Vermont Favorites

Filmmaker David Metzger and actors Elsha Van Apeldoorn and Lauren Patterson talk about the new film The Silver Screen Roadshow that is premiering at Main Street Landing on February, 6 at 7pm.  The sweet movie follows an ex-filmmaker who bonds with her estranged 9-year old sister on the road as they search for a movie theater with a working film projector.

Anthony Apodaca refurbished a studio space on Howard Street to open Revelry Theater. Revelry offers comedians, performers, and improvisers a small space to try more experimental pieces. Anthony and I go deep into his philosophies on improv, religion, and whether or not being nice is actually helpful.

Ginge O'Lolly and Dr. Vu from Green Mountain Cabaret join me for a fun chat about the history of burlesque, the Vermont scene, and what's coming up this Winter for GMC.

Steve Hartmann is a singer/songwriter who was born in Vietnam at the end of the war, grew up outside Philly, studied at Berklee in Boston, and eventually found his way to Vermont. His style is both passionate and intricate and speaks to a lifelong search for belonging. Hartmann performs two songs ("Sweet Angel" and "You Are") and talks about his support of The Ramble festival. Now settled in Jericho, Vermont Steve performs around the region regularly.

Lydia Kern is a Burlington-based sculptor, dancer, and she also plays a mean glittered cow jaw in a local band. We talk about the upcoming AutoBiography performance and how it will be "a beautiful cacophony of artistic inspiration and humanity." And, of course, we talk about the thriving and supportive Burlington art scene.

Topaz Weis' Expressive Arts Burlington is a space where anybody - regardless of their artistic training - can create free of our inner critic. Topaz and I dive into the healing power of art to make us say, "Ohhh!"

Phillip Peterson has brought together his experiences in the arts (as a child actor) and sciences (as an engineer with the City of Burlington) to create STEAM Lab which airs Sunday evenings from 6-8 on 99.3FM Burlington. He is also a teacher, SCUBA diver, music aficionado, and extrovert to the max.

Gray Basnight and Mike DeSanto met at George Washington University in the 1970s where they were studying theatre. Now, 40 years later, Gray is a published author based in NYC and Mike owns Phoenix Books here in Burlington. Like Gray's new book, Flight of the Fox, we discuss American History from the formation of the FBI to Vietnam to 9/11. Basnight will be making an appearance at Phoenix on Thursday, September 13.

Kathryn Blume is currently advocating cannabis awareness through Heady Vermont where she draws on her experience as an actor, playwright, environmental activist, and even game designer. We talk about the global performance of the anti-war Lysistrata Project, her self-designed Yale degree, and her recipe for recovering from a burst appendix: pot, Netflix, and a cat.

RiffTrax writer Conor Lastowka has made a career out of poking fun at movies and books and, well, pretty much anybody who takes themselves too seriously. In addition to Rifftrax, he performs at Vermont Comedy Club, co-hosts a podcast with Mike Nelson of MST3K fame, and has published two novels - Gone Whalin' and Pole Vault Championship of the Entire Universe.