Something Rather Than Nothing

Something Rather Than Nothing

byKen Volante | Creative Organizing

ArtsInterviewsEducationMusicReligionSpiritualitySociety

Why is there something rather than nothing?  This podcast is a philosophical and psychological exploration into the act of creation. Follow the paths to personal liberation, creativity, music, painting, deep thinking and the art of the intelligent conversation. ONE LOVE!

Episodes(40 episodes)

Season 1 - Episode 326
Kazu Haga and Fierce Vulnerability
Kazu Haga I have lived in Buddhist monasteries. I have spent the last twenty-five years in social justice movements. I have sat in hundreds of circles with incarcerated people witnessing them do the hard work of healing and accountability. And I have been humbled and inspired by my own, never-ending healing journey.My work tries to bring all of my experiences together in a way that contributes to social change and collective liberation. Each day I find myself more committed to fighting injustice. And each day, I learn more that the fight for justice is not a...
Published: Sep 9, 2026Duration: 43m 6s
Season 1 - Episode 325
J Webster Sharp
Podcast Host Ken Volante here. I am pleased to present J Webster Sharp, who is my favorite, illustrator, like, ever.Jemma has created The Scrapbook of Life and Death, Fondant, and an upcoming work on the super famous early 20th century actor Fatty Arbuckle. I can't even wait to lay my fingers on her Fatty book.Here's an exclusive interview.J Webster SharpThis is Something Rather Than Nothing
Published: Sep 2, 2026Duration: 41m 36s
Season 1 - Episode 324
Vanessa and Isobel Stockard tackle The Universe
Famous Painter Vanessa Stockard and her adventurer-space-mind-explorer-daughter Isobel tackle The Universe!A Something Rather Than Nothing podcast exclusive
Published: Aug 26, 2026Duration: 42m 31s
Season 1 - Episode 323
swinewomb
Swinewomb is a Southern Gothic psychosexual horror play set in the deeply religious town of Caleb’s Rest, where two siblings unravel in the aftermath of their parents’ deaths. As Shiloh spirals into a dangerous affair and begins hearing a voice that may be the devil’s, hysteria spreads through the community. The play blurs the line between piety and possession, asking where evil truly lives.This episode features Reese Villella, Julia Ordway and Carter Williams.Play opening details:Venue: The West End Theatre, 263 W 86th St, New York, NY 10024 Dates: August 22 & 23, 2026This...
Published: Aug 17, 2026Duration: 30m 4s
Season 1 - Episode 322
Victor V Gurbo
Victor V. Gurbo is a roots revivalist singer-songwriter whose work blends folk, blues, and Americana into a sound that feels both timeless and contemporary.  Backed by a four-piece band, he delivers original songs anchored in storytelling and driven by raw, rhythmic energy.  His music draws inspiration from the canon of American song and poetry while maintaining a distinct, contemporary voice.  Whether performing in intimate venues or on larger stages, Gurbo brings an unfiltered intensity to his work.  With a deep respect for tradition and a forward-looking approach, he continues to carve out a unique space within today’s Americana landsc...
Published: Jul 29, 2026Duration: 59m 18s
Season 1 - Episode 321
Jadon Allen and Guilt!
Guilt! is a clothing & video company founded in Portland, Oregon, by Jadon Allen.Each creative work from the company draws inspiration from street art, life experiences, and collaboration. Dark themes are juxtaposed with unapologetically bold and colorful visuals.The company recently relocated to Madison, Wisconsin, with a mission to continue expanding its creative endeavors and connect with new people.New pieces release Fridays at 2:22 PM (PT) on GUILT and video services are available worldwide. DM @guiltpdx for more information!Something Rather Than Nothing Podcast Website
Published: Jul 22, 2026Duration: 27m 0s
Season 1 - Episode 320
NOX SINISTER with Nathan Shapiro
Nox Sinister is hard to pin down into just one subgenre of heavy metal. They use a blend of techniques borrowed from NWOBHM, thrash, progressive, death and even power metal. The members of Sinister pride themselves on marrying aggression with theatricality, often using brutal thrashing riffs to tell complex stories with broad themes. Heavily inspired by the works of Shakespeare, dark fantasy, medieval history, comic book supervillains, and the world of horror movies, Nox Sinister seeks to create a new kind of sound and a new kind of live performance. Often using the phrase they have coined; "violent musical...
