Download audio file (Interview_Final.mp3)

Check out the interview with Foreigner’s Kelly Hansen and
Kings of A&R Dean Cramer..

Foreigner is universally hailed as one of the most popular rock acts in the world selling over over 65 million records. The bands total sales have exceeded those of The Eagles, The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, ZZ Top, The Who, Queen, Fleetwood Mac, Def Leppard, Boston, and most of their classic rock peers….

Also, pick up the new incredible record “Can’t Slow Down“..

KOAR Exclusive: Dean Cramer & AJ Interviews Phil Varone.

Phil Varone is a drummer, music producer and songwriter best known for his work with the bands Saigon Kick and Skid Row. He appeared in episodes of the Showtime series Californication, and the CBS series Numbers. He also appeared the E! program Inside Celebrity Rehabs, and on the NBC game show Identity. In April 2009, Varone participated in Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew, a VH1 spinoff of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew that features celebrities being rehabilitated for sex addiction

AJ: Let’s start at the beginning with Saigon Kick. You, know this is something  we see a lot- a good band gets a big deal early on, puts out a ‘radio hit’  single to make the label happy and then is never heard from again. Too much success too soon can ruin a band. Do you think that’s what happened with you guys? Why didn’t it work out?

PV: I think that’s part of it. We got a deal within 2 years, out of South Florida, which was not a big market for music at the time. Miami Sound Machine was pretty big, but as far as a rock scene goes- we were it. We were noticed right away by Atlantic Records. They did a deal with Third Stone, which was Michael Douglas’ company. We were one of the first bands on that. We had the Atlantic support, though. Our first record came out and it didn’t sell much. Maybe a hundred thousand units. Back in those days, you had multiple album deals, so we went right back into the studio and wrote The Lizard. None of us really wanted in on the record because it was kind of sappy.

The label wasn’t sure where to put us because we were eclectic. They had to call it something, so they decided we were pop. The label really screwed us there. The single, “Love Is on the Way” was a hit.  We had the worst manager ever. I mean really horrible management. That’s one of the things I definitely learned. We were young and gullible and this guy just screwed us. He was just some guy trying to get ahead who knew some people, he happened to be a friend of Jason Flom. He didn’t know how to manage. He took sides with certain members of the band when it came to songwriting and publishing. When you’re in a band, you can argue publishing until you’re blue in the face, but we’re talking about songwriting. He was dividing the group. So when you have a manager putting a wedge between the band, it really started everything in the beginning. We had the big song and then the ego got involved. Everyone wanted to put their name on things. Looking back now, we should have done a lot of things differently. I put the full blame on the management. They should have guided us the right way.

Later, when I joined Skid Row, I talked to Doc McGhee. He remembered me from Saigon Kick and said, “Yeah, I wanted to manage those guys, but you wouldn’t have me.” That was the first I heard about it! That info was never brought to us because of this other manager. Doc said, “I would have had you selling tens of millions of records. You guys were really good.” We had great music in us still, but the single was so big and it was a ballad, we were getting a lot of returns. I mean, people heard about us because of that single, and it was a ballad. They don’t necessarily want 15 heavy tracks for the one ballad. so they took it back to the store. We were on tour with Extreme, and the same thing happened with them. That song was so big, but they’re like a heavy band. I am not gonna dwell on the past, I just won’t make the same mistakes twice.

Dean: I saw your documentary and you said you were inspired by Tommy Lee. When I was a kid in the 80’s, I was also really influenced by Motley Crue. I played the drums and played in bands, but it wasn’t in the cards for me. I took a different path in life. The differences between then and now… we could talk for 10 years about the changes, but the biggest one has got to be that there are no more icons. You grew up wanting to be Tommy Lee. So did I. But there just isn’t anyone like that anymore. Would you agree?

PV: I agree with you a thousand percent. There’s just no cool rockstars that you can gravitate to. I personally think the “rockstar” was taken over by rap music. They got the “rockstar” moniker through they way they lived. They’re doing the crazy stuff we used to see in rock music. All the money and the music and the out of control party lifestyle. All of that belonged to rock, but after Motley Crue, all of that went away. Then we got the grunge scene. Grunge music was the worst. Some of the bands I wouldn’t really consider grunge, like Soundgarden or Alice in Chains, were really great. They’re “grunge” I guess because of the clothing or whatever. That was a horrible time in music with all of these sad millionaires.

If you want to see what “rock stars” look like these days, stick your head out the front door and look at your neighbor. The whole idea of being a rockstar is to be different and get away with it. Nobody is going to mess with you. Now there’s nothing like that. There are NO bands that have any kind of rockstar in it that you can gravitate to that’s over 19. Those tween bands do well, but why are their fans going? “Because he’s sooo cute.”

Dean: But there aren’t really any rap stars anymore, either.

PV: Well rap got too big. It was so dark and mean and underground when it first started. Now they’re all rich. They aren’t mad anymore. You can only get so mad when your life is amazing. 50 Cent is worth a hundred million dollars, what does he have to be mad about? You are going to lose your edge across the board when you’re that famous, and everything gets sterile. But yeah, rockstars of yesterday compared to today- they looked different. They stood out in a crowd. You can’t pick them out of a crowd anymore. They look like anyone. I’m all about recording and putting it out there on the net. Every band should have the right to record music. But people feel like there is no need for record stores or even record labels. I remember telling people, “We got signed!” and it was a big deal. I remember buying my own record in the store. That was a huuuuge deal. Everyone I talk to in LA is “working on a record” or they “have a record coming out.” It’s no big deal anymore. There’s no excitement in it. I think we’ve hit a lull.

I saw a documentary on the Romans. The reason they had gladiators was to keep people interested. They had to keep escalating it to keep their interest. They got bored when the gladiator would kill himself, so they’d send in a tiger. They tiger wasn’t good enough, so they fill the whole thing with water, you know? They become desensitized so quickly… our attention spans are so limited. You can’t control this industry because fans will turn on you in a second. In this day and age, I think everything is so oversaturated, it doesn’t even matter anymore. Whatever Clear Channel throws down our throats, we take it. Americans are ignorant. We need to be told what to do. Maybe it’s just human nature.

We’re really screwed as a society. [laughs] You can drive yourself crazy with all the bad, so salvage what you have and make the best of it. There are so many things out of your hands.

Dean: You bring up a good point. Things use to be shocking. I watch a ton of videos on Youtube…. with everything available on the internet, it’s tough to be shocking anymore.

PV: You can get on YouTube and watch a guy shooting fireworks out of his ass. But yeah, I think it’s hard to be outrageous. Either it’s boring, or it’s so outrageous that we’re disgusted. We’re bored. Always. In the old days, it was an honor to have your movie seen by people, now it’s just like, “throw it up on YouTube! If you get enough hits, you’ll get a movie deal!”

