Road construction plagued my route from San Diego for half of the drive to LA. I had made the decision to wait to leave until after noon so that I could attend Jiu-Jitsu at twelve. Now I was close to regretting that decision. I closed out a Ty Segall album on my phone, Emotional Mugger, one of the first of the artist’s albums I had devoured several months ago since recommended to me by Abraham Partridge (who was just recently touring through California himself).   Tonight, I'll get to watch Ty Segall and the Freedom Band perform this very album, after the main course of the evening, a showcase of Segall’s latest work called First Taste, an album that had kept a place on the top of my music stack for the past month. A collection of diverse tracks that build upon an impressive catalogue that Segall has been cranking out at a rate that would make most professional recording musicians' heads spin, each proving in a unique way Segall should be on every rock purist’s radar.

​I get into town around 4pm and pull past the Airbnb I had reserved for the night. At the time I thought it would be a steal, as it was a short walk from the venue, inexpensive, and well-reviewed. It was also... a hostel.    I've stayed in the hostels before. In places like Aspen or India, but never one that was an Airbnb... In downtown Los Angeles... In something that might be called ghetto...   This was something that might be called a ghetto...   I won't specify the area, but it seemed a little rough to say the least. I parked my car and approached the gate. I entered the code and the door swung open. A girl with a bad haircut sat on the front porch of the white house with peeling paint. A row of a dozen tattered shoes lined the wall. The girl was drinking something in a brown paper bag. When she saw me, she seemed to fidget with her drink, as if she thought she might put it out of sight somewhere else but, having nowhere to relocate it, she simply sat with it in her hand.   “This the Airbnb?” I asked. I don't know why. I knew that it was. I just put in the code to get through the gate.   “Yep,” she replied.   “Cool,” I said.   I went inside and looked around. The blinds were pulled down. It was dark. Two guys sat on sofas in the living room, cell phones in hand. A series of “Yo’s” were initiated and I cautiously made my way to my designated room where I found another person's belongings sprawled out across my bed. I return my keys to the lockbox, canceled my reservation, and walked back to my car. I drove down to the venue directly, resolving to find another place to stay or make the drive back home at the conclusion of the show.   Like at the Shakey Graves concert I photographed recently, I was one of the first of a dozen listeners at the door. The Teragram Ballroom was a near-perfect size. My tickets were waiting for me at the call booth, which had been arranged by Pitch Perfect PR in Chicago for the nights event (a big thanks to their team). I received my wristband and made my way to the front of the stage.   While waiting for the opening act to start, I spoke with someone behind me. He had come from Vancouver on several recent occasions to watch Ty Segall perform. He had worked in the music industry himself a time, mentioning a certain record company he had worked with. The room was beginning to get loud and my head gently throbbed from a low-grade sickness I was overcoming. The weather in Southern California had shifted on two occasions this week and my sinuses were busted pipes and my brain felt like an overexerted balloon. A little bundle of pressure crowded my right inner ear. In truth I forgot the gentleman's name, but he shared with me that Segall’s newly recorded, First Taste was created without the use of a single guitar. I had to stop and think on that. I knew that the album utilized a number of interesting instruments, but surely I remembered tracks with the familiar six-string involved.   “Really?” I finally said. “Are you sure.”   He said it wasn't what I thought. There were double basses, dueling drum kits, keyboards, saxophones, flutes, strings, a mandolin, and some type of Greek or Japanese instruments, but no electric guitars. I made a mental note to investigate the album's production further. Toward the end of the night, I would have to abandon my front stage post when the band's performance of Emotional Mugger caused frequent and mosh pits and the thunder of amplifiers began to take a toll on my already drumming head. For these reasons I was unable to bid safe travels to the industry man whom I had spoken with.    Should the gentleman from Vancouver be reading this now, drop me a line.   After a bizarre duo opening act who slowed down and beat to death five innocent Beatles songs, Ty Segall and the Freedom Band came to the stage.

