The Scene Project

The Pilot. The Start. The First Step

This is how it all started. I, Bubba Startz, found three of my favorite songs, from my favorite artists, and introduced my friend and co host to them live on the air.

It is a magical thing that has begun here and we thank you for listening

Alyssa Keiser  “Seatbelt”

Seatbelt is a song about holding onto a relationship that already died and won’t be fixed (car that won’t drive). It’s a song that i really got to pour my self-destructing feelings into and be super vulnerable with.

Catch Alyssa all over the Yankton, Mitchell, Sioux Falls areas this summer and working closely with DBS Entertainment, The Scene and Startz and Endz.

Devon Sants    “I’m Not a Hero” (featuring Tyler Bills, Chris Grave, and Tom Frear)

A lot of the people I had in the video are good friends. most had already honed their craft better, and were further in their music careers than I was. So to see the kind of support from my peers was amazing. Very humbling and fun experience. Devon Sants on collaborating with Chris Graves, Tom Frear, Tyler Bills Devon Sants is a singer-songwriter with influences ranging from bands like KALEO, Amigo the Devil, Zachary Kibbee, and Hozier, to The Strumbellas, The Lumineers and Caamp. With a love for blues and soul, and a history of punk and folk, a fusion of genres comes bleeding through his songs. He is currently working on his debut album called “Wicked Road”.

Clayton Ryan    “Better Man”

Better Man was a song I was sitting on for awhile. Like any Rapid City resident that’s ever made that overnight drive to Denver International Airport, I was about swerving off the road by 4:00 AM, somewhere near the Nebraska state line. The one thing keeping me awake was wondering how my life had led to that moment and reflecting over the highs and the lows. I sat on it for about seven months and after leaving LA after heartbreak and financial-break, I rehashed the lyrics a bit and put out the song to help others going through a significant change. The song was engineered by Gage Schmitt and mixed and mastered by Patrick Cunningham! I played all the instruments except drums and piano, which were done by Patrick.

It took Clayton Ryan almost 24 years to find his hometown, his inspiration, and his voice. This was not by choice, but rather a complicated and impulsive pathway through the nation; the soul-singing Americana artist has dipped his pen into almost every conceivable aspect of the music industry from Los Angeles to Nashville, from jazz and classical music to hip hop and rock n’ roll, from writing commercial music to performing for crowds in honkey tonks across the plains. 

The Iowa-raised songwriter found his home in 2019 amongst the swaying pines and jagged cliffs of South Dakota’s Black Hills. His first successes in the industry came as a bassist and songwriter for Brandon Jones, opening for acts like Koe Wetzel, Jo Dee Messina, Flatland Cavalry, and Randy Houser. In the summer of 2022, his song “The Watchman of Spokane,” written for the duo Cottonwood Boys, was featured in American Songwriter Magazine, Americana Music Show, B Sides & Badlands, and South Dakota Public Broadcasting. This epic ballad – written about a true 1908 murder in a South Dakota ghost town- was praised by both Grammy Award-Winning songwriter Marcus Hummon and William Fitzsimmons for its “compelling” and “emotional” songwriting, citing similarities to Gordon Lightfoot and Jimmy Webb.

Most recently, his songs, “No Return to Sender,” “Song of Iowa,” and “Locked Up, Locked Down: Live from the Woodshop Sessions” have all been featured by GemsOnVHS, Sugar Lodge Records, and B Sides & Badlands. He has shared the stage or recorded with Canaan Cox, Liam St John, Cristina Vane, Tori Miller, Jalan Crossland, Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal, Jason Dea West, and Joshua Quimby, and appeared at Miner Music Festival, Big Turn Music Fest, Iowa State Fair, Des Moines Art Festival, Wild Bill Days, Sturgis Musicfest, Wild West Songwriter’s Festival, and National Western Stock Show.  

With a knack for quickly writing music on a daily basis, Clayton has worked regularly with Universal Music Production and Noise Candy Music in Los Angeles, working with producer Patrick Cunningham. The duo’s production highlights include songs in NASCAR, Fox Sports, CW’s “Walker,” the Tennis Channel, and Hallmark. The two released the powerful soul anthem “Better Man” in September of 2023.

Currently residing in Minneapolis, Clayton Ryan began his first solo LP in January of 2024. GHOST TOWN, an Americana concept album, is produced by Multi-Platinum selling artist Michael Shynes, engineereed and played by Isaac Levy and Bennett Vee at Rockhouse Productions in St. Joseph. The ensemble has worked with artists including Ryan Lewis, Ed Sheeran, Cory Wong, Yam Haus, and Brian Setzer. The record is set to release in the summer of 2024.

