AOTA-231020 - Kamal X, Daniel Dunevant and Elena Vasilakis

This week on Art on the Air, they featured documentary photographer Kamal X and his new book, "Black Astronauts," which showcases his powerful images from the pandemic. They also interviewed members of the German band, who play traditional Germantown band music at charity events in Northwest Indiana. The German band has a long history and raises money for the Hobart food pantry. The band currently consists of 17 to 20 members, including women, and they also have an Elphorn group. They perform at various events and their performance dates can be found on their Facebook page. In addition, they mentioned a spotlight extra opportunity for young dancers in Indiana, and they welcomed Kamal X to talk about his photography and his new book. Kamal X is a professional photographer who aims to tell stories from all walks of life and give a voice to the world through compassionate and honest images. He has been documenting his travels since 2015 and his new book is a photographic essay that took h This week on Art on the Air features documentary photographer Kamal X, whose new book, Black Astronauts, highlights his powerful images from the pandemic. Next, we have the founding member of the Chesterton-based improv troupe, The Trainwrecks, Daniel Donovan, and troupe member Alina Vasilikis. Our spotlights on the German band who plays traditional Germantown band music at charity events throughout Northwest Indiana. Express yourself through art, and show the world your heart. Express yourself through art, and show the world your heart. You're in the know with Esther and Larry, Art on the Air today. They're in the know with Mary and Esther, Art on the Air our way. Express yourself through art, and show the world your heart. Express yourself through art, and show the world your heart. Welcome. You're listening to Art on the Air on Lakeshore Public Media, 89.1 FM, WVLP 103.1 FM, our weekly program covering the arts and arts events throughout Northwest Indiana and beyond. I'm Larry Breckner of New Perspectives Photography, right alongside here with Esther Golden of The Nest in Michigan City. Aloha, everyone. We're your hosts for Art on the Air. Art on the Air is supported by an Indiana Arts Commission Arts Project Grant, Southshore Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Art on the Air is heard every Sunday at 7 p.m. on Lakeshore Public Media, 89.1 FM, also streaming live at lakeshorepublicmedia.org, and is available on Lakeshore Public Media's website as a podcast. Also heard on Friday at 11 a.m. and Monday at 5 p.m. on WVLP 103.1 FM, streaming live at wvlp.org, and Tuesdays at 4 p.m. on WDSO 88.3 FM. Our spotlight interviews are also heard Wednesdays on Lakeshore Public Media. Information about Art on the Air is available at our website, breck.com slash aota. That includes a complete show archive, spotlight interviews, plus our show is available on multiple podcast platforms, including NPR One. Please like us on Facebook, Art on the Air, WVLP, for information about upcoming shows and interviews. And we'd like to welcome to Art on the Air Spotlight, they are the German band incorporated in Northwest Indiana. They play all around at Oktoberfest, and probably year-round they have a whole wide variety of things. And part of the people that are involved with that, they're going to talk about what they have coming up in the next month or so. It's Robert and Kirsten Sturgeon. So welcome to Art on the Air Spotlight. Hello. Happy to have you. So the history of the German band goes way back. Can both of you tell us a bit about it? It was so interesting. Well, the German band started by a gentleman named Nick Holzmer, H-O-L-Z-M-E-R, in Hobart, Indiana. And he went to Hobart High School. And they didn't have a pep band in the high school, so he gathered up four other people and called themselves the Hungry Five. Now, this is in the early 30s. Late 30s, early 40s. Late 30s, yeah. And started playing at pep bands out of a number of books called the Hungry Five Books. It was for five people. And so he continued to play. And they ended up getting some lederhosen and decided to call themselves the German band. And so they would play at park venues, eventually playing at park venues and parades in downtown Hobart as part of the Rusty Pipes Hobart band. But they were actually an individual group. And they would play at the band shell down by the lake in Hobart. And they would raise money for the Hobart food pantry because Nick Holzmer and his wife Joanne both were very big supporters of the Hobart food pantry. So we would play there for an hour in a park for a bit to raise canned goods and cash. And the band slowly grew from that point after we became involved. And you still support the food bank, correct? But Rob, didn't I read that weren't both, and I don't know if you're involved in this as well, Christian, but didn't you bring in or bring back the lederhosen? Actually, I did. The band, because Nick said his knees looked terrible, so he didn't want to wear them. So they wore black pants, white shirt, and a green vest that Joanne, his wife, made for the entire band. And I thought if we were going to be a German band, we should look like a German band. So I started wearing lederhosen because Chris and I both played in another group out of Kalamazoo, Michigan called Ein Prosit. And they all wore lederhosen and dirndls. So I just started wearing lederhosen to our performances in Hobart. And slowly it caught on with other people in the band. They liked the way it looked, so they would show up in lederhosen. But Nick refused to do it. He was not going to wear lederhosen, again, because he said his knees looked terrible. And so I was kind of a standout in the group and helped the band a lot. Because the band was getting up there in years. The individual members in the band, it was an all-male band at the time. A traditional town band would only have men playing. And one of the reasons why Nick wanted only men in the group, because we would rehearse in the back of Kellen's Florist Shop on Main Street in downtown Hobart. Nick Holtzmer owned Kellen's Florist Shop. We rehearsed in the back room where they would prepare the flowers. And the main reason why we did that was they had a walk-in cooler. And the cooler kept the beer at an optimum 50 degrees. So we would rehearse every Monday night in the back room. And the fellows were getting older. One of the oldest members we had in our band was Gene Beckner, and he played tuba up until age 96. He passed away at age 97. He was an amazing