​It was an electric show. Segall surprised by spending the majority of the first set committed to his drum kit, feeding off the dedicated drummer who was a marvel to watch in his own right. This rolling duo of percussions was utilized not just for the album’s shorter interludes, but entire songs with Segall providing vocals on fixed kit microphones.   All the members of the Freedom Band (including Emmett Kelly, Mikal Cronin, Charles Moothart and Ben Boye, among others) showed an impressive level of talent, often switching basses for mandolins, keyboards for saxophones, and so on.   The band played hard and heavy through great album tracks like the beautifully harmonic “Ice Plant” with the refrain “Let your love rain down on me,” that drives into your head like a river side hymnal. It takes the listener down Abbey Road, and is a great example of the influences there, especially the English piano changeover recorded on the album.   “I Worship the Dog” for some reason sticks out as an album highlight for me. Here at the venue, I see the crowd jump with similar enthusiasm, as the mass of people head-bang to a song that has a reoccurring hum of what sounds like a kazoo, with a close out of space-aged flutes abruptly torn to pieces by the chords of an old church organ.   More accessible and subdued tracks like “The Arms” and the incredible catchy “I Sing Them” help break up the loud and the weird, while also showcasing Segall’s tight songwriting sensibilities. Even when he chooses to let loose an assault of off note flutes in the middle of a verse, I can't help but feel that such a decision works favorably for what the artist is going for.   “When I Met My Parents part 3” is more ambient echo chamber to take the audience to new heights. “Whatever” and “Radio” also touch on Segall's psychedelic vibes. Songs that stretch and breathe and put the listener into those far out head spaces. “Self-Esteem” is an unsteady drunken walk down a dark, spiraling staircase. The listener is going along, not sure what's coming next, and then the carpet is ripped out from under him. You regain footing for a time, but then you’re headlong down the staircase and discover it's just an infinite funnel falling into a black hole.   “Lone Cowboys” perfectly concludes the set, taking the audience on a slow ride through classic Western nostalgia, before erupting into a dance worthy tempo where Segall puts forth lyrics that connect my heart to feelings of longing to escape to a more subdued existence, which is ironic given the overall mostly fast and heavy album track list. It's a smart move the closes out the collective work and leaves the listener feeling satisfied.   No sooner does the band conclude their set do they begin the first track from Emotional Mugger. I stay to hear my favorite songs, including “California Hills”, “Emotional Mugger”, “Breakfast Eggs”, and “Diversion”, before the mosh pits become too bothersome, as my camera makes several close calls with the stage in front of me as I am shoved from behind. At this point, I am still trying to convince myself that I'm not going deaf and the sinus pressure in my head is just dopamine pulsing through my brain, but I decide to call it quits and slide out between people as the band pauses momentarily between tunes.

​Ultimately, I decided to drive back to San Diego, even though midnight is fast approaching. There's more road construction on the LA highways leaving. I put on a podcast and wait patiently for progress. Twice on the way home, I pull over to catch a short nap, as my eyes become inevitably heavy. It was a long journey, filled with a fair share of obstacles but, in the end, Ty Segall and the Freedom Band made it all worthwhile.
 
-Stefan 
 
Thanks for reading! If you're at Ty Segall fan please leave a comment below or on social media. Let me know what your favorite album is! If you enjoyed this post please like or share. To find out more about Ty Segall and his upcoming shows click here to visit his website.

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.

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.

Wes Lee. We disucssed a range of blues related topics and Wes told stories of his many years in the music business. After the podcast, Wes and I took turns playing a mix of originals and oldies for a great crowd. It was as near a perfect night as you could as for and a hell of a lot of fun. To top it all off, our friends at the Southland Music Line took some great shots and put together an article that really put the icing on the cake. You can view the article at the Southland website here. Be sure to check out the other works that their team has put together, including articles on the 2015 artist of the year, featuring the Mulligan Brothers, and a readers choice awards. I'll put a few of the photos up here, but be sure to check out that rest over at the Southland site. Thanks to Johnny Cole, Stephen Anderson, and Robbie Amonett for all their hard work. 

