Churchyard: Collaborative to the Core

“[With Dead Legs] I learned how to front a band and be comfortable on stage,” writes Churchyard‘s Meghan D’Amico via email, the vocalist and guitarist reflecting on her time in the now-defunct four-piece. “Churchyard is different from Dead Legs because we are a band,” she continues. “We are both intentional and collaborative with our song writing.” The resulting sounds have been described as “lo-fi, grungy garage pop with more than a hint of ’60s psych, surf pop influence,” where Dead Legs’ sound blended “the Duke Spirit, the Dead Weather, Polly Jean Harvey and maybe a dash of the moodiness of the Dum Dum Girls all spliced together in some sort of Frankenstein experiment gone right.” When asked what the band was aiming for with the Ben Spinks-produced demos they released in late-2013, D’Amico says: a “very minimal” and “raw” sound. While each descriptor is accurate, they both fail to shed light on the group’s unique musical chemistry.

The members of Churchyard are all in their mid-to-late 20s — with hometowns ranging from Memphis to Detroit — and each adds a different musical twist to the group’s “heavy” and “haunting” sound. Founding drummer Rebecca Cholewa plays in Study Hall, while Joey Dykes, who joined the group about four months ago, has previously played in Darla Farmer and Totes Inapropro. Bassist Rachel Warrick also plays guitar for Roman Polanski’s Baby, and adding complementary vocals up front to D’Amico — who at one time also fronted an eponymous quartet — is guitarist and violinist Alice Buchanan, who’s played in bands including Magic Kids, Scandaliz Vandalistz, and Wintercreeper.

“Rachel and Alice actually met each other in college orchestra,” says D’Amico, addressing the band’s diverse history. “Really, everyone in the band was classically trained one way or the other. For example, we all have studied music theory,” she continues. “I was trained in Suzuki Violin for seven years and Alice currently teaches Suzuki Violin.” Now almost a year beyond those early demos the band bears a cohesion that speaks to the group’s musical vision. “It really means that we are familiar with playing music with others.” “Intentional” and “collaborative” to the core.

Extended Q&A

The Scene described Churchyard’s sound as “lo-fi, grungy garage pop with more than a hint of ’60s psych, surf pop influence,” which is about as vague as just saying the band plays “rock music.” What sort of sound were you aiming for with the demos that are on Bandcamp?

Meghan D’Amico: The recordings with Ben Spinks were recorded live in his bedroom. Very minimal, raw and live. That’s exactly what we wanted.

Did Ben Spinks have any sort of creative influence in guiding those songs?

Meghan D’Amico: No, we explained the raw feeling we wanted for our demos and that’s what he did! He is a very close friend that understands our sound, so he was able to do a great job capturing it.

Creatively, what does Churchyard do that your solo band or Dead Legs didn’t? What do you think those groups helped you learn that you’ve brought with you to Churchyard?

Meghan D’Amico: Dead Legs was its own entity and was a wonderful experience with incredible musicians as well as friends. I learned how to front a band and be comfortable on stage. Churchyard is different from Dead Legs because we are a band. We are both intentional and collaborative with our song writing.

From what I saw online, Alice is a violin teacher. Academic isn’t the word I’m looking for — maybe I’m thinking of something like “classically trained” — but, what does her background provide the band in terms of writing and performing?

Meghan D’Amico: Rachel and Alice actually met each other in college orchestra. Really, everyone in the band was classically trained one way or the other. For example, we all have studied music theory. I was trained in Suzuki Violin for seven years and Alice currently teaches Suzuki Violin. It really means that we are familiar with playing music with others, and are comfortable with critique from each other.

Prior to forming (am I correct in saying 2013?), what other bands did Alice, Rachel, and Rebecca play in? Was Joey always part of the group, or was he a later addition?

Meghan D’Amico: Rebecca currently plays in the band Study Hall. Alice has been in bands in Memphis including Magic Kids, Scandaliz Vandalistz, and Wintercreeper. Joey: Darla Farmer and Totes Inapropro. And Rachel currently plays guitar in the Riot Grrrl band Roman Polanski’s Baby. Joey started playing with Churchyard about four months ago.

How old are the band members? Is everyone from Tennessee originally?

Meghan D’Amico: Rachel (24) and I (27) grew up in Nashville/Franklin area; Alice (27) reps Memphis; Joey (28) is from Johnston City (“Jmotherfuckin’C”); Becs (25) is straight from the streets of Detroit — well, right outside Detroit… She’s “a burb kid.”

Justin Kalk: A Stiff Necked Rocker

Reading about Justin Kalk‘s musical development brings to mind something of an artistic trident: the first prong a reverence for the past, strengthened by an early introduction to instruments and past masters, enhanced by a formal musical education; the second, a tendency to experiment and take chances; and the third a dedication to always move forward. Somewhere at a crossroads between each of these elements is the new Justin Kalk Orchestra album, VoLcanO, though in keeping with the latter, despite having just released the new full-length, Kalk is already looking ahead to what’s next.

Speaking of his father via email, Kalk reflects being surrounded by music at an early age, “I remember crawling up to his Gibson 335 and strumming it back when it was taller then I was.” His great uncle taught him how to play lead guitar — early influences that still ring throughout Kalk’s music included Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, and Jeff Beck — and his grandparents would take him to jazz concerts at a young age, introducing him to many of the musicians along the way. While recognizing early on that music was going to be an essential part of his life, looking back Kalk says he had to fully invest himself in music if he was going to make something of his calling. “Berklee just seemed like the most logical next step if I was going to be serious.”

“Our bassist Steo [Britton] and I have played in bands together since we were kids,” continues Kalk. Britton would join him at Berklee College of Music‎, where they began writing music together, before expanding their group in founding the Blue Sky Traffic. While landing a spot on NBC’s “hybrid television-internet show” StarTomorrow in 2006 and releasing an album the following year, the band experienced a few lineup changes before Kalk relocated to Nashville and formed the Justin Kalk Orchestra. Rounding out the lineup would be drummer Jeremy Williams. “I saw him playing out at 12th & Porter a few years ago,” says Kalk, “and knew instantly I needed to jam with him. He just brings the gospel, jazz, hip hop style and chops. A lot of bands try to hold drummers like him back, but in this project I need someone who can rip!” In 2010 the band released the full-length album Blue Sky Traffic, led by the stomping electric blues of “I’ve Changed Too.”

Prior to the release of the album Kalk had reached out to Ralph Steadman, sending the legendary visual artist a letter with some of the music that would later appear on the album with the hope that he’d take a listen. “He wrote back,” says Kalk — “he was blown away.” The relationship evolved from there and Steadman would later create the artwork for not only Blue Sky Traffic, but also the band’s new album. “The cover for VoLcanO is just a masterpiece. I went to his house last spring and brought him the album,” continues Kalk. “There’s a lot to it. I especially love the bird at the bottom of the volcano.”

Musically, VoLcanO continues to balance the old with a penchant for experimentation, balancing “blues, rock, funk, [and] hip-hop.” Helping guide the release was Grammy award-winner Tom Hambridge, who produced the album. “Tom produced the last few Buddy Guy records,” says Kalk. “Buddy is the real deal and so is Tom. He’s a good soul. As a producer, he gave me permission to be myself.” In the case of VoLcanO, this manifested in a range of sounds, from the gentle, soul-inspired “Bee Sting” to the blues-funk hybrid, “Dirty Thing,” which was recently accompanied by a stop-motion music video, produced using $80 worth of clay and an iPhone by Kalk and his friend, William “The Facillitator” Macdonald. “It took two weeks,” adds Kalk. “My lovely wife Kelienne was extremely patient.”

Even with so much happening right now, however, Kalk’s imagination and creativity have hardly been tied down to the new album. In addition to his own music, he runs Stiff Neck Rocker, “a boutique rock & roll company” that he says is “taking on a life of its own.” “I’ve been working with this two piece, Reverse Buzzards. A self titled album is inches from the finish line for these guys… They sound like if Jeff Buckley, Radiohead, and Queens of the Stone Age had some kind of bearded baby!” Kalk’s also working on new music with Vanessa Barbee, Willy 3rd Street, and Keya Gordon. “I’m waist high into my third album as well,” Kalk continues. “Musically, it’s been a very fruitful year for me.”

Extended Q&A

Who first got you interested in playing music and what inspired you to attend the Berklee College of Music?

Justin Kalk: My father, I remember crawling up to his Gibson 335 and strumming it back when it was taller then I was. He showed me some chords and we always have played together. My great uncle Gunars taught me to play lead though: Zeppelin, Hendrix, Jeff Beck. Spent a lot of time with me. Also, my grandparents took me to incredible jazz concerts in D.C. and introduced me to the musicians.

Berklee just seemed like the most logical next step if I was going to be serious.

When did you meet Steo & Jeremy?

Justin Kalk: Our bassist Steo and I have played in bands together since we were kids. He’s one year younger then I am. Steo followed me to Berklee. After he applied, I lied to him and said the acceptance letter came in a big red envelope! He moved up to Boston and we wrote a lot of music together up there.

Our drummer, Jeremy Williams, is Nashville, TN born and raised. I saw him playing out at 12th & Porter a few years ago here in Nashville and knew instantly I needed to jam with him. He just brings the gospel, jazz, hip hop style and chops. A lot of bands try to hold drummers like him back, but in this project I need someone who can rip! J’s a serious talent and a great friend, too.

How did you first get involved working with Flying Dog Brewery? I’m wondering if that connection helped introduce you to Ralph Steadman?

