Citywide Blackout

Matt Jatkola talks about tying music into his health journey

Boston singer-songwriter Matt Jatkola returns to talk about his newest singles—“When Tomorrow Comes ” and “Japanese Butterfly.” Both were written at different stages of Matt's battle with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. “When Tomorrow Comes” was written shortly after he received the diagnosis in early 2020, and “Japanese Butterfly” was penned as his treatment was nearing its end. Matt's been cancer-free for nearly a year now.

 

We talk about Matt's mindset when he began writing the songs and why he wanted to share the story through his music. Matt shares his feelings when he was diagnosed and how it feels to have a clean bill of health. We also look at Matt's interest in professional wrestling and how it helped him to get through both his treatment and the pandemic itself.

 

Keep listening after this interview, because I've got both songs for your listening enjoyment. They have very different sounds, both of which I really liked.

Dan Nicklin talks studio ownership, live music, and mental health

Boston's Dan Nicklin and I dive deep into the history and amazing work being done by Henley Row Studios. Nicklin founded this years ago and in that time it's undergone a lot of growth. Nicklin talks about the studio's creation and some of the artists he's worked with. The studio has released a number of great songs under The Henley Row All-Stars, which features a revolving cast of musicians.

 

Nicklin's a member of the band OldJack and they've got a new single out called “Take a Picture.” The song has a strong message about social media and mental health, which Dan outlines as well as past works that have a similar theme. It's an issue that many are dealing with from the pandemic and we need to keep in touch and offer a friendly ear when needed.

 

Live music has begun to return and Dan and I talk about comfort zones and how people feel about being back in crowded venues after more than a year in COVID. OldJack has some shows scheduled and we talk about how it feels to be back on stage.

 

Following this, enjoy the new single, “Take a Picture.”

Jeremy Haun takes us on a tour of his horror world in Haunthology

Comic writer and artist Jeremy Haun joins me again, this time for his exciting new project, Haunthology. It's a 144-page collection of more than 20 black-and-white horror stories, all written, drawn, and lettered by Haun. Currently there's a Kickstater page for the comic with some amazing rewards, including digital and print copies, an enamel pin, T-shirt, and much more.

 

When the pandemic hit last March, Jeremy's life went from over-full to a complete stop. It was a tough time as all the projects he was working on paused, some for good. He said that storytelling makes him happy, and what began with a three-page tale has grown over the last year into this amazing collection.

 

In this interview, we talk about the concept and how it helped him through a very difficult year. Jeremy also talks about how horror can comment on the world around us, and what Haunthology has to say about the events of 2020. We look at how the experience has influenced his plans for the future and what it'll mean once the world of conventions comes back.

 

Jeremy takes us through the world of Haunthology and some of the different monsters, nightmares, and apocalypses he wrote about. We also look at the different story elements and how they're also found in his other works, such as “The Red Mother” and “The Realm.”

Ballet dancer looks at life on stage in collection of memoir essays

In her new book “Fierce and Delicate,” Renee Nicholson looks back on her 14 years as a ballet dancer, which began as a child and ended abruptly with a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. Renee pulls no punches in this book—written as a collection of essays—and talks about the internal struggles experienced when it came to certain topics. As she puts it, nearly everything was taken out of the book at one time or another.

 

Renee and I talk about the direction her life took after her time as a dancer ended. This includes a new teaching role and she reflects on how her time in ballet prepared her, from guiding young dancers to dealing with their parents. We also look at the ways that the dance world has changed, how young dancers are learning from one another, and the way they're planning for the future.

 

“Fierce and Delicate” isn't Renee's first foray into the writing world and she talks about working in Narrative Medicine, where she helps people in difficult medical situations to share their stories.

Writer dives into the story of Marjory Stoneman Douglas in new book

The name Marjory Stoneman Douglas is one that many find familiar and in her new historical fiction novel “Among the Beautiful Beasts,” author Lori McMullen takes on Douglas's story. The book blends an urgent midnight chase through the wetlands with deep dives into her journalism career, environmental activism, and much more.

 

In this episode, Lori and I talk about what led her to writing about Douglas' life and the different avenues down which the research took her. The midnight chase that opens the story didn't actually happen and Lori talks about the role it plays in the book.

 

We look at Douglas' life—spending her childhood in New England nursing her mother, marrying a swindler 30 years her senior. writing for the Miami Herald, and protecting the Florida Everglades. Lori and I also look at Douglas' legacy and the many different stories she's left behind.

