Out of the Blocks

By Aaron Henkin, Wendel Patrick

What's Out of the Blocks about?

Out of the Blocks is a uniquely immersive listening experience that emerges from a mosaic of voices and soundscapes on the streets of Baltimore. A custom-tailored score colors and connects this tapestry of stories hidden in plain sight.

5.0

148148 ratings

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Out of the Blocks episodes:

08.17.2021
Barbara's Groceries, Then & Now
We first met the guys at Barbara’s Groceries back in 2015 on the 4700 block of Liberty Heights Avenue. This episode, we reunite with them, we listen back together to their original recordings, and we ask them, “How’s life changed...
08.10.2021
B Love & Bridge of Hope, Then & Now
This episode, we reconnect with Traci ‘B-Love’ Bartlow, who runs a boutique hotel on the ground floor of her home in West Oakland’s Lower Bottoms neighborhood. She tells us how her life and her business have changed over the past...
08.03.2021
Antonio & Pat & Andrea, Then & Now
We first met Antonio McDuffy and Pat & Andrea Wills on the 400 block of E Patapsco Avenue back in 2015. This episode, we reunite with them, we listen back together to their original recordings, and we ask them, “How’s...
07.27.2021
Wayne & Aaron, Then & Now
We first met Wayne Brewton & Pastor Aaron Hannah on the 600 block of Cherry Hill Road back in 2017. This episode, we reunite with Wayne & Aaron, we listen back together to their original recordings, and we ask them,...
07.20.2021
Sissy & Shaniqua, Then & Now
We first met Okhui ‘Sissy’ Benlein & Shaniqua McCready on the 1900 block of Pennsylvania Avenue back in 2018. This episode, we reunite with Sissy & Shaniqua, we listen back together to their original recordings, and we ask them, “How’s...
07.12.2021
George & Gus, Then & Now
We first met Gus Zissimos & George Anagnostou on the 4700 block of Eastern Avenue back in 2015. This episode, we reunite with George & Gus, we listen back together to their original recordings, and we ask them, “How’s life...
07.06.2021
Arlo & Lei Ann, Then & Now
We reconnect with Arlo Iron Cloud, our partner at KILI Radio, The Voice of the Lakota Nation, on the Pine Ridge Reservation. He tells us how life has changed for him and his family over the past few years. We...
06.29.2021
Foots & Lateef, Then & Now
We first met Gregory Hill (AKA Foots) and Lateef Aderomilehin on the 2100 block of Edmondson Avenue back in 2017. This episode, we reunite with Foots & Lateef, we listen back together to their original recordings, and we ask them,...
06.21.2021
Tymekia & Will, Then & Now
We first met Tymekia Spellman and Will Jackson on the 4700 block of Liberty Heights Avenue back in 2015. This episode, we reunite with Tymekia & Will, we listen back together to their original recordings, and we ask them, “What’s...
06.14.2021
James & Theresa, Then & Now
We first met James Carter and Theresa Marable on the 3300 block of Greenmount Avenue in back 2012, in the very first episode of Out of the Blocks. This episode, we reunite with James and Theresa, we listen back together...
01.21.2021
Young Wisdom
Have you ever been a mentor to someone? Maybe you had a mentor of your own? How did it change your life? January is National Mentoring Month, and this episode we turn our attention to the voices and the stories...
11.25.2020
Sidewalk Serenades
This pandemic’s been a tough time for musicians. Clubs are closed, and gigs are cancelled. But our friends at Baltimore’s Creative Alliance had a lightbulb moment. They thought: These musicians that we usually book on our stage, what if we...
09.14.2020
Space Sonification
They have access to the collected astronomical data of the world’s most powerful space telescopes, and they’re stuck at home in quarantine. Here’s what they’re doing: Scientists Jenn Kotler, Clara Brasseur, and Scott Fleming have been using their time in...
06.09.2020
James' Block: An Outlier
This episode is about a virtual block that makes up the current world of one fascinating and unusual young man. His name is James Burrows. He’s a musical genius, and he’s autistic. This week, he’s graduating from high school in the...
05.08.2020
Lexington Market, part 3: On a Humble
Well, this long-overdue episode wasn’t originally intended to be an audio time-capsule, but, you know… life. Here’s a final look back at a venerable city market that’s now temporarily closed to the public, and partly demolished.
03.28.2020
Um, Now What?
We’re working through how to best proceed on near-future episodes of the show, and we want to invite you into the conversation. Got an interesting online ‘block’? Hit us up on Instagram @outoftheblocks1 or on twitter @outoftheblocks1
03.13.2020
Lexington Market, part 2: Engines of Change
Conversations with vendors & market-goers about the past & present of Lexington Market, a look at hopes for (and doubts about) the market’s future, and a talk with the idealistic developer responsible for the big changes that lay ahead.