Justin Kalk: Actually it was the other way around.

I wrote Ralph a letter a few years ago and some music I was working on. He said he listened to it in his studio with his roofer; I guess it was leaking. Anyway, he wrote back he was blown away and so was his roofer: as many roofers tragically are.

After Ralph did the cover, I sent it to Flying Dog & they’ve been extremely supportive ever since. We’ve put on a few concerts with them and sponsor our tour!

What is Giralph, and do you know what Steadman cites as inspiration behind the covers for Blue Sky Traffic and VoLcanO?

Justin Kalk: GiRalph is our pet Giraffe. Ralph gave us a giraffe with rocking chair legs for our first cover. The Stiff Necked Rocker. He got it from one of my lyrics to my wife “Kelienne, above the giraffes neck. Up, up away.”

The cover for VoLcanO is just a masterpiece. I went to his house last spring and brought him the album. There’s a lot to it. I especially love the bird at the bottom of the volcano.

“Caged Bird” is said to be influenced “equal parts by Kurt Vonnegut & James Brown.” What does that mean to you?

Justin Kalk: Yeah you could say that. Lyrically Kurt Vonnegut. He did this painting called “Freedom” that’s a bird cage with the door left open.

Groove wise though, the godfather!

Being so richly inspired by the blues already, what sort of influence did Tom Hambridge have on the new album? Did he introduce you to Buddy Guy when you were out in NY?

Justin Kalk: Yeah he did! Tom produced the last few Buddy Guy records. Buddy is the real deal and so is Tom. He’s a good soul. As a producer, he gave me permission to be myself. We recorded the bones of VoLcanO in a single day at Blackbird Studios in Nashville. Twelve songs actually — one of my favorites “Fingerless Black Gloves” I haven’t released yet.

Who produced the “Dirty Thing” claymation video?

Justin Kalk: We did that in my garage! It was my British friend William “The Facillitator” Macdonald that was the instigator though. We were practicing and he came over with $80 worth of clay. Before long he had made Clay Steo. An hour later Clay Jeremy. Pretty soon we we’re stop motioning them with the iPhone. It took 2 weeks. My lovely wife Kelienne was extremely patient.

Blue Sky Traffic was the first release on Stiff Necked Rocker, VoLcanO the sophomore release — what led to the label’s creation and do you intend on working with other acts through it?

Justin Kalk: Yes! I’ve been working with this two piece, Reverse Buzzards. A self titled album is inches from the finish line for these guys. Eric Phillipi on guitar and Jon Morgan on Drums. They sound like if Jeff Buckley, Radiohead and Queens of the Stone Age had some kind of bearded baby!

Also working on new music with Vanessa Barbee, Willy 3rd Street and Keya Gordon. I’m waist high into my third album as well. Musically, it’s been a very fruitful year for me.

Yeah, Stiff Necked Rocker is a boutique rock & roll company. I started it as a roof for my own publishing & recordings but at the moment it’s taking on a life of its own. I want to not only put out music but signed limited artwork and publish writings.

The Long Road to Markey Blue

“I think in life you need to reinvent yourself,” reflects Markey — the namesake and frontwoman of the Nashville blues act Markey Blue — via email. “I don’t believe in being stagnant,” she continues, “[I] always wanna be growing, learning, and getting better at a craft.” However broad the statement, if ever there were a person to which the term “reinvention” could be ascribed, it’s Markey. The band’s debut album, Hey Hey, started with a meeting between Markey and guitarist Ric Latina, conceptually evolving from a four-track EP to a full-length release, and in the process morphing from a more traditional blues sound into a self-described genre bending “New Indie Soul/Blues” mix. “I had to re-learn how to sing. My gut bucket belting was not gonna work for this project. And Ric, holy cow he really worked to find different sounds for this album.” Markey’s history of reinvention runs far deeper than this most recent musical shift though, as her journey as an entertainer winds back through country music, the Pacific Northwest, and periods working as both a stand-up comic and impressionist, which all kicked off at the age of 19 when she became the youngest chorus member among one of Las Vegas’ premier dance troops.

Born in Hemet, California and raised in southern Oregon, Markey landed in Las Vegas where her plan was to major in dance at UNLV. However, “within my first month or two of school,” she says, “I heard one of the longest running shows was having auditions, the Lido De Paris. With braces still on my teeth I auditioned and got the show.” She quickly worked her way up to lead showgirl, starring in a variety high profile revues up and down the strip. “I made billboards, taxi cab board[s], magazines, TV ads, I thought that was the peak of my career. But then I started seeing girls in their 30s being let go for being too old… and I decided I’d better learn another craft.”

This early transformation left Markey taking a turn away from dance, transferring her abilities as a performer to the comedy world. “John Byner, from the HBO show Bizarre, taught me my first voice, Dr. Ruth. I put shoes on my knees and a little dress, and would come through the curtain and give a sex quiz to the audience.” The duo continued working together at the Sands Hotel until a new opportunity became available. “I heard there was an opening for a starring role in Crazy Girls at the Riviera Hotel for a comedian/lead singer. I didn’t know how to do either. I rented a bunch of stand up videos, and Sandy Hackett — Buddy Hackett’s son — helped me put an act together from a bunch of stolen jokes. I found a karaoke tape with one song I could kinda warble my way through. ‘Do Right’ from Roger Rabbit.” She continues, “The audition was: they threw you in the show. They put a horrible wig and a sequin evening gown on me; I was so flustered I forgot to be nervous. I got people to laugh at my jokes and I got the job.” From there, when an opportunity opening for Rich Little surfaced, she jumped at it and began doing impressions full-time.

This fresh direction led to a shift in both the audience Markey was performing in front of, as well as the sort of performer that she was working alongside. Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Robert Goulet, Phyllis Diller, Mickey Rooney, and Charlton Heston are but a few of the names who occupied this new world Markey found herself in, though eventually the work began to wear on her. “At one point the producer of Baywatch offered to back a two man show on Broadway with Rick Michel and myself doing impressions,” she says. “[But] by that time I was so tired of not getting to be myself. I was doing countless radio interviews and the DJs would always ask ‘what does Cher have to say’ or Joan Rivers.” Looking for a fresh start after a high-profile relationship had ended, Markey left Las Vegas in 1996 and returned to Oregon’s familiar landscape to begin anew. “I went through a hard divorce, I didn’t ask for anything, just to be free… and walked away from everything to start my life over.” Reinvention.

Working at a country bar, Markey was occasionally reminded of her past life despite relocating and turning her focus toward writing and singing her own songs. “A few people came in with pictures or concert tickets I had signed years earlier from Reno or Vegas as I was clearing off their table [and] they would ask ‘Is this you?’ I would say yes… I’m just starting over.” There she began singing with a band, which led to securing an agent and booking more shows. Before long she was signed to a small country label. “A manager bought me off that label and moved me to Nashville,” she says. “He died a few months later. I decided to stay in Nashville and learn how to song write. So I found a job as a waitress, and started the next new life as a country singer/songwriter in Nashville.”

This period saw the release of Making a Bad Impression (1998), the Introducing Jill Markey EP (2003), and Simple Things (2004), which Markey says served to separate her from her past. “I went by a nickname, Jill, to kinda hide from my past life as Jeannette Markey the stand-up comic.” Then, once again, everything changed. “I had stopped singing and writing for quite a few years. [Around] 2005/2006 my husband at the time (who was in the music business) would get very messed up and come home and tell me that I couldn’t sing or write, I might as well give it up so I did.” Despite this smothering influence, Markey surged on, taking any extra money she could save to fund studio demos. “I had been writing kinda in secret.”

Sometimes the blues works best at opposite ends of the spectrum, helping celebrate the good times or make the most out of the bad. Once this emotionally abusive relationship came to an end, Markey found herself gravitating toward the blues as something of a refuge, finding redemption in the genre and its musical community. “I walked into a Nashville Blues Society jam and there was Nick [Nixon]. I felt at home. Andy T was the house band. Over the next few months/year Andy, Nick & I would play together in different band configurations, till finally Andy started [the] Andy T [and] Nick Nixon project, which I sang back up for a good couple years.” During this period she began making appearances under a new name, simply performing as Markey, also trading her blonde hair for a darker look, allowing a visual transformation to help emphasize the new direction. In 2011 she released the Blue EP, which helped earn her the Best Female Blues Singer award at Nashville’s Blues Music Awards.

In 2012 Markey met Ric Latina (whose extensive tour history includes work with Waylon Jennings and Hank Williams III, among many others), who later called her to see if she wanted to collaborate. “I went to one of his gigs and sat in with his guys who were all tour cats. I hadn’t played with this caliber player since working with all the old stars back in my Vegas days. I was hooked.” In 2013 they began performing together as Markey Blue, that year earning a nomination for Best Blues Artist at the 2013 NIMA Awards. For their debut LP, Hey Hey, they secured a band including Rodney Ledbetter (drums), Randy Coleman (bass), Jake Hill (keys), Miqui Gutierrez (sax), Richard Griffin (sax), Scott Ducaj (trumpet), Quentin Wear (trumpet), and Jim Williamson (trumpet), also working with a number of close friends and collaborators including Jack Pearson, formerly of the Allman Brothers Band. The duo also honed in on their mutual appreciation for the Stax and Hi Records libraries, while challenging themselves creatively.

