Chanda Bell, founder, and chief storyteller of The Lumistella Company, discusses the story behind their world-famous “Elf of the Shelf.” Plus, Ben Garden of the band Melodic Monster takes the spotlight in our series, “Speaking of Music.”

Chanda Bell, founder, and chief storyteller of The Lumistella Company, discusses the story behind their world-famous “Elf of the Shelf.” Plus, Ben Garden of the band Melodic Monster takes the spotlight in our series, “Speaking of Music.”

Discover the best of Atlanta's arts and culture on The City Lights Collective from WABE. Short stories, rich voices, and innovative ideas, presented by a team of local contributors. From music and theater to spoken word, food, film, and festivals, this is the pulse of Atlanta’s creative world.

Discover the best of Atlanta's arts and culture on The City Lights Collective from WABE. Short stories, rich voices, and innovative ideas, presented by a team of local contributors. From music and theater to spoken word, food, film, and festivals, this is the pulse of Atlanta&rsquo;s creative world.

The City Lights Collective

🔊 WABE Podcasts > News, Politics, Health

Discover the best of Atlanta's arts and culture on The City Lights Collective from WABE. Short stories, rich voices, and innovative ideas, presented by a team of local contributors. From music and theater to spoken word, food, film, and festivals, this is the pulse of Atlanta&rsquo;s creative world.

The Story Behind “The Elf on the Shelf” / Ben Garden of Melodic Monster

✦ The band DEVO has been holding up a funhouse mirror to America for nearly fifty years. They broke out of Akron, Ohio, in the late '70s with a sound that was part punk, part art experiment, and all warning signs. Their concept of 'de-evolution'—that instead of progressing, society was actually regressing—felt satirical back then. But looking around today, it feels eerily predictive. As we face cuts to public radio funding and political attacks on the arts, DEVO's vision of a culture slipping backward suddenly feels less like a metaphor and more like the nightly news. When the band was in town for Shaky Knees on Sunday, City Lights Collective co-host Kim Drobes caught up with founding members Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale to discuss the stakes for artists today, how this moment connects to their work, and what survival—and maybe even resistance—looks like in 2025.

✦ Two of Oakland Cemetery's beloved programs are coming together for a full day of music and community. WABE arts reporter Summer Evans has more on the makeup/mashup they're calling Sunday in the Park featuring Tunes from the Tombs.

✦ As summer winds down and Atlanta weather moves from merely "tolerable" and increasingly towards "pleasant," you might be compelled to engage in some outdoor festivities, and you're in luck because the East Atlanta Strut is this Saturday! City Lights Collective Engineer Matt McWilliams has more on how this neighborhood likes to let loose, throw down, and let its freak flag fly.

✦ We love visiting with our artistic community "In Their Own Words." This is where they tell us who they are, what they do, what they love, and a few things you might not see coming. What things? Who knows, there's only one way to find out. Today, we shone a light on Atlanta artist Cyrus Nelson and Atlanta comedian Dante Quitman.

✦ You can see how dancers become one with nature in the new Flux Project film "Braiding Time, Memory and Water." Created by Core Dance artistic director Sue Schroeder, the film was a collaboration with conceptual artist Jonathon Keats and composer Felipe Pérez Santiago. The dances took place along the Chattahoochee River, and the film will be screened on Core Dance's storefront each evening through October 12. WABE arts reporter Summer Evans recently spoke with Schroeder about the project.

✦ Atlanta has a rich and lasting tradition of amazing poetry open mics. In venues, grottos, parks, and cafes all over the city, people speak their loudest truths, deepest hurts, and immeasurable joys to finger-snapping audiences. Some poetry open mics come and go, and some stick and stay. The Thursday night open mic at Urban Grind is the latter. Every Thursday night for the last nineteen years, people have taken the floor and taken the invitation to speak, even if their voices tremble. City Light's Collective Co-Host Jon Goode sat down with the Owner of Urban Grind, Cassandra Ingram, and longtime host B Rock to discuss the legacy and future of the iconic event.