“Shy Ninja” writer takes us to a world of ninjas in the modern era

BONUS—WALLIS talks about following up on the success of “Lonely Christmas”

 

Opening this episode is comic writer Ricardo Sanchez, who describes the recently released “Shy Ninja” as a labor of love. It was his daughter Adara who came up with the concept, and the two worked together to further develop the story. Adara also made some amazing concept art, which is reflected in the work of illustrator Arianna Florean.

 

Shy Ninja is a graphic novel about a shy adolescent girl who finds her inner potential while combating her social anxiety disorder… at a local School for Ninjas. Young Rena suffers from social anxiety disorder. It keeps her from engaging at school, from hanging out with her best friend in person, or participating in any sort of group activity. Pressed by her mother to find some social outlet, she enrolls in a School for Ninjas as a joke—and in an instant, her life changes.

 

Rick and I talk about the origin of the comic as well as how he and Adara built the world of “Shy Ninja.” We look at working with Arianna Florean and the back-and-forth as the issues progressed as well as Adara's input for the art.

 

Following this, I sit down with WALLIS to talk about her new single “Another Day.” Her first song was a tremendous hit, with over 1 million views of her music video. We talk about the pressure of following up on that success, as well as the adventurous recording process.

 

After the interview, I've got the new song for your listening pleasure. I really dug the fusion of different styles.

 

Robert Redick builds on his expansive fantasy world in new book

A few years ago at Boskone, I had the chance to meet author Robert Redick to talk about his book “Master Assassins.” Well, he's back with a sequel, “Sidewinders,” which hits bookstores on July 6 and in e-book format.

 

“Sidewinders” continues the story of the Hinjuman brothers, Kandri and Mektu. The story takes place in a lethal desert twice the size of the Sahara, and features giant man-eating spiders, nomadic shape-shifters, and carnivorous plants—all while the magical servants of the tyrant they have wronged chase at their heels.

 

Robert and I go into the worldbuilding from the first book and how he continued it in the sequel. We talk about the fantasy genre and its struggles with misogyny and how this has improved in recent years. Robert has gotten to travel quite a bit and we look at the places he has been and how it's influenced the book.

Jeff Royds goes back to his love of EDM for new apocalyptic project

Former Citywide co-host Jeff Royds returns with a brand new project, Burnt Endz, and the debut album, “Soundtrack to the Apocalypse.” It's a rock-infused EMD collection with a story of alien invaders that hit the human race with a zombie apocalypse.

 

Jeff is best known for his work with the band We Are Bullethead, but the kind of music in Burnt Endz has been a love of his for years. In making the album, he dove into the genre and found some great new artists. Jeff and I talk about the different things he had to learn or re-learn when making the album.

 

Following this, enjoy three songs from the album—“Now Let's Go Kill Some Mutha F@_King Zombies,” “The Sky is on Fire,” and “Zombies v Aliens.”

Sterling Golden talks about the disruption that awaits in his show's Season 3

He's back! Sterling Golden—DJ, radio personality, and writer—joins me to talk about the upcoming third season of his podcast, The Sterling Perspective. He's got a brand new panel—Racine In the City, Tanya the Empress and Jeniffer Mariel Ruiz—and shares how they all met and what led to them joining the program.

 

The Sterling Perspective has had an interesting two seasons, and we talk about some of the more memorable episodes, including one in which Sterling dives into his journey to Brazil. It's one of my favorite episodes. Sterling also looks back to Season 2, which almost didn't happen due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But, as he explains, telling him that something cannot happen often yields the opposite result, and we learn how he made the show go on.

 

Comic writer Rafael Scavone talks horror in the woods with “Hailstone”

BONUS INTERVIEW—LA-based pop artist Sheer explains the story behind her new single

 

I've been loving the new comic series Hailstone, and in this episode, I sat down with writer Rafael Scavone to talk all about it.

 

Taking place near the end of the Civil War, the series is set in the small town of Hailstone, Montana. A brutal winter has closed the roads and left nothing for the town to eat. But even worse, people have been disappearing one after another! Sheriff Denton Ross and his deputy Tobias start down a dangerous path as they investigate the disappearances, the army's factory, and just why it is in this isolated place.

 

Rafael and I go deep into the origins of the story and the team he worked with. It's one of his first creator-owned titles and he talks about what this allowed them to do. We look at Sheriff Ross and his role in the story, and give a few hints into his history in Hailstone.

 

After the break, LA-based pop artist Sheer goes into her new single “Beep,” which is being released on June 18. The message behind the tune not settling for less than your worth, and we explore how this came to be. Sheer and I talk about the recent music video that was made for “Beep” and the chemistry with her fellow cast member that made it work.

 

Following the interview, enjoy the new single. I really liked the unique elements that make it stand out from similar pop songs.