“Both of us had our ‘comfort zones,’ we were both used to playing and writing a certain way,” says Markey. “But as these songs started to form we both had to really stretch outside of that. We started looking for a sound, something different.” Picking up on this new direction was the legendary Steve Cropper, who the band opened a pair of gigs for. “He had stopped his show to talk about us, saying that Markey Blue was creating the music he would be making today,” continues Markey. “So the next time we played together he said he’d write our liner notes for us. We got the notes and were about to send in the artwork when he [texted] in the middle of the night and said he couldn’t get our song ‘Baby I’m Cryin’’ out of his head! We all about died! Our hero is sitting around listening to us!”

Cropper later joined the band in the studio where he produced the vocals on the track. “It was so surreal to watch my hero rocking out to our music, giving us thumbs up on guitar riffs. I don’t think I will ever forget that day.” There’s a tremendous sense of happiness that resonates through the music on Hey Hey: “It’s funny to think about it now,” says Markey. “But I’m such a Steve Cropper fan — his writing arranging and producing — his first band on Stax was the Mar-Keys, so it just kinda seemed fitting. I never thought I’d be getting to work with him, let alone meet or open for him.” Perhaps the tone has something to do with the sort of gratitude that Markey expresses here, a reflection of the continual transition, the constant reinvention, the ongoing survival, or the understanding that any of life’s obstacles could have left her a million miles away from something remotely resembling happiness. “Coming from doing impressions of others and singing their songs to seeing your hero digging your voice an your songs… I can’t tell ya enough how good that makes ya feel.”

Extended Q&A

You began as an entertainer at a very young age. Where were you born and how did you end up working in Las Vegas? What led you to becoming a showgirl?

Markey: Was born in Hemet, CA, but was raised in Southern OR. I was a dance major and I moved to Las Vegas to go to UNLV. Being so tall most dance troupes I’d audition for would ask, “Have ya tried Vegas?” so I did.

With in my first month or two of school, I heard one of the longest running shows was having auditions, the Lido De Paris. With braces still on my teeth I auditioned and got the show. I was the youngest cast member.

I had never even seen a G-string before. Over the next few years I worked my way up to lead show girl, starring in shows up & down the strip. I made billboards, taxi cab board and magazines, TV ads, I thought that was the peak of my career. But then I started seeing girls in their 30s being let go for being too old… and I decided I’d better learn another craft.

How does Ms. Jeannette Markey end up working a benefit in Palm Springs hosted by Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra? Did Rick Michel influence your introduction to becoming an impressionist? How did you start down that path?

Markey: I heard there was an opening for a starring role in “Crazy Girls” at the Riviera Hotel for a comedian/lead singer.

I didn’t know how to do either. I rented a bunch of stand up videos, and Sandy Hackett — Buddy Hackett’s son — helped me put an act together from a bunch of stolen jokes. I found a karaoke tape with one song I could kinda warble my way through, “Do Right” from Roger Rabbit. The audition was: they threw you in the show. They put a horrible wig and a sequin evening gown on me; I was so flustered I forgot to be nervous. I got people to laugh at my jokes and I got the job. I hired a joke writer out of L.A. and started my career as a stand up comic.
John Byner from the HBO show Bizarre taught me my first voice, Dr. Ruth. I put shoes on my knees and a little dress, and would come through the curtain and give a sex quiz to the audience. John and I starred in a show at the Sands Hotel called Comedy Kings with Sid and Marty Kroft Puppets and some very talented impressionist. One of the impressionists, Rick Michel took me under his wing and started teaching me about vocal placement – not until I started opening for Rich Little did I start using impressions to make a living.

At first I stunk!!! But practicing every day I grew to be very good. One of my proudest accomplishments is I’m in the Radio Hall of Fame. When they inducted George Burns and Gracie Allen, I accepted for Gracie.

The many number of stars I’ve gotten to worked for, opened for, worked beside, and have just gotten to hang out with amazing, Ive been very blessed.

There’s been an unmistakable trend of reinvention that appears throughout your career — how much of that can you attribute to your time spent in Vegas?

Markey: I think in life you need to reinvent yourself, I don’t believe in being stagnant — always wanna be growing, learning and getting better at a craft.

What lasting impression do you think the Riviera Hotel/Rich Little days had on you in terms of finding out what you wanted to make of your talents as a singer? Did those years invigorate your drive to pursue your own voice?

Markey: Well with doing impressions I got very good, at one point the producer of Baywatch offered to back a two man show on Broadway with Rick Michel and myself doing impressions — by that time I was so tired of not getting to be myself. I was doing countless radio interviews and the DJs would always ask “what does Cher have to say” or Joan Rivers.

I had been working so hard on trying to find my own voice – I’d go for long drives in the car trying to teach myself to sing, trying to find what I sound like. I started singing hard, really pushing and that kinda became my sound. I didn’t have very good control over my voice other than blasting.

You’ve noted, “When I was in my late 20’s early 30’s I used to open and perform with a lot of big stars and I guess I didn’t think it was out of the ordinary.” How do you think this time spent in such rare air helped guide you creatively?

Markey: Being so young I guess I didn’t realize at the time how special it was, hanging out with Charlton Heston at dinner on set at Universal and having him walk me through what movies he shot right there on that spot, opening for Frankie Valley and listening to him tell stories of his early years when he was signed to Motown touring through the south, or spending an evening with Hugh Hefner and Mel Tormé on the Queen Mary talking about old movies, hanging out back stage with Mickey Rooney listening to him tell stories and tell me that he told Walt Disney that Mickey should be a mouse, Phyllis Diller teaching me how to line dance, getting to work with the Reagans, Nancy and Ronald, and Bob and Delores Hope. Going to their homes for dinners, and so many other stars. I listen to all their stories of life, what to do and more importantly what not to do. It all seems like a life time ago.

When did you end up leaving Vegas?

Markey: 1996 — I went through a hard divorce, I didn’t ask for anything just to be free… and walked away from everything to start my life over.

I didn’t know how to do any thing else but entertain, but a high school girl friend hired me as a bartender/waitress and I started my new life at a country bar in OR. (A few people came in with pictures or concert tickets I had signed years earlier from Reno or Vegas as I was clearing off their table [and] they would ask “Is this you?” I would say yes… I’m just starting over) Within a few months I was singing in a band, few months later we got an agent, we were booked solid and then bam! I was signed to a small country label.

A manager bought me off that label and moved me to Nashville. He died a few months later. I decided to stay in Nashville and learn how to song write. So I found a job as a waitress, and started the next new life as a country singer/songwriter in Nashville.

The blonde hair then disappears and you release Blue simply as Markey. Was there a symbolic change beyond the simplification of your name and change your look during this time?

Markey: It’s funny to think about it now, but I’m such a Steve Cropper fan — his writing arranging and producing — his first band on Stax was the Mar-Keys, so it just kinda seemed fitting. I never thought I’d be getting to work with him, let alone meet or open for him.

I went by a nick name Jill to kinda hide from my past life as Jeannette Markey the stand up comic, so when I started with the EP Blue I didn’t what folks googling me and seeing a country singer or a stand up comic I wanted to start fresh. (Reinventing.)

I had stopped singing and writing for quite a few years. [Around] 2005/2006 my husband at the time (who was in the music business) would get very messed up and come home and tell me that I couldn’t sing or write, I might as well give it up so I did. (Needless to say later on we split.) He would go out on tour for months at a time while I was managing a restaurant, I would take all my extra money into a studio an make demos of the songs I had been writing kinda in secret.

I had tracking experience so the studio owner hired me part time to track other people’s projects to help pay for my demos. A friend who had introduced me into the blues world said that the artist Janiva Magness, and a few others were looking for songs and thought one of mine would be good. I was gonna hire a demo singer [but] a couple friends talked me into laying my own vocals. I sent out a few songs and wound up getting signed as an artist myself.

How did you become involved in the Nashville blues community? How did you meet Andy T & Nick Nixon?

Markey: After my husband and I split, I was playing rhythm guitar, mandolin, and a little harmonica & bass in a classic rock band. The bass player and I went searching for local jams to meet new players. I knew Nick Nixon because I used to book him at the restaurant I managed. I walked into a Nashville Blues Society jam and there was Nick. I felt at home. Andy T was the house band. Over the next few months/year Andy, Nick & I would play together in different band configurations, till finally Andy started [the] Andy T [and] Nick Nixon project, which I sang back up for a good couple years.

What year did you meet Ric [Latina] and what do you think was the initial artistic attraction between the two of you? Why do you work so well together?

Markey: In 2012 Ric and I were booked on the same bill with two other bands, I was singing lead and back up and playing several instruments. I got a call from him a few days later saying we should meet and talk about joining forces. I went to one of his gigs and sat in with his guys who were all tour cats. I hadn’t played with this caliber player since working with all the old stars back in my Vegas days. I was hooked. So 2013 we started playing together as a band “Markey Blue.”

Next we started to write together, a 4 song EP is what we talked about. Well… it turned into our full CD, Hey Hey. Song writing comes easily for us, for some reason the tunes just flow.

You’ve said you were used to singing “gut bucket blues,” but for the new album, you and Ric had to reconfigure your approach to songwriting somewhat in order to shift to the “New Indie Soul/Blues” sound you were aiming at. What was this process like?

Markey: Both of us had our “comfort zones” we were both used to playing and writing a certain way. But as these songs started to form we both had to really stretch out side of that. We started looking for a sound, something different. We knew it may not be accepted in certain genres, but we wanted to keep a foot in blues, but find enough of something that would make it appealing to a wider audience. I had to re-learn how to sing. My gut bucket belting was not gonna work for this project. And Ric, holy cow he really worked to find different sounds for this album.

