Wall: Distillatoria and Over the Garden Wall: Circus Friends (author, BOOM!). I’m currently working on a new graphic novel, Little Monarchs (author/artist, Holiday House), which is a sort of a joyful post-apocalyptic adventure book for kids.In addition to comics I paint murals, create book covers, and illustrate for print. You can find some of that up on walls around Portland, Oregon (our current home base).My chief adventuring partners are my wife, Sarah, and our two daughters, Dorothy and Miriam. Our son Otis, who we lost in 2016, tags along in spirit.https://jonathancase.net/SRTN Website

While Jeri Shepherd is new to the world of fiction, the author behind the Fault Lines Series has been in the writing industry for decades in playwriting, children's books, sportswriting, biography, leadership, ministry, and more. She wrote under the name Reji Laberje as a solo author and as a co-author alongside celebrities, athletes, and leaders of industry. As Reji Laberje, Jeri has 12 #1 bestsellers in her 60+ books and plays, as well as another 17 #1 bestsellers amongst those books for which she was a contributing editor; ultimately, her pen was on 29 #1 bestsellers and she has been nominated for prestigious awards in playwriting and fiction. Jeri has combined print book sales of half a million copies across all of her works, in addition to sales in both audio and e-books. She's led more than 85 book projects in multiple roles including: author, co-writer, editor, designer, publisher, consultant, coach, and marketer; in that last role, she's led 80 different authors to #1 bestselling titles on lists with Amazon, Barnes & Noble, USA Today, and others. In addition, she consulted with and wrote for independent and traditional authors and publishers who then created entire new lines and book businesses as a result. Hundreds of stories have been told, published, and sold through her professional gifts and services.https://www.jerishepherdbooks.com/SRTN Website

Marc J Palm is an artist you definitely need to know. He is an Eisner Award nominated cartoonist with Mad Magazine. He makes amazing ART. He is the self-publisher of The Fang, Punch to Kill, Dune mini comics and Intruder comix newspaper.Listen here for a great conversation with Marc as we cover comix, music, life, bananafishbones (jk), the universe and everything.Get his ART here https://www.etsy.com/shop/swellzombieSRTN Website

Susie deVille is on a mission to show entrepreneurs the power of trusting themselves. Work lighter while making higher profits. Eliminate self-doubt. To stop trying to overachieve one’s way into a sense of self, but rather lean into the surprising power of innate creativity. Her new book, Buoyant: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Becoming Wildly Successful, Creative, and Free, shows you how.In this transformational book, Susie shares the tools and exercises you need to tap into creativity, cultivate inspiration, and become your best, truest self.Buoyant helps you shed the belief that being an entrepreneur means prioritizing productivity at all costs. Instead, Susie invites you to embrace an easier path to success and freedom. She provides all the knowledge you need to end burnout and live an artful life of joy.Buoyant is The Artist’s Way for entrepreneurs. The way to creativity is to be wild, bold. Unapologetically yourself. Your voice and vision matter. You can positively impact the world, one idea, one person at a time.https://innovationandcreativityinstitute.com/book/SRTN Website

A delirious time with Bonnie Bloomgarden and Sammy Westervelt of the Death Valley GirlsStay on after the fun chat for the exclusive live cut of Abre CaminoYour day will be made more smiley by this experience.Check out their Podcast - available on all major platforms! Support their Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Deathvalleygirls?utm_campaign=creatorshare_fanCheck out their bandcamp here:https://deathvalleygirls.bandcamp.com/Big ups to these heroes!SRTN Website

I was visiting the ocean. The ocean always transforms me.I went to the market and faire. There I saw such fantastickal ART. I saw animal-people and people-animals-both. They were all the creations of someone named Holly who is Wildness by Design.So, Something (rather than nothing) is happy to present Holly!https://www.wildnessbydesign.com/about-holly/SRTN Website

Pamela Valfer still has my mind reeling on questions of space, time, art, philosophy and history. Check this episode out. Bonus: a lovely Kitty Craft song at the end.Valfer's statement: "In my creative work I am interested in the politics of Space. I use a multidisciplinary approach (performance, installation, video and drawing) to reveal constructions of post-truth and our unconscious participation in mediated spaces. I actively draw upon historical moments to allow the viewer to unlock historical ideas, conflate them with similar political propositions being propagated today, and question their own role within these systems."https://pamelavalfer.com/home.htmlSRTN Website

Saroya Tinker is currently a professional women's ice hockey player for the PHF's Toronto Six. She previously graduated from Yale University with her Bachelors of Arts in The History of Science, Medicine and Public Health. In addition to her studies she played on the Yale Varsity Women's Ice Hockey team. Since graduating, Saroya has found a passion for educating others and using her social media platforms to encourage and provide resources for others. By doing so, Saroya has decided to provide a mentorship program for young women of color. She feels confident in her abilities to educate and provide a positive role model-like figure for our worlds up and coming BIPOC women.https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/saroya-tinker-black-girl-hockey-club-nwhlSRTN Website

