Height Zone World

This week, Bleubird returns for part two of our interview. He talks about getting booed at a Los Angeles Shape Shifters show, only to have the legendary Percee P come to his defense. He explains how continuing to fly out and play California shows led to meeting the people behind the Grimm Image label, which led to him starting his Freeebird project. He breaks down the new ground he covered on Cannonball and Ft. Lauderdale.

Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Poison Clan’s “Ruff Town Behavior.” This episode is hosted by Splice Today.

My guest this week is Bleubird, aka Jacques Bruna. Jacques is a solo MC, as well as a member of Gunporn, Les Swashbuckling Napoleons and Triune Gods. I first met him when I set up a Baltimore show for his group S.M.T.H. in 2001.

He talks about his early days working with Florida’s Nature Kids, and their ill-fated first and last national tour. We discuss our mutual history of cutting our teeth opening for Pittsburgh’s Grand Buffet. He talks about putting together his own European tours and eventually moving to Europe, but ultimately yearning to get back to the states to make moves.

Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Poison Clan’s “Ruff Town Behavior.” This episode is hosted by Splice Today.

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

Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Boogie Down Production’s Criminal Minded.

My guest this week is Josh Rogers. Josh runs the Illuminated Paths label, and releases music under the moniker Broken Machine Films. We first met in Orlando in 2007, and my 10,000 Devastating Watts EP came out on his label.

We discuss Illuminated Path’s nonstop release schedule, and how the label manages to consistently release multiple projects a week. I ask him about his habit of filling every Illuminated Paths package with strange ephemera, and his odd tape-dubbing system. We talk about the Vaporwave sound that the musicians under the Illuminated Paths umbrella have helped to create.

Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to DJ Shadow’s “Endtroducing….” This episode is hosted by Splice Today.

My guests this week are Bito Sureiya and Jiro Sama of DosOtaku. They’re members of the NASA 8 collective. I first saw them last summer at the Ratscape festival, and I’ve been a fan ever since.

They talk about linking up in high school, and cutting their teeth at Baltimore’s Beet Trip night. I ask them about their NASA 8 collective, and what connects the NASA 8 members around the world. They talk about their passion for freestyling, and how their freestyle skills enhance their writing process.

Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Stetsasonic’s In Full Gear. This episode is hosted by Splice Today.

My guest this week is Jones. Jones is a rapper and producer from Baltimore. We’ve been friends since third grade, and we’ve been making music together since 1998.

We talk about our early group called Wounds, and his first forays into making beats. We discuss his full-length debut, his remix projects and his role in the band Hungry Bodies. He breaks down why he put music on the back-burner for the last few years, and his plans to get back in action.

Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Ghostface Killah’s Ironman. This episode is hosted by Splice Today.

My guest this week is Jack Toft. Jack is a rapper from Buffalo, NY. We first met when we shared a bill in Charlottesville, VA, and we’ve played many shows together since then.

He talks about his early stabs at writing fiction and poetry, and how he drifted into music by way of a noise band called The Next Syphilis. He breaks down his first solo album being compared to Waiting To Exhale, and we try to guess what happened in Waiting To Exhale. He talks about the strangeness of starting to tour later in life, and the beauty of being part of the underground music world.

Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to MC Rell & The Houserocker’s Into The Future. This episode is hosted by Splice Today.

My guest this week is Flyin’ Ryan Burke. Ryan is a professional wrestler from Ohio. Our paths first crossed when he took part in Pittsburgh Batman, a play written and directed by (previous Height Zone World guest) Lord Grunge. I’ve always been interested in learning the ins and outs of his hustle.

He talks about being driven to become a wrestler from a young age. He describes making his wrestling debut in a K-Mart parking lot, as well as finding himself wrestling in front of thousands of fans. We discuss the logistics of being a working-class wrestler, and the tenacity it takes to stay in it.

Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Cash Money and Marvelous’s Where The Party At? This episode is hosted by Splice Today.

My guests this week are BAG$, aka Jimmy Simard and Pete Rae. They’re a hip-hop duo from Kingston, Ontario. We first met when we played a show together in their hometown in 2004. We’ve shared many bills over the years, and Pete has made several beats for my group Shark Tank.

They describe discovering hip-hop in 1980’s rural Canada, and unveiling their early projects in Kingston in the 90’s. They break down their initial forays into beatmaking via pause tapes and belt-driven turntables, and how Jimmy formed The Makeshift Beat Collective to highlight this oft-kilter aesthetic. We discuss their collaborations through the years, and what led to them teaming up to form this new duo.

Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Luniz’s Operation Stackola. This episode is hosted by Splice Today.

My guest this week is Ultimate Donny, aka Richard Elmsworth. He was one half of Gil Mantera’s Party Dream, and he now plays with Sam Goodwill. We first met when we played a show together in Pittsburgh in 2003, and we’ve been pals ever since.

We talk about his first music projects, and the formation of Gil Mantera’s Party Dream. He explains how they made the leap from being a weekend warrior band to a full time touring act. We discuss the confusion he felt when the band broke up, and re-entering the music game as Sam Goodwill’s guitarist.

Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Slick Rick’s Children’s Story. This episode is hosted by Splice Today.