tuba player. He was one of the original Hungry Fives. He and Nick and Jim Schwalko, I think Daryl Trager, was one of the gentlemen. We didn't really know his name. Those were the original Hungry Fives. But Jim Schwalko played in the band, in the German band, until, oh, late 90s, early 2000s when he passed away. And Nick played until, oh, my goodness, early 2010. And he passed away about when he was 91. And then Gene Beckner played until he was 96. Wow. So Gene played all the way most of their lives in the German band. Oh, Rob, you played since early 80s. Yeah, early 80s. Okay, and real quick, how many members are there in the band currently? And tell us a little bit about the Elfin Horns. We only have about a minute left. And maybe tell us about some of your upcoming dates. Well, when we're full staff, we really should have 24 players to cover all the parts. But usually we're right between 17 and 20 people, and including now women, too, because it's just hard to get players in general. The Elfin Horns, we started an Elphorn group in the band in 2016. And the Elphorn group also performs independently. We play at German Fest in Milwaukee. We play at Elkhorn in Wisconsin for Dog Fest. But still, we are part of the German band, and we also raise money for the Hobart Food Pantry. Go to the Facebook page. Yeah, that's what we want. Tell the Facebook page how we can get in reach of you. It's thegermanband,comma,inc. And all of the performance dates are listed there on the website or on the Facebook page. Excellent. So that's Robert and Kirsten Sturgeon from The German Band. Thank you for being on Art of the Year Spotlight. Thank you so much. And the Spotlight Extra submissions for the $5,000, 2023-2024 Dixon Dance for Indiana Dancers aged between 10 and 20 years old are due October 27th. Applications and more information is available at dixonassociates.co. Art of the Year Spotlight, and the complete one-hour program on Lakeshore Public Media, is brought to you by Macaulay Real Estate in Valparaiso, Ola Patrician Senior Broker. And as a reminder, if you'd like to have your event on Art of the Year Spotlight or have a longer feature interview, email us at aotaatbrech.com. That's aotaatbrech, B-R-E-C-H, .com. This is Memorial Opera House Executive Director Megan Stoner, and you are listening to Art on the Air on Lakeshore Public Media 89.1 FM and on WVLP 103.1 FM. We would like to welcome Kamal X to Art on the Air. Kamal is a professional photographer that has been documenting his travels throughout the world since 2015. He creates images that evoke emotions rooted in the many universal elements of the human experience. His goal is to tell stories from all walks of life and give an unfiltered voice to the world we live in through compassion and honesty. He has a new book coming out soon, Black Astronaut, The Stars Belong to the People, a photographic essay in six parts, an epic journey through 13 cities and nine states over 120 weeks. Thank you for joining us on Art on the Air. Aloha and welcome, Kamal. It's so nice to meet you. Oh, man, thank you so much. That was such a beautiful introduction. I'm smiling with my heart, honestly. So thank you guys for having me. I really appreciate the opportunity to connect with you guys and talk about what I love, which is art. So I'm happy to be here. We appreciate you coming on Art on the Air. I can't wait to hear the origins of the book and your life. So like we always like to start off, it's like finding out about you. I always like to find out about what I call your origin story, where you grew up and early things. And even before you got into photography or early things, I always like to say how you got from where you were to where you are now. So, Kamal, tell us all about yourself. Oh, that's so much. But I'm originally from Newark, New Jersey. Luckily, my father growing up, one of the things that we always used to do was go to the movies. That was like a huge – that was like the cream of the crop for me growing up, especially growing up in Newark, New Jersey, where we didn't have a lot of opportunity to travel much and see a lot of things. So movies was a very big way for my imagination. Throughout the years and even in high school, I think like photography and just like visual things were a part of me, but I didn't realize it. Because I remember actually like about four years ago, a friend of mine sent me an old school newspaper from St. Billy's Prep, which is where I went to school. And I wrote an article in it. I forgot I was on the newspaper team. And if you would have known me in high school, you would not think I was – that's why I didn't even remember. So I think there was like little scatters of just like this creative energy that wanted to – I think documentary and just real things. Even thinking about a real world on MTV, I'm not sure if you guys are familiar with that show, but especially in the beginning when it was real, when I first started, I loved that show. I learned about so much. So I guess there was this documentary, like kind of like finding out about people, curiosity, always there. But it didn't – that, I guess, natural ability didn't reach a skill set of photography until like maybe in my mid-20s – no, late 20s actually. I was in a big crossroads in my life and actually lost a really – my best friend to colon cancer. And it was a crossroads of – you know, at that time I was in real estate. I was a personal trainer and I was a life coach. And I dropped not the real estate, but I dropped the other two because I just could not be of service to anyone anymore. And I decided to just travel the world with the idea of just dealing with the grief and getting closer with my friend that's no longer here in a different realm, if that made sense. Like every country I went to I imagined he was coming with me, seeing things that I never got to see, seeing things that he never got to see. And in the midst of all that somehow a camera got involved. I met people that were travelers with cameras and they looked at me crazy for having an iPhone 4S. And I'm just like – they're like, what do you shoot with? And at that point I didn't even know what that meant. It was like intimidating to even be asked that. So they would show me their DSLR. And I remember one of my friends, she had a Canon 6D. And she was explaining what full frame is. And she showed me a picture of what she took of this volcano that was erupting. And then she said, now look at yours. And I said, whoa. So I immediately brought a Nikon D3300, I believe it is. And the thing that I love about my journey with