Originally from Austin Texas, Los Angeles-based interdisciplinary artist Kym Priess is a pure pioneerwoman, fierce frontwoman, adventurous musician, writer and actor.  As of late, she has specialized in creating conceptual whimsical performance art mixed with immersive, interactive rock n’ roll experiences under the name STUNTDRIVER. The debut concept album “Saga” was released last September on Rock Hand Records and has been described as “Very Peaches / Karen O feel to the vocals, edgy and full of fire,” by blog Analogue Trash.  This project initially debuted as a full immersive production in LA to a sold-out pair of wild, multi-media shows.  Spectacle concerts have started up again as a full band whose members include Kym, John Avila (Oingo Boingo), Anton Söder and Sean Burgess (Boneacre, Nightjacket.) In fact, Kym just returned from a solo tour to Seattle and back and audiences are loving the interactive elements (like crawling through a human tunnel) especially after lacking live entertainment for so long.  Kym’s work pushes boundaries, forms and comfort levels yet maintains a fun-loving, absurd and curious tone and has been seen in music venues, galleries, theaters, non-traditional locations and federal prisons in New York, LA, Amsterdam, San Francisco, Honolulu and Austin since the 1990s. Kym’s hybrid creations are highly influenced by the Wizard of Oz, the art of drag and disguise, clown, Cindy Sherman, Grace Jones, Karen Finley, David Bowie, alter-egos, elaborate costuming and makeup, 80s/90s music videos, fairy tales, old superhero stories, and human interaction.  Recipient of multiple artist residencies including Laura Escude’s Transmute Retreat and The Field, this discipline bender’s career took root in the NYC/NYU experimental theater world prompting many theatrical, comedic and musical works including her first rock opera that was awarded “Best of the Fringe” (SF Fringe Festival 2005).  Kym has fronted and formed multiple bands, written 300 songs (many of which can be heard on Bravo’s Vanderpump Rules), shared stages with Exene Cervenka and Fishbone and her voice can be heard on William Shatner’s Spirit in the Sky.In addition to playing live shows again, Kym recently shot a comedy for Amazon, and is returning to the pen writing new songs and a darkly comedic pilot along with creating a multi-sensory side project named after her late great bronco-riding father, Ryland. Kym loves tubing down a river more than anything else.https://www.stuntdrivermusic.com/stuntdrivermusicBonus link: BLAZAR opened up for Stuntdriver in Eugene, OR recently - here is a link to the face-melting sound https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHaJ8lluw5sSTDR:https://youtu.be/_bq0LpFKQH4SRTN Website

For the 150th Episode of the show we have the fabulous April March!In a former life April March must have been a rockier fairy than Tinker Bell and like a cat, she has already had several lives. An animator trained by Disney, she has animated for Pee-wee Herman, Ren & Stimpy, Madonna, worked on Archie Comics, assisted Spiderman creator Steve Ditko and even assisted the legendary Harry Smith who occasionally brought Allen Ginsberg in tow to mentor her. She entered the NYC music scene with her garage girl-group The Pussywillows, which Ronnie Spector of The Ronettes, promptly hired to record and perform with her. A year into her music career, she landed on stage with Ronnie Spector at a completely sold out Madison Square Garden. Over a large plate of chicken back stage, Bo Diddley said to her, “Welcome to Rock and Roll.”Next she joined The Shitbirds and The Haves, finally settling into the driver’s seat as April March. A Francophile from a tender age, she re-introduced an international audience to the French pop heritage of Gainsbourg, Françoise Hardy, Dani, Gillian Hills and many others. She cut her teeth in self production on a slew of popular to very obscure covers and adaptations of songs the French themselves had forgotten. Quentin Tarantino plucked “Chick Habit,” her adaptation of Gainsbourg’s “Laisse Tomber Les Filles,” to feature in his film “Death Proof.” She recorded “Chick Habit” with the help of Andy Paley who introduced her to Brian Wilson. This began a nice stretch of recording on and off with Brian for the next couple of years subsequently giving her a priceless education in both arrangement and production. So when Alexander Payne couldn’t reach Brigitte Bardot on the phone he hired April instead to write and produce her own Bardotesque song for his film “Election.” Next she met the modern day French Phil Spector — Bertrand Burgalat (just as talented, but a lot less dangerous). She made two albums with Burgalat, the first of which “Chrominance Decoder,” was chosen as one of the top ten albums of the year by The New Yorker and in the top 100 of all time by the seminal French magazine Rock et Folk. Burgalat introduced her to the great Aquaserge which led to an album and two films directed by Marie Losier landing her performances at The Centre Pompidou, MOMA and PS1.April March has recorded with Ronnie Spector, Brian Wilson, Jonathan Richman, R.L. Burnside, Andy Paley, Bertand Burgalat, Tony Allen, Yo La Tengo, LL Cool J, Alain Chamfort, Darlene Love, The Dust Brothers, Laetitia Sadier (Stereolab), Maya Rudolph, Sean OHagan, and Aquaserge. After such a list of credits, certain artists would have rested on their laurels to the strains of “The Afternoon of a Faun,” but this Franco-American ringleader is a horse of a different color, preferring to go forward rather than look over her shoulder, which brings us to the latest. She has just been cast alongside Gerard Depardieu and Vanessa Paradis in a feature film. After having published a children’s book with Jack White called “We Are Going To Be Friends,” she’s recorded an E.P. with Olivia Jean in his private studio which he released March 5th with a Video following on March 17th on Third Man Records. She’s releasing a new album with the amazing Fugu featuring Tony Allen of Fela and Gorillaz as well as Marilyn Wilson of The Beach Boys and American Spring on July 17th with Record Store Day. The cherry on top? It’s another new album with the dazzling duo Staplin who, according to Radio France,“compose with talent music where pop sunshine melodies of the sixties dance on trip hop beats, psyche rock rubs shoulders with cosmic flights of evanescent synths, and repetitive orchestral music stretches to festive groove storms.” https://www.aprilmarch.com/SRTN Website

