20. Kiran Gandhi: In Your Flow /  by Elaine Sheldon

Kiran Gandhi toured the world as M.I.A’s drummer, earned a business degree from Harvard, and trained to run a marathon, all at the same time, but there’s a lot more to her than that. She’s an outspoken, ambitious, radical young woman who pours herself and her skills into gender equality, especially within the music industry. Kiran made headlines, both positive and negative, after she ran the 2015 London Marathon as a “free-bleeder,” or without a tampon. We talk about how to handle pushback and criticism, about her wholesome but unconventional upbringing, about living spontaneously, about the role of gatekeepers, and how to find your own “inner Madame.”

 

RELATED LINKS:

15 Best Lessons I Learned at HBS

D.C. Lady Parts Justice ‘V to Shining V’ party to feature Kiran Gandhi

“There Will Be Blood” - NYT

Donate to Breast Cancer Care the organization that Kiran ran for in the 2015 London Marathon.

Kiran's Website, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube 

 

MUSIC this week is by our guest, Kiran Gandhi herself. All the beats you heard in this episode came from Kiran. She’s working on a musical project of her own where she drums, sings, and lives life as a “young, bossy, busy lady”, otherwise known as Madame Gandhi.

 

CREDITS:

Produced by Sarah Ginsburg & Elaine Sheldon

Sound design by Billy Wirasnik

Illustration by Christine Cover

 

“I do have a business school degree and I worked in the music industry, but then I also have this radical, feminist, art, shock culture brain that I value. And I think my journey is going to be trying to reconcile the two and in doing that, providing solutions for the next generation.”
— Kiran Gandhi

Current City: NYC

What are you listening to now? Fantasy by Alina Baraz

What film/book/show/piece of media changed you? Mulan

Who is your career role model? Kimberly Thompson, jazz drummer

What is a tool you can't live without? My vocal loop pedal; Beats headphones

How do you take your coffee/tea? Iced Cold Brew; black OR Hot Almond Milk Latte when in Boston!

What's your spirit animal? Panther

 

UPCOMING APPEARANCES:

10.15 Berklee College Music Minds, Discussion, Boston, MA

10.16 The Femme Show, Performance Art, Boston, MA

10.17 The Femme Show, Performance Art, Boston, MA

10.20 UCLA Feminism In Action, Speaker, Los Angeles, CA

10.26 The Hum, Kaki King feat. Kiran Gandhi Show, NYC, NY

10.27 Future of Music Conference, Panel, Washington, DC

10.28 Vanderbilt University Music, Panel, Nashville, TN

11.02 Ableton Loop Conference, Panel, Berlin, Germany

11.10 SF Music Tech Summit, Panel, San Francisco, CA

 

CLIPS FEATURED IN SHOW

Kiran playing Daybreaker NYC

Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers Morph

M.I.A. - Paper Planes

Atomic Living: Kiran Gandhi at TEDxBrooklyn

Virgin London Marathon 2015





19.5 Jenny Tuite: She Does Music /  by Elaine Sheldon

MUSIC FEATURED IN EPISODE 19

Curated by Elaine Sheldon

This She Does Music episode features the blue-haired, badass guitarist, Jenny Tuite, from Dirty Dishes and Cloud Cover. We soundtracked Ep. 19 with Stacy Kranitz with Dirty Dishes' full album, Guilty, but this episode introduces you to some of her other work. Dirty Dishes is known for their well crafted and gritty rock songs. They've been called "the best kept secret of alternative rock." The shoegazey pair is made up of Jenny on vocals and guitar; and Alex Molini on synth and bass. She also has her own band, called Cloud Cover. It's lo-fi/bedroom pop, much more minimal than Dirty Dishes. Listen, learn and love.

Dirty Dishes performing "Guilty" live at Hanging Horse in Norwood, MA w/ video & audio recorded by Bradford Krieger, GUILTY available on Bandcamp, 12" Vinyl out now on Exploding in Sound records & cassettes on Seagreen Records. 

“Alot of people that write, they leave it up to the people to decide how to interpret it. But I kind of want to do the opposite. If I’m writing something, I want to make people feel exactly how I’m feeling at that moment.”
— Jenny Tuite

19. Stacy Kranitz: I Play A Little With Fire /  by Elaine Sheldon

Stacy Kranitz is a documentary photographer who explores history, representation and otherness. She has developed her style, one that is full of movement, emotionally raw, gritty and features individuals in their environments. These individuals are sometimes new subjects, and other times her longtime friends; folks she has been documenting since she started her work in Appalachia in 2009. Stacy’s photos are sometimes bloody, many times violent, often sexualized, occasionally drug-induced, and always causing a stir. She has documented people and places all around the world, including snake handlers in Appalachia, cockfighting in Louisiana and black metal bands in Norway. Her work has been featured in VICE, New York Times Magazine, CNN, Mother Jones, TIME and Oxford American, among others. She also just completed her first feature documentary, “From the Study on Post-Pubescent Manhood.” In this episode, Stacy talks about facing criticism, the dishonesty of photojournalism, documenting violent situations, living out of her car, and blurring the lines between photographer and subject.

Related Links:

Stacy's Instagram

Stacy's Work:

 "As It Was Given To Me" (Appalachia work)

"The Crevasse Of The Reich" (Nazi Reenactors)

Skatopia (TIME)

"Life In Appalachia. Regression to the Mean" (CNN)

"Sausage Castle" (VICE)

Black Metal Bands in Norway (Revolver)

Cockfights in Louisiana

Interview with Stacy (ISSUE Magazine)

Trailer for Stacy's feature doc, "From the Study on Post Pubescent Manhood"

“I don’t like being yelled at. I don’t like having a subject tell me that I treated them poorly, or I misrepresented them. That is difficult. But I can’t make this work without knowing that that’s going to be part of it. Even if the conversation goes against me and is not in favor of what I’m doing, it’s still part of the greater good of what I want from the project.”
— Stacy Kranitz

Name: Stacy Kranitz

Current City: Los Angeles

What are you listening to now? Diana Ross, Reach out I'll Be There

What film/book/show/piece of media changed you? 

  • Trihn T Min-Ha's film Reassemblage
  • George Gittoes's film The Miscreants of Taliwood
  • Elizabeth Barret's film Stranger With a Camera
  • Walid Raad's Atlas Project
  • Martha Rosler's writings on Documentary photography
  • Boris Mikhlov's book of photographs, Case History
  • Ed Templeton's Zines Teenagers Kissing and Teenagers Smoking
  • Carrie Mae Weems The Kitchen Table series
  • Peter Matthiessen's novel Shadow Country

Who is your career role model? Leni Riefenstahl. Rather than seek out a simple role model who fits a classic heroine profile, I am intrigued by the complex story of a woman I both love and hate. In Riefenstahl, I find a multidimensional character with a focused vision and a murky set of morals. These grey areas speak to my desire to understand people beyond the constraints of good versus evil. 