​Stefan

http://thesouthlandmusicline.com/the-blues/coastal-noise-goes-live-at-the-shed-with-bluesman-wes-lee/

     Read on to see how to win a "Day on the Boat" Treatment from the Rejuvenation Station.
     
 Two weeks ago, Daniel Mark and I sat down with Mark Garriga and Stacy Ely of The Rejuvenation Station in downtown Biloxi. In our talk Mark explains what the Rejuvenation Station is and why they are a unique service in the industry of human optimization. "Its a hydration therapy," he explains. A service that has been spreading in larger cities around the country, offering customers the chance to re-hydrate their bodies and sharpen their cognitive functioning through oxygen intake, IV lines of saline water, and B12 injections. The Rejuvenation Station also offers massages and other relaxing treatments. 
   
 We talk about how all of the services offered can help athletes, folks in need of detoxification, or anyone just looking to unwind. Most of this takes place in a large, open room that Mark and Stacy have spent weeks configuring with cool art work and antique pieces. Vinyl records, large paintings, a mix of new and retro furniture, and a military dedication wall all come together for a unique atmosphere that goes against what one might expect to see it in a business that operates a lot like a small scale clinic (many of their employees have experience in the medical field). 
    
 By the end of the episode, we were feeling pretty good and had shared more than a few rounds of laughter. We enjoyed ourselves so much that Mark and Stacy worked with us to bring you, our listeners, the chance to win the same treatment session Daniel and I received called, "A Day on the Boat". For your chance to win, click here to go to the Coastal Noise Facebook page, give us a LIKE, then find a post for CNP #36 with the Rejuvenation Station that says "Like, Share, or Comment...", and choose your method to have your name entered. Remember, the more you interact with the post, the better your chances are to win. And of course, listen to the full podcast here at the Coastal Noise Podcast page. Be sure to check out some more of the pics we have from the podcast below. 

As always, thanks for listening. 

Stefan 

     Last week, Daniel, Jeff and I headed to the Supreme Court Chamber at the capital in Jackson, Mississippi for an hour long podcast with Senator Josh Harkins and Ashley Durval to discuss the recently passed bill that allows for the extraction of cannabidiol from the cannabis plant for legal medicinal use of such conditions as Dravet Syndrome, a condition that Ashley's 2 year old daughter, Harper Grace,was diagnosed with. After she and her family spent countless hours researching the condition, which is a severe form of epilepsy, that causes frequent, progressively damaging seizures, they turned their attention to the buzz that was coming from states such as Colorado with their legal medical marijuana programs.      

      It was documentaries, such as Dr. Sanjay Gupta's CNN special "Weed" which showed other families with children suffering from the same condition as Harper Grace, displaying the practical, effective use of cannabidiol in bettering the child's' quality of life. Considering all options and possibilities for Harper Grace, Ashley's family decided to reach out to Senator Harkins for help. It was Harper Grace's godmother who made the first call to him.
    
      "I thought she needed help getting on Medicaid or something like that." Harkins says in the podcast. He was taken aback when he discovered the actual request was for him to "legalize marijuana." He thinks to himself, there is no way, but promises to examine the research on what cannabidoil (CBD for short) can do. He began watching "Weed". 
    
      "After twenty minutes, I was blown away," he says. "There was no way I could not do something."
   
       Ashley and Senator Harkins took some time to explain to us what CBD extracts are, what it can do for patients, and why it does not produce the "high" effect commonly associated with marijuana. In fact, THC, which is the compound that produces that "high" feeling, will be restricted to under 1% of the plant makeup in any cannabis plant that is grown for these medical purposes in Mississippi. The CBD percentage will be closer to 15% or greater. 
  
