Stay ConnectedWhether you write music, record music, play music…….or just LOVE music, this podcast is for you!
Note: Mix equal parts Top Hill Recording Podcast and bourbon.
Visit “One Shot One Mic One Song” on YouTube to hear artists from this podcast recorded live with a minimalist one mic approach from the past.
Copyright: © Brad Weston/Neil Johnstone
With a desire to open the mind of the modern music scene, Watkins brings flavors of Classic Pop and Alternative Rock into the world with an experimental twist. Their folk-rock and indie influence comes across in the dynamics of the music. Lead Singer, Taylor Watkins, has created a grassroots following across the country, known for his new age guitar picking and unique vocal performance. The band brings love and energy to the stage and always leaves the crowd with a deeper sense of community. The love for traveling and psychedelic spirituality shines through in the lyrics and keeps the band motivated to spread their message.
Lucy & The Love Letters isn’t just a band—it’s a living, breathing love story told through sweet melodies, vivid memories, and meaningful words. Founded by Kentucky singer, songwriter, and fiddle player Lucy Becker, the project was born from an unexpected spark: a songwriting assignment that ignited a lifelong passion for transforming emotion into music. From that first tune, Becker knew she was meant to write more than songs—she was meant to craft love letters in sound.Blending jazz, pop, and touches of bluegrass, Lucy & The Love Letters creates a spellbinding sound marked by sultry undertones and an unapologetically unique flair. The band features a rotating cast of musicians, each bringing their own influences and sonic secrets to the stage. No two performances are ever the same, making every show a one-of-a-kind experience.Their debut performance unfolded inside the cozy magic of Hidden Chapter Bookstore in Ft. Thomas, Kentucky, followed just two months later by a headlining New Year’s Eve celebration at 21C Museum & Hotel in Lexington, where they partnered with Sora Aerial Arts for a fully immersive night of music and movement.Lucy & The Love Letters released their first single, “Sweetest Shade of Rose,” on August 29, 2025, now available on all streaming platforms. More than just music, the band invites listeners to slow down, notice the beauty hidden in ordinary moments, and let those fleeting details linger long after the final note.
Fuzzstration was formed in 2018 by Eric Rhodes, Matt Seelye and Ryan Smith in Crandall, Indiana. The musical style can be summed up as “modern classic rock” with a wide variety of influences. In 2021, Fuzzstration started the “Fuzzy Pig Festival” in Milltown, Indiana. From building the venue from the ground up, it has become a hit in the local community featuring original bands of any style from the area.
Louisville, Kentucky based, country-blues artist Andy Branton cut his teeth playing guitar in country and rock & roll bands around the West Alabama bar scene. After years of collecting stories and songs while driving up and down Alabama’s highways and dirt roads, he released his debut EP 47 Minutes Away.
Andy assembled a crack team of Birmingham, Alabama’s finest musicians - including Adrian Marmolejo(Early James & the Latest, Zachary Williams & the Dirty Camaros, The StepDads); Les Nuby, formerly of Verbena (Capital Records); Ford Boswell (Early James & the Latest, Zachary Williams & the Dirty Camaros, Will Stewart); and Daniel Raine (Little Raine Band, The StepDads) - to commit his songs to tape. The band worked its magic, cranking out the tunes in just one 8-hour session.
One of the highlights from the record, the ballad Time to Go hauntingly captures the utter doneness you can feel when finally leaving a place. It predicts Andy’s eventual move to Louisville, Kentucky as he sings about driving on “northbound 65” with “a new direction now.” You can find Andy making his way around the country - ever writing, ever singing, ever playing, and ever moving.
Eclectric is a Louisville-based rock band whose story began in December 2022 at Bellarmine University. What started as a shared love of playing music quickly grew into a creative partnership between four friends: guitarist Lance Oliphant, bassist Micah Davisson, guitarist Matthew Seelye, and drummer Lucas Wheatley. With Oliphant, Davisson, and Seelye all contributing vocals, the group built a sound rooted in collaboration and chemistry.
