Annie Bartholomew, KTOO

When you click play on your first Baked Alaska video you’re not sure what you’re watching. Is this real or is this a joke? It seems like a joke, but his raps are kinda good. This video has really high production value, this must be one expensive joke…But it’s not.

“Baked” has secured more than 6,000 Twitter followers, a Sunday feature in the Anchorage Daily News and 35,000 combined Youtube views. Not bad for an unsigned, not-sure-if-he’s-joking-or-not rapper. Now living in LA, the Alaskan hip hop sensation filmed several music videos on a recent trip back to his old stomping grounds of Kenai and Anchorage. His latest video “Grizzly Bear Trappin” released yesterday and has nearly 1,500 views.

Is he gangster? Judge for yourself. The KXLL interview is coming soon.

You know him, you love him, you want to be him: Jeremiah Blankenship.

For the first time in a long time, JB will be back in the studio doing Classic Rock Friday!

After months slaying the corner food market, JB is ready to rock at a new time, ten o’clock. Today marks his last Food Truck Friday and the beginning of a new era of  hot dogs and hot licks.

If you’re not familiar with JB’s Alaskan Sled Dogs, word to ya mother. JB cooks the best hot meat you will ever eat across from Marine Park.

We got a nice surprise Friday when the FileJerks dropped back into the Juneau sphere for a weekend. This is a video of highlights from Astronomar’s set  featuring at least three KXLL DJs and some unknown dancing ladies. The song  used in the video is “Juicy Fruit” by Doctor Dru & Adana Twins which playing during his set.

It’s too beautiful to be inside during the day, but tonight is Monday Night RAW at the Alaskan.

Astronomar and Shorthand are back in town hosting the Juneau hip hop night as the FileJerks.

Stop in after 10 to see your Juneau MCs  getting down.

Back in town, Astronomar and Shorthand stopped by the studio to talk Australia and Scott’s new job playing the Seattle salon circuit. Who can resist getting their hair cut to disco?

The boys are playing tonight at the Alaskan and Monday Night RAW.

Music heard on today’s program:

Perseverance Theatre’s STAR Program is hosting the summer’s final performances. Plays include Shakespeare’s King Lear, the British comedy Cinderella, and a new production of Guys and Dolls. The summer tradition has been going on since approximately 1982.

On a sunny Juneau day, 50 kids sit in the audience at Perseverance Theatre. A prop has gone missing and Program Coordinator Shona Strauser is at the front of the stage seeking information.

So that means someone was playing with the swords. From now on, without a doubt they will get locked up. Or else I will sword you. -Strauser

The students are part of the Summer Theatre Arts Rendezvous Program and they’ve been working for five weeks to produce their plays. The group is comprised of ten to 18-year-olds, some with no previous acting experience. During daily exercises the actors practice pronunciation, projection and movement – led by Strauser. Strauser is the Perseverance Director of Education and has been involved with the program for a decade.

So a lot of theatre camps focus on workshops or just presenting what they’ve learned but this one is in full production mode. This program’s pretty awesome because we’ve got shows running in reps, so one night you could see King Lear, one night you see Cinderella, and one night you see Guys and Dolls. -Strauser

The students perform on the theatre’s main stage, with a set and costumes created by the same technical designers used for Perseverance Theatre’s regular season.

These are all professional people working on children’s theatre and making a huge commitment to young people. -Strauser

Director of King Lear, Donnie Gott, joined the program last year.

 I asked Shona if I could be part of the program because I really wanted to torture some children with Shakespeare.This year she asked me what I wanted to do and I said ‘is King Lear a little crazy’ and she said yes, so I said ‘let’s do it.’ – Gott

Chris Talley,16, and Rebecca Hassler, 14, play the villains of the production. Hassler is a both a seasoned veteran of  STAR, but Talley says his mom forced him to be part of the program.

 I was kind of scared because I had never played a bad guy before. It was nerve-racking to figure out I was going to play someone evil. -Chris Talley

Both are planning to try out for their high school productions at Thunder Mountain and Juneau-Douglas High Schools.

 I’m going to audition for all the plays at my high school. And I want to come back and do more Shakespeare next year, because I love Shakespeare. -Rebecca Hassler

See Cinderella on Friday, King Lear and Guys and Dolls Jr. on Saturday at Perseverance Theatre.  Tickets at the JACC, Hearthside Books and online at  perseverancetheatre.org