LIFTED

How do you start a mass movement? In this case, all it takes is the distant ring of a bicycle bell. And it begins: around one thousand people on bicycles, moving together. This is Slow Roll Buffalo. Seamus helped to start the event as a way to get people reconnecting with the city. 

Nuggs is a dog. He was picked up by the City of Buffalo Animal Shelter as a stray. His hobbies include shaking toys, crunching on bones really loudly, and going on fun walks. Nuggs is accompanied by a human, Julie, who is a volunteer with the Friends of the City of Buffalo Animal Shelter.  Heads up: there's some sensitive content here, so maybe it's not suitable for young children.

Musician Jaz Frazier performs as her superego Hop Hop, which gives her license to let loose and be “weird and extreme” on stage. But there’s a lot of groundwork that goes into writing the songs she performs. And making time to make music can be a challenge. Aside from our usual title theme, all of the music in this episode is by Hop Hop and engineered by Steak and Cake Records. You can find Hop Hop’s music on Spotify and at iamhophop.com.

Lisa has experienced homelessness and addiction. She’s at the Matt Urban Hope Gardens, which provides housing for once chronically homeless women. But she’s not a resident…   Attribution: The sound effect ‘cinematic heart machine beep’ is by bastardwrio and can be found at https://freesound.org/people/bastardwrio/sounds/338210/

Roller Derby is a sport that is becoming increasingly popular in Western New York. We’re rolling with Sigourney Cleaver, a skater in Buffalo’s Queen City Roller Girls, as she kicks ass on game day. You’ll be transported to the unforgiving, physical, and adrenaline-soaked experience of fighting through the pack during a bout. Pull up your pantyhose - this episode is flying out of the gate so fast you’re gonna get rink rash.

We're back! It's been a while, but since you last heard from us, we've been hearing more from you. In Season Two of LIFTED, there are even more real-life stories to be heard, experiences to explore, and stereotypes to smash. LIFTED profiles the people and perspectives of Western New York with the aim of building a picture of life in modern America.  LIFTED is a weekly podcast brought to you by Rise Collaborative. Season Two will be released May 9 2019. Website: risecollaborative.com Instagram and Facebook: @risecollaborative  

In this bonus episode, we hear more from Rick Smith, businessman and owner of Silo City. In 1940, Rick’s grandfather founded a textured metal company. Rick talks about his experiences growing up knowing that he was expected to become the 3rd generation president of the business. NOTE: Rick’s story was featured in the regular season of the podcast in the episode called ‘Frontiersman of Silo City’. You should listen to that episode first, before returning to this. 

In 2006, Rick Smith bought an abandoned industrial site now known as Silo City. At one time, it was the biggest grain port on the planet. But the grain industry has long since croaked in Buffalo, and most grain companies left decades ago. So why would someone buy a massive derelict complex that includes a bunch of - almost indestructible - concrete grain silos? And what do you do with it?

Vandra Ruppel is Buffalo’s first female head-brewer, but she doesn’t like to focus on that. She just focuses on making good beer. 

In 2014, Nadeen Yousef and her family arrived in the USA as refugees. She now runs her own business ‘Macrame by Nadeen’ from Buffalo’s West Side Bazaar. But it took 8 years to get here.

Andrew Chambers found an anvil in his father’s workshop, and eventually decided to become a blacksmith. What does Andrew think the future holds for the millennia-old job?

George K. Arthur has had a prolific political career. George takes us back to 1963 to explain how a favor to a friend and a small merry-go-round set him on the road to one of his first big elected positions.    Music: Sneaky Snooper by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license  Artist: Audionautix

A weekly podcast of real-life stories brought to you by Rise Collaborative. LIFTED profiles the people and perspectives in an American community. Through telling stories of people starting something new, people striving for personal goals and people thriving in their community, LIFTED aims to capture the various experiences of modern America. Episodes are short, with each focusing on someone different. Released September 6 2018. Website: risecollaborative.com Facebook and Instagram: @risecollaborative Twitter: @RISEcollab