A Toast to The Arts

Celebrate The Arts with Big Blend Radio’s podcast conversations and expert interviews focusing on Music and Entertainment, Books and Poetry, Fine Art and Photography, Theater, Film and the Performing Arts.

A Toast to The Arts is a arts podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 100 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Unknown Host hosts A Toast to The Arts, a arts show with 100 episodes published.

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  Episode #310

  American Jukebox with Johnny Schaefer: Global and Diverse Voices

  Oct 4, 202643 min

  In celebration of Global Diversity Awareness Month, Big Blend Radio's "American Jukebox" Podcast series takes a seven-song journey from Cuba to Brazil, Spain to Detroit, showing how global traditions have shaped American music, and how American artists have inspired the world right back. Singer-songwriter Johnny Schaefer and Lisa D. Smith talk through Rufus Wainwright & John Legend, Rodríguez, Gilberto Gil, Buena Vista Social Club, Rosalía, Rusted Root, and Michael Franti & Spearhead, plus a look ahead to November's Songs for Positive Change. Timely note: Rosalía returns to Saturday Night Live as the musical guest on Saturday, October 10! NOTE: This is the spoken-word version of the episode. Hear the full version with all seven songs on our episode page: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/american-jukebox-global-diverse-voices LINKS: Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1rSdFzHK3MUUWOLFHArCvw?si=90d04d9a9b3c44ee Johnny Schaefer: https://hearjohnny.com/ ️ Explore all American Jukebox episodes: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/t/american-jukebox

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  Episode #309

  Comedian Ben Miller – Volcano: A Science Comedy Special

  Oct 2, 202658 min

  What happens when a comedian walks into a volcano? In this return visit on this shared episode of Big Blend Radio's "Toast to the Arts & Parks" Show with the National Parks Arts Foundation (NPAF), Lisa D. Smith catches up with stand-up comedian Ben Miller, the scientist-turned-comedian who became the first stand-up comedian ever selected as an NPAF artist in residence, at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park in February 2023. That month on the Big Island, spent learning from volcanologists, entomologists, archeologists, and local Hawaiians, became "Volcano," a science comedy hour that has toured 70+ cities internationally and is now available to watch on YouTube. It was filmed at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, the first stand-up comedy special ever taped at a science museum, and it carries what may be the longest bibliography in comedy history: 281 sources. In this conversation, Ben talks about taking "Volcano" from the Edinburgh Fringe to Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and New Zealand. He describes writing an hour of jokes in a single month, performing in national parks and even a cave, and why he cites his sources on stage. He also explains how he writes jokes that are funny without being cruel, including how he approached Mount St. Helens, and shares what's next: a new hour of science jokes and a tour for next year. Along the way, the conversation wanders through ʻōhelo berry pies, a 3 a.m. croissant disaster, silkworms and monarch way stations, lava crickets and invasive earthworms, Pompeii's ancient bread, and the persistent myth that a volcano gave us Frankenstein. It's also a reminder of why arts in parks matter: more storytelling means more preservation, conservation, and interpretation. MORE: - Watch Ben Miller's Volcano comedy special: https://youtu.be/RfpFj34QQ3U?si=RvCtnd43tLufDdo6 - Ben Miller Comedy: https://www.BenMillerComedy.com - Ben's first Big Blend interview from his residency: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78wzGPHZ_m0 - National Parks Arts Foundation: https://www.NationalParksArtsFoundation.org

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  Episode #308

  Author Leslie Adame – Chloe Vega and the Magic of Finding Your Hero

  Oct 1, 202626 min

  Mexican-American author Leslie Adame joins Big Blend Radio for Global Diversity Awareness Month to talk about her middle-grade fantasy series following Chloe Vega, a twelve-year-old from East LA whose biggest fear is that her undocumented parents will be taken away — until she discovers her family belongs to a secret magical society, and that she has powers of her own. The first book, "Chloe Vega and the Agents of Magic," is out now. The second, "Chloe Vega and the Missing Unseen," arrives October 6, 2026 from HarperCollins Children's. In this conversation, Leslie talks about building a magic academy that blends cultures from across the Americas, the family moment of holding her first physical book, a reader story about a niece whose father is in detainment, the boundaries of writing about real immigration issues for kids, and her upcoming book tour. Leslie's website: https://leslieadame.com Instagram & Substack: @leslieadame TikTok: @lesliepadame

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  Episode #307

  Joey Stuckey: Alive Day, a New Console, and a Record on the Way

  Sep 27, 202639 min

  Every fourth Sunday, Big Blend Radio's "Music Talks" series brings together host/producer Lisa D. Smith and co-host Joey Stuckey — the award-winning musician, producer, and Macon's own "Music Ambassador." This time, the mic turns toward Joey's own milestone year. Joey opens up about "Alive Day" — the anniversary of surviving a childhood brain tumor doctors once called inoperable — and the moment his parents reframed it forever: "September 29th is not the day you almost died. It is the day you lived." What began as a quiet family tradition has grown into a free, all-ages concert in downtown Macon, now in its ninth year. This year's celebration doubles as the grand reopening of Joey's Shadow Sound Studio, newly outfitted with an SSL Origin Evo console, with longtime friend and Wet Willie vocalist Jimmy Hall joining him for a day of recording, a special in-studio taping of Joey's own podcast Stuck on Sound, and a free hour-long concert. It's all part of marking 30 years in the music business — and Joey's got a new record taking shape too, tracked in part at the historic Les Paul Recording Studio in Hollywood. We'll dig into the album itself next month. Learn more at: https://joeystuckey.com Listen to more episodes: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/t/joey-stuckey

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  Episode #306

  Author Tara Badstubner: Every Room Remembers Novel

  Sep 20, 202628 min

  Debut novelist Tara Badstubner joins us on Big Blend Radio's "Toast to the Arts Podcast" as her first novel, "Every Room Remembers" (Sibylline Press), arrives on September 25, 2026. The novel follows SJ Monroe, an interior designer grieving the sudden death of her husband, and Wyatt, a ghost in a liminal state who must watch in silence as she mourns everything left unresolved in their marriage. Tara shares the three experiences that sparked the story: anxiety about losing loved ones during COVID, an accident across the street that drew her whole town to mourn, and an extraordinary haunting during a writers' visit to a house in upstate New York. She talks about why grief calls for treading lightly, how she wrote an imperfect marriage, and the animal signs that appear at pivotal moments in the book, including a black snake, a fox, green beetles, and a Carolina wren. She also tells the story of the bluebird that keeps tapping at her own windows, and takes us to the Osprey House restoration in Beaufort, South Carolina. Tara reads a passage from the book, and we talk about book clubs, reading through grief, favorite rereads, her writing habits, and advice for first-time novelists. "Every Room Remembers" is available for pre-order now. A must-read for fans of "Remarkably Bright Creatures" and the film "A Ghost Story." Visit: https://www.tarabadstubner.com/

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