The pep talk pod

Luna Smith wants to bring positivity to your day

Luna Smith of Londonderry talked about her new podcast, The Friend In Your Ear Pod, launched Jan. 11, with new episodes released every Wednesday. Find the podcast on all major podcast platforms or visit thefriendinyourearpod.com.

Tell us about you.

I’ve been married to my best friend for over a decade now, and we are parents to a 4-year-old boy and a 6-year-old Boston Terrier. I went to school for Classics but ended up in the creative realm working freelance from home. I’ve been obsessed with self-improvement for as long as I can remember. In my pregnancy I started a blog called “That Blissful Balance,” ignorantly thinking I had figured it out, only to discover postpartum that balance is not what I thought it was. Since starting the podcast I’ve restarted the blog to be more in line with the podcast — less about a perfect balance and more about all the tips and tools that make life a little more blissful, coming from the perspective of a recovering perfectionist with high-functioning anxiety who believes even the smallest changes can make major impacts on the quality of our lives.

What made you want to start a podcast?

I’m a huge fan of podcasts and listen to them daily in the pockets of time I have between drop-offs and pickups, housework and work deadlines. But sometimes I would just want to listen to something that was more personable and uplifting, like a pep talk from a friend on a particularly hard day, and I thought that if I felt that way, perhaps others did, too. So that was the inspiration to create a podcast that did that — a podcast that felt like a friend giving you a hug from afar and telling you you could do it; a friend to give you company, positivity and to help you believe in yourself when you need it.

What is The Friend In Your Ear Pod about?

It’s mainly a self-improvement and positivity podcast, currently in a season of wellness, both mental and physical, and each week is on a different topic. They mostly feel like motivational pep talks with some personal experiences sprinkled in. There’s a new segment called ‘Good News’ to celebrate listeners’ wins, because celebrating small wins makes a big difference. I also do a mantra of the week to further help with cultivating and keeping that positive mindset. But it’s all done in a friendly, encouraging way, like a friend giving you a little boost of positivity with a dose of understanding and empathy.

Who is your target audience?

I wanted to create an accessible space for anyone who could use a little boost of positivity and friendly support in their lives, but being familiar with the struggles of women and mothers in particular, that is who I’d like to offer the most support to with the topics I choose to discuss. Though some challenges are universal, I hope everyone can gain something positive from listening.

Where do you get your material?

Right now the material is mostly derived from my own personal experiences in self-improvement and wellness, though some topics are inspired by friends, and reader submissions are always welcome. I would love to provide friendly support in any way I can.

What are your future plans?

I would love to grow and expand in any way I can to provide these friendly pep talks to as many people who need them. Eventually I would love to bring on guests who can provide more expertise on particular topics, but for now it’s just my voice and experiences from things I’ve been able to accomplish and overcome through the power of positive thinking, like letting go of perfectionism and navigating anxiety to achieve goals and create a life I love.

What would you like listeners to get out of your podcast?

I want listeners to feel seen and supported in whatever they’re going through — to feel like they aren’t alone, and to get the motivation they need to make every day a little better, because every little win counts. I hope together we can create a community that celebrates and supports each other.

Featured photo: Luna Smith. Courtesy photo.

News & Notes 23/02/02

Rental assistance

New Hampshire has received nearly $3.6 million from the U.S. Department of Treasury through the Emergency Rental Assistance program to assist New Hampshire renters with rent and other housing expenses, including energy and utility costs. According to a press release, the supplemental funds were allotted in response to an appeal made by the New Hampshire congressional delegation in October after the U.S. Treasury announced that New Hampshire would not receive additional resources to continue the program beyond Dec. 29, and New Hampshire Housing was forced to put the program on pause. “The housing crisis continues to be a top challenge facing Granite Staters, with particularly brutal consequences during the intense winter season,” U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who led the delegation, said in the release. More than $230 million in assistance was provided to more than 23,000 households across the state through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program from when it was launched in March 2021 to when it was put on pause in October 2022. Visit nhhfa.org/emergency-rental-assistance for updates and to apply for assistance.