02.28.2020
Lexington Market, part 1: Survival of the Fittest
Change is knocking on the door of Baltimore’s iconic Lexington Market. Ground has been broken on a new market building, and local vendors are wondering if they’ll have a place in the much-hyped new structure. In this episode, merchants, artisans,...
02.14.2020
Melody & Verse
We love it on this podcast when we meet people who are natural storytellers. And it’s an extra bonus when they happen to be talented musicians or poets, too. This episode, we celebrate some of our favorite musical and lyrical...
02.01.2020
Charleston,WV, West Side, part 2: We May See a Harvest
Our audio tour through Charleston’s West Side continues with a community gardener, an antique collector, a symphony clarinetist, a deli owner, and a retired pro basketball player. Plus, a visit to a local auto shop, a barbershop, a Girl Scout...
01.17.2020
Charleston, WV, West Side, part 1: History Laid Down Like Shellac
We take the show to Charleston West Virginia’s West Side neighborhood to visit a family barbecue joint, a country music jamboree, a faith-based after-school program, a women’s drug recovery house, and a bustling Goodwill headquarters. Plus, conversations with an activist...
01.03.2020
Scars
Every scar comes with a story. And if you’re telling the story, it means you survived whatever gave you that scar.In this episode, stories about things that left a mark.
12.20.2019
Barbershop Stories
Tales of camaraderie, mentorship, second chances, prosperity, and style, from barbershops in Baltimore and beyond. Have a seat, grab a newspaper, and make yourself comfortable… the next available barber will take you shortly.
12.06.2019
Juneau, Alaska, part 2: Learn How to Fall
A game hunter consults his conscience, a Native Rights advocate remembers being separated from her heritage, a local chef plays host to TV personality Gordon Ramsay, a widow remembers her late husband’s grace and humor, a Native Youth Olympics coach...
11.22.2019
Juneau, Alaska, part 1: We Belong to Each Other
A visit with a Chilkat Ravenstail weaver, a rain-forest hike in search of Devil’s Club, the tale of a rudely awakened Black Bear, an afternoon with a fishing boat captain, a mountain jog with a champion ultra-runner, hair and make-up...
11.08.2019
Eastern Ave, East to Highland, part 3: Our Life is True
A therapist plumbs his own psychology by creating artistic collages, a Central American kitchen staff cooks the menu at a Peruvian chicken restaurant, a general store sells everything from microwaves to original artwork, a neighborhood handyman makes his living out...
10.23.2019
Eastern Ave, East to Highland, part 2: Do What You Do for the Love of it
In this episode: The perfectly nice lady behind one of the most menacing overdubs in television history, the tireless purveyor of Baltimore’s most famous pizza, two barbers who’ve paid their dues to learn their trade, the operators of a make-it-from-scratch...
10.10.2019
Eastern Ave, East to Highland, part 1: Pebble in a Pond
Stories from a Dominican barbershop, a tattoo parlor, a lawyer’s office, a coffee counter, and a collaborative arts hub, all neighbors in the melting pot that is Eastern Avenue in Baltimore’s Highlandtown neighborhood.
09.26.2019
1600 Sulgrave Ave, part 2: Second Nature
We visit Baltimore Clayworks, where artist Sam Wallace teaches a pottery technique he learned as a kid in Jamaica. We talk with the crew at The Mount Washington Tavern about romance, oyster shucking, and a major fire that put the...
09.11.2019
1600 Sulgrave Ave, part 1: Actually, I’ve become myself
This North Baltimore neighborhood is just inside the city line, but it’s got the cloistered feel of an affluent suburban hamlet. High-end consignment boutiques, beauty salons, and restaurants bring well-heeled locals to Sulgrave Avenue in Mount Washington Village, a quiet world...
08.27.2019
West Oakland, Lower Bottoms, part 2: The World We Live In
Our listening tour of West Oakland’s Lower Bottoms continues as we meet the volunteers at a local food pantry, a street ball legend known as ‘the greatest player never to make the NBA,’ a transplant from Compton who’s become a...
08.14.2019
West Oakland, Lower Bottoms, part 1: Self-Determination
West Oakland’s Lower Bottoms neighborhood is home to the historical headquarters of the Black Panther party. It’s also one train stop away from San Francisco, and escalating real-estate prices are quickly changing the character of the neighborhood. This episode, we...
07.30.2019
Compliments to the Chef
One of the great bonuses of documenting Baltimore is that we happen across lots of incredible kitchens. This episode is our love letter to all the hard-working cooks behind the pots and pans and fryers and grills in those kitchens,...
07.16.2019
Parenthood
