Where The Living Room Used To Be

Sound Advice with Ben Barnett

Ben Barnett has so much experience in many different areas of music that it was a little hard for him to nail down a single piece of advice but he did share a common request he gets while performing, what to reasonably expect when starting a band, and some of the things he looks forward to most when playing shows.
Also included is a live recording of a piece of Dropdead's set from June 2019 at AS220 in Providence, RI (video credit: Escuela Grind)
 
Interview recorded August 1st, 2020 via Zoom
Intro music by Cedros
Hosted by James Toomey 
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Ben Barnett (Dropdead, Armageddon Label + Shop)

For this episode I spoke with is Ben Barnett from the band Dropdead. He is also known for running Armageddon Label and Armageddon Shop which has locations both here in Providence and in Boston.In our interview Ben takes us through Dropdead's discography up to the new LP that's scheduled to be released next month.We talked about the early days and evolution of Dropdead, recording with Kurt Ballou from Converge, the re-releases Ben's been working on, and what's he's been up to in general with the label and shop.One thing I really liked about my conversation with Ben was his recognition of the Providence scene and how playing with a variety of different bands and sharing tips with each other early on really helped move Dropdead along to the internationally-known touring band they are today
Song interlude order:
"Wound Runs Deep" from Demo 1991
"You Have A Voice" from Self Titled 1993
"Justify Your Violence" from Self Titled 1998
"Prelude" from Self Titled 2020
"Nothing Remains" from Self Titled 2020
Interview recorded August 1st, 2020 via ZoomIntro music by CedrosHosted by James Toomey 
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RI 5 with Spocka Summa

Spocka Summa reminisces about a record store he used to hang at, shares where he likes to explore, and tells us how he likes his pizza! 
Includes a favorite track of mine "Used To Be" { how could I not pick this ;) } from his 2017 EP The Progression 001
Interview recorded June 30th, 2020 via ZoomIntro music by CedrosHosted by James Toomey 

Sound Advice with Spocka Summa

In the bonus episode Spocka Summa and I talk about the path creativity can take, he shares a couple words on a lesson his grandfather passed down to him, and we get into the first time he performed in the crowd.
 
As you've been hearing throughout our interview Spocka is well known for his live show so I wanted to share a song from his performance at RevivialFest in 2018 (video credit: Lisa Gourley). The song is "001" from The Progression EP. 
 
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Interview recorded June 30th, 2020 via ZoomIntro music by CedrosHosted by James Toomey 

Spocka Summa

Spocka Summa is an incredible rapper, artist, gallery owner, show producer and so much more! In our interview we get into all this including his thoughts on mixtape culture, what he puts into his live shows, the concept behind No Robots, and an exclusive announcement of where he's talking the project next!!!
We had our conversation prior to the launch of Public's fundraising campaign so we didn't get into that with too much detail. You can support this wonderful space by visiting publicshopandgallery.com to learn more and donate to their "This Ain't Free" campaign which will help cover overdue bills, fund projects in the fall & winter, and assist in securing a new space next spring.
And... don't forget to support Spocka directly by picking up some merch + music at spockasumma.com/shop (you check out my "Anti-Robot Club" special segment to get more insight into Spocka's designs and concepts too)
Interlude song order:
"Alone (prod. by Blake)" from LIVE WIRE 3000 VOLTZ mixtape
"No Robots (prod. by Last Child)" from The Greeen
"Winter (prod. by Last Child)" from The Progression
"Valley Of Wires" by LastChildMusik (instrumental preview clip from the forthcoming release)
"Titan (prod. by Last Child)" from The Greeen
 
Interview recorded June 25th, 2020 via ZoomIntro music by CedrosHosted by James Toomey 
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RI 5 with B. Dolan

B. Dolan shares his favorite PVD record shop... that he didn't want to tell you... but he does anyway, as well as some evening treats he had growing up and where he likes to spend time in the State of Rhode Island.
This bonus episode includes a favorite song of mine off his album, Kill The Wolf, entitled "Memory of Bombs" which features our friend Roz Raskin. As with almost all of B's lyrics this song is powerful and poignant. 
Interview recorded May 29th, 2020 via ZoomIntro music by CedrosHosted by James Toomey 
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Sound Advice with B. Dolan

B. Dolan shares what I believe is a very insightful piece of advice that he learned from Sage Francis that relates to perspective and success. He talks about what he thinks true self reliance can mean for an artist.
Also included is his song "Which Side Are You On?" which is an important track that has become a bit of an anthem for B. Dolan. As you listen to this song, remember that the mixtape it came out on (as well as the song "Film The Police") - House of Bees Vol. 2 - was released over 8 years ago
Interview recorded May 29th, 2020 via ZoomIntro music by CedrosHosted by James Toomey 
***If you enjoy the episode please leave a rating or review wherever you're listening right now!***

B. Dolan (Epic Beard Men, Knowmore.org, Strange Famous Records, Vault)

B. Dolan and I dove into a lot of things during our interview... from how he got into rap music, to his creative and recording process, his activism work, the band he was in that he described as "hip hop + Fort Thunder", the start of Epic Beard Men with Sage Francis, and all the way up to what he's doing now to stay afloat and connected with his fans during this time that he can't tour. 
Interlude song order:"Young Americans (feat. Sole)" by B. Dolan"Safety Theater" by B. Dolan"Jailbreak (feat. Aesop Rock, Buck 65, and Dave Lamb)" by B. Dolan"Five Hearts" by Epic Beard Men"Isolated score from the movie 'VAULT (2019)'" by B. Dolan"Pistol Dave (feat. Slug of Atmosphere)" by Epic Beard Men
 
Interview recorded May 29th, 2020 via ZoomIntro music by CedrosHosted by James Toomey 
***If you enjoy the episode please leave a rating or review wherever you're listening right now!***