Can you hear me, Long Beach?

On Episode #27 of “CAN YOU HEAR ME, LONG BEACH?” rapper G Funk Supreme talks about his new album and how growing up and sometimes going hungry in Long Beach shaped him and his music.

Filmmaker Eric Tandoc talks about his work chronicling the likes of skaters and elderly walkers, as well as the activism that informs his art and got him beat up and thrown in jail in the Philippines.

Online dating columnist June Diaz joins with Kelly Puente to talk about not only when the truth hurts, but when it's just too much.

0:02 "Such an evil laugh."

2:19 June Diaz and Kelly Puente talk love and honesty

9:20 "I got my first guy who wanted me to spank him."

22:55 Fico scores and fish

28:26 G Funk Supreme

35:00 "I want to give it back to the people."

37:10 Eric Tandoc

45:35 "I turned and saw my wife being taken by the chief of police."

46:30 "I was just trying to protect the camera until they started hitting me in the face."

57:29 Brian Addison's hurtful, spot-on imitation of Steve Lowery's NPR voice

58:44 Kelly is amazing

On episode #26 of CAN YOU HEAR ME, LONG BEACH?” we speak to Brian Addison about the passing of Ripples, the iconic gay dance club that closed its doors for good in November. Brian spoke of the cultural, generational and business reasons for the closing and how, in some ways, it's a sign about how far we've all come.

Asia Morris speaks with LaJon Miller about transforming the utility boxes around the Billie Jean King, and his life, through art. Asia sighs.

0:00 Old Prospector sings Adele

0:56 "It's a little bit country, a little bit I'm wearing a retainer."

3:58 Brian Addison talks about the closing of Ripples

13:05 Mayor Robert Garcia's gay bar count disputed

13:28 Health of Long Beach's gar bar scene

21:28 "Stop talking Asia"

21:35 Artist LaJon Miller

31:44 "I didn't look back"

47:30 I'm gonna quit my job and become an artist"

48:17 Nani!

On Episode #24 of "CAN YOU HEAR ME, LONG BEACH?" we get a little bit political as a good portion of the newsroom crammed around the table to talk about the just completed California Democratic Party State Convention, that turned out to be kinda fun, you know, when people weren't hitting each other with transportation devices. Brian Addison, Thomas Cordova, Kelly Puente, Stephanie Rivera and publisher David Sommers(!) join Steve Lowery to talk about all the behind the scenes, scenes, including Mayors on Parade, why so may people seemed to have a really hard time with a cute little story Brian wrote about restaurants and why, once again, so many folks are mad for Bernie.

On this special episode of "Can You Hear Me, Long Beach?" Post Breaking News Editor Jeremiah Dobruck and Managing Editor Melissa Evans talk about the decision to look deeper into the killing of Rosa Hernandez, who was beaten with an electric scooter.

While the circumstances of Hernandez's death were shocking, the circumstances of the person alleged to have killed her, Amad Rashad Redding, were not: the once-promising student had struggled with mental illness for much of his life.

Dobruck's reporting, along with that of Stephanie Rivera, looked into how the paths of these two strangers became intertwined and produced "Broken" an in-depth look at the circumstances surrounding the crime that is now live on the Post website.

On Episode #23 of “CAN YOU HEAR ME, LONG BEACH?” we're thrilled to speak to "Radiolab" creator Jad Abumrad about creativity and his upcoming, one-man performance of "The Miracle of Indoor Plumbing," Saturday, Nov. 16, at the Carpenter Center for the Performing Arts. Abumrad, along with "This American Life's" Ira Glass is many times (dis)credited with birthing the podcast era. We paid tribute by ripping off everything we could about "Radiolab."

Asia Morris speaks with one of our favorite people, Mimi Masher (below), about her quest to bring roller derby—and a roller derby track—back to Long Beach.

0:36 Does this new microphone make me sound better?

1:08 Radiolab creator Jad Abumrad talks about his upcoming show in Long Beach and his journey as a radio and podcast creator

2:32 Jad’s voice is meant for radio, even over the phone

7:50 The “right place, right time” moment that created Radiolab

11:10 How do you always sound so casual?

16:47 Jad shares about his new podcast, Dolly Parton’s America

22:20 Mimi Masher is trying to bring back roller derby to Long Beach

28:47 Male roller derby is controversial… and sexy?

34:40 How YOU can help bring roller derby back to Long Beach

36:56 Radiolab tribute credit reading

On Episode #22 of “CAN YOU HEAR ME, LONG BEACH?” No one is sure how it got started, but it got START-ED! We picked up the Junipero controversy and the pronunciation one street name soon morphed into discussions of all manner of bigger things including the Queen Mary and “Well, you’re not from here!”

As for how the whole thing got started, we refer you to this source material. Your beloved Tim Grobaty is the cudgel-waving fellow aggressively strutting toward seated Man of Peace, Steve Lowery.

0:00 The right way to pronounce “Ximeno” according to Google

0:55 The street name that tore the city apart

3:50 Tim Grobaty is always right

5:01 The “understood A” and Tim Grobaty’s college experience

20:20 Steve and Asia catch up

22:57 We want to hear your story ideas!

23:48 What’s up with Asia’s weird name?