photography is that as I was finding healing and peace with the loss of my best friend, the camera was also with me the whole time. And it became another avenue of exploration, of getting my emotions out, finding healing. And it became like a co-created space of healing basically. So the photographer I am now is very rooted in, like you said in the introduction, like real reality, things that people don't pay attention to. And ultimately things that move me because I found photography from a professional or just at least starting it out from a very emotional, moving kind of place, if that makes sense. Right. It's so interesting that the journey was kind of in honor of your friends. So how did you choose the countries that you visited? The first one was I actually had to find a tour because I didn't know anything about backpacking. Okay, this is not a part of my family tree. I didn't have no uncles or friends that did this. So I didn't know anything. So I found a company called Free and Easy that's in Canada. And they had like a 40-day tour through Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand. So I just was like, okay, I'll learn. I'll see if I like it. And I actually didn't like it that much because it was very difficult. The culture shock, not fitting in, the resourcefulness didn't come natural to me until like maybe the last third of the trip. And then I fell in love with it. And then from there I just started exploring. Like I just started going to more places, more so in Asia in the beginning. And then I wanted something a little bit that I felt that was a little bit more challenging. And then I did like about five months in traveling through South and Central America. And that was like the big oomph. Like that was like the, all right, I did these quick trips. And now I want to really test myself. I have no guides. I'm going to places where you don't speak English for the most part. It's not the main language. And I have my camera. And that was literally my boot camp for photography. Like just going through the countries and just like all that goes into that basically. Like looking for curious situations I would say. I was going to ask you about how you gained some of the mastery in photography. Because a lot of your, you say documentary, but it's also like very street photography oriented. But the technical aspects of it, you know, you just don't hand someone a DSLR and say, oh, here, here you go. So tell us a little bit about that process of how you learned to master using that as a tool. It's one thing. And maybe you have the basics of composition like already. Like maybe you can take your iPhone and do that. But, you know, tell us a little bit about your whole process of mastering that. I think the composition came from all the movie watching. I think it came like second nature from all the movies. The mastery of the settings though, actually I have an interesting way I did this. I would go on Instagram. And if you go like to Sony, Alpha, Canon, whatever those main pages are, oftentimes they show photos and they have all the F-stop aperture, all the stuff that ISO, it's all there. They'll show you what settings they use to get that picture. So I started like testing myself, looking at photos and guessing what the settings were. And from like just doing that, it kind of helped me. So when I was in situations like, okay, if I want a photo to look like this, I need to start doing that. And from there, along with YouTube, and then just, I guess I was, I feel like I was lucky that I was traveling because every day going to a different country, different city, it was like you always had something going on that was like, okay, let's test it on this. I was always around things that were very interesting in the beginning. So I think that combination of things really helped. But honestly, the Instagram, looking at settings, that, believe it or not, was like a big help for some reason. Because now to this day, if I look at a photo, I can kind of guess what settings were used. And it's like, I think it's helped me tremendously, in the beginning anyway. Yeah. Learning the mastery of a DSLR is something. And I know there's a, and I'll just tell this, it's like my wife does photography also, but she is what I call a non-technical photographer. So she takes things and sometimes she says, well, I can't get that. And I say, well, that requires you to understand more about depth of field. And she'll go, well, I don't want to know that. But she has a great eye for composition. And sometimes we'll go out and shoot things together. And she'll shoot things like, oh, I missed that. I was focusing. Yeah, so you're right, learning that. And also studying some of the other masters of photography, like the Art Wilson, Rick Salmon, and some of those, what I call generalists. Definitely. And also going to film. I went backwards, put down the DSLR and brought a film camera, the Canon AE-1. Right. And went straight to it. And I forced myself for three months to just learn all the, to just get to the root of it all. And that also further kind of gave me a different level of confidence in the field and, you know, when I'm working. So choosing your subjects, are they, do you just stumble across them? Or is there, and this may be a combination. Or do you have a plan? Like, do you say, okay, I'm going to go out and shoot this location? I know you did some things that kind of got you going during the Black Lives Matter thing and that inspiration. But like now, like when you go out and say, well, I'm going to, I plan to go do this or shoot this. Or is it sometimes just serendipity? For me, at this stage, I visualize everything before I shoot. Like before I even step out, I know like what subject, what I'm trying to, it's a wide net now. I don't keep it to the point where I'm just closing myself off. But I figure, and it's kind of like natural. Like it'll come through like throughout the weeks or months. Like things will keep coming to me. I'll be out and I'll notice certain things happening in the world. And I'll see like a pattern. And I'll say, this is an interesting thing. Maybe I should investigate what that means or put some real energy into like putting that in. So like the next project that I'm actually, I've already started on, this has been a question I've had for the past like two years, honestly. So, you know, it kind of like is a part of me before I start shooting now. Even the Black Lives Matter thing, that was a part of me before that happened. Because I remember looking at like, when I was learning photography and