Something (rather than nothing)

Enjoy this wonderful conversation with the amazing painter and artist Robyn Tsinnajinnie. Robyn is a Native artist based in the New Mexico. Robyn and I spoke about the Southwest, representations of Indigeneity, native shows & art & fashion, philosophy, color and Art School, and so much more! Her paintings are to be adored and loved. Find her at sanftmutig_one on Instagram

I’m Jonathan Case - a cartoonist from the great Pacific Northwest. I love to make art, to write stories, and to go on adventures with loved ones - especially if there’s a hammock involved. Daddy’s sleepy. Stuff I’ve done: My 2015 graphic novel, The New Deal (author/artist, Dark Horse), was a nominee for the Reuben, Harvey, and Oregon Book awards for best graphic album. In 2012 I snagged an Eisner award for Green River Killer, A True Detective Story (Dark Horse). My other books include Dear Creature (author/artist, Dark Horse), Batman ’66 (artist, DC), Superman: American Alien (artist, DC), and Over the Garden Wall: Distillatoria and Over the Garden Wall: Circus Friends (author, BOOM!). I’m currently working on a new graphic novel, Little Monarchs (author/artist, Holiday House), which is a sort of a joyful post-apocalyptic adventure book for kids. In addition to comics I paint murals, create book covers, and illustrate for print. You can find some of that up on walls around Portland, Oregon (our current home base). My chief adventuring partners are my wife, Sarah, and our two daughters, Dorothy and Miriam. Our son Otis, who we lost in 2016, tags along in spirit. https://jonathancase.net/

     While Jeri Shepherd is new to the world of fiction, the author behind the Fault Lines Series has been in the writing industry for decades in playwriting, children's books, sportswriting, biography, leadership, ministry, and more. She wrote under the name Reji Laberje as a solo author and as a co-author alongside celebrities, athletes, and leaders of industry.       As Reji Laberje, Jeri has 12 #1 bestsellers in her 60+ books and plays, as well as another 17 #1 bestsellers amongst those books for which she was a contributing editor; ultimately, her pen was on 29 #1 bestsellers and she has been nominated for prestigious awards in playwriting and fiction. Jeri has combined print book sales of half a million copies across all of her works, in addition to sales in both audio and e-books. She's led more than 85 book projects in multiple roles including: author, co-writer, editor, designer, publisher, consultant, coach, and marketer; in that last role, she's led 80 different authors to #1 bestselling titles on lists with Amazon, Barnes & Noble, USA Today, and others. In addition, she consulted with and wrote for independent and traditional authors and publishers who then created entire new lines and book businesses as a result. Hundreds of stories have been told, published, and sold through her professional gifts and services. https://www.jerishepherdbooks.com/

Marc J Palm is an artist you definitely need to know. He is an Eisner Award nominated cartoonist with Mad Magazine. He makes amazing ART. He is the self-publisher of The Fang, Punch to Kill, Dune mini comics and Intruder comix newspaper. Listen here for a great conversation with Marc as we cover comix, music, life, bananafishbones (jk), the universe and everything. Get his ART here https://www.etsy.com/shop/swellzombie

Susie deVille is on a mission to show entrepreneurs the power of trusting themselves. Work lighter while making higher profits. Eliminate self-doubt. To stop trying to overachieve one’s way into a sense of self, but rather lean into the surprising power of innate creativity. Her new book, Buoyant: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Becoming Wildly Successful, Creative, and Free, shows you how. In this transformational book, Susie shares the tools and exercises you need to tap into creativity, cultivate inspiration, and become your best, truest self. Buoyant helps you shed the belief that being an entrepreneur means prioritizing productivity at all costs. Instead, Susie invites you to embrace an easier path to success and freedom. She provides all the knowledge you need to end burnout and live an artful life of joy. Buoyant is The Artist’s Way for entrepreneurs. The way to creativity is to be wild, bold. Unapologetically yourself. Your voice and vision matter. You can positively impact the world, one idea, one person at a time. https://innovationandcreativityinstitute.com/book/

A delirious time with Bonnie Bloomgarden and Sammy Westervelt of the Death Valley Girls Stay on after the fun chat for the exclusive live cut of Abre Camino Your day will be made more smiley by this experience. Check out their Podcast - available on all major platforms! Support their Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Deathvalleygirls?utm_campaign=creatorshare_fan Check out their bandcamp here: https://deathvalleygirls.bandcamp.com/ Big ups to these heroes!

I was visiting the ocean. The ocean always transforms me. I went to the market and faire. There I saw such fantastickal ART. I saw animal-people and people-animals-both. They were all the creations of someone named Holly who is Wildness by Design. So, Something (rather than nothing) is happy to present Holly! https://www.wildnessbydesign.com/about-holly/

Pamela Valfer still has my mind reeling on questions of space, time, art, philosophy and history. Check this episode out. Bonus: a lovely Kitty Craft song at the end. Valfer's statement: "In my creative work I am interested in the politics of Space. I use a multidisciplinary approach (performance, installation, video and drawing) to reveal constructions of post-truth and our unconscious participation in mediated spaces. I actively draw upon historical moments to allow the viewer to unlock historical ideas, conflate them with similar political propositions being propagated today, and question their own role within these systems."