What is a tool you can't live without? Dresses with flowers on them

How do you take your coffee/tea? iced coffee, with a little bit of cream

What's your spirit animal? All the alligator's that live in Lake Martin, Louisiana

Updates? I'll be in Central Appalachia this summer working on my project As it Was Give(n) To Me. In October this project will be shown in Wales as part of the Diffusion photography festival. I just finished my first feature length documentary film, From the Study on Post-Pubescent Manhood.

CREDITS:

Produced by Elaine Sheldon & Sarah Ginsburg

Sound design by Billy Wirasnik

Illustration by Christine Cover

 

MUSIC by Dirty Dishes (meet Jenny next week!)

  • Dinner Bell
  • Sugar Plum Fairies
  • Guilty
  • Lackluster
  • Dan Cortez

CLIPS FEATURED IN SHOW:

Skatopia (trailer)

18.5 Anna and Elizabeth: She Does Music /  by Elaine Sheldon

Photo by Jim Herrington //   Elizabeth (left) and Anna (right)  

Photo by Jim Herrington //   Elizabeth (left) and Anna (right)  

Music Featured in Episode 18

Curated by Sarah Ginsburg

You don’t often come across a musical duo like Anna & Elizabeth, or at least I haven’t. When they met in 2011, they each brought a pretty obscure knack to the table besides their musical skills. Elizabeth was interested in old time musicians, ballad singers from the past. Anna, also drawn to the old, made Crankies, which are panoramic, mural-like scenes that unwind between two rollers and are accompanied by an oral story.

Together, Anna & Elizabeth revive songs and stories that might otherwise go unheard. It’s folk music from the mountains rich with banjo and fiddle, traditional hymns and lullabies never recorded, all found in archives and then discussed with historians and relatives who share what they know of these long-gone greats.
 

Anna & Elizabeth honor the originals but bring their own and it was a magical feeling when Elaine and I realized how perfect their music fit with our 18th guest, Kalyanee Mam’s narrative. All three of these women see the value in keeping heritage alive by unearthing stories and retelling them in a contemporary, relevant way. It’s a beautiful thing when melodies from old Appalachia heighten and even become a part of a story from so far away, from Cambodia. It’s that common thread of ‘home’ that brings it all together, and we hope you feel its power as we did in working with the voices of these women.

INTERACT: A&E on Twitter and on tour

LISTEN: Their latest album

READ: VICE Noisey, Huffington Post

WATCH: NPR's Tiny Desk performance 

Q&A

How are you two different and alike? 

Anna: "If I were to describe Elizabeth, I would say she is way more inward. I would be more likely to just babble to a stranger and she would be more likely to listen. You have to be a lifer to really get to know her. Maybe when I'm 35 I will get to the next level of LaPrelle. Elizabeth's energy helps ground our project, and also the energy that comes with where she lives (rural Virginia). Because when you're making music in a city, you see the rat race around you, you see this desire to get ahead or have more people know about your band...there's this energy toward quantity. There's a slowness in the way that Elizabeth approaches things. This depth that I think grounds our work together." Elizabeth: "To frame it the same way, I feel like maybe when I'm 35 I will have accomplished some of what Anna has. She is certainly the more ambitious of us two in an outreaching way. I value that alot."

Is it fair to say you two share a value system? 

Anna: "Yes. I trust this project to always want to have a mission. I can't say that of some of my musical peers. For me, that's the most important thing about any project is that it have a goal beyond notes and recognition. We are always trying to dig for deep meaning and purpose in being a traveling band and storytelling project. There's no one else that I share the same sensibility and set of ethics about that. That's really special and rare."

How important is trust and building relationships with the sources of inspiration for your music? 

Anna: "It's a really important process because we're singing the songs of someone else's family and so that is something that we take really seriously." Elizabeth: "It's amazing what they want people to know about their family members. They're like, 'make sure people know that they were a really caring grandma. I want people to know how she would make food for us after school. Tell them that.' If people can walk away from our show with the idea of someone like that in-mind and the idea that people can pass art to each and that it would be this loving and nourishing thing that's what we're after.

18. Kalyanee Mam: The Camera Doesn't Even Exist /  by Elaine Sheldon

Kalyanee Mam is a documentary filmmaker whose work focuses on the preservation, the meaning, and the importance of home. She was raised in the U.S. but was born in Cambodia, generating an ongoing desire to explore the notion of home and displacement, specifically in Cambodia. Her first feature, A River Changes Course, won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at Sundance in 2013. Her 2014 short, Fight For Areng Valley, was featured as a New York Times Op-Doc. Kalyanee is currently working on her second feature, The Fire and the Bird's Nest, which tells the story of a Cambodian family fighting to protect their homeland from a proposed hydro-dam project. We talk about the upsides of insecurities, drastically changing your life plan, learning how to ride a bike, learning how to use a camera, learning how to forget about the camera, and most importantly, having compassion for this planet and the humans that inhabit it.

Name: Kalyanee Mam

Current City: Guerneville, CA 

Born: January 1977

What are you listening to now? "Only the Lonely", The All Time Greatest Hits of Roy Orbison 

What film piece of media changed you? I recently finished reading a book called "Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants," by Robin Wall Kimmerer, a biologist and member of the Potawatami tribe. I discovered her work while listening to an interview on "To the Best of Our Knowledge." I love wild mushrooms and foraging for them and she described the most amazing phenomenon captured in one single Potawatami word: puhpohwee, which translates to "the force which causes mushrooms to push up from the earth overnight." I thought this was just the most beautiful thing. No Western scientific word exists to describe this inexplicable force. And here was a Potawatami word that captured it so eloquently. There are limits to our scientific knowledge that can be complimented with indigenous knowledge and a perspective of the world that brings animism, spirit, and life to plants, animals, and all creatures that exist. 

Who is your career role model? There are so many people I admire for their work and contributions to a better understanding of our place in the world and how we can live with more humility and respect for nature. Robin Wall Kimmerer, Barry Lopez, John Muir are some of the names that come to mind. However, the most important thing I've learned from each of them is to admire and learn from the teachings of our ancestors - the plants and animals that have come before us and hold within their way of living the key to understanding life itself. So I've always admired, from my very first hikes in the Sierras, the grace and elegance of the foxtail pine, a rare pine endemic only to the subalpine forests of California's Sierra Nevada. I imagine this pine being alive for hundreds of years witnessing without judgment, the changes of terrain and season, of weather and storms, bending without breaking, and just being. 

 

CREDITS:

Produced by Elaine Sheldon & Sarah Ginsburg

Sound design by Billy Wirasnik

Illustration by Christine Cover

Production Assistance by Alijah Case

 

CLIPS FEATURED IN SHOW:

Documentaries | Cambodia From 1975 To 1979 Controlled By Khmer Rouge

Khmer Rouge Song: 17 April 1975

A River Changes Course - Feature Film (2013)

Fight For Areng Valley - Short Film (2014)

 

 

 

 
“When you really love what you’re doing, when you really care about what you’re doing, you don’t even have to exhort confidence, it’s just who you are. It’s just being.”
— Kalyanee Mam
 

 

What is a tool you can't live without? My kitchen knife and dutch oven. Two things I literally can't live without and that bring me absolute pleasure. Cutting and slicing vegetables, throwing them into the pot, and then straight into the oven to be surprised by a complete meal only a few hours later. There must be a Potowatami word that describes the magic of that delicious transformation! 

