Height Zone World

My guest this week is R.M. O’Brien. He’s a poet and a playwright and the main man behind Nuclear Power Pants. We’ve been friends since we first played a show together at Purchase College in 2004, and we’ve gone on several tours together throughout the years.

He talks about forming Nuclear Power Pants at Purchase College, and then reforming the band in Providence and then Baltimore. We talk about the inherent frustration of touring, and the point where touring with his band began to clash with his role as a family man. He explains his conversion to Sikhism, and how that’s affected his outlook on life and his approach to creative pursuits.

Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Def Jef’s Soul Food. This episode is hosted by Splice Today.

My guest this week is Ceschi Ramos. He’s a rapper/singer-songwriter, as well as one of the founders of the Fake Four label. He’s made a big impact in the underground music world, and we’ve shared many bills together over the years.

We talk about the early incarnations of his Anonymous Inc band, and his first taste of the music business big leagues with his Toca project. He tells me about his first solo albums, and how a tour with Germany’s DJ Scientist influenced him to change his approach to the music game. I ask him about starting Fake Four at a time when indie labels were dropping like flies, and he talks about the slow-but-steady growth they’ve experienced since 2008.

Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to The Pharcyde’s Labcabincalifornia. This episode is hosted by Splice Today.

My guest this week is CX KIDTRONIK. He’s a producer, DJ, vocalist and videographer with a musical resume that goes back to the 80’s. We first got to know each other when he contributed to my Height With Friends Versus The Continental MC’s album.

We talk about his childhood in Madison, WI and the hip-hop and hardcore punk that influenced him there. I ask him about his collaborations with Atari Teenage Riot, Saul Williams, Rammellzee and Kanye West and what he took away from those experiences. We also discuss releasing his two Krak Attack albums through Stones Throw Records, working as a fetish clip director and his new Sewer Rats BK project.

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

Height spinning tunes by Human Pippi Armstrong, Mrs. Paintbrush, Kate Ferencz, Diogenes, Lil Cake and Jack Toft, Eze Jackson, Barter Boys, Al Rogers Jr. and Uncommon Nasa.

Mike Riley's artwork this week is an homage to MC Breed's 20 Below. The episode is hosted by splicetoday.com.

My guest this week is UllNevaNo. He’s an MC from the MGNTK crew. He’s released a large catalogue of music over the years, including his full-length collaborations with Logic Marselis, Illien Rosewell and {w}.

We talk about how he learned the craft of rapping in southern California, and how he refined the business end of music upon moving back to the east coast. He discusses making the switch from focusing on being a battle MC to releasing full-length projects.

Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Pete Rock and CL Smooth’s All Souled Out. This episode is hosted by Splice Today.

My guests this week are Pete Faust and Mary Alice Hamnett of The Electric Grandmother. They’re a self-described Sitcom-Core duo from Hawaii/Ohio. We first met a few years ago, when our tours crossed paths in Toledo, Ohio.

We talk about how the band started as Pete’s solo bedroom project before morphing into a live duo. We discuss the constant TV and movie references in their music, and they explain why sitcom characters have been popping up in Pete’s poems and songs since the mid-90’s. Pete talks about some of the confusion that stayed with him after a near death experience as a teenager, and how it came to a head after moving to DC and working on their new album.

Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Crucial Conflict’s The Final Tic. This episode is hosted by Splice Today.

My guest this week is Al Rogers. Al is a young MC from Baltimore. He recently released an excellent full-length collaboration with Drew Scott called Luvadocious.

We talk about how he began making music during his reckless teenage years, and how music put him on a new path. He discusses his first live performances, and his change from doing standard hip-hop sets to putting on energetic dance-heavy performances. He breaks down his new album Luvadocious, and how Drew Scott, Blaqstarr and Baltimore radio host LaDawn Black all contributed to the project.

Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Outkast’s Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik. This episode is hosted by Splice Today.

My guest this week is Mrs. Paintbrush, aka Jackson O’Connell-Barlow. Jackson is one half of Pittsburgh’s Grand Buffet, and he’s put out three solo releases as Mrs. Paintbrush. We’ve been friends since we first toured together in 2000, and he’s always been a rap older brother to me.

We talk about his early influences, and his personal Mount Rushmore of Chuck D, David Bowie, Kate Bush and David Lee Roth. He breaks down his early shows with Grand Buffet, and how he developed into a formidable live performer. We talk about his recent Mrs. Paintbrush releases, and where he wants to take the project in the future.

Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to The D.O.C.’s No One Can Do It Better. This episode is hosted by Splice Today.

My guest this week is Cody Jones, aka Stillborn Identity. Cody is an MC from Pittsburgh, PA. We’ve played many shows together through the years. He stopped by my house for an interview after his recent Baltimore show.

He talks about growing up skating and playing in punk bands, and how he entered the hip-hop realm. We talk about the inherent confusion involved in traveling the country playing small shows, and what inspires him to keep going. We also discuss his TheThrowAwayDays zine and his new Slow and Steady EP.

Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Tha Alkaholik’s 21 and Over. This episode is hosted by splicetoday.com.

My guest this week is Al Lover. Al is a great producer currently residing in Austin, TX. We first met when we played on the same bill in Asheville in 2007, and we’ve been friends and collaborators ever since.

We talk about his early work with North Carolina’s Fist Fam, and his transition from being an MC to creating a one-man instrumental act. He talks about the excitement he felt while first discovering the contemporary psych rock scene in San Francisco, and how his remixes of that music led him down a new path. We reflect on how we went on the worst (but most fun) tour in the history of the music business, and he tells me about his more recent touring success in Europe.

Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. This episode is hosted by splicetoday.com.