Episode 149 is a conversation with Renée Barasch about tattooes, art, environment, Oregon and what is important in life."Tattooer, adventure prone, simple moments, glorious mess”   Renée was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. She began tattooing in 2016.  Her studio in Astoria, Simply Human Art, opened summer of 2019.  Renée also tattoos with Hidden Rose tattoo in Northwest Portland.For look at Renée’s work and to inquire about booking, visit her website www.simplyhumanart.com SRTN Website

Tallmadge Doyle is a painter, printmaker, teacher, and public artist who’s work reflects on issues of the environment related to climate change. Born in New York City now based in Eugene, Oregon. She received her BFA from the Cleveland Art Institute and an MFA from University of Oregon. She has participated in over 150 national and international exhibitions and her work is included in over 30 public collection in the U.S. and abroad. She has participated in artist residencies at the Ucross and Brush Creek Foundations, Playa Art Science Residency, Sitka Center for Art and Ecology and the Kingsbrae International Artist Residency in New Brunswick Canada. Being present in the land to take in the colors, smells, sounds, and light qualities is a vital part of her process. She layers this collected sensory information with both real and imaginary cartographic elements. This invented imagery is a mapping of sorts, an approach that allows for combining a current reality with references to geological periods in the distant past and into the projected future of rapid climate change. Recent Exhibitions include the Berlin Print Biennial, North American Print Biennial in Boston, Atlanta Print Biennial and a solo exhibition at the Augen Gallery in Portland. TallmadgeSRTN Podcast

Joe Uehlein is the founding President of Voices for a Sustainable Future and the Labor Network for Sustainability. Joe is the former Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO’s Industrial Union Department and former director of the AFL-CIO’s Center for Strategic Campaigns. Joe spent 35 years doing bargaining, organizing, public policy, and strategic campaign work in the labor movement. Joe also served on the United Nations first commission on global warming from its founding in 1988 until 2003. In the early 1970’s he worked in an aluminum mill in Mechanicsburg, PA as a member of the United Steelworkers of America, and then on heavy and highway construction projects as a member of the Laborer’s International Union of North America.Joe is most often seen fronting The U-Liners, his band of 19 years: www.uliners.com. Joe’s been playing (guitar & vocals) in bands for nearly 54 years, since the age of 13, and has played all across the U.S., as well as in Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, Great Britain, and Venezuela. Joe’s music over the years has spanned genres from rock’n roll to bluegrass, folk to jazz, country to Motown, and more. From his early days growing up along the banks of the great Lake Erie, and working in an aluminum mill in Central Pennsylvania and on heavy and highway construction, and playing with Billy Wray & the Expressions, Joe developed a keen interest in Rock & Roll, Soul, and the Folk and Country sounds of working class music. Joe has performed with Pete Seeger, Lester Chambers of The Chambers Brothers, Dave Alvin, Steve Earle, Tom Morello, Boots Riley, Jill Sobule, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, Emma’s Revolution, John Kadlecik, Billy Bragg, John McCutcheon, Si Kahn, and with the punk band, the Dropkick Murphys. Joe has also performed at all of Washington, DC’s finest venues, including Gypsy Sally’s, the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, The Birchmere, Strathmore Music Hall, IOTA Club, Jammin’ Java, the Hamilton, Howard Theater, the Black Cat, and more. Joe has also played NYC’s Knitting Factory, Starlight Ballroom, The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Bally’s in Las Vegas, among other fine venues.Joe's siteSRTN

Matthew Kyle Levine is a filmmaker and cinematographer based in New York City.  His short films have won awards and played at numerous film festivals throughout North America, including the Williamsburg Independent Film Festival and the Canada Shorts Film Festival, most notably for his short film “Miss Freelance.”https://vimeo.com/matthewkylelevineSRTN Website 

Liz Kiger is our guest for a deep discussion of Art, Philosophy, film, photography, teaching, trauma and resiliency, LGBTQIA+Opera, and their new filmed opera - a gorgeous, modern presentation (shot in Red - Komodo - 6K) of ORFEO. ORFEO is a dazzling, energetic, sensitive story that will amaze you visually and sonically. Its release is simultaneous to this podcast episode. Find ORFEO hereORFEOLiz Kiger is a Turkish-American non-binary soprano vocalist, violinist, and opera director specializing in Baroque performance practice. They are the founder and director of the Brooklyn Telemann Chamber Society. They hold their MM in Classical Vocal Performance and a post graduate degree in Vocal Pedagogy from NYU. They have most recently performed as the title role in Monteverdi’s Poppea, Papagena (Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte), Ottavia (Monteverdi: L’incoronazione di Poppea) at Scorca Hall (National Opera Center), & Susanna (Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro) at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. Liz is a proud advocate for singers with incurable vocal pathologies like themself. Mentions:@sydneysheaphotography@alexandrapawlus @alexandrapaw_@matthewkylelevineSRTN Website

