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PAUL:

The birthplace of America's music takes center stage at America's New Year celebration. Mississippi is about to show the world.

Hey, it's Paul Wolf for the front-row seat to conversations on culture from Jackson, Mississippi. We call our podcast Soul Sessions. It's the people, places and events that make the City With Soul shine. On today's show, we're celebrating Mississippi's cultural spotlight at the 136th Tournament of Roses Parade.

Our guests are Dr. Roderick Little, Director of the Sonic Boom of the South, and Katie Coats, Director of Marketing for Visit Mississippi. We'll explore how the boom is preparing to bring their signature sound to Pasadena and get the inside scoop on Visit Mississippi's stunning float, honoring Elvis Presley and B.B. King.

And we'll start today with my colleague Yolanda Clay-Moore and her time with Dr. Little.

YOLANDA:

Thank you for being with us today.

RODERICK:

No, thank you for having me, Yolanda. It's a joy being on.

YOLANDA:

I know that it's hard to fathom, but just in case there's someone who's listening who doesn't know what the Sonic Boom of the South is, can you just give us a little blurb about who you are?

RODERICK:

Well, the Sonic Boom of the South is the best band in the land. The official marching band for Jackson State University, the flagship institution here in Jackson, Mississippi. And we act as ambassadors of goodwill for the university. And so much so to where we are embedded in the culture of Jackson State, not just Jackson State, but also Jackson, Mississippi. And we like to say that we are definitely upper echelon of bands. Our students work extremely hard. And that's basically a little bit of background about our program.

YOLANDA:

You've had quite a year. For those who don't know, if you saw the Super Bowl halftime with Usher, the band behind the scenes was the Sonic Boom of the South. And now you're embarking on a new journey and being selected to march in the upcoming Tournament of Roses. I mean, this is incredible. How do you even process all this?

RODERICK:

Well, to be honest, Yolanda, I really haven't. Things are happening so quickly. When I received this coveted opportunity to serve as director of bands back in 2020, right in the midst of COVID, I may add. The first thing that popped in my mind was, you know, how can I move a band program that has accomplished so much for it? One of my strategic goals was to place the university and not just the university but also the band program on a major platform. So the Super Bowl being one of those, and of course, the Tournament of Roses is another one. You know, we're going to have millions of people that are going to tune in for the Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year's Day.

YOLANDA:

And what opportunity to put a name out of our students and our university by participating on that platform. You've kind of spoke a little bit about it, but tell us what these opportunities mean, not just for the band, but for the university, for our city and our state.

RODERICK:

Right. Sometimes, and unfortunately, know, Mississippi, they get a bad rep. And we know by being inhabitants of Mississippi and actually living in Mississippi that, know, we have a lot of good things to offer. And putting our band program on a stage like that, basically helps us tell that narrative and helps us tell that story that we have many great things coming out of the state of Mississippi. And more namely, you know, we're going to be the only HBCU band that's going to be participating in the band this year. So not only are we representing Jackson and Jackson Mississippi, we're also representing all HBCUs, you know, showcasing what we have to offer. And we already know what we mean to our culture, but I think it's high time for all people to understand what HBCU band programs mean to not just a regional standpoint, but just a global standpoint as well.

YOLANDA:

Absolutely. I know that The Boom already has a strong, strong work ethic. What is it like preparing for this event?

RODERICK:

Well, know, to your point, we do have a strong regimen of hard work within our program. And so this is kind of like business as usual. We don't take beer in a part of this platform for granted. So we're definitely going to perform and prepare adequately for that. But we always make sure that we keep our students in what we like to call a perpetual state of readiness. So that means that no matter if we're going down the street locally for a community event, we're always going to make sure that we put our best foot forward. When you're in a parade here in the city and the state, then of course, there's going to be those supporters who are behind you 100%.

YOLANDA:

For those who've never experienced it, what can they expect?

