Joey Letcher

You are the host of the new NACC Top 20 Countdown podcast. Tell us a bit about how this all came about.

I am! And it’s been a blast so far! I also do social media and correspondence for the music discovery magazine Maximum Alternative, and we feature the NACC Next and Non-Comm charts in our weekly issues. Our editor put me in touch with NACC, and after a few demos we went live with the podcast!

What is your favorite part of hosting the show?

Sharing music with others is a big passion of mine. It’s crazy, because I used to make little curated new music playlists for friends and share them on Facebook. Now I’m getting to share new music with the entire NACC audience! So the best part for me is connecting people to new music, sharing my stories and connections to the artists.

Who is an artist you had never heard of before you began putting the show together that has excited you the most to discover?

My answer to that actually comes from a little before I was the host of the show. One week when doing social media for Max Alt, I saw The Avalanches topping the NACC charts. A curiosity turned into an obsession! And they’re now my #1 most listened-to artist on Spotify so far for 2021. I think the beauty of the NACC charts is the diversity and wide range of sounds and genres we turn people on to.

What band/artist or style of music outside the realm of your college/community radio would people be most intrigued to hear you love?

I love jams bands! Phish, Grateful Dead, Twiddle, and the like are some of my favorites. Musical improvisation and experimentation has always intrigued me; I grew up a big Pink Floyd and Dave Matthews fan. I also love bluegrass; Railroad Earth, Billy Strings. And I LOVE indie emo music. Tiger’s Jaw, Modern Baseball, Joyce Manor, etc. I can go on…

What is the best advice anyone has ever given you?

This one was said to me recently so it’s sticking right now: don’t let anyone derail you from being you. There’s a lot of expectations of what people want you to be or how they want you to do things, but you know yourself the best, and if you’re honoring that, usually everything else falls into place.

What destination would you most like to visit and why?

I have always wanted to spend time in Ireland. I have Irish heritage and I absolutely adore Irish music. I almost took enough Irish culture courses in college to get a minor in it!

You just won 10 million dollars. What are you going to do with it?

Concert tickets! Just kidding…kind of. Probably invest enough to live off of, and try do good with the rest. I’d love to help with music-related charities and initiatives. And travel. I think seeing the world is the best way to learn about others and yourself.

Joseph Letcher

Entertainment Time: What is/are your current favorite TV obsession(s)? What’s a great movie (new or old) you’ve watched recently? What is your current favorite album?

TV: unconventional answer, because I’m busy and don’t always get to commit to a series, but I’m a big soccer fan and have been watching all the Euro tournament matches going on right now. International soccer is exciting stuff!
Movie: not a movie per say, but I love documentaries, and recently watched a YouTube documentary on John McAfee which blew my mind. Crazy stuff…
Album: love this question! I’ve made it a goal this year to listen to as many full albums as possible, because I love albums as works of art. My two favorites of recent have been Orca by Gus Dapperton and Norman F***ing Rockwell by Lana Del Ray.

Do you have a favorite restaurant where you live for take out or to take out-of-town guests to?

A go-to is Brick and Brew in the Philly suburbs. We go there all the time, and always take guests there! It’s gourmet bar food. They also have a great craft beer and cocktail menu. It’s just great, feel good food that never disappoints.

You’re stranded on a desert island. What five well known people (dead or alive) would you like to have there with you & why?

1. Trey Anastasio from Phish. We can spend a lot of time jamming!
2. Josh Gates from the Travel Channel/Discovery Channel. He’s a real-life explorer and adventurer. If you’ve never watched his show, look it up!
3. John Mulaney, to make me laugh and help make light of this stressful situation we are in on said island.
4. A cat. Oh you said well-known? Then a famous cat. We’ll go with Salem.
5. I’m bad at this…so I’m going to cheat and say a sushi chef, so on the deserted island, we can live off the sea, but in style.

Listen to Joey and the latest NACC Top 20 Countdown episodes right here on Spotify