Welcome back, it’s always a unique experience to speak with you, you are one of the most active entrepreneurs we talk with. First off, how do you balance that?
I never feel like I do actually, but I can really see where on the outside looking in, it seems like I have some of it figured out. Being self-employed for the most part, there’s an ongoing list of things to accomplish in my mind, but it really all depends on timing and scheduling.
For instance, if I know I have an event or an opportunity, everything moves to the side for that, from the inception to the completion, and I only conduct business or meetings with things that will enhance those events or lead to something solid immediately after. Of course there are levels of that priority as well.
A calendar and a clock are allies when you are in a position like I am in and I respect the power they both hold, plus I am currently in the last few days of a family getaway that I make sure to take once a big event or festival that I have organized or planned is finished.
That’s critical. I know how much it takes away from my wife and my two sons, so I try and block off time right before and at least a week if not two right after to dedicate full focus to them, if I don’t we all have large gaps of time and connections that we need.
Speaking of festivals and events, you just wrapped up a major milestone focused event in your hometown of Asheboro, North Carolina, what was that milestone and what were some highlights from that four day festival?
The milestone was that MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD RECORDS, which I founded in May 2005 turned 20 years old and to be honest, the entire four day experience was a highlight May 22-25, 2025. It was all a dream come true, right in the heart of my hometown, Asheboro North Carolina at the historic Sunset Theatre.
One of the first artists we worked with, JTimber, reunited with us to perform an hour long set and during the filming of the ’20 Years Of MTTS’ documentary he said a few times, “We are sitting, we are standing here in your dream.” I’ve been really reflecting on that statement ever since he said it to me, it hit me so profoundly.
Highlights of our last SWORD SATURDAY were filled with celebrations and hip hop music, the first ever Hip Hop show at the historic Sunset Theatre!!! We ended up having to shave off about an hour worth of performances due to the fact that we were filming many conversations for the documentary, but at the end of the day it was more important for us to get that on film while so many people were in one place at one time.
And that’s another thing, many of those former and present artists from MTTS past haven’t been in a social situation like that in well over a decade, so I am personally content with how the night ended up, but would be the only aspect I see from all four days that some people didn’t get what they came to see, but they did get something way more unique and personal.
Teaming up with the Asheboro Randolph Chamber Of Commerce was also another highlight as they helped create a special engagement of their Business After Hours event into the official opening night reception and introduction to the festival. Sculptures from Casey Mull’s Faded Zodiac series and a Dee Snider painting from Laura Ashley Live Art were displayed during the entire festival on the historic stage. The painting was actually painted right in front of Dee Snider by Laura Ashley the week before the festival at the distinguished Blue Jeans and Boots Dinner by Petty Family Foundation to his awe and admiration.
I could really go into detail about so many highlights, but I’ll end with the addition of Carl J. Grasso as our special guest and host of Sunday’s film festival segment. His charisma and stage presence really helped bring everything together in a fitting fashion as panel moderator and more!!!
When you say people might not have gotten what they wanted from SWORD SATURDAY, and that it was the LAST ONE, can you go into more detail?
Of course. There’s a lot to that part. First off, it was a major pivoting move. Originally the Iconoclast Crew Reunion set was scheduled on Friday and myself and Cosmic Panda was going to be the headliners on Saturday, with a really unique approach to Sword Saturdays, where the band, Cosmic Panda was going to act as the DJ, but with live instruments and hip hop artists were going to come up and rap over that. The artists not necessarily having formal sets, but more as an open call cypher.
From January until April I was writing new material with Cosmic Panda (Neil Hoover & Jeremy Nelson) with the plans of finishing an albums worth of new material and then performing that along with some of my older material. It was an exciting and beautiful approach. Then tragedy struck as we learned of the death of Neil Hoover in late April. It goes without saying that it was a devastating blow as a friend, but it also had impact on this event as well. We actually were in talks of cancelling the entire festival, but as the grieving process was underway, I decided a pivot was necessary.
And that pivot ended up being very fast and getting a little sloppy both in planning and also in the moment, and I own that completely! I apologize that I overbooked as most hip hop shows do, but like I said previously I am very content personally with the outcome and was happy with the social celebrations and reuniting than performances from a makeshift last minute put together show.
Most people had fun and got what they came for or a little extra, but I do realize some missed out, and I know I wanted to perform my full songs, but as callous as it sounds, that’s just the nature of these types of things, and I am glad for that to be the closing chapter of my organizing, promoting and planning hip hop shows and an official end to our SWORD SATURDAY concert series.
After putting on hundreds of hip hop shows I am beyond happy to put that to bed, I really lost the love that I once had for that, I’m not saying I won’t be a part of one, or help someone else put one together, but I’m not doing it all on my own or being a main component in planning one again.
What was the single most exciting part of the 20 Years Of MTTS four day festival for you personally?
I’ll go back to the amount of people from MTTS history, past and present that showed up and was a part of the documentary filming I estimated that over 20 people sat on the stage during a four hour block that ended up being over five hours.
Teaming up with Iximché Media was a game changer. I met them during our second annual Mightier Than The Sword Awards at Sunset Film Festival back in January and fell in love with their work. I then got some emails from them and dug into their portfolio more and felt like reaching out to them about filming our story would be a good move, thankfully things moved fast with that as well and they had an opening on Saturday to come film. I was going to undertake that role myself, but it wouldn’t have been a fraction as powerful and professional.
We had people that were a part of MTTS before it was a real thing and then someone who is in her teenage years that we are just beginning to help out with her career. It was exhilarating, exciting and it went well with the Four Saints Brewing Company beers that were provided to us for that segment of the festival. A true celebration of our history and our accomplishments as a team.
After this reunion, what’s next?
For clarification, this four day festival wasn’t the official reunion of MTTS it was the celebration and festival that showcased everything MTTS has evolved to in those 20 years and it was necessary for me to have that in the same month of the year as when I founded it.
We did have the Iconoclast Crew Reunion performance, but as for an MTTS reunion, we are waiting for December 11, 2025 for that and still at the Sunset Theatre in Asheboro, NC. A few core members of the “golden age” of MTTS were unable to attend, so we are hoping for a more of that reunion feel to end out the 20th anniversary year of MTTS.
Aside from that, I turn 45 years old this year, so I am working on finishing all post production for 7EVENTH 7IRKLE so that I can have a Hollywood Premiere of that at the TCL Chinese Theatre for my birthday and also my wife and I will be celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary this year, in October, so I want to celebrate that with her, possibly in Hollywood or LA with some friends of ours that will show us a great time.
Oh and we are still holding monthly events FIRST FRIDAY FASHION & PHOTOGRAPHY, THIRD THURSDAY THINKTANKS and we’ve added MIGHTY MONDAY where we are beginning to have writing retreats as a label again. So let’s see how much more we can cram into 2025!! Thanks for sitting down and talking with me.
