Height Zone World

My guest this week is Jordan Weeks. Jordan is a member of the bands South Seas Sneak, Thin Sketch, OC Feef, AA Arm and Vox Robotica. He’s also been a touring drummer in Height With Friends, and he produced part of my Versus The Continental MC’s album. For years, he’s been a guiding force in my quest for music knowledge. 
He talks about discovering hip-hop through an episode of Sesame Street, and trying to cultivate a hip-hop scene as a fifth-grader in Bolton, MA. He breaks down the difficulty he faced in trying to connect to the Boston music scene, and the more supportive network he found upon moving to Pittsburgh. We discuss the confusion of making music in the internet age, and his uncertainty about how to grind in 2015. 
Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Das EFX’s Dead Serious. This episode is hosted by Splicetoday.com. CORRECTION: The group we’re referring to at 1:10:25 is called Icona Pop, not Lacona Pop or Iona Pop.

My guest this week is Justin Barnes. Justin is the man behind the band Which Birds, and he’s also been a member of Nuclear Power Pants and (my band) Height With Friends. When I invited him to be a guest, he said he would rather interview me, so that’s what we did. This interview went down over three sessions. In part one, he asks about my early albums and my early influences. In part two, we talk about my albums Baltimore Highlands and Bed Of Seeds, and the collaborative approach I took to making those records. In part three, he asked about the sense of urgency he heard on my newest album, and I try to explain why it’s there. Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Critical Beatdown, by Ultramagnetic MC’s. This episode is sponsored by Lineuproom.com, and hosted by Splicetoday.com.

My guest this week is Kate Ferencz. Kate is a songwriter / performer originally from White Plains, NY and now residing in Philadelphia. I got turned onto her music when I played the release party for her Dumb Hearts, Dumb Flowers album, and I’ve been a fan ever since. We discuss her four solo albums, as well as her band, Evil Sword. We talk about the difference between Philly and Baltimore’s music scenes, and she makes the case for Philly being a better place for avant-garde music. (I can’t see it) She talks about trying to figure out what she wants her show to feel like, and whether or not she’s out to rock the party. Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to J.J. Fad’s Supersonic. This episode is hosted by Splicetoday.com.

My guest this week is Gregg Gillis, aka Girl Talk. Gregg is an electronic musician from Pittsburgh, PA. We’ve known each other since I played a show in his parent’s backyard in 2000, and I was excited to get a detailed breakdown of his career. We talk about his early Pittsburgh-based noise band, The Joysticks, and his background in the noise world. He tells me about the first two harsher Girl Talk albums, and the new direction he forged on 2006’s Night Ripper. His breaks down his new ventures as a hip-hop producer, including his recent collaboration with Freeway. Mike Riley’s art this week is a mashup of Big Daddy Kane’s Long Live The Kane, Ice Cube’s AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted, 2 Live Crew’s Nasty as They Wanna Be, and Cypress Hill’s self-titled debut. This episode is hosted by splicetoday.com.

My guest this week is B Rich, aka Brendan Richmond. Brendan is a tight MC based in Kingston, Ontario. We’re bandmates in the group Shark Tank, and we’ve been friends since 2004. He talks about growing up in a small town of 500, and his early hip-hop ventures in rural Canada. We discuss the viral success of his song Out For A Rip, and the cross-country adventures that followed. He tells me about his recent bout of writer’s block, and how he’s trying to kick his writing back into high gear. Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Digital Underground’s Sex Packets. This episode is hosted by Splicetoday.com.

My guest this week is Chris Sand, aka Sandman The Rappin’ Cowboy. He’s been on a rapping / cowboy poetry mission since the late 80’s, and he’s released twelve albums since 1996. We met during my tour stop in Missoula, MT, and he was nice enough to lay down an impromptu interview. He talks about growing up on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Western Montana, and how hip-hop captivated the young kids on the reservation in the early 80’s. He tells me about starting out doing rap sets in Missoula in the late 80’s, and learning to work folk music into the mix. We discuss his three year hiatus from music, and and how he returned to the DIY touring world with a new way of operating. Mike RIley’s art this week is an homage to Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five’s The Message. This episode is hosted by Splicetoday.com.

