what it takes
So What?! founder Mike Ziemer tells us how he built a festival from the ground up
[Photo by Casey Lee] So What?! Music Festival has been promoting alternative-to-mainstream genres coming up on 10 years in Dallas. The name, originally South by So What, is a cheeky pun on Austin’s South by Southwest artist showcase. Mike Ziemer is the man responsible for the continual onslaught of impressive lineups, celebrating a decade of […]
Self-taught photographer Casey McPerry tells us how he turned his Instagram into a career
[Photo by Adam Elmakias, provided by Casey McPerry] Casey McPerry has a dream job. When we caught up with him, he was fresh off a trip to Mexico, where a hotel brought him out to Instagram his stay at their opening… Yeah. How does one get paid to Instagram? We were immediately determined to find […]
Radio personality Mike "Gunz" Gunzelman's career started when he "became" a member of Blink-182
[Photo credit: Audrey Lew] Some kids grow up without a doubt in their minds as to what they are going to be when they get older: firefighters, teachers, dinosaurs, you name it. Other kids grow up just wanting to be heard. Equipped with an outgoing personality and an unmistakable fiery passion for music, Mike “Gunz” […]
Singer-songwriter Curtis Peoples opens up on writing for Pierce The Veil, Third Eye Blind
Singer-songwriter Curtis Peoples, 34, has known Pierce The Veil frontman Vic Fuentes since kindergarten, and the best friend songwriting duo are responsible for the band’s gold single, “King For A Day.” The track set off Peoples’ career in songwriting, which also includes credits on records by Third Eye Blind, a pre-OneRepublic Ryan Tedder and pop-rock […]
Cyber Tracks co-founder Jen Abeyta talks about what it takes to start a record label from the ground
Jen Abeyta is a lot of things: a wife, a mom, a teacher, a personal assistant, an accountant, a graphic designer—the list goes on and on. Oh, and she started her own record label. Abeyta (along with her husband Aaron Abeyta, better known as legendary California punk band NOFX’s El Hefe) founded the Los Angeles-based […]
The founder of the largest festival in Canada tells us what it takes to start a rock festival
Often compared to Woodstock, Montebello’s Amnesia Rockfest experience is a drug that is all too easy to get addicted to. Once a year, the sleepy Quebecois town is infiltrated with the gnarliest group of freaks, and the result is pure bohemian euphoria. Yet, the festival is just as much for the town and the small […]
SideOneDummy’s Jamie Coletta talks about what it takes to be a publicist in the music industry
[Photo credit: Christina Johns] Simply put, Jamie Coletta loves music. She grew up listening to New Found Glory and Brand New, and her grade school notebooks are probably covered in fantastically emo lyrics. But Coletta didn’t want to just listen and enjoy, she wanted to be a part of the process. After investing in a […]
Kurt Cuffy talks about what it takes to be a photographer in the music industry
Kurt Cuffy, 24, calls Toronto home— that is, when he's actually there. These days the photographer spends most of his time on the road, photographing bands, making friends and hunting down the dankest of memes. You might have seen him quickly jumping from one side of the stage to the other in Sometown, Middle America, […]
Jake Carruthers talks about what it takes to be an illustrator in the music industry
Jake Carruthers is a 22-year-old illustrator from Toronto who has created album art and T-shirt designs for many of the scene’s hottest acts—August Burns Red, Real Friends and Neck Deep are all in his repertoire. AP sat down to talk with him about his inspirations, what it’s like working with musicians and advice for starting […]
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