by Larry Felton.
On a Sunday afternoon in early August, I visited the Blake Annex to watch Hayes Fields and his sons, Lex and Tre, record Episode 103 of their podcast, Various Fields. Hayes is an actor, musician, and member of the MopCo Improv Theatre company. After the podcast wrapped, the three sat down to talk about how a family project grew into a showcase for the Capital Region’s creative community.
RRX: Before there was a podcast, what was life like for the Fields family?
Hayes: Creativity has always been part of our family. When I was growing up, we’d go to my mother’s and father’s house, and we’d do skits. We’d pretend to be in an elevator or make up little scenes.
When Tre and Lex were growing up, that same spirit stayed with us. We were cartoon adjacent, comic book adjacent, always talking, joking, making each other laugh. As a father, it was a delight to watch them grow into these incredibly creative people.
RRX: Where did the idea for Various Fields come from?
Tre: Dad was doing more acting and wanted another way to get himself out there. We’d all worked on different creative projects, but this was the first time we’d really come together as a family.
Lex: He said, “Let’s do a podcast,” and we all said, “Let’s see what happens.”
Hayes: We’d never done a podcast before. We didn’t know what we were doing, and that became part of the idea.
My father used to say, “We don’t know nothing.” We figured we’d just start, learn, and get better.
RRX: What has the podcast added to your family?
Tre: Growing up, Sundays were church and family. As we got older, everybody’s schedules changed. We stayed close, but life naturally pulls you in different directions. The podcast became one thing we could all commit to every week.
Lex: That’s what surprised me most. You start slowly pulling apart, and you don’t even realize it’s happening. Now every Sunday I get to see my dad and my brother. Even though we’re recording a podcast, we’re also just hanging out.
RRX: At what point did you realize the podcast could become more than just the three of you talking?
Hayes: Our family has always believed in reaching out to people. We talk a lot about encouraging literacy, getting people registered to vote, and helping wherever we can. The podcast gave us a platform to do those same things more publicly.
RRX: Your family has a phrase: “Seek out to reach out.” What does that mean?
Hayes: I always said that to these guys growing up: seek out to reach out. Look for opportunities to help people.
Lex: Dad said that to us almost every night before we went to bed. Now we have a place where we can actually do it. Maybe somebody has an art project or a story to tell. We can say, “Come on. Tell your story. We’ll throw your voice out into the world.”
RRX: Did you always know what kind of podcast this was going to become?
Tre: Not really. Pretty quickly we realized we didn’t want the show to be only about us. We wanted other people to share what they know.
Hayes: The internet already has enough people yelling at each other. We wanted to build something different.
I hope people feel like they’re sitting at the table with us. Maybe they don’t have that kind of family connection where they are. We hope they can laugh with us, listen with us, and just spend some time with us.
RRX: You’ve let people see the podcast evolve over more than a hundred episodes. How important is it to let the rough edges show?
Tre: Dad has always believed in doing the thing first. As we’ve gotten more experience, the production has improved, but I like that people can go back and watch us figuring it out. Hopefully someone watches us and thinks, “We could do that.”
RRX: The podcast has also become a showcase for the Capital Region’s creative community.
Lex: That’s become one of my favorite parts.
In the beginning, it was mostly the three of us. Now we’re bringing in local artists, musicians, performers, and community members. We get to shine a light on people doing really interesting work.
Tre: If we can help connect creative people who might never have met otherwise, then we’re doing something worthwhile.
Hayes: Albany has been wonderful for us. It’s big enough that there’s always something happening, but small enough that people can actually build relationships.
RRX: What have these first hundred episodes taught each of you?
Lex: Confidence.
I’ve always been loud and outgoing, but this taught me to trust my own voice. When I say something now, I know why I believe it.
Tre: Meeting all these creative people has reinforced something for me. Your passions are your passions. You shouldn’t be embarrassed by them.
Hayes: I finally became comfortable saying, “I’m a podcaster.”
Sometimes you have to speak something into existence. If you keep doing the work, eventually the words become true.
RRX: What do you hope the next hundred episodes become?
Lex: I hope we become an even bigger platform for other people.
If somebody has a story, an idea, or a project, I want them to know there’s a place where somebody wants to hear it.
Tre: Everybody has something worth sharing.
RRX: Let’s finish with a little improv.
My father …
Tre: … was the inspiration for this whole podcast.
RRX: My sons are …
Hayes: … people who I would have wanted to be my best friends growing up.
RRX: The next hundred episodes are …
Tre: … a work in progress.
