Home Grown: First Steps: King Gemini and Ty Copper

Home Grown: Your Show about Local Art

Today on Home Grown, Leslie leaves us behind leaving David to get behind the mic with two guests. First, he talks to rapper King Gemini. A Charlottesville native, he’s just back in town from living in California and he’s taking the first steps towards getting a music career on track. David talks to KG about beginnings and we listen to his first single. Next Ty Cooper returns to the show. After years of documentary filmmaking, he’s attempting his first narrative film project. David and Ty talk about his conception for the work, the need to be cruel in writing, and about some of the ins and outs of filming your work. Every piece of art has a moment when it starts, and we’re here to talk about those moments just as we talk about finished pieces on Home Grown: Your Show about Local Art.

Home Grown is heard on 94.7 WPVC the Progressive Voice of Charlottesville, Sundays from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Home Grown: Community Love: Ty Cooper’s Mingle and PVCC’s As You Like It

Home Grown: Your Show about Local Art

Today on Home Grown, David and Leslie welcome back two artists to the show — one familiar face and one of our earliest guests. First, Ty Cooper returns. His first fiction film Mingle just showed last Saturday at The Paramount Theater, and he brings with him his assistant director Lk Schwendig from Boston and his actor and assistant director Precious Coleman from New York City. Lk and Precious talk about how Mingle started, what it was like working on the film, and what a good collaborative process looks like. Next, it’s local actor/director/singer Shelly Cole. She’s currently the music director for Piedmont Virginia Community College’s upcoming production of a 2017 musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s As You Like It. Shelly talks about how this show is a combination of old (Shakespeare) and new (modern music). She also talks about how director Brad Stoller is bringing in different groups in the community. (Shelly also sees how many times she can say, “Hootenanny” on the show.) It’s a big old artistic hootenanny here on Home Grown: Your Show about Local Art.

Home Grown is heard on 94.7 WPVC the Progressive Voice of Charlottesville, Sundays from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Home Grown: Telling Stories: McRaven Directs The Wolves and Ty Cooper’s Documentary Workshop

Home Grown: Your Show about Local Art

Today on Home Grown, David abandons us to try to make his rent at his day job. So Leslie soldiers on alone welcoming, first, visiting UVA Drama Deparment director and Charlottesville native Amanda McRaven. Amanda is back in town to direct UVA’s production of The Wolves. Amanda talks about the play, about her process, about why it’s important to her and important to us. Then, friend of the show Ty Cooper gets back on the mic. He has an upcoming Documentary Filmmaking Workshop at Piedmont Virginia Community College. We talk with Ty about some of the challenges you can run into in documentary filmmaking and about how he intends to teach you to handle them. It’s two different artists talking about the importance of telling important stories on Home Grown: Your Show about Local Art.

Home Grown is heard on 94.7 WPVC the Progressive Voice of Charlottesville, Sundays from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Home Grown: Making It Happen: Young Frankenstein: The Musical and Ty Cooper

Home Grown: Your Show about Local Art

Today on Home Grown, Leslie soldiers on alone as David is called in by his day job. Still, the show goes on. First we spend some time with Four County Players. Specifically, we have Perry Medlin and Austin Robey, the director and music director of the upcoming 4CP musical Young Frankenstein. Leslie, Perry, and Austin get into the challenges of doing a HUGE summer musical with a lot of enthusiasm and volunteer actors. Next, filmmaker Ty Cooper (trapped in Chicago by airline problems) calls in. Ty updates us on his documentary America’s Darkest Future and then talks about his new, fictional short film, Mingle. Ty — the consumate artistic mover-shaker — even gives us pointers on submitting films to festivals.(Are we allowed to contact the VA Film Festival and ask them to screen Mingle?) (Also, check out the undercurrent in both interviews of how modern technology and social media facilitates the creation of art.) Big theater and small films this week on Home Grown: Your Show about Local Art.

Home Grown is heard on 94.7 WPVC the Progressive Voice of Charlottesville, Sundays from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Home Grown: Teaching: Heather’s Singing, Ty’s Comedy, Lisa’s Righteousness

Home Grown: Your Show about Local Art

Today on Home Grown our co-hosts Leslie M. Scott-Jones and David Vaughn Straughn welcome three great guests. First, vocal instructor Heather Hightower, head of The Center for Vocal Study visits us for the first time to talk about her upcoming free vocal lesson as part of The Downtown Business Association of Charlottesville’s Arts in the Park in Emancipation Park. Next, our man Ty Cooper returns with the lowdown on his Comedy Writing Workshop at PVCC. What do you learn when Ty teaches you about comedy? Finally, we’re pleased to have L.A. artist Lisa Beane come to us after Saturday night’s opening of her new exhibit at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, Karma, that features paintings that fuse bright colors, humor, and images of our childhood with lynching stamps. It’s three different artists talking about three different ways that art can move and center you here on Home Grown: Your Show about Local Art.

Home Grown is heard on 94.7 WPVC the Progressive Voice of Charlottesville, Sundays from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Home Grown: Taij, Cooper and Lowland Hum

Home Grown hosts Leslie M. Scott Jones and David Vaughn Straughn talk to Lady Taij about her upcoming hip hop showcase at Harrisonburg’s Golden Pony, and, our man-with-the-plan Ty Cooper re-visits the show to give an update on his documentary, America’s Darkest Future and some of the myriad other events he’s producing. Also, local musical duo, Lowland Hum talk about their upcoming CD release concert.

Home Grown is heard on WPVC 94.7 Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m. The station is currently looking for volunteers.

Home Grown: Brewing Beer, America’s Darkest Future and Four County Players

Home Grown hosts Clinton Johnston and Leslie M. Scott Jones talk to Levi Duncan from Champion Brewing Company about how brewing is an art form; local promoter and writer Ty Cooper talks about his documentary America’s Darkest Future and the consequences of having inaccessible early childhood education; and Robbiz Kristel and Jason Cooper talk about the Four County Player’s production “Once On This Island“.

Home Grown is heard on WPVC 94.7 Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m.The station is looking for volunteers. Apply here if you are interested in volunteering.