Citywide Blackout

Citywide Bytes-Nick Roberts sinks his teeth into “Mean Spirited”

They say you should never judge a book by its cover, but in the case of Nick Roberts’ new release, “Mean Spirited,” it’s that wonderfully terrifying art that captures the feel of this new horror story. The book is released through Crystal Lake Entertainment.

Released just a day before this recording, the story centers on how an alcoholic teacher and father’s world spirals out of control when a former student is killed and he is left with her dog and the dark presence that follows it.

Nick and Max talk about the creation of Matt Matheny and why Nick went this type of character, as well as how he handles the challenges that await. His ex-wife, Lucy, also plays a role and we look at how the two work together to unravel what is going on. We discuss the dog, Conehead, and get a glimpse into the darkness that follows him. Nick also talks about the amazing cover art and the different aspects of the book that it captures.

The Pastor of Horror returns with a found footage nightmare

Ezekiel Kincaid, known as “The Pastor of Horror” and “The Paranormal Pastor” returns to the show to talk about his new book. “The Tetromet Tapes,” a part of his ongoing Tetromet Universe.

Set in 1990 in a small town in Louisiana, the book adapts the found footage movie style as a literary device. Five 12-year-old boys find some VHS tapes in the trash can of their neighbor, Edgar Craddock. The sickening footage leads the five friends down a rabbit hole of shadows and darkness, seeking to discover the truth around an ancient cult, a haunted road, and Edgar Craddock.

Ezekiel and Max dive into just what is on the tapes and where the footage leads the boys. He talks about Edgar Craddock, a character which plays a wider role in the Tetromet Universe. We also learn about the five boys, who reflect Ezekiel’s childhood friends, and how their different personas drive the story.

The book is currently out on Amazon and Godless, an e-book publisher launched three years ago and Ezekiel shares how he came to work with them. And of course, no horror conversation is complete without talking about the book’s epic cover.

Citywide Bytes—Jack Flint of The Sea Gods talks debut singles and band meetings

The Sea Gods have gotten off to a great start with their debut singles, “Are You Here Now” and “Tell Me,” and they’ve got a lot more in the works. In this recording of our March 9 Citywide Bytes episode, band founder Jack Flint tells us how he, Marty Taylor and Carl Donoghue met and what led to the band’s founding. Each band member brings a lot of experience with other projects, and we go into how the past work may influence the current.

Jack and I talk about the stories behind the two singles. “Are You Here Now” has a message of living in the moment, not regretting the past or fretting the future. “Tell Me” came from a very challenging part of Jack’s life and we talk about how the hard times inspire the best music.

Closing out this episode is “Are You Here Now.”

Book, books, fantasy, science fiction, monster, magic, apocalypse, love, romance

Author Maria Guglielmo was last on the show some years back for her debut book, “Summoned,” and since then, she’s been up to quite a bit, including debuting her new “Riftworld” series with “Witch City Rift” and “Rifted Hearts,” which drops on March 19.

Curtis and I talk with Maria about this new series and what went into building the world behind it. We do a deep dive into her main character, Remi Gatti, a con man who seems to find himself in over his head in both stories. We look at his power to manipulate sexual desire and the role this plays in the story, as well as the mystical realm that extends into Boston and Salem.

There’s a mysterious figure called The Matchmaker in both books and we talk about just who this person is and how they’re influencing the tale. 

Citywide Bytes-Chris Lengyel gives this episode the magic touch

For our newest Citywide Bytes, Max is talking with Chris Lengyel, as he puts it “a dude who does magic tricks.” And he’s been doing them for almost 20 years, for the likes of Las Vegas duo Penn and Teller, TruTV's "Impractical Jokers" and the cast of NBC's "The Voice.”

Now, Chris is hitting the road, embarking on his Illusions Plus Alcohol (I.P.A.) tour. On this live interview, we talk about where he’s going and what people can expect at his shows. He shares some backstory on how he got into magic in the first place, and growing what began as a hobby into his career. Chris talks about meeting Penn and Teller and the impromptu performance he did, and we discuss his favorite tricks and some that even he steers clear of.

Father-son comics duo creates a beautiful apocalypse in “By A Thread”

Well, if the world has to end, at least it looks amazing.

Comics great Scott Snyder has teamed up with his son Jack to pen the ComiXology series “By A Thread,” now three issues in, with issue four to be released on March 26.

