May 24, 2018: BADD/LJ Cohen/The Promise is Hope

The Promise Is Hope

Opening the program, BADD calls in to join model and radio vet Bosslady and Eddie from Party Hard Ent. to preview their upcoming reality program aimed at promoting local businesses. The official premier is expected in the next month or so, and we go over the program's format and how this unique crew came together.

Author LJ Cohen is next, and she shares the news about the conclusion of her popular Halcyon Space series. We talk about the unorthodox characters that she created, how one brings a series to a close, and the wonderful art that has accompanied her stories.

Ashley and Eric L'Esperance of the Worcester-based duo The Promise is Hope round out the program with a live set from their new album, "Every Seed Must Die." This album followed a period of tragic loss in the couple's life, and we talk about the people they knew and some of the lessons they shared. Not every album touches on the good parts, but this creation was a help in dealing with the pain, and shows that there is a light following such dark times.

May 17, 2018: Donna Milham/Stereo Pleasure/John Raposa

John Raposa

Author Donna Milham returns to Citywide to talk about her second book, "Can You Hear the Sound?" It's an invitation to journey into the depths and sounds of the Eternal. Readers can expect to encounter the depths of God's heart, where they will discover the rhythms, the movements and the sounds of heaven.

Donna talks about the nature of religion and how to communicate her message in a way that people don't feel buried by it, as well as the goals of the new book.

The crew from Stereo Pleasure return to share some of the newest music they've been working on. In between debuting these new songs, they talk about some of the artists they've heard and the many folks involved in the recording process.

Author John Raposa is back to talk about the second book in his Children of Apis series, "Territories Clash."
Set years after an apocalyptic event, it is the summer of 2085 and Cowan's group is trying to enjoy some much-needed rest in the rebel settlement, following their harrowing escape from the Northeast Territory. Their respite may be short-lived since conflict has a way of finding you when you leave a trail of blood and destruction in your wake.
John walks us through the careful outlining process he followed, as well as how he makes the characters into ones that the audience cares about.

May 10, 2018: Luisa Alberto/Christie Lindor/Jesse Terry/ShellzDaGod

Max with Luisa Alberto

Opening the latest episode, I'm joined by makeup artist Luisa Alberto. Since a very young age, Luisa knew she wanted to be in this field, and has worked to build a career working with models, beauty pageants, and more. Luisa talks about her background, what she's learned over the years, and some of her favorite products. 

Author Christie Lindor shares a very essential method known as MECE (pronounced ME-SEE) stands for "mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive" and is a key principle in management consulting to facilitate a structured approach towards solving complex business problems. It is a way of being and common guiding principle among the management consulting community. Lindorâs book, "The MECE Muse," outlines this method, how it works, and the many ways in which it can be applied. In short, it helps people to become the mentor that Lindor said she wishes she had early in her career.

Singer-songwriter Jesse Terry calls in from the road on the way to a barn show to talk about his newest album, "Natural." A spinoff of sorts from another recent release, "Stargazer," this album features a number of different artists that he was worked with over the years, including Dar Williams, Cary Ann Hearst of Shovels & Rope, Liz Longley, Kim Richey, Annie Clements, Sarah Darling, and Erin Rae. Jesse talks about what each brought to the table and the process of producing the final product. He also shares some road stories and his method for touring.

Hip-hop artist ShellzDaGod returns to talk about his newest music, which includes a lot of plans for music videos over the summer. Shellz rocks a sick freestyle beat, which leads to a discussion on his writing method when he gets into the studio.
 

Blackout Bootleg: 48-Hour Film Project

Here's the podcast of Citywide's Convention Corespondent Ben Chou at the meet and greet for the 48-Hour Film Project. The screenings for the films will be held May 14 and 15, and you can learn more about this here.
Ben talks to Ben Guaraldi, one of the organizers of the project at The People's Republic in Cambridge about the project and its origins. Guaraldi shares the challenge of having a weekend to make a movie, where the creators are given certain elements like a line of dialogue and prop that must be included in some fashion. The two chat about the technological developments that have changed the filmmaking process and made things easier on the production side. We also get a few examples of some of the final products.

Blackout Bootlegs: Pax East two-part interview

Ben Chou with Green Chylde

I'm very happy to present our two-part Pax East interviews, done and edited by Citywide's Convention Corespondent Ben Chou.

In part one, Ben hangs out with Green Chylde, co-founder of the Pax East Facebook group. She shares the origin of the group, how it's grown, and working with Daniel Beardo, the other co-founder. She also talks about her favorite Pax memories and the people she's met, and Ben shares the stories of the new friends he's met and the old faces he's seen year to year. The two also go back and forth about the indie games they've had the chance to play and what's on their must-buy list.

In the second part, Ben talks to John of Fidget Creative, a Salem-based game producer for their card game Red Scare Redux, and Clubhouse Defense Squad, a strategic tower defense game. We get a solid outline of both games and how they play. John talks about how his children helped to inspire Clubhouse, and the characters that you can be. The company has a Kickstarter running for their games, and more info can be found on the company site. We learn about John's perspective on gaming and how most start off as kids, and how Fidget's games try to capture that. John also shares the future plans for the game and the company's long-term projects.

May 3, 2018: Nico Rivers/Kerri Powers/Raavi and the Houseplants

The mysterious new member of Raavi and the Houseplants

Opening the show, singer-songwriter Nico Rivers and bandmate Emily Graham-Handley talk about the new album, "Tiny Death," which will be released at a show at the Middle East on May 11. We go over the music video that was created for the track "Tidal Wave," which involved some filming in a pretty unique location. Nico will be heading to Germany on tour this summer, and tells us all the locations he'll be visiting and his past experience overseas.

Kerri Powers calls in to share the story behind her new album, "Starseeds," unveiled last Friday. Powers has been playing since she was very young, and after a hiatus from the stage to focus on familyâbut not from the world of musicâshe later returned to it. Working with Dirt Floor Studios, Powers' new release consists of eight new original tunes and two covers of the work of Blind Faith and the late Gene Clark. She talks about the work that has gone into making the new album, some of the places she's played at over the years, and why churches are some of her favorite venues.

The band Raavi and the Houseplants closes out the show with a killer live set that runs for a full half-hour. Following this, the band members share their origin and plans for shows over the next month.