The House List Podcast

... And just like that we follow-up with Part 2 of our very special, exclusive, Grand Buffet mini-series. Today we located big man Lord Grunge, deep in the hills of Pittsburgh for this candid, candor filled conversation. From his vantage point we try and track the history of the group, when Peter Agoston and GB connected, the importance of Gil Mantera's Party Dream, and the story behind his one-act play "Pittsburgh Batman". One thing is sure about Grand Buffet, beyond their comedic genius - is there deep love of music resonates vividly when you start talking to both of them. Dig into this great chat with two old buds who haven't seen one anudder in ages and don't forget to share this show with any other pals across the land whom may need to hear. Thank you! See you at the Friday Fish Fry!

As a very special two-part mini-series host Peter Agoston traveled to Pittsburgh, PA to locate the members of Grand Buffet, the influential, if not uncategorically brilliant Mrs. Paintbrush, f/k/a Grape-A-Don, p/k/a Jackson and Lord Grunge. Recorded separately, in different parts of the city, over the course of 2 days, the first episode finds Agoston and Jackson talking the vocalist's personal and professional history in great detail and aplomb. They hadn't seen each other in 10 years (as it goes for Lord Grunge and Peter), so, naturally, a lot needed to be discussed. Please make sure you listen to both conversations for the full experience! And don't forget to subscribe on iTunes or SoundCloud and if you are already a fan of Grand Buffet - please share with other GB fans that are wondering what happened to these frat bros.

Powerule's story in the music business is broken in half and explored honestly and candidly in this great convo. When the only hip-hop label-mate in sight was 2Pac, whose seminal debut dropped the same year, Powerule's debut LP on Interscope Records was both the blessing and curse to follow the group for a long time. Yet the late 90's found Prince Power as the definitive 6th man in the indie rap 12" boom, delivering near perfect singles back to back to back. But it could have all been different had he just decided to focus on baseball professionally. We go there and back and get a read on the upcoming Mets squad from our very special guest Prince Powerule! Thanks for tuning in and please subscribe and spread the word!

Special double-episode this week! As we are promoting our show in Brooklyn on Sat, April 8th at Sunnyvale... Peter Agoston and Lofty305 re-connect after several years to talk the history of the Miami cult-favorites METRO ZU and the ever evolving career arc of Lofty305. From 2011 to the present Lofty has produced and released hundreds of full albums many of which he gave away as free downloads upon release. Seemingly endless vaults of songs and experiments, beloved by their fans (our host included). We talk about the history and influence of Metro Zu, Lofty's relationship with his brother Ruben Slikk and the future ... not to mention the Lamborghini Lofty was commissioned to paint for Art Basel.

It's Showtime! Fantastic conversation with Brooklyn's own, the one Bobby Simmons. Drummer of the Original Hip-Hop Band: Stetsasonic. .. Just Say STET. Classic stories abound as host Peter Agoston and Bobby talk about the seminal years of iconic trend-setting ensemble Stetsasonic. Like the making of "No BS Allowed" video while playing a show opening for Stacy Lattisaw in Norfolk, VA. We delve into Bobby's long-running career as New York City TV host, from his years producing 'Flava Videos' to his current program The Bobby Simmons Show on frplive.tv.. Also, Bobby reveals he played the drums on the Red Hot Chilli Peppers mega-hit "Higher Ground" and drops some anecdotes on both Prince and Biggie. We also break down the infamous history of "Go Stetsa". He's a music historian, and cultural preservationist (our term), and we were thrilled to build with the man. Lots of stories! Enjoy and don't forget to subscribe and rate us on iTunes!

We're all new with another exciting episode of The House List - this week we sat with beloved New York City show promoter/curator Stephen Dima. Yes, the one and only. Many bands & agents know Stephen for his work in establishing the NYC's South Street Seaport as destination for live music in the city. Through River To River, 4Knots, Seaport Music Festival, Little Water Radio and more - if you saw live music at the Seaport, most likely it's because of Stephen. We also talked about his tenure as the show booker at the World Trade Center and his years producing the New York Comedy Festival. As a native New Yorker, Stephen has stories .. we go there and back. This was terrific fun to record. I could write thousands of words just detailing our talk, so do me a solid and just listen. Subscribe while you are at it!