Dean: At a speech at UCLA, John Taylor of Duran Duran said that he is all for technology, but feels it has caused a creative recession. He said, “I hated being a teenager, until I discovered just how powerful the world of popular music was. It helped me find an identity and find myself.” I can relate to that because music gave me a sense of direction, as well. What do you think we’ve lost because of technology?

PV: I miss liner notes. When I was a kid, I would open the double record, look at the pictures and read the lyrics. We would have to wait in line at the record store to buy it and then get it home before you could take it in. You would plan your whole being around listening to an album. We’ve lost that. There’s no experience anymore. There’s no excitement surrounding a release because there’s just so many of them. If you played me 10 bands right now, I probably wouldn’t know any of them. I don’t know them and I don’t care to know them. The ones that are famous all sound the same. It’s like everyone just gave up. There is this model out there for what it takes to be famous and everyone is just trying to fit into it.

There was this band out of Florida, this tweeny band someone sent to me. It sounded alright. For being like 18 years old, they’re not bad. Apparently you’re washed up at 17, because this guy was told to hurry and make something happen before he got too old. Too old? The tween market is a big one, so they want an 18 year old singer to pretend he’s 16 to get a couple more years out of them. At 16, I was figuring out what I wanted to do, just playing around in the garage and having fun. Kids shouldn’t be shredding at 12, they should be out  having a good time. But the glamor of it all is gone. The dream of it is gone. “I’m 12! I need to be a rockstar!” There was a kid on the Today Show… this kid… the guitar was bigger than he was. He’s outsold me. I dunno, I shut off the music world.

I got this new band I’m working. They’re called The Embryos. They haven’t been born yet, but they’re going to be huge!

AJ: It looked like they were pulling out all of the stops to make Skid Row a big band again… but it didn’t happen. You were on the inside of all that, so I am curious- did you see the end coming?

PV: Realistically, when you’re in a band like Skid Row and you lose a major part of your band like Sebastian Bach, you’ve lost the band. He’s a huge rockstar and he is the sound of Skid Row. Like when Motlet Crue replaced Vince Neil. Crabby is a great singer, one of the best I know, but he’s not Vince Neil. So I think everyone knew there was going to be an uphill battle, but we did literally everything we could.

John Solinger is fantastic. The guy is… I’ve never seen anyone record so fast in my life. But with the Skid Row name, they expect to see and hear a different thing. Fans turn quick. Thickskin is one of the better records I’ve ever played on. If we were to put it out as a new band, it would have had a better chance. When you’re trying to fill the Skid Row shoes, there are different expectations. We made every effort to make it big. We did the record at Bon Jovi’s house. We took the time to make it great. We gave it every opportunity, but when the record companies don’t care and radio doesn’t care, it’s really hard to compete with that. We relied on our touring and our fans that DO like the new skid Row. The whole process to do it was fantastic. We played the biggest tours. I personally thought it was a great experience and something I needed to do professionally.

AJ: Why do you think it’s so hard for these huge classic artists to compete today?

PV: We’re old. Let’s get down to it. I’m washed up. I’m in TWO bands on the Monster Ballads records. We are old guys and our older fans don’t want to hear new music. When you’re gonna come out as the band, whatever it is, people want to hear the hits. If Paul McCartney puts out a new record, it doesn’t sell. But he’ll sell out stadiums every night. The fans are great, thought. The Poison tour and all these tours playing sold out shows. It was the best. That’s the cool thing about being in that genre. The fans that are our age have money. They can invest in the things they enjoy, so they’ll spend the money on the nostalgia of rock n roll. They remember what it was like to experience that time in music and they go to the shows to remember.

When I saw Motley Crue, I was totally and completely entertained. There were hot chicks, fire, explosions, lighting… everything a rock show should be. You look around the arena and there are 20,000 people with smiles on their faces. They want to have fun. They want to forget about how awful the world is. I don’t think bands today offer you that escape. People want to see these songs performed and remember great times from 20 years because it was a time worth remembering.

AJ: You’re a cast member on VH1’s Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew. Do you think what makes it to television fairly represents your experience in the program?

PV: Well, yeah. Let’s face it, when my agent called me about doing the show, I had to think about it. I’m an addict, in general. It’s how I live and it’s what I deal with. When she called about it, I thought, “You think I’m a sex addict? Really?” Well, let’s see. I really have no relationship. My love life is shit. I’ve ruined so many relationships. So I thought, yeah maybe there is a problem. I thought, “I’m gonna go into this but I’m gonna go in as a rockstar with a chip on my shoulder, but I’ll be open to whatever happens.” Drew had me crying within 3 minutes. All he had to do was mention my mother. That’s the one thing. It was pretty crazy. I got a lot more out of it than I thought I would. I still go to therapy. My therapist needs a therapist after seeing me.

Right now on the show they’re a couple episodes in. They’re playing up this whole crush I have on Amber, which is funny. They’re gonna use whatever is on tape to make the show interesting. But I still got a lot out of it, personally. I work out some stuff with my dad. There were things I kept inside that I’m dealing with now. I mean we filmed the show before and now it’s airing, but it’s still fresh and new. In no way am I healed. I am in a relationship, though. I thank the universe every day for my girlfriend. She has to deal with my rotten brain every  day and somehow makes it all right. She like a gift from the universe for getting through all of these bad, dark days. I’m also rebuilding my relationship with my kids. The show had a lot to do with that, too.

AJ: You’ve done a fair amount of acting at this point. Have you caught the acting and comedy bug? Are you done with music?

PV: No, not at all. I’m actually really itching to play these days. I play in my comedy show. At the end of the show… it’s like my release. I would love to play again if I can find a cool band to go on the road with. I was just watching John Fogerty the other day. I would give my balls to play those songs on stage. Something like that would be so much fun to do. The coolest tours are the ones where you’re playing great classic music. I would entertain joining a band again. I miss the live audience. No matter how bad it all is, for that hour on stage getting energy from fans- there’s nothing else like it.

AJ: Which was more intimidating- going on tour with KISS shortly after joining Skid Row, or stepping up on stage to do comedy for the first time?

PV: There’s 3 things I say are the most frightening- 1. The birth of my child. I was eating rolaids in the waiting room. 2. Doing stand up comedy. The first time I did that, it was like a 10 foot walk up to the stage, and I remember thinking, “Am I still walking?” It was like the walk of death to this stage. I don’t remember a thing about what happened once I got on stage. 5 minutes and 10 seconds of standing there with a mic shaking in my hand. The 3rd thing- Oprah about 2 weeks ago. It was pretty frightening. I mean, it’s Oprah! She was fantastic. The show was about sex addiction. Last week I did Tyra Banks.. but who cares? I was on Oprah! I was on the mountain!