How do you drink your coffee/tea? I usually start my morning with my own tea blend of peppermint, chamomile, lemongrass, ginger, and turmeric. And then a shot of espresso with frothy steamed milk! 

What's your spirit animal? There are so many animals I would love to be depending on my mood and the time of year - a black bear in the autumn and winter, hibernating in front of a fire with a cup of hot chocolate, or a hummingbird in the spring, sampling the sweet nectar of every flower, or a wild mountain goat hobbling up the mountains in the summer.   

Any updates since we interviewed you? I'm currently working on my second feature documentary about the life of Reem Sav See, an indigenous Chong woman from Areng Valley in Southwest Cambodia, and the ancestral stories she and her people tell that compel them to protect their cultural and natural environment. The film is called The Fire and the Bird's Nest and I just completed by second production trip at the beginning of the Summer. I am also partnering with Mother Nature Cambodia to implement an environmental media project to help expand public debate about conservation and development in Cambodia. The project is being funded by MacArthur’s Conservation and Sustainable Development Program. We plan to release bi-weekly, short and thought provoking videos on social and traditional media and eventually screen The Fire and the Bird's Nest. 

RELATED LINKS:

 

MUSIC FEATURED IN SHOW:

Our featured MusicMakers this week are Anna & Elizabeth, a folk duo who aims to bring history and tradition into the contemporary world. Tune in for episode 18.5 to hear their story.

TRACKS: Off self-titled album, Anna & Elizabeth: Ida Red, Don't Want to Die in the Storm, Little Black Train, Very Day I’m Gone (Rambling Woman), Father Neptune, Goin’ Cross the Mountain, Orfeo, Greenwood Sidey, Troubles, Long Time Travelin’. Off Sun to Sun: Darlin’, Don’t You Know it’s Wrong?, Sun to Sun, Lone Pilgrim

 

 

 

 

17.5 Springtime Carnivore: She Does Music /  by Elaine Sheldon

MUSIC FEATURED IN EPISODE 17

Curated by Elaine Sheldon

In 2014, Greta Morgan released her first album as Springtime Carnivore. Following that release she has had an exciting 2015; touring with Of Montreal, Father John Misty and Jenny Lewis. When we talked with her for this interview she was gearing up to join Jenny Lewis on tour. “I’m doing this interview on a hammock. Something about talking about myself lying vertical makes me feel like this is therapy. So it might get weird.”

It didn’t get that weird, but it definitely got exciting when Greta told us that she’s currently recording her next album, set to release next year. “This album will be the best thing I’ve ever made. It really feels like the past 10 years I've been preparing to make this record. Everything that’s happened in the last year has opened me up and allows me to be way more vulnerable and way more raw than I ever have.”

Before that next record drops, we recommend you spend some time with her first album. It brought Sarah and I alive while editing, and made Pamela Ribon’s stories that much more impactful. Heck...even when we weren’t editing this episode we still craved this album. We listened to it while cooking and in our mid-day slump to give us a boost. We’re eternally grateful to have collaborated and met Greta. Songs like “The Collectors," "Name on a Matchbook,"  and “Last One To Know” are crowd hits, but I love what Greta has achieved with “Western Pink,” “Low Clouds,” and “Karen Bird’s Theme.” Instrumental tracks that say so much without saying anything at all. They are on repeat and keep me wishing for more. Keep 'em coming Greta.

 

Do you have any pre-performance rituals? Before the show, the most important thing to do is make sure I feel really connected to bandmates. I play with a rotating cast of people depending on who is available; all people who I trust completely. We have a huddle moment where nothing else matters but us. I like the rituals of dressing for a show. I'm the least diva person you've ever met. Generally all my show clothes are crumpled in a grocery bag. But I like the feeling of doing a vocal warm up by just singing songs that I like and putting on show clothes. It's such a nice feeling, a beautiful kind of anticipation.

Do you know what triggers creative moments? I've been of going through a ton personally. A breakup from a very serious relationship and pretty intense family stuff. There's been a lot of...growth emotionally and mentally. I'm processing a lot of feelings that I've never experienced before. Complicated venn diagrams with a million feelings all at once. There's alot of stuff to process, that really fuels my creativity, if I don't release the emotions I freak out.

What does music have the potential to do? Everyday that we are living our lives, we are either moving closer to becoming the person we were meant to be, becoming the person we are possible of being, or becoming a numb, zombified, dumbed-down, mediocre version of what is possible. Music has been the the thing that keeps drawing me into the possible side. Music reminds people of who they are or of what they want; a sense of themselves that they might lose otherwise.

Do you identify with your home city of Chicago? I really identify with Chicago and the Midwest. The people are salt of the Earth. People work without expectations and without delusion. There's a very realistic hardworking attitude that most of my Chicago friends and I have. I really identify with that. I love working and identify with the attitude that, 'Any job you do with dignity is a dignified job.' 

 

INTERACT: Greta on Twitter and upcoming tour dates

LISTEN: on iTunes

READ: Paste Magazine review, feature in Interview Magazine, VICE's Noisey Blog

WATCH: Springtime Carnivore music videos

17. Pamela Ribon: Finding Your Own Fun /  by Elaine Sheldon

Pamela Ribon is a television writer, screenwriter, best-selling novelist and all around hilarious human. She’s been a writer in comedy rooms for both network and cable television and is the author of four novels. NPR called her new memoir, Notes to Boys, “brain-breakingly funny.” Pamela has developed original series and features for ABC, ABC Family, Warner Bros., Disney Channel and 20th Century Fox Productions. She recently finished working on a feature for Walt Disney Animation Studios and she’s currently writing for Sony Pictures Animation on an upcoming feature. Pamela started writing on the web in 1998, before most people even knew what a blog was. She has been building her audience ever since, breaking the internet with “Barbie F*cks It Up Again,” among other posts. We talk about standup comedy, how to make your work go viral, and why it’s important to mind your our beeswax and find your own fun.

“Wanting what other people have will never get you what you want, because you’re not spending time finding your own fun. It’s not fun to be jealous of people and it’s such a waste of time, because nobody has the same story. You can take the craziest route if you just follow what’s interesting to you.”
— Pamela Ribon

RELATED LINKS:

Name: Pamela Ribon

Current City: Los Angeles

What are you listening to now? Podcasts: Scriptnotes, The Dinner Party Download, Pop Culture Happy Hour, Extra Hot Great

What film piece of media changed you? The Family Ties episode "A, My Name is Alex." It was an hour-long "very special" episode about Alex going to therapy after the sudden death of a close friend. Shot like a play, Alex moved in and out of the set, talking to an unseen therapist while playing out scenes with his family and friends. Seeing a sitcom tackle something so serious, mixing comedy with drama, letting Michael J Fox "act" so hard, completely blew my young mind. Comedy could help? Comedy could get serious? A sitcom could make me cry? I still remember jokes from it, so it also made me laugh. Because this episode is such a long ago memory, I originally assumed this epiphany happened only to me, but I've met more than one writer who also named this episode as an important moment in their young lives. Wikipedia says it won a shit-ton of awards, so I guess it wasn't just us kids knowing it was a good. 