 

✦ The band DEVO has been holding up a funhouse mirror to America for nearly fifty years. They broke out of Akron, Ohio, in the late '70s with a sound that was part punk, part art experiment, and all warning signs. Their concept of 'de-evolution'&mdash;that instead of progressing, society was actually regressing&mdash;felt satirical back then. But looking around today, it feels eerily predictive. As we face cuts to public radio funding and political attacks on the arts, DEVO's vision of a culture slipping backward suddenly feels less like a metaphor and more like the nightly news. When the band was in town for Shaky Knees on Sunday, City Lights Collective co-host Kim Drobes caught up with founding members Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale to discuss the stakes for artists today, how this moment connects to their work, and what survival&mdash;and maybe even resistance&mdash;looks like in 2025.
✦ Two of Oakland Cemetery's beloved programs are coming together for a full day of music and community. WABE arts reporter Summer Evans has more on the makeup/mashup they're calling Sunday in the Park featuring Tunes from the Tombs.
✦ As summer winds down and Atlanta weather moves from merely "tolerable" and increasingly towards "pleasant," you might be compelled to engage in some outdoor festivities, and you're in luck because the East Atlanta Strut is this Saturday! City Lights Collective Engineer Matt McWilliams has more on how this neighborhood likes to let loose, throw down, and let its freak flag fly.
✦ We love visiting with our artistic community "In Their Own Words." This is where they tell us who they are, what they do, what they love, and a few things you might not see coming. What things? Who knows, there's only one way to find out. Today, we shone a light on Atlanta artist Cyrus Nelson and Atlanta comedian Dante Quitman.
✦ You can see how dancers become one with nature in the new Flux Project film "Braiding Time, Memory and Water." Created by Core Dance artistic director Sue Schroeder, the film was a collaboration with conceptual artist Jonathon Keats and composer Felipe P&eacute;rez Santiago. The dances took place along the Chattahoochee River, and the film will be screened on Core Dance's storefront each evening through October 12. WABE arts reporter Summer Evans recently spoke with Schroeder about the project.
✦ Atlanta has a rich and lasting tradition of amazing poetry open mics. In venues, grottos, parks, and cafes all over the city, people speak their loudest truths, deepest hurts, and immeasurable joys to finger-snapping audiences. Some poetry open mics come and go, and some stick and stay. The Thursday night open mic at Urban Grind is the latter. Every Thursday night for the last nineteen years, people have taken the floor and taken the invitation to speak, even if their voices tremble. City Light's Collective Co-Host Jon Goode sat down with the Owner of Urban Grind, Cassandra Ingram, and longtime host B Rock to discuss the legacy and future of the iconic event.
&nbsp;

DEVO at Shaky Knees ✦ Sunday in the Park featuring Tunes from the Tombs ✦ East Atlanta Strut ✦ Atlanta comedian Dante Quitman ✦ "Braiding Time, Memory and Water"  ✦ Atlanta comedian Dante Quitman ✦ Urban Grind Open Mic Night

✦ The late great Radcliffe Bailey was a painter, sculptor, and mixed media artist who produced work that was personal, global, beautiful, complex, and resonated in a way that stayed with you long after you'd seen it. He was a citizen of the world and Atlanta's own. On September 26, the Auburn Avenue Research Library will host a panel entitled "Southern Ground: The Legacy of Radcliffe Bailey and the Future of Black Southern Art." It's absolutely free, and there will be a discussion that honors Bailey's work and explores his enduring influence on contemporary Black Southern art. City Lights Collective Co-Host Jon Goode sat down with curator Karen Comer Lowe, who will be moderating the panel, and artist Shelia Pree Bright, who will sit on the panel, to discuss Bailey, his life, his art, his importance, and the upcoming panel.

✦ City Lights Collective member Shane Harrison spends his days at Arts ATL looking for cultural events to share with readers. He joins us weekly to share highlights, and today his mix includes The Atlanta Indian Film Festival and the Sweet Auburn Music Fest.

✦ ✦ Atlanta author Julie Olivia's new romance novel, "If It Makes You Happy," is described as Gilmore Girls meets the "Pumpkin Spice Café"—but a lot steamier. The slow-burn story is set in 1997 in the small town of Copper Run, Vermont, and tells the story of a recently divorced innkeeper and her new, seemingly perfect next-door neighbor. WABE arts reporter Summer Evans spoke with Olivia about this recent release.

