South of Scruffy with Ben Fields

City of Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon stops by the shop to talk through the changes she's implementing to make her city a better place. From pay raises for police officers and fire fighters, to helping fund a sports stadium in the city center, Indya and Ben talk through the highlights and challenges of Mayor Kincannon's first term as the Mayor of Knoxville.

Chris Marshall did what so many wish they had the courage to do. After spending a couple of decades working unfulfilling jobs, Chris took a chance and pursued a full time career making music...and it worked. Now Chris hosts open mic nights throughout Tennessee, enabling other musicians to find joy, pride, and purpose in making their music; exactly as he has.

Dr. Sarah Fields is a Physical Therapist, Yoga Therapist, Certified Health Coach, and Naturopathic healer. Sarah has devoted her career to healing the human body from the inside out. Sarah and Ben discuss the phenomenon that: When treated as one holistic unit, the mind and the body are uncannily capable of repairing one another.

Shawn Mauer has devoted his life to leading by example. Using the platform First Tee Tennessee, Shawn's mission is simple: "Empower kids and teens through the game of golf." Shawn and Ben run through Shawn's career in the non-profit space, and why he believes that the way to leave a meaningful mark on the world, is to make a positive impact on someone else's life.

4 Time Grammy Award Winning record producer Sam Thomas pays another visit to the shop. Sam and Ben catch up on the Standard Knitting Mill Fire and Sam's recording career trajectory since relocating to Knoxville in 2018. https://samiamproductions.weebly.com/ https://open.spotify.com/track/4HWhqsHKli9ujBAFVabKuJ?si=09a1bdbc09ed4916

Ben Meadows and George Constantine are childhood friends turned filmmaking duo. After a screening of their latest film “Dan’s Pain” in Montana, George, Ben and Ben sit down to discuss their latest filmmaking endeavors. Ben and George impart how they turned their annual international fly fishing trips, into a company that creates content for Costa, Simms, Orvis, Poncho and many more. Check out thei...

Since his dad traded him a guitar for a hunting dog in the early 1990's, Brandon Fulson has been writing songs steeped in pleasure and pain. Coupling his need to be alone with his thoughts, with his upbringing in deep Appalachia, Brandon has penned dozens of woefully evocative songs that make up a prolific music catalogue. You can listen to Brandon's weekly radio show at 8pm on Tuesday nights at r...

Thomas Zachary is driven by elevating the artists around him. Thomas is the host of the Knoxville Area Artist Network Podcast and a visual artist in his own right. While romping through Thomas' fascinating life story, Thomas and Ben dig into the nuance of visiual art and the tech that enables artists to unlock the ideas that would otherwise stay locked in their brains.

Josh Lowry is an editor for reality television shows like the Amazing Race and Biggest Loser. When Josh and Ben moved to Los Angeles together in 2004 they weren't sure why they did it; but 18 years later they have both nestled into their niches in the film and television business. The boys catch up on the state of the Los Angeles television scene while sharing some sordid tales from their past end...

Josh Van Wey and Knoxville found each other at the perfect time. Josh and Ben run over the generational shift of music that is echoing through the live rooms that have sat dormant for 2 years from covid.

Making art is in Paris Woodhull's blood. There was a short time when she thought fashion design would be her path; but that was fleeting, and she got back to her original love: drawing. After studying art at the University of Tennessee, (and voluntarily interning wherever someone would have her) Paris turned her pen-in-hand passion into a prolific career as an illustrator.

Mike McGill makes his annual stop by the shop ahead of his "Christmas Spectacular" concert that benefits Second Harvest Food Bank. Mike and Ben dig into their 2 decade old banter machine and deliver an airing-of-greivances for the ages.

Blake Cass comes by the shop to chat NFT's, crypto currency, blockchain, and how it affects us all. Blake indulges Ben on how his path through the music recording industry readied him to be a player in the digital marketplaces we all spend an increasing amount of time in.

