The Digression Sessions - Ep. 214 - Height Keech!

Episode Date: April 17, 2017

Hola Digheads, this week Josh sits down for a quick one on one with the rapper and new label owner (Cold Rhymes), Height Keech!   Height Keech has a new album coming out called Mind Moves The Mountain on 4/28/17 and he'll be doing a record release show that same day at the Crown here in Baltimore.     Follow the podcast, Josh Kuderna, and Heigh Keech on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Josh - @JoshKuderna on Twitter and @JoshKuderna on Instagram The Pod - @DigSeshPod on Twitter The Pod's Facebook page - Dig Sesh on Facebook Thanks for listening, all! Do the pod a favor and rate and review the pod on iTunes & Stitcher plz!

Hello, this is Nigel from the Tony Kornage Show, and you're listening to the Digression Session. Did I say that right? Do I get paid now? Can I leave? I have a normal conversation if it's not going to be recorded, you know? I agree, man. Right? I mean, always make content. I'm thinking about changing my name to Max Content. Hey, I'm kidding kidding i love it uh in the kitchen uh the dig sesh uh hq now uh with with uh height keach yes how are you fella man i'm doing

real good good man i've been uh been rocking your record all day i've been teleworking and uh listening to the new record oh and uh when does that come out uh the 28th oh that's exciting so uh and then it's called a mind moves mountain the mountain well you know what that's close enough we got to cut the interview short i'm so sorry you know your attitude is just unbelievable um no it's really good man like how do you feel about it i feel so excited about it yeah it's like yeah it's like my first one that i've produced uh i mean i've produced a lot of my records but like in a more straightforward way i'm producing this one okay like i'm just it's just like 11 beats that i made oh really you know what i mean yeah i was gonna ask you because it's

it's really cool it's kind of uh has a real cohesive feel to it not that like other records didn't but this one it's almost like uh it it feels like um like a like a low like not a lonely traveler but like sort of like a guy in the midwest on the road in the future somehow feels like it sounds really cool though i i like it a lot it's like uh it has like a like a southern kind of charm to it but it also like modern at the same time like kind of like a bluesy futuristic thing oh awesome so i i think it was really good man yeah it's like it's weird i was i was like i've always been like nervous to produce an album in that way like like a lot of times if it says produced by height i did produce it but a lot of times it's like me playing everything live and

or like uh it's more like roundabout and like you know a lot of those old school records i was working on i did a lot of that too but it's just like break beats and yeah it's pretty simple but it's like right i guess i always felt like a little bit inferior as a beat maker oh really just because like i feel like my entire life i've had the awesomest beat makers around right like mickey and um other guys you might not know like shields that did a bunch of my okay stuff yeah but like mickey free and then was shields in Shark Tank? No, he just like all my early records, he almost did entirely. Gotcha. And like, I don't know.

I still, I feel like him and Mickey, like, I feel like they should just be like billionaire. Right. Yeah. I've just always been like, they're the shit. Yeah. Yeah. I've just always been like, they're the shit. Yeah, yeah. And I've always been like, I need to produce something that can be as good as that. You know what I mean? Right.

So it's kind of been like a slow process of learning to make beats in that way or something. And it's cool to have friends that are super talented as well. Yeah. Because it's the same way where it can inspire you to like at first you're like oh you're really good but then also it inspires you to do it yourself too like i have friends like that that i think are like so talented musically or like comedians and stuff so it's nice to have people close to you where you're like oh okay i can probably do that or like take some inspiration from that as well

versus like people that are just that as well right versus like people that are just like on tv or something like someone you can see up close and you're like oh okay that's how it's done right right and it's weird like with beats like i think say like this guy shields that i'm talking about for example like he never was really a part of like any like tours or anything like that so he was just oh he's always just been a guy like at his house making beats right i feel like like when we were younger it naturally was like okay that's my job to go out into the world and like tell people about this music we're doing and it's his job to stay home and do stuff. And it sort of actually made it take longer.

I don't know. I've always been so amped to have tight producers want to work with me and stuff. I feel like I've always been the guy the guy that like goes out and like right tells people about it so yeah it's almost like it's like you you kind of feel like like not that you're maybe not good enough but you're like oh you guys are so good that yeah i gotta i gotta be involved with you and it's not like uh and i think you're such a thoughtful guy too that you're like well i don't want to seem disrespectful and make my own beats when there's great beat makers out there but at the same time i think they'll probably probably just be happy for you you know they're not gonna be like you know height i make beats as well do you have to do it all you know yeah

absolutely which i i think is really cool too and that kind of i think that's why with this record i thought it was so cohesive because it kind of seemed like even if you didn't mean to have like a through line with it like but since you had everything to do with the entire record it has like a really cohesive feel to it yeah yeah like like i've always felt like that's a cool thing like a cohesive feel i think is so much more important than like a cohesive like concept right something right right right it's like or to have like a few like bangers here and there yeah it's kind of a little all over the place like like i guess i don't know i just think about like say like a classic rock album or R&B album or something. It's so much about the feeling of it.

