View From The Hil

I'm joined by Jerod Black, a guest who joined me on the show last year for the most listened to episode so far. He's with friend and business partner, Ryan Miller. Together, they organize events around Ohio intended to change your perspectives and open your mind. For the last few years, Ryan has been organizing a yearly music festival, Colordance. We talk about why he wanted to start it, the vision the two have together, and why this year's dance is going to be the best yet. Music played during the episode: Love Alive - "I'm Still Here" https://soundcloud.com/lovealivemusic/im-still-here Sassafraz - "Rude Dude" https://sassafrazmusic.bandcamp.com/track/rude-dude Hellnaw -"Hellnaw" https://hellnaw.bandcamp.com/track/hellnaw EarthCry - "Source Codes" https://soundcloud.com/earthcry/source-codes

My guest for this episode is on of my longest friends, local drummer, Jesse Catania. Jesse is an Athens local who grew up in an extremely musical family, and ended up picking up the drums at a young age. He's been the drummer for local bands such as First Street Heat, Hiatus, Burning River Ramblers, and more. And before he heads off to start the next chapter in his life, I had to have him on as a guest. We talk about his happy go lucky life as a local drummer with some of the best bands that have come through this town. We also talk about his battle with, and victory over addiction. And he certainly tries his hardest to make me laugh. To hell with the Tanner family. Meet the real Uncle Jesse.

I sit down with Steve Irwin, local lighting expert. We talk about his love for music and how it ties into the way he does lighting and also about his work with musicians and his 3 year stint working with Art Garfunkel. And we also talk about what he's been up to since returning to Athens, and exactly what it takes for him to make the clock tower on the Athens country Courthouse shine with those beautiful colors. It was a really great episode getting to learn about someone I'm extremely happy to know now.

It's a Happy Father's Day Special! My dad, Mark Hackworth, came in the studio and sat down and had a talk with me. It was a really fun time. He talked with me about his Art and what brought him to Athens, his work as an Art professor at a few different universities, as well as his connection with, and contribution to, the music and arts scene in Athens, Ohio. It was an absolute pleasure to sit down and talk with my best friend on Father's day. Tune in!

I sat down with Daniel Martino and David Cruze, two MC's that make up the local hip hop group, Doxcity. They came in and talked about their history with Athens, how they formed as a group, and how their music and live performance has evolved through the years. A great conversation with two great friends. It's fuckin' rap camp.

Jason Trout and Andrea Dawn Courts stopped by to talk. I got to learn more about their duo group, The Touchy Feelys. I got a small taste of Jason's wild past, heard Andrea's beautiful voice, and heard about their group's experience in Athens, Ohio as well as some secret news from the group. A true talent, this episode with The Touchy Feely's was a blast!

I sat down with Jack Wright, long time member of the Athens community, and an amazing musician and film maker. We talked about his life growing up in the coal mining areas of Appalachia, his connection with music and storytelling, and also some of his history with Athens. It was a true honor and pleasure to have Jack on as a guest.

My mom joined me during this very special Mother's Day episode!! She talked about her time in Athens over the last 3 decades. Her work as a professor at Hocking College, Ohio University, and also teaching in England. We also talked about her work with a band she was in in the 80's, The Algy Krebbs Quartet, as well as the amazing work she has done with ATCO and Passionworks. Finally the first female guest, and I am truly honored it could be my mother.

One of the most influential people in the Athens Hip Hop scene, D Jones, stopped by and talked with me. You want D Jones? You got D Jones. We talked about his music, what inspires him, his time working on the Athens Hip Hop shop, and also we heard about his Documentaries and Film making he is involved in. One of my best friends, this is a great episode to listen to. Listen to more from D Jones at http://djoneshiphop.bandcamp.com

I sat down with JJ Reed, a great singer and song writer who you have probably caught in one of the venues around town. He sat down and talked with me about his history with music, and his amazing time that has been spent in Athens with the countless bands and projects that he has been a part of. Including his time spent with Wheels On Fire touring Europe and learning about the music "business" side of things. He loves Athens and lets us know exactly why. Some really fun stories in this one! Listen to more of JJ's music at http://jjreed.bandcamp.com

