When I attended Hocking College for music industry management and production, my classmates and I worked collaboratively on a project that encompassed all of the skills taught to us over the past two years. Together, we booked a number of...
Johnny Minardi is something of a legend in the alternative scene. He launched the careers of some scene favorites and aided in the release of countless more. He has scores of stories regarding the glory days of Fueled By Ramen...
It took a while, but I finally got Gunz on the show. After a few weeks of rain delays and train crashes, the Idobi posterboy gives us the dish on his career in broadcast journalism. Mike Gunzelman aka Gunz is...
I almost took a job at AltPress out of high school, there have been times I regretted going a different route, but knowing what I know now, I'm glad I didn't make the move to Cleveland....
Just when I think the podcast is becoming easier to produce on a weekly basis, it isn't. In actuality, this episode was very easy to produce. It has the shortest run time, has one of the best speakers...
Nate Sirotta of Impulse Artists sat down with me this week to share some great tips surrounding PR. Whether you're in a band, write for a blog, or have an interest in doing publicity yourself, this is a...
Ian and I have been in contact since 2012 when his band States Away wanted to premiere their album on my music blog. Since then, I've been lucky to have Ian as a sounding board for my design...
In February of 2013, Frank Ocean sat down with Zane Lowe for a chat. Like most Zane Lowe interviews, some exclusive knowledge was dropped regarding his anticipated follow-up to 2012’s Channel ORANGE.
To start, we get to know Dana. Dana is a freelance writer that has a secret past as a talented musician. Then, as promised, Dana and I go long on Frank Ocean's Blonde. This episode is the first...
[YouTube videos removed by CBS] This morning, Pinegrove made their TV debut on CBS This Morning. They performed 3 songs, Cadmium (above), Aphasia, and Angelina....
A lot of the folks on this show have been people I've never spoken to in person before. Joe is one I've only seen a single photo of. He's sort of an enigma, that...
It's been a long wait, but the time has come. Frank Ocean has released a visual album, Endless, on Apple Music. Watch it here. Thank you Frank. It's going to take a few days to absorb...
After months of following up with the poor guy, I got Brian "Lion" Leak on the show with me. Initially, when this thing was going to promote Under The Gun and its writers, Brian would have been my...
Yes Lawd! Those who listen to Variable Bitrate will know that I greatly love two things, Tiny Desk Concerts and Anderson .Paak. Today, those things collide and it's a wonderful thing. I normally listen to the audio podcast...
I started this music writing thing "officially" in January of 2011. I was a senior in high school at the time. Mark Garza, founder and owner of Funeral Sounds (a record label and online publishing company), Label Manager...
Joshy boy, joshy boy, cast me a pod. My good pal and longtime friend calls in to talk Americana, a mature genre of music that truly speaks to him, but we eventually start talking about My Chemical Romance and All...
Yea, I uploaded this one roughly 12 hours late, but it's still Monday so guess what? It counts. Some scheduling conflicts two weeks back—as well as some heat-induced illness this weekend—ended up affording me the buffer...
After years of jamming his music in my car to and from school, I finally got the opportunity to talk to Ian Kenny of King Neptune. Ian spilled all the juicy deets on the fate of NGHBRS and revealed what...
A few years ago, a photographer on my Facebook feed was asking for the names and contact information for graphic designers that could make him a logo for his photography business. Swept up in a gust of inspiration, I mocked...
Three weeks in. It's all happening. Episode 3 has Maria Gironas in the digital chair opposite me. I ask her about her history in PR, Warped Tour, and that Alkaline Trio Blink 182 song. Good times. I'...
Hey, look at that. I've actually set a weekly schedule for this thing. My second guest probably comes as no surprise, being that he's been my on-again-off-again partner in crime for the better part of a...
Here is the first official episode of Variable Bitrate featuring my hairy friend Dan Bogosian. Dan and I ran through his career so far, some news stories, and a few bands we're digging right now. He also told...
Here it is, the pilot episode of my new podcast, Variable Bitrate. It was a lot of fun putting this one together. This was the first podcast I've edited since college and it felt good to get back...
I love Coloring Book, so much so that I've been bumping nothing but Chance's 3rd mixtape since it dropped. From top to bottom, it's a work of hip-hop perfection with new gospel and club...
It happened. After months of continued recommendations from friends that probably know what's best for me anyway, I've fallen deeply in love with Pinegrove.
Available today on NoiseTrade is a 5 track sampler of Acceptance songs. Two of these have never been available for download before while three of them are acoustic tracks originally released on the Undone EP, which is most commonly found...
Jason Tate has bought back the Absolutepunk name and URL from SPIN Group and launched a new platform for the community to move to. I had started my first business, AbsolutePunk, LLC, as a teenager with cargo shorts and puka...
At some point, years after I loaded her MP3 player up with key tracks from Bayside and The Starting Line, my sister has officially become more savvy than I when it comes to emerging musical trends. I owe my love...
Like many, I've been woefully behind on the events happening in Flint, Michigan. I'm just a state over, but only recently heard about the awful situation those in Flint are dealing with regarding the complete contamination...
Here we are yet again. The year has come to an end and music has been released, now on Fridays, for me to rank as my favorite.
Claudio Sanchez, singer of Coheed and Cambria: For my mother, who told me the new Coheed record is just as good, if not better, than the new Adele. :) Honestly, what else is a mother suppose to say to her son....
It’s been a week more than three years since The Starting Line played St. Andrew’s Hall in Detroit for their Say It Like You Mean It anniversary tour. It was at that show that I came to terms...
While presiding over web content at Substream, I came into contact with a guy named Brandon Whalen. Brandon wrote a number of humor pieces for the site—some of the best pieces I published during that time. I came to...
Tilian has a new song on the market from his upcoming album, Perfect Enemy called "Satellite." The album is available for pre-order now on iTunes and Merchnow. The music video was animated by John Howe who is also...