Soundside

The tabletop role playing game Dungeons & Dragons was first published in 1974. 5 decades later, there’s a new ‘edition’ of the game out, and D&D has changed dramatically from its origins in a little house in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. The anniversary is happening at a delicate time for the company, Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro. Arguably the first modern tabletop role playing game is, today, fighting for market share – squaring off against a horde of fierce competitors seeking to lure players away to different adventures. So what’s the Renton-based publisher doing to remain on top?   Producer Jason Megatron Burrows is our resident “dungeon master” here at Soundside. He spent 2024 celebrating the 50th anniversary of the game at events around the country. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. RELATED LINKS:  Dungeons & Dragons turns 50 this year. Here’s what the game has meant to you - NPR Dungeons & Dragons' New Core Rulebooks Want to Show, Not Tell - IGN GUESTS:  Chris Perkins - Creative Director at Wizards of the Coast Ginny Di - YouTube D&D Creator See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Soundside team is taking the week off to rest and prepare for some upcoming shows we’re working on in the new year. So in the meantime, we're going to revisit two of Libby's segments from 2024. And to do that, we're going back in time, to the Seattle of the 1990s.  We’ll look back on the music of grunge band The Gits, and hear from the band’s former drummer about his decision to revisit and reclaim the group's history. And later, we’ll revisit the story of a bank robber that feels practically ripped from the silver screen. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. STORIES FEATURED: Mia Zapata and The Gits are often defined by a tragic murder, drummer Steve Moriarty's book tells a different story about the band  Netflix's new hit "How To Rob a Bank" chronicles Seattle in the 90's See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All this week, Soundside has heard from local sound artists about their quintessential sounds of the Pacific Northwest.  We’ve heard coyotes howling across the Methow Valley, the bygone squeak of a metro bus, and the rhythm of melting snow.  Along the way we’ve asked for your favorite Northwest sounds. You sent us some good ones – the sound of North Cascades rain on a tent, and a chorus of frogs croaking in Marymoor Park. You also wrote in with your favorites: the grinding of espresso, the crack of Ken Griffey Jr.’s bat, and the mechanical sounds of fog horns, light rail doors, and Boeing airplanes.  Thank you for all your submissions, and happy holidays. Related Links: KUOW - What is the quintessential NW sound? For Perri Lynch Howard, it's coyotes in the Methow KUOW - What does the NW sound like? Perhaps an old metro bus KUOW - Listening to the rhythm of snow melting in the Pacific Northwest See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are your music listening habits stuck in a rut? Did you open your Spotify Wrapped and realize you listened to the same five songs on an endless loop? Maybe you want to mix it up in 2025, and become more acoustically adventurous.  Soundside is here to help you out - we've rounded up a panel of local music experts to give you some fresh recommendations for albums to check out before we head into the new year. GUESTS: Bekah Flynn, senior publicist, international promotions manager, and A&R representative at Sub Pop Records.  Cameron Lavi-Jones, lead singer and guitarist of King Young Blood. Kevin Diers, host of Metal Shop and Loud and Local on 99.9 KISW. Bekah's picks: Frenching the Bully - The Gits Billboard Heart - Deep Sea Diver  Grim Iconic...(Sadistic Mantra) - J.R.C.G Exotic Birds of Prey - Shabazz Palaces Robed in Rareness - Shabazz Palaces Right Back to It - Waxahatchee Cam's picks:  Honest Bloom - Brenna Bruce Psychotic Spew - Black Ends  Take Care - Big Xtha Plug  Play For Someone You Love - i///u We Talk to Birds - Beautiful Freaks SORRY, IT'S OVER - The OBGMs Neighborhood - Liv Victorino Kevin's picks:  For WHAT Reason! - Fastbacks  Guardian of The Universe (The Final Hope) - Oxygen Destroyer  The Crucible of Life - The Home Team Verses In Oath - Hulder I Never Lie - Zach Top See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Soundside is about to take a long and well deserved break, we’ve got some best-of shows planned for the holiday week, and we’re just generally excited to go DO some fun STUFF! And in that spirit, here’s somebody who has ALL the stuff worth doing: producer Jason Megatron Burrows with a few sneak peeks of things to keep you occupied through Christmas Day! LINKS: The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show Spokane Valley Summer Theatre -  Big Band Christmas Bellingham's Holiday Dockside Market   XMAS ACTION MYSTERY TRIPLE FEATURE | The Beacon Capitol Hill's Christmas Dive Bar If you would like to suggest events for us to talk about in upcoming "Weekend Warmups," please send Jason an email at SOUNDSIDE@KUOW.ORG Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After almost 20 years in public office, Derek Kilmer is stepping down from his role as U.S. Representative for WA's 6th district.  