If you’ve never seen the URTV show Mount Dungeon, you’re missing out, big time. The show airs every Thursday night at 11 p.m. on Charter Cable channel 20, and has consistently featured some of the local music scene’s most interesting and entertaining acts. What’s more, the show itself is strangely compelling, combining studio performances with strange, even awkward, interviews with the performers. It’s good stuff, really.
But who makes the show, and why? We emailed the Mount Dungeon team to find out more.
Mountain Xpress: What is Mount Dungeon? I mean, it’s pretty obvious it’s a public access TV show about local music, but what’s it really about? Exposing people to experimental and underground music? Showcasing the music of your friends? Meeting chicks?
JJ Jackson: The plan was to make a show showcasing the whole gamut of the Asheville music scene, exposing the off the wall to the more traditional rock acts.
Xpress: Who is behind this show? Who are the real players? What are their names? How’d they get involved, and what makes them stick around?
Ben Robinson: Me, Megan McKissack and John Robinson met Matt and JJ while filming a failed sci-fi pilot. I came up with idea for Mount Dungeon, and pretty much control what our visual style is. JJ books the bands, and Matt hypes the show. John runs the website and Megan has the most important job, editing the whole mess together.
Xpress: I saw in the web site that the team originally started wanting to make a sc-fi show. What happened?
Matt Howard: Ever try to make a good sci-fi show with no money? You can’t. What footage we got was pretty bad, so we gave up. (You can see some of it in the Dig Shovel Dig episode.)
Xpress: If your mission statement is to showcase Asheville’s underground music scene, I’d say that you’ve done a pretty good job at it. Thus far, you’ve showcased oddballs like Dig Shovel Dig and DJ Mrthebest with more accessible groups like the Rib Tips and Paperboy. It’s a good mix. How do you decide on who you’ll book for a given episode?
JJ Jackson: For a given episode it depends on the schedule of the bands (touring). I’m constantly on band websites looking at their tour schedule, seeing when they are free, etc. If the band doesn’t have a schedule and there is free spot (we’re booked till September), I just email them or call and ask them if they would like to play on such and such a date. I usually try for a mixed bag of acts during a set month, trying to keep it eclectic.
Xpress: Who came up with the title sequence? It’s pretty rad.
Ben Robinson: I drew it and Scott Furr animated it. Scott also did the backgrounds for like the first four episodes. He’s really good!
Xpress: No disrespect intended, but your interviews are very … weird. Not bad, exactly, but just kind of rambling, stilted and strange. Is this intentional, or just a lack of practice showing?
Matt Howard: The interviews you’re referring to just kind of happened like that. We’ve had a couple of personnel shake ups and I took over as host with the intention of a tighter yet zanier interview.
Xpress: Tell me about the viewer reactions you’ve gotten thus far. I’d imagine most is fairly supportive, but have you gotten anything really mean or angry yet?
Matt Howard: It’s been nothing but positive so far. If anyone doesn’t like it, they keep it to themselves.
Ben Robinson: Maybe we’ll get more complaints once more people have actually watched the show!
Xpress: What’s next for the show? How will it change and evolve in coming episodes, and what would you like it to ultimately be like?
Ben Robinson: We’re just going to focus on making it look and sound better. The basic formula that we’re using is working pretty well so far.
Xpress: What’s been your favorite episode thus far? Why? What about your least favorite?
Ben Robinson: Our favorite episode is always the current one.
Xpress: Care to share some of your thoughts on the future of the Asheville music scene? In particular, I’d like to know who you’re keeping an eye on, and your thoughts on the direction and trends of the underground scene.
JJ Jackson: The Asheville music scene is an ever changing scene. Right now I believe it’s on a very big upswing in the number of groups and quality of music being put out. As to keeping an eye on up and coming bands, there are lots of them, and we’ve had a lot of them on already. Go to our website to see their episodes!
Xpress: Are there any bands or performers in Asheville that will never be invited to
play Mount Dungeon?
Ben Robinson: Since there’s already plenty of shows on URTV representing the following genre, don’t expect to see any Jam bands.
Mount Dungeon sucks eggs.
Yo JamFan,
So you can do better? I’ll believe it when I see it.
As for Mount Dungeon, way to go! Your crew is making some mighty fine home-grown TV, which I much prefer to watching corporate pablum.
Clearly the imagination and hard work is there. IF you had a little funding to spend, you’d be scary great. Here’s hoping you get it but stay poor enough to keep doing what youre doing in Asheville.