Queens Creative

This episode of "Queens Creative" spotlights Grammy-winning, legendary audio mastering engineer and Queens boy made good, Greg Calbi.

Over an illustrious career spanning four decades, Mr. Calbi has lent his talented ears and skills to a mindboggling seventy-five hundred and counting album releases, servicing a veritable who’s who of the music industry. Throughout the years, Greg has worked with the likes of Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Lou Reed, David Bowie, John Mayer, Taylor Swift and the list goes on and on.

Listen in on this episode as Greg and “Queens Creative” host, Mark Bacino discuss Greg’s Queens roots, the art of audio mastering, Greg’s career path, what it’s like to collaborate with a Beatle and much more.

If you enjoy what you hear, please subscribe to "Queens Creative," check out past episodes and visit "QC" on the web at qptv.org/queenscreative

This episode of "Queens Creative" spotlights singer-songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, Grammy-winner and Queens born, Danny Weinkauf.

Widely known for his twenty-plus year and counting run as bass player for indie rock icons They Might Be Giants, Danny has also played on numerous records as a studio musician, working with such acclaimed artists as Fountains of Wayne and David Mead. As a songwriter and composer, in addition to writing for They Might Be Giants, Danny has crafted numerous compositions for film, television and advertising all while also writing and recording his own very cool brand of children’s music as a solo artist.

Listen in on this episode as Danny and "Queens Creative" host, Mark Bacino discuss Danny’s history with the Giants, what it’s like to win a Grammy, his work in family music and much more. Then, after the interview, be sure and stick around as Danny treats listeners to a fun acoustic performance.

If you enjoy what you hear, please subscribe to "Queens Creative," check out past episodes and visit "QC" on the web at qptv.org/queenscreative.

This episode of “Queens Creative” spotlights Queens Poet Laureate, Maria Lisella. Awarded the Poet Laureate position in 2015 by then Borough President Melinda Katz, Queens native and current Astoria resident Ms. Lisella is the sixth poet to hold the borough’s esteemed Laureate title. In 2020, Maria was also named a Poets Laureate Fellow by the Academy of American Poets and to date has three books of poetry to her credit as an author. In addition to her work as a poet, Ms. Lisella has also taught at college level and holds a Master’s degree from NYU-Polytechnic Institute.

And if all those accomplishments weren’t enough, the talented Ms. Lisella is also a skilled journalist - currently NY Culture Editor for the Jerusalem Post and an award-winning travel writer with a 30 year career that has taken her to over 60 countries and seen her work published by such outlets as USA Today and Travel & Leisure.

Listen in as Maria and “Queens Creative” host, Mark Bacino discuss Maria’s Queens roots, her love of poetry, the creative process, her work as a travel writer and much more. Then, after the interview, be sure and stick around as Maria treats listeners to a special reading of two original poems.

If you enjoy what you hear, please subscribe to "Queens Creative," check out past episodes and visit "QC" on the web at qptv.org/queenscreative.

This episode of “Queens Creative” spotlights the fabulous country singer-songwriter, radio DJ and Jackson Heights, Queens resident, Laura Cantrell. A favorite of famed British DJ John Peel and music legend Elvis Costello, the Nashville-born Ms. Cantrell has five album releases to her credit as an artist and has showcased her talents as a guest on such iconic programs as “A Prairie Home Companion” and the “Grand Ole Opry.”

And if that wasn’t enough, in addition to her work as an artist, Laura is also an acclaimed DJ, creator of the long-running “Radio Thrift Shop” on local, NY-area radio and more recently host of the programs “Dark Horse Radio” and “States of Country” on satellite and streaming radio, respectively.

Listen in as Laura and “Queens Creative” host, Mark Bacino discuss Laura’s Nashville beginnings, her music, her love of radio, what it was like to sing with Elvis Costello and much more. Then, after the interview, be sure and stick around, as Laura treats listeners to an intimate, live performance from her home in NYC.

If you enjoy what you hear, please subscribe to "Queens Creative," check out past episodes and visit “QC” on the web at qptv.org/queenscreative.

This episode of “Queens Creative” spotlights the talented singer-songwriter, film composer, film sound editor and Forest Hills, Queens resident, Eytan Mirsky. In addition to the seven album releases credited to Mr. Mirsky as an artist, Eytan has also written music for a number of critically acclaimed and award-winning films such as “Happiness,” “American Splendor,” “Palindromes” and “The Tao of Steve.” And if that wasn’t enough, in addition to his musical work, Mr. Mirsky is also a skilled film sound editor, having lent his talents to several Academy Award-winning motion pictures including “Chicago” and Ron Howard’s “A Beautiful Mind.”

Listen in as Eytan and “Queens Creative” host, Mark Bacino discuss Eytan’s music, his collaborative relationship with renowned filmmaker, Todd Solondz, what it was like to have one of his songs sung by REM’s Michael Stipe and much more. Then, be sure and stick around after the interview as Eytan treats listeners to a remote, live performance direct from his home in NYC.

If you enjoy what you hear, please subscribe to "Queens Creative," check out past episodes and visit “QC” on the web at qptv.org/queenscreative.

This episode of “Queens Creative” features the fabulous comedian, actor, radio personality, podcast host (& former Bayside, Queens resident), Rob Bartlett.

Rob is really an entertainer’s entertainer in the truest and old-school sense of the term. As a man of many talents, Rob can, and has, done practically all there is to do in show business and continues to do so. Widely known for his 30-plus year run as a regular writer and performer on the “Imus in the Morning” program, Mr. Bartlett is also a very funny stand-up comedian, as well as an accomplished Broadway, television, Emmy and Drama Desk award-winning actor. Over the years Bartlett has worked with the likes of Eddie Murphy, Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Christina Applegate, Daniel Radcliffe, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Lucy Liu and the list goes on and on. And if all of the aforementioned wasn’t enough, Rob is also a philanthropist, as an advocate, fundraiser, board member and trustee of The Long Island Crohn's and Colitis Foundation.

On the pod, Mr. Bartlett and “Queens Creative” host, Mark Bacino have a few laughs and talk about Rob’s beginnings in comedy right on through to his latest projects and everything in between that’s made for a long, varied and incredible career in that crazy world they call show biz.

If you like what you hear, please subscribe to “Queens Creative” then visit qptv.org/queenscreative and catch some fun bonus video of "QC's" conversation with Mr. Bartlett not included in the podcast.

This episode of “Queens Creative” features singer-songwriter, producer, guitar player extraordinaire and Astoria Queens resident, Jay Sherman-Godfrey. Aside from crafting great music as an artist in his own right, Mr. Sherman-Godfrey has worked with the likes of alternative music legends, They Might Be Giants, Mono Puff, the acclaimed country singer-songwriter, Laura Cantrell and Psychobilly wild man, Mojo Nixon to name just a few.

Listen along as Sherman-Godfrey and “QC” host, Mark Bacino jump into a deep-dive conversation about Jay’s life in music. The pair discuss JSG’s journey, his work as an artist as well as his support work for other artists, then wrap things up with Jay performing live from the floor of QPTV’s Studio A.

If you like what you hear, please subscribe to “Queens Creative” then visit qptv.org/queenscreative and catch a video version of Jay’s podcast performance plus an exclusive bonus performance.