Start The Beat With Sikes

For the 36th episode of #startthebeat I sat down with Bob Freyer aka Durty Art and had a productive conversation about his artwork and everything that has inspired him to create the work he produces. We talk about a ton of stuff including graffiti, marketing your "brand", navigating through the business side of the art world and of course... the "haters". No stones left unturned this week! Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT!  LINKS RELEVANT TO THIS DISCUSSION: rawartists.org/durtyart instagram.com/durtyart facebook.com/durtyarts

For the first installment of 10 RANDOM QUESTIONS I sat down with the boys in Dethlehem during the listening party for their new album "Destroyers Of The Realm" and asked them questions submitted by various #startthebeat listeners. The catch is that the listeners didn't know who was going to be answering these questions that they submitted to me and the band didn't have any idea that they were about to be interviewed. Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT!  LINKS RELEVANT TO THIS DISCUSSION: facebook.com/dethlehem youtube.com/dethlehem

For the 35th episode of #startthebeat I sat down with my long time friend Shaun from the band Instead Of Sleeping and we had a lovely talk about the steps his band has taken over the years, what his experiences playing music have been like and how he has evolved as a writer, musician and overall decent human being. Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT!  LINKS RELEVANT TO THIS DISCUSSION: facebook.com/insteadofsleeping

For the 34th episode of #startthebeat I sat down with my new homie Dan from the band World's Scariest Police Chases, Lock and Key Collective & local screenprint shop Commonwealth Press. We had an awesome conversation discussing the history of his band and some of the things we've noticed/experienced involving the current generation gap going on within the "punk" community. We also talk about how we've both managed to worm our way into the paths we have paved for ourselves and try to figure out ultimately if Punk Rock has really ruined our lives or not. Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT!  LINKS RELEVANT TO THIS DISCUSSION: facebook.com/wspolicechases lockandkeyco.com cwpress.com

For the 33rd episode of #startthebeat I sat down with my long time friend Ryan aka Amuck for a talk about how we met, the music we've made together and how things have played out for us over the past 7+ years of our friendship. Ryan was also kind enough to give us all a world premier of his new single "Binge" from his upcoming EP "Detonate" which you'll get to hear at the end of this podcast! Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT! LINKS RELEVANT TO THIS DISCUSSION: AMUCK on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Amuck412 PLUTOCRAT NOOSE on Facebook: www.facebook.com/plutocratnoose Listen to the CASANOVA SPARKS album: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lCy_OQE-CQ&list=PLKnSd4xs_yRdoouTHv4UuSPLL59eRaLb5

For the 32nd episode of #startthebeat I sat down with my buddy Rick for a nice talk about being a father, husband, everyday working man and still pursuing his desire for creative output amongst all of the chaos. This is some genuine real adult talk this week but it's an awesome conversation full of great energy and positivity. Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT! LINKS RELEVANT TO THIS DISCUSSION: facebook.com/blackmarketbodyparts facebook.com/events/807986062581786/

For the 31st episode of #startthebeat I sat down with my friend Tony for a lengthy but rock solid conversation about the weird shit he liked as a kid, playing in bands, falling into the world of Men's fashion, starting up his own candle company and how nobody knows what the term "hipster" really means anymore. Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT! LINKS RELEVANT TO THIS DISCUSSION: facebook.com/gypsyandhisbandofghosts facebook.com/theanthercandleco

For the 30th episode of #startthebeat I sat down with my homie Nate and learned all about his history growing up in the birthplace of the oil industry, finding punk rock, playing in bands and overtime ultimately ending up in a place not quite so "punk rock". It's a good talk. I didn't know much about Nate prior to this conversation so it can be a learning experience for all of us! Unless of course you already know the guy... Either way just sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT!

