Watching People Cook

(Original broadcast: 7/7/16) Morgantown is a place that defies expectations. Nestled in the lush, green foothills of the Appalachians, is the town that is home to West Virginia University, a large coal-mining population, and West Virginia's oldest gay bar. Against all odds, this gay bar, Vice Versa, has become the center of Morgantown's thriving and connected community. This week we talk to three "sisters" who refuse to be silenced.

This week's guests:

Asra Nomani - A former reporter for the Wall Street Journal, and the author of “Standing Alone: An American Woman’s Struggle for the Soul of Islam.” Asra was recently the subject of the PBS documentary, "The Mosque in Morgantown" and lead the Pearl Project, a faculty-student investigation into the murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.

Christina B. Morgan - A Morgantown native and the drag host at Vice Versa, West Virginia's oldest gay bar.

Ari May Lilli - A twenty year old trans girl who has documented her entire transition through a video blog on YouTube.

Our Americana is hosted by Josh Hallmark.

Learn more at www.ouramericanapodcast.com

Sponsor Our Americana at www.patreon.com/ouramericana

Music by: Dave Depper, Will Bangs, Alex Fitch, Dr. Turtle, Podington Bear, and David Szesztay

In this exclusive minisode, we return to Gold River and chat with Donna, Mike, Suzanne, and Eugene about the relationships between humans and wild animals.

Eugene dives deep into some of his own stories highlighting these relationships and the importance of story-telling.

Plus, a three-minute preview of an episode I'm working on now. It's become one of the most notorious disappearances in America. This is a story not of the girl, but of the town.

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

Featured Music:

Lee Rosevere - Shimmering;

El Perro del Mar - From The Valley To The Stars;

spinningmerkaba - The Stars Look Different

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

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

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

In this mini Madrid follow-up, Connie talks about how homeschooling her son became a community undertaking. We also get a brief look at Madrid's rich history and what happened when Hollywood tried to take over the town. Plus, the owner of the local mercantile talks about some of the more unique community gatherings.

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

Featured Music:

Dave Depper - Perspective;

Charles Atlas - Demus;

Nowhere Home - Happy The Playground Chimes

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 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.

Learn more at www.ouramericanapodcast.com

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

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 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.

Learn more at www.ouramericanapodcast.com

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

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. 

This week's guests:

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 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.  //

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 //

Featured 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... encounter some growing pains and quality control issues while using fancy new equipment ...we also head to a rural county in the Berkshires, where the coalescence of agriculture, city weekenders, and a regional currency helped create the farm-to-table movement. /

This week's 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.one-mercantile.myshopify.com /

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 //

Featured Music:

Dave Depper - Perspective;

Keshco - Waterback;

Podington Bear - Golden Hour;

Zachary Wilson - Depths of Heaven

Music available at: www.freemusicarchive.com

This week, we're taking a travel break and talking about the origins of Our Americana, getting a preview of the next few episodes, and heading back to some of our favorite conversations and getting a behind the scenes look at them.

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 //

Featured Music:

Dave Depper - Perspective;

Charles Atlas - Photosphere;

Alex Fitch - Secret Place;

Talvihorros - Twin Peaks Theme;

Future Islands - Inch of Dust;

Cloud Jumper - Orca

Music available at: www.freemusicarchive.com

What happens when the town you live in, your home, your culture, your community, becomes a trend? And then, what happens when people declare that trend dead? This week we go to the tiny West Texas art mecca, in the middle of nowhere, to find out.

It was 2010 when Huffington Post declared that Marfa was the next big tourist destination. And by 2015, they’d said it was over; that Marfa had killed itself, become a victim of itself.

When I read that 2015 headline and other scathing OpEds. in various media outlets, I couldn’t help but think of our time there. That it was more than just a trendy destination: It was a town, a community, people’s home, a history that reached far beyond the scope of being labeled cool and then uncool.

This week's guests:

John Patrick |

John is a co-founder of Communitie Marfa. He and his partner create sustainable art and apparel. John is passionate about art, and the integrity of art. //

LeAna & Glen Clifton |

LeAna & Glen have lived in Marfa since 2007. They moved there from South Africa, by way of Austin, to start their family and a porcelain jewelry business. //

Brit Webb |

Brit is an 88 year old Marfa staple; he's lived there for over 72 years. He pre-dates Donald Judd. We talked about the history of the town, adaptation to the constant of change, and the best pieces of his life well-lived.

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 //

Featured Music:

Dave Depper - Perspective;

The Fucked Up Beat - Where Is Everybody/Marfa Ghost Lights;

Hank Hobson - Trip Across The Country;

MUTE - Thru The Dusty Clouds;

Josh Woodward - Gravity;

Will Bangs - Putting Up With The Bullshit

Music available at: www.freemusicarchive.com