David Bellino began his career as a music video director-producer for various recording artists, management companies and record labels. During this time, Virgin Records selected Bellino to direct the Rolling Stones “Voodoo Lounge” interactive media title. He continued with Virgin as a production consultant on the band’s multimedia-enhanced ”Stripped” album.   Bellino then became the creative force and producer behind a number of digital media products for Universal, MCA, EMI/Capitol and Hasbro. In 2013, he founded Left of Creative to expand creative and production services for corporate and government clients. This growth has resulted in improved communications within the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and U.S Department of Justice through dynamic storytelling, documentary filmmaking, and digital media.  Left of Creative remains a pioneer in virtual reality concepts, applications and production logistics. Bellino was one of the first filmmakers to showcase an immersive VR experience inside the cockpit of the F/A-18 aircraft and on the deck-plate of The Navy’s premier aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson.  He’s an award-winning director-producer, having received Billboard accolades for his interactive media work. With a proven track record across industry sectors, his work has made an impact for Universal Pictures, Lionsgate, Sony, BMG, MCA, Shell, VISA, U.S. Navy, U.S. DOJ, NASA/JPL, Hasbro, Virgin and more.  Bellino’s documentary film “The Guest List”, the story of America’s deadliest rock concert, was recently acquired for broadcast with a television premiere slated for early 2021 and a theatrical / VOD version in post-production in preparation for subsequent release. As a filmmaker and multimedia producer, Bellino continues his work for high profile clients and develops original documentary and unscripted programming.https://www.independentri.com/news/article_4ad968b8-8f6f-11ec-a8b9-c39e27468280.htmlSRTN Website

PCP aka Julienne Baptiste formerly known as the guitarist and vocalist in Dirty Princess band made the decision to step away from punk rock music and step into film making. After coming together in collaboration with videographer Chris-Diana Peebles 2020. PCP created a 3 part ‘Sonic Visual’ that intertwines atmosphere, style, sound and movement to tell a story of metamorphosis and unseen forces outside of oneself. PCP describes what internal and external sacrifices she took in order to set out on her most ambitious project yet.PCPSRTN Website 

“Sparkling” mezzo-soprano Madison Marie McIntosh has been praised for her “wondrously flexible voice,” “prodigious vocal skills,” and “richly textured and strong lower register” (Vocedi Meche). OperaWire has praised her “vocal power,” “enchanting voice,” “velvety mezzosoprano,” and “abundant vocal and dramatic technique, with no shortage of soaring high notes and flexible roulades.” She won The American Prize in Vocal Performance in 2020 and then performed a benefit concert for The American Prize that featured world premieres of works by eight composers. Madison has performed Ernesta (Un avvertimento ai gelosi) at Caramoor,Delia (Il viaggio a Reims) with the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, and Alto Soloist (Messiah) with New Amsterdam Opera. In 2022, she performed in concerts with Gulfshore Opera and will sing the title role in La Cenerentola with Fargo Moorhead Opera, the title role in Giulio Cesare with Connecticut Lyric Opera, and Francesca Da Ponte in the premiere of Da Ponte, by composer Roger Neill and librettist Neil Cohen.In 2021, she sang Beppe in Teatro Grattacielo’s production of L’amico Fritz at the Phoenicia International Festival of the Voice, the Domme in Three Way with Fargo Moorhead Opera, Melissa in La liberazione di Ruggiero with Connecticut Lyric Opera, Ruggiero in Alter Ego Chamber Opera’s production of Alcina REVAMPED at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, and Lola Lowell in the virtual premiere of Theodore Christman’s opera The Impresario and the Dueling Divas with Mo. Eve Queler.Madison has also performed Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia), the title role in Carmen, Isabella (L’Italiana in Algeri), Angelina (La Cenerentola), Cesare (Giulio Cesare in Egitto), Hansel (Hansel and Gretel), Dido (Dido and Aeneas), Sara (Roberto Devereux), Giovanna Seymour (Anna Bolena), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), and lead roles in the world premieres of six operas. She has premiered song cycles and other works by composers such as Peter Breiner, Paula Kimper, Roger Neill, Amy Scurria, Jeff Shankley, Myron Silberstein, Webster Young, and Paul Ayres. In 2019, she joined Eve Queler as a soloist in her 25th annual Bel Canto Opera Concert. She has been featured as a soloist in venues such as Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, Bruno Walter Auditorium at Lincoln Center, Symphony Space, the DiMenna Center, and the Teatro Rossini. She covered the title role in Tancredi and sang the Eco in the inaugural season of Will Crutchfield’s Teatro Nuovo. In 2019, she performed the role of Prinz Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus) at the Wiener Kammeroper as a result of winning First Prize in the Vienna Summer Music Festival Competition. She worked with the late Mo. Alberto Zedda as a young artist of the Accademia Rossiniana in 2014 and was an Apprentice Artist of Sarasota Opera in 2018.OperaWire has praised her “vocal power,” “enchanting voice,” “velvety mezzosoprano,”and “abundant vocal and dramatic technique, with no shortage of soaring high notes and flexible roulades.” She won The American Prize in Vocal Performance in 2020 and then performed a benefit concert for The American Prize that featured world premieres of works by eight composers.MMMSRTN Website

You can now listen to SRTN's interview with painter Gerald van Scyoc!From GvS:"I work in a Photorealist/Surrealist style. I like to do work that provokes a strong response from the viewer. Most of my paintings consist of collaged public domain photos. I rarely use live-models. I like to combine well-known symbols and tropes in my paintings mixed together in new and not-well-known combinations. This, along with the realistic painting style, provides the audience with a feeling of familiarity while, at the same time, offsetting that feeling with unconventional and, sometimes, unsettling imagery."https://geraldvanscyoc.weebly.com/