Saroya Tinker is currently a professional women's ice hockey player for the PHF's Toronto Six. She previously graduated from Yale University with her Bachelors of Arts in The History of Science, Medicine and Public Health. In addition to her studies she played on the Yale Varsity Women's Ice Hockey team. Since graduating, Saroya has found a passion for educating others and using her social media platforms to encourage and provide resources for others. By doing so, Saroya has decided to provide a mentorship program for young women of color. She feels confident in her abilities to educate and provide a positive role model-like figure for our worlds up and coming BIPOC women.

Originally from Austin Texas, Los Angeles-based interdisciplinary artist Kym Priess is a pure pioneerwoman, fierce frontwoman, adventurous musician, writer and actor.  As of late, she has specialized in creating conceptual whimsical performance art mixed with immersive, interactive rock n’ roll experiences under the name STUNTDRIVER.  The debut concept album “Saga” was released last September on Rock Hand Records and has been described as “Very Peaches / Karen O feel to the vocals, edgy and full of fire,” by blog Analogue Trash.  This project initially debuted as a full immersive production in LA to a sold-out pair of wild, multi-media shows.  Spectacle concerts have started up again as a full band whose members include Kym, John Avila (Oingo Boingo), Anton Söder and Sean Burgess (Boneacre, Nightjacket.) In fact, Kym just returned from a solo tour to Seattle and back and audiences are loving the interactive elements (like crawling through a human tunnel) especially after lacking live entertainment for so long.  Kym’s work pushes boundaries, forms and comfort levels yet maintains a fun-loving, absurd and curious tone and has been seen in music venues, galleries, theaters, non-traditional locations and federal prisons in New York, LA, Amsterdam, San Francisco, Honolulu and Austin since the 1990s. Kym’s hybrid creations are highly influenced by the Wizard of Oz, the art of drag and disguise, clown, Cindy Sherman, Grace Jones, Karen Finley, David Bowie, alter-egos, elaborate costuming and makeup, 80s/90s music videos, fairy tales, old superhero stories, and human interaction.  Recipient of multiple artist residencies including Laura Escude’s Transmute Retreat and The Field, this discipline bender’s career took root in the NYC/NYU experimental theater world prompting many theatrical, comedic and musical works including her first rock opera that was awarded “Best of the Fringe” (SF Fringe Festival 2005).  Kym has fronted and formed multiple bands, written 300 songs (many of which can be heard on Bravo’s Vanderpump Rules), shared stages with Exene Cervenka and Fishbone and her voice can be heard on William Shatner’s Spirit in the Sky. In addition to playing live shows again, Kym recently shot a comedy for Amazon, and is returning to the pen writing new songs and a darkly comedic pilot along with creating a multi-sensory side project named after her late great bronco-riding father, Ryland. Kym loves tubing down a river more than anything else. https://www.stuntdrivermusic.com/stuntdrivermusic Bonus link: BLAZAR opened up for Stuntdriver in Eugene, OR recently - here is a link to the face-melting sound https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHaJ8lluw5s

For the 150th Episode of the show we have the fabulous April March! In a former life April March must have been a rockier fairy than Tinker Bell and like a cat, she has already had several lives. An animator trained by Disney, she has animated for Pee-wee Herman, Ren & Stimpy, Madonna, worked on Archie Comics, assisted Spiderman creator Steve Ditko and even assisted the legendary Harry Smith who occasionally brought Allen Ginsberg in tow to mentor her. She entered the NYC music scene with her garage girl-group The Pussywillows, which Ronnie Spector of The Ronettes, promptly hired to record and perform with her. A year into her music career, she landed on stage with Ronnie Spector at a completely sold out Madison Square Garden. Over a large plate of chicken back stage, Bo Diddley said to her, “Welcome to Rock and Roll.” Next she joined The Shitbirds and The Haves, finally settling into the driver’s seat as April March. A Francophile from a tender age, she re-introduced an international audience to the French pop heritage of Gainsbourg, Françoise Hardy, Dani, Gillian Hills and many others. She cut her teeth in self production on a slew of popular to very obscure covers and adaptations of songs the French themselves had forgotten. Quentin Tarantino plucked “Chick Habit,” her adaptation of Gainsbourg’s “Laisse Tomber Les Filles,” to feature in his film “Death Proof.” She recorded “Chick Habit” with the help of Andy Paley who introduced her to Brian Wilson. This began a nice stretch of recording on and off with Brian for the next couple of years subsequently giving her a priceless education in both arrangement and production. So when Alexander Payne couldn’t reach Brigitte Bardot on the phone he hired April instead to write and produce her own Bardotesque song for his film “Election.” Next she met the modern day French Phil Spector — Bertrand Burgalat (just as talented, but a lot less dangerous). She made two albums with Burgalat, the first of which “Chrominance Decoder,” was chosen as one of the top ten albums of the year by The New Yorker and in the top 100 of all time by the seminal French magazine Rock et Folk. Burgalat introduced her to the great Aquaserge which led to an album and two films directed by Marie Losier landing her performances at The Centre Pompidou, MOMA and PS1. And so at this point in time, April March has recorded with Ronnie Spector, Brian Wilson, Jonathan Richman, R.L. Burnside, Andy Paley, Bertand Burgalat, Tony Allen, Yo La Tengo, LL Cool J, Alain Chamfort, Darlene Love, The Dust Brothers, Laetitia Sadier (Stereolab), Maya Rudolph, Sean OHagan, and Aquaserge. After such a list of credits, certain artists would have rested on their laurels to the strains of “The Afternoon of a Faun,” but this Franco-American ringleader is a horse of a different color, preferring to go forward rather than look over her shoulder, which brings us to the latest. She has just been cast alongside Gerard Depardieu and Vanessa Paradis in a feature film. After having published a children’s book with Jack White called “We Are Going To Be Friends,” she’s recorded an E.P. with Olivia Jean in his private studio which he released March 5th with a Video following on March 17th on Third Man Records. She’s releasing a new album with the amazing Fugu featuring Tony Allen of Fela and Gorillaz as well as Marilyn Wilson of The Beach Boys and American Spring on July 17th with Record Store Day. The cherry on top? It’s another new album with the dazzling duo Staplin who, according to Radio France,“compose with talent music where pop sunshine melodies of the sixties dance on trip hop beats, psyche rock rubs shoulders with cosmic flights of evanescent synths, and repetitive orchestral music stretches to festive groove storms.” Olè !Make it stand out.