Playing with KISS was cool. When I first saw Gene Simmons in full paint riding in a golf cart, I went over to him and turned into a little kid. He said, “You look like Trent Reznor with Tommy Lee’s arms.” After that we got along really great. We hit it off. As a fan, it was pretty surreal… not just opening for them, but getting so close.

David Bendeth is an A list music producer who has produced many acts you hear today including Breaking Benjamin, Red Jump Suit Apparatus, Hawthorne Heights and the most recent Paramore. Bendeth has long history in the music biz. He was also the VP of A&R at RCA where he signed Vertical Horizon, Crash Test Dummies and discovered KD Lang.

KOAR frequently visits Bendeth at his newly owned studio “House of Loud” in NJ and our discussions usually evolve around music shop.

Here it is…………..

Kelly Clarkson has been in the news lately. Word leaked that Clive Davis hated the record and that Kelly should’ve stuck with hitmaking songwriters. Clive offered Clarkson 8 million to ditch her songs and replace them with ‘Hits’. Would you take the 8 Million?

Well here is the real deal on that one. I highly doubt anyone offered Kelly that much money. I think they could have offered her 100 million and she would not have done it. The fact is the girl wanted to make her record the way she wanted. The problem with that is she had already sold 15 million records and the expectations are high. I really admire her for trying to do her own thing, I admire any artist who believes that much in themselves.

BUT, here is what I would have done. I would have made the Clive record just as he wanted. The perfect follow up radio record. Then I would have recorded my own side project under a band name and released it at Christmas as a venture. Kelly wanted the cred, you just don’t enter into that scene and become a cred artist, you play those 300 seaters and you build it from the ground up.
She should have never entered American Idol if she wanted to be credible. I listened to some tracks and I think David Kahne did a great job. Its not a top 40 record. She is what she is…forever.
The press took this too far, I mean do people care about Kelly’s career or her songs? Big difference.

Music Chiefs were blasted for using computer wizardry to make new albums louder than ever. Producers are artificially enhancing sound levels as they believe the noisier a record is, the more copies it will sell.

I don’t think producers are doing that. I know mixers and mastering guys are and it sucks. I don’t think the kids wanna get their brains blown out all the time. I think the industry set a standard and now they have a hot mess on their hands.

The louder is better has ruined many good songs and left the listener with no dynamics. It has alienated people and all that has to happen here is for someone to set a new standard which will happen! Maybe I will try it.

Bob Dylan says modern recordings sound ‘atrocious’. I don’t know anybody who’s made a record that sounds decent in the past twenty years, really,” – Dylan

God bless Bob. I loved Blood on the Tracks.. great record.

Bob is wrong. I never understood much of what Bob sang. But when I heard Hendrix do “All Along the Watchtower” and the Animals do “House of the Rising Sun” I got it instantly. Nuff said Bob. Bob is a legend, he wrote some of the best songs this century has heard, BUT, I bet his stereo sucks.

Who are you listening to right now?

My faves right now are Mute Math (Dylan missed that one), The Klaxons, My Chemical Romance, Nine Inch Nails, KT Tunstall, Oz Noy, Serena Ryder, Modest Mouse, Fiend, The Almost, and of course Paramore. ha ha.

Your Hero?

I have a few, Arif Mardin the best producer that ever lived. He died recently, I love his arrangements and I love his mixing, he takes my breath away. Listen to Chaka Khan doing “we can work it out” by the Beatles.. OMG!! Jeff Beck, who still plays his ass off, and Miles Davis who engineered modern music as we know it.

You recently produced the new Fueled By Ramen act Paramore that debuted 42,416 on the Billboard Charts. Tell us a good a story.

I gotta tell you, Hayley Williams is one spunky fiery little redhead. Love her to death. She reminds me of everything about the business I love. She can sing, write and design T shirts. The Farro Brothers, Josh and Zac also play their asses off and work so hard. They have toured non stop and will for years to come. Yes they remind me of No Doubt in the early years. The label Fueled By Ramen are also young and forward thinking, John Janek is the hottest A&R in America today, ask any kid, they will tell you!! Panic at the Disco!, Fall Out Boy, Academy Is, and Paramore..I would say NOT BAD JOHN!!!

Story? sure. Paramore have to be one of the most dedicated bands out there. A huge night for the band was everyone going to the cheesecake factory and getting cheesecake. I gained a few pounds on that session, they killed me. I also learned once again how important it was to connect DIRECTLY with your fans. They are the masters. In fact I have so much respect for any band that knows how to treat their fans.

Check out the new Paramore video and track ‘Misery Business’. Assaulting guitars and a well craft pop song.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=aCyGvGEtOwc

What was your first job in the music industry?
My 1st job in the music industry was in the mail room at Priority Records back in 1998.

Who was the last artist you worked?
The last artist album I worked on was Chingy’s “Hoodstar” album.

What are your thoughts on the current musical landscape?
I can’t speak for all music but as far as the urban musical landscape, it’s terrible. In Rap music I feel there is no more creativity! Everyone sounds alike and all the music videos are the same! There shot in a club with bottles of liquor and a bunch of half naked women.
Nothing is left to the imagination anymore! Music is supposed to be a form of expression! What happened to telling stories about your life experiences???? It’s all about girls shaking there ass’s and guys wearing platinum chains and driving expensive cars! No creativity!!!

Can you give us a description of your normal day?
A normal day for me is that I get to the office around 10:00 or 10:30 and I check my emails and voice mail. Then I check my calendar to see what meetings I have for that day. Depending on what project I’m working on, I check the BDS on the song that my artist(s) have at radio. Then I usually call my artist or there manager to check up on them to see how they are doing. From there I usually go meet with the marketing person for my projects to make sure my artist calendar is in tact as well as come up with new ideas on how we can further there visibility to the consumer. If I’m in the recording process of an album, I go to the studio with the artist to make sure the session go as planned! I have to make sure the producer creates the right beat for the artist I’m working with. Then around 2AM I go home and do it all over again the next day!

What are your thoughts on the current state of radio?
I can only speak for urban radio but I feel that all the stations play the same songs and it’s too political. The DJ’s don’t have the freedom to play what they want to play anymore. They have to follow a playlist that has been created by the program director! It doesn’t matter if a DJ wants to play a certain song if its not apart of the playlist they can’t play it!!

How much time do you spend looking for new artists?
I’m always looking for new artist!! There is never a time when I’m not looking for new artist!

Who are some of your “current’ favorite artists?
That’s a good question!!! I don’t have a current favorite! That’s really Sad!

