(lively music) - [Announcer] Welcome to Peach Jam.

Recorded live in our GPB studios in Midtown Atlanta, featuring songs and stories from a sampling of the diverse and talented musicians who call the Peach State home.

(lively music continues) On this episode, we'll define 20th century American vernacular music.

Meet a modern disco diva and find out just how hard it is to break into the hip hop scene up first from Decatur, Georgia.

This is Slow Parade.

(country music) ♪ Watching the train going down the line ♪ ♪ I wonder which way will it go ♪ ♪ Spinning my wheels, going round and round ♪ ♪ Not too much to show ♪ (country music continues) ♪ Kicking a can down the road ♪ ♪ Scratching that itch, I've been digging that hole ♪ ♪ Just wasting away with my thumb in the wind ♪ ♪ One foot in the door, i'll squeeze the other one in ♪ (country music continues) ♪ We've been making the rounds in the old pickup truck ♪ ♪ Garbage is out, I could use a few bucks ♪ - My name is Matthew Pendrick.

I'm from Decatur, Georgia.

I play music with a band called Slow Parade.

Slow Parade, most people would say plays 20th century American vernacular music.

- What?

(laughs) Okay, expound on that please.

- I like all kind of music like most people, and just kind of, I think of the music that we do as just kind of a hodgepodge of my influences, whatever I'm enjoying.

And most of that tends to be just the vast array of great music that has come out of America in the past a hundred years or so.

It's everything from blues, country, rock and roll, punk rock, jazz, 20th century American vernacular.

♪ Let's make a deal ♪ ♪ Let's make a deal ♪ ♪ Let's make a deal ♪ ♪ Your silver spoon it ain't worth a damn ♪ ♪ In the old copper eyes of the scrap metal man ♪ ♪ Your silver spoon ain't worth a damn ♪ ♪ In the old copper eyes of the scrap metal man ♪ ♪ Your silver spoon ♪ ♪ It ain't worth a damn ♪ ♪ In the old copper eyes of the scrap metal man ♪ ♪ Your silver spoon ♪ ♪ It's ain't worth a damn ♪ ♪ In the old copper eyes of the scrap metal man ♪ ♪ You want a short cut around some hard luck ♪ ♪ You just need a quick buck ♪ ♪ Just need a quick buck ♪ ♪ Just need a quick buck ♪ ♪ Just need a quick buck ♪ (country music continues) One of my early mentors and inspirations was a guy named Guitar Red, who I met in Decatur when I was in high school.

I was working at an ice cream shop on the square there in downtown Decatur, and he was a street musician and would play right outside the shop.

And I had just started playing guitar.

I was really interested and started hanging out with him, learning a lot, and eventually started playing some gigs with him and met people that he was playing with who he was a lot older than me as were the rest of the guys.

And then, yeah, I kind of started a band with some of them and they'd all been gigging around town for decades and yeah, I kind of just fell into it that way.

♪ They got skin, they got bones ♪ ♪ So holler jackpot, honk the car horn ♪ ♪ When you ride by my place ♪ ♪ Tell me stories fake the endings ♪ ♪ Leave no time to erase ♪ ♪ My crooked gut strings, how my heart stings ♪ ♪ With your gravel voiced grace ♪ ♪ Blowing smoke rings, til my lungs sing ♪ ♪ What cannot be replaced ♪ ♪ Something I will not erase ♪ ♪ Pull my gut strings, til my ears ring ♪ ♪ We're just taking up space ♪ ♪ On this melting time capsule ♪ ♪ Which may soon be erased ♪ ♪ And holler jackpot, honk the car horn ♪ ♪ Whenever you're passing by ♪ ♪ So i know your heart is beating ♪ ♪ I hope it's keeping good time ♪ ♪ I hope you're keeping good time ♪ ♪ I hope you're keeping good time ♪ ♪ Are you keeping good time ♪ - Okay.

Paint the picture for me, how old was Guitar Red when you met him?

- I think Guitar Red was probably in his forties.

- Okay.

- Yeah.

- And he's on the square in Decatur, Georgia.

- Yeah.

- Busking and playing his guitar for tips.

- Yeah.

And in the little five points and we, we went all over - And you're 17?

- Yeah.

- Okay.

And then, so the guy outside the ice cream shop that's playing guitar, you were like, oh, hey, he's cool.

And you were the kid that started hanging out with this older dude who's doing this like this is, it feels like a movie.

It feels like something I've seen on TV or something like that.

It's not something I've ever heard somebody tell me actually happened, you know?

