Episode 4: Tony Porreco
A festive and hearty seasonal greeting to you all! I gotta level with you all, I am not feeling the holidays this year. I'm tired and cranky and general unpleasant when faced with having to think about or even do most holiday related things this year. I'm having trouble pinning it down. I love getting together with people, I love eating, I love snow and tasteful lighting displays and all that. Just can't seem to get it together this year. It's driving my wife crazy. She's not at all wrong.
Anyways, you know what will make me and you feel better? If you were feeling bad, that is. If not, please continue not feeling bad. But do you all know WHAT WILL MAKE EVERYTHING BETTER? A chat with Tony Porreco of Black Checker (band) and Hometown Sounds (podcast)! That will make everything better!
I've known Tony for a few years, I met him in D.C. on tour at some point. His band, Black Checker, opened up for us at a downtown club, and I would go on to play a few shows with them over the years. Great band, by the way. Check out their new record, it's full of hooks and power and energy and that sort of glee that only comes from well crafted power-pop. Tony also does a podcast called Hometown Sounds, where he and his co-host play all D.C. music, interview bands, support and champion the scene, etc. What I love most about Hometown Sounds is that it's not limited to just punk and hardcore, which are things we all tend to associate as the "sound" of D.C. They play EVERYTHING, and I must say that I've been getting quite an education on D.C. area hip-hop over the last year or so I've been listening to the podcast.
Tony was one of the first people I ever interviewed for 25 O'Clock. He was, indirectly, a kick in the ass to get moving and start reaching out to folk to be on the show and get it rolling. So if you like what you've been hearing from the show, you have Tony (among many others) to thank. I actually re-listened to the entire interview while I was rendering it for your streaming and downloading pleasure, which is something I don't usually do (by the time it's rendering, I've listened to it a bunch during the editing stages and just listen for levels and any glitches). It was a great listen, it brought me back to the kitchen table where Tony and I just chatted and caught up. It's great to meet people on the road who you respect, and it's even greater to also enjoy hanging out with those people when you get a chance to.
Hope you enjoy what has been one of my favorite interviews so far. Have a safe and awesome holiday season, try and be positive for the sake of the people you love, and just enjoy your friends and family and try not to get bogged down with all the crap that comes with this time of year.
Cheers,
DD