Covid detection

Data from New Hampshire’s wastewater surveillance for detecting Covid levels is now available to the public on a new online dashboard at covid19.nh.gov/wastewater-surveillance. Because the virus can be shed in wastewater, viral fragments in community-wide samples collected from wastewater treatment facilities can be used to track trends in levels of the virus over time. The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Public Health

Services launched the program in December as a potential tool to monitor the virus in New Hampshire communities and issue earlier warnings to the public about rising levels, according to a press release. The dashboard cautions against using the current data to inform public health as several months of data are required for accurate interpretation and establishing trends.

New shelters

Manchester homelessness initiatives are working to open two 24-hour emergency shelters following the City’s eviction of a large homeless encampment at Manchester and Pine streets that left about 50 people with nowhere to live, WMUR reported. The YCWA will oversee the reopening of the Tirrell House on Brook Street to provide 14 to 16 beds for women, and the City will oversee the other shelter, which will provide 40 beds for men and women. The City-run shelter is expected to be open until April while the YCWA is seeking to keep the Tirrell House open permanently. The City set up a temporary warming station at the William Cashin Senior Activity Center on Douglas Street in early January, and that operation will be moved to the City-run shelter once the shelter opens, according to the article.

Hiring freeze

Dartmouth Health, New Hampshire’s largest private employer, has instituted a hiring freeze and plans to conduct a job review process as it looks to close a $120 million budget gap by the end of September, NHPR reported. All open positions at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and the Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinics, as well as job changes, such as employee transfers, adjustments, promotions and filling positions after an employee leaves, will be subject to review. The system currently employs about 12,000 people and had more than 1,000 job openings listed last month, most of which were for nursing and allied health positions.

Back to normal

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services has announced that Medicaid eligibility and enrollment will resume regular, pre-pandemic operations beginning on April 1, according to a press release. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act has allowed all Medicaid recipients to retain their health coverage during the pandemic since March 2020. In the coming months, the Department will be reaching out to those approximately 102,000 beneficiaries currently protected under this coverage to assess their eligibility to continue being covered by Medicaid beyond April 1. “It will be important for Medicaid beneficiaries to watch their mail, email and texts for notices from DHHS and complete their Medicaid renewals in order to avoid a gap in their health coverage,” DHHS Medicaid Director Henry Lipman said in the release.

Tea Talks

The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire’s 2023 Elinor Williams Hooker Tea Talks Series, titled “Bringing it Back: Conversations We Still Need,” begins with its first program, “Before European Contact: Changing the Ways We Present Our History,” on Sunday, Feb. 5, from 2 to 3:30 p.m., virtually and in person at the Portsmouth Public Library (175 Parrott Ave.). According to a press release, the talks explore the history and lived experience surrounding current issues in the Black, Indigenous, People of Color community and provide a safe space for conversation about race, equity, social justice and belonging. Other talks in the series will include “The Paradox of Education for Black and Brown Children” on Feb. 12; “Beyond Forty Acres: Land Ownership and Black Wealth” on Feb. 19; “Shades of Black: Connected by Color, Culture, and Community” on Feb. 26; “Exploring the Heart of Cross-Racial Conversation” on March 5; and “Youth to Power: Black Female Activists” on March 12. Registration is required. Visit blackheritagetrailnh.org/elinor-williams-hooker-tea-talks-2023.

Meredith Village Savings Bank has donated $10,000 to the Meredith Sculpture Walk (meredithsculpturewalk.org) for the walk’s 10th year. According to a press release, this year’s walk will feature more than 30 sculptures. The sculptures can be seen year-round in downtown Meredith.

A new state historical highway marker has been placed on Route 9 in Barrington noting “The Balch Household Graves.” According to a press release, the reinterred gravesites in Pine Grove Cemetery are that of Rev. Benjamin Balch (1743–1815), the first chaplain of the Continental Navy, and a formerly enslaved woman named Aggie (ca. 1740–c.1840), who became known as the town nurse. A map of New Hampshire’s historical highway markers is available at nh.gov/nhdhr.

