Jeremy Radio + Zach Luper of Thousand Dollar Movie
Dive into the creative journey behind the split 7” collaboration between Charlotte’s instrumental post-rock band Thousand Dollar Movie and avant-garde trio MSSV. In this exclusive rBeatz.com interview, Jeremy Radio and Zach Luper share insights on their music, the inspiration behind “Block Out The Sun,” and the magic of working with legendary bassist Mike Watt and guitarist Mike Baggetta. Host Greazy Keyz brings the conversation to life with energy and depth.
EPISODE SUMMARY
Greazy: Hey, what’s up everybody? Welcome to another episode of Local Music Somewhere with rBeatz.com. I’m your host, Greazy Keyz, and today we have some awesome guests in the studio. Jeremy Radio and Zach Luper of the band Thousand Dollar Movie. Welcome to the studio, guys.
Jeremy Radio: Ahoy. Thank you.
Zach Luper: Thanks for having us aboard, man.
Greazy: We’re thrilled you could be here today, and I look forward to digging into some of your music and having a great conversation. So let’s start out with a little bit of background. You guys have been pretty active in the Charlotte music scene for quite a long time. I’ve personally had a chance to watch you guys from afar and check you out on Instagram and Facebook, but I’ve never had a chance to really have a conversation or jam with you before. I’m just really excited to have you here and get to know each other.
Jeremy Radio: No, we’re stoked. So Thousand Dollar Movie first started as a project with me and my buddy Jesse Proctor out in Seattle. He does a lot of licensing and instrumental music. He told me, “If you have any ideas, shoot them to me.” I love instrumental music like Explosions in the Sky, Godspeed, and all that stuff. So I started writing in that vein. Jesse liked the ideas but said they weren’t really going to work for commercial stuff. But I had all these riffs I really liked, so I thought, why not start a band and gig it?
Greazy: Makes sense.
Jeremy Radio: Yeah, me and Jesse did our first EP by sending stuff back and forth. Then, I put a band together here in Charlotte. In December of 2019, we played our first show at Petra’s and started gigging a lot. Zach and I have played in a few bands together and work really well together. It started with a rotating cast—whoever could do a show—but once things took off, I decided I needed a steady band. Zach was the call.
Zach Luper: Yeah, we write well together. We’ve toured together with different acts, and it’s been really cool. I’ve been playing in bands around Charlotte and touring for about 20 years, and this is probably my favorite thing I’ve done creatively.
Greazy: Fantastic.
Zach Luper: So we’ve done a few EPs and singles. Last year, we put out a concept record called Give Me a Year. It’s kind of about moving to a city and growing older there, but it’s something I think a lot of people can relate to.
Greazy: I can definitely relate to that. That’s incredible.
Jeremy Radio: Yeah, and this year we put out an EP called Bird Feeder, Volume 1. Tomorrow, we release our first vinyl.
Greazy: Congratulations.
Jeremy Radio: Thank you. There’s nothing like hearing your own music on vinyl. It’s the coolest.
Greazy: I haven’t had that experience yet, but I imagine it’s amazing.
Jeremy Radio: It really is. I’ve played on other people’s vinyl, and that’s still rad, but this is the first one where we wrote the songs. It’s on a whole other level.
Greazy: That’s fantastic. So, Thousand Dollar Movie is an instrumental band. Was that always the concept?
Jeremy Radio: Yeah. With the last couple of records, Zach, Leo Salise, or I would bring a riff idea, and we’d kick it around. Writing instrumental music is always a challenge because you need to make it engaging without lyrics. It can’t be boring or overly technical; you have to convey emotion and tell a story. We keep working on a song until we feel that gut punch. If we feel it, we trust others will too.
Greazy: That’s awesome. Zach, what’s your take on it?
Zach Looper: It’s a blast. Usually, when playing other people’s music, you follow their structure and lyrics. But with this, there are no words, so the instruments take the lead. It feels like everything interweaves, and we’ve developed a strong chemistry.
Greazy: That’s evident. Your songs stand on their own. As a musician, I gravitate toward groove and instrumentation before lyrics. You’ve captured something really unique.
Jeremy Radio: Thank you. It helps that we know each other well and can read each other’s minds live. Sometimes we’ll improvise live, making a song longer or shorter. It’s seamless because we’re all in sync.
Greazy: That’s amazing. Do your live performances deviate much from the recorded versions?
Jeremy Radio: Some songs lend themselves to improvisation more than others. Without lyrics, you have to stick to a roadmap to avoid getting lost. But certain sections allow us to explore. Sometimes a song feels so emotional that we extend it, and it becomes epic.
Greazy: I love that. Zach, tell us a bit about your approach as a musician in Charlotte. Do you juggle multiple projects, or do you focus on one?
Zach Looper: Both. You have to cast a wide net. We’ve been lucky to have steady touring opportunities, but we also do studio work. Some years are heavy on touring; others are more studio-focused. It keeps things interesting.
Greazy: Jeremy, you mentioned stage managing this year. What was that like?
Jeremy Radio: It was unique. I managed a children’s show—without children. I love every aspect of the industry, whether I’m on stage or behind the scenes. But being on stage is my favorite.
Zach Looper: He’s one of the few bass players who manages to be at the front of the stage.
Greazy: That’s rare for bass players. Zach, is bass your primary instrument?
Zach Looper: Yeah, I started on bass when I was 12 after getting into punk rock. I’m one of the rare bass players who stuck with it and didn’t switch to guitar.
Greazy: That’s cool. What’s your take on five-string basses?
Zach Looper: Mike Watt says he’ll use a five-string after he masters the four-string, and I’m with him on that. I use one in the studio occasionally, but live, I’m a four-string guy. It’s just what feels right.
Greazy: Jeremy, who are your influences?
Jeremy Radio: Mike Watt, for sure. His philosophy on music and DIY culture was profound for me. He inspired me to tour, put out records, and play shows.
Greazy: How about you, Zach?
Zach Looper: Johnny Marr. My dad introduced me to The Smiths, and I was blown away. His use of arpeggios and reverb really stuck with me.
Greazy: That’s evident in your sound. You guys create such an ethereal vibe. Any advice for young musicians?
Jeremy Radio: Just start. Write songs, book a show, and go for it. My first tours were rough—overdrafted accounts and sleeping on couches—but they started everything for me. Waiting for the perfect situation means it might never happen.
Jeremy: But I think for me, it all came down to like, just go, just do it. And that’s usually my advice: if someone has a tour where you can go be the merch guy, go learn. Everybody is more likely to bring someone on the road that has some experience. If someone’s willing to give you that first shot, take it.
Book shows, start a band—it’s the coolest thing on the planet. I thought that when I was 13, and I just turned 40, and I still 100% feel the same way. In the same two weeks, I got to play Madison Square Garden and Snug Harbor. And I had just as much fun at both of them.
You’re like, “No, that’s not true.” But I was like, “No, it is.” I just love playing shows. It gives me a lot of joy. So yeah, just book the gigs and get out there.
Greazy: How about you, Zach? Any input on that?
Zach: Yeah, I mean, book the gigs. I think, like, find somebody you can jam with. Especially with YouTube, you can learn so much. You can lock yourself in your room and become, you know, virtuosic—well, I guess you don’t become that. But like, if you can’t play with somebody next to you, you can’t really do a whole lot.
Find somebody to jam with, learn some songs together, and then you’re gonna be like, “Okay, we’ve learned five songs. Should we write our own song?” And then it just snowballs. Then you’re just gonna be writing your own stuff.
Jeremy: Right, and next thing you know, you’re 40 years old.
Greazy: Yeah. Hey guys, thank you so much for coming in. We’re gonna take a quick break with a word from some of our friends and sponsors, and we’re gonna hear some live music here from $1000 Movie. Stick around.
Greazy: Let’s go, Checkers! How about that? Welcome back to Local Music Somewhere. Our R Beats crew—again, give a shoutout to our R Beats team for surpassing 100,000 subscribers on YouTube. Congratulations, team!
In the studio, we have Zach Looper and Jeremy Radio from the band Thousand Dollar Movie. They’re going to give us an exclusive performance right now. All right, fire it up, boys!
Jeremy: Yeah, this one’s off our new 7-inch that comes out tomorrow. It’s a split with MSSV. The song’s called “Block Out the Sun.”
(Song performance)
Greazy: Oh, thank you. Fantastic.
Jeremy: We got one more?
Greazy: Yeah, let’s go for it.
Jeremy: This one is called “If I Break, Buy a New One.”
Zach: Ready, Jeremy?
Jeremy: Ready.
(Song performance)
Greazy: Fantastic. Thank you, Jeremy. Thank you, Zach, for coming into the studio to share your beautiful music with us. Man, if that doesn’t deserve to be on some kind of soundtrack, I don’t know what does.
It’s really cool to hear that interpretation of your music. I’m sure it’s different from having the full band with you, but it’s amazing. Before we let you go, let us know what shows you’ve got coming up for the end of the year.
Jeremy: Yeah, our split 7-inch is out tomorrow. You can get it at Lunchbox Records or on our socials, where we’ve got links to everything. We’re playing December 20th at Petra’s. Four Finger Records is throwing a holiday showcase party, and it’s going to be really rad. It’s a bunch of Charlotte bands—Whistler, Thousand Dollar Movie, Benton, and more.
We were also part of a really rad in-studio concert to raise money for Western North Carolina artists and musicians. It’s called From Scene to Scene, and it comes out Saturday, December 14th. If you search For The Birds Vodcast, you’ll find it.
Zach: Follow Four Finger Records on any of the socials. We’ll be posting about it as well.
Jeremy: Yeah, that comes out then. And then we’re hitting the studio in February to work on the next one. It’s going to be rad.
Greazy: Awesome. Thanks again, guys. This has been Greazy Keyz with rBeatz.com. Local Music Somewhere. We’ll catch you next time. Have a good day!
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