A Rendezvous at The Forum: Recent Episodes
Pickle Pip Productions LLC
We hope that ”A Rendezvous at The Forum” will become appointment listening, known as the place where artists gather to discuss their work, life, and community. Our co-hosts (Jack Geist, Lucas Scott, and Tyler Leli) will talk to artists in an array of disciplines, discussing approaches to creating and experiences with film, literature, music, culinary arts, comedy, and more.
A Rendezvous at The Forum presents Ep. 027 with Adam Lindstaedt, owner of The Pour House Music Hall & Record Shop and Pour House Pressing. We talked to Adam about playing music growing up, his path into music management, scoping out a number of cities to move to and choosing Raleigh, taking over The Pour House in 2012, cultivating the space, creating the record shop upstairs in November 2019, the logistic hurdles that have come with opening Pour House Pressing, and more.
A Rendezvous at The Forum presents Ep. 026 with Ooze Box. We talked to Dakota and Tristan Proctor and Luke Gentri about a chance encounter between the latter two leading to the trio playing music together, becoming a band and developing their sonic tone, house shows at The Farm, tracking and producing their upcoming album Inherent Vice, AI generated art, and much more.
Tap in for our chat. From there, follow Ooze Box on Instagram, stream their catalogue, and be on the lookout for the release of Inherent Vice!
A Rendezvous at The Forum presents Ep. 025 with Ina Cariño. We discussed growing up reading classics, beginning to take writing seriously as a vocation as an undergrad and then attending NC State’s MFA program, publishing Feast, the idea of nourishment and fulfillment on and off the page, the importance and enjoyment of engaging with contemporary writing, favorite snacks, playing the violin, and much more.
Tap in below for our chat. From there, follow Ina on Instagram, and go buy and read Feast.
A Rendezvous at The Forum presents Ep. 024 with Matt Southern of Matt Southern & Lost Gold. We discussed growing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, picking up guitar young and being influenced by the scene around him (can you find the reference to The Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog” on Lost Gold?), making folk-centric music with Matt Southern and Lost Gold, diving into producing beats and the diverse mix of sounds that culminated in Yowlsand Yowls ii, his work helping develop the Live from the Nest series of acoustic shows, some history of folk music, and much more.
Tap in for a great chat. From there, follow Matt Southern & Lost Gold on Instagram, tap in to his catalog,and dive into upcoming live sets put on by Live from the Nest.
A Rendezvous at The Forum presents Ep. 023 with James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of African and African American Studies Dr. Mark Anthony Neal. We discussed Dr. Neal’s growing up in the South Bronx during the birth of hip-hop, the role of the radio DJ and parental record collections as mentors of musical interest, hierarchical gatekeeping in the streaming world, what scholars and musicians alike can do to create a sphere where the goal of artistry is the work and not the reward (h/t 9th Wonder as an artist who continuously came up as an ideal model for all generations), and much more.
Tap in below for an insightful conversation with one of the pre-eminent scholars of hip-hop. From there, follow Dr. Neal on Instagram, listen to his Left of Black podcast, go buy his most recent book Black Ephemera: The Crisis and Challenge of the Musical Archiveand dive into his critical and extensive scholarly work!
A Rendezvous at The Forum presents Ep. 022 with Max Gowan. We discussed Max’s path from studying political science at American University to taking audio tech courses, working on college radio, and delving into the D.C. music scene. We then covered his 2022 solo album Glossolalia, discussing the root of the word “glossolalia” and his songwriting process on the album, before touching on developing a home studio, the many local projects he has mixed and mastered, and more.
A Rendezvous at The Forum presents Ep. 021 with Shame Gang. We discussed his path to releasing music, which involved a debilitating accident and subsequently not playing college basketball. From this reference point, we honed in on Shame Gang’s debut project No Safe Haven (2021). We dove into the album’s exploration of hardship and growth and the use of conversational voice from family members in interludes as an aid to storytelling, before exploring relationships in the music business (and the need to sometimes push back on criticism from old heads!), his approach to freestyles, the superiority of Chinese restaurants in Washington D.C., and what is coming next.
Tap in below for a wide-ranging, insightful, and sincere conversation. From there, follow Shamegang on Instagram and dig into his catalog.
A Rendezvous at The Forum presents Ep. 020 with McKenzie Van Oss. We talked to the soloist with the Carolina Ballet about the physical and mental grind of professional ballet dancing, beginning to record music in her childhood home during the pandemic, sonic developments with seven singles now in the bag, and her commanding stage presence. Oh, and we both meowed and laughed a lot.