It was an immense pleasure to meet and speak with Plains Cree/Filipinx activist, model and video creator Haley Robinson. Haley is from Treaty 7 territory and we spoke about art, creativity, identity and the immediacy of video content to explore questions of identity.You can also connect with Haley's work and causes here: https://linktr.ee/og.robinson10

If you got your sweet hands on a copy of 'Santos Sisters' I know that you want to know where such a wonderful piece of art (a comic for 'Generation X') came from.I got the answer. Artists Greg Petre and Graham Smith join the show to chat about comics, art, philosophy, Taylor Swift, proclivities and predilections.They describe that "One day while combing the beach, the Santos Sisters discovered a pair of beautiful medallions. What happened next changed their lives, forever. Follow Ambar and Alana, the Santos Sisters, as they balance spicy superheroics with the drama of their everyday lives in this GIANT SIZED extravaganza offset printed on decadent newsprint.."Please support independent funny books!!!https://www.santossisters.com/

Susie deVille is dedicated to helping entrepreneurs build wildly successful businesses by rediscovering their creativity and leveraging the power of their true nature. An author, coach, and entrepreneur who built and sold a highly profitable real estate firm, she has been researching innovation and creativity since 2005. She is the founder and CEO of the Innovation & Creativity Institute and trained as a coach with Dr. Martha Beck. Her first book, Buoyant: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Becoming Wildly Successful, Creative, and Free, will be published in September of 2022.Innovation & Creativity website: https://innovationandcreativityinstitute.com/ 

In this episode, Ken Volante speaks with Kimberly Laberge and Cory Fitzsimmons from Wisconsin. This episode is a nice way to connect with two talented directors and actors as they create their version of Things I know to Be True for production in April 2022.Kimberly Laberge is a teacher, stage manager, director, and critic based out of the Milwaukee area. Kimberly has worked with area companies including First Stage, the Milwaukee Rep, Kohl’s Wild Theater, and more. Some favorite projects include directing Oedipus Rex, starring in Our Town, and providing entertainment as a live princess for Friend Like Me Parties and Entertainment. A proud member of the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA), when not involved in productions, Kimberly runs the independent theatre review blog The Drama Den www.stageonapage.comCory Fitzsimmons is an actor, teacher, and first time director from the Milwaukee area. A graduate of UW-Milwaukee, Cory is an Irene Ryan Award nominee and a two-time SURF Award recipient. Favorite roles include James in Book of Days, The Old Artist in Jarman, and most recently the title role in Oedipus Rex. Things I Know to Be True by Andrew Bovell follows the Price family - Bob, Fran, and their four adult children. Each adult child is brought home at different points by a major event in their lives, from love, to identity, to even crime. Meanwhile, Fran and Bob's relationship is reflected in the light of their children's crises, leading them to examine their own standing with one another. The story is told through rooted, realistic family drama interspersed with soliloquies with music and movement. The result is a piece of truly elevated drama, making clever usage of all of the tools theatre has to offer. Bovell's text asks the question, can one love too much?https://www.facebook.com/thingsiknowmke  

Jeff Ostler is Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Oregon. He is the author of The Lakotas and the Black Hills: The Struggle for Sacred Ground and Surviving Genocide: Native Nations and the United States from the American Revolution to Bleeding Kansas.This conversation delves into the Lakota Sioux, resilience, genocide, the art of teaching, responsibilities in teaching history and the power of place and story.https://history.uoregon.edu/profile/jostler/

As a tenor specializing in 21st century repertoire, Jonathan Blalock created over a dozen roles in world premieres with companies including the Dallas Opera, Washington National Opera, the Center for Contemporary Opera, Fort Worth Opera, the PROTOTYPE Festival, and UrbanArias. In 2019, he was featured in the new opera recordings of Paul’s Case (by Gregory Spears) and the Grammy Award winning Fantastic Mr. Fox (by Tobias Picker). In concert, Jonathan recently performed with Winston Salem Symphony, Memphis Symphony, Opera Hong Kong, Arizona MusicFest, Wichita Symphony, Pacific Symphony, Syracuse Symphoria, Washington Chorus, and the Guggenheim Museum. A native of Burlington, Blalock earned Master of Music degrees in both vocal performance and choral conducting from UNC Greensboro. Soprano Kinneret Ely is a freelance opera singer based in New York City and Tel Aviv. She was a young artist with Teatro Grattacielo’s Camerata Bardi Vocal Academy in 2021. As part of it, she sang Ilia in IDOMENEO ALLA BREVE at the Rhodes International Festival in September 2021. She covered the roles of Anna in Catalani’s LORELEY and the Fata Azzurra in Respighi’s LA BELLA DORMENTE NEL BOSCO in Teatro Grattacielo’s 25th Anniversary Concert in September 2019. She sang Violetta in LA TRAVIATA in July 2018 at the Jerusalem International Opera Masterclass (JIOM). She rejoined Teatro Grattacielo for their film production of Giordano’s FEDORA as Un Piccolo Savoiardo, and covering the role of Dimitri. Her performed roles also include Gilda in RIGOLETTO, Madame Cortese in IL VIAGGIO A REIMS, and Rosina in IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA. She was a semifinalist in the Premiere Opera Foundation + NYIOP International Vocal Competition and Camerata Bardi International Vocal Competition in 2021, and also in the Premiere Opera Foundation + NYIOP International Vocal Competition and the Rochester International Vocal Competition in 2020. Her YouTube channel has more than 38,000 views. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Special Honors from Hunter College, from which she graduated cum laude, designing her own degree there in languages, history, and literature through their Thomas Hunter Honors Program. She studied Italian at the Società Dante Alighieri in Siena, French at the Alliance Française in Paris, German at the Goethe Institut in Berlin, and Russian at the Derzhavin Institute in St. Petersburg. Kinneret's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/KinneretElyJonathan's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/jblay100 

