This episode of Arts Underground remembers Huntsville's Tip Top Cafe through the stories of local musicians and community members.

This episode of Arts Underground, we visit our friend Santa Bob at his Christmas-flocked house, who tells us about the first time he donned the famous crimson Christmas ensemble 15 years ago. We'll also hear funny things Santa Bob has heard while wearing the red suit, his take on diversity among holiday performers in Huntsville, as well as a direly-needed miracle that took four short hours to materialize, giving Santa Bob another chance at life.

In this episode, we meet local comedian Josh Beard, who is fairly new to the Huntsville comedy scene.

The Pope of Trash, the Prince of Puke, the People's Pervert... These are all monikers bestowed upon John Waters- accomplished filmmaker, author, artist, actor and journalist- who graciously joined us as our guest this week! On October 21, John Waters will be in Huntsville, at Lowe Mill Arts and Entertainment, to give his talk, "False Negative." In this conversation, host Katy Ganaway talks with John about his thoughts on how society has changed its views over the years toward his dedication to grossing out and shocking his audiences, the intricate process of selecting just the right scents for the accompanying scratch-n-sniff card for his film, "Polyester," in Odorama, and more! Just click play to hear their chat, and tune in 89.3 FM/HD-1 on Oct. 15 at 2 PM for music from John's films and personalized playlist!Other-Rama Event Info:https://lowemill.art/event-directory/

In this installment of Behind Our Local Music Scene, we meet Matt Greene. He's part of our local music scene as the drummer for the band Big Gaping Holes, and when he's not on stage, he's taking video of other local bands for DIY LIVE Huntsville! As a founder of DIY Live Huntsville, Matt aims to capture the essence of our community's local music scene, to show to a wider audience, documenting those moments of sheer rock exellence on video. Click play to hear all about it, or tune in live Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022 at 2 PM on 89.3 FM!You can watch all of the performances and interviews Matt has filmed around Huntsville here:https://www.youtube.com/c/DIYLIVEHuntsville

In this installment of Behind Our Local Music Scene, we meet Robert Sharpe, an independent guitar repairman. His passion is making these instruments shine bright and sing beautifully for our beloved local musicians. Robert says one of his favorite parts of the job is researching the history of the vintage instruments he's been asked to work on, and sharing what he finds with the guitar's owner. He feels it adds more to the bond with the musician, and adds his personal touch- a bonus service. He started his business about a year ago, and in the time that's passed, he's built a steady, loyal clientele, and he hopes to keep his workload small, as this is more of a side gig for him-- he does have a day job! Hear all about it when you click the play button!Where you can find Rob's Guitar Service and Repair...https://www.facebook.com/robsguitarservicehttps://www.instagram.com/robs_guitar_service/

This episode of Arts Underground, our special guest is Artistic Director for Fantasy Playhouse Children's Theater and Academy, the effervescent Stephen Tyler Davis! With a background in theater himself- starting at Fantasy Playhouse himself! - Stephen comes full circle, returning to Huntsville from teaching at Sarah Lawrence College in New York.Stephen tells us about some new features at the incoming Fantasy Playhouse building, to be located on Holmes Avenue at the intersection of Triana Boulevard in Huntsville. For example, an inclusive fine arts preschool program begins September 7th, 2022, offering preschool-age kids STEAM-related activities. FPCTA is also offering more sensory-friendly performances with its shows- complete with altered lighting and volume on stage, sensory rooms to find comfort in and sensory kits from Tourism ALL-a-Bama.The music played during this show is not included in this audio file, but a playlist of the songs can be found here.

In this episode, we meet local comedian Christy Montgomery, who started out on the Huntsville comedy scene similarly to that of Midge, the starring character on "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel." Christy tells us that story, plus she says she feels she's accomplished so much she never thought possible in the comedy world, and she's got even more she's working to achieve. We also hear how a keen sense of humor can help you through life, Christy's experience dealing with cultural sensitivity in comedy and more.Funny You Should Ask is a series where we hear from comedians in the TN Valley, getting to know their style, hear intriguing stories about being funny stage and plenty more.Click here to find more episodes of Funny You Should Ask, and other series and past interviews on Arts Underground: https://wlrh.org/series/arts-undergroundShenanigans Comedy Theatre website: https://www.huntsvillelaughs.com/

This year, the Historic Huntsville Foundation fuses art and history in its exhibition at Harrison Brothers Hardware, "Rooted in History: Women as Makers, Creators, Movers & Shakers," on display through September 6, 2022.In this episode, Katy Ganaway talks with the exhibit's coordinator and curator, HHF Executive Director Donna Castellano, who talks about going from researching Huntsville historical women of note to the thrilling experience of holding tangible links to these women in her hands.You'll also hear a conversation with one of the exhibit's featured artists, Tiavalya Befecadu, whose captivating Alabama Authors quilt draws visitors in to this exhibit. She shares with us her process of selecting special fabrics and bold subjects to highlight in her quilts and what she hopes visitors will take away after viewing the art and artifacts on display.Related Links...Historic Huntsville Foundation:https://www.historichuntsville.org/Tiavalya Befecadu: https://www.tiavalya.com/Harrison Brothers Hardware:http://harrisonbrothershardware.com/

Weird Kids MeetUp of North Alabama launched in the Summer of 2021 by Shenanigans Comedy Theatre co-founder, Jessica Cotton. Growing up in a small conservative town in Texas, Cotton found it difficult to fit in with the normal crowd. Her haven from masking her individuality was a small group of friends she still keeps in touch with. Her inspiration to start this group sprouted from not only her experience growing up, but also a need to socialize her children, after the isolated norms of the pandemic began to subside. Jessica encourages her Weird Kids and parents to take the word "weird" as a compliment, turning the commonly negative connotation of the word on its head, and embracing the uniqueness that makes each one of us special.In this feature story, we learn how Weird Kids MeetUp has helped teens like Toby Cotton- Jessica's kid- and Max Beck step out of their comfort zone to find some weird, new friends. We also hear from self-proclaimed weird parents Jenny Stang, Angela Beck, Brandy Anderson and Jessica Cotton herself about their perspective on seeing their children break out of their mold and express themselves more freely.Find a playlist of the music selected exclusively by these weird kids and grown-ups on the Arts Underground page under the Programs tab on our homepage.Weird Kids MeetUp of North Alabama Facebook Group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/855148938717572/Shenanigans Comedy Theatre Website: https://www.huntsvillelaughs.com/