VIA FLYPAPERNEWS.COM
Columbus’ Hip Hop Founder Takes Us to Hollywood!
Arrested Development. 2 Live Crew. Willie D. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. D.O.C. Dana Dane. Mega Banton. These are just some of the notable artists that visited the old Groove Shack here in Columbus, Ohio in the 90’s era. Anyone in-tune to the local hip hop scene in our city can tell you what the Groove Shack was and exactly what they loved about it the most. This record store was opened in 1993 by two determined men, Marty Jones and Mike Curry. These two had dreamed of owning their own record store because of their passion for hip hop music. They cultivated a vision, a plan of action, and never looked back. The 90’s proved to be very successful for the Groove Shack. They hosted a weekly “Open Mic” night complete with free sessions and a DJ to provide the music; and it was these sessions that ended up being their rocket to national attention.
Billboard Magazine featured the Groove Shack in a weekly spotlight they ran that would spotlight random record stores across the nation. It was this feature that would make history for the owners, artists, and customers of Groove Shack. The Associated Press loved the story, and ran a worldwide feature on the store! In 1997 the store closed its doors for good. And now Marty, one of the founders, is bringing it to Hollywood! He is making a film about the Groove Shack from its prime, and I sat down to talk to him about his past, his present, and his future with Groove Shack and the film.
Fly Paper: The news of the film is just now crossing our paths, but as I sat down to research it, I’ve noticed information from back into 2008! Has it been in the works for a while?
Marty Jones: Yes – since late 2007. I wanted to do a documentary about the record store and all the stuff that happened. I had old footage, and figured I’d put a DVD together for myself. At the end of ’07 I spoke to a friend in the film industry, who said it’s a great idea. He encouraged me to do more, and the idea mushroomed from there. The original intent was something small, but the further I got into it the bigger it got. In early 2008, I began to set up interviews from people who were involved and track people down. It just has taken that long. This is my first film so there is some work involved there to get caught up with editing, sound, and graphics. That’s how it got going!READ MORE
