EPISODE 111 – RHYS LANGSTON IS A SILVER LAKE ORIGINAL RAPPER AND MORE

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Rhys Langston (@rhyslangston) makes ‘alternative’ rap “that is at the front of experimental trends while remaining accessible and engaging. Think hearing raps breaking language while breaking your neck head nodding to the beats. Like medicine with spoonfuls of sugar, radical Black theory gone colloquial over raw compositions, songs for the cool nerds who neither need to prove their coolness or their nerd credentials.”

Langston and yours truly discuss his latest album, Grapefruit Radio, his background coming up in Silver Lake and Leimert Park, nerd culture, the legacy of Kerry James Marshall, the writing process as a craft, calling out rappers, click-bait culture in its current form, Saul Williams, and more. We also shout out Langston’s new video from the album, In the Suburbs of Babylon.

For more of these cuentos and then some, please follow J.T. the L.A. Storyteller on Apple or Spotify, then rate and review us!

And if you’d like to tune into the show from elsewhere, please see our RSS feed here: https://jimbotimes.com/category/podcast/feed/

J.T.

EPISODE 110 – EVA RECINOS IS A WRITER WHO YOU MUST FOLLOW IN L.A.

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We catch up with Eva Recinos, originally out of South-Central Los Angeles, and now a seasoned Arts and Culture writer and Creative Non-Fiction writer who focuses on visual art and design, Latinx identity, and education and mental health. Eva was a 2019 finalist in the LA Press Club awards for Arts & Entertainment Feature (Online); 2019 Idyllwild Writer’s Week Nonfiction Fellow; 2020 finalist in the Center for Women Writers International Literary Awards; finalist in the Blood Orange Review 2020 Creative Nonfiction Contest; and a 2021 Pen America Emerging Voices Fellowship finalist.

Our conversation touches on a number of Eva’s articles, including “The Streets Are Made of Anger” for Sin Cesar, “I Want to Speak for Myself, Not the whole Latinx Community,” for Electric Lit, and “You, too, can be touched by Çedouze” for the L.A. Times; we also talk about the challenges of writing, including in terms of frequency, Eva’s experience pitching a new manuscript, and some of her must-read books this season.

You can sign up for Eva’s newsletter, Notes with Eva–which is truly a care-package for writers–HERE, and follow her more closely on IG via @evaiswriting.

For more of these cuentos and then some, please follow the show on Apple or Spotify, then rate and review us!

And if you’d like to tune into the show from elsewhere, please see our RSS feed here: https://jimbotimes.com/category/podcast/feed/

J.T.

EPISODE 109 – LESLIE AMBRIZ REDEFINES MEDIA FOR LATINX COMMUNITIES IN L.A.

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Leslie Ambriz joins us for our final episode of 2022 to talk extensively about life and upbringing in Los Angeles, the prolific diversity between neighborhoods and communities in and around the city–including the Orange County area–thoughts on the current media landscape for millennials and families, finding one’s voice as a storyteller, and more.

Leslie Ambriz is a journalist and producer from Southeast Los Angeles, California. She is passionate about documenting stories and issues that affect communities of color, and how art and culture influence our political and social climates. She’s worked on projects for and in collaboration with numerous companies such as, the Associated Press, Spotify, Remezcla, SoulPancake, NBC News, Nike, AfterBuzz TV and more. She has both a Masters and Bachelors degree in Journalism and New Media from the University of Southern California and Biola University.

Read Ambriz’s personal essay on leaving the Christian church HERE. Check out her most recent Spotify original podcast, Identity at Play HERE, and keep up with her reporting work via @LeslieAmbriz_ on IG and Twitter.

J.T.

EPISODE 106 – OSCAR ZARATE ON CANCELLING L.A. METRO FARE HIKES AND ABOLISHING FARES ALTOGETHER

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Oscar Zarate and I hop on a call to discuss an upcoming L.A. Metro vote on changes to the fare system proposed by the agency, which L.A. Metro board members will vote on at their upcoming meeting on Thursday, December 1st at 10:00 AM. The agency changed its original proposal the very day of this discussion following consideration of various transit advocacy organizations’ input via public comment, including Strategic Action for a Just Economy’s, which is holding a rally for the upcoming vote at 9:00 AM on Thursday, December 1st near Union Station. In order to ensure that Metro’s new proposal passes, riders need to attend the virtual meeting and hold the board members accountable; see the agenda HERE; learn more about Metro ridership HERE, and sign the petition for equitable transit policy HERE. Surprise guest Alissa Walker of LA Podcast also joins us and boosts our chat tons!

J.T.

EPISODE 105 – EUNISSES HERNANDEZ IS THE NEWEST, MOST EXCITING INCOMING L.A. CITY COUNCIL MEMBER

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L.A. City Council Member-Elect Hernandez and I discuss so much it’s hard to believe it’s all in just one episode: The relationship between L.A. City Hall and L.A. County at the local level, the redistricting of K-Town into CD-10 with Council-Member Hutt, the leaked racist recordings from three L.A. City Council Members and Labor Federation leader Ron Herrera, shared boundaries between Council District 1 and Council District 14, the Hillside Villa Tenants Association’s recent victory with Eminent Domain, and more. Listener questions also ask about undocumented children’s protection in Hernandez’s district, the passage of Measure ULA, and even reparations for families from the days of Dodger Stadium as “Chavez Ravine.” A can’t-miss episode for anyone and everyone invested in the future of Los Angeles as a city for the people. Last but not least, today’s intro and outro loops are courtesy of Gxdspeed.

J.T.