How do you feel about the current “American Idol” Phenomena?
I’m not a big fan of American Idol. I feel if you put anyone with talent in front of millions of people every night of the week, they will sell records. I don’t feel it’s fair to all of the talented people that have been pursuing getting a record deal for years! But on the other hand I think the process worked for artist like Fantasia and Kelly Clarkson who in today’s market otherwise would not have gotten deal!

You have been with Capitol Record for a long time and you have seen the executive changes. Tell us about your experience dealing with these changes.
It’s really no real way to deal with it; you just gotta roll with the punches and go with the flow.

I’m more concerned about the lack of stars than the whole digital/physical dilemma. Stars and great songs move units, that’s a fact.  The physical/digital problem will work itself out over time.  What happened to rock stars? Rap stars?
What I think happened to the “Rap star” Is that they all started to copy each other! You can’t tell who is who anymore! And the few artists that aren’t copy cats, they are so contrived that their image and sound is not authentic or believable!

Any advice for aspiring artists who want to break out into the big leagues?
Pick a new profession!! LOL! No on the real, just be prepared to work harder then you have ever worked in your life! And then you gotta work even harder then that! Network, this build industry is built on relationships so it’s all about who you know! So meet as many people as you can in the industry cuz you never know when you might need them!

How long have you been together?
We have known each other since we were in high school and Tom and I have been writing together for about two years. But the band actually formed and started playing out in January of this year.

What kind of local support are you getting (radio, press, distro)?
Unfortunately, most of the radio stations in our region are owned by Clear Channel and that has made it incredibly difficult to get radio support. The college stations in the area are playing us a lot, but the commercial stations have proven difficult to break into. We get a lot of local press support in all the newspapers. Clay County Line did a review for us, as did Port Of Times Union (The largest paper in Jacksonville). Our first record was only available at shows and online, where it did surprisingly well, but our new record will be in all the area FYE stores, as well.

What are your shows like? How well do you draw?

We average about 250 people at the shows. Our biggest show was our CD release party for the first record in August. We sold out the place with 500 people. Our next CD release party is on the 26th, and we booked a bigger venue this time. We’re expecting to sell out again with around 700 people. I know it may not seem like a lot, but Jacksonville is a very metal town. And we are very not metal. We bring in something different, and to get so much support from fans really means a lot to us. Read

You guys haven’t been together very long, in band years, yet you have managed to create a huge buzz, not only regionally but nationally. You just released a CD in August and your second record comes out in a couple weeks. What do you attribute this quick buzz to and do you think you can keep up this pace?

We have been writing songs together for over two years now. We are all friends and learned how to work together early on. The songwriting process for us is an easy one. Tom comes up with a riff, and then I come up with a melody and some words, and then the rest of the band comes in and fills in all the holes. When you have the right combination of people, like we do, things flow very naturally and effortlessly. It has been easy for us to come up with all of this material.

The buzz happened because people liked what we had going on. We get a lot of support from our manager, Scott Fravala and S&J CD. He has pressed a lot of demo cds that we were able to just hand out to people when we met them on the street. We spend all day every day making calls and going around town talking to people and trying to get them to our shows. Our street team has been amazing! We have a lot of people on our street team passing out flyers. We have so many people asking for flyers to pass out that we keep running out of flyers! You don’t see that kind of support for bands in Jacksonville and its incredible how the people have responded. They are all asking us for more music. They all want to hear more. We give the people what they want. We have been getting handwritten fan mail. It’s the strangest and coolest thing.

I was lucky enough to hear some tracks from the new record, and much like the last one, your songwriting is impressive. I noticed, however, that these songs seem a little heavier than the last album, sort of picking up where The Grim Goodbye left off. Is there a reason for that, or is it a natural maturing of the band?

The first record was all about production and reaching a broad audience. That was how we introduced ourselves to people and what got them to listen to us in the first place. The goal was to display not only a diversity in sound, but how great that sound can be when it’s polished in a studio. Scott did an amazing job on the last album. It sounds like a major label release. This new record is more raw. It is more of how we originally meant the songs to sound. There aren’t the same studio tricks on this record that we used on the first one. Now that people know who we are and they are listening, we want them to really hear us.

This second record actually has a lot of our older songs on it. It only sounds darker because that is how the song is supposed to sound. They are still as catchy as the first album, but they are much more intense. They weren’t right for the first album. We have songs that rope people in, and once they are there, we have things we want to say to them. They are usually fans by that point so they listen. It’s amazing.

With some of these songs, they sound really poppy and happy, but when you really pay attention to the words, then you know what the song is about. I like it when artists can do that, and we try to do that. It’s great to hear a song and sing along with it and dance around, but when you listen to it all alone and really listen to what is being said, it brings tears to your eyes. We put that sort of depth into our songwriting.

What do you think your band can bring to the table? What is the most compelling thing about your band that makes you better/different than what is already out there?

We are a fun band. Red Jumpsuit shows are a lot of fun because we are constantly upstaging ourselves. A lot of bands look like they hate life. We have a lot of energy and we really connect with the crowd. The last show we played, the audience was singing along so loud we couldn’t hear ourselves in the monitors! It was incredible! To see a huge crowd of people singing your song back to you is the greatest feeling.

No offense to other bands, and I know it is cliché, but we are real. We are best friends and have been since we were 14. We have all made a lot of sacrifices in life to get this band to happen. We are all broke country boys and literally have nothing but our music. We have been overwhelmed by the amount of support we have received from all over the country, because we are just a group of kids that can write songs together and have a great time doing it.

How would you describe Red Jumpsuit to people? What is your style?

Someone once said that we wouldn’t do well because we hadn’t found our style yet. All of our songs sounded too different. The way we see it, that is exactly what makes a great record. It’s the kind of record you put it and push play and you don’t skip any tracks. Our albums are a rollercoaster of emotion and color and diversity. We have everything from the slow piano ballads to the fast heavy anthem rock. We are diverse people with many sides, and our music is the same way. Diversity in sound IS our sound. For someone to say that we have no style is a compliment to us. It simply means they don’t know what to call it because they haven’t heard it before.

Is there anything else you want to add?

We don’t write with a goal in mind. We don’t set out to write ‘hit’ songs. If you try to do it, it won’t happen. We just write how we feel and go with it. If a really catchy song comes out of that, then great! We are glad people love our music. It’s flattering.

The Rev: Funny story actually, I got into some trouble with the cops in college and as a result couldn’t move home for the summer. I ended up getting a job moving furniture where I met a guy who DJ’d at Michigan State University’s radio station. One night they asked him to fill in on the Heavy Metal show and he didn’t know squat about the music and knowing I was a huge fan, he asked if I wanted to come up and pick out the music. I of course I said yes and he let me do a segue over the air. The program director heard me, called in and asked me if I wanted to host the show permanently!! Long story short, a half-year later, I was the program director of a 3500 Watt FM college station. Through WDBM I made tons of contacts in the music business and during my last semester I lead the station to #2 in the ratings 18-34 females and got an offer to move to New Jersey to be an independent radio promoter at the now defunct AIM Marketing. Pretty crazy turn of events!