Tap in for a chat to remember. From there, follow McKenzie on Instagram and dig into her catalog.
A Rendezvous at The Forum presents Ep. 019 with Jooselord. We talked to the Moshpit Messiah about performing at Slim’s for a Hopscotch Night Show, where the floor was shaking and the rapper became enmeshed with a moshing crowd. From this point of reference, we dove into Jooselord’s approach to live performances, his loyal fans (aka Pirates), the social, political, and personal themes that permeate through Moshpit Messiah (2020), the origin behind the word ‘Dink’, and much more.
Tap in for an amazing chat with a uniquely talented and committed artist. From there, follow Jooselord on Instagram and dig into his catalog on Bandcamp, Apple Music, or Spotify.
A Rendezvous at The Forum presents Ep. 018 with Julian Creech-Pritchett. We talked to the frontman of Sweet Dream about growing up playing instruments and then transitioning to making his own music, recording Blessed/Cursed and the dualist theme underlying the project, the large number of features on Sweet Dream’s albums, touring with Boulevards (including a story about playing at SXSW), compared notes on streaming services, and much more.
Tap in for our chat and then follow Sweet Dream on Instagram and dig into the band’s catalog on Bandcamp, Apple Music, or (gulp) Spotify.
A Rendezvous at The Forum presents Ep. 017 with New Specialist. We talked to the band about the transition from a trio to a quintet, songwriting for-- and often by-- Mariah Powers, releasing debut tracks "No Sweeter" and "Caught My Eye", adding Brian Castro as a keyboardist and unlocking new sounds, favorite experiences from live performances, and more.
Tap in for the chat and stay until the end for an exclusive release of New Specialist's upcoming single "Hard to Get".
On Ep. 016 of A Rendezvous at The Forum, we talked to Atticus and Luke Roness of The Corduroy Blue about a youth spent surrounded by music and engaging in artistic performance, making the natural decision to record music together, standing out in the Atlanta music scene, recording and releasing The Corduroy Blue, the process and difficulties of publishing the album on vinyl as an independent group, approaches to songwriting and music composition, and much more.
Tap in for a lovely chat with a band on the rise.
On Ep. 015 of 'A Rendezvous at The Forum', we talked to UNC Professor Florence Dore about editing 'The Ink in the Grooves', recording, releasing and touring 'Highways and Rocketships', the difficulties of touring with financial success in a streaming world, helping coordinate the Billboard-charting 'Cover Charge: NC Musicians Go Under Cover to Benefit Cat’s Cradle', vinyl collections, and more.
Tap in for a memorable talk.
A Rendezvous at The Forum presents Ep. 014 with Anderson Burrus. We talked about performing at the NC State Cypher, doing deep background research on opponents while preparing for battles, trash talking and developing strong relationships as an Ultimate Rap League competitor, how a long tradition of battle rappers have and continue to impact mainstream popular music, and much more.
Tap in for a fun chat.
'A Rendezvous at The Forum' presents Ep. 013 with Chris Facey. We talked to Chris about developing interest in photography while serving in the Army, attending the School of Visual Arts (including both benefits and pitfalls of the program), covering social justice protests in New York in 2020 (work that was displayed in The New Yorker, The Cut, and other outlets), documenting persistent threats to the safety of women with the 'Being Careful: Carrying More Than A Burden' project, moving to North Carolina as a full-time photographer, and documenting the life of his daughters and black fatherhood with the #DadDutyProject.
Tap in for an unforgettable chat.
'A Rendezvous at The Forum' presents Ep. 012 with Jayme Ringleb. We talked to Jayme about their debut poetry collection ‘So Tall It Ends in Heaven’, diving into questions of love, grief, and the importance of physical and emotional distance when grappling with both, then discussed notions of our literal fathers and religious father [particularly in the scope of Catholicism, where the book is situated], and the collection’s protagonist grappling with existing as a queer person in a world where both fathers condemn their sexuality. From there, we talked about Jayme’s role as an assistant professor of English at Meredith College, their brief experiences as a business student, traveling between South Carolina and Italy as a child, and more.
Tap in for a marvelous chat.
'A Rendezvous at The Forum' presents Ep. 011 with JULIA. (the band). We talked to JULIA. about the band’s evolution, approaches to songwriting, viewpoints on improvisation and music theory, previously playing Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival, being asked to play Mind Under Matter Festival, the release of their debut album, 'When Dirt Was Clean And Dinosaurs Roamed The Earth', and much more. Tap in for a fabulous chat.
