Bo Dillard: Vocals for Flag On Fire, Owner / Artist at True Till Death Tattoo and Records
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.
To check out Bo’s current musical work, check out the band Flag on Fire.
And for Bo’s art and tattoos, you can follow his instagram, as well as for his shop, True Till Death Tattoo and Records, in Atlantic Beach, Florida.
Rob McAdams: Education Artist, Creative Community Director
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.
To learn more about Partners in The Arts, head to the blog at blog.richmond.edu/pia/
And check out their website
Doug Nunnally: Music Journalist, The Auricular, The Newlin Music Prize
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.
Jeff Grant: Artist, Musician, Hopscotch Coffee
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.
Ryan Groat: Guitarist (M.A.D, Fire and Ice, Bracewar, Down To Nothing)
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.
Dan Tulloh: Musician, Graphic Designer
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.
Robin Cullum: Teacher
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.
Trey Martin: BJJ Black Belt, Instructor, Business Owner
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.
Chris L. Terry: Author
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, amidst the 90s, and punk rock. He is currently co-editing the book, Black Punk Now, to bring more visibility to the prevalence 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.
You can check out his books, Black Card and Zero Fade.
And you can follow him on Instagram.
Jack Lawrence: Artist
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.
You can check out Jack’s work at the website of the Eric Schindler Gallery, and you can follow him on instagram.