SEE Science Center presents Science on Tap on Tuesday, Feb. 7, at 6 p.m. at Stark Brewing Co. in Manchester (500 Commercial St.). The topic will be the present and future of organ transplants. Nick Rinella, associate scientist at the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute in Manchester, will be a panelist. Admission is free. RSVP at see-sciencecenter.org/adults.

It came from New Hampshire — 01/26/23

Looking for your next great read? In this week’s cover story, Katelyn Sahagian and Matt Ingersoll talk with some New Hampshire-based science fiction, fantasy and horror authors about their most recent novels, novellas and short stories. Learn about their inspirations and writing styles, and find out where you can grab copies of their works for yourself.

Also on the cover It’s the Hippo’s annual Wedding Guide, and Angie Sykeny brings you all kinds of tips, advice and suggestions for your big day from local wedding experts (page 16). It’s also almost time for the 2023 Hippo Best Of readers’ poll! Vote for your favorite people, places and things in New Hampshire starting Feb. 1 (see details on page 5).

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Homecoming

Blues Fest debuts at Rex

The first New England Blues Festival was a modest one-off featuring regional bands, including Mr. Nick & the Dirty Tricks, led by organizer Nick David. Buoyed by its success, David brought it back the following year and soon was attracting national talent like Chicago heavy-hitter Nick Moss, and the event scaled to multiple venues.

The annual show has attracted a bevy of talent over the years, including Muddy Waters’ son Big Bill Morganfield. David’s former group Mr. Nick & the Dirty Tricks backed him up in 2018. “I get goosebumps talking about it,” David recalled in 2019, “because that’s as close as I’ll ever get to playing with Muddy.”

David always hoped the show would stop in his hometown of Manchester; that will finally happen on Sunday, Jan. 29, on the stage of the Rex Theatre. “I’ve been talking to the Rex off and on for the last few years,” David said by phone recently. “I really like the venue a lot.”

The 13th festival features four guitar heroes. There’s headliner Mike Zito, Moss, playing for his fourth time, Roberto Morbioli, and Paul Size, the latter a member of David’s latest group, and concert house band, The Wicked Lo-Down.

Size is a legend in the blues rock world dating back to his stint in L.A.-by-way-of-Texas band The Red Devils, whose early ’90s residency at the gritty King King club attracted movie stars and music legends. They made an album with Mick Jagger that was never released (one cut was on Jagger’s Very Best compilation), and backed Bruce Willis on his Return of Bruno LP. Rick Rubin produced their lone live album, in 1995.

The Wicked Lo-Down grew out of a fruitful collaboration in late 2019 between David, Size and another guitarist, later replaced by Jeff Berg and augmented by a rhythm section of Nick Toscano and Mike Law. Hobbled by lockdown, they made an album, We Hot, in mid-2020 that stayed shelved for almost two years before its release last November. It’s a barn-burner, with a churning title cut and the Blasters-adjacent “Lena” among the standouts.

They’re now gigging and shopping the record to labels, including Zito’s moniker Gulf Coast. David met the guitarist in 2021 at the White Mountain Boogie & Blues Festival. Zito passed on releasing it, even though he reportedly “loved” the album, according to David. “Nobody was willing to sign us because we weren’t out there gigging … how are they going to make money off us if we’re not playing? Who knows who we are?”

Zito has had a string of blues chart-topping albums in the recent past, beginning with 2018’s First Class Life and a Chuck Berry tribute collection that had assistance from Joe Bonamassa, Walter Trout, Robben Ford, Luther Dickinson and Sonny Landreth. Zito’s most recent disc, Resurrection, received a Blue Music Award last year for Best Blues Rock Album.

