Everybody, come hear the good news. The Rock Candy blog — where we host all our arts and entertainment coverage here at the Arkansas Times — is starting a podcast.
Alright, calm down. Stop jumping around. Seriously, calm down. It’s a very casual thing — a lot of people have podcasts. We’re excited too.
Anyway, here’s the deal. Each week, we’re hoping to release a podcast breaking down art news you care about. Shows will, up front, tell you a bit about what the Times has to offer. Then, we’re going to look at one issue: maybe an interview, maybe a discussion about a movie, maybe a book review. To finish up, we’ll give some recommendations and The Move (which is our fun way of saying: here’s the thing you have to do this weekend).
We’re going to have people rotate through the podcast but expect a healthy dose of hosting from: Stephanie Smittle, Arts and Entertainment Editor; Jacob Rosenberg, Arkansas Times reporter; and Omaya Jones, selector of the Arkansas Times showcase movie each week.
Us three, this very week, did a preview of the movie “Rififi” — playing tonight despite the snow at Riverdale 10 at 7:00 p.m., $9. (We also did a preview of upcoming events last weekend which, if you’re reading this on Tuesday, might not be the most relevant.)
Before we rush off, it’s worth explaining why we started this. Our arts coverage gives you tons of shows and reviews and cool tidbits about artists. But we don’t have room to speak informally. This podcast presents an opportunity to showcase art like a friend telling you what’s happening around town. Expect us to chat, gush, review, and love art here in an intimate way. You might even get to know us: our biases in terms of art, the movies we hate but respect, the bands we love but don’t respect. We hope it feels like a local experience — a conversation you’d overhear at a bar around town. And also one to which you’re invited.
Plus, if there’s something you want us to cover in the podcast reach out to Jordan at jordan@ArkTimes.com.