From Chris Blue to Curtis Glover...and beyond. SOS100 revisits *some of the most memorable moments from the first 99 episodes of SOS. *Voted on by the Patreon patrons. To commemorate the 100th episode of South of Scruffy, a 1/1 commemorative token has been minted as an NFT and is available at auction: https://opensea.io/assets/0x495f947276749ce646f68ac8c248420045cb7b5e/1796868695469253495552750756...

Author Nikki Glandon was flat out born to help others. Being a holistic healer at heart, Nikki recently penned a chidren's book series ,"Pete the Pony", that sets out to teach important life lessons to both children and adult readers. After 13 years in Park City Utah, Nikki came to Knoxville to work on her next set of children's books. Nikki fills Ben in on everything from towing a horse trailer f...

When happenstance and baseball brought Curt Willis to East Tennessee, he probably didn't know how impactful he would ultimately be to Knoxville's film production industry. After nearly two decades of writing, producting and acting, Curt now sits as the director of the Knoxville Film Office. Curt believes that Tennessee, and specifically Knoxville, is as good of a place as any to shoot a feature fi...

International man of mystery Matthew DeBardelaben has been making moves for decades. Since operatinging his art gallery in Shanghai, and being the team chaplain for the Chicago Bears, Matthew has laid down roots in East Tennessee. Since then, Matthew has kept himself busy operating Knoxville's Pecha Kucha, and Blühen Botanicals commercial hemp farming program.

When the opportunity arose for Tommy Smith to serve the community in which he grew up, he answered the bell. Tommy shares with Ben his philosophies on public service, Air Jordan's, and tech startup incubators. With a deep passion for improving South Knoxville, and the city at large, Tommy is running to keep his seat as the city counselor serving the first district of the city of Knoxville.

Caroline Farris' metalsmithing is all about imparting whimsy. Caroline has become known for many things over the years, but her "Endless Chain" concept has exploded over the last few years. Caroline's niche in the semi permanent jewelry game has gained her much noteriety, but it doesn't stop there. Check out ACF's line at the link: https://www.acfjewelry.com

Shane Hunter is a gaffer for the film and television industry, as well as a top class mountain biker. If it’s about making/manipulating light for film, or anything about mountain bikes, Shane probably knows it inside and out. Shane and Ben chat in the shop about some of Knoxville's oldest haunts, while digging into what the mountain biking community means to the growth of South Knoxville.

Having grown up in a family of entertainers, it was no surprise that Michael Figlio Jr. ended up in the film business. After doing nearly every job on a film set in his early days, Michael settled into roles as a 1st Assistant Director and Sound Recordist. Almost 40 years later, he is doing the best work of his career, while taking no credit for his success.

If they've played music in the Southeastern U.S. in the last 40 years, there's a good chance Wayne Bledsoe has interviewed them. Wayne's 35+ year career as a music writer has seen him interviewing the likes of Dolly Parton, Ray Charles, and just about anybody who played Ella Guru's in the 1990's. Wayne also comes clean on his beef with Steve Wildsmith, while giving Ben a sample verse from the rap...

When the Tombras Group started an in house video production arm, Ryan Dailey was right under their nose, and ready for deployment. After some trial-by-fire, coupled with top-notch mentorship, Ryan now finds himself lensing commercial spots for some of the Tombras Group's most important clients and brands. Thanks to the Tombras' open pipeline of commercial brands needing video content, Ryan Dailey...

After helping families from war-torn countries resettle in the United States, Dr. Jennifer Ward set her sights on her home: Tennessee. Jennifer operates a program at the University of Tennesessee Extension, that helps solve the problem of food insecurity for the state's neediest families. Jennifer and Ben dig into the issues that face Tennessee's most underserved families, while expounding on how...

Don't call him a late bloomer - It just took persistence, time and chance encounters for Ryan Read to realize his passion as a photographer. Ryan runs Ben through the path that took him from being a church janitor, to crafting images that tell the visual story of some of America's biggest brands. This episode is also available on YouTube ( https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0IhWbqgC-M0qDsJfo0poyw )