Is “Baby I’m Cryin'” going to be featured in an upcoming indie film? What’s the movie called and how did that opportunity arise? Is “Baby I’m Cryin’” also the track that Steve Cropper produced on the new album?

Markey: I got a text from a girl friend that had two lines on it. She said she wanted to write this song for her dad that had just passed, and some folks she knew were doing a movie and wanted her to sing in it. Well I immediately text her back the next two lines that came to my head. We got together over at Ric’s and we finished writing it for her.

We did two versions, a slow blues and a Al Green feel. Anna recorded the slow one for the film and we recorded the Al Green feel. The movie is a small indie film called Turbulence and Love.

Markey Blue had opened for Cropper twice, he had stopped his show to talk about us, saying that Markey Blue was creating the music he would be making today. So the next time we played together he said he’d write our liner notes for us. We got the notes and were about to send in the artwork when he [texted] in the middle of the night and said he couldn’t get our song “Baby I’m Cryin'” out of his head!! We all about died!! Our hero is sitting around listening to us!!! But he said we wanted to fix a couple things. So he took us in the studio and he produced the vocal on it. It was so surreal to watch my hero rocking out to our music, giving us thumbs up on guitar riffs. I don’t think I will ever forget that day. Coming from doing impressions of others and singing their songs to seeing your hero digging your voice an your songs… I can’t tell ya enough how good that makes ya feel.

How do you think this experience — the larger process of recording and releasing Hey Hey — has influenced where you want to go with your music in the future? What has the album taught you about yourself, beyond the music?

Markey: Just being in the studio with these kats and watching them work is an amazing experience. This project, both Ric and I feel that we found ourselves. Being willing to take chances, go outside the box, and it’s amazing the people it attracts to you, and all of us as a band growing together and exploring on stage as we play. I love watching our band when they start “exchanging fours” during a solo. The energy and anticipation from the audience waiting to hear “what’s gonna happen next.” We get a lot of musicians that come out to hear us for that reason. As a band we’ve also been trying to incorporate that same energy into our recordings.

What is the mission of the “Women in Blues” show, and who are some of sources for inspiration behind the event?

Markey: The Nashville Fringe Festival and SoulOsound Records is sponsoring our Hey Hey CD release show on September 28th at Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar. Featuring The Woman of Blues to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank, we will be having a food drive and the Strings for Hope girls will be there. They make jewelry out of broken strings. One set of broken strings buys 80 meals.

I’m a firm believer in giving back, when good stuff is happening for ya, you need to pass that along. There’s plenty good stuff to go around, and all we got is each other.

When I think of Christmas music, my mind drifts toward the unbearable, but if it weren’t for the name I wouldn’t have noticed that “Christmas Ain’t Christmas” is even a seasonal song. Is the rest of the forthcoming EP going to sound similar to that track, and what was behind the idea to release Christmas music in the first place?

Markey: None of them sound Christmasy. One is soul/R&B, the one you heard is kinda rootsy and we have a gut bucket one. And were writing the 4th one soon. We wrote the first one as a thank you to all our fans and friends that helped with our Kickstarter. We did a quick video for Christmas. Now the Atlanta Blues Society saw us play at a BMA event in Memphis, said they had to have us come down. We’re booked for December 20th – and since it’s so close to Christmas we are picking a local food bank in Atlanta to do a food drive for at our gig with the blues society there. We will also donate a % of every sale of the Christmas EP to that.

Hide Your Mamas: Energy, Creativity & Irreverence

“You really only have to look at our song titles or the outfits we wear on stage to see that we don’t take ourselves too seriously,” says keyboardist Zack Moscow. “We have great fun writing and playing music together and that’s what [Hide Your Mamas] is all about.”

The three-piece instrumental group delivers a sound self-described as packing “the punch of rock and roll with the nuances of jazz improv,” leaving the band at a crossroads between electro-jam and intergalactic space funk. “I hope that when people come to our shows or listen to our music that they can feed off of our energy and creativity and irreverence!”

Moscow grew up in Lexington, Kentucky, later spending a few years in Philadelphia before heading to Nashville in 2008 to “give things a shot in the music business.” Despite growing up on the Rolling Stones, Los Lobos, and Elvis Costello through his parents’ record collection, developing as a classical/concert pianist in his youth, then taking an interest in playing funk and jazz, once in Nashville he found himself playing with the “country-fried rock and roll band” Williamson Black.

The band didn’t really go anywhere, but it did introduce Moscow to bassist Tyler Boone. “During breaks Tyler and I would stay in the jam room and fool around with riffs and song ideas that were a little, umm, outside of the country rock box.” As Williamson Black came to an end the duo formally gave birth to this direction by starting Hide Your Mamas, eventually landing drummer Jared Rauso to fill out the trio. “The first time the three of us jammed together I knew we had the right guy on the drums.”

Last year Hide Your Mamas issued its first release, a seven-song self-titled EP that the group intends on building off of with its forthcoming debut LP. The music is nothing if not playful — a tone that carries through a track list which features titles such as “Don’t Menstruate Me” and “Drunk Monk.” That isn’t to say that the songs aren’t the product of hard work though. “We wanted songs that found complex arrangements and inspired complex emotions from an initial (relatively simple) riff or two,” says Moscow. “Most importantly, we wanted songs that left us room to think on the fly and express ourselves in a different way each time we played them.”

The as-yet-untitled full-length is set to incorporate a few tracks from the EP, though the focus is definitely on exploring new sounds and a new direction. “I think the demo captured the spirit of our music but didn’t have the polish (and more importantly from my perspective, the continuity and energy and feel of our live show) that we really wanted.”

Extended Q&A

Where are you from, originally, and how did you first get involved in playing music? Were there any early influences that made you lean in a certain direction, as far as your playing style is concerned?

Zack Moscow: I grew up in Lexington, Kentucky, then spent a few years in Philadelphia and eventually landed in Nashville in the fall of 2008. Had a great four years in Tennessee but currently live in Cincinnati (I try to make it back down as much as possible – I really miss the city, the people, the creative energy!)

I’ve been playing music since about as far back as I can remember. I was very lucky to have parents who turned me on to the piano and paid for lessons from age five until I graduated from high school. My formal music education was rooted almost entirely in classical/concert piano.

I started to develop an interest in playing rock, funk, and jazz somewhere around age thirteen, but I have extremely vivid memories from early childhood listening to my parents’ records: the Stones, Los Lobos, Elvis Costello… the good stuff! I think I got burnt out from the confines and repetition necessary in concert piano studies so it was really alluring to find and play music that was a little more unstructured and that left room for me to improvise. I started a band with two of my best friends in high school — we put out an album with some goofy songs and had a blast doing it! I played a lot of music, with a lot of different bands, while I was in Philadelphia, and eventually decided that I wanted to go live in Nashville and try to really give things a shot in the music business.

The band’s Facebook page says you met Tyler [Boone] “while playing in a country-fried rock and roll band.” Which band was that? Did you play in any groups prior? Why do you think your creative evolution led you to the sounds of Hide Your Mamas? Also – how did you meet Jared [Rauso], and what made him a good fit for the new music you and Tyler wanted to start creating?

Zack Moscow: I met Tyler (our bass player) while we were playing for a country rock band called “Williamson Black.” We would practice way out in the country. During breaks Tyler and I would stay in the jam room and fool around with riffs and song ideas that were a little, umm, outside of the country rock box. I definitely felt like we had some overlap in terms of creativity and writing songs that grooved and funked and were a little left of center. So when Williamson Black started to fizzle out we thought we could start a project of our own. This eventually became Hide Your Mamas.

HYM has gone through a lot of evolution from 2010 to where we stand today. We’ve hired and lost a guitar player, had songs with a lot more traditional structure (and lyrics!) and somehow we’ve ended up as an instrumental organ/synth trio. The only constants: myself, Tyler, and Jared Rauso, our drummer. Tyler knew Jared from the Murfreesboro scene. The first time the three of us jammed together I knew we had the right guy on the drums. Jared has a lot of space to fill as we are only a three piece band, which gives him the flexibility and opportunity to create drum parts with some intricacy and that drive[s] the dynamics of each song.

Through our initial emails you said the group’s debut full-length will include some of the same songs as last year’s EP. How is the band re-approaching them, and how do the new songs differ from the previous recordings, described as “a collection of songs that revolve around driving bass lines, intricate beats, and melodic leads”?

Zack Moscow: We knew we wanted to write and play our own brand of music. We wanted songs that found complex arrangements and inspired complex emotions from an initial (relatively simple) riff or two. Now that we’ve been playing some of these songs for several years, it’s interesting to look back and see how we’ve changed the execution from then to now. Most importantly, we wanted songs that left us room to think on the fly and express ourselves in a different way each time we played them.

The album we’re working on now will incorporate some of the original songs we put on our demo and a few new ones as well. I think the demo captured the spirit of our music but didn’t have the polish (and more importantly from my perspective, the continuity and energy and feel of our live show) that we really wanted. We are hoping to take a little more time with this album and produce a rounder and warmer record. The new tracks are more in line stylistically with songs like “Bum Runner” and “Don’t Menstrate Me”: catchy and snappy variations on a theme.

There’s an implicit tongue-in-cheek quality to the band that’s pretty apparent through on-stage attire and videos like “Bum Runner.” Do you think this easy-going nature (sort of) breathes through the group’s music?

