Across nine decades of music-making, Warren Smith has continually reshaped the drum set—from the melodic discoveries he first pursued on kettle drums after hours at the University of Illinois to the collective intensity of Max Roach’s M’Boom—turning percussion into an instrument capable of both thunderous force and intimate song.

In this wide-ranging interview, Fishbone frontman Angelo Moore discusses his lifelong creative journey, the necessity of side projects like Dr. Madd Vibe, and how mastering multiple instruments and modern technology has allowed him to maintain absolute artistic independence.

Legendary soul artist Syl Johnson channeled a lifelong spirit of defiance into a deeply influential music career—sparked by a childhood passion for the guitar and the natural sounds around him—and later used that same resilience to fight for the reclamation of his family’s stolen land.

Dick Griffin’s fearless experimentation with multiphonics, circular breathing, and spiritual improvisation—shaped by mentors including Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, Sun Ra, and Rahsaan Roland Kirk—allowed him to forge a singular trombone voice beyond conventional jazz technique.

“Liner Notes” is a Sounds Visual Media spinoff series where musicians, composers, DJs, beatmakers, and collectors dig into their crates to share favorite records. In this installment, saxophonist/composer Dennis Mitcheltree talks about his upcoming album Seeing Red, where he partnered with his long-standing quartet to channel intense sociopolitical emotions into a rich, empathetic sonic spectrum.

A candid, wide-ranging conversation with Money Mark as he traces his creative philosophy—from the raw, unedited production of Keyboard Repair to Brill Building songcraft, custom circuitry, and film scoring. Through it all, he returns to one core belief: above all else, good music has to carry love in it.

Describing his creative process as a “cobbler” of sounds, Miles Newbold explains that rather than being a traditional musician who reads or writes music fluently, he instead finds musical shapes and forces or collages them into unusual sonic places to create the Natural Yogurt Band’s distinctive, anarchic style.

Bobby Hamilton describes his legendary 1970s spiritual jazz album, Dream Queen, as a raw love letter to a genre that offered little commercial reward, transforming it from a self-pressed obscurity into a sought-after collector’s holy grail.

“Liner Notes” is a Sounds Visual Media spinoff series where musicians, composers, DJs, beatmakers, and collectors dig into their crates to share favorite records. In this installment, award-winning jazz trombonist and composer Sam Blakeslee discusses the release of his big band record, “New Blood.”

Forged in the Mississippi Delta’s blues and gospel fire and tempered alongside Ornette Coleman’s revolutionary harmolodic vision, Bobby Bradford’s trumpet became a fearless instrument of pure sonic invention — unshackled from chords, unbound by convention.