Height Zone World

My guests this month are 3rd Grade Friends. They’re a Annapolis-based math rock band. They brought Justice The Genius Child with them, who appears on their forthcoming EP. They break down their early collaborations, and how they reunited to start 3rd Grade Friends. They explain the elementary school theme through their discography. Justice talks about starting the ‘what’s dope’ events in Annapolis. The artwork this month (a tribute to Onyx’s Bacdafucup) is by I Taste Sound. This episode is hosted by Splice Today.

Mike Riley and I talk about Deliver; Mike’s comedy/horror comic set in Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden Of Earthly Delights. He breaks down what it’s like to be embarking on his first crowd-funded venture. I play some songs from my forthcoming album. Mike’s art this month is an homage to De La Soul’s De La Soul Is Dead. This episode is hosted by Splice Today.

My guests this month are The Van Allen Belt. They’re a Pittsburgh-based electronic pop band. I’ve known them for many years, and we’ve played shows together in Pittsburgh and Ohio. I caught up with them after their recent Baltimore show. They break down how they came together as a band. They talk about getting invited to open for Stereolab in their early days, and how that experience led them toward retooling their live show. We discuss the art of booking a tour, and the art of enjoying yourself on tour. The artwork this month (a tribute to Heltah Skeltah’s Nocturnal) is by I Taste Sound. This episode is hosted by Splice Today.

My guests this month are ialive and Darko The Super. I first heard ialive when he invited me to play his record release show in Philly. I got turned on to Darko’s music just a few months ago, after seeing them do a dual set in Baltimore. ialive breaks down his long history as a hip-hop fan, his first projects and his recent tours. Darko talks about what drove him to want to rap and make beats as a teenager, and his prolific album output. They tell me about creating their collaborative duo album, and the forthcoming sequel. The artwork this month (a tribute to Lords of the Undergrounds’s Here Come The Lords) is by I Taste Sound. This episode is hosted by Splice Today.

Height Zone World is back! My guest this month is Vel. He’s a singer-songwriter/rapper from Cleveland. I first got turned onto his music when we played together in Cleveland in 2007, and I got a copy of his debut album, “Meow, Fool!” He talks about growing up in Cleveland and his entry into music through playing clarinet and jazz bass. He breaks down how he arrived at his songwriting style, and his specific / topical lyrics. We discuss the struggles of getting music out into the world on a budget, and reworking his songs with his new band The Velcats. The artwork this month (a tribute to Motley Crue’s Girls, Girls, Girls) is by I Taste Sound. This episode is hosted by Splice Today.

My guest this week is Heddie Leonne. She’s an MC from Olympia, WA. She’s been in the bands Nextdoor Neighbors, Night Fox and Everybody Weekend. She’s currently working on her solo hip-hop debut. We first met when I played in Olympia with her band in 2007. She talks about starting Nextdoor Neighbors with her friend Kathy Cote, and the forward momentum they felt during their early years as a band. We talk about the confusion she felt when that project came to halt, and her struggle to regain her composure in the music world. We discuss the newfound freedom she’s established with her solo projects, and the moves she’s made in the Olympia hip-hop scene. Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to The Fugee’s The Score. This episode is hosted by Splice Today.

My guests this week are Don't Cry Paula. They're a hip-hop duo from Little Rock, Arkansas. We first met when we played a show together in Arkansas in the fall of 2013. They talk about their early solo ventures, and the shared influences that inspired them to join forces. I ask them what it's like to do what they do in a place like Little Rock. They tell me about the making of their recently-released triple album, Rogue Dreamscapes. Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to UTFO's Skeezer Pleezer. This episode is hosted by Splice Today.

Mike Riley and Height catch up and spin tunes from recent HZW guests.

My guest this week is Weird Paul. He’s a Pittsburgh-based musician that’s been putting out amazing albums since the mid-80’s. We first met when we played a show together in Pittsburgh in 2005. He talks about releasing about his first homemade tapes in high school, and making his live debut at a Beat Happening show in 1988. He tells me about Homestead Records putting out his Lo Fidelity / Hi Anxiety album in 1991, and the confusion he felt after severing ties with that label. He explains the feeling of being on a windy/rocky path toward success, and says he feels more confident than ever that music is his calling. Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Too Short’s “Cocktails.” This episode is hosted by Splice Today.

My guest this week is Mikal kHill. He’s a North Carolina-based MC and producer, and a member of Thought Criminals and Malibu Shark Attack. We first met when we played a show together in Charlotte, NC in 2011. He talks about his early solo efforts, and about how being embraced by nerdcore hip-hop fans helped push his career forward. I asked him about his outlook on balancing music, fatherhood and a day job. He talks his new years-in-the-making solo album, and explains why that will probably be his final solo album. Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Y’all So Stupid’s “Van Full of Pakistans.” This episode is hosted by Splice Today.

This week, Bleubird returns for part two of our interview. He talks about getting booed at a Los Angeles Shape Shifters show, only to have the legendary Percee P come to his defense. He explains how continuing to fly out and play California shows led to meeting the people behind the Grimm Image label, which led to him starting his Freeebird project. He breaks down the new ground he covered on Cannonball and Ft. Lauderdale. Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Poison Clan’s “Ruff Town Behavior.” This episode is hosted by Splice Today.