Of the Suquamish Nation, Calina Lawrence was born and raised within her ancestral culture at a time during the reawakening of the teachings of the canoe and the Coast Salish way of life in the Pacific Northwest. Her vocal journey began at a young age when she was first introduced to the songs of the canoe, the land, and the Lushootseed language. While lending her voice to the preservation of Suquamish traditions, she also grew to love many contemporary genres such as bluegrass, soul, hip hop and Spoken Word Poetry which would eventually lead her on her journey to respectfully expressing a fusion of it all.Many of the people who raised her emphasized the importance of spreading awareness about the social and environmental injustices that have impacted the quality of lives on tribal reservations and within urban Native communities.. She embraced the awareness of inter-generational trauma combined equally with the examples of her people’s generosity and resiliency, so liberation work now shapes the lens in which the young artist sees the world.At age 23, Lawrence graduated with Honors from the University of San Francisco (’16) attaining her BA in Performing Arts & Social Justice; a Music concentration.Since graduation, this Independent Indigenous vocalist, aspiring emcee and producer self-released her debut album EPICENTER August, 2018. Her most significant Single to-date released in August of 2019 entitled “ʔəshəliʔ ti txʷəlšucid” one translation being “Lushootseed Is Alive” It is her first self-produced/hip-hop inspired/Salish fusion and in her words “has been my largest accomplishment to-date, to have access to the language of my ancestors and have the ability to incorporate what I can into my every day life, including my career.” The song is written and performed entirely in the Lushootseed Language. It features several members of her Suquamish community while the Music Video was brought to life by Kanion Productions, a crew completely comprised of Indigenous creatives. Lawrence continues traveling across nations as a full-time musician while based out of Coast Salish territory; her home, Suquamish.https://www.calinalawrence.com/Paige Pettibon is an artist based in Tacoma, Washington. Her medium focus is acrylic painting, but has extended to fiber art, beadwork, digital design, and other media. Paige is Black, White, and Salish (from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes). Paige is influenced by her multicultural background. She identifies as a community artist. She continues to grow within the Indigenous community by learning the Lushootseed language, tribal songs, arts, dances, and traditions.https://www.paigepettibon.com/

In this special episode, Melissa Oliveri guest hosts an All-Minnesota episode of Something (rather than nothing) with guest Sally Mars!Sally Mars is a writer and photographer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her work appears in numerous journals including Kalliope, Talking River, Elysian Fields, Illiterate, Scheme, Shots, Reflex, The Rake, Churn, Whistling Shade and in the hardbound collection Series of Dreams. Two of her stories have been adapted into live action films; a third into an award-winning animation.  Her stunning photography and writing can be found at https://www.sallymars.com/

This episode features guest host Rachel Lally (SRTN Episode 41 and Guest Host on SRTN 67) and Artist Daryl Parson.Embracing an eclectic existence across Europe and beyond, Daryl Parson has taken to countless creative endeavours over the years. Most notably tackling bass duties for epic doom metal veterans Solstice (UK). A band whose bludgeoning riffs and astute lyrics have inspired both musical passion and unyielding attitude. Off the international stage; Daryl is a wanderer, an artist, and especially, a writer. Through the juxtaposition of image and word he invokes insightful introspection across multiple media - with short stories already published and longer writings in the works. He is an occasional actor, previously appearing in film and television projects on both sides of the Atlantic; as well as dabbling in the more practical disciplines of sculpting and special effects work. He is a self-professed practitioner of Chaos Magick and has found inspiration through exploring the esoteric and expressing 'True Will' through creativity, philosophy and technology. Tending to lockdown malaise, interests in psychology and Artificial Intelligence research have coalesced with the occult to create 'Servitor' - a paradigm combining Magick with Machine Learning to effective ends. Forever seeking to connect and collaborate with other creatives and chaotes, the search continues for those who can keep up.https://www.metal-archives.com/artists/Daryl_Parson/583781

I hope you enjoy this short episode featuring spoken word pieces by Greg Clifford (Episode 81 guest)andGeoff Finan (Episode 66 guest)andlisten to a teaser/reminder to catch The Skylark Bell Season 2 by Melissa Oliveri (Episode 94 guest)Thank you for supporting the show, its artists and their creations.https://www.youtube.com/@gregcliffordmusichttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XHpH57TSBA

SRTN's visiting Philosopher, Jakub Ferencik is back! We first heard from Jakub in Episode 60. Since then, Jakub has written another book (!) entitled Beyond Reason: Why We Fail at Understanding Each Other.   Our discussion here ranged through many issues but focused on the primacy of reason as an arbiter of truth. Jakub and Ken engage in a lively conversation that is timely but steeped in the historical tradition, which they interrogate.   About Beyond Reason -   Why is it that everyone around us professes certainty amidst so much confusion, extremism, and polarization? Everyone has answers and yet so few questions are truly resolved. Academics debate endlessly, politicians manipulate desperately, and parents misguide in the same way that they were misled. In this book, Ferencik argues that the only way to come close to resolving our ideological battles is to assume that we are fallible; he claims that certainty is the enemy of progress. For much of history, dogma restricted the progress our ancestors hoped for. Today, we are similarly threatened by dogma. But in our case, we have tools we can work with to become more balanced, tolerant, and kind to those who disagree with us. If we are to truly aim at objectivity, we must read widely, disagree kindly, rethink voraciously, and move beyond reason.                         https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20994999.Jakub_Ferencik