It's like, I don't know. I feel like a lot of times people take concept albums. And if you actually listen, you'll be like, there's no concept here. But it doesn't matter because it feels so good. Right, right, right. It's like, well, they were going for it, I guess. I don't know right it's like well they're going for it i guess i don't know if they did it but they went for it and that's admirable that's good uh so so and then you're doing a show for this right yeah big uh record release is that also

on the 28th yes wow geez i'm such a good interviewer geez no mess ups at all not even with the title uh so the 28th at the Crown, right? Yeah. Hell yeah. Eight o'clock? Nine o'clock. You know, I'm really trying over here. No, nine o'clock.

And that's one of the better venues in Baltimore. It's a really good spot. And so, yeah, record release and you're doing the show. That's going to be tight, man. Yeah, man. I'm excited for you, man. So are you going out on the road? You got everything lined up i am yeah yeah how many dates you doing man it's it's pretty wild it's like you're gonna go crazy kind of yeah i think it's it i think and it's not gonna be all at once it's gonna be like four different stretches okay and i which is i think is smart break it up a little bit yeah like

but i've been thinking this might be for me like my last time going completely crazy with like the tour route oh really yeah like yeah like i think like i have this theory about, um, I don't know, like, like with touring, it's, it's like, get it. It's like,

I think sometimes you can reach a point where, um, playing the most shows as possible isn't really helping you anymore. Right. Right, right. You know what I mean? Like, I feel like there's people that I've toured with that have just played so many shows

in basements and stuff that they made themselves famous. Okay. You know, just being like like i feel like dan deacon's a perfect example right right like he's someone where it's just like okay i have something interesting people are just gonna know that it's interesting and no one's like on my side like no one's helping me right so i'm just gonna grind no money so i'm just gonna grind no money so i'm

just gonna go everywhere there is to go and right but i've been thinking about how that's like and that that's kind of like the same thing i've tried to do but like i think that that's not always the most helpful thing for musicians to do no and then well and then you learn too it's like there is no one way to do it you know and like i see that with like comedy as well it's like some people some of the funniest people on earth aren't well known you know but they can they can tour and make money on stand-up and stuff and you know they can play clubs but nobody really knows them because they don't have a tv show or anything and it's like they they have to tour. But if they over tour, is that really good for them?

Not necessarily. And then same with some musicians too where it's like you can play enough shows to where like you kind of leave people wanting more. You know what I mean? Like I'm sure if it was like wasn't Dan Deegan just here last month and the month before, you you know it would like get a little old so it's like you got to do enough for you to to get something out of it but then also leave people wanting something more without like burning yourself out too right because i remember we had uh jen on the show from y oak and uh and i think when their record i think when civilian kind of caught on i think their label was like keep going go and they toured for like two years or something like that or it's like where i we had her on the show and i was interviewing her and i didn't really know her too well at the time and um and uh and i was trying to

do research before and i was like looking at other interviews she had done and i saw one she did in germany and uh i was asking her about it's like yeah you guys look uh kind of fried and she goes yeah did we i was like yeah kind of and she was like yeah like i'm sorry it was just it took me a while to like even just like decompress out of that because i feel like you're just like always going then it kind of becomes a job more so than the music and i think that's why she didn't even play guitar for a while like what was uh when she was on the show she's and it's like so how's the new record she's like i don't know i don't even want to play guitar but then they made a record after that where that didn't

have guitar and it was dope oh yeah yeah so i feel like kind of like what what you're doing if you're saying like i want to take the reins a little more and then i want to make my record how i want to make it and then i want to tour it how i want to tour it yeah i think it's awesome yeah i i think this is maybe kind of like a heavy thing to bring up but like mickey one time mentioned this thing to me where he said like me and him because you know we've been friends since we were little kids. Yeah, yeah. He was like, me and him grew up, like, without believing in God, but we sort of, like, made music into God. Okay, yeah, yeah.