KOAR: The Syndicate you formed- tell us about the background on the company, departments, services, clients, roster of bands.

The Rev: The story continues, 3 months into my job as director of the Loud Rock Radio department at Aim, my immediate supervisor, Anya Feldman, left for a job at TVT. I didn’t feel like I was qualified to run the department at the time, so I suggested they bring in Marc Meltzer. Marc interviewed and got the job. Within a year we had the department doing more business that it had in years. At the height of our success, the owner of the company decided to disband the company, which left 15 employees out of a job. Marc and I decided to team up with Tracey Zucatti and Jon Landman who were running the College Radio department and Bernie Mueller who ran the Retail Promotions department and do exactly what we were doing at AIM but as the owners of our own company. On December 17, 1997 the AIM offices closed and on January 5, 1998 The Music Syndicate was born. Click to read more

The company began merely as an independent College and Loud Rock radio promotion and marketing company completely run and operated by the 5 owners. Since then we have started an a Street Marketing company, a record label (We Put Out Records), a Commercial Specialty Radio department and Artist Management division which I head up along with Mac. Our management roster includes Thursday, Shadows Fall, God Forbid, Murder By Death and Stretch Arm Strong.

You can also check out http://www.musicsyndicate.com/

KOAR: How has radio promotion changed over the years?

The Rev: When I started doing radio promotions at the College and Metal level it was a pretty cut and dry job, you got records added, played and charted at college stations across the US and Canada by calling them and promoting the releases you were hired on by labels, bands and managers. Nowadays its much more about creating real artist development and establishing a lasting fan base at an underground format. Chart numbers are still a measure of success but we do so much more. We promote catalogue, artist information, websites, tours, national events and anything else a band may be involved with. We go 10 times deeper into the marketing of an artist than we ever did as “radio pluggers.�? The methods have totally changed as well. When I began, you had a call list and phone and if you weren’t on the phone, you weren’t closing the deal. The Metal Radio department at AIM was the first independent promotions company to use email as a form of promotion and communication to get radio familiar with their artists. We were also the first indie to have a website. Who doesn’t have email or a website nowadays? At base, we do the same job but now we do SOOOOOO much more. We have also managed to turn the 1 job in the music business with the highest turn over into a career opportunity. Eric Peltier and Moose who help to oversee our Metal and College departments respectively have been with us since 1998.

KOAR: Why do you think you guys are successful over other radio promotion companies? and how competitive is it in radio promo?

The Rev: Dedication to the job and artist. We are all fans of music here and it’s the passion for the music that drives us to have passion to offer the most passionate and thorough service in the business. Also, there are no bosses here. Everyone is the boss and everyone is the employee. There are no titles, only departments. We split up each department so that everyone in it is well aware of what the other members are doing and so that the job responsibilities only differ in the specifics. That way is someone is out sick or at a meeting or on vacation, anyone else in the department can cover their job. Other than that, we treat our employees with respect, intelligence and dignity while maintaining a fair and fun environment. We urge our employees to be creative on a daily basis and to let us know when they have ideas on how to improve the way we operate. We promote inner growth and if an employee wanted to try something new, we would find a way to embrace that energy and work towards a goal. That is how all the other departments began. People come here, grow here and stay here. Did I mention we have a healthy appetite for fun as well?

KOAR: What do you believe makes for a successful radio campaign?

The Rev: Proper set up and hiring us. I can’t go too deep because that would be like the Colonel telling you the 11 secret herbs and spices. But seriously, its about set up and follow through. You don’t need it but a large bank account and friends in the country of Colombia are never a bad thing to have. Kidding

KOAR: Now lets talk about the management side. You manage 5 artists. Thursday, Shadows Fall, God Forbid,, Murder By Death, Stretch Arm Strong. How did you get started in management?

The Rev: After doing Metal radio for about 3 years I got an itch. I wanted to do more for bands then just get them played on college and metal radio. I’d watch enough bands sink due to improper marketing or management and thought I could do better. I walked in one day and said to my partners “I want to start managing bands because I feel that I have more to give.�? They replied with “ok but you can’t do it full time until it’s paying for itself.�? Which is generally how things get started around here. So I started looking for bands. At the time we were basically consulting Shadows Fall who were about to get signed to Century Media and in fact we even helped them find their way to the label. At a show they played on April Fool’s Day, I told them I was thinking about starting a management company and they asked me to take them on. Boom, that was it. They introduced us to God Forbid who introduced us to Thursday who introduced us to Murder By Death and as for Stretch Arm Strong; I have been a HUGE fan for years and chasing them for management since. The department itself now has 4 members.

KOAR: When and Where did you find Thursday?

The Rev: God Forbid and Thursday mastered their records at the same studio. As we were finishing the God Forbid “Determination�? record, the Thursday guys showed up to pay their bill. They knew the God Forbids from the New Brunswick, NJ scene and introduced me. They invited me to a show they were playing in NYC the next week and I went. 30 seconds into the show and I knew I had to work with them.

KOAR: What other bands are you currently following, what is the newest band you have taken on?

The Rev: We just started working with Stretch Arm Strong last week. www.stretcharmstrong.net and are really excited about it. In the last year they have toured Pennywise, Rancid, Senses Fail, Good Charlotte, MxPx, Norma Jean and more. They are about to headline Europe and will return to headline the MADE CLOTHING / PETA2 tour. We picked up Murder By Death www.murderbydeath.com last November at the suggestion of Geoff from Thursday. I saw them live one night on tour and was absolutely mystified. I brought Marc, Moose and Jackie (the other members of the management department) out to see them and we all agreed that they were a wonderfully talented and creative bunch of people that we wanted to help them.

KOAR: What makes you want to manage, to take on a band?

The Rev: Loving music and loving people. I majored in Telecommunications and Media in college and minored in Social Science because I love music and I love people. Other than that, creativity, excitement, dedication and understanding are key elements. As far as radio or street marketing it can be any number of reasons but I can assure almost everything we taken involves a high level of passion.

KOAR: Lets talk about the Touring climate today. What is your opinion? All of your bands seem to tour heavily. They performed on Ozzfest, oversees, and with other prominent hardcore metal bands, why are they successful?

