The last two months have been eventful at Coastal Noise. Between doing three podcasts in 24 hours, co-hosting a new television show, playing a Mardi Gras show, and working with Eddie to get the last bits of our garage inspired blues rock album done, I’ve had my plate more than full but feel nonetheless invigorated by all the excitement.
Prior to this series of recorded podcasts, I did a show with blues musician Wes Lee, live at The Shed BBQ and Blues Joint in Ocean Springs, followed by a side by side performance in which Wes and I played a mix of originals and classic blues tunes. That was back on November 13th. You can see the article about the show here or listen to the youtube podcast here.
Prior to this series of recorded podcasts, I did a show with blues musician Wes Lee, live at The Shed BBQ and Blues Joint in Ocean Springs, followed by a side by side performance in which Wes and I played a mix of originals and classic blues tunes. That was back on November 13th. You can see the article about the show here or listen to the youtube podcast here.
Only a few days after Christmas, on the 29th of December, I sat down with Chris Gillespie of Phoenix, Arizona to talk about his stand-up comedy show at The Mississippi Juke Joint. Our conversation included the Phoenix scene, working in smaller towns, money and credit in America, Netflix stuff, promoting shows and more. Chris was a returning guest whom I first met when he walked into one of my podcast recordings and ended up becoming part of the show. After that, we decided to have a dedicated episode where the two of us talked more about stand-up and film, his major of choice in school.
After Chris and I did the first of three episodes, it was only minutes later that my next guests began to fill the recording space. They included Director of Digital Marketing at The Shed BBQ & Blues Joint, photographer Fred Salinas, traveler and painter (with an emphasis on live music) Robby Amonett, and Southland Music Line photographer Stephen Anderson, also an avid live music attender. It was this episode that turned out to be the longest Coastal Noise Podcast to date at just over three hours long. The material discussed covered mostly imagery and music but, as is expected of the podcast, we frequently diverged into whatever naturally came to mind. Shooting live shows, Fred on his recent shoot with Marilyn Manson, music festivals, pizza, working night jobs, food photography, Otis Gibbs podcast “Thanks For Giving A Damn” and more.
Two hours into the podcast, right around the time we started talking about pizza, I secretly ordered two larges from Dominoes on my laptop while my guests conversed. So long was our discussion that we broke a cardinal rule for the podcast and ate as we talked. Don’t worry, we were mindful of smacking! We had also mentioned what’s called light painting photography during our talk and, once the recording was done, took for the outdoors to attempt some of these shots. We called it quiets just after midnight.
Two hours into the podcast, right around the time we started talking about pizza, I secretly ordered two larges from Dominoes on my laptop while my guests conversed. So long was our discussion that we broke a cardinal rule for the podcast and ate as we talked. Don’t worry, we were mindful of smacking! We had also mentioned what’s called light painting photography during our talk and, once the recording was done, took for the outdoors to attempt some of these shots. We called it quiets just after midnight.
Left to right: Stephen Anderson, Robby Amonett, and Fred Salinas
The final podcast was with Stephen Anderson again and Southland Music Line writer and, now co-host with me on The Gulf Coast Music Scene, Johnny Cole for a year in review. In this show, Johnny and Stephen told stories from performances of 2015, travels in and out of state, discussions with artists they met, and what the future holds at the Music Line for the coming year. It was a great conversation which marked the first full video broadcast of the Coastal Noise Podcast, a method of delivery I hope to continue for future episodes.
Stephen Anderson and Johnny Cole
A few weeks later Johnny Cole and I found ourselves filming at the Shed, with returning artist Wes Lee, for the pilot episode of the Gulf Coast Music Scene, set to broadcast through a local Jackson County television station. We had a good time talking to Wes and I ran around shooting the venue and friendly faces. It was a bitterly cold night, but that didn’t stop us from having a good time. It was only a few days later after the edits came back (done by local filmer JT Nicholson) that we found out our pilot was excepted and we were given the green light to produce more episodes. Pairing up with Nicholson, we quickly began mapping out our next shoots. The second took place at a The Irish Coast Pub in downtown Gulfport where we sat with owner and friend Ben Kaufman to discuss his time at the bar, his thoughts on management, and what it takes to make a great spot for music. The highlight of the night was the weekly Monday Night Open Jam, which I myself have had the pleasure of attending on many occasions. It had been several months since I had found myself in the familiar jam space, so it was great to see some old friends, including the open mic host, local musician Diggs Darcey. We also got the chance to hang out with others such as musician Zach Fellman (Rosco Bandana, Blackwater Brass) and Willie and Curtis of The Tall Boys.
Just this past weekend, we filmed our third episode at Jack’s By The Tracks in Pascagoula. Here, we enjoyed the showcased talent of three talented young women who are the stars of a newly created label in the area, Baldwin County Public Records, manned by Jeffery Zimmer, along with partner, record producer and musician Anthony Crawford. Johnny got the chance to speak with Zimmer and hear a little bit about what’s been going on with Baldwin County Public Records. He also spoke with Lauren Kay, one of the labels artists present that night. I myself took Brittany Bell and Laci Wright off to the side on separate occasions to ask them about their experiences recording at Admiral Bean Studios with Crawford and what their plans for the future were. Present at the show was Stephen Anderson, Robby Amonett, and JT Nicholson on the camera.
Just this past weekend, we filmed our third episode at Jack’s By The Tracks in Pascagoula. Here, we enjoyed the showcased talent of three talented young women who are the stars of a newly created label in the area, Baldwin County Public Records, manned by Jeffery Zimmer, along with partner, record producer and musician Anthony Crawford. Johnny got the chance to speak with Zimmer and hear a little bit about what’s been going on with Baldwin County Public Records. He also spoke with Lauren Kay, one of the labels artists present that night. I myself took Brittany Bell and Laci Wright off to the side on separate occasions to ask them about their experiences recording at Admiral Bean Studios with Crawford and what their plans for the future were. Present at the show was Stephen Anderson, Robby Amonett, and JT Nicholson on the camera.
Baldwin County Record Artists perform on camera at Jack's By The Tracks. From left to right: Lauren Kay, Laci Wright, and Brittany Bell
From left to right: Vincent Lugo, Liam McDougal, Tim Murphy, Diggs Darcey, and Zach Fellman on keys
So that’s what has been going on with me the last couple weeks. I’ll be making regular updates to our progress with the new show, future podcasts and music performances I will be doing, album updates, and all other related affairs, so please follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, or, you can follow Coastal Noise on Facebook or Twitter. Of course, your likes are always hugely appreciated. If you have suggestions of where you’d like to see us shoot our next episode of the Gulf Coast Music Scene, please let us know. We’d love to hear from you.
