Kites and Strings

31/08/2023

Soon to be guests on Kites and Strings - If'n you're near Chicago on Oct 13th, make sure to check these guys out.

01/08/2023

Check out the reviews. Lots of tickets, but only a few of the best seats remain for her Trail Mix concert in Homewood, (just south of Chgo) so get your tickets today https://www.trailmixmusic.org/reservations-donations-merch

26/07/2023

One the best. An amazing artist, sharing her process, her traumas, and her super powers.

This is a special episode, as we bring back Phoebe Hunt.  It turns out that Phoebe will be playing the Trail Mix Concert Series in Homewood, Illinois, just south of Chicago, and to help promote that event, Steve and Catherine were going to do...

17/05/2023

Lebanon-born, raised in France, Pro Basketball player moves to LA and becomes a pop/ R&B singer - Cool episode.

In this episode, Steve and Catherine have a super fun chat with Jen Ash, a soulful pop/ r&b artist, born in Lebanon and raised in France. After ending her professional basketball career, she decided to follow her true path, moving to Los Ange...

09/05/2023

Before listening to this podcast, it's best to see some of Larry's work. You're homework is at least started with this post. Click here to listen to the Kites and Strings interview with Larry Moss. https://www.buzzsprout.com/1185740/12807539

05/05/2023

Great episode about using creativity to navigate big emotions.

In this episode we talk with Rachel Rose, an expressive arts educator who authored the book, Creating Stillness: Mindful Art Practices and Stories for Navigating Anxiety, Stress and Fear, published by North Atlantic Books. We have a great discuss...

18/04/2023

Woot Woot, we are 100 episodes old. How cool is that. Thanks to all who have listened and to those that will listen in the future. It's been a blast and we've had some amazing discussions about creativity and how folks maintain a creative lifestyle.

This is a very special episode, as it is number 100 for Kites and Strings. Can you believe it... 100 episodes!? We're so thrilled about reaching this milestone and are really happy with our guest this week. We really rose to the challenge of fi...

14/04/2023

not worried at all about Gen Z - Listen to this episode to know why

Our guest in this episode is Azuka Muol. She's a 23 year-old digital artist from Lagos Nigeria who, is represented and showing all over Africa. And despite her understanding the business of art and what it takes to identify those who will someday...

11/04/2023

The first featured guest with a Gen Z and a first interview from somebody from and in Africa

Our guest in this episode is Azuka Muol. She's a 23 year-old digital artist from Lagos Nigeria who, is represented and showing all over Africa. And despite her understanding the business of art and what it takes to identify those who will someday...

05/04/2023

Such a fun interview today. We talk with Allegra Levy, a jazz singer from Manhattan who has been the recipient of so much positive press. She's a top 10 rising star jazz vocalist, who said to be able to "sing life back to you," she's been called t...

07/03/2023

this is a good one.

In this episode, we dig in the dirt a bit with Leanne McClurb Cambric. She's an acclaimed and exhibiting ceramicist who hand builds functional art. Here we discuss her creative origins story and the idea function in art, while also factoring th...

20/02/2023

Good stuff.

In today's episode, Steve and Catherine talk with MB Bailey. He' s a full-on working musician from Homewood, just south of Chicago, where Steve lives. We've meant to get MG on the show for a while, but he truly has been on and off tour zig zaggin...

12/02/2023

Getting this out a day earlier than typical to give my local folks a chance to listen before seeing Jon Langford play the Homewood Art Council event at Rabid Brewing.

Today's guest is punk rock pioneer, Jon Langford, a founding member of The Mekons, who were considered one the first wave punk bands from Britain. We learn about Jon's melding folk and country music with punk music in The Mekons and several other...

31/01/2023

You might just gather some scientific evidence that art is good for your physical health as well as your emotional health

In this episode Catherine and Steve talk with Heather Polk. She's a collage artist based out of Chicago who exhibits and is a featured artist with multiple collectives, such as The Get Gallery, Spacey Studios and PxP Contemporary. She's been fe...