        It might come as a surprise to some that Mississippi's congress would allow such a bill to pass (which it did, overwhelmingly) but the state may actually be one of the best places to grow and research the cannabis plant. Ole Miss will be responsible for the production and distribution of the cannabis plants and extracts. This will take place in the university's "Natural Products Lab", which has been growing medical grade marijuana for decades for the purpose of research and even a few applied federal programs for patients. This facility, which is unlike any other in the United States, may be the perfect place for advanced cannabis research and application. 
  
        Before he could start on the bill, which would later be named "The Harper Grace Bill", Senator Harkins consulted with the director of the lab who oversees the Ole Miss lab. Then he consulted with the Bureau of Narcotics. Then the university needed approval from the DEA and The Federal Drug Administration. Within 3 weeks of sending off a request, he was given the okay by all. It was one of the fastest responses given to the Natural Products Lab. 
     
      This speedy response from such organizations is somewhat surprising, considering the DEA and FDA's stance on cannabis in America. No matter what role marijuana plays in any US state, whether it is one of the over 20 that allow it for medical purposes, or it is out right legal for recreational use, marijuana is regarded as highly illegal by the federal government. A stance that many have criticized for years. But Ashley and her family were prepared to do whatever it took for their daughter.  
   
       "We considered moving to Colorado," she says. "We would go to Mexico <if we had to>". With help from Colorado's "Realm of Care", an organization that helps families get to Colorado for cannabis medicines, that thought was a real possibility. 
    
      After seeing Dr. Sanjay Gupta's documentaries, it's hard to argue with her. Charlotte Figi, the child with Dravet Syndrome in the first "Weed" documentary, goes from 300 grand mal seizures a week before CBD, to one a week. This is a miracle when you consider the last resort the family was contemplating. A risky operation that involves splitting the brain in half that can leave the child damaged for life if it goes wrong. When Senator Harkins and Ashley Durval followed up on the documentary by calling Charlotte 's mother, Paige Figi, she gave them her report on the side-effects. 
    
      "She sleeps better, she eats better," Harkins and Ashley say together. "She goes outside more, goes to school...She is on less medication, she is off her feeding tube and can swallow her own food...She is starting to walk again, to talk again..." In closing, Figi says they have had no negative side-effects. 
  
        As we continued talking, we discussed what positives may come from Mississippi doing more research with cannabis and why it was made illegal in the first place. A story of how William Randolf Hearst securing his monopoly in the paper industry by running a smear campaign on hemp and marijuana. The ties to money and power made the plant illegal almost a hundred years ago and still effects it today with huge, multi-million dollar corporations such as prescription drug companies, for-profit prisons, alcohol and tobacco industries all actively fighting to keep marijuana illegal. Meanwhile, if its statues does change, Mississippi could be a premier location (as it used to be) for green industries that have had huge success in place like Colorado and Washington. According to Forbes, in its first month of recreational sales in Colorado, the state pulled $2 million in taxes and is projected to see more than $40 million by the end of 2014, which could go to school systems or other state projects. 

With such a large, untapped industry, one has to wonder what medical marijuana could be like in a free market in the hospitality state. As an agricultural state, Mississippi could stand to gain a great deal from cannabis acceptance. It is more of a question of how fast they will react before other states establish themselves in the new, exploding market. 
    
      For now, the victory of the Harper Grace Bill is everything to her family, who have been with her the whole way through. 
   
       "If this bill helped just one child in Mississippi, it's worth it." Senator Harkins said. And from the look of things, many more will be positively effected by this bill, which goes into effect July 1.  

     Click the link here to hear the full Coastal Noise Podcast interview with Senator Harkins and Ashley Durval, or, visit our new Youtube channel and subscribe for continued video updates. 
     To learn more about Dravet Syndrome, I highly recommend you view the Dr. Sanjay Gupta special "Weeds" here. The full documentary is available in the Coastal Noise video section. To see the Harper Grace Bill over view, click here. To support awareness for Dravet Syndrome, please share anything related to this episode, as our interview is quite possibly the most descriptive, source based form of information regarding Dravet Syndrome and CBD oils for this new bill in Mississippi. 
     