Who is your career role model? Tina Fey, John Waters, Penn Jillette, Peggy Olson, Bjork, Leslie Knope.

What is a tool you can't live without? Spotify

How do you drink your coffee/tea? Black

What's your spirit animal? Hello Kitty. It used to be Batz Maru. I am evolving.

Any updates since we interviewed you? I'm currently writing a feature for Sony Animation and a comedy pilot for the Disney Channel. Everything else is under various NDAs.

MUSIC FEATURED IN SHOW:

Music this week is by Springtime Carnivore. 

Listen to Episode 17.5 with Greta Morgan of Springtime Carnivore!

TRACKS: Karen Bird’s Themes, Talk To Me Slow, Last One To Know, Foxtrot Freak, Collectors, Western Pink, Name on a Matchbook, Low Clouds, Two Scars

 

CREDITS:

Produced by Elaine Sheldon & Sarah Ginsburg

Sound design by Billy Wirasnik

Illustration by Christine Cover

Production Assistance by Alijah Case

CLIPS FEATURED IN SHOW:

Good Morning America Barbie Segment 1 & 2

Barbie Commercial "Cut & Style Barbie"

 

16.5 Dubb Nubb: She Does Music /  by Elaine Sheldon

Photo by Kylee Gregg  //   Hannah Rainey (left) and Delia Rainey (right)  

Photo by Kylee Gregg  //   Hannah Rainey (left) and Delia Rainey (right)  

MUSIC FEATURED IN EPISODE 16

Curated by Sarah Ginsburg

Hannah and Delia started writing and playing music together at age 15, but they’ve known each other for 23 years. They’re twin sisters. And when they play together, they go by Dubb Nubb. Hannah plays guitar, Delia plays the ukulele, and sometimes their older sister Amanda joins in with percussion. They hail from St. Louis, Missouri but I saw Dubb Nubb play at True/False about five years ago, and then again every year since. They’ve become familiar faces and voices in the Columbia and St. Louis music scenes, and this has a lot to do with their tangible synergy onstage. Between the musings on home and the raw harmonies, Hannah with the lower and Delia with the Higher, Dubb Nubb pulls you in, making you feel like a part of the family. My words can’t do them justice. Lend them your ear and listen—you won't regret it.

LINKS:

LISTEN: Bandcamp, iTunes

WATCH: "Don't Ever Find Me"

FOLLOW: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook

 

16. Kirsten Lepore: Start-Stop-Start-Stop /  by Elaine Sheldon

Animator Kirsten Lepore is the writer and director of an upcoming episode of Cartoon Network’s popular show “Adventure Time.” A majority of her career has been spent in her garage, which is actually her workshop, carefully moving tiny, handmade characters in the worlds she’s built for them. The films she made at Maryland Institute College of Art and CalArts, “Sweet Dreams” and “Bottle,” won countless awards and screened at SXSW, Slamdance, the Vimeo Awards, the Annie Awards, among others. She’s made work for big names like Google, MTV, Whole Foods, Nestlé, and Nickelodeon, upholding her own raw but charming style no matter the project. Kirsten talks about her knack for cooking, the challenges of being a one-woman band, poking a bit at her peculiar side, and stepping into a big director role with “Adventure Time.” She’s a self-proclaimed weirdo and that’s the way she’ll stay.

Name: Kirsten Lepore

Current City: Los Angeles

DOB: March 1985

Current Gig: Working on the Adventure Time episode! Which I think will air sometime this year. Also expect some more Google Doodles out on their homepage throughout the year!

What are you listening to? III, by Badbadnotgood

What piece of media changed you? Oh geez, there are so many things....I know it's cliche, but one of the pivotal moments was watching the original Star Wars Trilogy for the first time in 6th grade - pretty late for my age, actually. From the practical effects/creatures, to the music, to the far off worlds they created, it definitely inspired me to make my own crazy worlds.

Who is your career role model? I feel really fortunate that many of my career role models are also friends or contemporaries. People like Julia Pott, Mikey Please, DANIELS, Allison Schulnik, David OReilly, Adi Goodrich, Jenny Slate and Dean Fleicher-Camp are all making a living creating unique and diverse art in their own amazing, unique styles. I aspire to do the same.

What is a tool you can't live without? A sharp knife, big wooden cutting board, and a stove. If I couldn't cook, I think I'd get really depressed. Also, can I throw some good speakers in there with a sub? I need to dance too.

How do you take your coffee/tea? I'm an uncaffeinated person, actually - but when I do, I take an espresso with one sugar

What's your spirit animal? Hmmm, probably an elephant. An elephant never forgets. Although, people tell me I look and act like a koala and apparently they're very horny.

 

Music Featured in Episode 16 is by Dubb Nubb

Wild Dreamin’ (album)

  • These Whole Spaces
  • Where Does the Time Go?
  • I Dreamt

The Best Game Ever (album)

  • Ahm Nam Nam
  • Soldier

Sunrise Sleepy Eyed (album)

  • Back Roads
  • Kindergarten Wedding

New Bones (album)

  • Geometric Shapes
  • Buttons

Our featured MusicMakers are Hannah, Delia, and Amanda Rainey, or Dubb Nubb. Find out more in our She Does Music episode 16.5!

 

kirsten.jpg
“It’s not the thing that looks like everything else that someone hired you to do that’s going to get you work. It’s the really unique thing that you made for yourself that showcases something new that’s going to get you hired.”
— Kirsten Lepore
 

 

Related Links:

Kirsten's Website

Kirsten on Twitter

Kirsten on Instagram

Making of "Bottle" (in 1 minute)

 

Clips Featured in This Episode:

"Bottle" animation

"Sweet Dreams" animation

Adventure Time Theme Song

Adventure Time Exclusive Clip from Kirsten’s Episode “Bad Jubies”

 

Credits:

Produced by Elaine Sheldon and Sarah Ginsburg

Sound Design by Billy Wirasnik

Illustration by Christine Cover

Production Assistance by Alijah Case

15.5 ZIEMBA: She Does Music /  by Elaine Sheldon

Photo by Ben Grad

Photo by Ben Grad

MUSIC FEATURED IN EPISODE 15

Curated by Elaine Sheldon

René Kladzyk is a Brooklyn-based solo musician and performance artist who goes by the moniker Ziemba. She played her first solo show as Ziemba on October 27, 2013. Since then, she has put out two EPs and is working on her first full-length album. She recently had several songs featured on Season 2 of Broad City. Sarah first met René on a roadtrip through the South, where she saw her perform at The Mammal Gallery in Atlanta. “She’s incredibly kind and warm, but it’s almost like she’s from another planet,” Sarah said of Ziemba's performance. “We were all entranced by her performance, which concluded with her quietly asking the audience to shift their attention from the front of the room, where she had been playing a keyboard with pedals, to an old stand up, piano, where she sat down and sang ‘With The Fire’ (hear this song in episode).” It was a pure joy to collaborate with Ziemba on Episode 15, featuring Emily Best, and record a live performance with her for episode 15.5 She Does Music. I have had "Phantom See" stuck in my head from the first listen, and am secretly hoping it never escapes my memory. 

