Haynes and Reynolds have maintained a partnership that dates back to their teens. Referring to themselves as “forever friends,” you can hear that it fuels their combined artistry. With l ove and ambition, their successful, bicoastal Hip Hop outfit called Free Radio was born. The pandemic and the fact that they are both back living in Asheville, Free Radio duo has morphed into something even more expansive. The addition of vocal melodies and harmonies executed with warm and luscious precision by Debrissa and deep-soul vocalist Datrian Johnson brings “balance and magic” to this purposeful project. “One of the coolest parts of this collaboration” McKinney says, “stems from Austn’s masterful beat making prowess. He’s always creating new and unique beats; there’s no beat re-do’s; he is always mixing it up.” For anyone not steeped in Hip Hop, and for longtime Free Radio duo fans, this new angle to the venture will draw you in. They’ve created a new accessible genre they dub “Cosmic Appalachian Hip Hop.” The moods and melodies are grounded in R&B and roots music, connecting them to the potency of nature, sound and rhythm. The result is a mashup with a distinct message. Riding tandem to this fresh Free Radio cooperative, Debrissa is in company with yet another musical undertaking involving scientist, folk healer, wisdom keeper, Jeff Firewalker Schmidt, Phd and his passionate and profoundly introspective project with Jazz musician and keyboardist John Medeski (of Medeski Martin & Wood) called Saint Disruption. Firewalker and Medeski came together serendipitously, meeting in the Amazon while both were on a mission of personal healing and growth. Their endeavor is based around their “deep devotion to native wisdom traditions.”
The pandemic allowed for the creation of Saint Disruption’s 7-track record called “Rose in the Oblivion” and features Debrissa, Datrian, Leeda Lyric Jones and Austn Haynes among others. Following are excerpts from an interview with Jeff and John on Live for Live Music conducted by Andrew O’Brien on April 7th of this year: “This is a native wisdom,” Firewalker contends. “And native teachings say that it’s in the darkness where we come to know who we truly are. One of my teachers puts it beautifully: can you name one thing on this planet that doesn’t start its life in the darkness?” The darkness of 2020, he explains, was the impetus for Saint Disruption’s creation. “I went to my altar and I said, ‘Okay, Spirit. I’ve got this luxury of time. What do you want me to do? And the answer I got back, it was not subtle. It was a smack upside the head. It was like, ‘Take everything that you’ve seen and learned and felt and perceived and put it into poetry and music. “We acknowledged and recognized that at this time in human history, there’s an opportunity to do something musically that reflects artistically those things that we feel humanity could be well-served to grapple with,” Jeff notes. “John and I are very dedicated to this idea of ‘Can the music be evocative and deliver messages for people to consider at this time in history?’ “ The answer is yes! The album release concert takes place at The Grey Eagle August 29th at 8pm. Free Radio quartet opens. There’s no finer example of a local female artist continuing to make good, striving to always come back better than Debrissa McKinney, who will be adding her supreme and mystical vocals to both sets that night.
facebook.com/Debrissa113430532032607/ freeradio4all.com/ saintdisruption.com/about liveforlivemusic.com/features/ saint-disruptionjeff-firewalker-schmittjohn-medeski-interview-2021/ thegreyeagle.com/event/saintdisruption-featuring-john-medeski/ Peggy Ratusz is a vocalist, songwriter and vocal coach reverbnation.com/peggyratusz
Peggy’s August Dates: Friday, August 6th Love Bubble feat Paula Hanke, Hank Bones & Peggy Ratusz Southern Appalachian Brewing, Hendersonville, 7pm Saturday, August 7th Jonathan Pearlman and Peggy Ratusz The 2nd Act Coffee, Beer & Wine Café, Hendersonville, 6pm Sunday, August 22nd Jonathan Pearlman and Peggy Ratusz One World West, Asheville, 4pm
Peggy Ratusz is a vocal coach, song interpreter, and songwriter. For vocal coaching email her at peggymarie43 @gmail.com August 2021 | thesofiamagazine.com
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