My guests this week are Ed Schrader and Devlin Rice, of Ed Schrader’s Music Beat. Ed first released a solo record in 2009, before linking up with Devlin to form ESMB the following year. They’ve released two albums together, and they’ve been touring non-stop for the last five years.

Ed talks about starting out in cover bands in a small town in upstate New York, and how he was encouraged to find his own sound upon moving to Baltimore. We talk about figuring out how to appeal to larger crowds as an opening act. We discuss the ups and downs of trying to make a go of it in the music business with no backup plan. It had been a while since I’ve hung out with them and I found their optimism and confidence in their mission to be inspiring.

This week, Mike Riley cooked up an homage to Souls of Mischief’s 93 ’til Infinity. This interview was recorded at the Lineup Room. This episode is hosted by Splice Today.

http://splicetoday.com/music/splice-presents-height-zone-world-episode-26-ed-schrader-and-devlin-rice-bring-out-the-big-velvet-chair

My guest this week is Sam Herring, the frontman of Future Islands. In addition to his role in Future Islands, Sam also rhymes under the name Hemlock Ernst and fronts The Snails.

Sam breaks down his early years as a rapper, and how he was inspired by west coast underground hip-hop. We talk about his early days in the band Art Lord and The Self-Portraits, and their stronghold in their home base of Greenville, NC in the early 2000’s. He breaks down how his personal struggles forced him to leave town and put music on hold, and how he got himself together and formed Future Islands with his old bandmates.

This episode was laid down at the Lineup Room. Mike Riley’s art for this episode is an homage to Straight Out The Jungle, by The Jungle Brothers. Once again, we’re being hosted by Splice Today.

http://www.splicetoday.com/music/splice-presents-height-zone-world-episode-25-sam-herring-you-just-have-to-start-and-don-t-stop

My guest this week is Dan Deacon, the Baltimore-based electronic musician / composer. Dan is one of my oldest friends in this music world, and we’ve clocked many miles on the road together.

We talk about discovering the DIY underground and how he feels that it saved his life. We discuss how coming to Baltimore as an outsider allowed him to ignore the scene’s rules and create a more inclusive environment. He told me how he’s recently learned to rid himself of an addiction to stress and to enjoy the fruits of his labor.

Splice Today is now our official host of the show, and the spot where all the episodes will premier. As always, this show was recorded at the Lineup Room. Mike Riley Comics provided the cover art, which is an homage to The Fat Boys’ self-titled debut.

http://www.splicetoday.com/pop-culture/splice-presents-height-zone-world-ep-24-dan-deacon-all-of-the-satans-of-every-religion

Schwarz is a producer and DJ from St. Louis, now residing in Baltimore. Schwarz has worked with La Chat, DDM, Abdu Ali, Juiceboxxx, TT The Artist, Kyle Mabson and many more. For many years, he helped run the Deep In The Game night at Baltimore’s Hippodrome, with Cex and Mark Brown. He’s recently released three solo singles, and is currently gearing up to release his debut full length.

We talk about growing up in St. Louis and his start in a rap group called AOSTL. He breaks down his move to Baltimore and his entry into Baltimore’s noise and dance music scenes. We discuss his recent releases, and the music he has on the horizon. He also schools me on the difference between Baltimore, Jersey and Philly club music.

This week, Mike Riley hooked us up with an homage to Audio Two’s What More Can I Say. It all went down at The Lineup Room.

This is my musical wrap-up of 2014. I go in to some of the songs I’ve done this year, as well as other songs that I know will always flash me back to 2014. As always, this show is sponsored by Mike Riley Comics and The Lineup Room. This week’s art is an homage to Redman’s Dare Iz a Darkside cover, which itself was an homage to Funkadelic’s Maggot Brain. Happy New Year To All!