Kathryn Brooks is a Louisville singer-songwriter whose lived experiences in places like California, Pennsylvania, and New York City have informed her lyrics and music. She inserted herself into the local music scene in 2020 after moving back here because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and very quickly surrounded herself with supportive friends and music…

Jon Cherry is a Pulitzer Prize winning photographer with a gift of gab and a sense of adventure. He landed in Louisville after being brought up on various Air Force bases and experienced a rather atypical educational situation through his teenage and college years before diving into music and finally photojournalism. Oh and hey he and JC both worke…

Noam Blitzer is the chef/owner of Meesh Meesh Mediterranean restaurant in Louisville's NULU neighborhood. He's also contributed his culinary talents to local places like Red Hog and Wiltshire on Market as well as restaurants in Boston, South Carolina, and more. As far as we can tell, he's the first professional chef to ever appear on this very podc…

Mark Evans is the co-owner of Louisville music venue Whirling Tiger and produces concerts around town with his promotional company Pretty Good Concerts. Originally from Owensboro, KY, Mark eventually landed in Louisville by way of Lexington's music scene, and he's been bringing top notch bands here ever since. His dog Bobby Sparkles came along for …

Alex Rickel is a mad scientist and plays one on T.V. Or Some Thing like that. He currently fronts the psychedelic rock quartet Future Killer, and JC wonders if that was a good enough description of the band. A great bass player, song writer, visual artist, and forward thinker, Alex has had a huge impact on the Louisville arts and music scenes in hi…

Jeff Komara is the proprietor of one of the coolest vintage shops in town, or really anywhere: Fat Rabbit! He also beats the hell out of the drums in the experimental noise rock ensemble Copiers. And he drums left-handed, which is a far bigger deal to JC than it really should be. He sat down with JC to talk about Shawn Kemp, Kurt Vonnegut, chairs, …

Kiana Del fronts the soulful septet Kiana & the Sun Kings, singing songs with a vocal style inspired by Erykah Badu, Aretha Franklin, Etta James, and more, but one that is uniquely her own. A Carolton, KY, transplant, she found a path to music through college, and quickly inserted herself into the Louisville music scene. And hey! She's also an educ…

William Benton is one hell of a guitar player. But also wait! What's that?! Bass too?! YES. He has spent years honing his songwriting craft, which can be heard most recently with his project Cat Casual and the Final Word and on the soundtrack to the documentary 'Ghosts of the Chelsea Hotel'. He's also a tour guide at that legendary landmark. He sat…

Jim Marlowe is a musical multi-hyphenate with a dry sense of humor and a cool accent. He's also an audio engineer and can paint a house damn near better than anyone around. And, truth be told, he loves a good hot dog. Jim has been a seminal member of the Louisville music scene for years, playing in bands like Tropical Trash, Equipment Pointed Ankh,…

Eron stirs up a Scotch cocktail in the studio after his interview. He and JC tackle the hard questions too. Chewing gum or bubble gum?! Bolo ties?! Snack preferences?! It's all here.

Eron Plevan is an incredibly talented and seasoned bartender. He's been behind the stick at some of Louisville's most legendary cocktail bars, and he has often had a hand in menu creation and implementation. A Texas transplant, his path to pouring potent potables in the Derby city was anything but typical. You can currently find him mixing up the g…

Shelley Anderson is an accomplished and highly skilled audio mastering engineer, and she's also a damn good bass player. She's performed on or mastered some of the coolest records to ever come out of Louisville. And what's that?! She also hosts weekly ShellShock Trivia at JC's bar?! Yes! She sat down with JC to talk about dogs, fashion, going to Ca…

Stan Chase founded Louisville Vegan Jerky Company, makes up one half of the band Air Chrysalis, penned the infamous Germantown Times, and pretended to peddle 56K internet as Glen's. When he's not busy keeping Louisville more artistically interesting, he loves making pizza, repairing old TV's, and rating pickles. He sat down with JC to talk about pr…

JC Denison of ClifTones gets on the phone daily to check in with various members of the musical community to see how they are dealing with the economic and isolating effects of COVID-19.

JC Denison of ClifTones gets on the phone daily to check in with various members of the musical community to see how they are dealing with the economic and isolating effects of COVID-19.

JC Denison of ClifTones gets on the phone daily to check in with various members of the musical community to see how they are dealing with the economic and isolating effects of COVID-19.

JC Denison of ClifTones gets on the phone daily to check in with various members of the musical community to see how they are dealing with the economic and isolating effects of COVID-19.

JC Denison of ClifTones gets on the phone daily to check in with various members of the musical community to see how they are dealing with the economic and isolating effects of COVID-19.

JC Denison of ClifTones gets on the phone daily to check in with various members of the musical community to see how they are dealing with the economic and isolating effects of COVID-19.

JC Denison of ClifTones gets on the phone daily to check in with various members of the musical community to see how they are dealing with the economic and isolating effects of COVID-19.

JC Denison of ClifTones gets on the phone daily to check in with various members of the musical community to see how they are dealing with the economic and isolating effects of COVID-19.

