To kick off season 3 of the live podcast Creative Chats event series, I sat down at the Mosesian Center for the Arts for a conversation with musician, producer, impresario, and good-natured mischief lover Zachariah Hickman to talk about how he's continuing to build his second act.

His first act? Touring as a bassist, musical director, and more with acts such as Josh Ritter and Ray LaMontagne (sprinkling in some gigs with The Who and Bob Weir), playing venues such as Carnegie Hall (which included the single scariest moment of his performing career), Red Rocks, and the Royal Albert Hall, performing on the David Letterman show six times. He was on the road 280+ days a year, filling in the gaps flying overnight to play shows back in Boston then fly back to the tour right after. In short, it was awesome...and exhausting.

The second act? Building things locally, for a community, sustainably. This included becoming the pandemic-era "Tuba Guy" to spread joy in the streets, building a recording studio in his Watertown home where musicians can stay for a few days and make a record in a supportive environment, running a music camp and mentoring budding musicians, and putting together unique showcases of local talent.

Listen to hear his journey, philosophy, and add a splash of mischief to your day.

Keep up with Zachariah on Instagram or Facebook

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Upcoming events! Click here to see upcoming live podcast events.

How does one local group of volunteers hand out $34,000 to arts and culture projects in Watertown? I sat down with Elektra Newman and Greg Papazian to demystify how the Watertown Cultural Council funds arts and culture across the city, and chat a bit about the history of the council, some of their favorite projects funded recently, and more.

The Watertown Cultural Council's 2026-2027 grant season is open now through October 15th, 2026. Have an idea? Apply here!

More info at:

WatertownCulturalCouncil.org

Facebook | Instagram | Podcast

Support the show

Head on over to www.littlelocalconversations.com to check out all the episodes, events, and everything else going on.

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Follow on Instagram: @littlelocalconversations

Upcoming events! Click here to see upcoming live podcast events.

Meet Pia Owens! She's done many things in Watertown from having served as a Library Trustee, Co-President of the Watertown Community Foundation, a facilitator for Watertown Community Conversations, and a board member of the Mosesian Center for the Arts. She works as a negotiation coach, tech lawyer, ombudsperson for a writer's collective, among other things. In short, we talk about a lot! Take a listen to learn about her journey through these topics and roles and the lessons and perspectives she's gained from them all.

Find out more about Pia at piaowens.com

Pia's Substack - Let's Have It Out

Pia's monthly column in Psychology Today - Getting Comfortable With Conflict

Support the show

Head on over to www.littlelocalconversations.com to check out all the episodes, events, and everything else going on.

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Upcoming events! Click here to see upcoming live podcast events.

Discover the latest Watertown government moments, stories, and numbers in this relaxed but informative conversation with Tyler Cote, the Director of Communications and Community Engagement for the City of Watertown, and Victoria Weichel from WCA-TV.

See links to things mentioned in this episode at LittleLocalConversations.com.

Support the show

Head on over to www.littlelocalconversations.com to check out all the episodes, events, and everything else going on.

Sign up for the Little Local Conversations email newsletter

Follow on Instagram: @littlelocalconversations

Upcoming events! Click here to see upcoming live podcast events.

How do we support a healthy local arts ecosystem?

This was the question that drove the first Creative Chats Conference that happened at the Mosesian Center for the Arts on June 4th, 2026. This recording is from the second panel of the event that focused on shaping local arts organization and systems. The interactive panel featured 3 panelists and their questions:

Allie Fry (Programming Librarian, Watertown Free Public Library) - How do we make it easier for artists to pitch their ideas (in the right way to the right places)?

DeWitt Henry(Writer and Watertown Lit Squad Organizer) -How do we garner attention for forms of art beyond the most popular local mediums?

Jan Taylor (Fundraising Strategist & Consultant) - What does it mean to be creative if you’re not the one making the art?

The conversation was also aided by Sheri Kennedy, a local artist and graphic facilitator, who graphically notated the panel discussions to provide us with some visual overviews and notes to see as we went along. The episode image features the drawing she did while listening to this panel.

Find the first panel discussion on Art & Money here.

Find all the Creative Chats episodes here.

Support the show

Head on over to www.littlelocalconversations.com to check out all the episodes, events, and everything else going on.

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Upcoming events! Click here to see upcoming live podcast events.

Welcome to The Helping Hand Roundtable! In this episode you'll hear stories of some of the amazing work being done in Watertown to help those in need in our community along with some of the great resources you might not be aware of. The discussion featured 6 local leaders:

Bevin Croft, Chair, World in Watertown

Gary Beatty, Executive Director, Watertown Boys and Girls Club

Janet Saied, Program Director, Project Literacy

Sophia Suarez-Friedman, Program Director, Wayside Youth and Family Support Network

Stephanie Venizelos, Assistant Director of Human Services, City of Watertown

Tia Tilson, Executive Director, Watertown Community Foundation

Links for more info and to get involved:

Safe Space Project, Unity Breakfast, Yard Signs and other projects at World in Watertown

Info on all programs at Watertown Boys and Girls Club

Info on all programs and volunteering at Project Literacy

Info on all programs at Wayside Youth and Family Support Network

Info for Live Well Watertown, Farmers' Market, Food Assistance Programs, and Human Services Department

Info for grants and more at Watertown Community Foundation

Support the show

Head on over to www.littlelocalconversations.com to check out all the episodes, events, and everything else going on.

Sign up for the Little Local Conversations email newsletter

Follow on Instagram: @littlelocalconversations

Upcoming events! Click here to see upcoming live podcast events.

Discover the latest Watertown government moments, stories, and numbers in this relaxed but informative conversation with Tyler Cote, the Director of Communications and Community Engagement for the City of Watertown, and Victoria Weichel from WCA-TV.

See links to things mentioned in this episode at LittleLocalConversations.com.

Support the show

Head on over to www.littlelocalconversations.com to check out all the episodes, events, and everything else going on.

Sign up for the Little Local Conversations email newsletter

Follow on Instagram: @littlelocalconversations

Upcoming events! Click here to see upcoming live podcast events.

Did you know that the United States' first international treaty was signed right here in Watertown?

For this episode, I sat down with a group of people involved with putting together the big Treaty Day 250 commemoration happening on Saturday, July 18th at the Mosesian Center for the Arts starting at 2pm. We chat about the history of the Treaty of Watertown and what to expect at this year's special Treaty Day.

Visit TreatyDay250.com for more details.

Guests:

Erin Rathe, Senior Planner for Economic Development, City of Watertown

Joyce Kelly, Board Member, Historical Society of Watertown

Marilynne Roach, President, Historical Society of Watertown

Matt Jatkola, Associate Executive Director, Mosesian Center for the Arts

Tyler Cote, Director of Communications and Community Engagement, City of Watertown

Support the show

Head on over to www.littlelocalconversations.com to check out all the episodes, events, and everything else going on.

Sign up for the Little Local Conversations email newsletter

Follow on Instagram: @littlelocalconversations

Upcoming events! Click here to see upcoming live podcast events.