The Rev: Unless you are writing adult contemporary hits ALA Kenny G, you had better plan on playing live. Radio is never a guarantee so you have to get to the people. Touring is the one thing a band can control so its vital to get out there and do as much as possible. What makes it better is when you have a band signed to a label that understands tour marketing, that’s how you win. You cant burn or download a live show and you don’t need to have great distribution to have one so people have to go see it if they want it. The day they can take that away, we have a real problem. No matter what, people love music and they love it live, go find them and give the people what they want. Variety in touring is really important as well. If you are playing the same clubs to the same audiences every tour you do, you aren’t expanding and you aren’t growing. Do it all and do it everywhere.

KOAR: Whats your opinon of the state of the music industry. CD sales declining, digital downloading of music, ect…

The Rev: What bothers me the most is the complaining. These are legitimate gripes but its not like the music business has had to deal with adversity before. What was the cassette? We need to just work harder and together and be sure that our mind is set on the long term. There is no fast way to the top. It’s also important to keep expenditures smart and not see a need to front load everything. We can all make this work but we have to change the way we do things. Diversify, create, experiment but stay focused. Personally, I am really excited about the music business right now because its forcing people to change. I have an ipod; I have itunes and I LOVE IT. We need to find ways to embrace this and not fight it.

KOAR: Any new music that you love out there?

The Rev: There are lots of great young bands out there. On the metal front, Lamb of God, Killswitch Engage, Hatebreed, Slipknot and my bands are taking over as the future of heavy metal. On the alternative/ indie front, I am really excited about The Kinison, Poison The Well, Thrice, Every Time I Die, Blindside, Coheed and Cambria and Hundred Reasons from the UK. I feel like hip hop has had its first positive turn in years since the silver age of the 80s with Ludacris, DMX, Jay-Z, Xzibit and Eminem. I love a lot of music so its hard to nail it down and by next week the list could totally change with the exception of Murder By Death, Stretch Arm Strong, God Forbid, Shadows Fall and Thursday!!

KOAR: Whats your take on the trends in major label signings? Where do you see it going? Indies vs. majors, your opionins?

The Rev: It’s no different than it ever was. Labels smell a trend, they get in, they sign a million and 5 to 10 survive. That will never change but there is now more a chance than there ever was for bands on independent labels to see a certain level of success that they never had before. There are pros and cons to being in either system but no matter what, its what you make of it. You just have to ask yourself what you want before you go try and get something and make sure that you understand what you are getting into and how to work in that system. We don’t fear it because we believe in our bands and we believe in this company. None of us are afraid of change and actually embrace it.

KOAR: Anything else you want to plug?

The Rev: This interview has been brought to you by Quizno’s delicious subs, Jose Goldstein Roasted Garlic & Chipotle Hot Sauce, the Motor City – my hometown and foundation, Australia – the greatest country and the greatest people on the planet, Vans Skate Shoes, the Fez I bought at Epcot Center, Cedar Point – the world’s headquarters for roller coasters, Uncle Joe’s tavern in Jersey City, Wile E Coyote and always betting the odds in craps.

(Kings of A&R) – Who are you currently with?

Brian Sirgutz (Elementree Records) – I currently run Elementree Records for the rock band KoRn.

(KOAR) – Waht do you think of the current state of the music industry?

(ER) – I think that in any industry, there are cycles of growth and consolidation. In today’s music industry climate it will get much worse before it gets better. This is because labels are stilll looking at artists quarter by quarter instead of making careers. The hits that Clear Channel requires for ratings are processed and delivered by the labels and the record sales in turn are driven by the hit songs clear channel play. Today, the industry is reapoing with it sows. If you sell an artist by the hit song and not the artist, instead of the consumer paying as high as $19.95, they will just turn to the nete and download if for free, it’s easier to download than to purchase it online. Labels have to compete with ease of use and free. In this case, the labels will lose. It needs to get a lot worse before it gets better, but people need music like humans need air. It’s a matter of how music becomes commodified. Click to read more

(KOAR) – In your opinion, what’s more important, songs or live show?

(ER) – Songs…No question. The greatest band, singer/songwriters are built by a great song. A great song is a great song no matter what format. It captures your mind and enchants one’s soul. A live show can be developed after the songs are there. The priority of the live show should follow the songs and music.

(KOAR) – Most important piece of advice you would give to an artist?

Brian (ER) – Make sure you do it for yourself. Do not do it for the glorious record deal (it is not that glorious. It’s a very poor bank loan). Make us want you, when you are ready, we will still be there. No matter how hard it is, no matter what odds are against you, your music will prevail because it is truth; your truth in it’s purest form. Make sure you want to have a career and read everything you can about the business. I always want all my artists to know more than I do, this way we can work on equal ground.

(KOAR) – How far away is the ‘Next’ Nirvana? Meaning, an artist breaking new ground and crossing over to the mainstream market. A polar opposite of what’s going on right now, not transitional. An artist that changes a sub culture, fashion, radio formats, etc… We haven’t seen this in over a decade (since Nirvana). Think its about time? Tough question, but take a guess?

Brian (ER) – It is right under our noses, it just won’t blow up as big as Nirvana. We will get artists that will test and even break new ground, but at the rate the industry tries to commodify this new sound, it dies. It’s like trying to milk a baby calf, Uhh…ain’t ready yet. Let the sound grow organically, let it spread between people via the net and word of mouth. It’s time for the labels to wake up and let their artists come along at a slower pace. Maybe then, a ‘new’ sound and the next Nirvana can develop. Until then, it’s McMusic time, quick and bad for the music industry and the music consumer.

(KOAR) – Well, I hope it’s under our nose, because I think we all are begging for some great acts, both labels and consumers. It’s on the breaking point!

Congratulations on Breaking Benjamin. Certified gold and still going strong.

Jason: Thank you. It’s always exciting to watch a band have success after they have worked incredibly hard for years. We’re close to platinum now which, in this day and age, is incredible for any act, especially a rock band.

KOAR: What was your first job in the music industry and how did you get to your position at Hollywood Records.

I started my own record company when I was a child – only 13 years old. It was with my twin brother, Joel, and was called ‘Street Level’ — we put out a couple 7″ records and then merged our efforts with Redemption Records. The label was started by Ryan Kuper out of Omaha, Nebraska. I partnered with Ryan and signed some cool, seminal hardcore and punk bands to that label. After a couple years we went our seperate ways and my brother and I started a label called Watermark, which really put us on the map in the hardcore and punk world (and what would later be considered the ‘emo’ world, a term we used back then as a joke). We sold a lot of records and I was able to pay my way through college with some of the proceeds. During school I worked 2 jobs, ran my label, and was pre-med. It was crazy, but I was pretty motivated. One of the best records we put out was a homeless benefit compilation (featuring bands like Rancid, Avail, Lifetime, etc) which was also the start of Trustkill Records, as it was a split release with them and their first record ever. Some cool history. After ‘alternative’ music (punk rock and indie bands in the early 90’s) I had my fair share of label attention for my bands. In typical fashion, most of those bands imploded before they could ever get signed off to major. As a result, I was courted by a few different labels to come work for them as an A&R executive. I quit school to pursue the music business full-time. At 20 years old, I folded my label and accepted a job with Columbia Records in NY and moved my life from Philadelphia. I wasn’t even old enough to get into bars, but it didn’t hold me back — I learned a ton working there and it was an incredible experience. I had always planned to return to running my punk label, but ended up just sticking around. I left Sony Music in 1998 to be one of the first members of the “new” Hollywood Records’ A&R department (them allowing me to stay based in NY and travel to LA constantly). Since getting to Hollywood, I applied everything I learned from years of running my own label and my time at Sony to a totally new environment. I’ve made the best out of this great opportunity. It’s been 6 years with Hollywood now and it’s been awesome so far.