26/01/2023

very interesting episode with Joseph Arthur. Check it out!!!

In this episode we talk with Joseph Arthur, a renowned musician and painter. We learn that his first love was music, that he started young, and that he was discovered and signed by Peter Gabriel on Peter Gabriel's record company, Real World. A ...

17/01/2023

We're back from the holiday break and excited to start the new year with this fun episode with Mary-Lou Weisman, award-winning journalist and best selling author.

In this episode of Kites and Strings, Steve and Catherine talk with author, Mary-Lou Weisman. She's a prize-winning journalist who has contributed too many articles to list in publications like the New York Times, Connecticut Weekly, Vogue, Newswe...

12/12/2022

Sometimes we do an episode with a local, Homewood, flair. This is one of those, as we interview co-owner of the Sunshine Kitchen food truck (well, trailer), Rachel Lewis, who in addition to tickling our fancy in a healthy way from her rolling kitchen, has been a personal chef, is a food stylist and in this episode, we hear some of her singing with the band Butterfield Creek. All good stuff.

In today's episode, we talk with Rachel Lewis, who checks several boxes in the land of creative. At the beginning of season 3, Catherine and Steve wondered aloud about bringing in not only chef, foodie type people, as we have consistently thought...

05/12/2022

Know a musician of a wanna be musician? Great gift idea, a cigar box guitar. Listen to this way cool episode with UK-based, Godfather of cigar box guitars, Chicken Bone John to get the skinny on this very cool and very accessible instrument.

This episode feature a lovely chat with United Kingdom-based musician, guitar builder and Godfather of the cigar box guitar, Chickenbone John. He brings an amazing amount of passion to his art, but where others may manifest their passion in detai...

15/11/2022

Really fun interview with novelist, June Gervais

In this episode we talk with June Gervais, an author who makes her home on Long Island and who, as we learned in talking with her after the episode, was familiar with Kites and Strings and had listened to a number of episodes prior to our having a...

07/11/2022

You'll learn something you didn't know. And that's a good thing.

Today's episode is with an old friend, Gregg Calpino. In fact, earlier in the season when Catherine and I talked about the types of artists we wanted to get on the show in season 3, a landscape architect came up. A bit after that conversations, w...

07/11/2022

You WILL walk away having learned something and being blown away by the scope of a landscape[pe architect's job is.

Today's episode is with an old friend, Gregg Calpino. In fact, earlier in the season when Catherine and I talked about types of artists we wanted to get on the show, a landscape architect came up. A bit after that conversations, while actually ed...

10/10/2022

time ti start talking Halloween - the most creative of holidays

In the spirit of Halloween, we're interviewing the haunted house actor, Rick Basmagy, an actor with the premier NYC haunted house, Blood Manor. Just looking at the image selected for this episode, you'll see that the Halloweening that Rick engag...

30/09/2022

Great interview with Molly Van Kley. Listen up and maybe pick up some selfie skills, among other things.

12/09/2022

Had a great summer off, and am a few episodes into season 3. Wow!. I'm getting caught up on posting here, but the brand new episode is fire. Nashville musician, Phoebe Hunt, who has toured the world. She's an amazing violinist/fiddler, has an amazing voice and well, is just amazing. Check out the episiode.

In this episode, Steve and Catherine talk with Nashville-based musician, Phoebe Hunt, who Steve met at the artist's hospitality tent at the Frankfort Bluegrass Fest in Frankfort Illinois. Truth be told, Steve and his band, Butterfield Creek, were...

23/08/2022

A snippet from our current episode. Check it out at www.kitesandstrings.com and purchase tickets for this Friday's concert with headliner, Sunny War, https://www.trailmixmusic.org/reservations-donations-merch

22/08/2022

Way Cool Interview with Sunny War on Kites and Strings, the podcast about creativity. https://www.buzzsprout.com/1185740/11173261

Today's guest is NPR Tiny Desk, punk-folk musician, Sunny War. She is an amazing, largely self-taught guitarist who played and developed her songwriting chops to literally survive homelessness and addiction as a teen in LA. Like the other two r...