My guest this week is Bleubird, aka Jacques Bruna. Jacques is a solo MC, as well as a member of Gunporn, Les Swashbuckling Napoleons and Triune Gods. I first met him when I set up a Baltimore show for his group S.M.T.H. in 2001. He talks about his early days working with Florida’s Nature Kids, and their ill-fated first and last national tour. We discuss our mutual history of cutting our teeth opening for Pittsburgh’s Grand Buffet. He talks about putting together his own European tours and eventually moving to Europe, but ultimately yearning to get back to the states to make moves. Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Poison Clan’s “Ruff Town Behavior.” This episode is hosted by Splice Today.

Eze Jackson and PT Burnem, (the first and second Height Zone World guests) return for a roundtable discussion of our recently-completed rap round robin tour. I spin a few of their tunes that stood out to me on this trip, plus some tracks by the MC’s on the upcoming northeast leg of the tour. Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Boogie Down Production’s Criminal Minded.

My guest this week is Josh Rogers. Josh runs the Illuminated Paths label, and releases music under the moniker Broken Machine Films. We first met in Orlando in 2007, and my 10,000 Devastating Watts EP came out on his label. We discuss Illuminated Path’s nonstop release schedule, and how the label manages to consistently release multiple projects a week. I ask him about his habit of filling every Illuminated Paths package with strange ephemera, and his odd tape-dubbing system. We talk about the Vaporwave sound that the musicians under the Illuminated Paths umbrella have helped to create. Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to DJ Shadow’s “Endtroducing….” This episode is hosted by Splice Today.

My guests this week are Bito Sureiya and Jiro Sama of DosOtaku. They’re members of the NASA 8 collective. I first saw them last summer at the Ratscape festival, and I’ve been a fan ever since. They talk about linking up in high school, and cutting their teeth at Baltimore’s Beet Trip night. I ask them about their NASA 8 collective, and what connects the NASA 8 members around the world. They talk about their passion for freestyling, and how their freestyle skills enhance their writing process. Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Stetsasonic’s In Full Gear. This episode is hosted by Splice Today.

My guest this week is Jones. Jones is a rapper and producer from Baltimore. We’ve been friends since third grade, and we’ve been making music together since 1998. We talk about our early group called Wounds, and his first forays into making beats. We discuss his full-length debut, his remix projects and his role in the band Hungry Bodies. He breaks down why he put music on the back-burner for the last few years, and his plans to get back in action. Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Ghostface Killah’s Ironman. This episode is hosted by Splice Today.

My guest this week is Jack Toft. Jack is a rapper from Buffalo, NY. We first met when we shared a bill in Charlottesville, VA, and we’ve played many shows together since then. He talks about his early stabs at writing fiction and poetry, and how he drifted into music by way of a noise band called The Next Syphilis. He breaks down his first solo album being compared to Waiting To Exhale, and we try to guess what happened in Waiting To Exhale. He talks about the strangeness of starting to tour later in life, and the beauty of being part of the underground music world. Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to MC Rell & The Houserocker’s Into The Future. This episode is hosted by Splice Today.

My guest this week is Flyin’ Ryan Burke. Ryan is a professional wrestler from Ohio. Our paths first crossed when he took part in Pittsburgh Batman, a play written and directed by (previous Height Zone World guest) Lord Grunge. I’ve always been interested in learning the ins and outs of his hustle. He talks about being driven to become a wrestler from a young age. He describes making his wrestling debut in a K-Mart parking lot, as well as finding himself wrestling in front of thousands of fans. We discuss the logistics of being a working-class wrestler, and the tenacity it takes to stay in it. Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Cash Money and Marvelous’s Where The Party At? This episode is hosted by Splice Today.

My guests this week are BAG$, aka Jimmy Simard and Pete Rae. They’re a hip-hop duo from Kingston, Ontario. We first met when we played a show together in their hometown in 2004. We’ve shared many bills over the years, and Pete has made several beats for my group Shark Tank. They describe discovering hip-hop in 1980’s rural Canada, and unveiling their early projects in Kingston in the 90’s. They break down their initial forays into beatmaking via pause tapes and belt-driven turntables, and how Jimmy formed The Makeshift Beat Collective to highlight this oft-kilter aesthetic. We discuss their collaborations through the years, and what led to them teaming up to form this new duo. Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Luniz’s Operation Stackola. This episode is hosted by Splice Today.

My guest this week is Ultimate Donny, aka Richard Elmsworth. He was one half of Gil Mantera’s Party Dream, and he now plays with Sam Goodwill. We first met when we played a show together in Pittsburgh in 2003, and we’ve been pals ever since. We talk about his first music projects, and the formation of Gil Mantera’s Party Dream. He explains how they made the leap from being a weekend warrior band to a full time touring act. We discuss the confusion he felt when the band broke up, and re-entering the music game as Sam Goodwill’s guitarist. Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Slick Rick’s Children’s Story. This episode is hosted by Splice Today.