KOAR: What does your normal day consist of…

Jason: There really is no normal day for me. Every single day is totally different. After drinking tea and getting my head together in the morning, I check my email and field dozens of phone calls and check my schedule, which is usually filled about 2 weeks in advance as I’m a freak about using my time correctly. Usually I’m in the middle of at least one to two records being made. I travel constantly as usually one of those projects is being made in LA or elsewhere. I stop by the studio and check on what progress has been made and make comments as needed. The rest of the time is spent having meetings all day with artists, managers, producers, writers, lawyers and anyone else I am connected to. In my car in NY or California, I will listen to demos when the phone isn’t ringing– I throw the ones I don’t like over my shoulder into the back seat and the ones I do like on the front floor, making it easier to reply later when I separate them into different piles. At night I attend about 4 to 6 shows or showcases on any given night. When I get home I’ll listen to more music in my stereo and online, then pass out pretty late. That’s about several different kinds of days mutated into one — and was certainly a typical day for me at least a few times last week.

KOAR: Please tell us about how you found Breaking Benjamin…

Jason: We have an incredible promotion staff who are not only great at getting our artists on the radio, but are pretty connected to what is actually happening in the markets they cover. David Perl who is our NY based promotion exec told me about the band and that it was happening in central PA (where they are from). He gave me their demo CD which became their first commercial EP they released on their own (selling 2000 copies in a week or two in PA alone). It blew me away and I drove down to their show that weekend. By that weekend the buzz was out and about 6 other labels attended. I didn’t think I stood a chance but they were great and I was passionate. One week later we signed the band and it was probably one of the quickest deals I was ever involved in from finding out the band to seeing them to signing them.

KOAR: Were you surprised they took off? You have to be honest, its not easy breaking new bands, especially trying to break an artist among tons of releases.

Jason: Not at all. I thought it should’ve happened sooner. I was surprised that their first album wasn’t platinum. I thought their album was full of amazing songs and other potential singles. The problem is that we chased what was the commercial hit in their home market, a song called ‘Polyamorous’. It was a top 20 single at radio, we marketed them well, and after over a year of touring we cracked around 200,000 in sales. I am totally realistic about the difficulties of breaking new bands, but I really believed their debut album, “Saturate” should have done a lot better than it did. We released a second single which might not have been the right choice at the time, but who knows. The bottomline is that they got to make a second record, which in this climate is rare especially as they weren’t hugely ’successful’ as far as sales go. I credit Hollywood Records being a label that artists can actually develop for more than one album to their success. I think any other label would have dropped them, but we stuck with them and believed in them. They worked so hard on their second album and connected with their producer, David Bendeth, who they crafted an amazing follow up with. We had a great fan base to stand on, a touring base, and them being a known name to radio programmers. It also helped that their first single “So Cold” from their second album, “We Are Not Alone” turned out to be a hit. It was a number one single at rock radio and has propelled them into a totally new arena. Hopefully we can maintain it through the next single and the rest of their career. We want them making music for as long as they want to do this.

KOAR: How much time do you put in looking for new artists..

Jason: A lot of time. I consume music like food. I buy records, listen to demos, scour websites, listen to mp3s, and get the obligatory submissions from lawyers and managers. I find a few things a year that I think are special enough to consider signing to record deals. Of course, once you express interest in some of these artists then the whole industry reacts and I usually have some competition to deal with. I am fierce about chasing something if I really want it and I think my genuine passion for music is usually the key to being successful in a competitive signing situation. So to answer the question, I am always looking because if you aren’t someone else will find it.

KOAR: I hear from 14 year olds all the way to 50 year olds that “radio sucks”. Even though radio is treating Breaking Benjamin nicely what is your opinion of the current artist on rock radio?

Jason: radio doesn’t suck, maybe some of the programming does. I think there is a lot of research driven radio programming which tends to take the passion out of people really believing in records and giving them a shot. There have been plenty of bands that have been successful without radio only to be embraced by them later. Radio is probably the most powerful tool in breaking a new artist and unfortunately there are only so many slots at stations. If a record doesn’t perform they can replace it fairly quickly with something else as there are too many artists and not enough airtime. I’m thrilled that Breaking Benjamin is the type of act that radio has embraced, of course, because it has had a lot to do with them getting fans. Of course word of mouth, video, internet, and just about every other type of marketing cannot be discounted either. I can’t say that I like a lot of what I hear on rock radio. The cookie cutter rock stuff drives me a little nutty but I also understand it. People love things that are familiar to them and a lot of times it’s hard to tell one band from the other. You could end up being a totally faceless band with a platinum record. I don’t think Breaking Benjamin is one of those bands. They are clearly influenced by their musical heroes, but have totally made music that I believe to be unique and groundbreaking and completely their own. If people don’t like what they hear on the radio, they can always listen online to streaming stations or satellite as well. Or do what I do and go buy some records and explore the whole spectrum of music available off the dial.

KOAR: For the last 2 years I have noticed labels are signing these indie bands.  For instance, many Indie labels sign these art-rock bands dressed up in wedding tuxedos and then they go out of business because no one will pay for the record. Why is everyone anti-mainstream?

Jason: I don’t think that any label goes into the business of signing bands that they believe will fail. That would be a suicidal business model. If anything, when working in A&R you are constantly seeing a lot of the same derivative music. When something comes around that may be exciting and different and outside the box — it’s attractive. I know when I see something completely unique, I am not scared by it. I usually try to figure out what it is that I find exciting and then ask myself if I think it will translate to the rest of the world and record buying public. If it’s too cool for middle America, then it might not be the right kind of band to sign. I also must say that if it’s compelling and exciting then it should totally be worth signing — it really depends on what your goal is. If your goal is to sign fringe artists that you and 12 other people will love, then sign it, but your career won’t last when their records don’t sell. If your goal is to sell records, then sign artists that can translate to a much bigger audience. I also believe that label people know that you must create a vibe around your label to attract other artists. This is true for any label. I wouldn’t want to work at a company that didn’t have totally progressive music like The Polyphonic Spree – it wouldn’t be exciting to me. I think with anything, balance is key. If you can sell a million records of one thing and also have something totally groundbreaking and mind-blowing that is the model for a great record company. Ultimately, it would be thrilling to break something that isn’t ‘mainstream’ which is also a motivating factor in running a record company — discovering great art and pushing the boundaries!

