Mouthful of Graffiti

Today on the show I’m sitting down with local singer-songwriter, Ryan Betts. Betts is a man who may have been born in the wrong decade or sent through a wormhole to help save rock n’ roll.  His performances are pure and soulful and his affect is genuine. I recently caught Ryan at the Sean Bolan’s open mic hosted by Btags and was immediately taken back by how smooth and effortless he delivered the...

Today on the show I’m sitting down with local axe slinger for the band Distance to Dawn, featuring former MOG artist, Lexi Raine. He's a singer-songwriter, videographer, and Hawaiian shirt aficionado, Jeff Hans. Even as I find myself saying these things, I know there’s a lot more than meets the eye, despite his Facebook profile ‘About’ section being rather sparse with details.   Band name asi...

Business savvy entrepreneur, musician and now author, Athena Hiotis is back to discuss her new book with foreword-writer, Jordan Herndon, of the hit YouTube channel BanditGames. Over the past two years, Athena has been working tirelessly on her ‘Link to Success’ book and she’s here today to talk about its inception and the importance of being a fearless creator in a world where it’s all to easy to...

Jimmy Kells is an up and coming bluesy pop artist from the Mid-Atlantic region. He’s got a rich soulful voice, which has attracted a lot of former and established MOG artists, like Shane Burke and Josiah Orsie.  He’s a young cat with a lot of talent who is in the early years of his musical journey. If tracks like “Save Me” and “Close To Me Darling” are any indication of what the future holds, Jimm...

Today on the show I’m sitting down with local singer-songwriter, Mike Smith; I’m hellbent on giving Mike Smith his due in this episode and possibly making him blush beneath this perfectly sculpted salt and pepper beard. Though his modesty is like a warm handshake on a cold winter afternoon in the local park or akin to grandmas homecooked meatballs, his music is a storyboard that covers a lot of th...

Ashley Marie is a homespun acoustic, singer-songwriter and rock n’ roller from the Mid-Atlantic region. She’s a Virgo, which means she’s humble, industrious, practical and kind. Through my research, I was not able to find anything that would debunk these claims, thus proving astrology is as good as any other science. She’s all of those things and a talented vocalist and performer to boot. I’ve bee...

Vendetta has been makin’ a lot of noise in the Mid-Atlantic region for the past couple of years. It seems, no matter who you speak with or where you turn, you’re likely to hear the buzz around this alternative rock n’ roll band from Harford County, Maryland. Their sound is reminiscent of the early years of grunge, but with a modern indie flare. There’s a lot of soul and authenticity in their recor...

Today on the show I was joined by George Harris of The Raven Age. Harris is the son of legendary Iron Maiden bassist, Steve Harris. He’s a down-to-earth rock n’ roll guitarist who chose guitar over football and has one of England’s most convincing modern metal groups going. The Raven Age is locked and loaded to drop their new album Blood Omen on July 7th and will tour in support of Iron Maiden’s T...

Matt Poth is a multi-instrumentalist from the Mid-Atlantic area. Sewing dark themes over a quilt of alternative progressive rock music, his atmospheric assault is as powerful as it is thought-provoking. He’s new to the scene, but came on heavy referral from Rachel Novak, who will be joining us in Underground Studios on this fine rainy Sunday afternoon. Matt’s music is available on all of the major...

Jeff Martin is something of a legend in the Baltimore music scene. Many of you may remember Jeff from his time at Fletchers, but his industry experience is quite larger than you may have realized. From being the production manager at Ottobar, The Fillmore and the allrounder [as he puts it] at Baltimore Soundstage, Jeff has a lot of great history to share.  unapologetically  The deeper I dove into...

When I last had Pat Renny onto the Mouthful of Graffiti podcast, he was fresh on the heels of his Best In Me EP, but today he’s here to promote his upcoming album, DRIVEN. Pat is a singer-songwriter and musician from the Mid-Atlantic region who was born to perform on the world stage. He’s a talented vocalist who has harnessed popular music and is able to tell his story through song. He’s accomplis...

Today on the show I’m sitting down with singer, songwriter, musician and husband, Mr. Dennis Schocket. Dennis is best known for his cover groups, The FaBtastic Four and The 1974, but he’s also got a sizeable catalog of original music with Starbelly and has recently gone solo with his new project, Weathervane. If he’s not out at your favorite local bar making music, he’s making music. He’s as talen...