Set amidst a desolated Earth, The Shroud has consumed nearly the entire surface of the planet, with just a handful of outposts remaining. Jo and his friends live on five “Needles,” spikes of diamonds, the only substance that The Shroud cannot devour. It’s a hard life, but the appearance of a strange traveller gives hope to a legend of an untouched island where life can thrive once more.

Scott, Jack and I talk about how this series grew from a writing exercise to published comic. This was Jack’s first foray into comics, and we go into how he viewed the experience and the lessons learned, both for he and his father. The series was drawn by Valeria Favoccia (Beatrix Rose), colored by Whitney Cogar (Giant Days), and lettered by Tom Napolitono (letters), and we talk about how this team collaborated and produced some of the best art I’ve ever seen.

Jack helped create the diverse cast, and we look at each person’s role and how the characters were created—both the heroes and villains. Though the story is nearing its end, more is planned for “By A Thread,” and Scott shares a few details on what we can expect.

Sarah Blacker returns with her signature style on “Horizon Line”

Our next guest was among the first on Citywide Blackout, and so it’s fitting that she joins us for our post-hiatus interview. Singer-songwriter Sarah Blacker is back with a new EP, “Horizon Line”

“Horizon Line,” Sarah Blacker’s new studio EP is described as a “raw, stripped down and vulnerable, just the way she wanted it to be.” Recorded (mostly) live and mixed at Boston Music Award-winning producer, Sean McLaughlin’s 37’ Productions studios, it was performed and co-produced by Blacker and her husband, Aaron Z. Katz (Percy Hill, the Dejas).

In this interview, Curtis and Max talk about what went into this new production and her longstanding collaboration with McLaughlin, another mainstay in the Boston-area music scene. She goes into her recent release shows, including Club Passim, where she has played for years.

There’s some retro talk this time as we dive into promoting albums in 2024 and how Sarah has changed her strategy since releasing “The Only Way Out is Through” in 2009. Those of us born in the 80s will likely find a lot to relate to.

We’re opening the interview with an excerpt from the title track and closing things out with “Walk On.” 

Kicking off a new Citywide segment, Nadia Vaeh talks musical therapy and video production

This episode kicks off a brand-new segment called Citywide Bytes, where I do live interviews on the Citywide Blackout Instagram page. This is the recording of that interview, so be sure to check out the live segment, every Saturday at 10 a.m. EST.

 

Opening this new segment is poptimistic-rock artist Nadia Vaeh. She’s released two amazing singles, “Sorry I Was Not OK” and “When U Think About Love,” on Jan. 5 and Feb. 2, respectively, and we go into the inspiration for these singles and some new musical styles she’s tried out. We also talk about how music has helped in the past to get through the difficult times.

 

Nadia shares the creative process behind the amazing music videos made for both singles, which were directed by film producer Jessica Farmer. Both videos are unique, with a different storytelling method, and Nadia shares the creative process of working with Jessica.

 

Closing this episode is one of Nadia’s new singles, “Sorry I Was Not OK.”

A new project and a musical reunion for Lovina Falls

If you’ve been in the Boston music scene, the name Valerie Forgione is likely a familiar one. She made her name as the lead singer of the band Mistle Thrush, and now she’s back with a new solo project, Lovina Falls—trust me, this is one to check out.

 

In this episode (the first recorded in 2024), Valerie and Max talk about the origins of Lovina Falls, the name of which is family-inspired. While all the music was written, arranged and produced by Valerie, she had some help in the recording portion—from none other than her former bandmates in Mistle Thrush.

We talk about the sound of the debut album, “Calculating the Angle of Our Descent,” how it’s defined, and what we can expect from this great solo project. Valerie had been out of the music scene for a little while, and shares how it feels to be back on stage.

Opening this episode is a brief excerpt from the song “Vaulted,” and closing it is the complete “Hologram,” both of which you can find on the Lovina Falls debut album.

Thirteen journeys into the wild are captured in “Solo Passage”

Over the course of several years, author and artist Glenda Goodrich discovered herself through a series if wilderness quests. Traveling into the remote wilds of Oregon, Washington and California, she learned about life, death and what it means to be happy—and chronicled those experiences in her new book, “Solo Passage: 13 Quests, 13 Questions.”

In this episode, Glenda talks about the inspiration for her journeys and what she experienced while on them. We talk about the things she learned and how it’s influenced the person she is now. She also talks about the decision to write the book and the editing process—both with an editor and a writing group—that shaped the final product.