My guests this week are Speak ’N Eye, a.k.a. Unspeakable and M.C.N.eye of Bookhouse. They’re a hip-hop duo based in Winston-Salem, NC. I originally knew them as wild audience members at Greenville, NC house shows, and I’ve been a fan of their music since M.C.N.eye started sending me homespun EP’s in the mail in 2010. Josh tells me about the inspiration he got from the Greenville, NC DIY scene of the early 2000’s, and his early experimental projects. Aaron tells me about his early rock bands, and how he started rapping. They talk about how they decided to team up as duo, and what they’ve got on deck for the future. Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to The Beastie Boy’s Check Your Head. This episode is hosted by Splicetoday.com.

My guest this week is Paulie Think. Paulie is a great MC and a true road warrior on the indie hip-hop circuit. We’ve been friends since 2008, and I was happy to get a chance to learn about his past. He tells me about his wild childhood in Chicago and Memphis, and the chaos of being left to his own devices at an early age. He breaks down his entry into rap in the early 90’s, and his rebirth as a one-man DIY touring act in the 2000’s. We talk about his lifelong struggle with addiction, and his journey toward sobriety. Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Fu-Schnicken’s Nervous Breakdown. This episode is hosted by Splicetoday.com.

My guest this week is Dan Gaeta, aka OCDJ. Dan is an electronic musician, adventurer and former radio host. He lived in Baltimore for many years, and was a big part of Baltimore’s music scene. We conducted this interview on his sailboat / home in the Charleston Harbor. He talks about getting involved with New Jersey’s WFMU at an early age, and how he wound up having his own show on the station. He tells me how he’s taken a long break from touring, but continued writing music as a more solitary pursuit. He breaks down his nautical life, and how the world makes more sense to him when he's out on the water. Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to 8Ball and MJG’s Comin' Out Hard. This episode is hosted by Splicetoday.com.

My guest this week is pioneering MC, Queen Lisa Lee. She was a member of the Cosmic Force, the Soulsonic Force, and a mainstay on countless Zulu Nation live tapes. She was also a key part of the movies Wildstyle and Beat Street. Today, she contributes to William & Mary's hip-hop library and Cornell University's hip-hop museum, as well as doing speaking engagements across the country. She tells me about learning to scratch and quick-mix at age 11, and about rocking the mic at a Zulu Nation party for the first time at age 13. We talk about what the early landscape of hip-hop was like, and how she fit into it. She talks about putting music to the side and becoming entrenched in street life, and how telling the truth about her story helped her to heal and start over. Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Gladys Knight and The Pips’s Neither One of Us. This episode is hosted by Splicetoday.com.

My guests this week are Blak Smith and Mister of Passalacqua. I’ve been a fan since I first played with them back in 2011. We laid this episode down on Saturday March 7th, one hour before hitting the road together for our tour. We talk about Blak Smith’s start as a poet, and Mister’s background as a horrorcore fan. They tell me how they formed into a duo, and how they gained a foothold in their hometown of Detroit. We discuss the challenge of touring as the lone rap group on rock bills, and how they look forward to this current rap round robin tour. Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Leaders Of The New School’s “A Future Without A Past.” Once again, this episode is hosted by Splicetoday.com.

My guest this week is Baltimore-based author and illustrator Kevin Sherry. He’s been writing and illustrating children’s books since 2006. I’ve always liked his artwork, and I was excited to learn about his grind. He talks about starting at MICA, and moving into Baltimore’s copycat building with other visual artists at a young age. We discuss his career in children’s books and his former company, Squidfire. He tells me about his future plans, including collaborating with Ed Schrader on an animated series based on Ed’s “A Family Affair,” podcast. 
Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Kid 'n Play’s “Funhouse.” Once again, this episode is hosted by Splicetoday.com.

My guests this week are Amy Reid and Chase O’Hara of Chiffon. They’ve made a big impact in Baltimore (and elsewhere) since forming in 2012. I had seen them play a few times, but I had never really talked to them and I was happy to get a chance to find out what they’re all about. We talk about the local punk scenes they were part of as kids, as well as Chases’s past (and my present)dabbling in juggaloism. They explain how their previous band INEVERYROOM morphed into Chiffon. We talk about their relentless touring, and how they feel that hard work and self-sufficiency are the spirit of Baltimore. Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Digable Planets' “9th Wonder,” single. Once again, this episode is hosted by Splicetoday.com.

My guest this week is Vans_Westly, an up-and-coming MC out of Baltimore. He’s released three EP’s, and is currently working on his debut full-length. I first met him when he hopped on a show I helped set up in Baltimore, and I was excited to learn more about him. He talks about his past life as a professional wrestling teen, and how his health issues forced him to change gears and focus on writing rhymes. We talk about learning the ropes of being a part of the local music scene, and the challenge of making a name for himself in an over-saturated rap world. I ask him about his forthcoming Loserisms album, and he tells me what separates this project from his past work. Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Whodini's “Open Sesame.” Once again, this episode is hosted by Splicetoday.com.