Which is, like, I think, like, the good parts of that are are awesome but i've been more aware of the bad parts in a way like god i wish i was an atheist yeah like like almost like you know like i feel like sometimes i get into this thing like you can never work hard enough or try hard enough for and it's like it's almost like yeah is god displeased with me like do i need to like yeah each record is a sacrifice to god like another offering or like do i need to play like 20 more shows in like new jersey should i i don't know should i do more off the new jersey turnpike is that what you want music god what do you want yeah and that's uh i always i always compare it to um to to like a mountain like uh there's the episode of the simpsons where homer's climbing a mountain i don't know if you've seen it but uh he he thinks he gets to the top and then like he gets above the

clouds and then you see that there's more mountain and that's kind of how it always feels like you're like ah i made it to the top of the mountain then there's always more mountain to climb whatever it is like whether it's like comedy or music you know you're like oh it'd be so cool to do shows it'd be so cool to headline shows and then you're like well how come that person's headlining and they're doing this or like how come i'm not you know and it's always like always more to do or like you put out a record and they're like okay when's the next record? You're like, Jesus Christ, can we just enjoy what I just did? And it's like, no, no, no, let's just keep it coming.

So I get that it's a fucking grind, man. And it's like, I always try to keep in mind, I don't know, say like Future Islands just did the four shows in Baltimore. Yeah, they did four sold-out shows in a row at Auto Bar. And this could be totally me just being wrong. Those guys suck. No, no. I just felt like there was people sort of throwing shade at them.

I just felt like on Facebook like just just maybe like the normal amount yeah that a big successful thing gets right but like and i really think the reason is that those people weren't a part of it right like or something you know it's like i think like why does so-and-so get to open their show or like oh yeah yeah yeah and it's kind of like the whole point of the whole point of it being special is that you're not invited that's a good point yeah like only one person gets gets it everyone else has to not get it that's a really good point yeah or it just would be nothing yeah or it's like every single person would be playing right yeah it's like then it's not a thing that's a really good point i've never looked at it that way it's like it wouldn't be a thing if everybody was

involved yeah and it feels it feels like really hurtful i think when i've had things where people ask me to like play some sort of prestigious thing yeah and then it's like if people look at it like oh why does he get that or so right it's just like can't i just get this like yeah i can't enjoy it yeah yeah it's like you worked hard i mean you got it and you know that and also for those people that do that a really good way to not be involved in that stuff is to complain about that stuff. It's like, do you think like future islands or whoever is going to see that,

like whatever it is and be like, Oh fuck, we didn't include them. They're really, right. Yeah. We got to have them next year. It's like,

well, fuck you too. Like, you know, not even to that level, but it's also like, that's not the way to get there. Like,

I don't think anybody has ever complained their way into a show and done well. I don't think that's going to work. That would actually be amazing. Just complain your way to the top. I wonder if anybody has. I guess Donald Trump kind of did that for the most part. He just kind of bitched about everything regardless of his station in life but yeah he i feel like he has done everything wrong as a human yeah but like been rewarded yeah totally the highest yeah yeah um i think there's farid zakaria on cnn he said like

his analysis was that you know everybody's wants donald trump to start telling the truth and get with reality it's like he's never been with reality he's literally bullshitted his entire life and then he bullshitted his way into the presidency and you think now he's gonna be like all right i'll stop bullshitting like bullshit's where what got him where he is yeah it's terrifying yeah it's it's fucking insane but um back to better things touring now um so yeah man so um so what's what's the plan for the tour is it going to be just you uh it's going to be me and uh jordan weeks who's drummed for me a lot so it's going to be us oh cool for the most part that's great yeah yeah so so you'll have kind

of like the musical tracks and then he'll be bringing the bringing the drums exactly that's great yeah i'm really amped man yeah whenever there's a live drummer or live horns or anything like i feel like just a drummer with like for for especially for hip-hop is really going to carry it too i think so too i always like like stuff like that like i don't know do you do you uh remember the group mantronics no it's like a like 80s i like that name yeah but it's like i have this live tape of them and like um do you know like the billy squire drums the like the yeah like like they have that they have that kick and snare like cut up and they're like playing it over top of every other kick and snare that happens okay it's like it seems like so stupid in a way but it's like

it's like i think sometimes with drums that's what's lacking is like consistency because like with sample based stuff like every kick hits differently right and like one will hit in a way that sounds cool on an album, but is way, way less impactful than a PA. So I think it's cool to have, you will hear this snare. Yeah, the driving element of it, too. Or even parts where the drums kind of take a break, and then when the live drums come in, you're like, oh, holy shit, this is the show.

