LoCLE Grown made its first entrance to the scene on WBWC FM 88.3 The Sting, Baldwin Wallace University’s radio station. Laird, as a BWU student, was heavily involved with the station, starting by shadowing DJ Dennis King, who hosted the tropical program Island Time.
A year after graduating, Laird returned to the station, with Urban’s help, to create a show for local acts. The two Jordans hosted the program on Tuesday nights for two years before deciding to make LoCLE Grown an independent podcast.
“I think that when we started this originally, I’m not saying that there wasn’t anybody else doing it, but there weren’t a lot of people that were highlighting the Cleveland music scene,” Urban says. “I think there was definitely a big gap to fill, a lot of opportunity there.”
The two co-hosts, friends who have known each other for 22 years since growing up as next-door neighbors in Medina, use their respective professional skills in the LoCLE Grown project. Laird works in the sponsorships division of a live entertainment company, and Urban is the event manager at Forest City Brewery.
Now, on most Sundays, they record new episodes of LoCLE Grown from their studio space in Cleveland’s Rock & Roll City Studios.
Podcast episodes have spanned genres and styles, featuring acts like acclaimed indie-rock band Mr. Gnome, breakout reggae-funk group Tropidelic, music producer Chris DiCola, Apostle Jones singer Mikey Silas, 2024 Best of Cleveland winner Da Land Brass Band and singer-songwriter Anya Van Rose.