- Oh, yeah.

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

I would just credit that, I guess to that being the type of place that Decatur was back in the day and my parents for being pretty cool and understanding and lettin' me figure it out.

- Yeah.

You're a teenager and you're like, "Hey, I'm gonna play some gigs with these old dudes I met on the street".

- [Matthew] Yeah.

- And your parents were like, "Okay, be home by 11".

- Yeah, pretty much.

- (laughs) That's awesome.

♪ With the red light on the dashboard ♪ ♪ Tells me that I'm blind and just to pray ♪ ♪ This van will be ok another mile ♪ ♪ She fills the air with gasoline ♪ ♪ The cabin's loud as an F16 ♪ ♪ The CD player don't even work ♪ ♪ The tape deck spins only in reverse ♪ ♪ This old van and me ♪ ♪ This old van and me ♪ ♪ We're just a slow drag down the freeway ♪ ♪ Gonna get there when we get there ♪ ♪ Baby that's ok ♪ ♪ We got a full tank and she got clean plates ♪ ♪ We're gonna make it ♪ ♪ Not in style, but with ragged grace ♪ (country music continues) ♪ Well I ran the tires down to the wire ♪ ♪ Every handle busted off at times ♪ ♪ The disk brakes squeal every time you touch them ♪ ♪ The O2 sensors leak combustion ♪ ♪ This old van and me ♪ ♪ This old van and me ♪ - [Narrator] Coming up, you'll meet Naoma, "The Goddess of Groove" and later, Clay Hodges from Savannah.

(lively music) - [Narrator] Community learning, working, playing, celebrating, doing life is always better together.

At GPB, we aim to provide you with the tools to be able to do life together well.

Our mission to educate, inform, and entertain inspires everything from our wide range of programming to our stimulating radio conversations, to our fun in person events, we've got something for everyone.

Visit gpb.org/community to learn more about our upcoming events.

- [Announcer] And now don't be afraid to dance in your living room.

Let's welcome Naoma to the Peach Jam Family.

(lively music) (lively music continues) (lively music continues) (disco music) - About time, isn't it?

I'm gonna need you to do one thing for me.

It's simple.

Get off the ball and dance, baby.

♪ Tonight you gotta dance ♪ ♪ Be cool, be cool ♪ ♪ Looking for romance ♪ ♪ Take it slow ♪ ♪ It's easy, baby ♪ ♪ You are too far gone ♪ ♪ You can't now ♪ ♪ Can't feel my legs ♪ ♪ My feet off the ground ♪ ♪ Keep my head high ♪ ♪ Looking up to the clouds ♪ ♪ Woo ooh ♪ ♪ I'm tellin' you ♪ ♪ It's breezy ♪ ♪ Make it look easy ♪ ♪ Can't stop me now ♪ ♪ Come on you feel it, baby ♪ ♪ No backing out ♪ ♪ No, it's not so scary ♪ ♪ Let it out ♪ ♪ Come on give it to me ♪ ♪ Little my feet, little my cheek ♪ ♪ Go dance, baby, break it on down ♪ (disco music continues) (disco music continues) - I'm Naoma, "The Goddess of Groove", and I make disco records.

- You do make disco records.

All right.

So first of all, where are you from?

- I'm from Midland, Michigan originally.

- And you're living in Atlanta now?

- Yeah.

Yes.

Been here about almost four years.

- And as we record this, it is 2025.

And you make disco records.

- I sure do.

I sure do.

Yeah.

It's a lot of fun.

It's the one genre of music I feel the most alive listening to.

And so I hope to recreate the feeling that the disco divas of the seventies and eighties captured.

I think it's just such an important sound, especially for the climate of the world right now.

I think we need some disco.

We need some dancing.

So, yeah.

(laughs) (disco music) ♪ Have you ever seen such a grown woman ♪ ♪ With a peace of mind and her own money ♪ ♪ Baby, do I make you nervous ♪ ♪ Oh, it's not on purpose ♪ ♪ I like what I see, but need to know one thing ♪ ♪ Got a lot going on, can you handle me ♪ ♪ Red velvet cake tonight ♪ ♪ Come, take a bite ♪ ♪ I'm D-E-C-A-D-E-N-T ♪ ♪ D-E-C-A-D-E-N-T ♪ ♪ I'm decadent ♪ ♪ You want a piece of it ♪ ♪ I'm D-E-C-A-D-E-N-T ♪ ♪ D-E-C-A-D-E-N-T ♪ ♪ I'm decadent ♪ ♪ You want a piece of it ♪ ♪ One bite at a time ♪ ♪ Got more if you like ♪ ♪ It's almost too much ♪ ♪ What flavor you want ♪ ♪ What flavor you want ♪ ♪ D-E-C-A-D-E-N-T ♪ ♪ D-E-C-A-D-E-N-T ♪ ♪ I'm decadent ♪ ♪ You want a piece of it ♪ - You're like a larger than life personality, and you have an incredible stage presence and there's like so much about you that is awesome.