looking at all the older photographers and the people that have been doing it and some of the greats that we've ever had, doing the civil rights movement, I would look at those photos and say, oh, man, like I hate that this happened. But I don't know if I'm ever going to get an opportunity to take pictures like that. Will I ever be at a Million Man March? Will I ever, would that happen in today's America? I didn't know. But I always said if I ever had the opportunity, I would show up. So when everything happened in 2020, it was like I already visualized having an opportunity and making sure I made the most out of it. That's kind of the way I kind of move at this point. Yeah. You know, I was listening to one of your podcasts, was inspired by COVID, because I was listening to your very first one. So tell us how COVID impacted you. You know, I listened to a little bit of that first one and, you know, bits and pieces of the other ones. But it's sort of, you know, some people were inspired by it and some people were isolated and kind of withdrew. Tell us how COVID impacted you. COVID isolated me and then it made me kind of like burst out the seams. Like it kind of forced me to sit down and forced me to really ask myself some very tough questions about what I wanted my legacy to be. Because I didn't know if I would make it through. You know, and especially in the beginning, I was extremely afraid of COVID. So I honestly in my mind was like, there's a big chance I don't make it through this. And what do you. Makes you question everything, doesn't it? Right. And I'm like, so I had to ask myself, so if this is it, what did you want out of this life? Without caring about what it looks like on paper, what people think about it. Like, this is just you. What do you want? And say it. And I remember like it was a day I turned off the TV, phones, all that stuff. And I just like literally just sat there with myself. And I decreed, basically, this is what I want. I want this. I want that. I want this. Like I was as direct as I've ever been. Was it also where you want to be physically in the world? Like, because that, I mean, so many of my friends moved out of the country or moved across the country. Actually, I said family. I did bring up my family, being close to my family. My family's in New Jersey. And at that point, I was in Oakland, California. And once things cleared up, once my lease was up, actually, I moved right back to New York. So that was also a thing, being closer with my family. Like it all wasn't, you know, career stuff. It was everything. But I definitely took a, you know, the career thing was a big part because, again, I wanted to leave something. And I think making that decision, once opportunities arose, like I told you with me already wanting to do certain types of photos and things and then having that moment of decreeing what I want, it was like there was no choice but to, like, go all the way and not be afraid of if you can get hurt, whatever can happen out there. It's like you've got to go all the way, man, because you made a promise to yourself and the opportunity has showed itself. Now what are you going to do, you know? I know I listened to the Quest Supreme as well, and I listened to a few where you talked specifically about your mother. But I wasn't clear as to whether you were realizing the influence at the time or it was only in retrospect that you realized the lessons and you pulled from, you know, your time that you spent with her. She's a puzzle, an amazing puzzle. She's always going to, like, you'll figure it out and then you'll realize, oh, she actually meant this also. Like, she's one of the deepest people I know and says it so simply, you won't even, it'll go over your, it goes over my head anyway. And then it'll hit me like a year later or a moment will happen. And I think one of the biggest realizations also was just realizing how much I am like my mom, you know, and we are literally very close to the same person. And I think that was also very healing for me too, and especially as an artist, because I found that you kind of have to really go into yourself if you really want to get into these emotionally vulnerable spaces with other people. You can't go any further than you're willing to go with yourself. You can't recognize it when it shows itself. You might get uncomfortable. You might make other people uncomfortable because you're uncomfortable with it. So, you know, I think having that peace with my mom and all that, I believe it's helped me tremendously as an artist and as an individual. Yeah, you speak very tenderly about her. There was like a, you know, it was really beautiful. And so, and I also listened to the very last one you did. And in that one, you intimated that, is this the end of this particular podcast? And like the Quest Supreme, and then you're going to move on possibly into a different podcast? Yeah, so this is the thing that kind of happened. So, like, A Quest Supreme was a part of a book that came out. That was my first ever book. And now Black Astronaut is out, and I'm gearing up to start a new podcast called Black Astronaut. And I think I'm going to just do that with each project, like kind of like have a limited series based on the book. And it can kind of get into the story of, you know, everything happening. So, yeah, that's kind of what's happening. It's coming, too. It's like in production. I really love the way you split the chapters into like the parts and the titles you gave them. So how did you, can you sort of explain the genesis of Black Astronaut? Black Astronaut is, so as I was saying, it was a decision to go outside, you know, in the fear of dying. And I honestly, I felt like I couldn't go halfway. I had to go all the way. So I had to accept the reality. The way I think I have to accept the worst that can happen. And once I can do that, I can do anything. So I had to accept, like, I might die. Are you okay with this? And I really was like, this is worth it based on what I've seen and what people are going through, what we are going through. I want to have a voice in this. And as I went outside, and with all my protective gear and gloves and everything, because I'm afraid of everything, and the world seemed like a new, it didn't seem like the America I knew. It seemed like a brand new, everything didn't make any sense. The world was upside down, right? Well, in fact, you go outside and there's nobody on the road. You're the only one driving. It's just phenomenal. And then you go to a rally or a supermarket and people are fighting, pulling out guns. It's