Citywide Blackout

07/03/2025

Every band has their firsts—first album, first show, first tour. In this episode, the three-member chiptune band Battlemode talks about their upcoming first performance at the upcoming Boston Calling.
Band members Biff and Astro talk about how this appearance came to be and the musicians they’re looking forward to seeing.
We learn about some of the other chiptune artists they’ve worked with and their Boston Bitdown festival, which takes place this weekend.

View CitywideBlackout’s Linktree to discover and stream music from top platforms like Spotify here. Your next favorite track is just a click away!

06/03/2025

What if there was a way to stop aging? What if you could live as long as you wanted?
Would you do it?
Those are some of the questions in Keith McWalter’s book “Lifers,” and in our newest Five by Five, he talks about the world he’s created when aging is a choice.


Check out the article and thanks to Books Forward for making this happen!

By Max Bowen Let’s face it—getting older can suck. But what if you could change all that? In Keith G. McWalter’s new book “Lifers,” we’r...

03/03/2025

For her new book, “Twice the Family: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Sisterhood,” Julie Ryan McGue shares the story of her and her twin sister growing up in their expanding adoptive family.

In this episode of Citywide Bytes, she talks about the family story and adapting it for this book. She also talks about how the book expands on her previous novel, “Twice a Daughter: A Search for Identity, Family, and Belonging.”

For her new book, “Twice the Family: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Sisterhood,” Julie Ryan McGue shares the story of her and her twin sister growing up in thei...

28/02/2025

Here’s the show text At Citywide Blackout, we don’t toss around the word “legend” casually — but this time, we feel it applies.

Linda Viens and Richard Lamphear of Girl With a Hawk join us to talk about Viens’ recent induction into the New England Music Hall of Fame as part of the solo artists of 2025. Linda talks about the experience of hearing her name announced at the ceremony and what it means for her as an artist.

Linda and Richard talk about the formation of Girl With a Hawk in 2020 and the band’s recent single, “Share It All.” The two have been part of the Boston music scene for decades and talk about their favorite venues and musicians. We take a walk down memory lane and discuss the different places we’ve seen shows at and how the scene has changed over the years.

View CitywideBlackout’s Linktree to discover and stream music from top platforms like Spotify here. Your next favorite track is just a click away!

26/02/2025

From past musical projects to years of world travel, Paul DePasquale has a number of influences as an artist, which have all played a role in his new album “Mister Silence” under his Ghost on TV project.

In this episode of Citywide Bytes, Paul talks about how the new album came together and the ways that his time in Japan, working with the band Vary Lumar and others helped shape the sound. We also talk about his many years collaborating with Sean McLaughlin of 37’ Productions and his role in “Mister Silence.”

From past musical projects to years of world travel, Paul DePasquale has a number of influences as an artist, which have all played a role in his new album “...

24/02/2025

A massive throwback to Citywide’s first time at the The New England Music Awards.

21/02/2025

By Max Bowen Author and past guest Robert Steven Goldstein tackles the theme of what we hide in his new book, “Golda’s Hutch.” In the book...

18/02/2025

Podcasting on a budget….hopefully this will bring down the echo that I’ve noticed.

14/02/2025

For this episode, Derek Smith from Derek Smith and the Cosmic Vultures joins us for a deep dive into the new album, “Opus,” described as a sort of “best of” collection of music, though the tunes here are all new. Derek shares his exploration of different music styles and how it all came together for the 10-track lineup.
We also go into the band’s origin, his musical parentage and how he settled on such a cool band name. Derek talks about the cool cover art made for “Opus” and his dad’s own artistic contributions.

View CitywideBlackout’s Linktree to discover and stream music from top platforms like Spotify here. Your next favorite track is just a click away!

12/02/2025

Check out what came in the mail, courtesy of the great folks at AIPT Comics!

I’m a huge fan of “Jill and the Killers,” and even had the chance to chat with series writer Olivia Cuartero-Briggs last April after the first issue dropped. It’s a great read and I highly recommend it.

Also pictured are two signed copies of the first issue with variant covers, which Olivia was kind enough to send to me. Collector’s items for sure!

11/02/2025

Musician and composer Kevin Williams joins me to talk about his recent release, “Ways to Break a Window,” an 11-track album of instrumental music that is incredibly layered with different sounds and effects.

Kevin talks about the inspiration behind the album, which is a return of sorts to him producing his own music. He shares the story behind the sounds and how he got to experiment with different techniques during the production process. And of course, he tells us about the cool story behind the album’s name.

Our next guest was last on the show in 2010, and we’re welcoming him back to talk about some absolutely beautiful new music. Musician and composer Kevin Williams joins me to talk about his recent release, “Ways to Break a Window,” an 11-track album of instrumental music that is incredibly laye...

07/02/2025

Longtime listeners will know that when it comes to comic-cons and arts festivals, we’re always down. But for this week’s guest, we’re not headed to Boston or New York City—we’re going to Italy to get a closer look at the Lake Como Comic and Arts Festival, which takes place May 16-18.

Steve Morger, the co-founder of the festival, talks with us about how this unique event got its start and the growth he’s seen over the years. We hear about some of the guests, Steve’s personal favorites and what he enjoys the most about this comic-con by the lake.

01/02/2025

Check out the newest Ink and Riffs, with a look at the “Impact Winter” audio series, Ashley Elle’s debut EP and the “Grammaton Punch” comic series.

Ink and Riffs is a regular review series written by me, Citywide Co-Host Max Bowen, to talk about what I’m reading and listening to. Send su...

31/01/2025

Check out the newest edition of the Blackout Collection! This bi-weekly 20-track playlist is the result of some careful curation from dozens of songs sent our way. We hope you enjoy the music and check out these artists’ other songs.

Here are just a few of the artists you’ll find on this playlist:

Nadia Vaeh’s “RIOT” is a real punch to the face right from the get-go. Intense, fun and the music is so energetic! A must-listen for sure.

“Neon Lights” really caught my ears. The new single from Say or Do, a four-piece rock band from Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, has a power to it that’s hard to ignore. A real gift to the ears!

“On My Way” is the fourth single by R&B artist Nakima, and I believe she’s on her way up. A strong beat opens this song and grows from there with some smooth pop beats that creates an eclectic atmosphere of sound.

Want to have your music featured? E-mail [email protected] and maybe you’ll see your work in the next collection.