Zack Moscow: You really only have to look at our song titles or the outfits we wear on stage to see that we don’t take ourselves too seriously. We have great fun writing and playing music together and that’s what this project is all about. I hope that when people come to our shows or listen to our music that they can feed off of our energy and creativity and irreverence!

What is the new album going to be called and how many songs do you think will be on it?

Zack Moscow: The album name and track listing is still TBD…

Greg Bryant: Watchman on a Mission

Born in Nashville, Greg Bryant dabbled with piano in his youth, but was primarily introduced to music by immersing himself in his parents’ record collection. “My education has been [through] listening to a lot of records,” he says, reflecting on those early years via email. “And, I mean a lot of them.” In his teens, Bryant began sharing his love of music with others, taking on his first radio position at age 15 where he began working with a local college station. “Turning people on to the great masters of the music is a special responsibility I feel I’ve been given,” he says. “So doing broadcasts and getting involved with radio was a natural step.” Transitioning into the role of player a few years later (when he picked up the bass while attending MTSU), Bryant’s relationship with music — and particularly jazz — has since become layered, landing him at the intersection between musician and champion.

“[A]s I was around the music more and more,” he continues, “it forced me to want — or created the need — to participate and make music.” The Human Sound and the Cornerstone Jazz Trio marked his first attempts at playing with bands while still in college, each allowing him to gain perspective as a player while he continued to pursue broadcasting. “We investigated a lot of the classic jazz repertoire,” he says of those early groups, “but not always in the classic way.” After graduating he relocated to Chicago to pursue his studies, a move that would impact his relationship with music for years to come.

“Strangely enough,” says Bryant, “aside from a few jam sessions, I didn’t play much in Chicago.” The larger city did give him more opportunities to see and hear influential jazz musicians in the live setting, however, which further solidified within him an urge to not only continue investing himself in the genre, but hone his own sound. An internship in Washington, D.C. followed, which only further ingrained within Bryant a new direction which he would take his music. “The players were way better [than] I was and played with more fire than I had been accustomed to,” he says, relating the period to something of a musical baptism. “The way the drummers swing on the east coast continues to be intense and playing with that rhythm changed me.”

After briefly returning to Chicago, Bryant headed back south in 2004, where he transitioned his new experiences back into performing and broadcasting. He later took on a position with Middle Tennessee Public Radio — then branded JAZZ 89 — while quickly re-establishing himself musically by opening up shop with a pair of new groups in Nashville. The Greg Bryant Quintet was formed with saxophonists Reagan Mitchell and Chris West, guitarist Brian Mesko, and drummer Jason Hoffheins, while Concurrence took form as an improv duo, featuring Bryant alongside pianist Paul Horton. While on one hand the Quintet allowed for a blend between new compositions and covers, Concurrence presented itself as a way to experiment more with sound. “Paul is my musical soul mate,” says Bryant. “We can just show up on the stage and start playing. No tunes or anything. And it will end up in places that inspire us both.”

While Concurrence remains a part-time project, and he has performed, recorded, and toured with numerous other acts since, following the dissolution of the Quintet, Bryant began forming ideas for what would eventually take form as the shapeshifting Greg Bryant Expansion in 2008. “I like to groove as well as swing — and while I don’t like the connotations of ‘jam band’ either — I wanted to make music and play before a diverse audience, definitely including younger folks and people in my generation.” The new group has seen a revolving roster of players, with the consistent being a soft musical focus, allowing for “[improv] and groove as well as swing.” Last year the Expansion released its debut EP, featuring six songs recorded live-to-tape, as performed by Bryant, James DaSilva, Paul Horton, and Joshua Hunt. The Equal Ground blog called the set a product of “incredibly talented musicians flexing their muscles for six songs showing you guitar, bass, piano and drum work people will be in awe of.”

While his radio broadcasting days are now behind him, Bryant continues to represent the scene via the digital airwaves, as in 2013 he resurrected his “Watchman” moniker when he founded the JazzWatch Podcast. And not unlike his position as a jazz advocate, Greg Bryant’s role as a musician continues to evolve and expand. “Simply put — music is about vibrations,” he says, “and to allow them to pass through you creatively and instinctively is a big responsibility. It’s not a job, but more like a calling or a mission.”

Extended Q&A

You’ve said you were introduced to music through your parents’ record collection, and from there you began learning piano as a child. Did you start playing bass after you began attending MTSU?

Greg Bryant: Yes. I started playing bass when I was 19. Pretty late in the game, but as I’m learning, everyone has a natural pace or natural rhythm. The older you get I think it’s more important to be in touch with that that to match up with anyone’s timeline. As you stated I had very limited “formal musical training” as a child on piano for a couple of years. So, my education has been [through] listening to a lot of records. And, I mean a lot of them. Learning on the bandstand has been the other way that I’ve grown. It’s kind of an old-school approach, but I still feel it’s relevant.

How do you think your relationship with instruments evolved through those early years?

Greg Bryant: That’s an interesting question. When your first pianists that you take in are Herbie Hancock, Joe Zawinul and Stevie Wonder, and your first trumpeters that you hear are Miles Davis and Freddie Hubbard, and your first saxophonists that you remember hearing are Wayne Shorter, Bennie Maupin & Joe Henderson and your first guitar players that you hear are Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King and Grant Green — you relate to music as joyful, you begin to ask questions about rhythm and “how can you tell a story through music.” You also understand the importance of having a good sound and manipulating sound in creative ways. Simply put — music is about vibrations and to allow them to pass through you creatively and instinctively is a big responsibility. It’s not a job, but more like a calling or a mission.

At age 15, while in high school, you began working at a college radio station — where was that and what drew you to broadcasting?

Greg Bryant: Turning people on to the great masters of the music is a special responsibility I feel I’ve been given. So doing broadcasts and getting involved with radio was a natural step. I met a lot of cool people — and still do — who remember me and listened to me on broadcast radio. Having access to all the “new” music that was coming out then in jazz and improvisational music also allowed me to grow as a listener. As I stated before, I didn’t start really playing until I was 19, but I feel that as I was around the music more and more it forced me to want — or created the need — to participate and make music. There was a period of about five years (1998-2003) when I first became old enough to go out and hear some great musicians. A few of them have now passed on. But to hear them play/talk to them/and sometimes meet them actually made me play better. It’s like some type of osmosis. It sounds strange, but I truly believe that. Some of those musicians were Sam Rivers, Kenny Garrett, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Lou Donaldson, Fred anderson, Medeski, Martin and Wood, Nicholas Payton, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Brian Blade, Charlie Hunter, T.S. Monk, Mike Stern, John Scofield, Sonny Fortune, Pharoah Sanders, Kenny Barron, Greg Osby, Jason Moran, Matt Wilson, Stanley Jordan, Joshua Redman, Ahmad Jamal, George Coleman, Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Keith Jarrett, Roy Haynes and many more.

How did you get connected with Middle Tennessee Public Radio and what was your role there?

Greg Bryant: I was a radio personality back when it was JAZZ89. Those were great times [and] as I mentioned I learned a lot.

Somewhere along the way you left Nashville for D.C. — what led to the relocation (and when)?

Greg Bryant: When I graduated from MTSU I moved to Chicago in 2002 to continue my journalism studies. Although I finished my degree, the more I think about it, it was really a bit of a smokescreen to get to a bigger city and see/learn more about great music. Over half of the artists that I mentioned, I heard them in Chicago. Strangely enough, aside from a few jam sessions, I didn’t play much in Chicago. I’ve gotten to return a few times with some other groups recently (Dara Tucker, The Dynamites) and play there and it’s been great. I had to do this mandatory internship in D.C. in 2003 before I graduated. It was out there that I jammed some at this club HR-57.

The players were way better [than] I was and played with more fire than I had been accustomed to but it kind of “baptized” me in a way. The way the drummers swing on the east coast continues to be intense and playing with that rhythm changed me. I seek out drummers here who do that. Whether its a groove or some swing. The rhythm must be intense. I miss it when it’s not there. Basically after I finished the internship out there, I moved back to Chicago to find a journalism job. But, that’s the number three market in the country and I wasn’t financially able to go to market #125 to scuffle, so I found a day gig back in Nashville and began to pursue the music.

Almost right away I formed my first band in 2004 (Greg Bryant Quintet) that had a lot of my friends in it saxophonists Reagan Mitchell (now in Baton Rouge), Chris West (a great Nashville composer and player), guitarist Brian Mesko (now in Virginia) and drummer Jason Hoffheins (now in Pennsylvania). We had a weekly thing at the old Guido’s Pizza that was a chance for us to play some tunes as well as original compositions. After that band dissolved I went though many configurations. [All] the while, I never liked how “jazz” was marketed or pushed. It’s got this reputation for being difficult to understand with the musicians being perpetually frustrated and not getting their due. I like to groove as well as swing — and while I don’t like the connotations of ‘jam band’ either — I wanted to make music and play before a diverse audience, definitely including younger folks and people in my generation (20s-40s). I came up with the name “Greg Bryant Expansion” as a way to allow myself the freedom to have a group a varying sizes that can improvise and groove as well as swing. So that’s the concept. Over the last five years, we’ve had such musicians as guitarist Adam Agati (now with Marcus Miller), saxophonist Cord Martin, drummer Derrek Phillips (formerly with Charlie Hunter) and keyboardist Paul Horton has been involved. The current edition is the great guitarist James DaSilva, keyboardist Paul Horton and either drummer Josh Hunt or D.D. Holt, plus myself.

When did you get involved with The Human Sound and the Cornerstone Jazz Trio and who were the players involved there?