     We hope you can take the time to hear the podcast, as it was certainly one our favorites in this first year of podcasting. We have recently recorded our first episode of the "new year" and look forward to everything coming in the future. Check back with us later next weekend, as we are planning for another podcast with Chase Taylor and Nick Quave inside the newly finished Kress Live Entertainment venue which is scheduled to open July 4th. 
    
      Please visit the the recently launched Coastal Noise Facebook and give us a like to support our show (which we do ALL FOR FREE!) and to see when we post updates. I am working to get the Store page up and running to process purchase orders for our new line of Coastal Noise T-shirts, which is an equally great way to support the show. Yes, they are soft. Check out the link to see what we have in the works and email Coastal.noise@yahoo.com to submit a size pre-order. 
    
      We appreciate everyone who has reached out to us about this particular episode to ask questions, comment, and give support. We are going to keep this train rolling and continue to put out the best content we can in the coming months. As always, thanks for listening. 

Stefan 

In this episode of the Coastal Noise Podcast, I sit down with Tiffany Langlinais, creator of New Orleans apparel brand Freret and Napoleon, and Nathan Pearce of Fraternity Collection, a rapidly growing fashion brand also from the southern region. In the course of the show, I learned the origins of both of these young, well received companys and what their creators are doing to insure continued growth.

After a short ice breaker on current events, we transition from the implosion of "Nereus", a state of the art deep sea research vessel, to effects of climate change on industries such as food, home goods, and even fashion. When asked about what price shifts might mean to her company, Langlanais spoke positively of the future.

"I definitely think Freret and Napoleon is keeping its customer in mind, because with the way we are structured we are marketing to a certain kind of person. A bold, fun-loving individual...The people that make that particular sacrifice to be fashionable and up with the times."

Tiffany then goes back to Freret and Napoleon's first days of inception, when she requested an early Christmas present a few months back. She was given a sewing machine after she expressed a desire to make clothing that surpassed what she was seeing the market at the time. Just a few short months after teaching herself to sew, she found herself in the spotlight of Fashion Week New Orleans as a featured designer, which allowed her to display her collection for the show back in March.

"It all began to take off from there."

Nathan Pearce recalled similar thoughts about his own rapid growth with Fraternity Collection shortly after he and his business partner realized their home-grown screen printing company was becoming something entirely different.

"We were just looking for a way to make a little extra money and not work in a cubicle all day." He said. The duo were making shirts for local fraternities and sororities when the request for a custom pocket was put their way.

"At the time, no one was offering it on a long sleeve T-shirt." Not wanting to lose their large order, they decided to sew on the pockets themselves. "We hired a fraternity brother who was looking for a place to live and told him he could move in and, in exchange, you'll teach yourself to sew."

And sew he did.

Experiments with custom colored designs for pockets soon made them noticeable in the fraternity, sorority, and what he calls, "the prep" apparel space. "It was an overnight success. It just blew up." So much in fact that the team had to work quickly to meet manufacturing demands, but despite products sometimes taking two months to ship, orders continued coming in. They relocated production to a plant in Tucker, Mississippi and soon leveled off. Fraternity Collection could now break new ground by doing something it had, up until then, been unable to do. Have a special, discounted sale for Black Friday to Cyber Monday.

"Once we launched the sale...it was a blow out. I think we sold 10,000 shirts in one weekend." With a full staff of well over a 100 workers, they still had trouble keeping up with the demand. With profits the company gained, the team bought an army of sewing machines and found two plants in Colombia to continue with production.

In closing, we discuss a few more news articles before concluding the interview. One story delt with a group of college room mates who discovered $41,000 in their used couch from the Salvation Army. Tiffany and Nathan both mention new plans for the future before the discussion comes to its conclusion. To see more of Tiffany and Nathan's works, you can visit each of their respective companies at Freret and Napoelon, as well as Fraternity Collection.

