Jones let me know that after three intense years of touring, he would be stepping down as my DJ. I think he felt that his (significant) contributions to the show were going unnoticed.
This made me realize that I had to tweak the way I present things. I started billing shows as Height With Friends. I didn’t want to change the name to some whole other thing, but I wanted to imply that you should watch the whole unit and not just the guy with the mic. Also, I hoped it would encourage people to pay attention as members slip in and out, and take note of what each new person is bringing to the table.
Mickey Free, Emily Slaughter and Travis Allen served as the first live line-up of Height With Friends. We warmed up with two house shows in the Carolinas, and then made our big Baltimore debut in December.