WAILING CITY: October 2023

Wailing City Spotlight: Interview With James Burke

Published October 19, 2023

Interview by Meghan Killimade

You’ve been playing music in the area for quite some time – having played in rock bands such as Thick Thieves, Incessant Pop Group, Slander and Anderson Family Picnic, before developing into a solo artist armed with synths and drum machines. You’re also currently in the neo-soul/hip hop/synth trio The Look-A-Likes. What has this new musical path been like for you and what was the motivation/influence behind it?

I took about seven years off from playing music at the end of Slander. In 2020 I ended up with a broken ankle during lockdown. As boredom set in, I realized I could play the bass from a wheelchair. I’d always pondered about the idea of doing a solo set with electronics, but it never fully materialized. Also, since I spend 8+ hours a day in front of a computer for my day job, making music “in the box” wasn’t something I connected with. I started assembling an array of synths and drum machines which evolved into the setup I use today. Tonally the sounds are a lot of the 80’s dance music classics, TR909 drum sounds, Roland Juno Synth pads, 303 bass sounds.

Wailing City Spotlight: Interview With Jordan Harrelson of The Hempsteadys

Published October 12, 2023
Interview by Jeff Thunders

Hey Jordan how are ya man.....The Hempsteadys have a very retro kind of ska feel with an infusion of punk. Makes me feel like at times I'm listening to old Trojan Records or Two Tone records. What do you think sets the band apart from the rest of the ska/punk bands in the state?
We’ve got an eclectic mix of different musical backgrounds and we’re pretty open about trying different things out. I think everyone brings something that’s unique to the table...

Wailing City Spotlight: Interview with Travis Hyll

Published October 5, 2023

Interview by Meghan Killimade

Tell us about yourself! Where did you grow up and how did you get started in music?
I was born in a small town in western North Carolina in the late 80's and lived in that state until I was in my 30's. My mom's maternal side had been in that region since before the revolutionary war and were mostly of Scottish descent. I've done research and read the wills of ancestors who died back in the early 1800's. Aside from leaving children, their stock of typical things from that era such as bacon, an apiary and family heirlooms, they also listed a large amount of grain, mostly corn, cooperage supplies, stills, and hogsheads of whiskey, so they were certainly involved in moonshining; the sort of people who moved further west into Kentucky and created the bourbon culture now loved around the world. My grandmother, born in the 1930's, who grew up poor during the Great Depression, picking cotton on other people's land with her parents, told me how her father played banjo and her grandparents also played musical instruments. You could say that side of my family is the same stock that produced so many old time and bluegrass musicians.