A Toast to The Arts

Linda Ballou - Writing for My Life

From Alaska to Hawaii, Southern California to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, this episode of Big Blend Radio's "Lost Angel Travel Adventures with Linda Ballou" podcast dives into the backstory of Linda's books, writing, travels, and deep connection with the natural world. 
Read Linda's blog post about her writing adventures, here: https://lostangeladventures.com/f/writing-for-my-life  Follow Linda Ballou's adventures at https://lostangeladventures.com/ and learn more about her books at http://www.lindaballouauthor.com/ 
Listen to Big Blend Radio's "Lost Angel Travel Adventures" Show every 3rd Wednesday at High Noon PST,  here on YouTube:  https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzIUCV2e7qm3Bmktgu8osUzx2VOF35dgO&feature=shared 

Prog Rock Duo The Vegetarians - Space Age Pagliacci Album

This episode of Big Blend Radio features international prog rock duo The Vegetarians who discuss their new album "Space Age Pagliacci," along with the world of Artificial Intelligence, their music and songwriting, and what the music industry is like today.
The Vegetarians are a Swedish-American duo consisting of Hans Annellsson, composer and musician from Sweden, and composer and songwriter John Tabacco from Long Island, New York. Their new album, “Space Age Pagliacci”, is a semi-concept album about spacetime. Stylistically, the music is a mix of Prog Rock and Classic Rock, with some hints of Circus Music.
Get the album and keep up with The Vegetarians here:* Bandcamp: https://thevegetarians.bandcamp.com/album/space-age-pagliacci * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7b7khQqC4ekEn9Xi2AFuOz?si=pMfaLLANTCK5ousP2f1PpA * Hans Annellsson: www.annellssongs.com * John Tabacco: https://www.johntabacco.net/ 

Author JW Jarvis - Artificial Agent

This episode of Big Blend Radio features author J.W. Jarvis who discusses his heart pounding thriller “Artificial Agent” (Big Dee Books, January 21, 2025), that was inspired by “The Six Million Dollar Man.”
In "Artificial Agent," J.W. Jarvisshares the story of a highly decorated Navy SEAL who is given a second chance to serve his country when advanced tech restores his ability to walk and grants him unique powers. But while technology gives him a new life, it may also prove to be the world’s undoing. More at https://www.authorjwjarvis.com/ 

Singer Songwriter Vincent Covello - Torchlights Album

Celebrate Music Monday with this episode of Big Blend Radio's "Toast to The Arts" Show featuring acclaimed singer-songwriter Vincent Covello. Hear about his new adult contemporary, light jazz album titled "Torchlights" and holiday single "Season to Rejoice."
After losing his parents and brother in 2020, he created the "Torchlights" album in their honor.  With Universal Music Group producer/artist Don Miggs, the Jim Riley band, orchestrator Andrew Joslyn, saxophonist Michael Lington, and writer Victor Migenes, an epic force was created with Vincent's original standards, taking you on a journey of life, love, and loss in an emotional triumph of music through his voice and songs.
Vincent has been successful in the music industry for over 35 years as an artist, songwriter, and premier music industry vocal coach, working with top-line producers, record labels, and companies such as Red Light Management, Disney, and Nickelodeon, and having hit songs with an extensive songwriting catalog.  More at: https://vincentcovellomusic.com/ 

Christmas Movie History and Museum Experiences

Celebrate the holiday season with this Big Blend Radio podcast covering Christmas Movies and Museums!
STEVE SCHNEICKERT recalls the Hollywood History of Classic Christmas Movies including ‘It’s A Wonderful Life‘, ‘The Man Who Came To Dinner‘, ‘A Christmas Carol‘, ‘The Bishop’s Wife‘, ‘The Wizard of Oz‘, ‘Meet Me in St. Louis‘, ‘Miracle on 34th Street‘, and many more. Hear more of Steve's Hollywood History segments here: https://soundcloud.com/bigblendradio/sets/hollywood-history-with-steve 
BARABRA REDDING, travel journalist, talks about two Christmas Movie Museums she recently visited. Hear about the It's a Wonderful Life Museum in Seneca Falls, New York, and the House from The Christmas Story in Cleveland, Ohio. Keep up with Barbara at https://www.wonderfullifemuseum.com/ Visit the Museum sites at https://www.wonderfullifemuseum.com/ and https://housefromachristmasstory.com/ 

Trumpeter Delbert Anderson in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park

This episode of Big Blend Radio's "Toast to The Arts & Parks" Show features acclaimed trumpeter Delbert Anderson, the National Parks Arts Foundation (NPAF) artist-in-residence in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.
A Diné jazz trumpet artist, composer, and educator, Delbert stands at the forefront of a vibrant Native American jazz scene. His work, deeply rooted in his Diné heritage, seamlessly integrates Navajo "spinning songs" of love, healing, and courtship with jazz and funk, thus marking him as a community-minded Indigenous individualist. Through his Delbert Anderson Quartet, Anderson revives the improvised sounds of the Diné circle, blending them with jazz, funk, and hip-hop. His compositions are inspired by Navajo Nation landscapes, historical events, and the desire to preserve and educate about Diné history. More: https://delbertanderson.com/ 
Learn more about the National Parks Arts Foundation's unique artist residency programs in parks across the country at https://www.nationalparksartsfoundation.org/ 

Supporting Parks, The Arts, Kids and Military Families

'Tis the Season of Giving and this episode of Big Blend Radio explores the myriad of ways to support our parks, the arts, military, kids and families, and more. Enjoy these inspiring conversations that offer practical ideas for giving back. 
ON THIS EPISODE:- IVAN LEVIN gives an overview of the preservation and educational programs that the National Park Trust offers. Established in 1983, this non-profit dedicates 86% of its resources to park preservation and its youth, family, and military programs. Visit https://parktrust.org/  
- CHRISTY WOOD, world champion horse trainer and author,  talks about her fundraising efforts to support the Independence Fund in purchasing all-terrain track chairs and funding caregiver programs for wounded veterans. Visit: https://independencefund.org/ and keep up with Christy at https://wdnhorse.com/ 
- VICTORIA CHICK, an artist based in Silver City, New Mexico, talks about raising funds to build the Southwest ​Regional ​Museum ​of ​Art ​and ​Art ​Center, ​which would be the first fine art museum in southwest New Mexico. Learn more at https://www.southwest-art-museum.org/ and visit Victoria's site at https://victoriachick.com/ 
- CLIFFORD GARSTANG, an author and writer based in Staunton, Virginia talks about some of his local non-profits including the Heifetz International Music Institute - https://heifetzinstitute.org/; the Staunton Music Festival - https://www.stauntonmusicfestival.org/, and the American Shakespeare Center - https://americanshakespearecenter.com/. Learn more about Cliff's writing at https://cliffordgarstang.com/ 
- LISA EVANS, travel writer and author, talks about the Operational Christmas Child program through Samaritan's Purse, see: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/. She also discusses ways to give back to areas in need, and how to be a "Good Samaritan" during the holiday travel season. Keep up with Lisa at: https://writerlisa.com/ 

Boomer Generation Novels for Holiday Gifts

In celebration of the Holiday Shopping Season, award-winning and best selling author Mike Nemeth discusses his two Boomer Generation novels that revolve around the main character Eddie Kovacs. What a wonderful set of books for those from the boomer era and younger. More at: https://mikenemethauthor.com/