Ep 55: Possum, Francie Moon, Blue Heart’s Revelry, Space Buggy, The Piggies

Ep 55: Possum, Francie Moon, Blue Heart’s Revelry, Space Buggy, The Piggies

Also: How to get famous via beer commercials. Songwriting with clouds. Controversy about John’s dad’s ears. #sting! #bigwords! #megafame!  (Follow us on Facebook! Instagram! Twitter!)

Song We Like: Shimmy Shake by Dust Hat

Song We Like: Shimmy Shake by Dust Hat

New Haven’s rock & roll barbershop quartet want you to shake it like a squirrel. And yes, they do perform in video stores. JP says 👍👍. 

Song We Like: Drink You Dry by Minihorse

Song We Like: Drink You Dry by Minihorse

Deep sounds from Michigan, as catchy as shoegaze gets. I was walking around singing this all week, and I don’t even know any of the words. Definitely listen

Song We Like: Reuben’s Train by Skunk Ruckus

Song We Like: Reuben’s Train by Skunk Ruckus

Skunk Ruckus aren’t the only punk rock banjo band in the world, but they’re our favorite. This is exactly the sound of bearded mountain men who are really drunk, who want to break shit and also want to hug you. I couldn’t embed the link because they’re only on iTunes, but here it is, go ahead and click it: https://music.apple.com/us/album/reubens-train/1239087641?i=1239087649

Song We Like: Electric Lady by Wine Lips

Song We Like: Electric Lady by Wine Lips

Very much like a funky magic carpet, the sound is woven together tightly and hovers way above the ground, like 20 feet up or so. We love this band

Song We like: Pinkwood by Idiot Glee

Song We like: Pinkwood by Idiot Glee

It’s possible to break down production like this, into its complicated composite individual pieces, but even then the question ‘why’ would linger. Why these bits? Why in this order? The fact that it works says a lot about this fantastic artist.

Experiment: Band Management: Blog 12: John Richards, KEXP

Experiment: Band Management: Blog 12: John Richards, KEXP

I am managing “Band A” for one year. I believe in their music and want to get them a bigger audience. How will I do this? My secret is that I started stealing ideas from the influential essay, “Getting Airplay,” by John Richards of KEXP. 
Read it here: https://kexp.org/about/getting-airplay/
It talks about approaching college radio stations, how to successfully approach those radio stations, writing a one-sheet, working with promotion companies… 
I’ve been following his instructions for “Band A” – and it seems to be working. “Band A” is on rotation on KPSU and their first review will be out on June 27. 
So I reached out to John and asked him to be on the “4 Questions in 5 Minutes” video series for the Holy Crap Records Podcast. 
It was great – he started telling me a story about a band that sent him their release with a number of unpacked hotdogs in the same envelope – and I forgot to hit the record button until after the story was over. Full disclosure, I am in a band called the Egg Eaters and about 3 years ago we had plans to send our latest release with an egg sandwich to radio stations, labels, and publications. When you’re in a band – you’re brain doesn’t work. It seemed like a genius idea at the time and now seems like the fastest way to get your release thrown in the garbage.
Anyway, I am even more grateful to John after the conversation – where he talks about why the music industry should be kind to artists, how Macklemore, Fleet Foxes, and Nirvana approached KEXP to get their releases played, and what he would do to get exposure if he was starting a new band..

4 Questions in 5 Minutes: John Richards, KEXP

4 Questions in 5 Minutes: John Richards, KEXP

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John Richards, host and producer of The Morning Show for KEXP, creator of International Clash Day, wrote the influential essay “Getting Airplay. ” Holy Crap Records Podcast interviews John about how bands can get their music played on the radio.

Experiment: Band Mangement: Blog 11: Pickled Eggs

Experiment: Band Mangement: Blog 11: Pickled Eggs

I am managing “Band A” this year – because I believe in “Band A” and because I’m interested in exploring the current music business world. The goal is: 1) get “Band A” onto a minor label, 2) get “Band A” to play a music festival, and 3) to get “Band A” a hundred people at a show. I want to be clear this isn’t a joke and I am grateful to all the people who intersect with this project. If “Band A” plays on the radio, if a publication writes about “Band A” – I have nothing but the most honest gratitude. (I’m saying this because “Band A” is being played on the radio and it is about to get it’s first press.)
Honestly, I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m tangentially involved with a couple of bands. I run the instagram for “Band A” and it is going nowhere. The other band has an instagram and a radio station started following them… 
So this blog is my honest assessment of how the music industry works. And this is what works: Pickled Eggs.
On Sunday “Band A” was set to play at a local brewery, except it didn’t have enough band members. So they joined up with another band, met at 1pm, and figured out 12 songs they could kind of play. One of the band members made pickled eggs: hardboiled eggs, brine, jalapenos. Why not? And, at 4pm, the pickled eggs were displayed prominently at the front of the stage. This is for real. I’m not making this up. The guitarist, who is a bit of a wimp, ate an egg at the end of the second set and nearly threw up. Then a member of the audience went up to the stage, put an egg in his beer glass, and drank it down. Everyone cheered.
So the surprise twist ending is that after the show the guy from the audience went up to the band and said: “Hey, I own a bar in Morganton. Can I book you to play at my place?” 
This is how you get ahead: pickled eggs.