For the 29th episode of #startthebeat I sat down with my friend Josh and talked about his "troubled" youth, eventually getting his shit straight and the chain of events that ended up getting a guitar into his hands to write and create music. We also discuss the similar ways we both accidentally discovered underground Hip-Hop and the Pittsburgh Hip-Hop scene a bit. To wrap everything up Josh talks about the ambitious new graphic novel he is working on and unintentionally paints a picture for Brian of just how creative and driven he is. Whether he realizes it or not. Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT! LINKS RELEVANT TO THIS DISCUSSION: itheconflict.bandcamp.com providencenovel.com

For the 28th episode of #startthebeat I sat down with my friend Mario for a conversation about his relationships with music, art, comedy and everything in between. We also discuss our time spent back in the day writing and recording music together and bring up a lot of inside jokes that nobody will understand but whatever. We talk about Miley Cyrus too... and Pig Destroyer... and Michael Jackson. Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT!

For the 27th episode of #startthebeat I sat down with my friend HITT for what turned out to be one of the most important conversations I've had on this podcast so far. This episode does run a little long but the information that lies within defintley justifies the length. If you are someone who is in a band, makes art or is trying to do anything creative in general for a living I can't recommend listening to this enough. Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT!

For the 26th episode of #startthebeat I sat down with my friend Josh and talk about escaping the prison of suburban life to pursue his passions and the crazy journey he has been on ever since. Josh is the type of person that doesn't really seem to take anything in life for granted and it was really awesome to talk to someone with so much focus and positive energy. Don't know about you but I sure could use more of that in my life. This conversation was really inspiring and I'm happy to share it all with you. Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT!

For the 25th episode of #startthebeat I sat down with my homie Dave Watt and picked his brain for an hour about beer, art, music, his creative process surrounding both of those things and his love for anything with chicken in it. I am rather fond of this guy and all of the awesome things he has contributed to the world and you should be too. Check out his art here: davewatt.tumblr.com Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT!

For the 24th episode of #startthebeat I sat down with Moemaw Naedon for a laid back conversation about the music we grew up on and how it inspired us to make the music we make today. We also discuss the early days of using limited resources in creative ways to bring our ideas to life and how we have evolved as artists over the years. This is a a solid talk and I think everyone is going to take something with them from this. Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT!

For the 23rd episode of #startthebeat I sat down with my homies Nelson & AJ from the band Save Us From The Archon (saveusfromthearchon.bandcamp.com) for some conversation about everything they have been up to lately with writing, recording and touring the country. We'll probably go back to our glory days together in the band Whats Left Of Her and try to fill out some of the gaps that happened in between. Intrigued? Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT!

For the 22nd episode of #startthebeat I sat down with my friend Megan for a really rad conversation about a bunch of rad stuff. It's always awesome to find other people in the world who don't know how to stop being busy because it makes me feel less crazy and Megan has A LOT going on at the moment. Like what you ask? Only one way to find out... Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT!

For the 21st episode of #startthebeat I sat down with my friend Justin for a crazy awesome conversation about his passion for filmmaking. I highly recommend checking out his websites before listening to this conversation if you have the chance. You can stop by justinanixon.com and vimeo.com/justinanixon to take a look at what this dude has been up to. I think it's insane and it was great talking to him about all of this stuff. What did I learn? Only one way to find out... Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT!

For the 20th episode of #startthebeat I sat down with my homie Will and talked a lot about the "alternative subcultures" and lifestyles of tattooing & body modification. Got some pretty cool perspective from both a consumer and business standpoint and I was stoked to talk about some stuff that I typically don't get to talk about. What did I learn? Only one way to find out... Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT!

For the 19th episode of #startthebeat I sat down with Adam from the website pittpunk.org and had a nice talk about his website, the "scene", the D.I.Y. community and everything that comes along with with decades of punk rock blood flowing through your veins. Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT!

For the 18th episode of #startthebeat I sat down with my friend Dylan and learned first hand how beer and podcasts don't mix. He brought a couple of his boys over as well. We talk about Tinder, unjustified beefs with people, Lana Del Rey, Brand New and MORE! It's a wild one. We'll all just have to wait and see what happens... Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT!