People around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, know the word “gumbands.”It’s a regionalism, a somewhat wacky word that some call an example of “Pittsburghese.” A gumband is simply a rubber band, and we all know those words too, but we also often have a bit of pride in our exclusive Pittsburgh vocabulary.
WQED’s longtime producer Rick Sebak is the host, and he works closely with podcast creator Rich Capaldi who has been producing at WQED since 2017.
Brooke Barker writes and illustrates books about animals. Some of the creatures are familiar, others may be rare, all have captured her attention (and her sense of humor) for a wide variety of reasons. Her most popular work is titled Sad Animal Facts, but she has also put together a follow-up titled Sad Animal Babies, and her newest book is called How Do Meerkats Order Pizza?
25 Sept 2023
011: Day Bracey
Day Bracey is a Pittsburgh comedian and podcaster who also organizes festivals, including the beautiful beer-based Barrel & Flow Fest that celebrates African-American culture, arts, cuisine and collaborations that encourage black-owned breweries, businesses and brilliant ideas across America.
11 Sept 2023
010: Anna Singer
Anna Singer sings. She paints. She shares classical music on our FM radio station. And she does all of these with style and grace and enthusiasm. And she’s a wonderful guest on this episode of GUMBANDS as well.
28 Aug 2023
009: Sebastian Lobo-Guerrero
Sebastian Lobo-Guerrero knows how to tell a good story.
He came to Pittsburgh as a student at Pitt in 2001, studying geo-technical engineering (still his specialty), involving the complicated composition of the earth beneath our feet and under all sorts of structures and their foundations. As a Geotechnical Project Manager at a company called AGES Inc. with headquarters in Canonsburg, PA., he has worked on many projects, including several around Pittsburgh, the City of Retaining Walls as well as the City of Bridges.
14 Aug 2023
008: Rick Sebak
Rick Sebak is celebrating his 50th anniversary year working in Public Broadcasting. For this episode of Gumbands, co-producer Rich Capaldi has taken Rick's seat, and Rick is the guest!
31 Jul 2023
007: Tom Roberts Part 2
We continue our talk with pianist-composer-historian Tom Roberts, finding out about his moving back to Pittsburgh, his continuing connections with Leon Redbone, his work on Martin Scorsese’s movie “The Aviator,” and his ongoing work with discovering and preserving the often overlooked musical history of Pittsburgh and its mighty musicians from the decades before World War II.
17 Jul 2023
006: Tom Roberts Part 1
Tom Roberts is a pianist, a composer, a 78 rpm record collector and a musical historian with special interest in late 19th century and early 20th century Pittsburgh musicians who are often overlooked.
3 Jul 2023
005: Mark Houser & Skyscrapers
How do you hold together a wide range of topics from bow ties to American Standard bathtubs? From French President Emmanuel Macron to elevator technology? From the old Mad Mex Restaurant on Atwood Street to the Shroud of Turin? From early lightbulbs to the kindness of Fred Rogers? You hold them all together with GUMBANDS.
19 Jun 2023
004: John Tarallo & Steel City Salt Company
John and Candy Tarallo sell salts and spices that are wonderful ways to make your foods taste better. They started selling their wares on a sidewalk table in the Strip District in 2014, and have since opened a small brick-and-morter Steel City Salt shop on Grant Avenue in Millvale.
For GUMBANDS, we talk to John about the history of this business, how it’s grown and the development of special spicy blends that he and Candy create themselves.
5 Jun 2023
003: Jared Evans & Radical Trivia
Jared Evans asks interesting questions in various locations around the Pittsburgh area, primarily in bars on weeknight evenings, attracting a local and loyal audience as well as unexpected newcomers. Often with saucy language, he runs a business called Radical Trivia that allows him to perform a bit as well as captivate and challenge drinking patrons of all sorts.
22 May 2023
002: Bill Tippins & The Ghost Warriors
Bill Tippins has written two novels set in the Stone Age in a territory that may seem familiar to readers from Western Pennsylvania. Intended for YA (Young Adult) readers, the books focus on a boy named Tioga and his best friend Kopi as they take on several difficult quests near where the Allegewi River and the Angry River meet to form the Great River.
Bill Tippins has worked in the Pittsburgh area as an electrical engineer, but he has also spent years working on these books that may remind readers of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and J.K. Rowling.
With great affection for both books, GUMBANDS host Rick Sebak asks Tippins about his writing process, his ongoing interest in pre-history and his creative inspirations.
16 May 2023
001: Sarah McAlee aka @brothmonger
Sarah McAlee makes soups. A wide variety of soups from chowders to bisques to gazpachos and noodle-y broths. She started by selling to friends from her home on Pittsburgh’s North Side in 2018, mostly through her Instagram account @brothomnger, but the number of her hungry fans have grown steadily since then. You can now get quarts of her tasty creations at Thyme Machine on Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield.
On this episode, GUMBANDS host Rick Sebak asks her about her soup business and her former work as a funeral director in the South Hills. Lots of good stories.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.9 / 5
59 ratings
Contact Gumbands
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Gumbands?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