Jerod was a great guest. I had never really officially met him unless you counted after and during shows all around Athens and at a couple Ohio festivals. He really helped me learn about the Graffiti scene in Athens and as an art form in general. It was also awesome to hear about his efforts to beautify the City of Athens and the interactions he's had with Athens City Council. Bands featured throughout the episode: Waivada - https://soundcloud.com/waivada Sassafraz - https://sassafrazmusic.bandcamp.com Emcee Schwartz - https://soundcloud.com/emcee-schwartz Love Alive - https://lovealive.bandcamp.com Dallas Craft - https://soundcloud.com/dallascraftmusic Bright At Night - https://soundcloud.com/bright-at-night Kashmerik - https://soundcloud.com/casgaliszewski

One of my oldest friends stopped by the show, Dutch Williams. He's a special man. We got to sit down and talk about his experiences, his absolute love for Athens and all the time he has spent in it, as well as the great times he and I had together recording his solo album. A real pleasure to sit down with this man and talk about fun times together. You can hear more music from Dutch at http://dutchwilliamsmusic.bandcamp.com

My man Michael Stover, who I like to call Big Sto, came through and let me talk with him. He was a significant player for a few years in Athens and really helped fuel fire to the hip hop shop in Athens, as well just helping spread the influence of the Hip Hop lifestyle. We talked about what inspired him, life as a rapper in Ohio and Athens and also his future plans. He helped Hip Hop in Athens grow and it's awesome to see what he's been up to. Check out more of Sto's tracks at http://stothelast.bandcamp.com

This was one of my favorite episodes so far. I sat down with my longtime friend Mike Copeland. He got to talk about his days in Athens years ago, what drove him to go to L.A. to pursue music, and what lured him back to Ohio after so many years. Truly an awesome episode listening to this guy's experiences. Experience some more moments with Mike at https://www.youtube.com/user/miketron75

Michael Rutushin came on the show and I finally got a chance to meet him officially. It seems like everyone I knew also knew Michael in some sort of way. Seriously everyone. So it was good to get to sit down and learn about his involvement in the Athens Music scene and the awesome events he is helping with in order to try and keep the Athens music and art scene always growing here in town. From his travels coast to coast, and his time spent in Athens, we get to hear how "toosh" is adding to what makes Athens great! You can listen to more of Michaels music at https://soundcloud.com/iamthesquid

I sat down with Emerson B and got to hear a lot about his story in Athens, cultivating his style in New York and Philly, and how he has come back to his home to help it grow musically. We got to hear about how he got into music, his past present and future plans in Athens, and how he hopes to keep everyone feeling funky. Listen to more music from Emerson B and his band, Bright At Night at https://soundcloud.com/bright-at-night

Songs Played: Altered Beast http://dysfunktionalfamily.bandcamp.com/album/altered-beast 1. Livin' To Die 2. Don't Quit (Don't Stop) 3. Gauntlet 4. On My Way 5. Path To Nowhere 6. Fest Season (Ft. Wes Hunter) 7. Back On My Feet (Ft. Emerson B) 8. Guess Who's Back 9. Altered Beast The Adventures of Shermlock Poems http://dysfunktionalfamily.bandcamp.com/album/the-adventures-of-shermlock-poems 1. Chapter One 2. Chapter Two 3. Chapter Three The DysFunktional Family Feud http://dysfunktionalfamily.bandcamp.com/album/the-dysfunktional-family-feud 1. Back In The Day 2. Dedication 3. Schwartzimus Maximus The DysFunktional Family Reunion http://dysfunktionalfamily.bandcamp.com/album/the-dysfunktional-family-reunion 1. Pressure Points Sassafraz - Time Will Tell https://sassafrazmusic.bandcamp.com/album/time-will-tell 1. Sound In The Distance 2. See What I See