Episode 149 is a conversation with Renée Barasch about tattooes, art, environment, Oregon and what is important in life. "Tattooer, adventure prone, simple moments, glorious mess”   Renée was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. She began tattooing in 2016.  Her studio in Astoria, Simply Human Art, opened summer of 2019.  Renée also tattoos with Hidden Rose tattoo in Northwest Portland. For look at Renée’s work and to inquire about booking, visit her website www.simplyhumanart.com 

Tallmadge Doyle is a painter, printmaker, teacher, and public artist who’s work reflects on issues of the environment related to climate change. Born in New York City now based in Eugene, Oregon. She received her BFA from the Cleveland Art Institute and an MFA from University of Oregon. She has participated in over 150 national and international exhibitions and her work is included in over 30 public collection in the U.S. and abroad. She has participated in artist residencies at the Ucross and Brush Creek Foundations, Playa Art Science Residency, Sitka Center for Art and Ecology and the Kingsbrae International Artist Residency in New Brunswick Canada. Being present in the land to take in the colors, smells, sounds, and light qualities is a vital part of her process. She layers this collected sensory information with both real and imaginary cartographic elements. This invented imagery is a mapping of sorts, an approach that allows for combining a current reality with references to geological periods in the distant past and into the projected future of rapid climate change. Recent Exhibitions include the Berlin Print Biennial, North American Print Biennial in Boston, Atlanta Print Biennial and a solo exhibition at the Augen Gallery in Portland.

Joe Uehlein is the founding President of Voices for a Sustainable Future and the Labor Network for Sustainability. Joe is the former Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO’s Industrial Union Department and former director of the AFL-CIO’s Center for Strategic Campaigns. Joe spent 35 years doing bargaining, organizing, public policy, and strategic campaign work in the labor movement. Joe also served on the United Nations first commission on global warming from its founding in 1988 until 2003. In the early 1970’s he worked in an aluminum mill in Mechanicsburg, PA as a member of the United Steelworkers of America, and then on heavy and highway construction projects as a member of the Laborer’s International Union of North America. Joe is most often seen fronting The U-Liners, his band of 19 years: www.uliners.com. Joe’s been playing (guitar & vocals) in bands for nearly 54 years, since the age of 13, and has played all across the U.S., as well as in Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, Great Britain, and Venezuela. Joe’s music over the years has spanned genres from rock’n roll to bluegrass, folk to jazz, country to Motown, and more. From his early days growing up along the banks of the great Lake Erie, and working in an aluminum mill in Central Pennsylvania and on heavy and highway construction, and playing with Billy Wray & the Expressions, Joe developed a keen interest in Rock & Roll, Soul, and the Folk and Country sounds of working class music. Joe has performed with Pete Seeger, Lester Chambers of The Chambers Brothers, Dave Alvin, Steve Earle, Tom Morello, Boots Riley, Jill Sobule, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, Emma’s Revolution, John Kadlecik, Billy Bragg, John McCutcheon, Si Kahn, and with the punk band, the Dropkick Murphys. Joe has also performed at all of Washington, DC’s finest venues, including Gypsy Sally’s, the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, The Birchmere, Strathmore Music Hall, IOTA Club, Jammin’ Java, the Hamilton, Howard Theater, the Black Cat, and more. Joe has also played NYC’s Knitting Factory, Starlight Ballroom, The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Bally’s in Las Vegas, among other fine venues. http://joeuehlein.com/

Matthew Kyle Levine is a filmmaker and cinematographer based in New York City.  His short films have won awards and played at numerous film festivals throughout North America, including the Williamsburg Independent Film Festival and the Canada Shorts Film Festival, most notably for his short film “Miss Freelance.” https://vimeo.com/matthewkylelevine