This week on KALW's showcase for the best stories from public radio podcasts and independent radio producers...
“The Dancer,” from the podcast The Hiss, July 2016.
The Hiss creates episodes that encourage listeners to sink into defining moments of the lives of strangers and sit there for a while. The show takes its time to slowly reveal aspects of real-life experiences that are hard to explain without doing any overt explaining.
In this episode of The Hiss, they give us an intimate portrait of a family who is trying their best to support each other, and how a VHS tape serves as a much needed anchor.
The Hiss was co-created by Robert Garrova and James Kim, with original score for this episode by Ryo Baum and mixing by Valentino Rivera. They’re working on a new season that’s expected on the early side of 2017. The best way to listen to season one of The Hiss is via their podcast feed on iTunes or on SoundCloud.
“Remembering Dreamland,” produced by Jesse Dukes & Allison Swaim for the Place + Memory series, 2013.
In the 1930s and 1940s, African-Americans in Roanoke, Virginia were restricted to just a few neighborhoods. One was Gainsboro, just over the tracks from downtown, and mong the many businesses started by Black entrepreneurs in Gainsboro was a swimming pool and dance hall called "Dreamland." Dreamland is long gone, but a few Roanoke residents still remember.
“Remembering Dreamland” was produced by Jesse Dukes and Allison Swaim for Big Shed Media and WVTF/Radio IQ with support from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. If you want to hear more stories like this one, check out the Big Shed Podcast on iTunes.
This week's episode featured music from: Black Moth Super Rainbow, Broken Social Scene, The Red Garland Trio, & Della Humphrey.
If you have a suggestion for a podcast or an audio project we should feature, please drop us a line at thespot@kalw.org.
Tune in next week for another episode of The Spot, only on KALW San Francisco.