SATELLITE SESSIONS
05.20.21- INTERVIEW WITH CONVICT JULIE by BOB SLEPPY
We sat down with Convict Julie to talk about their current projects, activism, and future plans after their Satellite Session. Tune in tonight at 7 PM for their set!
Nuçi’s Space: Have you ever used Nuçi’s Space’s services?
Convict Julie: I actually had my first performance in Athens at Nuçi’s Space in 2019. We had a Space Jam project for Music Business and I was very shy to do it but I performed three songs. After that, I’ve been in and out of Nuçi’s. I know Chris because he engineered one of the tracks that I performed… He’s awesome. I also really stand behind Nuçi’s Space because of the work they do with mental health. As someone who lives with and struggles with mental health, it means a lot to me to have a resource like this in my life and the community.
NS: Which track did Chris engineer?
CJ: He did ‘Die Slow’ which came out as a single in September.
NS: Tell me about the project you’re working on right now.
CJ: So I did a lot of activism work this summer and I decided to make some music incorporating that and also just making music about how I feel and being my most authentic self. I decided to make a project that I’d release in 2021, which right now looks like releasing singles over the course of the year. I just released a punk single called “Drive-By’s on Tractors” and next month I’ll be releasing something that isn’t punk but is still part of the project. So yeah it’s coming in increments.
NS: Do you think the music plays off the activism or vice versa?
CJ: Well, the type of person that I am is that I stand up for my beliefs no matter what and I’m also authentically myself in music and creative expression. With Drive-bys on tractors, that is 100% a reflection of my experiences with activism here. In general, I don’t really make socially conscious music, just music that reflects what I’m feeling. I will say that music plays into activism because that is where I get to express my voice without censorship or apologies. But I’m not doing one for the sake of the other. Activism and music coexist for me and it’s that relationship that helps me express my most authentic self.
NS: How has life changed in the past year for you?
CJ: Oh man, I think I am the self-delegated captain of team ‘make-it-happen. When I first started performing in Athens in 2019, there was a lot of buzz, but it all got shut down in 2020. Being in that isolation period was nice, but it got very old. I have a bit of a unique situation because I got thrust into the spotlight as an activist and then my music also got more of a spotlight. I haven’t had much of a downswing with my music; quite the opposite actually. Also, I’m a part of the Artist collective and creative space Finley Light Factory. I’ve been hosting shows there where I’m trying to continue social work and activism by using my concerts as donation drives or having safe creative outlet spaces for people to enjoy live music during the pandemic. It’s been successful thus far. The only thing that really changed for me is that I graduated and was planning on moving to London, but now that plan has been delayed by like a year and a half. But that doesn’t really matter because while I’m still here making the strongest impact I can, I’m fine with where I’m at.
NS: Tell me more about Finley Light Factory.
CJ: It’s an artist group and creative space on Finley Ave off of Prince, started by Emily Unwin. She invited me and a few other artists of all different types of mediums. I’m actually the only musician. Emily is a writer, we have an awesome crochet artist named Rise Queen, and some visual artists. The space is used to uplift and embrace the voices of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ identifying people. We do a lot of things out of there, including artist markets, markets specifically for black artists and entrepreneurs, and a bunch of other cool stuff. With the Caledonia closing, which was a space that was really great at embracing a variety of art, the Finley Light Factory really stepped up. The space is super awesome and I hope more people get a chance to check it out.
NS: Anything coming up in the future that you’re excited about?
CJ: I’m excited about the music that I’m making because it’s for me. I’m also excited about the opportunities that are en route… I don’t know what they are yet but I know awesome things are coming. I’m gonna be hosting some more shows and events throughout Athens, like not just at Finley so I’m excited about that. Also, I’m excited to be alive and be where I’m at right now.
Check out more from Convict Julie below!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/convictjulie
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/convictjulie/
Official Website: https://convictjulie.com/
05.05.21- INTERVIEW WITH CannonAndTheBoxes by BOB SLEPPY
We caught up with Cannon Rodgers and his merry band of boxes after their Satellite Session to talk about four track tape recorders, writing songs, and Athens’ thrift stores. Check out their session airing tomorrow, and their album The Wonder Years (B-Sides) out this Friday!