But tell me first why disco?

- Mm, I appreciate that.

First of all, thank you.

I walked into Star Bar, Little Five Points in Atlanta.

I think it was December of 2021, a month after I moved to Atlanta.

And that was the moment everything changed for me because Quasi Mandisco, a really good friend of mine now, legendary, ATL DJ, was spinning some Chaka Khan and some Tina Marie and some Donna Summer.

And I saw the way people reacted to it and the way people were dancing to it.

And it blew my mind.

I was like, I don't hear this on the radio right now.

I don't hear this, these big voices.

I don't, you just don't hear that.

And I've always had a really big voice and I, when I first decided to start doing music, I kind of went the R&B route.

I was doing the indie songwriter, writer, singer songwriter route.

And nothing felt right.

When I walked into Star Bar that night, it all clicked for me.

I was like, this is my, this is the genre I need to be doing.

The big vocals, the dancing, the horns.

If you know me, you lo you know, I love trumpets, I love horns.

It was an an amazing feeling to finally get that confirmation of like, this is what I need to be doing.

♪ Cause they've been tellin' lies ♪ ♪ Sellin' dreams ♪ ♪ You know they ain't attainable ♪ ♪ The price is your demise ♪ ♪ But that's just not sustainable ♪ ♪ Oh one of a kind ♪ ♪ Made by design ♪ ♪ You are devine ♪ ♪ Devine, devine, devine ♪ ♪ Yeah you shine, you shine, you shine ♪ ♪ You shine, you shine, you shine ♪ ♪ One of a kind ♪ ♪ Made by design ♪ ♪ You are devine ♪ ♪ Devine, devine, devine ♪ ♪ You shine, you shine, you shine ♪ ♪ You shine, you shine, you shine ♪ - I graduated college in 2020, the year that I never got to walk for graduation.

That was a different story.

But I decided in that year that I was gonna take the risk to follow my dreams because if I didn't, I didn't wanna wake up at 30, 40, 50 and be like, what am I doing?

Why didn't I go for it?

So, I knew I had to get out of the Midwest for sure.

No shade to the Midwest, that's home.

But I just knew I had to go.

So it was either New York, LA, Nashville, maybe, or Atlanta.

And when I came to Atlanta, some magic happened.

Just a lot of alignments.

People were ready to work here and I needed that energy.

I needed people who saw my light, saw me for who I was and wanted to get going on something.

And I had a lot of fun in LA, I had a lot of fun in New York, Atlanta, just the alignment was screaming at me to come down here.

And I am so glad I did.

- It sounds like you're one of those people who is all about like, let's go out, let's make it happen.

Let's do it.

You move quick.

Like I, you're in control of your life and your career and let's get it done.

- Definitely, (laughs) almost, sometimes to a fault where I'm just like, I'm just so ready to go.

And sometimes I think this year I've learned that like there's so much power in being still and letting things come to you.

And that's starting to happen in my career and I'm really, really, really grateful for that.

But most of my career I knew it was up to me.

And so I was on the go, on the run trying to meet people, trying to make things happen.

Just, you know, not waiting on anybody.

'cause I, there's no more, there's no time to wait on anybody for your dreams.

Who's gonna pursue your dreams except for you?

♪ I could show you things that you wouldn't believe ♪ ♪ If I opened up the door ♪ ♪ Oh, but I guess you'll never know ♪ ♪ Unless you treat me like a star ♪ (disco music) ♪ Maybe I could put you first ♪ ♪ If you treat me like a star ♪ ♪ I could be your whole universe ♪ ♪ If you treat me like a star ♪ ♪ Baby I could put you first ♪ ♪ If you treat me like a star ♪ ♪ I could be your whole universe ♪ ♪ Here we go, sing ♪ ♪ S-T-A-R ♪ ♪ I'm a star ♪ ♪ S-T-A-R ♪ ♪ If you want my heart ♪ ♪ S-T-A-R ♪ ♪ I'm a star ♪ ♪ S-T-A-R ♪ ♪ Gotta treat me like a star, yeah ♪ ♪ Baby I could put you first ♪ ♪ If you treat me like a star, yeah ♪ ♪ I could be your whole universe ♪ (disco music continues) ♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ I'm a star ♪ ♪ You better treat me like ♪ ♪ I'm a star ♪ - My name is Naoma, "The Goddess of Groove".