Right, right, right, right. Versus like, oh, this is just like, I don't know know it just brings it to a whole other element right yeah and i that's that's smart because yeah you've been what so what you've been touring for how many years now like since 2000 damn yeah damn does it feel like 18 years of touring it does josh i'll be honest with you it definitely does it's like i don't know i like like i was saying before i've so so one thing i'm doing this year is i'm doing this label and i've always i've always sort of had my cold rhymes as my like de facto label name over the years okay cool i'm gonna start like putting other people's stuff out nice and like i've started to realize like so much of what i've gained through all these tours is just like

getting put on and like getting getting to know like so many great musicians well you can play in your way you're like hey i'm not friends with you what the fuck's going on and they're like yeah yeah come hang out jesus christ i'm so sorry yeah do you want to go to double t but like um yeah so so i don't know i i've I've kind of been on this thing where it's like, it might be time to like draw back in a way from the, like, like the black flag style of touring where it's like every place to go. Balls to the wall, wherever it is. Yeah.

And like, it kind of might be time to be like, okay, that's not like resulting in like great success you know like in a like immediate way but i sort of feel like i'm like at this point where i'm just realizing all the all the different types of not obvious things that i've like gotten out of that right you know what i mean yeah so i'm kind of like trying to like pivot from there to like some other cool stuff and right and kind of take like stock of what you have yeah and kind of look at it through a lens of maybe not the lens of like height when you were touring when you're 2000 what is success and be like no no i should have been looking at it from this angle yeah yeah because i kind of i have that too with uh with comedy where it's like you know if this doesn't end up with anything i'm still friends with some of the

coolest people i've met you know because it's kind of like when you meet those people that are just as into what you're into and you kind of have the same approach and the same worldview and stuff you're like oh okay well at least the same approach and the same worldview and stuff, you're like, Oh, okay, well at least like we're friends, you know,

and then I have super talented friends and then maybe you can facilitate that into something else, you know? Yeah, definitely. So I think, I think that's a really great way to look at it too. If like,

Oh, like I've had, I've like without music or without touring, I would never met this person. We've never had these experiences, you know, that like no one else could have never met this person. We would never have had these experiences, you know, that, like, no one else could have. Yeah.

Like, do you – I mean, I feel like I've sort of heard you mention it in some ways on this show before. Oh, I don't mind repeating myself on this show. But, like, do you have – or did you have moments where it didn't feel like that? Oh, yeah, yeah. I mean, tons of them where it's like, I don't know. It's, I go through cycles and maybe most artistic types do where it's like, you know, it's like, it's good. I believe in myself it's great

like i'm excited to do this and then like the circle kind of turns a little bit and you're like what was i even doing i suck that sucks everything sucks you know and like i'll kind of have to fight that off a little bit and kind of know that that's kind of like part of how i view things sometimes where if you know if a set doesn't go well or if i'm like feeling bad about not writing as much or something and it's like all right well take that and kind of facilitate that into a way where you can make it like a positive thing right and like so i'll try to like mix it up like i've been working on beats a little bit like i sent you some stuff so fire by the way oh thank you man thank you yeah so it's like if i like i just have to do

something creative and then maybe that'll like kickstart whatever it is that i'm trying to do so like maybe you have that too where it's like if you're feeling kind of shitty and then you just make a song and you're like oh well that song didn't exist before you know before i did it and it's like i i don't have any carpentry skills or anything like that so it's nice to have someone be like i made this you know and uh but it but it's like yeah man i definitely go through times where i'm like this all sucks and then you have like you have that one good show and you're like okay things are good i'm all right i'm all right and then you also realize too that it's not like you don't live and die by every set you know like i'm sure maybe there's shows that other people

wouldn't think were bad but maybe you in your head you're like ah it could have been better oh yeah but then you're not you're not like well this is it's all ruined you're like well the next show is going to be good you know right um so so i'll have some of that stuff too where it's like all right well if i feel like i'm kind of in a shitty spot like the only way to get through it is go do more sets and try to get better yeah and then sometimes it's those shitty sets where really it sucks in the moment where you feel your ears get hot you know and you're like this is not good but then you listen back to it as painful as it is like i'll listen back to the sets and like okay this is what i fucked up and then i can fix it for next time yeah and then you know like and then sometimes

stuff happens where it comes together where it's like oh this is so cool like i am so glad that i'm doing this like doing like stand-up or like artistic whatever because i got to do a show um on last friday if i could hijack the interview i'm sure you've i'm sure you've had moments like this where it's like you probably had more like touring and stuff but i i got invited to do a show um in dc last friday for this uh this group called so far sounds and they they have like random musicians like three of them usually play some stranger's apartment in dc and they invite people to come to it and stuff so it's like these cool little like house shows but they're well curated yeah and they just started