Classic 'clip show' on The House List! Especially designed for the listener on-the-go so we've kept the running time under an hour. We picked out a few clips from previous podcast episodes (Fiona Bloom, Dam-Funk, Billy Jam, Michelle Cable, Just-Ice) so if you've never had a chance to check them out - this'll be an appetizer that we hope will lead you to the full episode! Also included is a short clip of Peter Agoston and NWA/Ruthless Records manager Jerry Heller talking in 2006, a radio clip with S.F. MC Z-Man circa 2003, a short drop (with a long set-up explanation) by DJ Mix Master Mike from 1999 and a pseudo interview with a taxi driver with aspirations to make beats. Enjoy!

We've usher in our 25th Episode of 'The House List' with super special guest John Chavez. As a well known Booking Agent, many the countless artists/bands that Chavez has built and established in the touring industry - to name a few: Cloud Nothings, Real Estate, Vivian Girls, Deer Tick, Fucked Up, Wavves, Woods, Titus, Andronicus, Ponytail, Whitney, et al. For a brief period we worked together at the Knitting Factory, during the days of the Free Agency into his continued tenure at Ground Control Touring. We talk growing up in L.A., Grinnell College, living in Olympia, starting out at Kill Rock Stars, living in Bushwick venue Silent Barn. This is also a special "SXSW" episode, my first time at SX was traveling down there with John years ago. If you are listening to this down in Austin - show your screen to someone standing by you and say "hey dude, you gotta check out this podcast, it's awesome". Thanks!

Kirby Dominant's roll in the proliferation of Bay Area's storied hip-hop history is nothing short of integral. As an MC, His seminal debut album, "Rapitalism: The Philosophies Of Dominant Pimpin" was pressed-up in part by grant moneys he funneled from UC Berkeley while as a student there - yet that just one of the many sides of Kirby Dominant. In our revealing conversation we talk on growing up, his early years of being shuffled from from place to place between the Bay Area to San Bernardino. A philosophical raconteur who built himself from the ground-up. We also chat about the likes of Roy Hargrove, Mystik Journeyman ... Kemetic Suns, Fundamentals, Burnt Batch, Konceptual Dominance, Kirb & Chris, Paranoid Castle, and so much more - so if you are hip to those - you are in for a treat. If you've never heard of Kirby Dominant before than his story may certainly capture your attention, a long time friend of our host Peter Agoston, enjoy this candid chat and make sure to seek out Kirby's various musical output afterwards ..... at the same time why don't ya subscribe on iTunes and rate our podcast if you be liking it! Share it freely among friends! Thanks.

For this episode host Peter Agoston met our special guest James Pants at his place of employment in Manhattan. After spelunking the nerve center, the two situated themselves in a situation room and recorded this conversation. Most music fans know James Pants work from his releases on the Stones Throw imprint - spanning 5 full-length albums and twice as many singles. After half-a-decade in Cologne, Germany, James's musicianship and tastes evolved greatly. We talk about some key European tour experiences, growing up between Spokane, WA and Austin, TX, and his work both in the nerve-center as well as his tenure at RedBull Music Academy. It ends up being a reflective conversation on a career in transition. There are gems that can only be uncovered when an artist is well off a publicity campaign. James will tour Australia in April - make sure you catch him! Also - don't forget to subscribe & rate us on iTunes!

Peter Agoston reports from the field in this very special addition to 'The House List' podcast (have you subscribed yet?)... We have a most outstanding guest this week! The world renowned Modern-Funk pioneer, producer/multi-instrumentalist, live-show takr, record breaker, Pasadena's native song, Damon Riddick aka Dâm-FunK. Since Peter and Dam have worked closely for years, we felt it would be a bit more creative to talk about stories not related to the many projects they've been a part of .... so why not start with your first ever DJ gig (in Eagle Rock, opening up if you will, for Kam) and go from there. While preparing for a club-date in Brooklyn, NY that night, the two guys linked up in the wee hours to talk high school, growing up in L.A., Damon's humble beginnings drumming in comedy-club housebands and how influential the late, great Ricky Harris was during that phase in his career. It's a candid, light-hearted, humor filled chat between old buds. We hope you can dig on that... We open the episode with material from Dam's latest EP 'Break Out' (available on Glydezone Recordings), and close with a collaborative song Dam did with the late Junie Morrison entitled "Magic". Special shout out to Keith Eday and PB Wolf. Don't forget to subscribe! You can find The House List on iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud and Google Play. Thanks for your support & keep tuning in!