Greg Bryant: I’m thankful for both of those groups. The trio was with pianist Tomoki Takahashi, now living in Japan, and also drummer Andy Ray. The Human Sound was a collective co-led by Andy Ray and I. Those groups were earlier efforts during college. We investigated a lot of the classic jazz repertoire but not always in the classic way. I think a few of the ideas we visited there have shown up and taken new life in the Expansion.

Could you tell me a little about how improv has shaped your musical tastes and how Concurrence developed?

Greg Bryant: Concurrence is a duo project started in 2004 with Paul Horton and I. We play mostly original music and also do free improvising. Paul is my musical soul mate. We can just show up on the stage and start playing. No tunes or anything. And it will end up in places that inspire us both. We had a great time playing for Metro Park’s Black Box series and in bringing in legendary drummer Nasheet Waits from NYC to play with us a Cafe Coco last year.

E.T.: Positivity Over Persona

“I don’t strive to be a famous rapper,” says E.T., the MC drawing out his mission statement via email. “I strive to bring good hip hop music, a positive vibe, a positive atmosphere, [and work with] positive people with positive messages who just want to be themselves and join in the celebration of hip hop music and all that it has to offer.” Rising up in the Louisville scene, the Kentucky-born rapper has done it all from break-dancing to producing, but what he strives for at this stage in his life is to promote positivity over persona. “‘Rap’ music,” he continues, “is sometimes given a very negative stereotype so I want people to see the difference between rap ‘music’ and the hip hop ‘culture.'”

E.T.’s introduction to hip hop came at an early age where he and his cousin, Manifesto, grew into the scene as young b-boys. “We both had a strong passion for music and dance most of our lives, so when we were about 10 years old we started a dance group called Inter-Fusion, and we would put together full dance routines with a combination of break dancing and acrobatics.” Two years later the duo began making their own music, building that new outlet into their performances. “It started out with two boom-boxes right next to each other, one playing music while we rap and the other boom-box recording it all. From there we graduated to a karaoke machine and thought we were really doing something.”

This passion for making music escalated for E.T. and, still in his teens, he became invested in the production side of recording. “At this time computer software hadn’t yet reached the level it is at now,” he continues, “so if you wanted to record and make music you had to actually go to a professional music studio. This was not cheap, but we made that next step and saved our money to do it. This drove me to want to do more. Not only did I want to make my own dances, write my own songs, I now wanted to learn how to record and produce these songs myself so that I didn’t have to rely on anyone else to get things done.”

By the turn of the millennium, E.T. began to further develop his voice as an MC, later becoming involved with the Soul Factory Productions crew (“a collective of artists, dancers, DJs, rappers, producers”) and the rap group NDPNDNT. By 2004 NDPNDNT had taken off in Louisville, with their debut album The Next Testament receiving the “Best Local Album” award from Velocity Magazine. That year the group also found an unlikely role, writing music for a professional arena football team. “We had a song on our album called ‘Fire’ so we did a remix version of it that was for the Louisville Fire, and they loved it and bought the rights to it. It became the official theme song and was featuring at all of their events, on their television and radio commercials, and we also would perform the song at some halftimes in the arena.”

The momentum was short-lived however, and by 2006 NDPNDNT had broken up, with the group’s members going their own directions. E.T., himself, decided a change of scenery was needed, and the following year he landed in Nashville. “My first year here was spent working, and meeting other people in the music community and started to expand my network. Within a year I was putting on two weekly hip hop events in the city and helping bring awareness to other good artists in Nashville. It was during this time that I met Knuckles McGee, Albert J, and Big Cho, the other founding members of Underground Senate.” While they only recorded five songs together, Underground Senate found a solid audience and were nominated for Best New Group at the Nashville Independent Music Awards. Again, it wasn’t meant to be and the group ultimately disbanded, with E.T. returning to Louisville for the birth of his daughter.

Ever since he was young, an emphasis on collaboration has been at the heart of E.T.’s music. From growing up and working with Manifesto and B.Stille (of Nappy Roots), to Soul Factory and NDPNDNT, to Underground Senate, the promotion of community within the context of hip hop has been a hallmark of his work. After the birth of his daughter, it wasn’t long before E.T. returned to Nashville, where he has since re-emerged within the scene, building another chapter to his story with community still in mind. “Al-D and I have been working together a long time,” he says. “[W]e are friends, business partners, writing and producing partners and are always collaborating together.” Al-D and E.T. are now in the process of writing and recording their first album as a duo.

Looking ahead, no matter what comes of his music, the message is what E.T. hopes communicates most through his work. “I want to promote positivity, love, and togetherness and music has always been the best way for me to do that.” He continues, “I always say ‘Be yourself and nobody else’ and I truly mean it. I want people, especially people in rap, to realize it’s OK to smile every once in a while, everything doesn’t always have to be so hard core and negative. Enjoy life, enjoy people, and I promise you will be a much happier person.”

Extended Q&A

In March you mentioned to Radio Now that you got started in the Louisville scene as a b-boy. Do you remember what first drew you to the community, who was Manifesto, and when did you first start writing as an MC?

E.T.: My musical journey started very young. Manifesto is my cousin, we are the same age and basically grew up together. We both had a strong passion for music and dance most of our lives so when we were about 10 years old we started a dance group called Inter-Fusion, and we would put together full dance routines with a combination of break dancing and acrobatics. We used to compete in dance competitions all over and were featured on a few dance party television shows as well. Those shows were Day 5 Alive, a show on Fox that aired in KY and IN, and also on a remote location shoot of MTV’s The Grind in Cincinnati. We used to practice a couple of times a week at my house because my dad was a gym teacher and had plenty of gym mats lying around so we wouldn’t break a bone or something. When we were about 12 I said to Manifesto that we should do more and branch out, we should start to make our own music, write our own songs, and with this along with our dance routines, everything that we did would be original and we could provide new original entertainment to people out there because nobody was doing it at the time. So Inter-Fusion then became more than just a dance group, we were also a rap group and we wrote out first song at 12 yrs old. I still remember how horribly awful it was, but it was the start. It started out with two boom-boxes right next to each other, one playing music while we rap and the other boom-box recording it all. From there we graduated to a karaoke machine and thought we were really doing something (lol).

At this time computer software hadn’t yet reached the level it is at now so if you wanted to record and make music you had to actually go to a professional music studio. This was not cheap, but we made that next step and saved our money to do it. This drove me to want to do more. Not only did I want to make my own dances, write my own songs, I now wanted to learn how to record and produce these songs myself so that I didn’t have to rely on anyone else to get things done. I wanted to do it all myself. So from there I bought my first pieces of music recording equipment and began teaching myself how to operate it and efficiently use it. Over time I bought more and more and learned as much as I could until I eventually was at a level where I started gaining recognition not only as a rapper but now also as a producer.

Also forgot to mention that I grew up on the same block as B.Stille from the multi platinum selling rap group Nappy Roots. He and I have been close friends since birth, we went to the same church, middle school, and high school, and we have collaborated may times together along with the other members of Nappy Roots and Soul Factory. We remain very close and are constantly working together.

Could you tell me a little about what Soul Factory Productions was?

E.T.: I began to meet more and more like-minded and musically gifted artists [and] several of us got together to form the Soul Factory. Soul Factory was a collective of artists, dancers, DJs, rappers, producers, and just all around good people. Soul Factory was the name that we would put behind everything that we did and everything that we associated with.

At what point did you land in New York? What brought you there?

E.T.: The opportunity to move to NY came about in 1999 because my brother and sister in law were thinking about moving there. I was at a point where I decided if I was really going to make a push at music this was going to be the place and time to do it. What better place to persue hip hop music than where it originated at. My time in NY was brief but what I got out of it has lasted me forever. One opportunity was my sister in law was working with another woman whose boyfriend was Ed Robinson. Ed Robinson was at one point the drummer for the infamous group the Wailers and has worked alongside of Bob Marley himself. Ed got a hold of my music and called me one day. I didn’t know anything about this and thought at first it was a joke. He had expressed that he liked what I was doing and would love to work with me. I gained an enormous amount of knowledge from being around Ed and was able to meet many famous and influential people in the music industry. I still visit Ed and we still make music together.

When did NDPNDNT form and did the group have any other releases beyond The Next Testament?

E.T.: NDPNDNT formed in the early 2000s. Members within Soul Factory would often get together and work on side projects. NDPNDNT started that way with myself, Caotic (MC), Boney B (MC), DJ Yng Steve (DJ) and Machine (dancer). Our only album release was The Next Testament, but we have several unreleased tracks whose future is unknown. That album was voted Best Local Album in 2004 by Velocity Magazine in Louisville. We did many shows in many cities all across the country.

What was the song called that the group wrote for the Louisville Fire? How did that opportunity come about and is the song available anywhere online?

E.T.: As artists we were always trying to be ahead of the curve and tap into things that other people hadn’t done yet. One of the avenues that came up was theme songs, and sporting events. We had the idea of approaching the several sports teams in the Louisville area with music specific to their team. A representative from the Louisville Fire had actually seen us perform at a venue not far from their stadium. He got us in touch with the owner and the marketing department. We had a song on our album called “Fire” so we did a remix version of it that was for the Louisville Fire and they loved it and bought the rights to it. It became the official theme song and was featuring at all of their events, on their television and radio commercials, and we also would perform the song at some halftimes in the arena. Unfortunately the song is not online.

Did NDPNDNT break up in 2005?

