Something (rather than nothing)

Ken Volante
  • 5.0 (28)
  • VISUAL ARTS
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Why is there something rather than nothing? This podcast is a philosophical and psychological exploration into the act of creation (poets, musicians, writers, painters, thinkers, all of us) by: Ken Volante

  1. k.g.m.r.

    1D AGO

    k.g.m.r.

    kgmr is a composer, songwriter, keyboardist, field recorder, sampler, and noise maker. kgmr writes for solo piano, rock trio, larger ensembles, and electronic instrumentation. Her music has been used in films, theater, and radio. She appears elsewhere as a guest keyboardist.kgmr started writing and recording music in elementary school using a Casio keyboard, a Magnus organ, and a tape recorder. Her first compositions were imagined as soundtracks for horror films. Early sampling projects using prank phone calls and the tape recorder were unfortunately stopped by the police. As a child, she formally trained under Mlle. Yvonne Combe at the French School of Music. The kgmr band is a Portland-based duo made up of kgmr (keyboards, samples, field recordings, noise, vocals) and Bobby Read (guitar, bass, drums, violin, samples, field recordings, noise, vocals).  They invite collaborators on projects locally, nationally, and internationally.​​discography: Backlash of the Hunter (Live EP), kgmr, 2025 St. Roch (LP), kgmr, 2025 Keep Going Mystical Rider (EP), kgmr, 2022Spin Down Night (EP), kgmr, 2021 this happened (LP), Half Ass West Studio Band, 2009evening with fallen tree (LP), kgmr, 2008 migrate to carnivora (LP), kgmr, 2007i nstant confidante (LP), kgmr, 2005body language (EP), kgmr, 2003​​​ k.g.m.r.

    1h 7m
  2. Cryptic Divination

    MAY 5

    Cryptic Divination

    Influenced by bands like Opeth and Cynic, Cryptic Divination is a unique "second generation" of sounds from '90s death metal to '70s prog rock. Utilizing heavy riffs, clean sections and screams, they embody a new wave of pacific-northwest progressive death metal.

    30 min
  3. April Fox and Deep Dark Yoga

    APR 13

    April Fox and Deep Dark Yoga

    April Fox has been teaching yoga in Portland OR since 2014, and running classes to doom metal since 2016.  🌒Deep Dark Yoga 🌘 is slow, gentle flow to the sludgiest, heaviest tunes you can test your amps to. Great for beginners and “not into yoga” people — perfect for anyone interested in tuning on their mat with an epic soundtrack

    29 min
  4. Lee Upton

    MAR 23

    Lee Upton

    Introduction to Lee Upton: I am a multi-genre author, not because I’m polygamous when it comes to genre, but because each genre is addictive and possibly a bit contagious. Along with The Withers and Tabitha, Get Up, I’ve written seven collections of poetry, two short story collections, a novella, four books of literary criticism, and an essay collection. My poetry has appeared widely, including in The New Yorker, Poetry, and Southern Review, as well as three editions of Best American Poetry. I am the recipient of the Pushcart Prize, Poetry Society of America awards, the Miami University Novella Prize, the Saturnalia Book Prize, and other honors. For over three decades I taught at Lafayette College, where I assumed the title Francis A. March Professor Emerita of English and Writer in Residence when I stepped away from teaching to write full time.

    46 min
  5. SWOON, Caledonia Curry

    FEB 24

    SWOON, Caledonia Curry

    Caledonia Curry, known as Swoon, is a contemporary artist and filmmaker recognized around the world for her pioneering vision of public artwork. Through intimate portraits, immersive installations, and multi-year community based projects, she has spent over 20 years exploring the depths of human complexity, and asking how art can fundamentally re-envision the communities we live in towards a more just and equitable world. She is best known as one of the first women Street Artists to gain international recognition in a male-dominated field, pushing its conceptual limits and paving the way for a generation of women Street Artists. As a classically trained printmaker, she has innovated new approaches to create large-scale relief prints and intricate papercut works. The deep consideration of form is inseparable from Curry’s vision of the transformative role of public art in communities. Her critical engagement with issues of social and environmental justice have positioned her at the forefront of the emergent discourse around socially-engaged art practices. Her commitment to expanding the possibilities of art to repair trauma and foster personal and collective healing continues to drive her substantial contributions to contemporary art through her work with portraiture, sculpture, installation and most recently, stop-motion animation. This is Something Rather Than Nothing

    36 min

  6. JAN 27

    Darrin Doyle

    Darrin Doyle was born in Saginaw, Michigan. He has worked as a paperboy, a janitor, a mover, a telemarketer, a door-to-door salesman, a Kinko's Copy Consultant, a porn store clerk, a pizza delivery guy, a prep cook, a magazine store clerk, a technical writer, a freelance newspaper writer, an English teacher in Japan, and finally, a professor and an author. ​Darrin has a brown belt in Tae Kwon Do and wishes he had stuck with it a little longer to get the danged black belt. Darrin hoards and plays lots of musical instruments: guitar, piano, drums, mandolin, banjo, bass, ukelele, and a diatonic 4-string stick dulcimer. He lives in Mount Pleasant, Michigan and teaches at Central Michigan University. He knows what skeletons do. This is something rather than nothing

    34 min
  7. ART BAR Magazine

    JAN 1

    ART BAR Magazine

    Art Bar is a thick, coffee table Art Magazine, printed in the U.S. on high quality paper stock. The features are about the lived human experiences of creatives and how they shape our artwork. We are aiming to fill a space in the art world, inspiring both established and emerging artists.

    1h 10m
  8. Keeli Littleleaf

    12/01/2025

    Keeli Littleleaf

    A proud powwow dancer, cultural educator, and fashion visionary, Keeli Littleleaf continues to blaze trails wherever she goes. Known for her signature high-step jingle and fringe style, she embodies power, healing, and movement through every step and every stitch. As the founder of the Northwest/West Coast Indigenous Fashion show & Market and creator of AYAYAT, a fashion line inspired by her Indian name Ayayat Washasha — meaning “beautiful dancing” — Keeli weaves ancestral teachings into breathtaking couture that celebrates body positivity, inclusivity, and Indigenous elegance. From walking NYC Fashion Week to designing for MMIP awareness with her powerful Medicine Ledger Dress, Keeli’s artistry moves with purpose and passion. She is the heartbeat of a new generation — where fashion becomes ceremony and storytelling becomes medicine. Something Rather than Nothing Podcast is an international show focuses on art, philosophy and liberation

    33 min
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5
out of 5
28 Ratings

About

Why is there something rather than nothing? This podcast is a philosophical and psychological exploration into the act of creation (poets, musicians, writers, painters, thinkers, all of us) by: Ken Volante

Information

  • Creator
    Ken Volante
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    317
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2019 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Something (rather than nothing)