This episode's special guest Devin Horwitz and host Peter Agoston have known each other for years. In this episode the two track Devin's career as a writer/photographer (and rapper?) evolved into record label stalwart. Peer into this candid catch-up as they delve deep into the history of Devin's long-running Nature Sounds imprint, his years at High Times Magazine to interning at Creed Taylor's iconic CTI. They even dip into his seminal college years making demos with Aesop Rock and Blockhead). Most notably Devin and our host worked with DOOM (f/k/a MF Doom), and Peter plies the guest for tidbits on the elusive artist's whereabouts, rumored releases and more. Yo, have you subscribed on iTunes yet? He also recalls our guest loaning him some money when he was too poor for a train ticket home! Also: Note the episode opening snippet, from a decades+ interview Agoston did with Doom in 2003 - where they in fact mention Devin - talk about serendipitous! Both intro and outro tunes were also produced by Devin (circa 2001). This is a classic listen for any hip-hop head, DOOM fan, or aspiring record-label-runners .. only on 'The House List'.. Enjoy! And please don't forget to Subscribe on iTunes, rate it if you can as well! Many more to come! Tell a friend.

Welcome to our 20th episode! Have you subscribed on iTunes yet? Please move your finger up one centimeter and hit that button. Ok. We're good. So for this week's episode we celebrate with very special guest: singer, song-writer, thinker, multi-instrumentalist, Angel Deradoorian. We track her winding musical path from Sacramento to NYC, Baltimore to L.A. and back to NY... Many may have first been introduced to Angel's unmistakable harmonics during her time in Dirty Projectors or in appearances on records with Flying Lotus, Boots or The Roots. But our host remembers her more so as a co-worker from the 'olde' Knitting Factory (Leonard St. location) venue in Manhattan. Here Angel worked the door of a sub-level showspace known as only as the 'Old Office'. It was shortly thereafter that she released the unassuming EP 'Mind Raft', a project that at times felt both whimsical and dirge. It wouldn't be till 2015 that she'd finally unveil her debut 'The Expanding Flower Planet' (Anticon). Also, Her brother Aram played in metalcore band, Gay For Johnny Depp, which our host was pleased with himself for working into the conversation. That as much much more so join us for this special journey with Angel Deradoorian. Oh, and also, please subscribe!

"Goodnight Brooklyn" is a fantastic documentary about beloved Brooklyn venue Death By Audio. Host Peter Agoston spoke with the filmmakers, director Matt Conboy and producer Amanda Schultz candidly about its making as well as a history of the showspace itself. Having brought countless shows there as an agent, Agoston recounts some of the bands booked there in the intro, namely JEFF The Brotherhood, Arto Lindsay, Sun Araw, Fergus & Geronimo, Matthewdavid, Crocodiles, and several more. We delve into Conboy's own musical history, having played in numerous bands himself. The venue was a mainstay from 2007 to 2014 before closing in November of that year (Glasslands and 285 Kent, venues on the same city-block also vacating) to make room for Vice Media. This is a must listen if you ever enjoyed or performed shows at this great NYC music venue. "Goodnight Brooklyn" is also available on iTunes and Vimeo in the U.S. and Canada, with wider release to follow. More info at: goodnightbrooklyn.com - if you liked this one please subscribe on iTunes!

While Bronx, NY based The Legion technically only released the one album in 1994's 'Theme + Echo = Krill' (largely produced by Molecules himself), Hip-Hop connoisseurs will remember the break out singles & videos for "Jingle Jangle" and "Legion Groove" (not to mention Molecules appearance on Showbiz & AG's "Runaway Slave"). For what it set out to be, that LP is a masterpiece, an understated homage to The BX and pastiche to The World Famous DJ Brucie B's reign at The Rooftop hotspot (amid social scene where names like Alpo, Rich Porter and A.Z., held more clout than most of the era's rap stars. I've always considered myself a diehard fan of the group - listening to the album again in preparation reminded me of what a unique album it it (famously panned, if not misunderstood, at the time, by Cheo H. Coker (Luke Cage fame)) in The Source (2Pac Cover, Sept '94). When I caught word that producer Showbiz and The Legion's Molecules had recorded a forthcoming joint project together I immediately reached out to the guys from the Bronx-bred hip-hop trio to line up a convo with the Big Man 'Cules himself. It had been a few years but Molecules and I connected again right off the bat and you can tell within this conversation. This was essentially 'Cules first time sitting down really talking at length about his life and career - and we cover a lot of ground, so I'm really happy to present this! Bonus: The House List is now available on Google Play!