E.T.: NDPNDNT did break in 2006 up for a variety of reasons, some public and some private. The more public reasons were, Caotic had just found out he was having a baby and made a decision to join the army. I had just been given a job opportunity to move to Nashville and was thinking of taking it, and there were other creative reasons for the break up.

When did Underground Senate form, who was in that group with you, and how long did the project last?

E.T.: I first moved to Nashville in 2007. My first year here was spent working, and meeting other people in the music community and started to expand my network. Within a year I was putting on two weekly hip hop events in the city and helping bring awareness to other good artists in Nashville. It was during this time that I met Knuckles McGee, Albert J, and Big Cho, the other founding members of Underground Senate. When we began to make music, we were all already high level emcees, it sounded like we had been together for years and it was an instant hit. We actually only recorded 5 songs, but those 5 songs brought us a Nashville Independent Music Awards nomination for Best New Group, as well as numerous packed house shows. I feel that the rapid pace that we were moving was too much too handle in such a short time frame that the pressure of it all brought out things in us that we did not like and so the project sort of just fell apart.

If I remember right, this isn’t your first go around in Nashville… What brought you back and what do you hope to accomplish as an artist in the city?

E.T.: I moved from Nashville back to Louisville before the birth of my daughter, my first child. I moved to be closer to family and prepare for the big change that was about to happen in my life. After spending about a year there and devoting all of my focus to my daughter I decided it was time to again get back into music and plan my next move. I was either going to move back to Nashville and continue what I started or I was going to move to Columbus, OH and meet some people I had been talking with and try to recreate there what I have done at so many other places. That is what I love to do, I don’t strive to be a famous rapper, I strive to bring good hip hop music, a positive vibe, a positive atmosphere, positive people with positive messages who just want to be themselves and join in the celebration of hip hop music and all that it has to offer. “Rap” music is sometimes given a very negative stereotype so I want people to see the difference between rap “music” and the hip hop “culture.”

It all worked out to come back to Nashville because I had another opportunity for work there, so here I am for round two and while my focus is now shared with music and with family, my drive and ambition remains the same. I want to promote positivity, love, and togetherness and music has always been the best way for me to do that. Al-D is another person that shares the same passions that I do. Since I’ve been back he and I have formed a tight bond that extends far beyond music and we are diligently working together to keep hip hop alive.

What’s behind the title “I Hate Rap Music“?

E.T.: I Hate Rap Music is a two-disc mixtape that I released that features music as old as 15 years and as new as 15 months, as well as some previously unreleased material. It is a showcase of not only myself but the many other talented people that I’ve had the pleasure of working with throughout my career. When I was trying to think of a title for the project I was just trying to think of something short, catchy, and also something with meaning. I Hate Rap Music basically means what it says. Most rap music I do not like, mostly mainstream music and music that sends a negative image to people. I feel that my music is the exact opposite of that so I thought it would be the perfect title.

Much of your music — back to The Next Testament‘s collaboration with B.Stille — deals lyrically with a plea for people to be themselves. How have you used this outlook in your own artistic process?

E.T.: That message goes far beyond my artistic process. That message is what I live my life by and it is the same message that I am teaching my daughter to live by. Life is too short and too precious to go through it pretending to be someone you’re not. I always say “Be yourself and nobody else” and I truly mean it. I want people, especially people in rap, to realize it’s OK to smile every once in a while, everything doesn’t always have to be so hard core and negative. Enjoy life, enjoy people, and I promise you will be a much happier person.

Is there anything you’d like to say about your upcoming release with Al? Do you have a tentative release date for the album?

E.T.: Al-D and I have been working together a long time, we are friends, business partners, writing and producing partners and are always collaborating together. With everything that we do together, especially the shows, it only made sense for us to put out a project together so we are currently in the studio working on it. It is about half way done now, and we do not have a date set for release yet, we will continue to work on it until we feel it is ready to be released and at that point we will drop it. The thing I like about this project is that no one has heard any of the material, and that is done on purpose. We want to drop this album and it be all new material that no one has heard from us yet and it will only add to the current catalog of music that we already have together. Al-D and I mesh well together and I think that will come across to the listeners of the new project.

Jeff Blaney: A Labor of Love

At the time of his move, Jeff Blaney was playing in a pair of cover bands and an acoustic duo, while also holding down gigs as an open mic host, music teacher, and producer. “Moving to Tennessee made me realize that doing that much at once doesn’t really allow me to see any of [my projects] through, so I had to prioritize and let some things go.” In 2008 he landed in Nashville. “I was feeling burned out with my music and wanted a change of pace,” he continues, recalling the journey via email. “I wanted to grow as a songwriter and musician, and I knew that Nashville was a place that I could do that. Nashville made me realize that I had no idea what my musical aspirations were, and it took me a few years of getting my butt kicked to figure it out.”

Born in Hartford, Blaney grew up in Enfield, Connecticut, where interacting with music quickly became an integral part of his life. “I started recording as a kid with my mom’s karaoke machine. I found that I could record parts from one cassette onto the other, and I started tracking songs. I never stopped.” Blaney started writing music around the age of 15, when he got his first guitar. Once he was done with school, he hit the road.

Leaving behind his band Backtalk, he found his passion renewed with a move west. “When I got to California I loved the freedom of writing and performing by myself. I wrote a bunch, and sort of found my voice again.” By August of 2001 Blaney had ventured east where he settled in New York City, continuing to write and perform without a band behind him. “I fell into the AntiFolk scene and performed a lot at the Sidewalk Cafe in Alphabet City. I didn’t want to play in a band at that time because my music felt too personal to get anyone else involved.”

The five-track Caesar’s Palace EP captures music recorded in New York, recorded with Blaney’s brother Rob “at his little home studio,” as well as the songwriter’s first Nashville sessions, recorded at Sound Emporium. (The brothers have also recorded and performed together for years as the Blaney Brothers, taking on a style that’s distant from Jeff’s solo work. “We play traditional Irish music and some originals I’ve written in that vein,” he says. “It’s like getting to play a different role, so it’s really fun for both of us.”) “I had no idea how to release an album other than pressing CDs and selling them at shows,” he continues on Caesar’s Palace. “So it never got an official release. This is a perfect example of not following through. I just didn’t know what I was doing, other than making a record.”

By 2010 he was ready to record again and that year he issued Moonlight Waltz, an eight-track release successfully funded through Kickstarter. The recording is “a fabulous taste of what country music radio is missing,” wrote Larry Vanderpool of the roots music collection. In 2011 Blaney followed with the Blue Heart EP, featuring three originals and three blues covers recorded at the Art Institute of Nashville, while 2012 saw the “modern day troubadour” release the five-song Labor of Love EP. This year the lead track from Labor of Love, “Going Right Back Home to My Baby,” was featured in an independent horror movie titled Muck.

While having lived in Nashville for six years, Blaney’s still continuing to discover what his “musical aspirations” are. At this point in time he says he’s “realizing that I’m doing it for myself and myself only.” And while he’s in the process of developing another record, he’s slowly coming to understand what his true relationship with music is. “I honestly think I would be toys in the attic crazy if I couldn’t express myself musically. Both the intellectual process of songwriting and the physical exertion of playing shows allows me to blow off whatever steam has built up.”

Extended Q&A

Born in Hartford, you moved around the country a bit before landing in Nashville. When did you first arrive in town and what were your musical aspirations when you got here?

Jeff Blaney: I moved to Nashville in July of 2008. I was feeling burned out with my music and wanted a change of pace. I wanted to grow as a songwriter and musician, and I knew that Nashville was a place that I could do that. Nashville made me realize that I had no idea what my musical aspirations were, and it took me a few years of getting my butt kicked to figure it out. Before I came here I was playing in two cover bands, an acoustic duo, hosting an open mic, giving lessons, and producing records. Moving to TN made me realize that doing that much at once doesn’t really allow me to see any of them through, so I had to prioritize and let some things go.

Did you play in any bands in your California or New York days?

Jeff Blaney: When I moved to California I left a band that was very dear to me called Backtalk. The band was pretty successful on a local/regional level, but it got stagnant and I knew it was time to make a move. When I got to California I loved the freedom of writing and performing by myself. I wrote a bunch, and sort of found my voice again. Then I moved to NYC in August of 2001, and the tragedy happened not a month after I got there. I fell into the AntiFolk scene and performed a lot at the Sidewalk Cafe in Alphabet City. I didn’t want to play in a band at that time because my music felt too personal to get anyone else involved.

Could you tell me a little about Caesar’s Palace? Moonlight Waltz is tagged as your first solo release, but your Bandcamp page for C.P. dates it back to 2002.

Jeff Blaney: Caesar’s Palace was recorded during the time that I was living in New York. It’s a mix of songs I recorded with my brother at his little home studio and songs I recorded from my first sessions in Nashville. Those sessions were at The Sound Emporium. I had no idea how to release an album other than pressing CDs and selling them at shows, so it never got an official release. This is a perfect example of not following through. I just didn’t know what I was doing, other than making a record.

I read mention you made that a song of yours was featured in a film. Could you share a little more about when that was, which film featured your work, and how the opportunity arose?

Jeff Blaney: I responded to an add on Craigslist for an indie movie looking for country or blues songs at some point in 2013. I got a response that they loved “Going Right Back Home to my Baby,” and it got placed. It’s a horror movie called Muck, and it’s coming out later this year. It was shown at SXSW, so we’re hoping it gets major distribution. I’m not sure where they are at with it right now.

What sort of outlet does playing in the Blaney Brothers provide you compared to your solo work? How often do you get to perform and work with your brother?

