I am captivated by storytelling. I am fascinated by the history of oral tradition and thoroughly entertained by audio books and good talk radio. It is not just the tale, but the act of telling it that I find so engaging. My imagination stays busy with both envisioning the story at hand and trying to visualize the actor or announcer who is speaking. I listen for clues that might disclose the reader’s location, their personality, their story. Much of Buffalo’s “local” talk radio is a serious drag, and it’s really too bad. Buffalo is full of great stories and even greater storytellers, but most of them aren’t anywhere near the airwaves.
On Saturday, Western New Yorkers will have the rare opportunity to take part in a live experience akin to an old-fashioned town hall radio broadcast. Trailer Talk, featuring hostess with the mostess Sabrina Artel, is an engaging and interesting approach to storytelling. Driving with her 1965 Beeline Trailer in tow, Artel visits small towns and festivals where she sets up camp and invites people in. Seated at the kitchen table they share their experience and opinions on the topic of choice while snacking on brownies made by Artel in the trailer’s tiny kitchen. Speakers placed outside the trailer allow the audience to hear the conversation unfold–a few may also take a turn weighing-in on the subject at hand.
The program then airs on the radio, and online via podcast or video. This weekend, Trailer Talk will bring its own brand of fun to the parking lot outside the Rainbow Rink in North Tonawanda, preceding the Queen City Roller Girls match-up on Saturday. The derby will feature the Lake Effect Furies vs. The Albany All Stars.
“As a Catskills neighbor to Buffalo, living in Liberty, N.Y. a few hundred miles away, I’m interested to bring Trailer Talk to the streets and participating in the Roller Derby Bout which is a perfect symbol of the multi-layered expression of a community in transition and one of intense revitalization,” Artel shares via email. “I imagine a Buffalo like so many other post-industrial rust belt cities with a loner spirit. Having gone with the punches for so long, a transformation has occurred that is connected to localism–which excites me.”
Come by for a little Trailer Talk and some trailermade baked goods. Artel’s focus for her show this weekend is around women, heroes and villains. Under her careful guidance, it should be an evening filled with entertainment and insights. Maybe you’ll even tell a tale of your own?
Trailer Talk will begin around 6 p.m. The derby begins around 7p.m.
Tickets for the derby can be purchased at the following locations: Shoefly (801 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo, 886-3595), Terrapin Station (1172 Hertel Ave., Buffalo, 874-6677), Village Beer Merchant (547 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo, 881-1080) , Rainbow Rink (10 Oliver St., North Tonawanda, 693-1100), and Redhouse Tattoo (4820 Broadway, Depew, 684-6044).
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Images courtesy of Trailer Talk. Inset image: Sabrina Artel talks with Arianna Huffington.