having comedy involved and it was me um god i'm blanking on her name why am i blanking on her name her name was oh margo mcdonald um yeah yeah it's like ready to go yeah um margo mcdonald no i saw my phone then i was like oh yeah margo um but she is a dc based artist and she does uh a ton of looping so she sings and then she'll loop and then she was doing stuff where she would go like this and lift the microphone up and down. And but like while singing and made it sound like a synth when it was looped because she was like, it was just like, it just sounded so cool. And she was incredible. Yeah. And then I had to follow her.

I was like, oh, my God. Like, I never felt like like so dumb because it was like she was just crushing it. She's doing everything with her voice. She's singing and then playing guitar. And I was watching her and I was like, man, what asshole has to follow her? And I was like, oh, yeah, it's me. Like, she literally has the voice of an angel. I'm just like, hey, I have braces.

You guys work in an office? Have you ever seen Gavin Riley, Smoke Machine? No. It's like, it's a friend of mine that was in hype with friends for many years. Yeah. He has a project that he's been working on for years that's like, basically it's like a choose your own adventure rap. Oh, really?

With like insanely like insanely beautiful animation. And it's like a true choose-your-own-adventure. People often think that there's only a limited amount of choices, but he has insane, endless stories ready to go. Wow, with the animation? Yeah. That's so cool. And with him, it's kind of like

i was just thinking about it recently i was like i was like i don't think i could ever like tour with him again because it's like it's so fucking impressive yeah like and it's not it's not anything against my like skills as a performer no there's just certain things where you're like just from like crowd expectations you know it's not like you're gonna go up there and you'll be like and now i'm gonna do magic while i rap and like just keep heightening yeah so so yeah it was that feeling and then like i'm sure you had it too where you're like well i just have to go and do my thing like you know he's doing his thing and so so do. And so, so luckily, luckily they took a five minute intermission.

And when I went up, I kind of said all that stuff of like, oh my God, give it up for Margo one more. Cause you just have to come clean. Like you can't just be like, well, you know,

like act like, you know, that super impressive thing didn't happen. So I kind of like just addressed it and ended up having like a really good set. And the, the crowd was cool. And the guy that went after me was a rapper on tour from Chicago. His name is Matt Muse.

I don't know if you heard of him. No, no. He was really good. And so it was just one of those nights. It was like a Friday night. And in DC, it was a cool apartment, some stranger's house. And these two people I would have never known about unless I did comedy. You know what I mean? And I ended up doing this random show and they were both really really cool and super

talented and like those are people where it's not like we'll be super tight but i'm sure if i hit them up on the internet or something if they come back through town or whatever they'd be like hey what's up and that's the type of thing where you're like okay well maybe it's not like the hugest like quote-unquote comedy success but it's those types of things where you're like oh this is fucking rad you know definitely yeah and my girl was there with me and we had like just a fun night and i was like this is yeah this is this is the shit so it's like i totally give you mean by like kind of refocusing how you look at shit of like what's successful you know yeah and so yeah it was definitely

humbling too to be like okay these people are like really talented but uh but yeah man it was it was a good night so it's that type of thing really like all right yeah i feel i feel somewhat validated in my choices a little bit you know and it's interesting because i think like like listening to this podcast it's like you're such a positive dude oh it's like it's like so rare to to like be able to maintain that in comedy i try i mean i try i mean it's not like i have like a bad life though either you know so yeah yeah it's like also like yeah i mean i can like get down and shit and be bummed about stuff but also like you can i can only do it for so long because it's like well what's the fucking point of being that bum for that long you know what what mickey has told me

from his experiences trying comedy is kind of like yeah like he feels like the lows of comedy are lower than the lows of music which just like like i guess just like i guess he just means like if you're playing like a terrible open mic or something it might be like there's no one there that's like wow that guy's kind of a cool person right yeah and the level of like dickheads that you can meet yeah it's like yeah can get wild yeah for sure i mean comedy yeah i mean it can definitely be rough and you can do rough shows and i think with music sometimes maybe if you're doing a bad show and like at least you kind of can like i don't know not that not not that it's fake but there is a little bit of artifice or like a wall there when you're like well i'm just doing my songs exactly and so