36:35 Junipero puns

On Episode #21 of “CAN YOU HEAR ME, LONG BEACH?” June Diaz is looking for love but has yet to find it and you are so lucky because of it. That's because June has no problem talking or writing about her romantic (mis)adventures. The Post will launch her online dating column "Swipe Left" on Monday, Oct. 28. She came by the office to talk about that, dating and the soon-to-be, oft-quoted phrase, "Can Princess to be trained?"

Ah, love.

Anita Bunn and Francesco X. Siqueiros stop by to talk about "B.A.T. State III: Women Artists in Conversation with El Nopal Press" the exhibition they co-curated for Cal State Long Beach's Kleefeld Contemporary that features prints by 37 women artists produced over a span of 30 years at Siqueiros El Nopal Press in downtown Los Angeles.

0:15 Online Dating with June Diaz

4:41 Scammers, spammers and cat fishers10:40 "Bartering"

14:45 What to do with a guy who asks, "Can Princess be trained?"

32:30 How Steve met someone on an airplane

38:30 Anita Bunn and Francesco Siqueiros talk about printmaking and "B.A.T. State III: Women Artists in Conversation with El Nopal Press"

51:20 June really should just go into stand up comedy

On Episode #20 of “CAN YOU HEAR ME, LONG BEACH?” Lucia Micarreli is a triple threat, though not a usual one. Yes, she sings. Yes, she acts ("Treme"). Yes, she is a virtuoso violinist whose long list of collaborations include Josh Groban, Jethro Tull, Trans-Siberian Orchestra and, on Oct. 26, the Long Beach Symphony Pops. She talked about all of that, growing up in Queens, about why she doesn't wear shoes, all in-between laughing. A lot.

And then, local ceramicist and lovely spirit Gopi spoke about ceramics and all that is lovely about Long Beach.

Show Notes:

0:40 Just. Don’t ask.

1:15 Dominic Picarelli does nothing

2:00 Lucia Micarelli laughs about her journey from violinist to actor to singer

4:30 Listening to non-classical music for the first time

10:00 Ending up on the Trans Siberian Orchestra and with Josh Groban

30:45 Living life as a violinist with a hand injury

43.55 Why barefoot?

46:53 Gopi Shah is a potter. The clay kind. Not the other kind.

On Episode #19 of “CAN YOU HEAR ME, LONG BEACH?" Karole Foreman has been a working actress for quite some time, emphasis on working. Just check her IMDB page, you'll see not only the pure volume of roles in both TV and film but roles running the gamut of characters with actual names and backstories to ones identified only as "Woman."

But, in her latest role, the character most definitely has a name: Billie Holiday. Foreman, who lives in Signal Hill, plays the icon in International City Theater's production of "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill." It's a role that is no doubt daunting considering that Holiday is arguably (is there really an argument?) the most distinctive vocalist in American music history.

We spoke with her about the role and about her job.

Foreman was then joined on the podcast by "Lady Day" director Wren T. Brown and musical director Stephan Terry.

Finally, Satica is a R&B singer raised in Long Beach who recently released song and video "Ode to LBC." Reporter James Chow, who wrote a profile of the artist for the Hi-lo, produced this short audio feature about her.

0:36 Karole Forrman takes on the persona of Billie Holiday

13:28 A normal day for a working actor.

19:29 Music director Stephan Terry and artistic director Wren T. Brown join the conversation

28:20 The difference between improvisation and impromptu

34:16 The way to a music director's heart...

42:39 "A fantastic little thing" about Satica and her music (Produced by James Chow)

On Episode #17 of “CAN YOU HEAR ME, LONG BEACH? "Arts" can be a pretty daunting, dandy world, rife with black ties and velvet ropes. At the beginning of this, National Arts Month, we spoke with two groups looking to make their particular corner of the art world more accessible, more understandable and more fun.

Long Beach Opera is hosting a Divalicious Drag-Off on Sunday at Hamburger Mary’s. Opera singers will be paired with drag queens to perform as teams: the Opera Diva will first perform an aria, followed by a lip-synced number by the Drag Queen (think “Un Bel Di” followed by “I Will Survive”) to be judged on originality and fabulosity.

We spoke with LBO's executive director Jennifer Rivera and singer Joanna Ceja about the show. We asked Rivera how the search for a new artistic director is going. We asked Ceja to sing. They both obliged.

Next, artist inhabit a sometimes mysterious world of creation and cleaning supplies. To wipe away a bit of the mystery, encourage a dialogue with the public, not to mention a chance to spend some art dollars in town, the Arts Council of Long Beach has put together Open Studio Tours.

The Council's Tina Burnight spoke with us about this four-weekend event Oct. 5 – Oct. 27 that features artists all over Long Beach opening their art studios to the public; some studios are inside the artists’ homes (so it’s kind of like a home and garden tour!), some are in their garages, some are co-ops with several artists sharing space. It’s really a great way to see, in person, what local artists constantly chirp about, that there are just so many of them that call Long Beach home, and so few spaces (galleries) for them to show. The tour starts this Saturday and Sunday in the Zaferia/Eastside area with eight different destinations for tour-goers to check out. And, support your local artist!