RODERICK:

They can expect that Sonic Boom energy. For those that may not be familiar with our program, we have an energy and our style is definitely our match. When you look at the Sonic Boom of the South, you get a package deal. You don't just get a band program playing instruments. You get the Jackson 5 Drum Major Squad, who was second to none. You get the Prancing J-Settes. And then you get all of the other aspects of the sections that make up the Sonic Boom of the South. You're going to get a show from the beginning of the parade block all the way to the end of the parade block. And that's something that definitely has not been recreated and cannot be recreated.

YOLANDA:

I've experienced it so many times. I can't even count, but it's just something about the arrangements, the sound. It's incredible. I mean, my hat's off to you. I don't know how you do it, but it is absolutely incredible. mean, we are literally blown away when we hear The Sonic Boom in the South.

RODERICK:

Well, you know, we do it and I'm utilizing the word we by design because we have an outstanding staff. Of course, I'm the director of bands and you know, sometimes I'm the face quote unquote of the program, but you know, we have so many individuals that help us run this outstanding program, you know, and so I would be remiss if I did not recognize my style, is. Kevin Johnson, he's our associate director of bands. He's the gentleman that derives 90 % of our music. And so you mentioned the sound of the Sonic Boom in the south. It is pinned more namely, you know, by him. And then we have our director of plans and J-Settes, Mrs. Chloe Ashley Crowley, who does an outstanding job.

We have our newly minted assistant band director and also percussion instructor, Dr. Justin Sherrod. Our executive administrative assistant is Courtney Lesh. She's my right-hand woman. And then of course we have our retention and compliance coordinator. This is basically our academic liaison. is Ms. Carrie Sopper to make sure the students are doing what they need to do. That's my immediate staff in the course. We have our administration who's definitely supportive of our efforts in The Sonic Boom of the South, our president, President Marcus Thompson, our provost, Dr. Denise Gregory, our dean, Dr. Rico Chapman, and our chair, Lisa Beckett Roberts. it definitely takes a village.

YOLANDA:

I'm certain it does. You know, it's just speaking about what it takes to make this happen. Let's talk about the expense. I'm not asking you for dollars, but I'm asking you give us information of how the people who listening to this podcast can support your effort to get your band to Pasadena.

RODERICK:

I appreciate you saying that, Yolanda, and I actually don't mind sharing the figure because I think so often, you know, lot of our fan base, they really don't know what it takes to travel the band financially. I mean, just to make it to our stadium is anywhere between $10,000 and $15,000. And you're just talking about transportation, the Veterans Memorial Stadium. So in order to get our students to pass it in, it's going to cost close to a million dollars, but we're asking for $850,000 to make sure that our students are comfortable. And so that's roughly $3,300 per student.

I am inclined to think that, you know, with our platforms, a platform like this one, there may be a listener that's listening to this podcast that can literally write the stroke of a pen on a check.

YOLANDA:

Well, we hope that if you're listening and you can make this happen with the stroke of a pen that you will do so. know, Visit Mississippi is partnering with us to do a float. We can't wait to meet you in Pasadena. We're really excited and we're, look, we're getting some uniforms together. So we're going to be right there with you.

RODERICK:

It's great to have the City of Jackson and all of Mississippi to be there and partake in this momentous occasion with us.

YOLANDA:

Thank you so much, Dr. Little, for joining us, the Director of Bands for the Sonic Room of the South. Now, I mentioned that Visit Jackson will be tagging along on a float with Visit Mississippi. And Paul, I think you might have a special guest.

PAUL:

That's right, Yolanda. I've got the Director of Marketing and Communications for Visit Mississippi. Katie Coates is here. And so I asked her,what inspired Visit Mississippi to participate for this first time ever in the Rose Parade?

KATIE:

Our director, Rochelle Hicks, was inspired through viewing it herself at home with her family on New Year's Day. know, here in Mississippi, sports and TV and quality time and traditions are so important to us. And we knew we were going to be launching our Birthplace of America's Music campaign in 2025. She thought, you know, what better way to announce this to the nation and to the world than through this really fun tradition.

