In our debut episode, I sit down in my old REO Town office in Lansing with the founder and executive director of All of the Above Hip Hop Academy, co-director of the Below The Stacks Mural Festival, and independent rapper, Ozay Moore. We spent some time talking about growing up in Seattle and what brought him to Lansing, his time on Warped Tour, and we reveal Ozay's real name. And through all of that, we talk about using hip hop and street art as a positive force in a community.
Mar 28, 2020
1 hr 31 min
On a weeknight in the Loving Touch green room, I got a chance to reconnect with an old friend, Lauren Roberts, who mixes middle school education by day and playing piccolo in the Detroit Party Marching Band by night. Lauren is an incredible storyteller, and spills about the time she ruined a tour group through Graceland, how she stole a costume from Demitri Martin to dance on stage with the Flaming Lips, and snuck into the Lager House by way of the stage.
Mar 28, 2020
1 hr 42 min
From Nick's beautiful dining room in the heart of small town America (Owosso, Michigan), we recorded the longest podcast we'll ever record with Foster Coffee Company co-creators and former Sosaveme bandmates Nicholas Pidek and Jon Moore. We talked about music's most iconic duos, how the heart of a local band morphed into mid-Michigan's coolest independent coffee brand, and the importance of getting involved in local politics.
Mar 28, 2020
1 hr 59 min
In the first of 2 interviews from the Audiotree studios in Chicago, I met (for the first time besides BLED FEST for like a second, which doesn't count) Riot Fest graphic designer and Support Your Fellow Rockers founder Monique Doron. From their beginnings in the music scene sitting on a washing machine at metal basement shows to being a part of one of the biggest punk rock festivals in America, Mo's a relentlessly positive force in DIY music. Also, we discuss how no one should ever, ever eat untoasted bagels.
Mar 28, 2020
1 hr 28 min
From the Audiotree studios in Chicago, I caught up with long-time friend John Ugolini, owner of Kickstand Productions and a fellow independent talent buyer. John's got so many great stories about what it takes to make it in this business (and when a venue steals all the money), partying with Snoop Dogg, and how his sister told him "What's My Age Again?" was a terrible song to be his "anthem".
Mar 28, 2020
1 hr 35 min
In the green room of the Pyramid Scheme, I looked at 9 years of band graffiti on the wall with Nicole LaRae, venue manager and talent buyer for the Heartside neighborhood concert venue and bar, my favorite in the Midwest. We chat about the spirit of Charles Bradley, the magic of public radio, and how Nicole's balance between being the coolest music supporter in Michigan mixed with super mom gave me the confidence I needed to bring my daughter into the world. I also start the episode off talking about the Michigan House at SXSW, which was since the recording of this podcast canceled by the coronavirus.
Mar 28, 2020
1 hr 30 min
To close out Season 1 of the podcast, I was lucky enough to spend some time in the childhood home of Grand Rapids artist and activist Ty Dykema. Ty's a writer for Bad Copy, a Chicago-based punk rock zine, a freelance illustrator, an outspoken advocate for accessibility and creator of the Skitchin' zine. Ty's been one of the most influential people in my life in the past couple of years, culminating in his spoken word set as Skitchin' Speaks at BLED FEST 2019.
Mar 28, 2020
1 hr 34 min