An older couple inherits two unexpected sons, an ex-offender regains custody of his daughter, an entrepreneurial mom teaches business smarts to her child, recovering addicts try to stay clean for their kids, and a son takes over for his father...
07.03.2019
Out of the Docks, part 2: Close Quarters, Wide Horizons
Do you have any privacy when you live on a sailboat with another couple? What happens when you try to raise kids on a motor yacht? How does it test a marriage when you share a small space? What do...
06.20.2019
Out of the Docks, part 1: Life Aboard
From minimalist millennials to well-off retirees, some 300 people live year-round on floating homes in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Their vessels range from small sailboats to luxury motor yachts, and their offbeat stories are captured beautifully in this episode by Out...
06.04.2019
Hollins Market, part 2: The Beautiful Side of Ugly
Locals call Hollins Market ‘The Gem of Baltimore,’ and while the lines of customers used to wind around the block, more than half the stalls are now empty. Hollins Market vendors talk about the past and present of Baltimore’s oldest...
05.21.2019
Seoul, South Korea: Inspire Citizens
Out of the Blocks teamed up with the education activists at Inspire Citizens to spend a week at Seoul Foreign School, working with students on empathy and active listening. The week culminated in a global youth media conference, when 150...
05.07.2019
Hollins Market, part 1: I’ve Been That Kid
In Southwest Baltimore’s Hollins Market neighborhood, a barber survives a shooting and goes back to work the next day; two young artists support each other in life, love, and business; a clothing entrepreneur talks about the power of style; a...
04.24.2019
Chicago, North Lawndale, part 2: Every Day, I Politic
Neighborhood elders take it upon themselves to step between warring gang members, a mother-daughter duo produces a DIY feature film about gun violence, a restorative justice mediator helps lawbreakers to repair the harm they’ve caused, and a bee-keeper goes from...
04.09.2019
Chicago, North Lawndale, part 1: Tears Watering Flowers
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lived in North Lawndale on Chicago’s West Side in 1966, and he galvanized the neighborhood in a campaign against redlining and housing discrimination. Two years later, he was assassinated. In the wake of his death, riots...
03.25.2019
Introducing Theo
Theo Hill drives a truck for a living. On the job, he often catches *Out of the Blocks *on his radio. One day, he got inspired to call us with an idea. He asked, “Would you guys would like to...
03.12.2019
700 Fallsway: Masterpiece in the Mire
One man spent more than half his life in prison. Another fled his country to avoid religious persecution and ended up on the street. One was left to live alone at age 12. One relapsed after 18 years clean. And...
02.26.2019
Working behind the Wall: Conversations with Jailers
If you heard the last episode of the podcast, you’ll remember we spent some time on the block where the release door of the Baltimore Jail lets out onto the street. We met some guys who’d been locked up in...
02.12.2019
300 E Eager St: I'm Fighting for Me
The release door of the Baltimore City Jail opens out onto this otherwise abandoned block, empty except for the presence of a mobile medical office that posts up there 5 days a week. The PCARE Van, as it’s known, is...
01.29.2019
Pine Ridge Reservation, part 2: One Heart, One Mind, One Prayer
Our collaboration with Arlo Iron Cloud & KILI Radio continues this episode, as we travel through the Pine Ridge Reservation and visit with an Oglala Sioux Tribal Vice President, an historian at Oglala Lakota College, a pair of Pine Ridge...
01.15.2019
Pine Ridge Reservation, part 1: Meeting a Prayer Halfway
We team up with Arlo Iron Cloud of KILI Radio, Voice of the Lakota Nation, for this listening tour of The Pine Ridge Reservation, a 50 by 100 mile stretch of land in South Dakota that's home to the Oglala...
12.31.2018
Pennsylvania Avenue, part 3: It Still Gets Still
In its prime, Pennsylvania Avenue was the black entertainment hub of Baltimore, but there’s a whole generation that doesn’t know about that heyday. The Jubilee Arts program aims to bridge the gap. We meet Jade Davis of Jubilee Arts, who...
12.18.2018
Pennsylvania Avenue, part 2: Born in a Tornado
In this episode, businesses survive against the economic odds on the 1800 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, where local entrepreneurs have established their niches with fashion boutiques, discount variety stores, jewelry shops, hair salons, and carry-out restaurants. These are the places...
12.04.2018
Pennsylvania Avenue, part 1: Resurrection Intersection
In 2015, circling helicopter footage showed West Baltimore in chaos. In the wake of the death of Freddie Gray, buildings burned, protesters and looters alike filled the streets, and entire neighborhoods were cordoned off by armored police and the National...

