Our Americana

In a town with no radio or cellular waves, with no wifi or cable, life is wonderfully quiet. We examine our strange relationships with technology and meet a woman who suffers from electromagnetic sensitivity so bad, she spent a year living in a Faraday cage.

This is a Studio BOTH/AND production:
www.ouramericanapodcast.com / www.bothand.fyi
For an ad-free experience or to support the show: www.patreon.com/studiobothand

In a rural Iowa town rooted in Transcendental Meditation and home to the microcommunity movement, community-building and intention have been redefined.

This is a Studio BOTH/AND production:
www.ouramericanapodcast.com / www.bothand.fyi
For an ad-free experience or to support the show: www.patreon.com/studiobothand

A northern Minnesota town, struggling to find its economic identity, gets a little help from an unlikely resident and his uncanny routine. Plus, turtle racing.


This is a Studio BOTH/AND production:
www.ouramericanapodcast.com / www.bothand.fyi
For an ad-free experience or to support the show: www.patreon.com/studiobothand

Our Americana listener Adrienne walks us through her hometown. We talk about how tragedy shaped her, politics and conversation in North Carolina, and life in a town full of memories. Plus, a song about bears.

This is a Studio BOTH/AND production:
www.ouramericanapodcast.com / www.bothand.fyi
For an ad-free experience or to support the show: www.patreon.com/studiobothand

Our Americana is produced & hosted by Josh Hallmark.

Featured Music:
Rho - Long Drive Home;
Scott Holmes - Childhood Memories;
Luke Pigott - Mourning Breathing;
Ballpen - The Hometown Dream;
Podington Bear - Clouds Pass Softly Deux;
Podington Bear - Little Do;
Podington Bear - Sunset Stroll;
Adrianna Krikl - Know Where
Music available at: www.freemusicarchive.com

In 2013, hundred dollar bills started mysteriously appearing throughout Salem, Oregon; in diaper boxes, tip cups, people's cars. This is the story of the mysterious person hiding them, and how their generosity became contagious.

This week's guests:
Heather Martin, JoAnn Culbertson, and Rob Whelan

Our Americana is produced & hosted by Josh Hallmark.
Learn more at www.ouramericanapodcast.com

Sponsor Our Americana at www.patreon.com/ouramericana -or- www.ouramericanapodcast.com

Special thanks to Night Cadet for the use of their song "Seaside."

Other Featured Music:
Dave Depper - Perspective;
Will Bangs - The Soft Glow of Christmas Lights;
David Szesztay - Take Care;
Dave Depper - Acoustic 2;
Will Bangs - You Make My Heart Sing So Loud;
Dave Depper - Wholesome 1;
Josh Woodward - Thanks for Coming (Instrumental);
Steve Combs - Thank You (Remix)
Music available at: www.freemusicarchive.com

It's how this whole thing started. When we set off on the open road that May evening, we knew our lives were about to change; we had no idea exactly how. We had no idea exactly how much, how wonderfully; how it would take us to right here, right now.

#VanLife is, of course, bigger than just us and our travels. And so, I reached out to some of our fellow roadtrippers to see how life on the road has changed them and their perspective on America.

And, just like with any great roadtrip, some music for the ride.

This week's Insta-guests:

Alex @agirlandhervan
Jace & Giddi @wheninvan
Jennifer @treeoftravel

This is a Studio BOTH/AND production:
www.ouramericanapodcast.com / www.bothand.fyi
For an ad-free experience or to support the show: www.patreon.com/studiobothand

Sponsor Our Americana at www.patreon.com/ouramericana -or- www.ouramericanapodcast.com

Featured Music:
Dave Depper - Perspective;
Terry Jackson - A Portion of Foxes;
The Impossebulls - Road Warriors;
Westy Reflector - The Long Road Ahead;
The Bowmans - On The Road;
Rho - Shady Ridge Row;
Josh Woodward - Follow The Road;
Jack Kotz - I'm The Only Road You Know;
Ze Trigueiros - Big Road Of Burravoe;
Will Bangs - I'm So Glad You Exist;
spinningmerkaba - The Stars Look Different

Music available at: www.freemusicarchive.com

A high desert ghost town is revitalized as an unincorporated, off-the-grid artists' community. In this ungoverned, un-policed town of 219, law enforcement consists of a self-appointed, five-person Intervention and Safety Team. This town and its governing by volunteerism will change the way you think about law enforcement, guns, ethics, and their impact on community.