LINKS:

LISTEN: Bandcamp, Soundcloud, Official Website

WATCH: "Phantom See"

READ: Impose Magazine feature

 

15. Emily Best: You Will Find Your People /  by Elaine Sheldon

Emily Best is the founder and CEO of Seed&Spark, a crowdfunding and distribution platform for independent filmmakers. She’s also the publisher of Bright Ideas Magazine. Emily has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in crowdfunding for film, and contributed to over 300 campaigns to date through Seed&Spark. She brings experience from producing live theatre and running restaurants to the film industry, and lets us into the world of investors and film distribution. Emily was named one of the 2013 Indiewire Influencers, 2014 New York Women of Influence and 2015 Upstart 100. She’s a daring individual who encourages us all to create meaningful communities around our work. Furthermore, things get personal when we discuss matters of the heart and how being independent and driven can affect personal relationships.

Name: Emily Best

Current City: Los Angeles, CA

DOB: 8/1980

What are you listening to now? First Aid Kit, both albums

What film/book/show/piece of media changed you?  An Iranian film that came out in 1997 called "Gabbeh." It was the first thing I ever went to see in my local independent theater (The Tower Theater in Sacramento, CA). I was dragged there by a MUCH cooler friend. I couldn't move when the credits started rolling. I didn't know film could be like that!

Who is your career role model?  I have so, so many. Sue Nagel. Jill Soloway. Oprah. I mean, how you know you made an impression, you only go by one name...and Diane von Furstenburg. 

What is a tool you can't live without? The little doggy poop bag dispenser that attaches to my dog's leash. So simple. So convenient.

How do you drink/take your coffee/tea? Little whole milk little sugar

What's your spirit animal?

  1. Exhibit A
  2. Exhibit B
  3. Exhibit C
“The thing about being an artist is there’s always room. But now more than ever if you want to make a sustainable living it’s your responsibility to find the people who also want you to have a sustainable living doing what you do. There’s something about being really committed to a set of ideas that are important to you, and continuously articulating that value system to yourself and to your community in a meaningful way. And you will find your people. ”
— Emily Best
 

Music Featured in Episode 15 is by ZIEMBA 

A Pure Mirror and a Damn Prison (album)

  • Under Clouds
  • El Paso
  • Ugly Ambitious Women

Nearness (album)

  • Phantom See
  • Now Seed
  • White Black Red Yellow

Clips Featured In This Episode

Denny's Commercial

Credits

Produced by Elaine Sheldon & Sarah Ginsburg

Illustration by Christine Cover

Sound Design by Billy Wirasnik

14.5 Nona Marie Invie: She Does Music /  by Elaine Sheldon

MUSIC FEATURED IN EPISODE 14

Curated by Sarah Ginsburg

I come across a lot of talented musicians every year atTrue/False Film Festival in Columbia, Missouri, but this one is special. Back in 2012, when I was confused and in college, I saw Nona Marie Invie perform with her band Dark Dark Dark and I’m not even kidding, from that moment on, things changed. Her voice and musical talent helped me tap into these feelings of sorrow and hope and longing and strength all at the same time. She sings, plays the piano and the accordion in Dark Dark Dark and is the leader of Anonymous Choir, a 16-piece all women’s choir that recontextualizes songs we all know by Neil Young, Kate Bush, and Leonard Cohen. Nona is not afraid to bend and experiment, exemplified by her project Fugitive, electronic, drone compositions brought to unique spaces like a yoga studio in Mexico. RONiiA is her most recent synthpop project that maintains a warmth through Nona’s unmistakeable voice. All of these projects are different and Nona doesn’t leave any of them behind, she just shifts her weight around and lets things change. Like I said, things changed for me after I first heard Nona and things might change for you after you give her a listen. Go ahead, find out.

Q&A: 

What do you love most about making music? People tell me about when they’ve listened to my music in hard times or in good times or how it's helped them or affected them in these different ways. That feels really special and important to me and when I don't tour, when I go through periods of not performing, I realize that I miss that connection in the world, because I'm not that good at social media or calling people back a lot of the times. It's nice to be out there in the world and to know that people are hearing me and they're interested and they're processing it in whatever ways that may or may not be helpful for them, but that kind of connection or interaction feels important.

How does working with a group of women in Anonymous Choir compare to playing with Dark Dark Dark, where you are the only woman? The whole vibe is different when I'm surrounded by women. Just the way that we interact with each other and the things that we talk about are just sort of innately different than being the only woman in a group of 4 or 5 men. And the men in Dark Dark Dark are great, but there's just -- they’re not necessarily giving each other back rubs and asking about each other's days. There's differences too because with Dark Dark Dark, we were on tour all the time and so we were in this deep relationship with each other. We were more like family where we spent months at a time sleeping in the same room and being in the car all day and playing this intensely emotional and personal music. I think the way that we were with each other was more like sibling kind of. We really loved and appreciated each other but also needed space. And with the choir, we'll take little tours but it's not really like that. So every time we're together it feels really special and I think everybody brings everything that they can to the room with them; all their energy and all the good vibes and that always feels really nice.

What would you like people to know? I guess mostly, I just want people to, people who are playing music, I just want them to keep trying and keep playing and keep doing whatever they want to do. All of us struggle with figuring out how to balance the mundane things like paying for rent and trying to lead creative and inspired lives and I just know that if you keep working at it you'll figure it out. That's what I wish I had heard more throughout my life.

 

LINKS:

LISTEN: Dark Dark Dark   Anonymous Choir  RONiiA  Fugitive

WATCH: FLOOD TIDE (Feature w/ Dark Dark Dark as cast & soundtrack)

Anonymous Choir performs Tonight (You Belong To Me)

READ: RONiiA Updates via Minneapolis label Totally Gross National Product

14. Caitlin FitzGerald: A Very Specific Kind of Femininity /  by Elaine Sheldon

Caitlin FitzGerald, writer and actor, is one of Hollywood’s emerging talents. She may be best known for her role as Libby Masters on Showtime Network’s “Masters of Sex.” The series, which is currently in its third season, is set in the late 1950s and is a drama centered around the true story of the pioneers of the science of human sexuality. You may have also seen Caitlin in feature films “It’s Complicated,” “Damsels in Distress” and “Newlyweds,” and TV shows including, “Gossip Girl,” “How to Make It In America,” and “Law & Order: SVU.” Additionally, Caitlin co-wrote and starred in the feature film, “Like The Water,” which was filmed in her hometown of Camden, Maine. Caitlin talks about the ups and downs of Hollywood and her love of live theatre. She encourages you to choose yourself, remove “weakness” from your vocabulary and live for the journey, rather than the “I made it” moments. She’s a thoughtful soul that is sure to make you appreciate the role of an actor in our society.

