Episodes
-
September 12, 2024 - The Embrace Massó "¡Con Salsa!”, Silver Scream Con with Ice Nine Kills, and Mary Grant
Imari Paris Jeffries, President and CEO of Embrace Boston and José C. Massó III, the longtime host of WBUR’s “¡Con Salsa!,” join The Culture Show to preview The Embrace Massó "¡Con Salsa!” International Music Festival, a celebration of music, culture, and social justice. From there it’s Swampscott native Spencer Charnas. The frontman of the horror metal band Ice Nine Kills is also the curator of The Silver Scream Con. He joins us ahead of its Friday the 13th kickoff in Worcester.Finally Mary Grant, president of MassArt, joins The Culture Show for her monthly segment to talk about a range of topics, which this month includes colleges teaching AI, Governor Ron DeSantis’ severe budget cuts to the arts, and the story of a museum, an ancient broken jug, and forgiveness. -
September 11, 2024 - Romeo and Juliet at the A.R.T., Veronica Robles, and Alex Buchanan
The Tony winning Artistic Director of the American Repertory Theater Diane Paulus.She is a master revivalist. If you thought you knew the story of “Porgy and Bess,” or “Pippin,” Paulus has given the classics a new life by giving audiences a new way of experiencing them. Now she’s reframing “Romeo and Juliet,” with an emphasis on the lovers’ love. Diane Paulus and theater legend Terrence Mann join us.From there we get a jump on Mexican Independence Day with mariachi singer Veronica Robles – a cultural force as a performer and as a leader whose cultural center offers Latin American arts and culture programming and jobs for youth.And, artist Alex Buchanan. A Coast Guard veteran and former mariner, rope is now his medium of choice. He literally weaves it and other maritime materials together to figuratively weave the threads of waste, ocean health and maritime culture. -
September 10, 2024 - Eugene Mirman, the Wurlitzer pipe organ, and JM Varese
Actor and Comedian Eugene Mirman was born in Moscow, raised in Lexington, and he honed his craft working the stages of Boston's comedy circuit. Today he is known as the voice of Gene Belcher on the FX animated hit “Bob’s Burgers” and for his inventive standup.. He joins The Culture Show ahead of his appearance at the Crystal Ballroom in Somerville.From there, Edgar B. Herwick III takes us to Worcester’s Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts. That’s where the wondrous Wurlitzer pipe organ can still be experienced as a single instrument that wows with its mighty orchestral sound. Finally, author JM Varese joins The Culture Show to talk about his latest novel, a Victorian Gothic thriller that is rooted in the real-life Victorian scandal when arsenic was used to make decorative wallpaper. JM Varese is Director of Outreach for The Dickens Project at UC Santa Cruz. -
September 9, 2024 - The Kodály method, Boston Rum Week, and The Black Gold Tapestry
Today on The Culture Show Katie Bach, acting director of the Kodály Music Institute and music teacher at the Peabody School, talks about bringing the Kodály method of teaching music into local classrooms.From there we raise a glass to Boston Rum Week, which kicks off on September 15th. Olivier Raynaut, one of the head organizers, joins us for an overview.Finally, artist Sandra Sawatzky has created a chronology of environmental degradation over millennia with a tapestry that is nearly a decade-in-the-making. Titled “The Black Gold Tapestry,” it is one of the works included in MassArt Museum’s exhibition “Displacement,” which looks at our relationship with the environment, Sandra Sawatzky and Lisa Tung, executive director of the MassArt Art Museum, join The Culture Show to talk about this exhibition. -
September 6, 2024 - Week in Review: A boozier Boston, West Newton Cinema, and Adele
On this Friday’s arts and culture week-in-review, Jared Bowen, Callie Crossley and Edgar B Herwick III go over the latest headlines.First up, it looked like it was going to be curtains for West Newton Cinema, but in a major plot twist, it could be a Hollywood ending for the independent movie house, which has a new owner. And, the latest buzz is that Boston could be getting boozier, from a dramatic expansion of available liquor licenses to the city considering open container districts in an effort to boost Boston’s nightlife.And, is “Dancing with the Stars,” in the business of choreographing comebacks for convicts? Plus, Adele, famous for mega hits like “Hello,” is saying so long to show biz–for now. -