The Representative was chair of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress - sometimes called the “Fix Congress Committee” - from 2019 to 2023.  He’s also the former chair of the New Democrat Coalition - a caucus of centrist democrats with a pro-businesses, moderate approach to fiscal issues. In other words - he’s a guy who spent a lot of time trying to figure out ways to make things work in the House, and how to get members to work across the aisle. Now, Kilmer is moving on to the Rockefeller Foundation in the new year as Senior Vice President for the organizations newly created U.S. Program & Policy team. But, how does he feel about the congress he’s leaving behind? How do you fix a body that seems to be getting more broken by the day? Guest: Derek Kilmer, outgoing US Representative for Washington's 6th district Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Around 3:00am today, a King County Metro driver was fatally stabbed near the 4100 block of University Way in Seattle’s U-District. At a press conference this morning, King County Executive Dow Constantine said that the loss is being felt by everyone in county transit.  "We are not always able to keep what's happening out on the streets away from the transit that operates on those streets," said Constantine. "We are doing everything that we can, and will continue to ramp up our efforts, to make sure that transit is safe for everyone. Including, especially, for our brave operators who are out on the streets every day." Greg Woodfill is the local president of the Amalgamated Transit Union #587. He said he’d like to see more regional resources dedicated to transit safety.  "I don't have all the answers. This is a difficult, societal problem. What I know is that we're not doing enough," said Woodfill. "This is bigger than Metro, this is bigger than Seattle, this is the whole community that we serve."  The attack comes just a couple days after Metro cut service to a cluster of stops around 12th Avenue South and South Jackson Street in the Chinatown International District because of ongoing “safety concerns.” For the latest, Soundside was joined by KUOW reporter Ann Dornfeld, who attended a press conference with transit and public officials in Tukwila this morning.  Guests: Ann Dornfeld, reporter on the KUOW investigations team.  Related links:  KUOW - King County Metro bus driver killed in fatal U District stabbing King County Metro cites safety in closing Little Saigon bus stops | The Seattle Times Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has fired former Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz. The decision was announced Tuesday in a letter from the mayor to the Seattle City Council.  Ashley Hiruko is a KUOW investigative reporter who has been covering news about former Chief Diaz for the past year. She joined Soundside's Libby Denkmann to give a little more insight into what’s happening at Seattle's Police Department. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. GUEST: Ashley Hiruko RELATED LINKS:  Star Wars-themed love letter torpedoed former Chief Diaz's career  Seattle mayor fires former Police Chief Adrian Diaz, cites affair Seattle police chief contender in national spotlight after Wisconsin school shooting leaves 3 dead Seattle police watchdog head resigns in ‘mutual’ agreement with Mayor Harrell, city says  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The light touch of tea glasses. Jasmine vines. Cigarette kisses. These are some of the images the Redmond-based poet, essayist, and translator Lena Khalaf Tuffaha conjures of Palestine in her most recent poetry collection, Something About Living. Last month, the collection earned Tuffaha the National Book Award for poetry.  Through her poems, Tuffaha chronicles the legacy of violence and colonialism in Palestine’s history, while also bringing readers into a homeland that is rich with beauty, family connections, and vivid storytelling. GUEST: Lena Khalaf Tuffaha, author of Something About Living RELATED LINK: Lena Khalaf Tuffaha's author bio  Something About Living publisher information Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does the Northwest sound like to you? It’s a question we’ve asked local sound artists. And this week, we’ve been sharing some of their  sound choices.  Yesterday, Christopher DeLaurenti played a recording of the bygone squeak of a metro bus.  Our next piece of tape comes from Gordon Hempton.  Guest: Gordon Hempton, acoustic ecologist and Emmy Award winning sound recordist     See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.