Eclectric’s music is as dynamic as the band itself—balancing vulnerability with intensity, weaving thoughtful lyrics into powerful arrangements. Their influences reach back to the swirling tones of classic psychedelia while embracing the drive and energy of modern rock, creating a style that feels both familiar and fresh.
Onstage, Eclectric thrives on connection. Their performances are not just sets of songs but shared experiences—moments where the band’s passion for music translates into an energy that pulls the audience in. Whether in an intimate room or on a festival stage, they deliver a sound that is alive, immediate, and unmistakably their own.
With each show, Eclectric continues to carve out their place in the Louisville music scene, building on the foundation of friendship, musicianship, and the belief that rock is meant to move both the heart and the body.
Jordan A. Wilson, born in Cincinnati, OH, and raised in Carrollton, KY, is a dynamic artist blending nostalgic rhythms with fresh originality. A self-taught guitarist, he began playing at 14, performing solo, in church, and at talent shows. Over the years, Jordan became a key figure in the Cincinnati music scene, collaborating with artists like Joseph Nevels (now Los Angeles), Lauren Eylise, and as a member of KNOTTS, while also leading his own band, the Jordan Wilson Coalition.Base in Madison, IN, the Coalition fuses Blues, Alt-Rock, R&B, Soul, and Funk-what Jordan calls "Alt-Blues, Rock "N' Soul". The sound has been described as a blend of Bill Withers and Jimi Hendrix, sprinkled with some alt-rock seasoning. The band has been billed with Patti LaBelle, Erykah Badu, Thundercat, Eric Gales, Mr. Sipp and Ronnie Baker Brooks at venues like the Rose Center (Dayton), Heritage Bank Center, Megacorp Pavilion, Memorial Hall (Cincy) and more.
Back by popular demand, Southern Indiana’s own Justin Miller and The Elements of Sound returns to Top Hill Recording Podcast! Blending rock, folk, pop, blues, and hip hop into a style that’s uniquely their own, this genre-bending group has become a staple of the Kentuckiana music scene.Fronted by multi-instrumentalist and looping pioneer Justin Miller—who got his start beatboxing and playing acoustic guitar in Louisville—the current lineup features Noel Calilung on bass, Nate King on drums, Jared Burch on keys, Good Time Charlie Dixon on djembe, and Lance Oliphant on guitar. Together, they form a dynamic and soulful crew that’s as tight-knit as the local music community they help uplift.Since 2017, Elements of Sound has been grinding it out on the grassroots circuit—lighting up festivals, bar stages, and backyards nearly every weekend. Tune in as we catch up with the band to talk creative process, collaboration, and what’s next for one of the region’s hardest-working groups.
New Gunk is a five-piece instrumental force beamed in from somewhere just outside the known galaxy. With a lineup of trombone, saxophone, guitar, bass, and drums, they conjure sounds that feel both ancient and extraterrestrial—equal parts cosmic ceremony and dancefloor detonation.Born from a collision of groove-heavy experimentation and metaphysical curiosity, New Gunk isn’t just a band—it’s a transmission. Their live sets are equal parts ritual and release, where melody spirals, rhythms pulse like gravitational waves, and horns cut through the void like celestial signals. There's no frontman here—just five sonic channels tuned to a single, undeniable frequency: GUNK.Are you drifting? Searching? Slightly vibrating? That’s no accident. You may be experiencing early-stage ingunkrination. Don’t fight it—lean in. Bring your best shoes for dance bouncing, align your crown chakra, and prepare for contact.Where’s your Gunk at?
VALE is a rock and roll/psychedelic band hailing from Louisville, Kentucky. Known for their swirling, atmospheric sound, VALE has been a staple of the Louisville music scene for years. Drawing inspiration from classic psych rock and modern alternative, their music blends heavy grooves, expansive guitar work, and a raw, soulful energy. VALE continues to carve out their own lane—balancing vintage tones with a forward-thinking edge. Whether on stage in a packed club or echoing through the backwoods of Kentucky, VALE delivers a sonic experience.
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