What's Out of the Blocks about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Out of the Blocks episodes:

Barbara's Groceries, Then & Now

B Love & Bridge of Hope, Then & Now

Antonio & Pat & Andrea, Then & Now

Wayne & Aaron, Then & Now

Sissy & Shaniqua, Then & Now

George & Gus, Then & Now

Arlo & Lei Ann, Then & Now

Foots & Lateef, Then & Now

Tymekia & Will, Then & Now

James & Theresa, Then & Now

Young Wisdom

Sidewalk Serenades

Space Sonification

James' Block: An Outlier

Lexington Market, part 3: On a Humble

Um, Now What?

Lexington Market, part 2: Engines of Change

Lexington Market, part 1: Survival of the Fittest

Melody & Verse

Charleston,WV, West Side, part 2: We May See a Harvest

Charleston, WV, West Side, part 1: History Laid Down Like Shellac

Scars

Barbershop Stories

Juneau, Alaska, part 2: Learn How to Fall

Juneau, Alaska, part 1: We Belong to Each Other

Eastern Ave, East to Highland, part 3: Our Life is True

Eastern Ave, East to Highland, part 2: Do What You Do for the Love of it

Eastern Ave, East to Highland, part 1: Pebble in a Pond

1600 Sulgrave Ave, part 2: Second Nature

1600 Sulgrave Ave, part 1: Actually, I’ve become myself

West Oakland, Lower Bottoms, part 2: The World We Live In

West Oakland, Lower Bottoms, part 1: Self-Determination

Compliments to the Chef

Parenthood

Out of the Docks, part 2: Close Quarters, Wide Horizons

Out of the Docks, part 1: Life Aboard

Hollins Market, part 2: The Beautiful Side of Ugly

Seoul, South Korea: Inspire Citizens

Hollins Market, part 1: I’ve Been That Kid

Chicago, North Lawndale, part 2: Every Day, I Politic

Chicago, North Lawndale, part 1: Tears Watering Flowers

Introducing Theo

700 Fallsway: Masterpiece in the Mire

Working behind the Wall: Conversations with Jailers

300 E Eager St: I'm Fighting for Me

Pine Ridge Reservation, part 2: One Heart, One Mind, One Prayer

Pine Ridge Reservation, part 1: Meeting a Prayer Halfway

Pennsylvania Avenue, part 3: It Still Gets Still

Pennsylvania Avenue, part 2: Born in a Tornado

Pennsylvania Avenue, part 1: Resurrection Intersection