Thank you so much.

- [Narrator] Breaking into the hip hop scene is not easy.

But Savannah's, Clay Hodges, is willing to put in the work.

♪ There's a party at the White House like right now ♪ ♪ We was about to get hyped out so we find out ♪ ♪ That there's a party at the White House ♪ ♪ And we ain't invited ♪ ♪ No matter who in ♪ ♪ But it's okay ♪ ♪ Why ♪ ♪ Because we gonna have a C Pote party right here ♪ ♪ On peace, down, down by the river ♪ ♪ Look, look ♪ ♪ Let's go ♪ ♪ This that Gullah Gullah Geechee Geechee down by the river ♪ ♪ Gotta be solid if not you gone be found by the river ♪ ♪ Where you goin' shoot tonight I'm goin' down by the river ♪ ♪ 'Cause I heard it's up, you know ♪ ♪ It's going down by the river ♪ ♪ Got this river goddess with me I can drown in her river ♪ ♪ Got this that whip appeal it's only found by the river ♪ ♪ Everybody stepping out we got a crowd by the river ♪ ♪ Let me hear you make some noise ♪ ♪ If you get down by the river ♪ ♪ On my west side people where you at ♪ ♪ On my south side people where ya at ♪ ♪ On my east side people where ya at ♪ ♪ On my up top people where you at ♪ ♪ All my out of town people where you at ♪ ♪ Oh where you from let me hear you from the back ♪ ♪ I got my steppers with me got my back ♪ ♪ Dj run that back because I want to see it ♪ ♪ Bouncing, shake it on the floor ♪ ♪ If you real one let me know ♪ ♪ If you 'bout it let it show ♪ ♪ This one here for the pole ♪ ♪ Bounce it, shake it on the floor ♪ ♪ If you real one, let me know ♪ - My name is Clay Hodges.

I'm from Savannah, Georgia.

I'm a hip hop artist.

Do hip hop music.

- You do hip hop music and there's a lot of influence from Savannah.

- Yes.

- I want to know about it.

- Yeah, so you know us artists from Savannah.

Really a lot of people from Savannah.

We feel like we are overlooked.

So I definitely have that underdog mentality which makes me go that much harder, you know?

And outside of that, you know, on the urban side of Savannah, it has a reputation of being rough.

And that grit I feel translates into my music in a way where, you know, it's subtle, intolerable, you know.

And also like the African roots of Savannah, you know my song "Riverbounce", I wanted to show love because I know like in the hip hop a lot of times people don't necessarily always talk about that or if they do they don't do it in a cool way.

So I was like I gotta show love in a cool way.

♪ If you better than you did, right ♪ ♪ She go to say, she go to say she got her head right ♪ ♪ She go to Southern she yeah I said it right ♪ ♪ She go to say she gotta stay but she gonna wear it right ♪ ♪ She fun to play and if you ask her ♪ ♪ She gonna let you know she threaten to go ♪ ♪ She be listening ♪ ♪ She did ♪ ♪ That ain't for no vegetables ♪ ♪ You deserve to take a trip ♪ ♪ And you get to Mexico like your pretty self stop ♪ ♪ It's the (indistinct) who knows ♪ ♪ I got what you need look, mama, bro ♪ ♪ Up there look, mama ♪ ♪ Kick up your feet sip on your wine ♪ ♪ And feel free, mama ♪ ♪ 'cause you been working all day ♪ ♪ Cut this song and get that working all day ♪ ♪ Go working all day ♪ ♪ From the Pote ♪ ♪ So I say yo man, hey ♪ ♪ Yeah, they bad with that ♪ ♪ I act like the one spot state ♪ ♪ I get love from my city on the way to the bay ♪ ♪ And then I act like the C Pote women making it ♪ ♪ She from the Pote ♪ ♪ So she say, yo man, hey let me see you making ♪ ♪ I can stand and obey ♪ ♪ I get love from my city all the way to the bay ♪ ♪ Ain't no like them ♪ ♪ Love, love ♪ ♪ I got love for my women from the bay too ♪ ♪ If you got love for Clay do then that's bay too ♪ ♪ She from the bay ♪ ♪ So I call love my bay-bay ♪ ♪ But them C Pote women ♪ ♪ Take the cake, babe ♪ ♪ Let's get it ♪ ♪ Oh, we ain't playing with y'all ♪ ♪ I don't care where you at ♪ ♪ I need you to get up outta your seat ♪ ♪ Ah, ah, ah, baby ♪ ♪ Lemme see you pop it ♪ ♪ Shake it, drop it ♪ ♪ Whoa pop it, shake it, drop it ♪ ♪ Whoa pop it, shake it, drop it ♪ ♪ Whoa pop it, shake it, drop it ♪ ♪ If you be good to a brother, I'd be good to you ♪ ♪ If you be good to a brother, I'd be good to you ♪ - There's so much history that they don't speak about when you go on these tours.