like, what is happening? There's no toilet paper. So there was just so much happening that felt so irregular to me. And that's what inspired me to come up with the term, like, calling it Black Astronaut, because I felt like if you think about what an astronaut is in terms of going into uncomfortable places, everything around it basically not familiar to the body. And not tethered, you know? Yeah, and so I really felt like I was going on a, I was a man on a mission, basically, fighting for whatever my vision was. And from that, it ended up, like it says, 120 weeks. It just, it spiraled into, because I remember actually being at the verdict. I was in Minneapolis for the verdict of the George Floyd case. So at that point I had a question, like, okay, is this it? Like, are you going to keep going? And my heart said keep going. And then that spiraled into the vaccine, anti-vaccine thing. That spiraled into women's rights, which is more recent. And then also the election. And I just felt like there's so much to this story that needs to be said that I don't want to, I don't think it's just, oh, Black Lives Matter. I think this is a bigger American story that needs to be unveiled. And it's also what I'm experiencing more, to be more honest. And, you know, that became such a, so many avenues that were all connected that I just wanted to, like, kind of create a concept, too, that would allow it to live in that space. You know, but. No, no, so while you're doing this and you start out really afraid, at some point did you become, like, when did you start to relax in the. I think, honestly, after the second week when I didn't get COVID. I remember I would come back to the apartment and I would just be like, okay, like if I had a sniffle or anything, I would freak out, you know, and then once, like, it was never anything. I kind of like was like, all right, like you can, you can do it. And then when I got my vaccine shot, oh, man, I was in the game at that point. Once that came, there was no stopping me at that point. But, yeah, about that second week, that first week, every time I was just freaking out. Every night I was just like any sneeze or anything. But, again, it also felt very liberating, too, at the same time. The liberation of going outside and the feelings that I got while I was taking those photos was something I didn't expect. And it actually was something that was probably the greatest gift to be a part of that, to see that, and then also, yeah, to be a part of it, not just a witness, but a person that's. In of a mission. Yeah, definitely, definitely. Kamal, tell us about any, you said you're in development of a project, but I guess I'll ask this two ways is whatever current project you're working on and something you haven't done, but you'd like to do down the road. So the right now I'm really dialed in on promoting Black Astronaut. I really want this project to reach as many people as possible. I think it's such a beautiful reflection and opportunity and inspirational story also. But in terms of what I'm kind of going, the next project that I've been kind of working on, and it has to do with international matters, I'll say that, which kind of brings me back to Equest Supreme, but definitely more laser focused. I feel like Equest Supreme was just me traveling. It was raw. It was real. It was me learning photography on the fly. And I feel like now I'm well into my voice and what I want to say. So I want to do something that brings countries together in a way and shows the similarities in the separation. I can't tell you which countries yet because I feel like I've got to keep some of that a secret, but it's been pretty interesting doing it because from traveling so much, I have seen things that actually are very similar that I think a lot of people would be surprised about. So that's kind of where I'm going, and I've never really laser focused anything internationally before. And have you done exhibiting at all? I've actually taken your, you know, besides doing the book, but actually done art exhibits with your work. Yeah, like I even have one coming up in San Francisco at 111 MENA in San Francisco. I've had a couple of gallery exhibits. Also, another one was Lens Culture in New York about a couple of years ago, and then I got into real business mode with getting Black Astronaut, like, published. And, you know, I've been in tunnel vision for that. So I'm actually looking forward to a lot more exhibitions and gallery opportunities now that I'm on the other end of the book coming out. You know, and I think there's a lot that a lot of people, I think people will really get a lot out of the imagery of this book. Right. I think they make an excellent exhibit. Right. For sure. How long does the San Francisco exhibit last? I believe it's going to be for, if I'm not mistaken, eight weeks. Perfect. I believe eight weeks. Yeah, yeah. For sure. Well, unfortunately, we're going to have to wrap it up pretty quick here, but Kamal, we want to give you a chance to tell us about how people can find your work, when the book is like on the verge of coming out. I know it's pre-order on Amazon, but tell us all about how people can find you online and everything else. Yeah, the best way to find me is Instagram, IamKamalX, simply spelled Kamal, K-A-M-A-L-X. I have all my links there. My website is also IamKamalX.com. You can also purchase the book. It will be available October 24th on Amazon. It's the best way to get it. Black Astronaut, Kamal X, it comes up. You'll see me with a big yellow X on the cover of it. Can't miss it. And any support goes a long way. I appreciate everyone for even listening and hearing me out. I really believe that we are in this together, and I'm thankful for the space that we're creating. Well, Kamal X, we are so happy to have you part of the show. Self-taught documentary photographer. He's based in Brooklyn right now, and his book coming out, Black Astronaut, which you can find on Amazon, coming out very shortly, and you can also hear his podcast. Kamal X, thank you so much for coming on Art on the Air. Yeah, it's a beautiful offering. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Appreciate you guys. Art on the Air listeners, do you have a suggestion for a possible guest on our show, whether it's an artist, musician, author, gallery, theater, concert, or some other artistic endeavor that you are aware of, or a topic of interest to our listeners? Email us at aotaatbrek.com. That's aotaatbrek, B-R-E-C-H, dot com. Hi, this is singer-songwriter Kenny White, and you are listening to Art on the Air on Lakeshore Public Radio 89.1 FM and on WVLP 103.1 FM. We would like to welcome Elena Vasilakis and Daniel Donovan from the Improv Troop Trainwrecks to Art on the Air. Elena started singing and performing at a young age with a strong interest in acting and comedy. She studied improv at Second City Chicago. She believes everyone should take the chance and live their passion no matter the form. Daniel is a web developer by day and part of the Improv Troop Trainwrecks outside work. He does impersonations like stand-up comedy and can mimic many voices. Thank you both for joining us on Art on the Air. Aloha and welcome, Elena and Daniel. Hello, hello. Thank you. Welcome. Well, Daniel, we'll start again with you, and we want to get your kind of origin story before we talk about the trainwrecks a little bit. I always like to say how you got from where you were to where you are now. So more like where you grew up, where you were born and, you know, how you got to do what you're doing now before you get into improv. Well, I would say, you know, maybe my inspiration for getting into it is not being able to remember things. So when you don't remember things, you've got to make things up. And I did that a lot, make up things that certain actors would say, like that one movie, the British movie, what do you call it? It's the Knights of the Holy Grail. Monty Python? Monty Python, yeah. Yeah, Monty Python. I just loved that stuff growing up, and, well, I had to make up a lot of answers on tests. I wasn't that good at that. Multiple choice guy. Where were you born and where are you from that way? Just your origin story. I'm from Valparaiso, and then I went to Emanuel, then went to VHS. So all Valparaiso, and then schooling at Ivy Tech Community College, also Valparaiso. Stayed local, and then eventually found the train wrecks in Chesterton because a friend of mine, Jacob, Jacob Reed. So tell us just a little bit outside of improv, because we'll go more into that later, what you do to, you know, pay the bills. Yeah, I'm a web designer. I make the website from bottom up. I do the database and the look of it. They hand me a design, and I just make it happen. I build it. I'm like the construction worker of the website world in a certain way. And now since I do a little bit of web stuff, what do you use now? What tools? I use PHP and HTML, CSS, that sort of stuff. And I like Atom Editor. I don't know if you know that one, but it's no longer getting updates. But, yeah, PHP is the main language. Okay. Well, while I know my first website I did on HTML itself, I still use the old, old front page to do my very basic websites. But it still works until I upgrade to probably Windows 12 when it comes out. Well, we'll move on to Elena. Elena, let's hear about your origin story, like where you grew up and whole things before we get into improv. Tell us all about yourself, how you got from where you were to where you are now. Yeah. So I'm originally from Chicago, born and raised. I come from a Greek and Italian family. And so we moved to northwest Indiana many moons ago. And so a lot of my friends like to say, well, you know, you're a Hoosier, grandfathered in. But I still self-identify as a Chicagoan. And so I attended a majority of my schooling in Maryville, Indiana, graduated from Maryville High School. And at that time, I started doing theater in high school. And prior to that, I have to go back a little bit. So this is not Larry and I, our first rodeo and meeting Larry for the first time. And this is how wonderful the universe works. So the year was 1995. Sorry, Larry, I had to admit that. And my sister had said, you know, you like acting and improv. And my inspiration actually for acting and improv goes way back to my exposure to Jerry Lewis and to Mel Brooks. I was exposed to that through my father, who very much liked their comedy. And so she had found that they were having improv classes for the age bracket I was at the time. And throughout the month, they're performing arts. And who are my instructors? Larry and his beloved wife. So that's where it started. That's where it started for me. And so in high school, I did some theater there. And then I attended Columbia College for a few years, came back to Northwest Indiana, Indiana University Northwest, and finished a degree there in theater, theater Northwest. And then from there went to Second City, Chicago, where I did some more improv. And then fast forward to 2023, the magical year. I was at an event that I was invited to and, you know, just scanning the room and what have you. And I came across this young man who I recognized immediately and said, Oh, my gosh, that was my original improv instructor. Can you believe it? So, of course, I go up to him, introduce myself. And, you know, part of that because I didn't want to seem completely weird. And I said, if you don't mind me asking, did you ever teach improv back in the 1900s? And he said, yes, I did. You were my instructor. He goes, you remember me? I said, I sure did. Sure do. Never forget a face. So that's my story. So I'm going to move forward with the Trainwrecks. November of 2021, I attended one of their shows. And I introduced myself after the show and said, you know, I love their performance, and came to talking to Daniel and Ed. And at that time, I had actually signed up for an improv course in Chesterton. And they were teaching out of there, the same place, the yoga studio that Trainwrecks was having their performances. So kind of one thing leads to another. And Ed had said, hey, why don't you come to one of our practices? And I was like, okay, that would be awesome. And that was my way of kind of getting into the Trainwrecks. Well, how about early, early? So in elementary school, were you doing plays or doing performances at home, middle school, high school? Yeah, yeah. So let's go way back. Way back. Way back. So I'm the youngest out of four children. And the eldest and I are 16 years apart. I was the, oops. Well, that was unexpected. Okay. So I was raised around this older generation, and exposed to the older comedians. And I really, again, I fell in love with Jerry Lewis and how he would perform. His whole body language was so exciting. It was. I mean, he was a comedic genius. That's just my opinion. And so what I would do at these family events, family functions, you know, I'm a five-year-old little child. And, you know, my siblings at this point are in their early 20s and teenage years and never really fit in in that regard. So I would just stay quiet and do a lot of observing. And part of that was observing their behaviors. And