By day, she’s an English teacher, but by night she’s putting a spell on audiences all across the Mid-Atlantic region with her powerful voice and stunning stage show. I was introduced to Lexi Raine at a Rappolla Entertainment event where I got to see her slay the stage at everyone’s favorite rock n’ roll roadside cantina, Zen West.     She may just be starting her musical journey, but there’s no do...

Ashley Marie caught my attention with her soft voice and upbeat ukulele videos, but unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve seen Ashley kickin’ ass with her covers group Vinyl Rhino.  Her original songs are the perfect mix of soul, subtly and folk with deep Americana roots; roots that would make any artist jealous of her effortless talent.    When she’s not screamin’ or strummin’ her heart...

Today on the show I’ve got an artist I’ve been meaning to get booked for some time. He plays the type of acoustic indie alternative rock that could best be described as the happy marriage of the Arctic Monkeys and The Beatles. Whether he’s strumming his fiddle at a galloping pace or slugging away like a Sunday morning porch jam, his music is deeply personal.    At times, it’s as if he’s sat with t...

Today on the show I had the pleasure of sitting down with multi-instrumentalist and genre-bending producer and artist, HU$H. Despite his moniker, he isn’t shy or quiet about sharing his origin story; a story with all the makings of a rock n’ roll, rags to riches headline.  He’s equal parts punk rock and hip-hop and understands how to weave a landscape of emotions through a quilt of musical chaos....

Tony Pichler and Rachel Robison of Beautiful Divide have a long history of performing in the Mid-Atlantic region with bands such as, Seraphin, Ravens Edge,  Love & Vox and more.  They are a dynamic duo, like Ozzy Osbourne and Lita Ford, Mike Reno and Anne Wilson or Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, but here, Pichler is holding down the skins, while Rachel's soulful voice carries their liste...

Today on the show I’m sitting down with a couple staples, if not legends in the Mid-Atlantic music scene. I’ve seen these find lads and musicians evolve from their Gold Mind Squad days, through Havok in Hollywood, to Beretta Jane, to Here’s to the Night, Mid-Atlantic’s #1 90’s tribute act – but, their back to their original roots and creative wiles with a new Beretta Jane album on the horizon. Nei...

Today on the Mouthful of Graffiti podcast, I have the singer-songwriter, videographer and the CEO and founder of the Fundup app, Mr. Luke Justin Roberts. He’s an artist with an entrepreneurial spirit and has attracted quite the following in the Baltimore area, with his pop rock fusion project LJR. I discovered Luke through a video he posted on Instagram and it opened my world to just what a driven...

In the True Spirit of The MOG, we’re going to jazz things up a bit on this episode with a producer, artist and musician who needs no introduction, but he’s getting one anyways, Mr. John ‘The Bisque’ Grant. I’ve known and been working with John Grant off-and-on for over 20 years and no one, I mean no one has a more decorated production resume than John – he even has his own patented microphone, the...

Sarah Nicholson is an up and coming acoustic singer-songwriter from the Baltimore area. She first caught my attention with her live Facebook videos and piqued my curiosity with her soft voice and folksy charm. She’s just beginning her musical journey, but it’s clear she’s got that special little something that’ll propel her into the future and make her a household name in the Mid-Atlantic region....

Her life is like a Fairytale ! Shelby Blondell is a staple in the Baltimore music scene. To avoid any cease and desist letters from Mariah Carey’s intellectual property team, I will be specific in touting that Shelby Blondell is the official Queen of Christmas on the Mouthful of Graffiti podcast. Shelby’s not only given a few Christmas classics her warm, folksy charm, but she also has the perfect...

Kyle Ball is the singer/songwriter frontman of the local Mid-Atlantic-based alternative rock n’ roll group, Goodbye July. When he’s not howlin’ on the streets of Baltimore and beyond, he’s workin’ as the director of business development at the Cameron group.  He’s a rock n’ roller as much as he is a father and business professional and has learned the importance of balancing his dreams with realit...

The Authors and Artists Holiday Gift sale returned to the Bel Air Armory on November 5th and showcased some of Harford County's own talent. 37 local vendors selling unique and original art, books, photographs, laser woodwork, ornaments, jewelry, leather items and more, all gathered together for what felt like the largest and coolest, locals-only ‘Scholastic Book Fair’-styled shopping expo of...

Nicole Marie, known to many as the amazing, fabulous – well, all of the adjectives, Niki Barr , has been circling the Mid-Atlantic music scene for nearly two decades. After Niki Barr, Nicole went on to front the very successful Baltimore based rock group The Last Year and she’s back with a brand new covers project called Radio Hero.    Not to fear, she’s still been working behind the scenes on som...