'cause Savannah is a tourist town and a lot of these tours, they don't really touch on the real African history, you know?

And it's just good that we have people also, Ms.

Patt, Ms.

Patt Gunn, shout out to Ms.

Patt Gunn.

We have people in the community that are telling our story and I'm been blessed to be around those people and to absorb that information.

♪ Now baby pop that thing ♪ ♪ Drop that thing ♪ ♪ Lemme see you pop that thing ♪ ♪ Drop that thing ♪ ♪ Let me see you pop that thing ♪ ♪ Drop that thing ♪ ♪ Pick it up and drop that thing ♪ ♪ We'll start ♪ ♪ See in the circle then is getting lit ♪ ♪ Throw the water dripping ♪ ♪ We ain't even about to snoop ♪ ♪ Gotta twist the dripping thing ♪ ♪ Gotta see to your 10 ♪ ♪ I hope you manifesting everything that you can get ♪ ♪ Baby let see you pop it, shake it ♪ ♪ Drop it ♪ ♪ Whoa, pop it, shake it, drop it ♪ ♪ Whoa, pop it, shake it, drop it ♪ ♪ Whoa, pop it, shake it, drop it ♪ ♪ You be good to a brother ♪ ♪ I be good to you ♪ ♪ If you be good to a brother ♪ ♪ I be good to you ♪ ♪ Y'all be good ♪ - I want to take this second right quick.

Introduce the band.

This my guy, Mal on the keys, my MD.

This is my dog, Roa, on the drums.

And this my dog, Elijah, on the bass.

A lot of people that I work with from Savannah or they've been living here so long and we adopted them.

It's a lot of talent.

♪ Look, most of the people that I worked ♪ ♪ With from the Pope ♪ ♪ Either that or they so close to the coaches ♪ ♪ That they know I ain't make this hit a post on the fact ♪ ♪ That I'm the goat in my city, though that's true ♪ ♪ I'm here to let you people know ♪ ♪ I was born on the east side off Elm Circle on beach side ♪ ♪ Where Parkville used to be side ♪ ♪ Remember River Street Nights ♪ ♪ You would've thought it was a car show ♪ ♪ The way them boys roll up on the street lights ♪ - For somebody who doesn't know, gimme the just elevator pitch of what that history is that you feel is not being told to some of the tourists - That we built the city, that it's haunted because it's a lot of African spirits who are unrested and uneasy in the way that they passed.

Yeah.

- And then the enslaved people were pushed over to those outlying islands and things.

- Yeah.

And even the natives who were in that area, the Yamacraw people, you know what I'm saying?

Like how they were pushed out, you know what I'm saying?

And just written out of the history books in a way.

You know, it's a lot that they don't talk about.

♪ It ain't never disappeared ♪ ♪ It ain't never healed ♪ ♪ I thought it did till I got tricked ♪ ♪ Now I'm sitting here like, what the what ♪ ♪ Hit me with a upper cut and I ain't even see it ♪ ♪ I'm trying to find my balance since I'm ♪ trying to find a meaning I'm trying to find my light so that I can shine ♪ I'm right all my might ♪ ♪ I just to give us all the reason to be good ♪ ♪ To you I know you think then I'm no good for you ♪ ♪ But you can say I wasn't good to you ♪ - [Narrator] Do you wanna hear more songs and stories?

Check out our podcast at gbb.org/peachjam.

♪ Don't listen they misunderstood ♪ ♪ And you, I know you feel this weren't no good to you ♪ ♪ I really hope that you be good to you ♪ ♪ Y'all be good ♪ (hip hop music) - Y'all be good.

- [Narrator] Thanks for watching.

Please go out and support live local music and independent record stores in your area.

- To Peach Jam, I hope y'all enjoyed the (censored) Pote party.

Until next time.

Peace.