The chat with Zito did get David a headliner for his festival, which has two Massachusetts dates, Salisbury and Norwood, along with Hartford, Connecticut, before its New Hampshire finale. “Mike and I have some stuff in common,” David said. “He was into doing it, so we were able to get it together this year.”

Morbioli is an Italian guitarist who comes Stateside once a year. David met him over a decade ago when he appeared on John Guregian’s Blues Deluxe radio show. “It was on the UMass Lowell radio station,” David explained. “I was living there with my wife at the time, and she spoke fluent Italian. We went down there, hung out and played a few songs. We’ve been friends ever since.”

Finally, along with his status as a fest perennial, Moss created an interesting conundrum for David from the time they met.

“I got confused for him often; we’re both similar-looking,” he reported of the guitarist, who rose to fame with Nick Moss & the Pop Tops. “We both had big greasy pompadours, and we’re big guys named Nick. I saw a picture of him once and thought he was me. I was like, why do I have a guitar in my hand? Oh, it’s because that’s not me.

13th Annual New England Winter Blues Festival
When: Sunday, Jan. 29, 8 p.m.
Where: The Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St., Manchester
Tickets: $23 at palacetheatre.org

Featured photo: Mike Zito. Photo by Scott Lukes.

The Music Roundup 23/01/26

Local music news & events

Song truths: With his debut album, Leap of Faith, singer-songwriter Dakota Smart evinced stunning maturity for such a young artist. His performance at the regular Bell and Brick Winter Concert Series will include originals, like the climb-on-a-back-that’s-strong “Believe” and the semi-autobiographical “Sunrise In New York,” along with covers from the classic rock canon and modern popsters like Ed Sheeran, The Black Keys and The Lumineers. Thursday, Jan. 26, 6:30 p.m., Belknap Mill, 25 Beacon St., Laconia, $10 at the door.

Disco fever: Time travel to Studio 54 circa 1976 with Boogie Wonder Band, a 10-piece combo paying tribute to acts like Chic, Sister Sledge, the Bee Gees and their namesakes Earth, Wind & Fire. Both a musical and lifestyle phenomenon, the era still resonates, and BWB has covered it for over 25 years, with two female vocalists and singer Apollo Johnson along with keys, guitar, a pair of horns and a rock-solid rhythm section. Friday, Jan. 27, 8 p.m., Tupelo Music Hall, 10 A St., Derry, $40 at tupelohall.com.

Local color: A former congressman and current talk show host leads Paul Hodes & the Blue Buddha Band, which just released a debut LP, Turn This Ship Around. One song, “The Night I Met John Lennon,” is a true story that happened a few doors from the Dakota in NYC and included the ex-Beatle, Yoko Ono, Andy Warhol and a large quantity of hashish. The rest of the record is an enjoyable mix of roots and psychedelic rock. Saturday, Jan. 28, 8 p.m., Bank of NH Stage, 16 S. Main St., Concord, $21.75 at ccanh.com.

Grunge redux: An evening of ’90s music, Seattle Night is led by Nothingsafe: An Alice In Chains Experience with Justin Ballard of tribute act Song Garden doing a set of Chris Cornell covers. According to a press release, “Nothingsafe reproduces the dark, heavy, and delightfully sludgy rhythmic backbone of AIC, while lead singer SteveO commands the stage with powerful, haunting, and intoxicating vocals.” Saturday, Jan. 28, 9 p.m., Shaskeen Pub, 909 Elm St., Manchester, facebook.com/Nothingsafe.AIC.Boston.

Munch music: Enjoy an afternoon of hickory-smoked barbecue and tunes from Dan Blakeslee. The multitalented singer and guitarist is coming off a heady 2022; he served as official busker at the Newport Folk Festival, an event he designed the poster for a few years back, and joined Anais Mitchell, Natalie Merchant and other stars for a rousing singalong of an Elvis Costello song on the same stage where Joni Mitchell later performed a historic set. Sunday, Jan. 29, 3 p.m., MrSippy BBQ, 184 S. Main St., Rochester. See danblakeslee.com.

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