JC Denison of ClifTones gets on the phone daily to check in with various members of the musical community to see how they are dealing with the economic and isolating effects of COVID-19.

JC Denison of ClifTones gets on the phone daily to check in with various members of the musical community to see how they are dealing with the economic and isolating effects of COVID-19.

JC Denison of ClifTones gets on the phone daily to check in with various members of the musical community to see how they are dealing with the economic and isolating effects of COVID-19.

JC Denison of ClifTones gets on the phone daily to check in with various members of the musical community to see how they are dealing with the economic and isolating effects of COVID-19.

JC Denison of ClifTones gets on the phone daily to check in with various members of the musical community to see how they are dealing with the economic and isolating effects of COVID-19.

JC Denison of ClifTones gets on the phone daily to check in with various members of the musical community to see how they are dealing with the economic and isolating effects of COVID-19.

JC Denison of ClifTones gets on the phone daily to check in with various members of the musical community to see how they are dealing with the economic and isolating effects of COVID-19.

JC Denison of ClifTones gets on the phone daily to check in with various members of the musical community to see how they are dealing with the economic and isolating effects of COVID-19.

JC Denison of ClifTones gets on the phone daily to check in with various members of the musical community to see how they are dealing with the economic and isolating effects of COVID-19.

JC Denison of ClifTones gets on the phone daily to check in with various members of the musical community to see how they are dealing with the economic and isolating effects of COVID-19.

David Pajo is a founding member of Slint, played on two Tortoise records, and has performed in a wide variety of bands, including Stereolab, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Interpol, and Royal Trux, to name a few. He also has a vast solo output under the monikers Aerial M, Papa M, and Pajo. He sat down with JC to talk about learning to listen, being a father,…

Cheyenne Mize is a highly talented violinist, vocalist, guitar player, songwriter, music therapist, community organizer, and so much more. As a solo artist, she fuses the gap between more traditional folk music and in your face rock & roll. A consummate collaborator, she's performed with the likes of Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Ben Sollee, Daniel Martin…

Kogan Dumb is an MC, producer, visual artist, and electrician. Through his solo work, collaborations with local artists, and involvement in BirdZoo, he's had an enduring effect on Louisville hip-hop culture. While he may have been late to the game in regards to age, he's wasted no time breaking barriers and opening the doors to a prolific and excit…

Jackie Royce performs with and manages personnel for Orchestra Enigmatic, plays in Ut Gret, and is currently earning a degree in music performance at U of L. An accomplished bassoonist, she aims to blur the lines between the classical and avant garde worlds in Louisville. Fresh off the smash success of OE's 'Bjork Ball', she continues to work tirel…

Phillip Olympia founded Louisville music blog Never Nervous, ran the Dunkenstein record label, and currently plays in The Prayer Line. Through relentless community involvement, he and his partners at Never Nervous covered countless musical stories and releases from all over the city and helped expose and bridge musical gaps here. Although NN has sh…

Nathan Salsburg is an incredibly talented and accomplished guitar player and composer. He's also the curator of the Alan Lomax archive. As both archivist and musician, he brings a completely original perspective to writing, listening to, and sharing music. He records melodically gorgeous solo guitar records and accompanies Joan Shelley live and on …

Teddy Abrams is the Music Director of the Louisville Orchestra. A passionate composer, conductor, and educator, his musical reach in Louisville, and around the world, knows no bounds. Through his inventive approaches to community musical outreach, he's helped reinvigorate a struggling orchestra and has inserted himself firmly into the broader Louis…

Sydney Chadwick sings and plays bass for the incredible WOMBO. Previously, she and WOMBO's Cameron Lowe made waves with the Debauchees. While both bands are markedly dissimilar, they nevertheless showcase the duo's tendency toward writing accessible post punk songs with peculiar rhythmic changes and jarring vocal jabs. With drummer Joel Taylor, the…

Axel Cooper is the creative force behind the band New Mother Nature and has performed with Phantom Family Halo, Sapat, Tyrone, and more. He's also a farmer and a father. For his latest project, he composed and arranged music to be performed alongside a live-action puppet play based on Frankenstein called 'Creature'. He's also recently started playi…

Dane Waters has belted out beautiful tunes in Softcheque, Sapat, The Louisville Opera, A7A, and so many other musical projects. She serenades our city in several languages and helps bridge the musical gaps between the classical, operatic, and underground worlds. A visual artist as well, she's recently started fusing that with movement and music, cr…

John King is a musician and artist, but perhaps he's best known in the Louisville music scene for his curatorial skills. He created the Louisville is for Lovers compilation to highlight Louisville bands and explore the depths of love, and he co-founded the Louisville Zombie Attack. Never one to be content with his output, he's also started teaching…

Will Oldham has had a celebrated musical career performing as Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Palace Music, and several other monikers. An adventurous collaborator, he's worked with legendary artists like Tortoise, The Cairo Gang, and Matt Sweeney. Will's creativity knows no bounds which is evident in his extensive catalogue and constant challenges he prese…