Published: Jul 15, 2026Duration: 49m 52s
Something Rather Than Nothing Trailer
Listen to Something Rather Than Nothing one of the world's biggest indie podcasts!Explore ways to creativity, paths to philosophy, ideas to transform and introductions to life's most fascinating creators.Find dancers, painters, thinkers, musicians, esoteric conceptualists, physical contortionists, baseball stories, poets, s^xy movers and shakers, movie directors and, maybe, FIND YOURSELF!?Website Here
Published: Jul 9, 2026Duration: 53s
Season 1 - Episode 319
Rachael Renae and How to Prioritize Play
Rachael Renae Rachael Renae is an artist, play enthusiast, and creativity hype gal based in Detroit, MI. She helps people prioritize play to overcome creative blocks, better connect with themselves and their people, and confidently live big, fulfilling lives. When  she’s not facilitating play workshops or co-hosting the Chaotic Creatives podcast, she’s likely gabbing with pals over voice notes and making a papier-mache project.Something Rather Than Nothing Website
Published: Jul 8, 2026Duration: 1h 11m 20s
Season 1 - Episode 318
'On the Phone' Film Premiere with Kenny Sale and Matthew Kyle Levine
When a young influencer lands a dog food sponsorship, she recruits her estranged mother to co-star - hoping to turn a work obligation into a chance to reconnect. As she road-trips with her boyfriend toward the visit, anxiety builds while personal and professional pressures blur, culminating in a surreal unravelling. Interview with STAR Kenny Sale and Star Director MKL.Raindance timely info for SHOWING Son June 23, 2026 Matthew Kyle Levine page
Published: Jun 22, 2026Duration: 45m 20s
Season 1 - Episode 317
k.g.m.r. and The Rockford Files aesthetic
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...
Published: May 26, 2026Duration: 1h 6m 46s
Season 1 - Episode 316
Cryptic Divination from the soil of Eugene, Oregon
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.
Published: May 5, 2026Duration: 30m 4s
Season 1 - Episode 315
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
Published: Apr 13, 2026Duration: 29m 25s
Season 1 - Episode 314
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 Nove...
Published: Mar 23, 2026Duration: 45m 55s
Season 1 - Episode 313
SWOON with 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...
Published: Feb 24, 2026Duration: 36m 10s
Season 1 - Episode 312
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, dr...
Published: Jan 27, 2026Duration: 33m 54s
Season 1 - Episode 311
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.
Published: Jan 1, 2026Duration: 1h 10m 16s
Season 1 - Episode 310
Keeli Littleleaf and Indigenous Fashion
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...
Published: Dec 1, 2025Duration: 32m 54s
Season 1 - Episode 309
'Connoly' with Stefan Diethelm and Bradly Valenzuela
Stefan Diethelm is a Swiss and German artist, originally from Uzwil, Switzerland. He fell in love with performing at a young age, was trained in classical voice throughout his teens, and studied musical theatre in Hamburg, Germany. He moved to New York City to further his craft, and studied at the HB Studio under instructors like Lonny Price, Peter Francis James and Theresa McElwee. HB Studio is also where he met Eduardo Machado and started writing plays while in his class. Since graduating from the studio, he has been a working playwright, actor, producer, and director here in the...
Published: Nov 17, 2025Duration: 39m 30s
Season 1 - Episode 308
Crystal Skillman
Crystal Skillman is an internationally award-winning playwright, fictional podcast writer, and comic book author who has written for Stories Podcast (Wondery Kids), Girl Tales, Adventure Time comics, as well as Marvel comics. In addition to Open and The Rocket Men, Crystal is the dramatist of RAIN AND ZOE SAVE THE WORLD (premiered in the UK in 2022) and the NYTimes Critics’ Pick plays GEEK, CUT, and KING KIRBY which you can listen to on Broadway Podcast Network.We talk about the big issues of history, war, justice and art. We focus on her new play 'The Rocket Men...
Published: Nov 3, 2025Duration: 1h 31m 32s