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Todays interview is with James Hoffer. I first met James in the mid-1990s, as he was playing in bands like Thread, later known as Forefront, around the Richmond Punk Scene. And together with bands like Indypendant, they were part of a group of bands from south of the river, here in the Richmond Hardcore scene. And over the years, James has kept on playing in bands, and writing and releasing music. So it was awesome to catch up with him, and talk about his experience growing up, getting into punk, and what the process is like now, as a musician playing in a few different bands, such as Dead Format, Full Collapse, and Rough Age.

Today's interview is with Pedro Aida. Pedro is a musician, a vocalist and guitarist that began playing in punk bands in the 1990s. He also is known as a recording engineer, who got his start at Richmond's Sound of Music, before opening his own studio, Audio Verite. Currently he plays in three bands, the band Fire Sale, which is kind of a punk rock supergroup, Shotclock, and The Iron Roses, in which he is most active. It was great to talk to Pedro, and learn about how he came into engineering and punk rock. And also talk about some of the technical aspects of things from studios, to good vocal practices, and song writing. We cover a lot in a relatively short time. I love when these episodes have practical information mixed in with stories, and this a great example of one.

For 20 years, Jenny Mcgurk made things for the sets of the film, video, and ad industry. And then one day, she realized it was not fitting where she was at in life any more. So she took a class on something she was interested in, and a whole new world opened for her, a life of work in the spiritual realm. Today, she offers a variety of spiritual services, painting, readings, as well as connecting her love of history and storytelling together, in offering tours of of the city of Richmond, all drawing on a continued love for learning, and sharing.

Todays conversation is with musician, and recording engineer, Chris Unrath. Chris has been playing in bands around Philadelphia, since 1980. First in the punk band No Milk, then again in the more alternative band, Baby Flamehead, which kind of blew up for a bit. And today, he's still playing in rock bands. But perhaps my favorite band of his, was when he was in Helen Back and the str8-razors, in the 2000s, partially because thats how i met him, but also, because that band f*****g rocks. It was really cool to get on the phone with Chris, and learn his backstory, anow hes just been wanting to play that chunky, rhythm guitar, and doing it, for most of his life. Chris currently plays in the Philadelphia band, The Action Party.

Todays episode is with Earl Yevak. Earl is a musician, artist, and tattoo artist, currently located in Denver, Colorado. I've known Earl since the late 1990s, from hanging our and going to hardcore shows here in Richmond, VA. So this conversations goes into topics that go WAY back, from his life in Straight Edge and Hardcore, being one of, essentially, the founders of the Guerilla Crew, joinging the Army reserve and deploying to Iraq, his decision to leave both his faith as well as straight edge, and a quest to keep pushing himself and evolving as a human being, all the while making music and art, and Tattoos.

I met Bo here in Richmond, Virginia, around 1994, when he sang for the band Uphill Down, and worked at the local indie record store, Soundhole. And between those two things, Bo kinda changed my life. One, by the model of his band and how it operated to us young southisde Richmond, VA punk kids, even going so far as to record us, and help us source tapes, and two, from his recommendations of music we'd get whenever we came in looking for something new to listen to. He was just being the person he is, and because of it, I think many folks felt his influence.So it was great to catch up with Bo, and talk a little about those earlier days, and bands, and also to see where that journey has lead him now, as an adult, still making art and punk rock music, and doing it well. An example of which would his bands new record, which will be releasing soon.

Today's interview, is with Rob McAdams. Rob is the director of Partners in The Arts, a group working out of the University of Richmond, to integrate the arts into learning in local schools. The result, is the creation of programs that capture, and awaken a students creativity, to bring a deeper understanding and exploration to the subjects they may engage in. Its kind of amazing. And Rob has done this internationally, working to bring this integrated learning to students in Brazil and Guatemala. So it was awesome to sit down with Rob and find out how they manage to do this, as well as his own journey of how get to where he is today.

Todays interview is with Doug Nunnally of The Auricular. Doug started reviewing music around 2009, on his music blog, and quickly discovered the depth of music here in the city of Richmond, VA. Since then, Doug has gone on to extensively document and champion this music, most notably with The Auricular, a online publication that serves as a distillation of his love for exposing, appreciating, and encouraging Richmond music. And in the spirit of this mission, in Doug created The Newlin Music Prize, a prize given to a local band each year, judged by, at last count, a jury of over 80 music-related journalists, photographers, documenters, etc. And Doug does all of this, as a side job. So I was excited to get to talk to Doug, and learn what feeds this love of music, and how it all started.