NS: Lots of familiar faces in this band! Who is everyone, what other bands do you play in, and what’s your favorite thrift shop in town?
Tommy Trautwein: I play in a couple of bands in town, my band is Well Kept. I also play guitar and drums for some other folks in town. I also do a lot of recording and that’s how I got started with Cannon. We recorded his last EP and have been working on tunes with him for a little while now. It’s been super fun to just make some loud rock n roll music. My favorite thrift store was/is Atomic… May she rest in peace.
Jessica Thompson: I am new to being a box in this band (a partial box) and I am also in Hotel Fiction. My favorite thrift store is probably the one down the street from Taqueria del Sol that’s a part of the church right there. No one ever goes in there and I have found some awesome stuff there.
Cannon: Shout out to Cillies, I got these boots there. The lady that works there is the nicest lady in the world.
Hayden: I play drums in Cannon and the Boxes. My favorite thrift store is America’s.
Will: My main gig is The Family Recipe. I also play in a bluegrass band called the Afternoon Racoons and a Grateful Dead cover band called Another one. I also play some strings around town. My favorite is probably the Goodwill on the east side because it’s close to my house.
NS: Where did the name Cannon and the Boxes come from?
Cannon: For all of high school I had my tape deck and pedals set up in my room and I didn’t have a band and my dad would be like, “you’re just in there playing with your boxes.”
NS: Ah we love tape decks and recorders… You guys just did a live video with a four-track right?
Cannon: Yeah and I actually took that to school with me today because I’m in David Barbe’s class and my demo is on it. But yeah it’s a 414-MK2 and I got it at McKay’s used bookstore in Chattanooga. They have music gear and I used trade credit to get it so I didn’t have to buy it. I’ve had it since I was 16, have never had to work on it and it sounds so good.
NS: Do you do a lot of writing on there?
Cannon: Yeah all the songs that we just played started on there and that’s kinda how I do everything, just demo it to that with a little tube preamp right into it. I’m also bad at putting in effects on Ableton/Pro tools so it’s much nicer to have some slapback in the loop with the tape deck. I really want to get another 4-track but the prices have skyrocketed on those things.
NS: Tell me about the EP you recorded with Tommy.
Cannon: So we did the EP at Tommy’s place this time last year and it was five songs. It was mainly myself, Hayden, and our buddy Ian, who no longer lives here but is a really sick bass player. But we tracked it super fast, like three sessions.
Tommy: That last song is off of the EP and a lot of the songs are like that one, just super-fast and basically 10 bpm over what we planned. We ended up just doing them live in our house with bass, drums, and guitar and after a few takes, we had it.
Cannon: The second to last song we played is coming out as a single on Friday and we are gonna be releasing a b-sides record in April with some tape demos, some weird noise collage-type things… I’m super excited about that.
NS: A lot of your songs seem to be very riff-based. Does your writing process revolve mainly around guitar?
Cannon: Definitely. And the set we just played was just those types of songs because we got here and wanted to write some hitters, you know? That’s a terrible description of music but we wanted something that gets people jumping. But yeah those songs were definitely all written on guitar. Sometimes I’ll write on piano but those usually end up just being little piano ballads cause I’m not a great keyboard player.
NS: Any cures for the pandemic blues to share?
Cannon: King of the Hill.
Will: Staying sober.
NS: Anything else y’all are excited about in general?
Will: It’s my birthday today.
Everyone: Whoooo!
Keep up with Cannon and his geometric friends below!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CannonandtheBoxes
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cannonandtheboxes/
Music Links: https://linktr.ee/cannonandtheboxes
04.09.21 - INTERVIEW WITH Weaponized Flesh BY CAT MOORE
Once the amps were powered down, we caught up with Weaponized Flesh to chat about their history with Nuçi’s!
Nuçi’s Space: When was the first time that y’all came into practice?
