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Death Valley Girls (Portland Streetcast)
3.3k Plays2 years ago
A delirious time with Bonnie Bloomgarden and Sammy Westervelt of the Death Valley Girls
Stay on after the fun chat for the exclusive live cut of Abre Camino
Your day will be made more smiley by this experience.
Check out their Podcast - available on all major platforms!
Support their Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Deathvalleygirls?utm_campaign=creatorshare_fan
Check out their bandcamp here:
https://deathvalleygirls.bandcamp.com/
Big ups to these heroes!
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Transcript
Introduction to 'Something Rather Than Nothing'
00:00:02
Speaker
You are listening to Something Rather Than Nothing, creator and host Ken Volante, editor and producer Peter Bauer. This is Ken Volante with the Something Rather Than Nothing podcast and I don't know how I did this.
Interview with Death Valley Girls
00:00:23
Speaker
I got
00:00:25
Speaker
Uh, two band members from Death Valley girls and before they play. Um, so we're doing a podcast from the streets of Portland, uh, outside of Kelly's. This is the first really want to welcome you Bonnie bloom garden. Yes. And Sammy Westerville. Hi.
00:00:42
Speaker
Um, thank you for coming onto the show and doing it in such a like quick manner, but, um, big questions. And I tell you, there'd be some, some big questions.
Artistic Identities
00:00:52
Speaker
All right. So, um, one of the big questions is when you were born, were you an artist?
00:01:02
Speaker
Yes, I think I have been an artist for several of the being borns, including this one. But this one is the penultimate or ultimate time of being alive. So I'm very thankful that it all aligned on this journey. If it's if it's a penultimate, then you're anticipating like one more after that. And that's kind of how you're feeling right now.
00:01:32
Speaker
I think I'm good for this one, but I don't have the knowledge to know exactly how many, but I'm feeling like this is either the penultimate, which I just found out is the second to last, or the ultimate life of my human incarnations. Sammy, you're an artist now, but when you were born, are you just totally an artist right then, right when you begin?
00:01:58
Speaker
I mean, I think, yes, looking back, I can say that I was. But growing up, I didn't really know that about myself until I met other artists along the way in my life and felt kinship with them and similarities within myself to them. And just learned, I think, the more I learned how to be a person, the more I realized that I'm an artist.
00:02:25
Speaker
That's wonderful.
Memorable Podcast Guests
00:02:26
Speaker
Now, I want to talk right off the bat about the podcast. Oh wow, that's some, yeah. Okay. Motorcycle. Good street noise. The podcast is so cool and you've interviewed so many, as a matter of fact.
00:02:41
Speaker
Sammy, you've been a guest, and Bonnie, you've run the whole podcast. Top two people that you're like, I can't believe these people in the world exist. They're just absolutely incredible, wild. Can't believe it. A couple people from the podcast.
00:03:00
Speaker
OK, that's fair to ask that question. I would first like to state that everyone I ask, I'm shocked that they say yes, because I ask them because I can't believe that they're really on Earth. The two people that I think are just the most far out, like,
00:03:19
Speaker
really making a dent in society right now in a way that it's important for me to shout them out is Yvonne Smith. She is an alien abductee hypnotherapist. She's out there actually helping people deal with
00:03:36
Speaker
having been abducted, being contacted and I think that that's incredible and I will pump her up to the sky forever. Not just the sky, I guess I'll pump her up on the earth and as far as that goes out into the sky forever. And then Sammy. I realized when I asked the question with Sammy sitting right here, I'm like the question
00:04:00
Speaker
I have to say I was not anticipating that response, you know, I'm honored, but I'm honored. Yeah, I will admit Ricky to our drummer was on the podcast. And I'll pump her up to sadly, Larry has yet to be on the podcast, but he would be my third and fourth and final choice. Wow. Okay. Yeah. I realized when I did ask the question, I might've asked what's your favorite one. So yeah. Yeah.
00:04:26
Speaker
I mean, it's it's it's a question when you ask are you gonna can I ask the hard-hitting questions? There was one I was gonna say I Felt in my heart might be hard to answer and it is I I have a trouble choosing between People for anything Okay, cuz I don't I want everyone everyone's important. That's why I have the podcast. It's a hero's podcast Everyone's a hero if you talk to them about what excites them. I am
00:05:12
Speaker
I'll just be like, well, you do this job. And then they talk so much about how much they love their job. And I'm like, yeah, that's why you're a hero. And they're like, oh, yeah. OK, cool. I'll do it. And it's like, yeah, everyone's a hero. Not everyone. Maybe if you push a piece of dirt a foot back and forth for your whole life,
00:05:18
Speaker
I love that. I love that so much.
