Green Chili Chisme

Frame by Frame: The Rise of Mollie Leivars

Born in Scotland and raised in Darby, filmmaker Mollie Leivars grew up in a working‑class family with deep roots — she still has all her grandparents and great‑grandparents in her life. School was never easy; anxiety pushed her out of the classroom and into homeschooling long before it was common. But at home, something else took shape. Her mother introduced her to film, and Mollie began putting on shows for her family before she could even name what storytelling was.
By fifteen, she moved behind the camera and created her first short film. Her work has always leaned into the real issues facing young people — bullying, drugs, crime — and her first film on knife crime was so powerful it brought her local police into her creative orbit. They partnered with her on her next three projects.
In 2022, she stepped onto the film festival circuit, chasing longevity, purpose, and the legacy she hopes to leave behind.
This conversation is honest, grounded, and full of heart. Mollie is a bright star with a filmmaker’s eye and an old soul’s wisdom. Her journey is just beginning, and you can feel the weight of what she’s building.

Robert LaRoche — A Sacred Vow to the Craft

Robert LaRoche’s story begins in the paper mill town of Holyoke, Massachusetts, where music filled the house thanks to older siblings and a grandfather who immigrated from Canada. By twelve he had a guitar in his hands, and by fifteen he was earning money playing the songs that shaped him — especially the harmonies of The Everly Brothers, his lifelong influence.
In the late ’80s, Robert formed The Sighs, a band that would carry him from small town stages to a major label deal with Virgin Records. By 1991, they were in Los Angeles recording their debut album at the iconic A&M Studios, stepping into the same rooms that shaped generations of artists.
Robert moved to Manhattan in 1994, where he continued writing, performing, and carving out a life in music. Thirty-six years ago, he met Patricia Vonne, and the two have been creative partners ever since — touring, recording, and building a shared artistic legacy.
In this episode, Robert reflects on the long arc of his career, the craft that keeps him grounded, and the joy of still making music that matters. He’ll be performing at The Jazz Club in San Antonio on March 10 for SXSW, and again with Patricia Vonne on March 12 at The Continental Club in Austin.
This conversation is a tribute to the working-class roots, the major label highs, the New York years, and the enduring spirit of a musician who never stopped believing in the power of a well-built song.

Rona Walter - Raised by Skye, Rewritten by Shadows

Born on the Isle of Skye, Rona Walters was raised by her grandfather from age three to fourteen — a man who enrolled her in ballet before she could even understand what discipline meant. By four, she was already in a ballet club, dancing with a seriousness most adults never find. She stayed there until fourteen, when her life shifted dramatically.
She was moved into a private school and forced to negotiate for every moment she could keep dancing. Even as she rose through the ranks — always the first dancer, always the one they relied on — she was never named Prima Ballerina. Always the alternate. Always the almost.
She stopped dancing at twenty‑three.
In college, she discovered Lovecraft, and something in her cracked open. Writing became the new stage. Her first gothic novel, The Human Dress, became a major success in Germany. From there she moved into filmmaking — her feature Toxica, then a ghost story, then a Harry Potter fan film — each one a reinvention, a reclamation.
During the episode, I also share my own London story — the infamous one I've never told on air until now — and we talk about the surreal joy of having our books sold in a tiny bookstore in South Africa. Two artists from opposite ends of the world, finding themselves on the same shelf.

Jay Pennington: West Side Roots, NASA Detours, Spurs Magic & the Stories That Shape Us

Season 2 opens with a conversation that feels less like an interview and more like two West Side kids catching up after a lifetime of living. We sit down with filmmaker, engineer, actor, and San Antonio original Jay Pennington, a man who grew up literally one street over from the Pedraza family. The episode begins where all great stories do — with bikes, cracked pavement, and a childhood fishing hole Jay revisits fifty years later.
From that memory, the conversation expands in every direction: screenplays, stage plays, late‑night New Orleans trips, and the unexpected path that took Jay from the West Side to NASA, where he worked on the MX missile program.
We talk about the Fulda Gap and Nuclear Biological Chemical warfare, and suddenly we were tracing Cold War shadows from opposite sides of the same era.
Then the episode shifts into the creative world that shaped both men. Jay talks about his entry into those iconic San Antonio Spurs commercials, his work with Renée Zellweger, and her recent collaboration with Miranda Lambert. They dive into the strange dance between Texas and New Mexico film incentives, the doors that open (and slam) in Hollywood, and Jay’s work on Magnum P.I. — plus the time he suited up as a full‑on Viking.
The conversation loops through DB’s films, their shared history on set, and the dream of building Solar Studios into the DB Media Portfolio, a home for the kind of stories they’ve both been chasing their whole lives.
But the emotional center of the episode lands in the personal: Jay’s longtime friendship with famed comedian Ruth Buzzi, and the shared grief over the passing of "the voice," Raul Malo, a friend whose loss hits both men deeply. It’s raw, honest, and exactly the kind of moment that defines this show — where chisme becomes memory, and memory becomes something sacred.
This is Dave at his most reflective, Jay at his most open, and Green Chili Chisme at its most expansive. A 90‑minute ride through childhood streets, Cold War detours, creative reinvention, and the people who leave fingerprints on our lives.
Season 2 starts here — with roots, truth, and a whole lot of corazón.

🎸 Jack Pledge: A Voice, A Journey, A Legacy

In our latest Green Chili Chisme sit-down, we welcome Jack Pledge—an Air Force kid turned global troubadour.
He met his father for the first time after Korea in ’52. Went to grade school in Japan. Picked up the guitar in ’59. By ’71, he was busking in Spain and Africa.
Now, after losing his voice, Jack supports the singers he plays for—still carrying the groove, still building legacy.
This episode is a testament to resilience, rhythm, and the stories behind the strings.

The Circle Widens | A conversation with Allen Huff

Born in Corpus Christi, youngest of five boys, Allen Huff was raised on Czech roots and piano keys. His mom made every son take music—he chose the ivories. His first band didn’t have a name. His accordion just played Nissan Stadium.
We talk Flaco Jimenez, Dwight Yoakam, and the circles that keep expanding. We riff oldies, Engelbert Humperdinck, and the hook that’s been stuck in his head for 15 years. He got his GED at 40 after leaving high school to chase the road. His first record? Named after his mom—Elizabeth Jean—with her prom photo on the cover.
And did I mention? He sounds a whole lot like Jeff Bridges. This one’s emotional. This one’s legacy.

From New York Salsa to Hollywood Elite | Karissa Barcelo Montoya

From Miami Beach to Hollywood lights, Karissa Barcelo Montoya’s story is a rhythm of reinvention. She filmed her father’s salsa sessions, interviewed stars on Dish Nation, and now reflects on legacy, loss, and Lucille Ball. Catch the full episode—plus a bonus riff on Tito Puente.

Leaving Nashville, Finding Freedom | Brigitte London

In today’s edition of Green Chili Chisme, we sit down with singer-songwriter Bridgette London, whose journey began in hardship and bloomed into musical freedom.
From learning “What the World Needs Now” on Jerry Lewis telethons to finding salvation in Waylon Jennings, Bridgette’s story is one of grit, grace, and groove. We talk influences—Heart, Willie, Etta, Stevie Ray—and shout out Jack Pledge and Eddie Perez of The Mavericks, who helped shape her sound.
She shares her move from Nashville to Texas, the healing that followed, and an invite to her Angels and Outlaws Festival in March 2026.
This one’s layered. Let’s dive in.