"A Rendezvous at The Forum" presents Ep. 010 with Shane Mauss. Co-hosts Jack Geist and Tyler Leli talked to Shane about the road from exploding mailboxes to life as a standup comic, including appearances on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and a 30-minute special on Comedy Central. From there, we hit on the federal regulation of psychedelics, the 2018 documentary Psychonautics: A Comic's Exploration Of Psychedelics, his solo podcast Here We Are, developing and producing Mind Under Matter with Ramin Nazer, the upcoming Mind Under Matter Festival, and much more. Tap in for a marvelous chat.
"A Rendezvous at The Forum" presents Ep. 009 with Mark Brady. Co-hosts Jack Geist, Lucas Scott, and Tyler Leli talked to Mark about winning NC’s Funniest 2016, turning five to ten minutes into a full set (and the further challenge of creating new sets of material while still performing old ones), Hummy’s VR Comedy, releasing Incognito, the pitfalls of playing in Chapel Hill, and much more (including—you guessed it—Jack trying to convince Mark to be his newest boxing partner). Tap in for this lively chat.
"A Rendezvous at The Forum" presents Ep. 008 with Zach Large and Jaffar Castillon-Martinez of Youth League. Co-hosts Jack Geist and Tyler Leli talked to Zach and Jaffar about Youth League’s upcoming album, Somehow Those Were the Days, including the single “Nineteen Ninety Nine”, and the origin story behind the album name. We also dove into what the band expects from a record label, stories of touring, and their origins in Wilmington, North Carolina (which featured a story with Action Bronson refusing to play at the now-defunct Soapbox Laundro Lounge over an unfulfilled baby wipes clause in his rider). Tap in for a fun one.
"A Rendezvous at The Forum" presents Ep. 007 with Chris Rivoli. Chris spoke to us about the differences in playing shows in Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill (hint: Chris is not stoked on playing in Chapel Hill), the structure of his set (specifically his Italian and family bits), featuring versus hosting comedy shows, his recent rip to LA (including a stop at The Comedy Store), and much more. Tap in for an amusing chat.
"A Rendezvous at The Forum" presents Ep. 006 with Chair of the Carolina Abortion Fund, Melissa. Melissa spoke to us about SCOTUS overturning Roe v. Wade, what the decision means for the reproductive autonomy of women and birthing people in the Carolinas, and the work the Carolina Abortion Fund is doing to help people receive the financial, emotional, and logistical support necessary to access reproductive healthcare. Tap in for an important chat on abortion rights.
"A Rendezvous at The Forum" presents Ep. 005 with Tab-One. Co-hosts Lucas Scott, Jack Geist, and Tyler Leli talked to Tab-One about about what factors into a strong live hip-hop performance, the rap scene at NC-State when Kooley High was formed, releasing Kooley High’s David Thompson on vinyl ten years after the project's original release, his new solo album Glory in the Weight, fatherhood, and much more. Tap in for a tour through Raleigh hip-hop.
"A Rendezvous at The Forum" presents Ep. 004 with rapper and producer theDeeepEnd. Co-hosts Lucas Scott, Tyler Leli, and Jack Geist talked to theDeeepEnd about his writing process, overcoming failure at a seventh grade show to go and do much bigger things, forming connections through live shows, investing in art, his approach to marketing as an independent artist, and much more. Tap in for a powerful chat.
"A Rendezvous at The Forum" presents Ep. 003 with Raygun Superstar. Co-hosts Lucas Scott and Tyler Leli talked to four members of the quintet about their origin story, coordinating while lead singer Alec O’Brien lives in Washington D.C., musical influences, favorite venues to play, writing as a unit (teaser: it is not always a clean process), their upcoming release of “What’s The Point”, and more. Tap in for an awesome chat.
"A Rendezvous at The Forum" presents Ep. 002 with Jenny Asciutto. Co-hosts Lucas Scott and Tyler Leli talked to Jenny about progressing as a graphic artist, operating a stand at a recent yART Sale 919 event, developments in animated film and television since the early-2000s, and much more. Tap in for a phenomenal chat.
Alfie Fidelino is the first guest of "A Rendezvous at The Forum". Alfie is the owner of Alfie's Archive, a vintage clothing shop that operates inside The Cheshire Cat in Raleigh, North Carolina. We talked about clothing inspirations, operating pop-up shops, the vintage clothing community in North Carolina, and deciding to stay local rather than moving to New York or Chicago. Tap in for a great conversation.