next thing you know, I'm a little bit older, and I just started to imitate certain relatives. Not thinking that that's what I'm doing, I just kind of did that. And that's kind of how it started was through that mimicry and through that imitation. And I've been that way ever since I was a child. I just kind of pick up certain behaviors. So then for, got to go back to when Larry and his wife were my teachers for the first improv that I took, his wife had, you know, had said, well, kind of like what you're asking, how did you ever get into this? What made you interested? And she said, well, I like imitating people. That was part of it. She says, can you do me a favor? Can you imitate Larry? And I was like, oh, will I get in trouble? You know, I was a kid all myself. And so I did. And I remember they're standing next to each other watching me, and Larry goes, I actually do that, don't I? And that's originally how it all got started. And it really is a passion of mine. So did your family support it? So you're at the kitchen table and you're imitating an auntie or something. It's funny because my mother initially did not. She'd say that's disrespectful. But the persons or people that I was imitating, they got a kick out of it. And being, you know, from a Greek-Italian family, we've all got these big personalities. And, you know, my mother was like, just don't disrespect your relatives. And they were like, oh, my God, she really knows how to do it all. So for me, that was my father was a great supporter, too. Both of my parents really supported me in any type of creative arts. I come from a creative, artistic family. Both of my parents, my father came from Greece in the 1960s, met my mother at the Academy of Art. And their creative outlet was drawing and arts. I draw sick people. And that's as far as my gift came over. But this is kind of my creative outlet. And aside from that, I also enjoy singing. Just as a side note, Elena, that was the first improv class we taught solo. I mean, we taught improv as part of, like, theater, so to speak. But that's one of the first classes we said, well, let's actually do a class in improv. So you were in the first premier class that we did as improv. And I'm back, Larry. Okay. I don't know. I don't know. Yeah. It's stuck. How far did you go through the Second City? You went to the training academies? Did you go? Yeah, I didn't complete the whole academy. I just went for a few of the classes. Okay. Because then at that time, I had finished college, and it was, well, I guess I need to make money, you know. So what I do for my 9-to-5 job is I'm an executive assistant. You're listening to Art on the Air on Lakeshore Public Media, 89.1 FM, on WVLP, 103.1 FM. So, Daniel, let's go back to how the founding of Trainwrecks happened. It was a spinoff from some other group, or you guys were involved in something. So tell us a little bit about the history of how Trainwrecks came to be. Yeah. So it started sort of in 2018, not Trainwrecks, but the Nine Bad Basses. So the Nine Bad Basses was part of Disposable Theater. And now at the time, I was not in the group. Jacob was in that group, and he told me about an improv class over at East Wind Studios, which is now Essential Wind Studios. But so he told me about that. I took a class, and that was maybe just a 12-week course. And then the coach of that team, the Nine Bad Basses, asked me, well, how would you like to be part of the Nine Bad Basses team? I was like, all right, I'll give it a shot. You know, this is fun, so why not? And I stuck with it since. And it was 2021 where we decided that we would basically make our own improv troupe outside of Disposable Theater. And since we started there at East Wind, where there's practically a train going by every 15 minutes. A loud one. We were like, the train wrecks. It nearly happened every show. There's a train that comes by, and it would shake the floor. And we would go like, we would shake ourselves to pretend like it's moving us. But so that was the birth of Train Wrecks over at 2021 at East Wind Studios. And since then, we've been pretty consistent about having a show right around every month. But sometimes we miss a few months, take a break, breathe, commitments, etc. But yeah, that brings us to today. So with an improv troupe, are there rehearsals? Absolutely. And it's so essential to practice making stuff up. You have to be comfortable with the dynamic between each of the participants. Right, right. And that's definitely 100% part of it. And it took us time to integrate Elena into the group and Mary Jane and Tim into the group. Because everyone brings a different energy and they bring different characters. So it takes time to make that work. And then on top of it, we practice the game structure for each show. So we might do different games for a show. We might practice performing a song for a show. Which I did for one. That's a lot of work to make sure you have all the materials or even have it all memorized. That's really a challenge. But yeah, it's a lot of work. Tell us some of the principles. Either one of you want to jump in on this or both of you. Some of the principles of improv, how it works for an audience that may not know about it. Like what are some of the basics that you have to do in terms of the handoffs and things like that. So whichever one of you want to pick that up. Elena, do you want to take it? Yes, and. All right, there you go. So that's one of the principle rules we go by is yes, and. So at least how I was taught through the years is when you're working a scene with someone, you want to present as you're presenting or you want to keep the flow of that energy going between you. And so you and your partner essentially. So let's say they're talking. Daniel, can I, you know, the best way to do it is to do it, is to show it. But to agree and then yes, and then you continue on. Maybe that's a good point to have you do that right now and then maybe talk about it afterwards. So go ahead and set up a situation. I know your Second City used to at their last show of the evening, sometimes would take a audience suggestions and everything. But so you had one you were doing off, Mike, but let's take a thing like back to the one you said about going to Disney or something like that. Yes, Elena, I have a problem. I'm really uncomfortable with all the men in suits at Disney. Now, we talked about this. Remember what the therapist said. It's just a phobia, OK? Right. And I mean, I know there are real people in there, but I just can't help but thinking how horrible it is on a hot summer