My guest this week is Chris Freeland, the man behind Baltimore’s Beat Babies studio. He’s been a member of Oxes, Frenemies, International Soundscape Internationale and (my early group) Wounds. He’s been a cool older brother figure to me since I was in sixth grade, and he’s produced a lot of my early Height tracks. He talks about his early days playing in garage bands, and the other 90’s DIY Baltimore bands that inspired him. We talk about the rapid rise of his band Oxes, and his travels with Will Oldham, Cass McCombs and David Pajo. He told me how he’s lost the burning desire to be noticed, and how he’s reimagined himself as a behind-the-scenes studio man. This episode was recorded at the Lineup Room. Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to The Geto Boy’s “We Can’t Be Stopped.” Once again, we're being hosted by Splicetoday.com.

My guest this week is Katrina Ford, of Celebration and Mt. Royal. She also sang in Lovelife, and the influential early 90’s band, JAKS. I’ve been a fan of her bands since I was in high school, and I was excited to get the scoop on her history. She talks about her chaotic childhood, and how the world of music and art gave her strength in her young adult life. We talk about what touring was like before the internet, in the time of pay phones, landlines and Book Your Own Fucking Life Magazine. She gets real about the frustrations of trying to make it happen in the music business, and explains how she’s been able to persevere through disappointments and keep pressing forward. It all went down at the Lineup Room. Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Salt and Pepa’s “A Salt with a Deadly Pepa.” This episode is hosted by Splice Today.

My guests this week are Ed Schrader and Devlin Rice, of Ed Schrader’s Music Beat. Ed first released a solo record in 2009, before linking up with Devlin to form ESMB the following year. They’ve released two albums together, and they’ve been touring non-stop for the last five years. Ed talks about starting out in cover bands in a small town in upstate New York, and how he was encouraged to find his own sound upon moving to Baltimore. We talk about figuring out how to appeal to larger crowds as an opening act. We discuss the ups and downs of trying to make a go of it in the music business with no backup plan. It had been a while since I’ve hung out with them and I found their optimism and confidence in their mission to be inspiring. This week, Mike Riley cooked up an homage to Souls of Mischief’s 93 'til Infinity. This interview was recorded at the Lineup Room, and is hosted by Splicetoday.com. .

My guest this week is Sam Herring, the frontman of Future Islands. In addition to his role in Future Islands, Sam also rhymes under the name Hemlock Ernst and fronts The Snails. Sam breaks down his early years as a rapper, and how he was inspired by west coast underground hip-hop. We talk about his early days in the band Art Lord and The Self-Portraits, and their stronghold in their home base of Greenville, NC in the early 2000’s. He breaks down how his personal struggles forced him to leave town and put music on hold, and how he got himself together and formed Future Islands with his old bandmates. This episode was laid down at the Lineup Room. Mike Riley’s art for this episode is an homage to Straight Out The Jungle by The Jungle Brothers.

My guest this week is Dan Deacon, the Baltimore-based electronic musician / composer. Dan is one of my oldest friends in this music world, and we’ve clocked many miles on the road together. We talk about discovering the DIY underground and how he feels that it saved his life. We discuss how coming to Baltimore as an outsider allowed him to ignore the scene’s rules and create a more inclusive environment. He told me how he’s recently learned to rid himself of an addiction to stress and enjoy the fruits of his labor. As always, this show was recorded at the Lineup Room. Mike Riley’s cover art this week is an homage to The Fat Boys' self-titled debut.

My guest this week is Schwarz. Schwarz is a producer and DJ from St. Louis, now residing in Baltimore. Schwarz has worked with La Chat, DDM, Abdu Ali, Juiceboxxx, TT The Artist, Kyle Mabson and many more. For many years, he helped run the Deep In The Game night at Baltimore’s Hippodrome, with Cex and Mark Brown. He’s recently released three solo singles, and is currently gearing up to release his debut full length. We talk about growing up in St. Louis and his start in a rap group called AOSTL. He breaks down his move to Baltimore and his entry into Baltimore’s noise and dance music scenes. We discuss his recent releases, and the music he has on the horizon. He also schools me on the difference between Baltimore, Jersey and Philly club music. This week, Mike Riley hooked us up with an homage to Audio Two’s What More Can I Say. It all went down at The Lineup Room.