0:35B: Talk about it.
0:35A: All right, so a couple other things I’m happy for. I started gardening again, and part of me to grow food. Everyone should grow food. It’s easy. All it takes is dirt and water. Y’all got a little bit of that.
0:49B: Okay, what have you been growing? What have you been growing?
0:50A: Just peas and beans for now. I started them early, and if they die, I’ll just park the truck and go home. But they’re coming up this week, so they’re doing good. Hopefully they don’t die in the frost. I’m also really grateful and happy about teachers. I’m happy to be a student and a teacher. I teach DJ lessons. I go by BKells. You can find me at BKells Music on Instagram if you want a DJ lesson. And, uh, I love my students and I love the people that teach me. I’ve been learning bass. I have this little ukulele. I had a friend stop by earlier to play it. But, uh, I love life, man. I’m happy all the time. Not all the time, because things make me sad.
1:29B: Okay.
1:30A: I’m happy to see you. I’m happy you’re interviewing me.
1:32B: How long you been DJing?
1:35A: I DJ’d one of my own high school dances when I was 16. I never took myself seriously as a party DJ. I played instruments, and then while snowboarding I broke my wrist. I call it my catarist.
1:46B: Okay.
1:47A: It’s a pun on catalyst.
1:48B: Uh-huh.
1:49A: Because it’s what made me get back into DJing. I only had one hand, so I was DJing one-handed and everybody loved it. And I was like, damn, if you guys like this, wait till I got 2 hands again. Here I am with 2 hands, baby.
1:59B: Back at it nonstop. And what made you start DJing in the first place?
2:05A: Uh, creating joy for people. others is my calling in life, and it’s so cool to have a room full of people that you’re curating the vibe for and seeing everyone smiling and dancing. That is what fills me up.
2:17B: Hell yeah, hell yeah. Are you from Denver originally?
2:19A: I’m from Watertown, New York, which is on the border of the Thousand Islands, closer to Kingston, Ontario, Canada, than Syracuse, New York.
2:27B: Oh wow, wow.
2:28A: Basically Canadian. I hung out with a lot of Canadians.
2:31B: Okay, that’s sick. So what brought you out here?
2:33A: Uh, I was throwing music festivals at this place called the Woodhenge. It was a sustainable community. We built an off-grid solar-powered underground house, built a music venue off --
2:42B: Wait, wait, wait, you built an off-grid solar-powered underground house?
2:45A: Yes, and it had a rock mass heater, and I built a music venue off the back of it. We were throwing shows every weekend, and then, uh, um, it evolved into throwing a music festival, and eventually, um, eventually I was having multi-day music festivals every summer, and then COVID So I sold everything and bought a motorhome and started traveling the country and, uh, got out here, never left. I love this place.
3:20B: This is definitely an active, an active Friday night.
3:25A: What’s up?
3:26B: It’s definitely a cool Friday night vibe. I’ve been to some different, like, First Fridays. I haven’t seen people on the decks.
3:32A: Yeah, this is totally random. I just hit up Hyluck and I was like, yo, it’s First Friday, what are you doing? He’s like, I’m on the corner, come play a set. I’m like, okay. He live-mains at all my shows for free and he helped get me on Hydroponics Festival, which is down at Tico Town this year. You should come. We’re having a show this Sunday with my boy Dillard headlining, doing a vinyl swap.
3:50B: Flap it, flap it.
3:51A: Okay. And, uh, they’re giving away free tickets to Hydroponics Festival at this show. So if your people want to come to a festival for free, come through the Black Box this Sunday.
4:00B: Oh yeah.
4:01A: Hiding Easter eggs around the venue with festival tickets in them.
4:04B: Hell yeah.
4:06A: Oh, you want a free pickle shot?
4:08B: Sure. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let’s go. Free pickle shot. Do not pass go.
4:13A: Do not collect $200.
4:13B: Get your pickle shot. Is that where you got your hat?
4:17A: No, I just love pickles.
4:19B: Okay, okay. I like that. I like that. So last week our question was, what’s the most important issue in the world today?
4:26A: Most important issue in the world? Well, I could think about that for a long time, and I could think about a lot of things that I would probably disagree with myself later and be like, oh wait, that’s more important. But I’m going to tell you one of the most important issues currently on my mind is musicians are underpaid. In Ireland, they just recently passed universal income.
4:47B: Really?
4:47A: For musicians, yeah. I think it’s something along the lines of like $1,500 a month. So they get paid for shows and then also just get $1,500 a month, which is awesome. In Berlin, I’m actually friends with a group of people, the Mauerpark crew, shouts out. They throw Rave the Planet, which is like a Mardi Gras in Berlin, bunch of floats.
5:03B: That’s sick.
5:04A: Overnight sings operas. You got to sing with them on the float last year while we were driving around playing music to millions of people.
5:10B: I know a guy out in Berlin, he has like a club and it’s like a bomb shelter. What’s up? I know a guy in Berlin, he has like a club but it’s a bomb shelter underground. You should connect me so I can play there. Okay.
5:20A: But I’m inspired by that, and I think we need more activism and lobbying from musicians in our country to make positive change. You know, we need like a union and a collective for musicians, because if I sell 100 tickets for $20 each and all my friends are buying $20 overpriced drinks at your club, why do I only get $100 and the venue gets $10,000? You know, musicians deserve a fair shake. The problem is, if I speak up, there’s 100 other guys waiting for the opportunities I have that’ll do it for free. But if we unionize and come together and demand better pay, then there’s not much the venues can do besides book us or book people that aren’t in the union that probably won’t bring a lot of people or put on a good show. So let’s get together as performers and demand a fair shake. Hit me up on BKellz Music Instagram if you want to be a part of that movement. How are we doing?
6:19B: Yeah, it’s even better than first Friday.
6:20A: I look -- he’s an amazing artist. He’s painted all of these at shows.
6:24B: Oh yeah.
6:25A: I have a bunch of his originals in my room that he live painted during my shows.
6:28B: Yeah, that’s fucking -- that’s hell yeah. Fuck yeah.
6:32A: What is your name?
6:33B: Maceo.
6:34A: Maceo, where are you from?
6:35B: I’m from Philadelphia.
6:37A: Philadelphia?
6:38B: Yeah, yeah. What about you?
6:39A: I am from Athens, Georgia.
6:41B: Okay.
6:42A: Uh, grew up in a pottery studio and, uh --
6:48B: I’m snagging the mic.
6:49A: Yeah, yeah.
6:51B: Can I hand it to you?
6:52A: Boom, now we’re talking. Hi, my name is Nathan.
6:57B: Nathan, it’s nice to meet you.
6:58A: Nice to meet you. You have a fire extinguisher, right?
7:02B: Mm-hmm.
7:03A: Oh, just like -- Don’t do it in front of the speaker, maybe, because that’ll probably make it not work.
7:08B: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I agree, but I was gonna let them get by. Go ahead, your name is what?
7:13A: My name is Nash.
7:15B: How are you doing? I’m doing well. So I’ve been doing these like man on the street interviews where I’ve been asking people these different questions every week. So can I, can I ask you my questions?
7:24A: Yeah.
7:24B: Hell yeah.