PAUL:

We're celebrating these milestone anniversaries for Elvis Presley and BB King. They add such a special touch to the float. I know that they are kind of incorporated into the float design. Tell us a little bit about that float design and how it reflects Mississippi's musical heritage.

KATIE:

So we are working with a float maker out in California who has experience in this and expertise. And we kind of told them what we wanted to convey through honoring Elvis and BB, but also all of the music culture and influence that Mississippi has had on the nation and gave them a bunch of points of interest, including our Mississippi Blues Trail and Country Music Trail and signs and venues from across the state. And they took it and ran with it. And so it's going to be, obviously, live materials, magnolias, and then a bunch of different flowers that kind of create signage, iconic venues and musical instruments and things like that.

PAUL:

It's kind of the Rose Bowl thing, right, that the floats are made out of live flowers and in living materials? This really interesting design is going to stand out when it hits the TV screens and the parade route in California.

KATIE:

Yes, we've already seen a lot of excitement through the float makers that have come out and volunteered to help make our float what it's going to be. And then also the performers, we're going to have Brandon Bennett, an Elvis tribute artists and Chapel Hart. They're going to be performing a mashup medley of BB King and Elvis songs. And so even through their recording, all the different dancers we're going to have, everyone is so excited about this theme and to represent Mississippi.

PAUL:

Why does Visit Mississippi think that the Rose Bowl Parade, the Tournament of Roses is such a great platform to help share the Mississippi story with the world?

KATIE:

When Rochelle had this idea initially, you know, we are competitive in our tourism industry. It's fun. We all work together, but we also get a little competitive. And she noticed that a couple of other states had floats. And so she inquired. And when she read the impact that we would have through this investment, she knew it was just the perfect way to announce it. The Mississippi float is going to be viewed by 850,000 streetside spectators on the day. And then of course, 27 million U.S. television viewers. It's also streamed in 60 plus countries. And so beyond just the initial broadcast, we're going to have Float Fest afterwards where spectators can come and talk to us and see our float up close. And then of course, all the people who are working on the float ahead of time will be able to learn about the different points of interest that they're working on and speak to media about it.

PAUL:

Let's hope, and I believe that so many people are going to be inspired by seeing the Mississippi float, hearing the Mississippi story, of course, hearing the sonic boom of the South and the parade as well. And they're going to want to come to Mississippi. Katie, what do you recommend for folks who want to come here and explore that musical heritage for themselves?

KATIE:

So our primary messaging throughout the whole campaign and parade is to drive visitation to visitmississippi.org/music. And this is a great resource for all of the different music attractions and activities and events in our state. Of course we have that great history, but we have wonderful new items and musicians and attractions as well. And so, you know, beyond our music, we just want people to be inspired to come and see us, our culture, roads and trails, outdoor adventures and art scenes, everything that makes Mississippi what it is and just tell our unique story.

PAUL:

Katie, I'm so excited for this trip. You know, I'm going to be part of this group that goes to California along with you and the rest of the Visit Mississippi and Visit Jackson team. And look, my bags are already packed. I can't wait. I'll see you there.

KATIE:

See you there. Thank you, Paul.

PAUL:

We've had quite a full show today with Yolanda's interview with Dr. Roderick Little and my time with Katie Coats. If you want to learn more about Visit Mississippi's first-ever float in the Tournament of Roses Parade, and how you can support the JSU Sonic Boom of the South with their appearance in Pasadena. We'll put more details in our show notes at visitjackson.com/soulsessions. Our podcast is produced by Visit Jackson, the destination organization for Mississippi's capital city. Our executive producers are Jonathan Pettus and Dr. Rickey Thigpen, and I'm our managing editor.

You can learn more about the great work we're doing to help the city with soul shine at VisitJackson.com.

Season five of Soul Sessions begins January 10. I'm Paul Wolf. Thanks for listening.

Listen to previous episodes of Soul Sessions