This is a Studio BOTH/AND production:
www.ouramericanapodcast.com / www.bothand.fyi
For an ad-free experience or to support the show: www.patreon.com/studiobothand

This week's guests:

Connie Mayhew: Connie owns and operates Madrid's one and only roadside attraction, a donation-based photo park.

Mike T: Mike is the self-appointed head of a volunteer security team, in a town with no police.

Our Americana is produced & hosted by Josh Hallmark.

Featured Music:
Dave Depper - Perspective;
Charles Atlas - Demus;
Nowhere Home - Happy The Playground Chimes;
Alex Fitch - Secret Place

Music available at: www.freemusicarchive.com

This episode concludes the story of Luna the Whale and his time in Gold River. The town comes together to save Luna, and the town struggles in the wake of his absence and the lessons learned.

This is a Studio BOTH/AND production:
www.ouramericanapodcast.com / www.bothand.fyi
For an ad-free experience or to support the show: www.patreon.com/studiobothand

This week's guests:
Jamie James: Jamie is a member of the Mowachaht / Muchalaht First Nation tribe. He became Luna's caretaker and closest friend in Gold River.

Donna Schneider: Donna was a chef on the Uchuck, a regional cruise ship based in Gold River. Donna was one of the first people to encounter Luna and, against all odds, developed a friendship with the orphaned whale.

Eugene Amos: Eugene is also a member of the Mowachaht / Muchalaht First Nation tribe. He moved to Gold River after the passing of his grandmother and almost immediately encountered another tragedy. But through a strange prophecy and the arrival of Luna, his views of the world and his relationships changed.

Michael Parfit & Suzanne Chisholm: Michael and Suzanne were sent to Gold River, by Smithsonian, to cover the story of Luna. They stayed on through multiple attempts at rescuing and relocating him, and later turned Luna's story into a documentary, The Whale. www.thewhale.com

Our Americana is produced & hosted by Josh Hallmark.

Featured Music:
Dave Depper - Perspective;
Cloudjumper - Orca;
Lee Rosevere - Shimmering;
Dexter Britain - The Stars Are Out;
Phillipp Weigl - The Scent of Cedars;
El Perro del Mar - From The Valley To The Stars
Music available at: www.freemusicarchive.com

In 2001, the small town of Gold River was adopted by a baby orca. Over the next five years, Luna the Whale would both unite and spark debate amongst the previously segregated town. And he would put this isolated Vancouver Island community on the map and at the forefront of an even bigger conversation about what happens when conservation and humanity collide.

Guests:
Donna Schneider
Eugene Amos
Michael Parfit
Suzanne Chisholm

This is a Studio BOTH/AND production:
www.ouramericanapodcast.com / www.bothand.fyi
For an ad-free experience or to support the show: www.patreon.com/studiobothand

Music:
Dave Depper - Perspective;
Lee Rosevere - Watching Whales on the Moon;
Cloudjumper - Orca;
Sergey Cheremisinov - Forgotten Stars;
Aaron Mist - Wait for Me;
Aaron Mist - Whales Inside
Music available at: www.freemusicarchive.com

In the season two premiere we head to rural Berkshire County, where the coalescence of agriculture, city weekenders, and a regional currency helped create and spread the farm-to-table movement.

This is a Studio BOTH/AND production:
www.ouramericanapodcast.com / www.bothand.fyi
For an ad-free experience or to support the show: www.patreon.com/studiobothand

Guests:
Alice Maggio: Alice is the Local Currency Program Director at the Schumacher Center for New Economics, where she is further developing Berkshire County’s own local currency, BerkShares. www.berkshare.org

Andy Pruhenski & Abby Webster: Abby and Andy are Berkshires natives and own and operate a housewares store in downtown Great Barrington, One Mercantile. www.sett.onemercantile.com

Featured Music:
Dave Depper - Perspective;
Keshco - Waterback;
Podington Bear - Golden Hour;
Zachary Wilson - Depths of Heaven
Music available at: www.freemusicarchive.com