When Alicia told me we were stopping by Duesy’s one night to see Matt Cashdollar and Adam (Rudy) Rudolph performing, I was like, “Cool, I love Freak Brothers.”

Little did I know Rudolph and Cashdollar’s newest incarnation is quite a bit different from anything I’d seen from them before. When Alicia and I got to Duesy’s, the two were behind a console with a giant L and H in front of it. They were moving around quite a bit, but they weren’t playing any instruments I could see.

And the sounds filling the club sounded like techno dance music, with funky grooves reminiscent of classic 80s pop.

This was my introduction to Love Hustler.

The music I was hearing is known as electro funk. It wasn’t the old Freak Brothers stuff I knew and loved, but I had to admit these guys were onto something. The more I heard, the more I liked it. Next thing I knew, I was searching for their music online, nodding my head, and tapping my foot. 

For this episode of the Keepin’ It Local Podcast, Alicia and I visited Rudolph and Cashdollar at their recording studio here in Fort Wayne. They told us how Love Hustler came into being—including the origin of the name (and the reason Adam’s mom initially hated it). Then they talked to us a little about their backgrounds as musicians. Next, we discussed their sound and where they see their partnership going in the future.

Finally, we opened the interview up for a big announcement. I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but it has something to do with a company called Jumpsuit Records and a guy who calls himself The Polish Ambassador.

Give it a listen and then head over to LoveHustler.com