Steph Littlebird is an artist, writer, curator, and registered member of Oregon’s Grand Ronde Confederated Tribes. Steph earned her degree in Painting and Printmaking from the Pacific Northwest College in Portland, Oregon, she currently lives and works in Las Vegas. Her work frequently touches upon issues of contemporary tribal identity, cultural survivance, and responsible land stewardship. Aside from her work as a visual artist, Steph is a full-time tech writer and freelance arts columnist for Oregon Arts Watch magazine. Steph has received three creative grants from the Art + Science Initiative and is the 2020 N.O.A.A. National Artist Fellow. She is also the recent recipient of a writing grant from the Oregon Cultural Trust, and her work has been featured by brands like Luna Bar, U.S.P.S. the Wild and Scenic Film Festival, and Wells Fargo. https://www.stephlittlebird.com/

Ellen Adair is best known as Bess McTeer in "The Sinner" and Janet Bayne in "Homeland," but they have additional recurring roles on "Bull," "Billions," the NBC miniseries "The Slap," "Veep," "The Family," and "As The World Turns." Other television credits include guest-star appearances on "The Good Fight," "NCIS: New Orleans," "Chicago Fire," and "Brotherhood." Ellen also starred opposite Omar Epps in Trick, directed by Patrick Lussier. Upcoming, they will appear in Netflix's series "Archive 81," and the films Cryptid and Love and Communication. As an author, Ellen's book Curtain Speech is available from Pen & Anvil Press. They have appeared numerous times as a guest analyst on MLB Network, and on dozens of well-known baseball podcasts, including their own, "Take Me In to the Ballgame."https://www.ellenadair.com/

Nancy Houser-Bluhm has lived in the foothills west of Denver, Colorado for over 20 years with her husband and miscellaneous pets. She hails from Michigan but always had a longing for the mountains after growing up watching Bonanza. Their current piece of heaven is called the Bluhmerosa.  For some years she and her husband, Jon traversed the country moving from Michigan to Oregon, back to Michigan and then to Colorado. Once a rock climber, she now spends time with biking, skiing, camping, enjoying nature and yoga; oh yes and with writing. Nancy received her first monetary writing award of $3.00 for a poem submitted by her middle school. Coinciding with the late 1960’s it pertained to war.  About the same time, she won a statewide essay contest which took her to a presidential inauguration.  She realizes she has outted herself and can never again use attending a presidential inauguration in the party game One Truth, Two Lies. Like the character in her first novel, Nancy’s pursuit of personal growth and awareness, led her down numerous paths. In the 1990s, Journey Seminars was her effort to bring entry level knowledge on such topics as dreamwork, Feng Shui, and homeopathy to her community. Authentic communication with herself and others has been an ultimate life quest, sometimes to the chagrin of others. A lifelong journaler, Nancy produced her own journal with excerpts from her past journal wisdoms and her husband’s art. She offered classes highlighting the power of the practice through gathered techniques. Nancy has had numerous prompted memoir-based articles in a local mountain newspaper. After working forty years as a Speech-Language, both in the schools and health care, she retired from being a full-time worker bee. It was then she began a blog and ventured into the arena of writing her first novel, Whispers For Terra.https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57820979-whispers-for-terra

Matt Hall grew up on a small farm in rural southern Oregon where he spent his time drawing dinosaurs and shoveling snow. He moved to Portland in 1997 to attend The Pacific Northwest College of Art as a painting major. His current work is an assemblage of rebuilt found objects and processed natural history ephemera. Exploring themes of loss, memory, mending, re-use and magical thinking. His work has been shown in numerous west coast galleries and and as far away as Germany. He can currently be found living in North Portland, repairing old taxidermy, going on walks with his two children, and waving at neighborhood cats.   https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57820979-whispers-for-terra

Eleanor Wells was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She is a writer and filmmaker with an avid interest in history, art, fashion, and nature. She has written and directed two short films, Feature Presentation (2017) and Eagle Rock (2019), as well as writing the screenplay for The Harpist (2014). She lives in Milwaukee and loves Grace Kelly, Diana Rigg and Disney.https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/about-a-girl-podcast-trailer-1094209/

There are many great bass players in the world, and many that reside in the Pacific Northwest.  One bass player that stands out in particular is Portland, Oregon’s Matt Brewster. Sometimes known as Phunky Brewster, he has been called for countless studio sessions and has played for many bands throughout his time in PDX with no end in sight.  He has toured through several states and has taken stages both big and small.  While perhaps not being known for exceptional technicality, he is known for exceptional feel, pocket, time, and groove that are woven together to create melodic and thoughtful bass lines.  If his playing isn’t enough, consider that he plays with a handicap on both hands!  Matt’s fretting hand has 2 fingers that have fused knuckles while his plucking hand is missing four fingers, leaving only his thumb!  He is living proof that through love and dedication to your craft, anything is achievable.Brewster also plays the cajon in a very unique way, making the Peruvian percussion instrument at home with multiple genres from folk to hip-hop, pop, and soul.  In addition, he is also a capable producer.  While mostly producing for his own projects, he sometimes will be found creating songs for other artists.  Brewster’s current main affiliations are Laryssa Birdseye and Hiroki which can both be heard wherever you consume your music.https://www.tiktok.com/@phunky.brewster