To hear the full interview, click here to go to the Coastal Noise Podcast. As always, thanks for listening. We hope you'll join us for our upcoming 1 year anniversary episode in early June and we look forward to the coming year, which is shaping up to be a promising one. We have more shows in the works with new guests and the first order of Coastal Noise shirts has been placed. We will be uploading pictures of them and plan on taking additional orders for those interested in grabbing one for themselves.

Until next time!

Stefan

Sitting in my easy chair.

This weeks episode of the Coastal Noise Podcast featured two local musicians from the group Rosco Bandana. Jason Sanford and Emily Sholes talked for over an hour about music, weather, horrible Easter bunny pictures and much more. Here is a break down of some of the show's highlights.

Opening up, we talked about the super storm that wrecked havoc for three days this week. Tornadoes were reported in almost a quarter of all the US and the Weather Channel reported 75 million people were at risk for severe weather. Mobile saw one of its wettest days in over 140 years with close to nine inches of rain. To make matters worse, NASA has been following a colossal glacier the size of Chicago named B13, that is expected to break off the Antarctic soon, which could raise sea levels by 1.5 meters. This land mass ranging from 255 sq miles and 500 meters thick is one of the world's biggest, but is still dwarfed by B15, a glacier that was 4,250 sq miles, almost the size of Jamaica, that broke from Antarctica in March of 2000.

The Biloxi Skate Park will be shutting down soon, taking its place will be a sound studio reported for film and possibly music. As the day of closing nears, many wonder, where will Biloxi's roller derby girls go?

Neil Young showed the music world he meant business this past week when he raised $6.2 million dollars for his digital music device the Pono Player, which will deliver music in "the highest audio quality possible". Young hopes his device which delivers music at 24-bit and 192 kHz will change a generation that has become used to the insignificant and inferior quality of portable mp3 players. Fans were so supportive on Kickstarter, that the Pono Player beat its goal of $800,000 in the very first day. At $6.2 million raised total, it is the 3rd biggest campaign ever run on Kickstarter. The device will run approximately $400 with albums coasting anywhere from $15-$25 dollars on average. "Most major record companies are on board," Young says, and he has the video to prove it. Check out this video from the Pono website that shows first time reactions from big name industry artists such as Rick Rubin, Flea, Dave Grohl, Tom Petty, Sting, The Beastie Boys, Anthony Kiedis, Mumford and Sons, Jack Johnson, (and many, many more) all praising the developers device. Look for the Pono Player in the coming months to deliver studio grade sound quality to its listeners when it releases later this year.

Jack White broke the Guinness World Record for fastest released record on April 19th. He recorded a live performance from his Third Man Records studio in Nashville, pressed it to vinyl and released it in just 4 hours, beating the previous record held by Swiss Polka trio "Vollgas Kompanie" who released their album "Live" on August 16th, 2008 the next day after it was recorded.

Speaking of breaking speed records. There is a new land creature that holds a new record in distance in relation to body size. The Paratarsotomus Macropalpis can run 322 body lengths person second. Try to imagine yourself moving 322 of your own body length in one second. It would take a human running 1,300 MPH to match that speed. Cheetahs can only run a measly 166 B.L.'s a second.

Jason and Emily dive into more of their music life by discussing various side projects they are undertaking including "Em and Me" which highlights the two musicians in a more intimate, acoustical duet setting. Emily is also beginning a new project with other members of Rosco Bandana called "Della". The two talk about recording the bands next album and what it would be like to have a recording space of their own in the near future. They swap stories that give a glimpse into what life on the road is like with the full band. We talk about fun games like Boulder Dash, Killers and Villagers (see blog), Space Team, and Emily has us test her abilities at one of her favorite van pass-times: puns.

Other topics include a comic strip entitled, "Coffee With Jesus" a simple delivery of folks sitting down to have brief, humors conversations with the man himself (A must read for some), horrible (and scary) Easter Bunny pictures, Seasick Steve (see video), Ryan's arrival to Denver, and getting rid of our smartphones.

