If This Is True with Chris Hall

Award-winning author Jane Rubin’s powerful new novel Over There—the final installment in her best-selling Gilded City trilogy—illuminates a little-known chapter of Jewish-American history with striking relevance for today. Set during World War I, Over There follows a family of Jewish doctors and nurses who serve with courage and compassion amid the horrors of trench warfare, advancing medicine while grappling with displacement, rising antisemitism, and questions of identity in a country they were still learning to call home.“More than 250,000 Jewish Americans answered the call to serve in 1917,” says Rubin. “Their stories deserve to be remembered—not just as history, but as inspiration.”The novel speaks directly to today’s climate of global conflict, xenophobia, and renewed antisemitism, offering a deeply human portrait of Jewish resilience and patriotism. Rubin’s characters, drawn from earlier books Threadbare and In the Hands of Women, reflect the immigrant journey from arrival to assimilation, service, and sacrifice—stories that echo in Jewish communities to this day.With Over There, Rubin brings Jewish heritage, wartime service, and untold family narratives into sharp, urgent focus—offering a timely conversation for Jewish listeners today.Give this one a listen!

A proudly queer comedian and artist, Louie Pearlman has been fueling the NYC comedy scene since 2002. His original sketches starring the Sesame Street Muppets are featured at Sesame Street Learn and Play in the American Dream Mall, NJ. As a writer for The Sesame Street Podcast and the Webby Award winning Ready Set Ride with Elmo, he engages young audiences with humor and creativity. An esteemed instructor at The Second City NYC and Improv for Life, Louie nurtures future performers, with his classes featured on People.com. He also produces, directs, performs, and writes for Story Pirates, (where he has appeared on a Tonie!) captivating listeners and audiences nationwide. Co-creator and co-writer of the musical Joey and Ron, Louie’s writing work extends to Archie Comics and articles for Gizmodo and Elmore Magazine. Louie's energy is infectious! Give this a listen!

Bethany Hall is Creative Director of Comedy Initiatives at the Center for Media & Social Impact. Additionally, she serves as the Co-Creator and Executive Producer of GoodLaugh at CMSI where she leads the Comedy ThinkTanks and is the comedy architect for creative comedy initiatives. Hall is also proud to be the Creative Director of the Yes, And...Laughter Lab. She is a writer, producer, and comedian who spent years as a cast member on ‘The Chris Gethard Show’ on TruTV. She co-created and EP’d the series, ‘Thanksgiving’ now on Amazon Prime. In 2023 Hall made her staged works directorial debut at the Kennedy Center in DC. She Executive Produced ‘By Us For Us,’ an original comedy by Color of Change, has performed at Bonnaroo, SXSW, ‘Late Night with Conan O’Brien’ and as the TGS writer, Bethany, on NBC’s ‘30 Rock’. She has done so much and has a great story to tell. Don't miss this one!

A native Rhode Islander, Amy is a mild-mannered health data analyst by day, shamelessly bold improviser by night Her educational background includes a bachelor's degree in Mathematics, a Master of Library and Information Science, and a multitude of classes and workshops with Groundlings School, Impro Theatre, Freestyle Love Supreme Academy, and numerous other instructors from London to Los Angeles. Currently, she can be found coaching and performing at Kismet Improv in Pawtucket, playing on stage in the fast-paced high energy games of The Bit Players in Newport, and taking tarot-inspired improv to various festival stages with Whatever Fate Decides.You can follow her work and performance dates here:  kismetimprov.com and bitplayers.netShe also has a couple of special shows coming up in NYC at The PIT LAB -- October 19, 6pm NYC Sketchfest'25 "Tell Me More" and November 8, 8pm "Shotgun Improv."Enjoy this one!

For the past 15 years, George has served as the Dean of the Orthodox Church in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Earlier in his career he was senior engineer at the National Research Nuclear University and a manager in the research laboratory for Russia Research Institute of Information Technologies, in Moscow. How does a scientist become a man of the cloth? You can find out through this episode!  Atomic Shepherd is his newest book, his 20th. He has had nine novels and 11 books on theology published. He is a member of the Writer’s Union of Russia, and has had over 100 journal or newspaper articles published. Atomic Shepherd was shortlisted by the Dostoyevskiy Literary Award. He has been interviewed by Russian TV’s First Channel, Spas, and Culture, as well as numerous Moscow radio shows. Zavershinskiy resides in Spain but holds dual citizenship in Ireland and Russia. He is fluent in Russian, Spanish, French, English, and Ancient Greek. For more information, visit: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557319811295 Give this a listen!