you can kind of use that as your armor a little bit but stand up you try to make it so it's like it's so it's just you so you have to you're you're yourself and you're you have to be your armor so it's a little harder so when it doesn't go well it's like yeesh yeah there's one reaction that's correct right which is laughing yeah like like i think like when comedians talk about bombing like i think bands bomb all the time and have no idea sure they're just so loud yeah yeah yeah and also it's like sounded rad to me right i was killing it dude i crushed it's like yeah i guess but that is and that's also true too where like if if a audience is quiet it could be because they're just in awe of the music and it's not like a musician's like man this sucks like i'm doing terrible like if the crowd's quiet they're gonna

clap at the end you know but if a crowd's quiet during comedy most times something's wrong unless like a real like skilled tactician is up there is like really drawing people in but for the most part it's like yeah they better be having some type of reaction yeah it's it's weird though it's like say like i think that's a cool flyer but like if i didn't uh-huh i wouldn't say that that flyer was bombing yeah one thing i've had with uh stand up too is where people would come up and they would say like um like i've had it done to me and i've heard it about like i heard it said to other comics too like oh you were my favorite or like we had somebody uh we had somebody last week they sucked you were great like i've heard people say

it's like you wouldn't be like oh look at that flyer i have a flyer on my wall in the kitchen so it wouldn't be like flyers okay you should have seen the flyer i had last week it was fucking rad like i feel like people don't do that in any other thing either like right it's not like like if they met lebron james be like oh you're cool you know i hate steph curry it's like i don't know if they would do that like wouldn't they just say i like you like yeah it's it's weird because sometimes with comedy it's more of a like it's like you were a pretty good dancing monkey the other dancing monkey we had not that good i think there's a weird thing with hip-hop where like you know like like say like when i first started touring it was like there weren't that many other touring diy type rap right so it's like

bands a lot and like punk bands uh-huh and then as it changed and got to be more rappers it was like sometimes there's this element where it's like okay there's 50 people in this room but they're all here to see jason from work you know what i mean and it's like all their whole thing is just like is jason from work gonna kill it are these other people a threat to jason from work and you know it's like are you a threat to jason from work i love that i love that yeah yeah you can have that yeah i think music shows stand-up shows for sure where it's that you're definitely like oh there's definitely a contingent of people here that are here to see one guy or gal right right

right and you're like i pray that they stay after that guy or gal performs yeah and it's like i always feel like with basically every show on earth i feel like i can't blame people for wanting to see their friend and go. Yeah, definitely. It's kind of amazing enough that they came to see their friend. Yeah, yeah. Let alone be like, you have to see these 20 other things. Yeah, when anybody's at a show that's of people that are relatively unknown or an open mic, I'm like, God bless you for coming.

I don't know if I would go to an open mic every week or or even once a month i don't know maybe once a month but it's like god bless you for coming um so so yeah man i um yeah i'm just uh i'm just kind of doing my thing doing doing some stand-up and uh it was cool to to for you to reach out because i knew you were working on a new record oh yeah so it's like oh I haven't talked to that guy in a while. So that's great, man. So how long did it take you to write this one? It actually took a long time

because I had a plan that sort of got derailed. I put out an EP called Unending Blaze. Unfortunately, I called it Unending Blaze Volume one even though there's only one i think that's cool though you leave the door open you know but like i guess i had this whole plan that was like i was gonna put out three of them and then re-release them all together

okay like like just do a small run of cds for each and then do the vinyl release at the end gotcha but like that was kind of my thing with like scaling back to touring i was like after doing the first one i was like holy shit it took so much work to like sell these copies of this cd right and like and tour and then i'm like and then i'm gonna do that twice more and then do it again yeah it was just like fuck that and like like uh so like that was like i put out the first one in January 2015, and then in March 2015, while having a crazy fever in, like, a motel. I was like, no, I'm not doing that. Yeah, I think that's cool.

That's like, I bet when you thought of it, though, you're like, man, what a grand plan. This is going to be great. Absolutely, yeah. of it though you're like man what a grand plan this is gonna be great absolutely yeah and i i think sometimes i think maybe us creative types do this a lot where it's like built into the plan is that more people will be interested in you in a significant way yeah yeah yeah because like like back that was like a year and a half ago i was still i i hadn't really got this idea for this label yet and i was still like thinking like okay i'll put these three out on my own and then if like a label is interested we can do the re-release and then it's like i don't know you don't want to like plan on that specific yeah interest in you and then if my hands don't break from counting so much money

i'll release another album i guess but i don't know my hands might be fucked up from all this money so we'll have to plan for that i'll be so rich i can just buy new hands so we'll do that and it actually like it's kind of weird because it was hard because i feel like when you're doing everything yourself all you really have to rely on is like your word that something's going to happen yeah so there was definitely you know there was definitely people that were like where's volume two at and like see that's good it is but it's almost like you know telling people there's going to be a show and then like canceling the show yeah it's like gather the people that are the most interested in you and then be like never mind you know like yeah i i think it's kind of i mean you still put out an album though. Right. And like, I think it's kind of cool.

