Bronx talk show host Gary Axelbank has announced a new podcast, The Bronx Music Podcast with Gary Axelbank, and the release of the debut episode, recorded on Sunday, Feb. 4, in front of a live audience at The Artist performance venue on City Island.

Of the new podcast, Axelbank said, “Each month, we plan to feature the expanse of Bronx music, which covers a lot of territory!” He added, “There are talented musicians playing all types of music in every Bronx neighborhood. Our intention is to reach out and give them a chance to speak, sing, and play.”

Appropriately, the guest musician on the first episode of the podcast is Elliot Glick, a veteran singer/songwriter, and co-owner of The Artist (formerly The Starving Artist), located at 249 City Island Avenue. In addition to discussing his musical roots and varied career and talents, Glick performs two original songs on his acoustic guitar.

Axelbank added, “It’s a bit of an artistic challenge to do a podcast in front of a live audience, but that’s what makes this so unique, interesting, and fun. Because Bronx talent is so vast, we’re all going to enjoy it.”

According to the host, The Bronx Music Podcast with Gary Axelbank will continue to be recorded in front of a live audience at The Artist on the first Sunday of every month at 1 p.m. Starting March 3, The Artist will serve coffee / tea and pastries from Jenny’s Sweets, which is run by Glick’s daughter, Jennifer Glick, a pastry chef graduate from the Culinary Institute of America, turning the program into a “brunch-like” event as it brings together another category of the arts: culinary!

In select cases, the podcast will be the preview to a full live show by each performer, who will stay on and play a concert for the audience. Episode 2’s guest, which is still to be recorded on March 3, will be Elissa Carmona, lead singer of the Morrisania Band Project. Accompanied by bass player Greg Daffin, Carmona will be singing some R&B favorites.

The podcast’s technical crew is made up of George Williams, videographer, and Sydney Hyatt, production assistant.

Well known as the long-time host of BronxTalk and The Bronx Buzz on BronxNet, Axelbank has been in broadcasting for 48 years. The first dozen years of his media career were spent as a radio music personality, working in stations in Maryland, Delaware, Westchester, and New Jersey. He was a radio station program director at age 24.

In his thirty years on BronxNet, Axelbank has hosted more than 1,425 editions of BronxTalk, which is known as the borough’s flagship talk show, including 95 political debates, as well as programs on housing, education, healthcare, arts and culture, crime and policing, and more. Meanwhile, BronxNet’s The Bronx Buzz show features journalists, performers, and artists.

Axelbank has worked as a producer at WNBC and was the publisher of the thisisthebronx.info news website. Listen to Episode 1 of The Bronx Music Podcast – with Gary Axelbank on Spotify or watch it on YouTube.

Meanwhile, Elliott Glick opened The Starving Artist Gallery on City Island in 1997. The original venue on City Island Avenue featured his own handmade jewelry, and the fine art / fine craft work of local artisans. This included handmade boxes, pottery, paintings, and photographs. In February 2004, Glick decided that there was another group of artists, music-artists, who needed a venue.

A singer-songwriter, himself, Glick wanted to create a space to provide a forum for that artform, and so, he moved his business down a block to 249 City Island Avenue and designed a space for an audience, and musicians and songwriters. Since then, there have been hundreds of performances by songwriters, blues musicians, jazz performers.

There have also been cultural and other celebrations and special events, including nights for young musicians when Glick encourages teens and young adults to pursue their musical talents and dreams. In March 2018, the venue entered its performance-based phase, transforming away from food to a focus on the stage, the music shows, as well as other showcases and theater, as The Artist. The Artist was named the 2023 Best Concert Venue in the Bronx. For more information, visit www.starvingartistonline.com.