September 5, 2024 - Eric Vloeimans and Will Holshouser, "...and I approve this message," and Dali at the MFA
Eric Vloeimans is a Dutch trumpet sensation, Cambridge native Will Holshouser is an accordion master. Together they create original, evocative compositions that draw on jazz, classical and folk music. Ahead of their upcoming shows – one tonight at the Wistariahurst Museum in Holyoke, MA and one at the Lilypad in Inman Square this Saturday – they join The Culture Show for an in-studio performance.Then, with election season in full swing you have likely heard that five word phrase that’s ubiquitous in campaign ads, “And I approve this message.” But why? Edgar B. Herwick III, Culture Show co-host and man behind The Curiosity Desk, brings us the answer.Finally the MFA’s Frederick Ilchman, Chair and Mrs. Russell W. Baker Curator of Paintings, Art of Europe, joins The Culture Show to talk about their first-ever Salvador Dalí exhibition “Dalí: Disruption and Devotion.” -
September 4, 2024 - Marianne Leone, The Hip Hop Transformation, and the JFK library
Actor and author Marianne Leone joins The Culture Show to talk about her latest book, “Five-Dog Epiphany: How a Quintet of Badass Bichons Retrieved Our Joy,” which details how she and her husband, the actor Chris Cooper, have been able to come to terms with the death of their teenage son with the help of their canine companions.From there, The Culture Show’s James Bennett II takes us to Cambridge, MA where a nonprofit is investing in the future of Hip-Hop and the next generation of Hip-Hop artists.Finally, with the presidential election a mere 61 days away, Mahesh Daas, president of Boston Architectural College, joins us to appreciate the architectural gem that is the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. -
September 3, 2024 - Sebastian Smee, The Hombres, and art on the MBTA's Red Line
Pulitzer Prize-winner Sebastian Smee, art critic for The Washington Post, and author of “The Art of Rivalry” joins The Culture Show for a discussion of his new book “Paris in Ruins: Love, War, and the Birth of Impressionism.” From there Gloucester Stage Company and Teatro Chelsea are collaborating on “The Hombres,” in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month. Actor Jaime José Hernández who stars in the play as Beto is also Teatro Chelsea’s Program Manager. He joins The Culture Show ahead of “The Hombres” regional premiere. Finally, we look at an underground art movement, literally. Culture Show contributor Julia Swanson, who runs The Art Walk Project, takes us on a tour of the MBTA’s Red Line subway art scene. -
September 2, 2024 - Toni Stone, baseball in the movies, and foul balls
Today we bring you three very different takes on Baseball. First up. from a diamond in the rough to the baseball diamond. Toni Stone made history as the first woman to play professional baseball in the mens’ Negro League. It’s the subject of Lydia Diamond’s latest play.From there it’s sportswriter and film critic Noah Gittell. In his new book he merges two American pastimes: baseball and movies. In looking at how the baseball movie has changed over the decades – from sports glory, to nostalgia to cynicism – he says we can also see how American values have changed.And Finally, why do baseball fans get to keep a foul ball if they catch it? Edgar B. Herwick III has the answer. -
August 30, 2024 - Raj Tawney, Joanne Chang, and Marsha Lindsey
Writer Raj Tawney. Growing up in a multicultural household, his coming of age story happened in the kitchen, helping his mother and grandmother cook recipes from their homelands. Themes of food, memory and identity come together in his memoir, “A Colorful Palate: A Flavorful Journey through a Mixed American Experience”From there, it’s award-winning pastry chef Joanne Chang. She joins us with her theory on why there is a comfort food revival, putting her spin on the classics and how, for her, a recipe is always a work in progress.Finally we top things off, by topping one off with mixologist Marsha Lindsey, As the principal bartender at SRV where she also runs the bar program, she raises a glass to Black history by introducing us to some of her favorite black owned spirits–and her craft cocktails.