Weaponized Flesh: Probably like 2005 or 2004… We’re old haha. With this band, we probably started coming in here in 2018.
NS: How did y’all first hear about Nuçi’s Space?
WF: I found this place online looking for a practice space.
I moved to Athens in 2009, But I had come down beforehand to hang with my buddies’ bands. I thought it was a club but then it turned out to be what it is, which is this amazing place.
When I first moved here I couldn’t play at my house so this was the perfect place to go.
NS: So y’all are really loud… It’s great to have a loud band here in the space where no one is complaining about the noise.
WF: We actually had a house where we could play, but we didn’t want to push it so we started coming here.
NS: Apart from using the practice spaces, have yall utilized the services at all?
WF: We got our form-fitting earplugs here haha…
I saw a doctor here when I first lived in town because I pulled my back carrying a fender twin up a flight of stairs too fast, and the Space was able to help me out. I was uninsured at the time so it was really helpful to have this as a resource.
NS: We do a lot here including concerts and youth programs like Camp Amped. If you could describe Nuçi’s Space to someone who had never heard of it, what would you want them to know?
WF: Well I would tell them that it’s a place with practice spaces that have a full PA set up and is open till midnight.
It’s definitely a clean and well organized place; very much a pillar in the community.
Yeah, it’s a place where anyone can get help, not just musicians. I’ve seen places in other towns that have sort of dinky rooms and you have to bring your own gear, but never anything that comes close to the scope of what yall have to offer.
04.22.21 - INTERVIEW WITH JOSIE WALLACE BY CAT MOORE
We sat down with Josey Wallace after her session to talk about playing guitar, folk festivals, and mutual aid efforts around town!
NS: When/how did you first hear about Nuçi’s Space?
Josey: I literally don’t even know. I grew up in Athens, so I’ve always known… I can’t think of a time where I didn’t know what it was.
NS: Did you ever go to camp or anything like that?
No, I was always tangential to the whole Nuçi’s Space scene. I don’t know why I never got in, but I never went to any of the camps, but I was always aware of it and a lot of my friends did the camps.
NS: How has your life as an artist changed during the pandemic?
Well, life as an artist… You know the artist part of life is definitely a lot different. I feel like it makes you think a lot more about why you’re making the art. I have just been playing the guitar basically for the last nine months straight. It’s been keeping me sane and everything, but I’m making this thing and writing these songs and I don’t really have a way of putting them out in the world except for just playing them for my friends. So that has been a big change for me, just being a lot more comfortable making the art and playing it for my friends. Having that be what it is instead of having something I make for some obscure future, especially now that it could be really different from what you expect.
NS: I really like your guitar parts you’ve been working on. Do you think picking up the guitar has affected the way you write songs?
Oh, it’s been crazy because I’ve always been really into folk music. A funny story is that a long time ago I asked this guy named Lee Knight, who is a folklorist and musician and performer of old-style music if he would teach me the old songs because I wanted to continue the lineage… And he just said “no”. He told me to look it up on the internet and I was like damn, the old way of music is really dying. At the time it was not funny at all… I was really heartbroken.
But learning the guitar has really gotten me a lot more connected to that part of my life. I’ve been pissed because my whole life as a kid I would go to the folk festival and there would be a pickin’ tent set up with a bunch of people picking, and I’ve always wanted to play. The past two years have been the only years I’ve been good enough at guitar and know the songs where I could go.
NS: Last question I got for ya… Is there anything, in particular, you’re excited about that you’re working on?
I’m excited in general right now about what’s going on with Athens Mutual Aid. I’ve been out and played a couple of times with some houseless folks out in the community. Playing music with them has been really good, and it’s a great way to learn new songs cause they are a lot older than me and come from different backgrounds. So that’s been really exciting, feeling more confident going out into that world, just bringing my guitar on my back into a camp, and seeing if anyone wants to play. It’s been really eye-opening and I feel like it’s informed me of a lot of stuff.
Bandcamp: joseytwallace.bandcamp.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pizzagirlmutualaid/
Venmo: @josey-wallace-17