day. I'm sweaty. I know. I mean, now for me, you know me, the smell alone. Yes. That's what bothers me, you know, from the inside. And the idea of it. And your allergies to the mold, the black mold involved. But we're going to get through it. We're going to go there. And at least we don't have to be in the suits. This is very true. And remember, we could bring the wipes. And I got stocked. I got tons of wipes. I'm known as the wipe girl. And hand those out, especially when someone wants to shake your hand. So that's a start. Yes. Yes. And we can even offer them to the people in the suits. So, you know, I feel a lot better about it now, Elena. Thank you. Okay. So the next question is, what's the exit strategy? When you get to a point, we kind of did it there, but when do you think, okay, this bit is over. How do I hand off to something different or a completely different scene or a, quote, blackout? A blackout is very famous in improv. Yes. How do we know it's over? It can be tied up nicely. The problem does get resolved in that case. We either end on a problem that's resolved or something that's funny. And then it's like, okay, it's not going to get better than that and scene. What do you think, Elena? Yeah, I was going to say either, you know, we have the lights set up, we should do a lot of, you know, the blackouts, or we'll start laughing and scene. And then that gets a laugh from the audience. I think they enjoy that. I think I saw one of yours where somebody said, I think we've gotten all out of that that we can. Let's just move on. And we're done. And we're done. And doing tag improv where you tell someone to freeze and you pick it up and go a completely different direction. Tell us a little bit about how that works. Oh, man. Yeah, you know, for freeze, I like freeze because that one is all about where your hands and feet are. So you've got to really embody where you're at in the scene. And then say your hands are up in the air and you're holding up Simba the baby. It's the circle of life. But then it morphs into freeze. Goal! You're suddenly at a football field in Spain or wherever in Europe. You know, you can go anywhere with it. It's a good transition. So with train wrecks, you don't have anything currently coming up and everything like in the next little bit, but what vision do you have for train wrecks down the road, you know, in terms of maybe larger performance spaces and expanded repertoire? Tell us maybe how long an improv, like someone comes to see an evening of improv, how long that would be. Well, so for a typical show, it would be an hour and 15 minutes. And I would say I want to go to bigger venues and I want to share those laughs. And I really enjoy doing it. So the more people I can share those laughs with, the better. Could be Chicago, could be more local at bigger venues. Are you looking for any more people to join the troupe? I know that you don't want to get it to be too large because then, you know, I think you're what, about six people right now. But also do you provide a training ground for other people to do that? And then maybe they can either do another group or maybe become a branch group, kind of like Second City has their branch groups. Right. We're definitely open to that. And we are looking for potentially two other people so that we can just have some backups. And maybe, like you said, start a different troupe, like you're saying. Well, we're almost ready to wrap it up here. So tell us just briefly how people can find out information about what the Trainwrecks is doing. Well, what you can do is go to the Facebook, the Trainwrecks, and there is also, well, let me spell it out for you, the Trainwrecks, R-E-X. And then there's Trainwrecks Productions on Instagram. But if you really want to show, it's all on our Facebook. And so if someone wants to actually book you guys for a show, they can contact you also? Yes, yes. Shoot us a message there and absolutely. Perfect. Happy to be booked. Well, we appreciate you coming on Art on the Air. Daniel and Alina from the Trainwrecks, we appreciate you coming on the show, sharing all about that little improv group here in Chesterton, Indiana. And like I always say in theater, break a leg. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you so much for having us on. We'd like to thank our guests this week on Art on the Air, our weekly program covering the arts and arts events throughout Northwest Indiana and beyond. Art on the Air is heard Sunday at 7 p.m. on Lakeshore Public Media, 89.1 FM, also streaming live at LakeshorePublicMedia.org and is available on Lakeshore Public Media's website as a podcast. Art on the Air is also heard Friday at 11 a.m. and Monday at 5 p.m. on WVLP, 103.1 FM, streaming live at WVLP.org. Our spotlight interviews are heard every Wednesday on Lakeshore Public Media. Thanks to Tom Maloney, Vice President of Radio Operation for Lakeshore Public Media, and Greg Kovach, WVLP's Station Manager. Our theme music is by Billy Foster with a vocal by Rene Foster. Art on the Air is supported by the Indiana Arts Commission, Arts Project Grant, South Shore Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. We'd like to thank our current underwriters for Lakeshore Public Media, Macaulay Real Estate and Valparaiso, Olga Patrician, Senior Broker, and for WVLP, Walt Ridinger of Paragon Investments. So we may continue to bring you Art on the Air. We rely on you, our listeners and underwriters, for ongoing financial support. If you're looking to support Art on the Air, we have information on our website at breck.com slash aota, where you can find out how to become a supporter or underwriter of our program in whatever amount you are able. And like I say every week, don't give till it hurts. Give till it feels good. You'll feel so good about supporting Art on the Air. If you're interested in being a guest or send us information about your arts, arts-related event or exhibit, please email us at aotaatbreck.com. That's aotaatbreck, B-R-E-C-H, dot com, or contact us through our Facebook page. Your hosts were Larry Breckner and Esther Golden, and we invite you back next week for another episode of Art on the Air. Aloha, everyone. Have a splendid week. Express yourself you art, and show the world your heart. Express yourself you art, and show the world your heart. You're in the know with Esther and Larry, Art on the Air today. They're in the know with Larry and Esther, Art on the Air our way. Express yourself you art, and show the world your heart. Express yourself you art, and show the world your heart. Express yourself you art.