Name: Caitlin FitzGerald

Current City: Los Angeles

DOB: 8/1983

Current Gig: "Masters of Sex" on Showtime

What are you listening to? Fink, Alabama Shakes, and Bob Marley. I love the Moth radio hour and and I really appreciated Marc Maron's interview with Obama on his podcast.

What piece of media changed you? So so many. I am currently reading a book by Marion Woodman called 'Conscious Femininity' that's blowing my mind. 

Who is your career role model? I love anyone who seems to be marching to the beat of their own very specific drum. Tilda Swinton comes to mind. 

What is a tool you can't live without? My aeropress coffee maker and Stitcher. 

How do you take your coffee/tea? Coffee with Half-and-Half 

What's your spirit animal? A lot of people have compared me to birds, which may be a slightly unkind comment on the way I look. I like to fancy myself more of a lioness. 

Any news or updates? I shot a film called 'Always Shine' with an amazing couple of filmmakers Sophia Takal and Lawrence Lavine last fall that I'm really excited about. It is just getting completed and will be hitting festivals next year. Another film I'm in called 'Manhattan Romance' will be getting released this fall! 

Related Links:

“Historically we’ve always needed actors in the world because we need to see ourselves, and that feels honorable to me. That’s the thing I come back to when I get lost in clothing and red carpets and nonsense.”
— Caitlin FitzGerald

Music Featured in Show: 

Our featured musicmaker is Nona Marie Invie, who is part of the bands listed below. Tune in on 7/22 when we release a mini episode featuring Nona and read more about her here.

Dark Dark Dark

  • Who Needs Who (album): Meet In The Dark (song)
  • Wild Go (album): Daydreaming, Something For Myself (songs)
  • Flood Tide (Original Soundtrack): Dragged By The Moon, Building, Bike Ride, Flood, On The Water (songs)

RONiiA 

  • RONiiA (album): Last Words, Bellz (songs)

Anonymous Choir

  • From Album II: This Woman’s Work

Credits

PRODUCED by Sarah Ginsburg & Elaine Sheldon

SOUND DESIGN by Bradford Krieger of Hanging Horse Studio

ILLUSTRATION by Christine Cover

13.5 Brooke Singer: She Does Music /  by Elaine Sheldon

MUSIC FEATURED IN EPISODE 13

Curated by Elaine Sheldon

Brooke Singer is the songwriter, vocalist and pianist of French for Rabbits, a New Zealand based dream-folk band, along with guitarist, John Fitzgerald. Brooke says songwriting is a life-long passion. She started writing songs as a child; sitting at the piano and coming up with her own tunes. She was six years old when she wrote her first song. It was a ditty about her cat who died. French for Rabbits may be best known for their songs about the sea. Brooke said their home country, New Zealand, influences their work greatly. In addition to be inspired by nature, Brooke also is inspired by real events in her life. French for Rabbits is working on their new EP now. Special thanks to Lefse Records for connecting us with Brooke.

Q&A:

How does being from New Zealand Influence your work? I didn't realize it until I left, but New Zealand is quite isolated. It's not until you get on a plane and you're on that plane for 24 hours to get somewhere else that you realize how far it away it is from Europe and America. Where we're living is a small settlement in a harbor. There are still big forests here and it's just alot more wild than other countries. I think nature is a big aspect to our music. I have always lived by the sea so it tends to creep into my lyrics even if I try to avoid it. 

Where do you go to spark creativity? For me, creativity comes from a few different sources. It could be reading a book, or just going out in nature, or watching people and experiencing things. I do like mining. I like taking a situation that has happened to me and turning it into a song. I do that quite a lot. I like bad things to happen occasionally so I can write a really good song. 

What advice would you have for aspiring musicians? You have to have confidence in your ideas and go with it. You don't know what will come out of an idea before you follow it through. You have to have a passion for music. It doesn't have to be a career, it can be something that you do in your bedroom or play tiny shows to your friends. You have to take it where you want to take it, and that's all. 

What would you say to someone who is "waiting for the right moment" to make their first album? In New Zealand, people just kind of 'do it.' They just make it happen, regardless of the gear that you have. I think limitations are a good thing. It changes your process in a way that could make it better. I don't have every piece of equipment that I would like to have, but that's probably a good thing. I can't go too wild. I think people should just start and see what happens.

LINKS:

LISTEN: Bandcamp

PURCHASE: French For Rabbits Website

CONNECT: Facebook, Twitter, Record Label

13. Maggie Steber: There Are Worse Places To Die /  by Elaine Sheldon

Maggie Steber is a prolific documentary photographer who has worked in 65 countries around the world focusing on humanitarian, cultural, and social stories. For over three decades, Maggie has worked in Haiti, an experience that has impacted her emotionally and personally and led to her book “Dancing on Fire.” She has received the Leica Medal of Excellence, and recognition from World Press Photo Foundation, the Overseas Press Club, Pictures of the Year, and the Medal of Honor for Distinguished Service to Journalism from the University of Missouri. Her work has been featured in National Geographic Magazine, The New York Times Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, AARP, The Guardian, and Geo Magazine among others, and is featured in the Library of Congress and in private collections. In 2013, Maggie was named as one of eleven Women of Vision by National Geographic Magazine, publishing a book and touring in an exhibition in five American cities. Maggie talks about her love for history, a near-death experience covering conflict and her opposition to making poverty porn.

MUSIC FEATURED IN SHOW:

Our featured music maker this week is Brooke Singer, of French for Rabbits. PLAYLIST featured from "Spirit" and "Claimed By The Sea."

  • The Other Side
  • Claimed By The Sea
  • Spirits
  • Cold
  • Goat + The Other Side
  • Wisdom
  • Woke Up in a Storm
  • Hard Luck Stories
  • Gone Gone Gone

Listen here.

“If you’re just there for a picture, forget it. In fact, please don’t go if that’s all you’re trying to do in a country, is document people who are suffering, just because you’re trying to build a portfolio. Please don’t go. If you really are sincerely interested and beyond ‘getting a great picture,’ people will tell you everything about themselves, and it enriches your own life.”
— Maggie Steber

CREDITS
PRODUCED BY: Elaine Sheldon & Sarah Ginsburg

SOUND DESIGN BY: Billy Wirasnik

PRODUCTION ASSISTANCE: Alijah Case

ILLUSTRATION: Christine Cover

12.5 Emily Hope Price: She Does Music /  by Elaine Sheldon

emily.jpeg

MUSIC FEATURED IN EPISODE 12

Curated by Sarah Ginsburg

Emily Hope Price is a beyond-talented cellist, vocalist and ⅓ of Pearl and the Beard, along with percussionist Jocelyn Mackenzie and guitarist Jeremy Lloyd-Styles, who are also vocalists in the band. I saw them just destroy it at True/False Film Festival a few years ago, and I mean that. When they play, it’s like they’re playing for the last time, everything goes into it. Emily, who comes from Logan, Utah, joined the Brooklyn-based band not long after Jocelyn and Jeremy created it, but it still took work and time and patience to become the family they are today. Even when they aren’t playing together, Emily continues to create. She’s worked on Broadway with Sting, scored a feature film, and recorded one song everyday for a year as a part of 365 Project. My conversation with Emily was a powerful, memorable experience, and you know what? So is listening to the music of Pearl and the Beard. We hope you enjoy both!