Jeff Blaney: The Blaney Brothers is a musical project like no other I’ve ever been a part of. We play traditional Irish music and some originals I’ve written in that vein. It’s like getting to play a different role, so it’s really fun for both of us. The reason why it’s so special to me is that it literally has kept me in touch with my family in CT. We do a run of shows every year around St. Patrick’s Day, and I get to see my friends and family up there. I usually also schedule a reunion show with a funk/rock band that I played with for years called Pie. We have a lot of fun, and there’s very little pressure since it’s a one off. I’m flying back up there in September to play the Pipes in the Valley Festival. It is the premier celtic festival in that area, so my brother and I are excited to be a part of it!

There’s a quote from you that reads, “My biggest driving force is knowing that if I don’t write I become irritable, depressed, and just plain mean.” Has music always given you this outlet?

Jeff Blaney: It has! I honestly think I would be toys in the attic crazy if I couldn’t express myself musically. Both the intellectual process of songwriting and the physical exertion of playing shows allows me to blow off whatever steam has built up.

As you and your work mature, have you grown closer to or farther away from the blues?

Jeff Blaney: The blues is there for me when I need it. It’s like my imaginary friend that I can always have a conversation with. It’s a tricky relationship, though, because it’s not a very commercially viable outlet. Unfortunately it’s not a part of popular culture like it used to be (which is why pop music today sucks, but I digress). I know that I can’t sell records playing blues, but playing it live gives me the opportunity to tell the audience “It’s OK to have fun!” The blues is party music. It’s meant to be danced to, talked over, and felt more than heard if that makes any sense. It’ll always be a part of what I do, and I love the blues more and more every gig that I do.

Now well-established in the city, do you find yourself motivated to make musical goals for yourself? What drives you to give your music a proper release, rather than just playing the songs live?

Jeff Blaney: I do it because I love it. I started recording as a kid with my mom’s karaoke machine. I found that I could record parts from one cassette onto the other, and I started tracking songs. I never stopped. I’m working on a record right now, and I’m realizing that I’m doing it for myself and myself only. It will get released and all that, but the process of writing and recording is totally for me. There have been plenty of gigs, promo projects, scheduling, etc. that I’ve done that I consider “work,” and I do them because I have to to keep it all going, but producing records is what I love and I try to listen to my muse and not let music industry B.S. get in the way. I’m really enjoying making this one, and I think the fact that I’ve realized all this is the reason why.

No Luck Needed: An Interview with Charles Butler

“You aren’t a human,” begins one of the top comments on Charles Butler‘s YouTube cover of Daft Punk‘s “Get Lucky.” “You are a Banjo god!” It’s one of nearly a thousand comments on the video, which has seen over 1.7 million views since it was uploaded a year ago. On the surface the rendition seems unlikely, featuring the traditionally bluegrass and jazz-focused musician taking on an electro-pop chart-topper, but in explaining the video via email, Butler says the cover isn’t much of a stretch. “I am a Daft Punk fan, and was excited when Random Access Memories came out. ‘Get Lucky’ was stuck in my head, so I had a feeling I could make it work.” It’s even less of a stretch when considering the sort of music the Youngstown, Ohio native grew up with. “I used to bounce on the couch to ‘Electric Avenue‘ and ‘Abracadabra,'” he says, reflecting on a childhood listening to his father’s sound system. “His enthusiasm for a good jam rubbed off on me.”

From an early age Butler took an interest in music, learning the mountain dulcimer at 12 before receiving a banjo for Christmas when he was 14. It was around this time that his family relocated to Vermont. A year later he “found a teacher and learned a few actual tunes.” While still attending high school in Burlington, Butler studied under the Emmy Award-winning instrumentalist Gordon Stone, but upon graduation he set his sights on The Big Apple. “I ended up studying at SUNY Purchase because they would take a banjo player into their jazz program. Actually, they created a major for me, and plugged Tony Trischka lessons into my curriculum, which was exactly what I asked for.” “It was a great time to be there,” continues Butler. “I used to play with Langhorne Slim and Regina Spektor. We all graduated together.”

After graduating, Butler looked for a change of scenery as an alternative to the cramped nature of living in New York. “I was curious about Nashville, so I drove down here and never left.” That was over a decade ago. Since moving south, the banjoist has developed a group of “interstellar bluegrass voyagers” who perform as Charles Butler & Associates, though it’s his role as a teacher that might have led to last year’s YouTube success. “If I remember correctly, my brother Henry submitted it to [Reddit’s banjo page], where my student saw it. My student then posted it to [Reddit’s music page], which is a much bigger pond.” That thread has received nearly 1700 up-votes since being posted last May, spurring numerous high profile outlets to pick the video up.

“Banjo player extraordinaire Charles Butler gave the electronic beat a little bluegrass twang with his surprisingly catchy banjo cover,” wrote The Huffington Post, two days after the Reddit posting. As Butler’s video took off, he teamed with Beats Antique to release another collaborative rendition of “Get Lucky,” blending his banjo with the Oakland-based collective’s electronic-fusion of Eastern and Western styles. “The final product was finished and posted online all of five days after my video,” says Butler. The resulting track has since been played nearly 300,000 times on Soundcloud.

As for how any of last year’s success has affected his career, “not much has changed, really.” Butler still teaches and continues to play live, moving forward with his enthusiasm for a good jam while having gained a newfound gratitude following his brush with fame. “There are so many musicians out there who don’t get recognition, for a moment the light shined on me and it felt great.”

Extended Q&A

Are you originally from Burlington? Do you remember how you were first introduced to music?

Charles Butler: I am originally from Youngstown, OH. I moved to Burlington, VT when I was 14. My dad had an impressive sound system when we were growing up, I used to bounce on the couch to “Electric Avenue” and “Abracadabra.” His enthusiasm for a good jam rubbed off on me.

When did you first start to recognize that you wanted to pursue the banjo?

Charles Butler: My first stringed instrument was the mountain dulcimer, my parents got that for me when I was about 12. Eventually I wanted something with more range, but not a guitar. My friends had guitars, I wanted to play something more exotic. I acquired the banjo one Christmas at age 14, a year later I found a teacher and learned a few actual tunes. The momentum built from there, playing music became way to much fun to seriously consider doing anything else full time.

How did you become aware of Tony Trischka, and did studying in New York affect how you approached playing your instrument?

Charles Butler: I first heard Trischka on the Violent Femmes track “Country Death Song,” the banjo drops in at about 1:00 and I remember getting really pumped every time I heard that. In New York I studied with some great jazz players which suited me perfectly as I have always felt closer to jazz than to bluegrass.

Was NY supportive of the music that interested you most? Were there any collaborators you worked with during this time that helped direct your playing style?

Charles Butler: I ended up studying at SUNY Purchase because they would take a banjo player into their jazz program. Actually, they created a major for me, and plugged Tony Trischka lessons into my curriculum, which was exactly what I asked for. It was a great time to be there, I used to play with Langhorne Slim and Regina Spektor, we all graduated together.

What led you to relocate to Nashville?

Charles Butler: NYC is an expensive place to exist, I wanted more space and a better way to transport my gear to and from gigs. I was curious about Nashville, so I drove down here and never left.

Your music has been called “newgrass”… Do you feel you’re trying to introduce a modern flavor into a traditional sound?

Charles Butler: No, I am just playing the way I feel, not going for anything in particular. I am always amazed at the emphasis placed on playing traditionally, to me it would be odd to stick to what’s been done by other people.

Daft Punk is outside the norm in terms of covers on your YouTube channel — what led you to take on “Get Lucky“?

Charles Butler: I am a Daft Punk fan, and was excited when Random Access Memories came out. “Get Lucky” was stuck in my head, so I had a feeling I could make it work. Fortunately it was in a banjo friendly key.

A student of yours submitted the video to Reddit is that how it first began spreading?

Charles Butler: If I remember correctly, my brother Henry submitted it to r/banjo, where my student saw it. My student then posted it to r/music, which is a much bigger pond. The way the post was phrased, something like “check out my banjo teacher playing Get Lucky” was much more conducive to success on Reddit than something that I would have written for myself. It was endearing.

How did you react to its popularity?

Charles Butler: There are so many musicians out there who don’t get recognition, for a moment the light shined on me and it felt great. I celebrated.

Is there anything you would have done differently to prepare for the attention to retain or gain more listeners?

Charles Butler: At the time, I was giving my music away for free on my website, in retrospect, I should have had it up for sale on iTunes. I’ve since remedied that.

When did the Beats Antique project begin and what was the goal of that collaboration?

Charles Butler: David Satori of Beats Antique was a member of my high school band Bubble Tribe, and a dear friend. We had collaborated live before, but this seemed to be the perfect opportunity to mash up what we do in the studio. My contribution was recorded here in Nashville by Marc Lacuesta about three days after the wave started.

The Beats Antique team worked on it through the night in San Francisco, and the final product was finished and posted online all of five days after my video. It’s worth mentioning that neither Beats Antique or I have ever sold our versions of “Get Lucky,” they are all free to download.

How has the video’s popularity benefited you professionally?

Charles Butler: Not much has changed, really.

What can artists do to better prepare themselves online in the event that lightning strikes, as it did for you?

Charles Butler: Have somewhere to direct people that will benefit your career.

Also, this is sort of off-­topic, but I just wanted to confirm that you’re a comic book artist as well (or that this is your work). Sort of an Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind theme going on there — I really like the visuals!

Charles Butler: Yeah, that’s me!