Like I could be almost like your, your mixtape series, you know, like it'll drop when it drops. Like that could be cool to just do like a three song, you know, maybe for the next record you have like some like B sides or something. Oh yeah. Boom. Volume two. And it's like, it's like not, uh uh now i feel great about it just like yeah it was hard at the time

to be like i don't know there's so it's like not to like minimize anything but like there's not a lot of people paying attention so those that are you don't want to you don't feel like you betrayed them like their trust but it's also just like guys i i'm not trying to fuck you over i just i will put out a better product just right just give me give me a second yeah exactly and i and i think you did and then so and then this record um the last track is unending blaze right yeah does so does this record have those tracks on it from that ep it does okay and that that one actually was going to be on unending blaze but and that's the whole thing too is like I with the first one I put out it's like a

four song EP I put it out and I toured on those songs and I also made changes to those songs so these are like the new versions yeah which was really helpful like like to be able to play finish something put it out and then be like no it's there's not enough bass here right right like that's really cool but like i couldn't do it three times yeah yeah and i think that's actually kind of cool that it worked out that way because i i have that too like whenever i mess around with music i'll listen to it i'll listen back to me like oh it's okay and then i'll like send it to a friend and then for some reason that makes it a little makes me more like a little more hyper vigilant and like oh no

no no this is terrible like stuff they wouldn't even notice but you notice like oh maybe the guitar is a little too loud or maybe just save that for the outro yeah so i think that's kind of cool that you got to essentially like put out something dope and then kind of workshop it and then grind it down into the beautiful diamond that is this new record you know what i mean um so okay cool so so what's the plan for tour you said you're gonna do the four legs and kind of break it up yeah it's gonna be like like northeast with some canada stuff uh-huh then uh midwest and then one that goes back to the midwest and out to the west coast and then southeast with uh hopefully with darsambra for that one if you if you know no they're like uh awesome like psych metal type band from here. Oh, really? Yeah, yeah.

That'll be an interesting pairing. Yeah. That'll be great, man. Well, cool, man. I'm super excited for you, man. So everything else going all right? Oh, yeah, man. Thanks so much for having me.

Yeah, of course. I never miss an episode. Oh, that's so nice. Yeah, like, that's another thing with me, too. It's like, oh, fuck, I got to put out episodes, and I get so busy and shit. So, yeah, you got to come over more often because you're still in Hamden, right? Yeah. Well, hey, we're still recording, but what are you doing the 22nd?

March, or April 22nd? Mm-hmm. Nothing. Having a housewarming, so we're going to do a little cookout during the day, 3 p.m., and anybody that's listening, don't show up. But this is exclusive. Yes. house warming so we're gonna do a little do a little cookout during the day 3 p.m and uh anybody that's listening don't show up but this is exclusive yes you you put a record together and maybe you can come over but yeah come on by uh we're gonna like we're gonna grill some stuff hang out my friend ben is gonna bring his pig i believe so that'll be cool cool and uh not for

eating but for hanging out there probably will be hot dogs don't tell the pig but yeah come by for that man so um but yeah everything else is good oh yeah yeah okay all right well cool man um anything else you want to plug besides uh the record in the show on the 28th oh well stay tuned for this cold rhymes oh yeah the net the next release uh is the next shark tank album so that would be cool really yeah is mickey gonna be involved in that too uh he is not you see that's the thing i i love mickey so talented but i think he has a love hate relationship with music slash god oh yeah as well where it's like maybe i guess it's's where, like, I could put, like, my soul into this. You know, it really is. The religion thing really does work.

It's like, I could dedicate my soul to you, but you're not necessarily going to be good to me. Right, right, right. It's like, do I really want to put myself out there like that again? But he is such a talented guy. Yeah, it's crazy. Like, I feel like at some point he can get his head around it because because like now shark tank is strictly a recording project for the most part like like um is lord grunge still in that oh yeah yeah okay but he is now at emt is he really. And now has a daughter. So. Wow. It's kind of like.