00:05:34
Speaker
There's something heroic in there. I don't know what it is right now, but I bet if we talk to that guy, they will tell us their reason and for that we will love them. You know what I mean? I believe that's a Buddhist ritual, moving sand back and forth, too. So it's really the show is something rather than nothing. That's doing nothing. So I totally say I didn't offend any sand pushers.
00:05:58
Speaker
No, I, well, I'm not sure the demographics of the podcast, but I think we're
Touring Experiences of Death Valley Girls
00:06:03
Speaker
okay. Uh, asking about the tour, uh, Sammy, how, how's the tour going? It's been really fun. Uh, we had to take a break for a few days due to some health concerns, but we're all back up on our feet again. And I have to say this is the longest I've ever been out in the States prior to this. The longest I've ever been out was also with death Valley girls about.
00:06:25
Speaker
month and a half ago we were in Europe and this is my first time being in a touring band like this so it's pretty surreal and Every day. I'm just like grateful. I feel like I get to live my dreams every day So I love it first time in a touring bin. That's a good podcast. That's your podcast first time in a touring bin Bonnie Let's talk later Okay
00:06:52
Speaker
Okay, Jenny is the production assistant behind here, and she's in just all of Sammy and Bonnie from Death Valley Girls. What's it like to watch this live podcast outside a Portland bar, outside what looks like the bombing of Beirut in the late 80s, blown out,
00:07:18
Speaker
But Jenny, what is it like to be outside this venue in Mitts Rock Stardom? Tell us. Well, Ken, I'm just simply in awe. I'm in awe of the whole experience. The whole experience just in awe. It's awful. It's awful in that way, separating the two. OK, I want to ask both of you, just the band you're touring with, what like
00:07:48
Speaker
Just like, what have
Music Industry Insights
00:07:50
Speaker
you heard? Like, what's caught you here? Oh, like, musically? Yeah. Oh, my goodness gracious. We have been witness to many things in this whole life. But I would say an artist named Neptune is somebody to truly look out for in every which way. Also, spoonbenders are amazing. We're about to play with black.
00:08:13
Speaker
Black tones for the first time, but dear long friends, Mala Suerte is a friend. And I would say, come girl, A is sick. Reckling sick. Yeah, but I mean, if you were to be dropped on an island today and you could only listen to one artist ever again, I would say Neptune. Damn, damn.
00:08:40
Speaker
I got a little, don't wanna miss this, I got a little something rather than nothing podcast trivia. Episode 80 was the Spoonbenders. And the third most popular episode out of all 153, and I think yours is gonna be Raiden Competition coming right off that, live off the streets. We're trying to get a tour going with them.
00:09:05
Speaker
As of this moment, they're amazing and so much fun and funny. And you know what? The best thing about them is that they're professional as fuck. And you wouldn't think that that matters, but it makes all the difference in the world. This is a hard job to do. We have 64 shows in 90 days. You don't want to be, you want to get on that stage and you want to be ready. And you don't want to, you know, have people falling all around and not, not getting their stuff on stage. I'll tell you.
00:09:32
Speaker
No, that's that's respect. That's the thing about artists, too. There's a lot of hard work behind it and doing it the right way. Awesome. A lot of spoon benders love here. And Sammy, anything to add? I just like to add Annabelle chair legs.
00:09:46
Speaker
And Annabelle Chairlegs, they're amazing. They're out of Texas. They're super fun, really nice people. And then Walter, they're out of Chicago. She's just a magnetic performer. Boyfriend. Boyfriend, our best friend. She's got an album coming out on September 9th. Check that out. There may be a collaboration going on that. There will be a collaboration. Sorry, I don't know what I'm allowed to say or not
Upcoming Releases and Collaborations
00:10:15
Speaker
say. It already came out.
00:10:28
Speaker
Okay, so listeners, as part of this, we're gonna be having, could you do that again? Listeners beware. Okay, it's great having two podcast hosts on a single podcast. We're gonna have some live music from Death Valley Girls following from this. Wanna thank you from the bottom of my heart, Bonnie and Sammy for popping on. Streets of Portland, great music, look forward to your show.
00:10:44
Speaker
I'm getting an exclusive, I'm so excited.
00:10:56
Speaker
Looking forward to saying thank you right now. Thank you. I take back the last minute. Thank you so much. I was just looking at this bulldog over there, and I got really distracted. But thanks so much for asking us to do this. I really, really, really appreciate it. And just look at that dog,
Supporting Death Valley Girls
00:11:14
Speaker
would you?
00:11:14
Speaker
Hey, and everybody, I just subscribed to the Patreon, which you can find for Death Valley Girls and their fantastic podcasts. So everybody jump on there and get the cool shit they can get by being a patron. And Sammy, take us out. Thank you so much. We love you. Thank you and see you soon on stage.
00:11:57
Speaker
So,
00:14:57
Speaker
Here from the place Show me the way If I may say You got me through It's yours today
00:18:02
Speaker
This is something rather than nothing.