✦ Visual artist and music enthusiast Kosmo Vinyl bought his first LP when he was nine and spent the next several decades immersed in music before beginning his professional career at London's pioneering indie label, "Stiff Records." In 1979, Kosmo started working exclusively with "The Clash" and stayed by their side until the punk icons disbanded in 1986. Over the years, Kosmo's record collection became legendary. In 2014, he began posting about his favorite releases on social media for his series, "Kosmo's Vinyl of the Week." In January, he began joining City Lights weekly to share the stories behind the records he treasures.

✦ Atlanta artist and puppet creator Chantelle Rytter is known for weaving magic into the streets of Atlanta. If you've ever been to the Atlanta Beltline Lantern Parade, then you've likely seen her in action. Here on the City Lights Collective, she covered our "Collective Joy" beat, talking about events that bring community together in the most beautiful, artistic, and sometimes quirky ways. On Saturday October 4, Rytter and the Krewe of the Grateful Gluttons will host "Where the Weird Things Are," an event that's set to transform the Old Fourth Ward Park. Now this isn't your typical parade — it's an entirely unique experience- a stationary "upside down parade" where giant mystical creatures come to life, and we get to parade around them. City Lights collective co-host Kim Drobes recently caught up with Rytter to learn more about the Collective Joy that awaits us on October 4.

✦ The late great Radcliffe Bailey was a&nbsp;painter, sculptor, and mixed media artist&nbsp;who produced work that was personal, global, beautiful, complex, and resonated in a way that stayed with you long after you'd seen it. He was a citizen of the world and Atlanta's own. On September 26, the Auburn Avenue Research Library will host a panel entitled "Southern Ground: The Legacy of Radcliffe Bailey and the Future of Black Southern Art." It's absolutely free, and there will be a discussion that honors Bailey's work and explores his enduring influence on contemporary Black Southern art. City Lights Collective Co-Host Jon Goode sat down with curator Karen Comer Lowe, who will be moderating the panel, and artist Shelia Pree Bright, who will sit on the panel, to discuss Bailey, his life, his art, his importance, and the upcoming panel.
✦ City Lights Collective member Shane Harrison spends his days at Arts ATL looking for cultural events to share with readers. He joins us weekly to share highlights, and today his mix includes The Atlanta Indian Film Festival and the Sweet Auburn Music Fest.
✦ ✦ Atlanta author Julie Olivia's new romance novel, "If It Makes You Happy," is described as Gilmore Girls meets the "Pumpkin Spice Caf&eacute;"&mdash;but a lot steamier. The slow-burn story is set in 1997 in the small town of Copper Run, Vermont, and tells the story of a recently divorced innkeeper and her new, seemingly perfect next-door neighbor. WABE arts reporter Summer Evans spoke with Olivia about this recent release.
✦ Visual artist and music enthusiast Kosmo Vinyl bought his first LP when he was nine and spent the next several decades immersed in music before beginning his professional career at London's pioneering indie label, "Stiff Records." In 1979, Kosmo started working exclusively with "The Clash" and stayed by their side until the punk icons disbanded in 1986. Over the years, Kosmo's record collection became legendary. In 2014, he began posting about his favorite releases on social media for his series, "Kosmo's Vinyl of the Week." In January, he began joining City Lights weekly to share the stories behind the records he treasures.
✦ Atlanta artist and puppet creator Chantelle Rytter is known for weaving magic into the streets of Atlanta. If you've ever been to the Atlanta Beltline Lantern Parade, then you've likely seen her in action. Here on the City Lights Collective, she covered our "Collective Joy" beat, talking about events that bring community together in the most beautiful, artistic, and sometimes quirky ways. On Saturday October 4, Rytter and the Krewe of the Grateful Gluttons will host "Where the Weird Things Are," an event that's set to transform the Old Fourth Ward Park. Now this isn't your typical parade &mdash; it's an entirely unique experience- a stationary "upside down parade" where giant mystical creatures come to life, and we get to parade around them. City Lights collective co-host Kim Drobes recently caught up with Rytter to learn more about the Collective Joy that awaits us on October 4.