Q&A:

What was it like to join a band that had already been making music together? It took a long time for me to feel like I had a voice and allow myself to have that voice because I did feel like Jeremy and Jocelyn had main ownership. I felt like I was an au pair to our child for awhile. And then when I felt good about it, it felt awesome. It’s letting that selfishness go and letting go of that entitlement and that this isn’t just about you. It is a co-parenting situation no matter how many parents are involved. You’re all a part of it and everyone has a piece of themselves in it and it’s a matter of putting that together appropriately.

How did you navigate the dynamic and your own role in the band? It was up to Jocelyn and I to kind of feel out our relationship as two women, and not only that, but two women who have egos, honestly. In order to be a performer, you really have to have an ego. Even if you feel like you’re the most humble. We really worked on being kind to eachother, and fair and honest. I didn’t know what it was like to try to get along with another woman, not only in a business sense but also in a personal sense, because it went beyond being friends; we were family. But I have to say, looking at it today, she has become my family. She is my sister.

We call this, The Emily Hope Price Manifesto for musicians and all artists alike: If I could say anything to a young musician, it would be to just...create. Just create. Just keep creating one thing after another. Just write, write, write, write, write and play and play and play anything. If you don’t want to practice, if you don’t want to play, do something creative. Create everyday. Peoples’ souls need to produce. This is purely coming from a place of having experience of feeling trapped by my own perfectionism, actually stifling my own creativity because there was so much judgement and so much criticism upon myself and not letting my inner intelligence breathe and just live and make mistakes. Most, most of the time, most of the things I thought were mistakes, ended up being the best things I’ve done.

LINKS:

LISTEN: 365 Project & Pearl and the Beard on iTunes

WATCH: Reverend Live Performance & The Lament of Coronado Brown Official Video

CONNECT: Emily & Pearl And The Beard on Twitter

12. Mary Coleman: Throw It Away and Start Over /  by Elaine Sheldon

Mary Coleman is the Senior Development Executive at Disney’s Pixar Animation Studios. For the past 16 years, she has worked with directors and writers to dig into their personal memories and create stories that adults and kids can relate to. Mary got her start in theatre, performing on stage, working behind the scenes and a stint as a director. She talks about time spent with her grandmother who fostered her creative side, how ‘faking it ‘till you make it’ left her dissatisfied, how live performance influences her process at Pixar, and her efforts to make sure Pixar fosters a woman director in the coming years. Pixar's latest film, "Inside Out," will be released in theaters on June 19.

“What I took from live performance, that really shaped the way I approach creative work, is being able to make a decision in the moment and go for it. When it’s live you have to be really nimble and responsive. Pixar movies are very masterfully crafted, but the creation of them involves a ton of people being ready to say, ‘Wow, I never thought of it that way. I’m willing to pivot now and try something totally different’.”
— Mary Coleman

RELATED LINKS:

Go Into The Story: Interview with Mary Coleman (Part 1 & 2)

Pixar Animation Studio

Disney Pixar on Twitter

Name: Mary Coleman

Current City: Berkeley CA

DOB: 11/1964

What are you listening to right now? Florence and the Machine

What movie changed your perspective? "Amadues," directed by Milos Forman

Who is your career role model? Theatre director Anne Bogart

What is a tool you can't live without? Duct tape

How do you take your tea? Jasmine green iced tea

What is your spirit animal? Otter

Any news/updates? I am beyond excited about our next Pixar film, INSIDE OUT, opening June 19th.

CLIPS FEATURED IN SHOW:

"Inside Out" Trailer

South Pacific

"Finding Nemo" clip

Peter Gabriel “In Your Eyes” Live

Toy Story “I’m a Picasso”

Toy Story “You’ve Got a Friend in Me"

 

CREDITS

PRODUCED: Elaine Sheldon and Sarah Ginsburg

SOUND DESIGN: Billy Wirasnik

FIXER: Jason Headley

MUSIC FEATURED IN SHOW:

Learn more about Pearl and the Beard, our featured musicmaker of the week, here. 

  • Killing the Darlings: Reverend, Sweetness, The Lament of Coronado Brown, Swimming, 40K

  • Beast: Oculus, Yet

  • God Bless Your Weary Soul, Amanda Richardson: Voice in my Throat, Lost in Singapore, Vessel

  • Black Vessel EP: Manek and Ilona

  • 365 Project: Awake Like Me (Improvisation No. 2), Black Hole of Calcutta

11.5 Audrey Ryan: She Does Music /  by Elaine Sheldon

MUSIC FEATURED IN EPISODE 11

Curated by Elaine Sheldon

Audrey Ryan is a one-woman band with some impressive multi-instrument skills. An electric guitar, accordion, ukulele, banjo, vibraphone, drums, kick, tambourine and a loop station are all part of her setup--among other tricks. She grew up on an island off the coast of Maine and comes from a musical family; her dad played guitar and her mom sang and played piano and the organ. She started learning the guitar at the age of 10 and violin at 7--playing folk tunes to the likes of the Indigo Girls, Joni Mitchell, and Bob Dylan. In college, her main gig was playing in bluegrass and jazz bands. It took her nearly several years, to find her voice and develop her own style as a solo artist in Boston, but she's done it and stands so strong. In the past, she has opened for artists like Suzanne Vega, Sam Amidon and They Might Be Giants. Audrey is a new mom with anew EP that you should download. She’s taken a break from touring and is collaborating with Will Dailey to create music for commercial licensing. Several years ago she wrote, “The Need to Be Heard,” a book for and about DIY musicians.

Q&A

How would you describe your relationship with your fans? I’m very casual. I have this loft in Somerville, Mass. that I have been hosting shows at for years and it’s incredibly intimate. I usually ask people to tell me what they want to hear, instead of doing shot lists. I’m not someone who is distant from the audience. Here are these people staring at you, if you make them feel like there’s a lot of separation, they’re not going to connect with the music.

What is a piece of advice you would give to a young musician? You should really hone in your craft and try to be really good at what you do, before you do it in front of other people. I myself, when I started playing out, was not very good. I hadn’t rehearsed as much as I probably should have, and probably spent alot of time rehearsing in front of other people. But the problem with that is, you turn people off. And then it’s going to be hard to get people to come back in two or three years when you are good.

Where are you at in your career and where do you want to go? Things have changed for me in the past couple of years. In my 20s, I was touring non-stop, but now I don’t tour extensively. I’m focused more on licensing. I work with Will Dailey, a singer songwriter in Boston, to write pop and electronic songs for commercials. We’re both married and we both have a kid--he actually has two kids. We’re still artists and musicians but we have a very practical side of our lives now which makes it difficult to stay at bars until 2 A.M. So I’m moving more towards co-writing and working with someone. I think it’s better at this point to work with someone and not be an island.

LINKS:

LISTEN: Audrey Ryan on Bandcamp

READ: Review of Latest EP "Let's Go To The Vamp"

WATCH: Audrey crushing the accordion in Dublin, Ireland

CONNECT: Audrey on Twitter

11. Kat Cizek: Making Everything From Scratch /  by Elaine Sheldon

Kat Cizek is an innovative documentary storyteller who works across many media platforms. She’s currently the director of the National Film Board of Canada’s multi-year project entitled HIGHRISE, which examines life inside residential skyscrapers in suburbs around the world. Since it launched in 2009, HIGHRISE has generated interactive documentaries, mobile productions, live presentations, installations and films that have garnered Emmys, a Peabody, Webby Awards and recognition from the World Press Photo and IDFA Doc Lab, among others. Kat and the NFB just released the latest and final HIGHRISE project, “Universe Within,” that explores people’s digital lives online. We spoke to Kat about her life growing up in Waterloo in the late 60’s  after her parents escaped the Russian invasion of what was then Czechoslovakia. Kat talks about being at the frontlines of the Oka Crisis in Canada, a defining moment in her career and first-nations history in Canada. And her nearly 11 year relationship with the National Film Board of Canada through the Filmmaker in Residence and Highrise projects. Kat encourages us to explore new and meaningful ways to approach technology, and challenges us to evaluate our methods and ethics as storytellers.

“I have been preoccupied with the role of the subject for most of my working life. It’s about understanding that a subject isn’t a subject. A subject is an agent in their own world and how can we work together to create interesting media that will contribute positively in this community. Too often we get so enamored with the technology that we forget about that.”
— Kat Cizek

Name: Katerina Cizek

Current City: Toronto, Canada

DOB: 10/19/1969

What are you listening to now? Tanya Tagaq Animism

What film changed you? Opened your eyes? Vertov's silent film 'Man With a Movie Camera" (1929) The first great example of the power of the edit. It's documentary plus. About the city, about the camera, about the street. about revolution. I love Cinematic Orchestra's live re-scoring of it too.

Who is your career role model? Alanis Obomsawin. I first saw her behind the barricades in 1990, when the Canadian Army had surrounded the First Nations community of Kanesatake. I was there as a student photojournalist, she was there with her camera crew, shooting her masterpiece documentary series about the crisis. Seeing her there inspired me to become a documentarian. Years later, I made a short digital documentary piece and a short film about her. 

What is a tool you can't live without? Long Johns--I'm Canadian.

How do you take your coffee/tea? Tea. Black.

What's your spirit animal? Owl

CLIPS FEATURED IN SHOW:

Russia Invades Czechoslovakia

Leonard Cohen "Suzanne"

Seeing Is Believing

Challenge for Change NFB (1 & 2)

Filmmaker In Residence NFB

HIGHRISE: Out My Window

HIGHRISE: One Millionth Tower

HIGHRISE: A Short History of the Highrise 

HIGHRISE: Universe Within

Večerníček (Czech Animation)

CREDITS

PRODUCED by Elaine Sheldon and Sarah Ginsburg

SOUND DESIGN by Billy Wirasnik

MUSIC FEATURED IN SHOW: Our featured musicmaker this week is Audrey Ryan. Download her music on Bandcamp. Read our interview with her here.

Let's Go To The Vamp (album)

  • Oh The Ego
  • Snibber
  • Holding Back

Sirens (album)

  • Casiotone
  • Lift Me Up

I Know, I Know (album)

  • Are You Sleeping
  • Alright
  • I know I know
  • So Afraid
  • Maybe

Dishes & Pills (album)

  • People

10.5 Lira Mondal of Mini Dresses: She Does Music /  by Elaine Sheldon

minidresses.jpeg

MUSIC FEATURED IN EPISODE 10  

Curated by Sarah Ginsburg

Lira Mondal is as sweet as can be. She’s a native Arkansan, an aspiring pastry chef and the heavenly voice of Boston-based Mini Dresses. Comprised of Lira (who also plays bass), guitarist Caufield Schnug and drummer Luke Brandfon, Mini Dresses is making what you could call Boston’s beach music, a little dirty and not a lot of surfing going on, but listening to these folks might make you want to grab a board and try. It’s definitely not typical for music like this to be coming out of this city, but I’m glad it is. Staying true to their name, Mini Dresses has been steadily putting out EPs since 2012 and most recently released FOUR under shiny new label Little Death Records. Allow Lira to take you through the waves of Bianca Giaever’s story in Episode 10.

Q&A

Do you like to play another version of yourself when you are up on stage? When you're a performer, you're always playing around with how you put yourself out, how you present yourself, what your identity is. There's this pressure, especially on women, that you have to be this outgoing person who is making witty banter with the audience, always having that clever thing to say. It’s that pressure that you have to be a rock star with a capital "R" capital "S." I guess I've always flirted with the idea of playing around with the kind of personality that I want to give off, but then not being so comfortable with myself that I'm actually able to. But Mini Dresses isn't that kind of band, it's not a band that’s out to manipulate how we are perceived.

Who, in your music and in general, are you influenced by? I’m really into Broadcast and love Trish Keenan. I feel like she was a really genuine person and she definitely came off in her music as this curious woman who had all of these different influences. She was into film and literature and occult but even though she had all of these far flung interests she always sounded familiar and so warm and inviting, even when she was singing some very dark things. I guess I really look up to her as an influence and that’s how I kind of want to come across but then sometimes I do want to be really cool and...I don’t know how to do that.

Your latest EP FOUR was put out by Little Death Records who handprints cassette tapes in addition to a digital download. What is the benefit of the physical tape? I love recording on tape and listening to tapes, especially being a child of our generation on the cusp of both the CD coming into prominence, but also making mix tapes as a child, that was really attractive to me. People are more and more starting to appreciate the materiality that comes with tape and that it does sound richer, sweeter and warmer. Just like vinyl sounds different than an MP3 with the pops and the scratches. You have to be in tune to what you’re listening to. Little things like flipping the record or flipping the tape become these ritualistic experiences. That was something that resonated with me as a child because I would always listen to the radio with an empty tape in the deck, just waiting to hit record when my favorite song came on. I hope that they really do come back into play...quite literally.

Where and how are you inspired to write the lyrics to your music? I have to be in control of what I'm singing and what I’m saying. That's why it's so hard for me to write lyrics because if I don't have an immediate source of inspiration like a book or a movie, which are the first things I go to, then I just have no clue where to go because I feel that if I don't have something to say, what's the point in trying to sing something because it won't be genuine.

LINKS:

LISTEN: Mini Dresses on Bandcamp and buy their latest EP release on cassette from Little Death Records

READ: Vanyaland Review

WATCH: ‘Bracelets’ Video on Boston Hassle