Citywide Bytes—Cold time in the city with new anthology

Let’s face it, cities are just awesome. Whether it’s Boston, Paris, London, they have a life all their own, and sometimes, they wind up as characters in a story.

That’s the premise for our latest Citywide Bytes interview with R.B. Wood, Mike Allen and Xan van Rooyen to talk about “Winter in the City,” a collection of 18 different stories from new and veteran writers from around the world. 

As the book’s editor, R.B. goes into the book’s origins and how he found the many writers, while Mike and Xan talk about their stories and why they chose their particular cities.

The book’s going to be related on Dec. 10 through R.B.’s Ruadán Books and he shares what it means for this to be the company’s debut release.

Preston Fassel gives us a book with no heroes in “Beasts of 42nd Street”

Who doesn’t love a good movie? No matter the genre, it’s a chance to escape from this world into a whole new one. And the rarer the better, right? Well, maybe not in this case.

In Preston Fassel’s new book, “Beasts of 42nd Street,” we’re taken on a trip to New York’s 42nd Street, a place where, no joke, getting stabbed and robbed isn’t all that unusual. In this kingdom of the damned we meet Andy Lew, an unrepentant junkie, voyeur and degenerate, only tolerated by the more dangerous men around him because he keeps the projectors at the Colossus theater running.

There’s something unique about Andy, though. He owns a movie—the only one of its kind. No one knows who made it and only he knows where it came from. The woman it stars is beautiful beyond imagination—and the images it depicts are worse than the darkest depths of Hell.

I loved the premise for this book and so Preston and I go on a trip to 42nd Street to meet Andy and learn what makes him such a scumbag. We talk about the movie and the grindhouse style of cinema that inspired it, something that Preston knows a lot about. We also see how 42nd Street has changed and what Preston learned when he went back a few years ago.

Sorry Mom talk about connecting with their fans and what's in store for 2022

Taryn and Juno of Sorry Mom, a New England-based femme queer punk band, join me to talk about the different scenes that they've connected, both in the Boston areas and others. This was best seen at a show they did at Bowery Electric, one of the last ones for 2021.

Taryn, Juno, and I look at their plans for 2022, which will include more shows and plans for new music releases. We also talk about other cities they've played in and others where they'd love to do shows.

Following this, check out “Awesome Party, Dude!” and “Hit The Back.”

Leah Hinton takes us “Away” with upbeat new single

Happy New Year and welcome to our first episode of 2022! We've got some high hopes for this year, so let's get it started off right with Leah Hinton to talk about her new single “Away.” 

This song takes Leah in some new musical directions with an upbeat, hopeful message. We dive into this and the contribution of Jodron Peace, who she's worked with in the past. Speaking of that, we look at the other artists she's worked with and what makes a truly great partnership among musicians.

Leah calls New York City home, but that wasn't always the case. She's born and raised in North Carolina and attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. We talk about what each location offered her and some of her favorite places to check out shows.

Following this interview, enjoy the new single, “Away.” I really dug the vibe of the song and the message Leah shares.

Journalist Hilary Sheinbaum talks about the benefits of sobriety in new book

It was four years ago that lifestyle writer Hilary Sheinbaum took a bet with a friend to take part in Dry January, a month-long abstaining from drinking—and she's done it every year since. This led her to further explore this concept in her new book, “THE DRY CHALLENGE: How to Lose the Booze for Dry January, Sober October, and Any Other Alcohol-Free Month.”



In this episode, Hilary and I talk about the bet she made with a friend to take on Dry January, what she gained from it, and what kept her going in the years that followed. Living in New York City, drinking is a big part of the social life, and so we also look at some of the new things she tried and how the bar experience changed. 

 

Francis Aud talks music videos, making children's music, and what it means to be an “Audball”

Brooklyn-based “FONK” artist Francis Aud joins me to talk about his new single “Codeine Kiss,” as well as the music video released in mid-November, including a soon-to-be-famous dog. He's been pretty active during the pandemic, and we talk about how he kept the creative energy going.


Aud's been making music since 2017, and shares what got him into music and his accomplishments over the last three years. This includes making children's music, and we discuss what goes into making tunes in this genre. It's a pretty cool story and really shows the range of his creativity.


After the interview, enjoy the new single “Codeine Kiss.”

Musical journeys from London to Nashville to Atlanta

Kicking off this week's program is London-born and Atlanta-based hip-hop artist Poni Capri. She's got a new EP out called “Dark Candy,” which touches on her time in the world of drugs and gangs and how she's made her mark as a musician and model.

The Nashville-based folk duo of Lost Hollow tell us all about their adventures in Europe, plus their new release, Looking for Happy and the release show planned later this month. Included in the album is the song “Shine On,” which is dedicated to the memory of Sancy Shaw, who died tragically in a drunk driving accident.

Plus, there's great music from both guests. From Poni, we've got “Chosen” and “Rich Sex,” and Lost Hollow brings us “Shine On” and “We Are One.”