Caitlynn Abdow Velasquez was born and raised in the rolling hills of Western Massachusetts and spent her childhood exploring the outdoors, dusty old art history books, and illustrated dictionaries. In 2008 she achieved a degree in Painting and Art History at the University of Massachusetts. That same year she moved to Portland, Oregon where she now resides and works. Caitlynn Abdow is an award winning and published artist having shown in over 30 fine art gallery exhibitions nationwide. Her art focuses on a visual language of ancient and contemporary symbolism while featuring a limited naturalistic color palette. Caitlynn works primarily with oil paints and watercolors to render figurative and narrative works. She also does beautiful tattoos that transform the human body into a new piece of art.https://www.instagram.com/caitlynnabdow/

Heather Dean is a self-taught artist living and working in her hometown in the San Fernando Valley with her dog Jimi Hendrix. Her work deals chronically with subversion, the dreamworld and the absurdity of life and death.https://www.instagram.com/heatherdeaner/

Kola Shippentower-Thompson is an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. She has co-founded and is the Director of The Wisáwca Project - Enough Iz Enough, a non-profit organization working together for change, for better communication and involvement. Kola has developed a Safety Plan to be utilized by anyone in identifying safety methods, contacts, and procedures to keep one safe whether in an abusive relationship or a plan to track a missing person. She is a professional fighter and brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Kola is wife and mother to three children and takes personal safety to heart and especially in advocating for MMIWP. Kola also co-hosts a weekly podcast. Kola can be found on Instagram @kolashippentower

“‘Ivizia is a gorgeous-witty-wild-flower plucked from the fields of Mars for our astral entertainment.” - An awestruck podcast host“The episode is shockingly cryptic about whether it was recorded in the nude or not’” - An awestruck podcast listenerIvizia Dakini is your rabble rousing roller girl! She is 2016 Miss Exotic Oregon, and won “Most Extreme Show” in 2017 EDI Awards. You can watch Ivizia on the Netflix documentary “Burlesque: Heart of the Glitter Tribe”. Specializing in fire performance, roller skating & puppetry, Ivizia has become one of the premiere variety entertainers around the US, calling Las Vegas her home. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv8JY4imD2o

It is my distinct pleasure to welcome back Loren Rhoads. Loren first appeared on Episode 49 of SRTN.In this conversation we discuss her new book This Morbid Life and dig into issues of how to deal with death, what it means for our life, the meaning of things, flowers, anatomy, something and nothing.https://lorenrhoads.com/

Hana Walker Brown is a Multi-Award-Winning Documentary and Podcast Creator, Composer, Writer and Creative Director.Which basically means she tells stories; really good stories."It’s a real privilege; sitting down with a stranger and speaking until we are no longer strangers.Holding a space for someone into which they can just talk; freely, openly. Where it is safe to be vulnerable.I’m passionate about exploring the edges of vulnerability and courage, in the subtle art of holding space, in trust and how we can establish and maintain intimacy in our very modern world.I am fascinated by humans and all their edges.I have sat with their fear, their silence, with their joy, grief, courage and everything in between.In that moment, we are together. And each time I leave a little different; altered somehow. Real fucking magic."https://www.hanawalkerbrown.com/

Since forming as teenagers at the College of William & Mary in 2005, heavy rockers Caustic Casanova have experienced their fair share of ups and downs. Having weathered lineup changes, life threatening injuries and relentless DIY touring, the group’s highly eclectic sound has made them favorites in a crowded scene. Stereo Embers wrote of the Washington, DC based upstarts: “Caustic Casanova is one of the most excitingly innovative bands on the planet…the band’s at home in psych, prog, metal, punk, and seemingly every other genre in the galaxy.”2013 saw the band almost fall apart when drummer/vocalist Stefanie Zaenker endured serious injuries to her wrists that put her ability to drum in jeopardy. However, Caustic Casanova persevered, and by 2014, Zaenker, alongside bassist/vocalist Francis Beringer and guitarist Andrew Yonki had opened for sludge titans Kylesa and were signed to their label, Retro Futurist Records, allowing them to take things to the next level. The band toured heavily in support of their critically acclaimed 2015 LP Breaks, slugging it out both with Kylesa and on their own. Between 2013 and 2018 they also released a trio of EPs for their Pantheon series, where they paired original material with classics by Pentagram, the Melvins and Weedeater. This hard work led to a deal with Magnetic Eye Records, who in October 2019 released CC’s latest record God How I Envy The Deaf, which won two Washington Area Music Awards in 2020, for best hard rock album and best hard rock song (“Filth Castle”).As CC looks to the future, they’re already recording the next album with their longtime producer J. Robbins (Jawbox) at Magpie Cage Recording Studio in Baltimore. Newly a four piece with the addition of guitarist Jake Kimberley, this relentlessly loud band is excited to see what sonic alchemies their genre mashing and off the wall songwriting will conjure up next. Road hardened rock and roll warriors through and through, Caustic Casanova plan on showcasing their “muscular, riff-roaring, bass-fuzzed blend of metal and hard rock, flavored with doses of noise and stoned psychedelia” (Creative Loafing) all across the world.https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCenW1uvNMHmLgQOpX2Oql5A