We are so pleased to present Bobbie Jo Kuhl, the founder of Stardustfest being held for the third year at Deadwood Mountain Grand in Historic Deadwood, SD. She is bringing healers, psychics, holistic medicine enthusiasts and music all together for one amazing day of festivities. Check out more on the website https://stardustfest.com/

Please join us for the next StardustFest at the Deadwood Mountain Grand in Deadwood,SD!
🤩12:30pm to 10:30pm🤩

StardustFest brings people together to raise a positive vibration through creativity, music, art, wellness, spirituality, local artisans and so much more!🤩

The event name was inspired by the fact that most of the elements that make up the human body were formed in stars. Every atom of oxygen in our lungs, of carbon in our muscles, of calcium in our bones, of iron in our blood was created inside a star before Earth was born.🌎

We are stardust, so dream big and let all of your creativity flow!🌳
The power of our existence is incredible, so let’s celebrate!💜

When we are inspired, we activate our own gifts and talents with pure love to the next highest level!💚

50 Local Vendors 😍

Indigenous, Camp Comfort, Bobbie Jo Kuhl, Devon Sants, Heath Johnson, Cory Gould, Chris Graves, Anthony Speiser, Ben Rose, Patrick Fahey and Sultry Shimmy Belly Dancing will be performing!💫✨💫

All Ages Welcome!🤩 

Day Pass 12:30pm-4:30pm -$5 (option to upgrade to full day pass day of the event or leave venue by 4:30pm) 

Advance Purchase for Full Day Pass- $15

(for ages 15 and up) 

14 and under are free 

Ticket prices at the door

$10 Day pass (12:30-4:30)

$30 Full Day pass at the door 

Tickets are non-refundable

I had the great pleasure of spending about a week with Luke Graves while he was touring around our neck of the woods. We talk about some shows we played and just music in general. The first show that we did live in studio and on our FB page. Enjoy the show and remember to go follow on Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/TheSceneSD

Ken Meyer, along with his siblings, are the fourth generation of Meyers in the beekeeping industry. We talk about how that led them into the world of hemp and all the exciting things that are happening right here at home in South Dakota. 

https://www.completehempprocessing.com/

Complete Hemp Processing is a leader in the nation for hemp fiber processing and South Dakota is a #1 producer in top categories across the board nationally for hemp. We are a leader and if we continue to do the right things to help South Dakota farmers we will become a hot bed for hemp industry. 

It was a very exciting conversation and I hope you come meet Ken and his friends on May 25th at Dr. Lucky’s in Mitchell for a great event where ag, music, and art all meet!!

Buckle in for a great conversation with singer/songwriter Chris Graves. We go in depth on being an artist and surviving in the music world today.

Chris has been a big part of what we have been building here and the other half of the Sants/Graves bromance. I absolutely love these two men. They have both embraced my crazy ideas and have been right there to help every step of the way. They will both be in Yankton April 26 then part of our Gentleman’s Writers Round on April 27 at Dr. Lucky’s in Mitchell, SD.

This is a long form Sunday Conversation. 

Check out Chris Graves (Huisenga) on Spotify

Spotify for old CH songs    NEW CG Spotify

Follow him on Instagram @iamchrisgraves

Enjoy the show and remember to visit our website https://www.patreon.com/TheSceneSD

Brad Morgan is a western Iowa born singer/songwriter who now spends half his year in the Music City, Nashville. We talk music business and what the Midwest Country Music Organization is doing to help artists like him continue to do what they were meant to do, write and perform original music. Then we dive into what we can expect at the MCMO Awards Show April 27th, 2024 in Arnold’s Park, IA.

Brad is nominated for Male Vocalist of the Year again, an award he has already held for the last 12 months, and Video of the Year for his song Beer Disappears. 

Check out everything Brad Morgan here https://bradmorgan.net

Elizabeth Luczak joined the pod and had a quick chat about some really exciting events happening right in Mitchell, South Dakota really soon. We are very fortunate to work closely with Elizabeth on all of our events in Mitchell and she is just a bundle of energy all the time. I really appreciate her taking some time to get on the pod and talk about all the cool stuff that is happening this summer in Mitchell, SD!!

The mission of Mitchell Main Street & Beyond is to influence the advancement, development and use of the main street area, by supporting business and retail development, delivering downtown events, and working with stakeholders on improvements to infrastructure and buildings.

Mitchell Main Street and Beyond is an economic development program specifically targeted to provide assistance to Mitchell’s historic commercial district. The downtown has a unique sense of place which, as part of a national trend, is becoming increasingly popular as a place to do business, shop, dine, live and experience family activities. We take pride in presenting a clean downtown with many opportunities to discover Mitchell’s historical roots while creating a wonderful atmosphere to shop, eat, work and play. 

Our organization is dependent upon its many volunteers, members, partnerships and liasons within the city of Mitchell in creating a brick and mortar business climate within the downtown area. The many business and building owners within the historic district do indeed make Mitchell’s Main Street a great place to Shop. Dine. Live. Experience.

Had a great chat with Samuel John, singer/songwriter from Minnesota is new to being a songwriter and we talk about some of those challenges. We also talk about the advantages of having a lot of great people around you. 

Sam is joining fellow Gentlemen Devon Sants and Chris Graves at Dr. Lucky’s in Mitchell, South Dakota April 27. 

All three have been guests on the show and I hope you check the past episodes out as well

https://www.samueljohnband.com/

A Special Edition of Love Noise featuring three Midwest Country Music Organization members; Startz and Endz (Bubba Startz), Brad Morgan, Samuel John

On the eve of the 2024 MCMO Award show in Arnold’s Park, IA April 27 we bring you music and a little bit about the organization, the awards show, and the music you can hear from the members. Dave and Bubba cover the energy of the movement in Sioux Falls right now and the success of The Scene as a community. 

Thanks to Brad and Sam for writing some great music and I’m really happy to have my own music from Startz and Endz featured along side these two men. 

More about Brad Morgan 

More about Samuel John

More about Startz and Endz