It was kind of like, does this make sense for us to like. Travel in from all these destinations and do shows. Right. And I think we still are going to do some for this new album. Yeah. It's not a touring thing anymore. And it's kind of like it's like just a whole new world as far as just music in general. I feel like more people are more inclined to just like listen on their phone, you know,

or like just passively listen on Spotify or SoundCloud and be like, yeah, those guys are dope. I love them. But, you know, like, oh, well, they're playing next Friday. It's like, I mean, I like the record, you know, and like like i just feel like a lot more people kind of just listen so passively and there's so much music out there and so many ways to hear it where it's like you guys still could catch on and not have to tour as much yeah it's so crazy it's like you don't you just don't fucking know there was like a wild style panel, I think at Micah or something. Okay.

It was just the director and Busy B and Grand Wizard Theodore and stuff. And it's like my wife told me about it. And she's like, we got to go to that. I'm like, yeah, we do. And then the day before, she's like we gotta go to that i'm like yeah we do and then the day before she's like do you still want to go and i was like like i i want to want to go it's just like like i feel like i sort of like yeah those things that have influenced me i'll love forever and will like keep listening to and checking out right right but it's like the physical aspect of it

sometimes feels like not necessary anymore yeah yeah it is and it's also just uh just being lazy is so good it just feels good like uh i think john mulaney has the joke um he's like does anything feel better than canceling plans like it has to be better than Harold. And when you're like, oh, let's cancel. You're like, yes. Where it's like you can agree to do something where it's like, you know, like two days out. You're like, oh, yeah, we should do lunch. Let's get together. And then you wake up.

You're like, oh, fuck. I got to go to lunch with them. Yeah. But even when you go to that lunch and it's somebody you like, you still like even if you go, you're like, this was good. But just knowing that you have an obligation is like, you're like man i wish i didn't have that fucking thing even if it's something you like totally i have i have that all the time this podcast for one no i'm just kidding this i was really looking forward to this man because you are you're um one of those guys where you are one of the like nicest guys and you're like supremely

talented too so it's it's it's cool that you are uh that you're still making music and that you're in the baltimore scene yes and uh and cold rhymes is uh i think it makes a lot of sense for you to do that because like yeah i feel like you're you you already know how to uh do all this stuff because you've already done it yourself and then i feel like you're a good facilitator too you know so so like to take your uh your your superpowers and use them for good i think it's fucking rad man yeah cool so awesome well good man so everybody go out to the show at the crown i'm gonna be there and then uh there's a cookout here at dig sesh hq and uh and uh yeah check out the record i got to hear it and uh it's

very very good um where can people find you online oh wait real quick are you still doing your podcast or is i am okay yeah i've been doing it on a monthly basis yeah yeah off the mic i might ask you for some advice okay no problem but uh height zone world but i'm doing my thing okay cool yeah and that that honestly has some really, really great interviews. Oh, thanks, man. I think probably one of the best with Sam from Future Islands. Oh, yeah, yeah. That was such a good one, too, because it flowed so well.

I think it's like two hours, too. It was great. I loved it, man. Oh, thank you. And, yeah, you always talk to cool people and they always have good stories and stuff. So check out Height Zone World. New album, album new label things are happening for height yes mr height keach and uh um do you want us to play a uh a song at the end of this podcast oh yeah yeah what would you like to put at the end here let me put in um you just pick a song that's not related?

You're like, Lump by the Presidents of the United States of America. Let me put in Amazing Spiral, which features Mister from Detroit. Nice. All right, cool. Well, we're going to have David Koechner take us out. He's going to say his thing, and then we're going to hear the track from Hype. So thank you guys so much for listening. We appreciate it. Check us out online.

I'm at Josh Coderna on Twitter and Instagram. We've got a big Facebook page and all that stuff. And David Catman took us out. Dick Russian Sessions! Coming to an end. Let's scale that wall, ride across these lands Let the dead food die, wattage in my hands Two winds, wet dunes, cross the desert dunes Take the hardest breaks, shake the darkest

wounds Fighting off these blues, keep marching forth Tank's down on E, push the van up north Broke from the blast in the night I saw Ghosts from out the past in the canyon call Hold fast Roll Let's blast Roll Tryna navigate a little better, another path in the pitfall Let's blast!

Tryin' to navigate a little better, another path in the pitfall No horizon in view, another back of the brick wall But I do it and it will never cost, everything that I could ever want Little rubber to the road, so my soul like chicken broth Long days and long nights, never thought once it hit pause All I did was hang on tight, let loose for the ripcord No option to stop in Just a ebb and flow There's always work

And so it goes Hold dance Let's blast Hold dance Let's Dance Let's Dance