You can listen or download the episode here at the Coastal Noise Podcast page. You can also click here to keep up with Rosco Bandana and see where their next shows will be. Also check out the Coastal Noise Music page to see the date and time for the Diberville Crawfish Festival where I will be playing on May 10th.

     In this episode of the Coastal Noise Podcast, we sit down with Chase Taylor and Nick Quave to talk about the work they have been doing with the Kress Live multipurpose entertainment venue coming to downtown Biloxi this summer. They discuss the restoration of this historic building in Vieux Marche and what they hope to achieve in bringing it back to life.
      "Music, concerts, tons of live entertainment, and art...a hub for all those types of things," Chase Taylor explains. "Were going to do 120 to a 150 shows [in a year] starting in July. We want to bring as many different acts as we can from across the country...every genre that you can think of." 
     Kress Live has been a project in the works for over three years, and the team is in their final phase of development, sharing their ideas on what the future will hold. Hurricanes, oil spills, and economic slumps haven't stopped Chase and Nick from bringing Kress Live into a fully realized dream. With the intention of injecting rich culture back into the area, they have pushed forward in making that dream a reality. 
     "There are a ton of moving variables associated with it," Chase says, "and getting comfortable with those variables takes time, but we have a good team we've put together, and we're comfortable with the guys around us, and that's what it's all about." 
     In talking, the four speakers discuss how Mississippi artists have needed more outlets for expression, why the general public has forgotten the heritage Mississippi holds in the realm of art, and how the state's history can be preserved while simultaneously creating a new chapter in its existence. With the design of the new building, visitors will be able to get a true sense of what the culture of Biloxi is with local and regional art, along with an American heritage music museum integrated into the venue. 
     When asked about the charity work that the team plans to incorporate into the venue, Nick said: "That's just as important to us as the Kress entertainment business is." Their goals include giving back to local schools and providing instruments to students who otherwise might never get the chance to learn to play. "Kids are our future as far as music and art go." The discussion continues in this direction as everyone talks about the value of introducing music to children at a young age, and how difficult it is to see art programs cut from schools due to budgeting. 
     Chase and Nick then talk about their affiliation with the team that manages the John Lennon Tour Bus, a program that allows young students the chance to write and record their own songs in John Lennon's state of the art tour bus. The final productions are then sent to various labels and record producers all over the country. 
     Other talks go to comedy, The Sun and Sand Film Festival, art shows, weddings, and much more. In closing, the two ask listeners to keep up with their progress (which you can do by visiting the Kress Live website or social media pages) and take a look at the job opportunities that will be arising with the completion of the venue. Check out the full Coastal Noise episode here. Also check out the Music page, where dates are posted for the Diberville Crawfish festival where Stefan will be performing in May with Danielle Linn. 

     This episode focuses mostly on the Bubonic Plague during the Medieval European era, as Stefan shares his research from the past two weeks after reading about the man in Bend, Oregon who contracted the Bubonic Plague from his cat. That story can be read here. 
     In the beginning of the show, Ryan and Stefan talk about Eavesdropping Toys for kids and for adults that were commercialized during their childhood. They also talk briefly about the Kress Live article that was recently posted in the Sun Herald. 
    In his talk on the Bubonic Plague, Stefan discusses how the disease arrived at the end of a "Golden Age" for Europe, how the Mongols spread the disease in its early phases by catapolting the bodies of their dead, infected soldiers over the walls of their enemies to contaminate others, the mutation of the disease into the pneumonic plague, what happens to a person with the Black Death, what new genetic research tells us about the plague, what the fatality rates were like and how it changed the lives of Europeans for decades, the mob mentalities of flagellant fanatics (groups of men who wiped them selves and reenacted the sufferings of Jesus Christ as a form of penance), how the Pope played a role in suggestive treatments, religious hysteria and scientific ignorance, how disinformation and lack of knowledge spread the disease, and the genocide acts that occuried to the Jewish people.