Episode 1- George Floyd/Ahmaud Arbery

This week Jesse and Corey dive deeper into the topic of sports because, well, they are just super macho guys who have so much to offer on the subject. Okay, maybe that's a different show. This episode they talk about the power that sports hold in the black community. As a platform for change. As a lottery ticket. As an identity. They discuss the common occurrence of black men being labeled as athletes (even when they aren't.... and even when they're 50!) as well as many other negative issues that are byproducts of a hyper focus on athletics. They of course save plenty of room to talk about Hootie, naked virtuosos, and the fact that vinyl has now outpaced CD's for the first time since the 80's. Join the conversation!

This week Jesse and Corey get way out of their element and talk about college football. In the past few months an increasing amount of coaches have gone on record in support of Black Lives Matter. Specifically the head coach of the University of Alabama, Nick Saban, was filmed in a student video lending his support to his players. A few weeks later he led a march through campus which brought him to the very steps Alabama governor George Wallace stood on nearly 60 years ago to block the first black students to be integrated into UA. Jesse and Corey discuss the positive and negative role sports has on the culture, how drummers were already used to plexiglass well before the pandemic, and they conduct their first album review which immediately goes off the rails.

This week on 2 Americas Jesse and Corey sit down with Jesse's mom on her front porch in the east side of Birmingham. They discuss the history of their family and how they are connectioned to slavery and multiple plantations in the Birmingham area (Did you know Woodlawn and Roebuck were named after a plantation owner?!?!) They also talk with her about growing up in the Jim Crow era and what it was like raising black children in the 70's. This episode is in 2 parts and you don't want to miss either one. Music and comics are given a rest this week because there are just too many good stories to cover. Enjoy the conversation.

This week Jesse and Corey pick up part 2 of their conversation about some recent crimes in their city and how stereotypes have contributed to the narrative. They attempt to be honest about their own prejudices in order to try and make sense of why our societies cast aside certain demographics. It's a difficult subject to talk about and one with no clear answer, however, the hosts do their best to bring these difficult conversations to light. Despite the heavy subject matter Jesse and Corey still carve out time to talk about their high school honors, why 30A is the whitest place in the world, and how NWA was ironically a racial bridge builder. Join the conversation.

Episode 6: The Elephant In The Room (part 1) This week Jesse and Corey navigate sensitive current events in their hometown of Hoover,AL but that also reflect issues that are coming to light all across the country. They are sure to offend all sides of the issue in this 2 part series that focuses on crime and how stereotypes contribute to racism. As usual they take the edge off with random conversations about super heroes, strange 4th of July traditions, and in their most offensive conversation yet they stereotype every member of a hypothetical rock and roll band. (Sorry keyboard players.) Join the conversation.

As the Black Lives Matter movement continues on, there also continues to be a resistance.  Jesse and Corey discuss some of the reasons why the voices of black Americans still struggle to be heard. This week Corey tells more of his story by sharing  his experiences growing up in a predominantly white community and how racism, both blatant and subtle, shaped his view of society. They discuss how the pervasiveness of those kinds of experiences have become a primary reason for the current resistance of any antiracist movement.  Of course they also weave their way through random music topics including the take over of drum machines, the etymology of Def Leppard album titles, and why David Gray is the model for musical success. Listen in and join the conversation.

Jesse and Corey continue their conversation on how Christianity shaped the African American culture throughout history and how that has led to religious expressions in modern times. They look back on the role of Spirituals and how a message of hope was passed on through generations of African Americans despite the inequality in worship experiences. Rounding off the hard edges of these sensitive issues of faith and race are stories of  motorcycle rides, high brow parties, professional dancing and a myriad of other irreverent yet humorous topics that Jesse and Corey weave into the conversation. 

Christianity offered hope to many African Americans despite it first being used to manipulate and oppress them.  Jesse and Corey dig deep into the issues of racial divisions within the church both historically and in modern day. Join them for an in depth discussion on faith and racial divisions as they consider the positives and negatives of religious, cultural differences.  Oh yeah and they also talk about Christian metal music and how skinny jeans and hair gel aren't doing much to help alcoholics.

Jesse and Corey discuss the history of the black culture in America in an attempt to make sense of how inequalities still exist across the nation. The conversation weaves its way through Jesse's experience at band camp, Corey's love for MC Hammer's first album, and Jesse's desire to see another version of the blues come up from the hardships of the pandemic, which they both agree has done more to make them overweight than be creative.

After a full year of talking about, talking about race relations in America, two friends and former bandmates, Jesse & Corey are officially launching the first episode of 2 Americas podcast. In this episode they talk about music, culture, and the emotional events of the past weeks involving the deaths of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery. It's the beginning of a conversation meant to bring people from different cultures together in order to find answers to one of the most difficult problems facing our society... the difference in the white American experience and the black American experience.