Superchunk is an American indie rock band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, consisting of singer-guitarist Mac McCaughan, guitarist Jim Wilbur, bassist Laura Ballance, and drummer Laura King. Formed in 1989, they were one of the bands that helped define the Chapel Hill music scene of the 1990s.[1] The band is known for its energetic, high-velocity style and strong do-it-yourself ethic.McCaughan and Ballance founded the successful independent record label Merge Records in 1989 as a way to release music from Superchunk and music created by friends, which has expanded to include artists from around the world and records reaching the top of the Billboard music charts. Superchunk released a string of full-length albums and compilations throughout the 1990s. After releasing their eighth studio album in 2001, the band went into a period of reduced activity. In 2010, the band released a new studio album, Majesty Shredding, and followed it up in 2013 with their tenth studio album, I Hate Music. Their 13th album, Songs in the Key of Yikes, comes out this year.Superchunk's music has been described as punk rock[and indie rock. Superchunk's early influences included Buzzcocks, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., and Hüsker Dü. The band would eventually incorporate elements from such bands as Rocket from the Crypt, Drive Like Jehu, and Polvo.Jim Wilbur and Laura King met with me to discuss success, what's good in music and much more. Give it a listen!

Whatever stormed through the ‘90s and early 2000s with a relentless barrage of punk rock anthems fueled by disillusionment, isolation, and raw fury. Now, nearly 25 years later, original members Ben Wrecked (vocals/guitar)and Matt Fish (drums) are back, louder and sharper than ever, joined by Brett Moore (guitar) and Peter Woodward (bass/vocals) to resurrect one of the Midwest’s most fierce punk acts. Their latest album, Into Darker Days, marks the band’s first full-length release since 1997’s Youngsters (DSR 69), delivering 12 new tracks that hit with the same melodic urgency and unapologetic edge fans have always loved. Leaning into the existential unrest of today’s world, Whatever channels decades of frustration into a sound that’s both familiar and freshly ferocious. This isn’t a reunion. It’s a reckoning.Check this one out, and don't miss them on tour!September 18, 2025Marky Ramone plays the Ramones and Whatever...Beachland BallroomCleveland, OHhttps://app.opendate.io/e/marky-ramone-plays-the-ramones-september-19-2025-598040October 18, 2025Whatever... and The GluttonsFive O'Clock LoungeLakewood, OHOctober 22, 2025Decry, Whatever.., The Situations, and Future ConfusionThe RedwoodLos Angeles, CAOctober 23, 2025Rhythm Collision, Whatever..., For Closure, and The Heart RaceThe SardineSan Pedro, CAOctober 24, 2025Dr. Strange Records Freaky FridayThe Radolescents, The Bollweevils, Whatever..., Rhythm Collision, and The MaxiesThe GlasshousePomona, CAhttps://dice.fm/event/nvbgq9-dr-strange-37th-with-radolescents-the-bollweevils-24th-oct-the-glass-house-pomona-tickets?pid=a1331df1&_branch_match_id=1475983283770168345&utm_medium=partners_api&_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA8soKSkottLXz8nMy9ZLyUxO1UvL1a9ITTI1TE02MTZLMbUvyEyxTTQ0NjZMSTNUqytKTUstKsrMS49PKsovL04tsg1OTEssygQAK4FHYkgAAAA%3D

Katherine Davis-Gibbon is an award-winning children’s book author, publisher, certified yoga and Pilates teacher, and mother of two Generation Alpha kids. She founded Riverlet Press in 2021, as a platform for books that illuminate and enrich the child’s inner life. Her debut book, My Old Friend, Then, received praise from critics, teachers, therapists, and parents, as well as the following awards recognition: Distinguished Favorite in the 2022 New York City Big Book Awards; Finalist in the 2022 American Book Fest’s Best Book Awards; and Distinguished Favorite in the 2023 Independent Press Awards. Her forthcoming book, Words, is already receiving high praise from multiple outlets, including being selected as an Editor’s Pick by Publishers Weekly BookLife Reviews.Prior to becoming a children’s book author, Davis-Gibbon was a contemporary dancer and choreographer for many years, performing in New York City, St. Louis, Albuquerque, and throughout California. By day, she taught Pilates and yoga—initially at Performing Arts Physical Therapy, in Los Angeles, where she worked with a diverse clientele ranging from seriously injured people to Olympic athletes and Hollywood stars—and ultimately opening her own studio. She has a B.A. in Dance from Scripps College, a Pilates Teaching Certificate from Joseph Pilates’ lifelong protégé, Romana Kryzanowska, and more yoga certifications than she can count.You can find her books at her imprint, Riverlet Press, https://riverletpress.com.Don't miss this episode!

"Real American Space Folk" band Electric Blue Yonder was praised by longtime Boston Gobe senior rock critic, the late Steve Morse, for its “meditative mashup of trippy folk-rock psychedelia, cut with a raw Alabama flavor befitting their roots.” Slant Magazine called EBY “a diamond-bright exploration of rock’s past, present, and hopeful future.” Electric Blue Yonder has released three critically-praised albums, drawing inspiration from the psychedelic folk, surf, and cosmic country rock of the ‘60s and the Space Age prog/art rock explorations of David Bowie and Pink Floyd, all while shifting time to the early roots and parlour style guitar of the 20th century. Now EBY is spreading its wings, inviting the young and young at heart to step into a world of color, wonder, and nature's magic with the band’s first album for kids and families, MicroPARTY, set for release on April 25.Beth Hataway and Johnny Veres are at the heart of Electric Blue Yonder. You can learn more about their music and touring at https://electricblueyonder.com.Don't miss this one!