Today's interview is Jeff Grant. Over the years, we've spoken to Jeff on this podcast a few times, first back in 2014, then in 2019, and now in 2023. And each time we check in, Jeff seems to be doing something new and awesome. From running a record label and making music with his band Full Sun, to opening a group of coffee shops, hopscotch coffee, in Bloomington, Indiana where he has lived for the past decade, to now, becoming a parent, starting to make and show his visual art, opening a new restaurant, as well as playing in a new band, The Barbed Wires... Jeff is one of those folks that keeps evolving and finding new ways to bring cool things into the world. So these check ins are a blast for me, to get to learn what he is up to. I hope you find it interesting as well.

Today's interview is with Ryan Groat. Ryan has been a guitarist, playing in hardcore bands for the past two decades. He got his start playing with his teenage friends in the hardcore band, Down To Nothing. This is where I first met him, when I recorded some of their early recordings, and quickly it became apparent the amount of talent he had for guitar, and enthusiasm he had for hardcore. After playing in DTN for 8 years, he left the band and started Fire and Ice, then later, Mutually Assured Destruction, his current band, all the while also playing over the years for the Richmond hardcore band, Bracewar. It was awesome to sit down with Ryan, and learn his path, and see his enthusiasm for hardcore, and learn how discovered this music, and what each band has meant to him.

Today's interview is with musician and designer, Dan Tulloh. I first met Dan back when we were both in our teens here in Richmond, and I quickly discovered him to be an amazing guitarist. His guitar work is something that blends heaviness, melody and structure, in a way I have found few artists to be able to pull off, shaping the bands he has played with, like Indypendant, From Earth To Ashes, Scarlet, and Sptifire. So it was awesome to get to catch up with him, and also learn about his professional life as a designer, and even talk about parenting a little bit. All in all, this was a great conversation to have, and I hope you enjoy listening to it, as much as we had having it.

Today's conversation is with someone who is making a big difference in the lives of the young kids who call her their teacher, Robin Cullum. I first met Robin years ago, and through bits of fate, I've gotten to know her more and more. Robin teaches kids that are deemed to have special needs. They may receive this designation for a variety of reasons, but the main thing they have in common, is that teaching to the lesson, is probably not going to work for them. These kids need to be engaged in different ways, to stoke their interest, and pull them into the fold. And Robin has come with ways to be an effective educator to them, so effective, that she has won awards for her teaching. This is one of those episodes, where what we talk about, transcends a lot of the specifics, and gets more into larger changes and happenings in our society. The kids are our future, after all. And the strategies and techniques Robin has developed, may be the way to move forward, while building relationships between educator and student, based on mutual respect and understanding, and teaching to the strengths of a student, rather than just trying to make them all fit the same lesson plan.

Todays interview, is with musician, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt and instructor, business owner, woodworker and overall awesome person, Trey Martin. Trey has had a few instances in his life, to pursue things tothe point where he became really good at them, one on the path of woodworker, starting from an early age, and two, in his path of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, started later in life. And where some folks may personally master something, Trey has also been able to hone a completely different set of skills, to translate these paths into not only personally satisfying work, but to create viable businesses around them. If you ever owned a business around something you love, you know, its a different skill set that the one required for your passion. So it was awesome to get to talk Trey, find out about how got into the world of making things himself, and to learn of the approaches he takes in trying to take something he is passionate about, and put it into the world, in a way that can both last, and sustain him. We also talking about some of the early 90s Richmond punk scene, that we grew up around.

Today's interview is with author, and academic, Chris L Terry. Chris spent his teen years singing in the Richmond, VA punk scene, where I first met him, and he has gone on from that to become both an author, and teacher. Chris' writing draws from his personal life, and offers a place of reflection to his experiences growing up as a human being of mixed race, in the south, admist the 90s, and punk rock. He is currently co-editing the book, Black Punk Now, to bring more visibility to the prevelance of black punk rockers in the narrative of punk rock. It was awesome to talk to Chris, and hear about how he came into building the life hes living, what he has found to work for him on his personal path, and what he is working towards.

Today's interview is with artist, Jack Lawrence. Jack began showing his work in late 90s, and over time, has built up a skill level that is truly astonishing for any painter. His work, painted so realistically you think it's a photograph, is usually made from staged sets he creates by hand, transforming his personal spaces, hiring actors to stand in, and then pulling that moment together, with the painting, as the record of the moment. As you can probably imagine, his work is an extension of a precise vision he wants to execute. And with this life around painting, he began struggling with, and then overcoming, a variety of addictions, resulting in him now, evaluating how to re approach painting, and life, from the mindset of sobriety. It was awesome to get to talk to Jack, and understand some of the amazing bits of his process, as well as heartening to hear his own reflections on life, and what makes value to him.