KOAR: What are the future plans for Breaking Benjamin?

Jason: They are about to go back on tour again forever. Their second single “Sooner or Later” is top 10 at rock radio right now and they just shot a video for it. Hopefully sometime later this year they will go in to make their third album — but if this continues to sell like it is they may be on the road for another year or so until that happens. We shall see – so keep your fingers crossed.

KOAR: Any new artists you would like to talk about? any recent signings?

Jason: I’m a pretty diverse A&R person and work with everything from rock bands to pop artists. I am very excited about Tina Sugandh, which I spent a year and a half working on. She is an incredibly talented Indian woman who plays the tablas (Indian drums) and guitar with a stunning voice and beautiful lyrics. She has recorded what I believe to be the most unique album that you will hear in a long time. Jeannie Ortega is an 18 year old urban pop artist from Bushwick, Brooklyn that I am nearing completion of her debut album. It’s also incredibly exciting for me and I can’t wait for people to hear it. I’m also working on the debut solo effort from Christian Burns (who was a member of the plantinum selling band, BBMak – which I brought to Hollywood) which is a totally left-of-center pop effort. I can’t wait for all this music to be heard! Thanks for the interview and keep doing what you do!

Guns, sex, incarceration, violence, addiction and getting ready for prom… These are all very dramatic situations that plague our every day lives while living in the wealthy neighborhoods of California. Will Brenda break up with Dylan? Is Pacey going to die? These are the questions that ensure our summers won’t end soon enough, however for those that don’t really care (and don’t even know that Pacey isn’t a character), The OC still manages to leave us with probably the most puzzling question of all- why are Abercrombie clones rocking out to a Matt Pond PA cover of a Neutral Milk Hotel song? Who is responsible for this apparent injustice and how can they be stopped?

Her name is Alexandra Patsavas, music supervisor for The OC.

My initial intention was to grill her. To do some serious investigative reporting and uncover the dark exploitative truth about indie rock being on The OC. However, and I am somewhat sad to report, it’s all legit. Indie snobs, do not read on because as I was doing this interview not only did I learn that Ms. Patsavas is 100% on the real, but the cast and staff are as well. *sigh* It’s a dark day for elitism.

reprinted with permission by AJ at Altsounds.com

Can you give me a brief work history, pre-OC?

I used to be a college promoter and bring bands to campus. Then I was in Los Angeles working in the Film/TV department of BMI which is where I got started in the music supervision. In 1995 is when I officially started working with Roger Corman on Roswell and Boston Public.

How did you end up working on the OC?

I was working with the executive producer when he was working on Fastlane and he introduced me to Josh who created The OC.

Click to read more

Are you a fan of the show?

Yeah I love it

I have to be honest with you, I have seen maybe 2 episodes ever.

Aww, we’ll have to change that. Why don’t you watch?

Well, I was already in high school once…and I have no interest in reliving it, even with the addition of sex, drugs and guns.

Ahhh, I see what you’re saying. You should check it out though, I think you would really like it.

Maaaaaybe. We’ll see. You pick a lot of indie rock and underground stuff, is that what you listen to?

It is. I am a big fan..have been since the late 80s when it was called Alternative and College Rock. That’s definitely what I listen to, so I am glad to be able to have it on the show.

As a fan of the underground, how do you feel about making the music so trendy by having it on one of the most popular shows on television?

We’re all big fans of that music on the show. I mean, that’s what we listen to, Josh, the actors, me, everyone. So it seemed natural to put that music in the show. It’s not about making it trendy, it’s about it fitting the show.

You know Alexandra, you’re melting away my preconceptions about the show right now. I really thought that it would all be more contrived and more like exploiting indie rock. I had no idea that you all seriously like the music and would be listening to it even if it weren’t in the show. This is really changing my perception of things.

Yeah, I always laugh when I read the criticisms. It’s more genuine than people want to give us credit for.

How do you pick the music? Do people submit it to you or do you seek it out?

People submit things to me mostly. I get about 3-400 CDs per week from publishers, managers and labels. I have been getting things from the US, Canada, the UK, Germany…recently I have been getting a lot of Swedish music. I sift through it all and try to listen to everything. If I think it will fit someplace, I put it aside.

How involved are you in the show? Since you’re picking the music do you have to work with the writers and producers and everyone else to make sure you have the right song for the right scene?

If a band is actually playing on the show, then I am definitely there. It’s no different than booking a show. I have to be on set for the on camera performances. But, like I said everyone who works with the show is really into music, so the writers will script in certain songs sometimes or have ideas about what they want to have in there. I make compilations every week with song suggestions and ideas.

What is your criteria for having songs on the show?

Well, I make the initial compilations which are just broad strokes. There are no limitations though. We have some 80s and 90s Alternative, but we do try to keep the show as current as possible. Each episode has a budget, so sometimes we have to change the songs to fit within the budget, but aside from that, there are no restrictions.

Do you think your music selection has attracted viewers to the show that might otherwise not be interested? Or the other way around?

I don’t know about all that. I think the people that watch the show and like the show also like the music.

What does it take to get a band actually ON the OC?

Like a live on camera performance?

Yeah.

Well, the writers and producers created the venue specifically to have the characters see live bands. The bands we pick are usually bands some (or all) of us have seen live and really liked. It’s complicated to work out all the details, since the bands we choose are usually on tour we have to get them off tour for about a week. An episode takes 8 days to shoot, plus there are extras and all that. I heard The Killers demo early on during season 1. We saw them live opening for Morrissey and knew they would be perfect to perform on the show. So, most of it is based on bands we really like seeing live.

What bands do you have coming up on the show?

We have a lot of big stuff planned. Ladytron, Rogue Wave, Calla, The Talk…and The Subways will be doing a live performance. They perform the single off the OC Mix 5.

I have to say Alexandra, I want to watch the OC now. I had no idea that the whole thing was so cool I mean, I am from the midwest…I can’t relate to the characters in the slightest, but knowing we actually like the same music (the actors AND the characters) maybe I will have to give it another shot Thanks a lot for talking with me.

Thank YOU AJ, it’s been fun

Check out the new OC Mix 5, in stores November 8, and watch The OC this fall on FOX, Thursdays at 8PM/7PM Central

*reprinted with permission by AJ from Altsounds.com For more information, contact aj@altsounds.com