✦ "Southern Ground: The Legacy of Radcliffe Bailey and the Future of Black Southern Art" ✦ ArtsATL weekly cultural calendar ✦ "If It Makes You Happy" ✦ Kosmo's Vinyl of the Week ✦ "Where the Weird Things Are"

✦ Since 2010, The Goat Farm has served as home to artists of all types in Atlanta. After a brief period of renovations, it reopened in 2024 and is now bigger and better than ever. You can see it in all of its glory at this year's second annual SITE festival. Sprawling over the whole 12 acres of the Goat Farms property will be exhibitions and installations of all kinds. City Lights Collective producer Josh Thane spoke with the goat farms' design and creative director, Allie Bashuk, about the upcoming SITE festival.

✦ City Lights Collective member and award-winning Atlanta comedian Joel Byars is one of the hardest-working people in the business. He hosts many comedy events around town, and his podcast, "Hot Breath Pod," aims to uplift his fellow comedians. Byars joins us weekly to share his picks for this week's must-see Comedy, and today his mix includes an Atlanta version of "Mom's Unhinged" and two nights of Josh Johnson at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center.

✦ Harriet Tubman was more than just the operator of the Underground Railroad. She also led a Civil War raid that freed more than 700 enslaved people in a single day. That dramatic chapter of the war is the focus of "COMBEE," the Pulitzer Prize–winning book by historian and Emory alum Edda Fields-Black. The author is back in Atlanta on Monday, September 29, at the Georgia Center for the Book. Fields-Black recently spoke with "City Lights Collective" member Alison Law about the Pulitzer Prize and bringing COMBEE's untold stories to life.

✦ And I'm Kim Drobes. It's time now to hear from our artistic community In Their Own Words. This is where they tell us who they are, what they do, what they love, and a few things you might not see coming. What things? Who knows, there's only one way to find out. Today, we shine a light on the band Solid State Radio.

✦ In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, which began on September 15, The Gallery at Abernathy Arts Center presents "Caminos Compartidos." Showcasing vibrant and diverse works by artists of Latin origin, the exhibition is on view through October 30. WABE arts reporter Summer Evans spoke with the curator of the exhibit, Carol Santos.

✦ Since 2010, The Goat Farm has served as home to artists of all types in Atlanta. After a brief period of renovations, it reopened in 2024 and is now bigger and better than ever. You can see it in all of its glory at this year's second annual SITE festival. Sprawling over the whole 12 acres of the Goat Farms property will be exhibitions and installations of all kinds. City Lights Collective producer Josh Thane spoke with the goat farms' design and creative director, Allie Bashuk, about the upcoming SITE festival.
✦ City Lights Collective member and award-winning Atlanta comedian Joel Byars is one of the hardest-working people in the business. He hosts many comedy events around town, and his podcast, "Hot Breath Pod," aims to uplift his fellow comedians. Byars joins us weekly to share his picks for this week's must-see Comedy, and today his mix includes an Atlanta version of "Mom's Unhinged" and two nights of Josh Johnson at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center.
✦ Harriet Tubman was more than just the operator of the Underground Railroad. She also led a Civil War raid that freed more than 700 enslaved people in a single day. That dramatic chapter of the war is the focus of "COMBEE," the Pulitzer Prize&ndash;winning book by historian and Emory alum Edda Fields-Black. The author is back in Atlanta on Monday, September 29, at the Georgia Center for the Book. Fields-Black recently spoke with "City Lights Collective" member Alison Law about the Pulitzer Prize and bringing COMBEE's untold stories to life.
✦ And I'm Kim Drobes. It's time now to hear from our artistic community In Their Own Words. This is where they tell us who they are, what they do, what they love, and a few things you might not see coming. What things? Who knows, there's only one way to find out. Today, we shine a light on the band Solid State Radio.
✦ In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, which began on September 15, The Gallery at Abernathy Arts Center presents "Caminos Compartidos." Showcasing vibrant and diverse works by artists of Latin origin, the exhibition is on view through October 30. WABE arts reporter Summer Evans spoke with the curator of the exhibit, Carol Santos.

The Story Behind “The Elf on the Shelf” / Ben Garden of Melodic Monster

In 1 playlist(s)

The City Lights Collective

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips