Spinning Platters presents: How Did I Get Here?

TEKE::TEKE are a psychedelic rock band from Montreal that perform in Japanese. And by psych rock, I mean they are absolutely genre-bonkers. They bring together elements of Eleki, Punk, Spaghetti Western Score, Classic Rock, and Funk and blend them into something that makes Mr. Bungle sound like Celine Dion. I chatted with guitarist Serge Nakauchi Pelletier and vocalist Maya Kuroki about the band's origins as a Takeshi Terauchi cover band and how they morphed into the beauty of what they are now.  TEKE::TEKE are wrapping up a West Coast tour now, but promised me they'd be back soon. Their brilliant debut record, Shirushi, is out now on Kill Rock Stars. 

Zella Day is a singer songwriter that signed to Hollywood Records when she was merely 17, and has been putting out a steady stream of material since then, enough to be considered a "veteran" at the young age of 27. We had a lovely opportunity to talk about what it's like to be making decidely non-Disney music on a label owned by Disney, producing music as a teenager. The conversation ran through early tours, navigating the major label system, finding an off-ramp to the major label system, nourishing a community during the pandemic, and so much more. She may be one of the wisest humans I've ever had the pleasure of talking to. And, apologies- we both have pets that interrupt some pretty pivotal moments, so bear with that.  Zella Day's most recent record is called Sunday In Heaven, and is available now from Concord Records in all the usual places, included some lovely vinyl variants!

We've made it to the fourth season of How Did I Get Here?!!! And our first guest of a bonafide rock legend- Sergio Dias, founding member of the groundbreaking rock n roll band Os Mutantes. We made a good-faith attempt to cover a 50+ year career in about 30 minutes, but I can already tell you that we could use another 4 hours to scratch the surface of his career.  Os Mutantes are hitting the road, headlining Freakout Festival outside of Seattle, November 10th - 13th, and coming to The Chapel in San Francisco on November 16th.

It's been a loooong time, hasn't it? Fear not- I will try not to leave you, my loyal listeners, hanging for this long again. And it was worth the wait... This might be the only episode that is- ENTIRELY UNEDITED. I got to speak with noted polymath Jean Grae about, well, pretty much everything. We talked about being highly ambitious from a young age, we talked about her career in music, her jump into stand up, writing a book, composing score, and pretty much everything else you can imagine. We even discussed the Lisa Lisa in great detail. And for those that stop listening halfway through, we do ACTUALLY solve COVID in the last five minutes, so you will definitely want to hang on for that.  Jean Grae is coming to SF for SF Sketchfest the final weekend of the festival, which has sadly been moved to 2023. Her updated schedule can be found here! Grae is also still putting out music faster than most people can decide what to listen to, and her Bandcamp page is full of amazing stuff for you to listen to and purchase. 

Alexis Krauss is the lead singer of the popular band Sleigh Bells. Their noisy blend of grindcore guitars and pop beats may not be the most suited for casual radio listening, but it feels me and many others with great joy. I got to speak to Krauss about her time with the pop group RubyBlue, working on a TV show as a young teen, working as a session musician, and how a fateful meeting at a restaurant brought Krauss back to playing in a band.  Sleigh Bells' latest release, Texis, is available for you to enjoy NOW! The band is currently at the tail end of a North American tour, and will be kicking off another round of dates in early 2022. You can find an up-to-date schedule here. Please remember to vaxx up and mask up at these shows for the safety of the band and your fellow fans! 

Most episodes of this show are with someone that has had a long and storied career. I mean, that's kind of the premise of the show. However, the opportunity to bring Rhian Teasdale of the great Wet Leg, the best thing to come out of the Isle of Wight since The Who's best live album, onto the podcast was too good to pass up. We talked about deciding to pivot from your academic studies to studying rock n roll. We talked about becoming a headlining act on the strength of a single, absolutely killer song. We talked about becoming the next big thing in the middle of a pandemic. And, most importantly, we talked about the difference between American and British names for a frozen, whipped dairy treat.  Life moves quickly for a young rock n roll band. Since we recorded this interview, not only has the band released their second single, "Wet Dream," which I can assure you has more blush-worthy lyrics than "Chaise Longue," but might even be more danceable. And you should get your dancing shoes ready because Wet Leg is coming to the US for THREE SHOWS!! Dec. 8th Brooklyn, NY Baby's All Right Dec. 14th Los Angeles, CA The Moroccan Lounge Dec. 15th San Francisco, CA Popscene at Rickshaw Shop

Julie Schuchard is the co-founder of Tricycle Records, who have given us records by local acts such as The Hot Toddies, Everyone is Dirty, Andrew St James, Rich Girls, Geographer, and more. She also has done marketing for Battery, Mezzanine, and about a dozen other local venues, has served on the board for the SF chapter of the Recording Academy, and can often be found around town DJing from her impressive vinyl catalog. We got to talk about her history with music, the struggles of running a label, and also her move from focusing on music and into the world of graphic design.  She also has a Nasty Woman tattoo on her wrist as a reminder that being a woman in this industry (and in this world in general) takes an extra level of nasty. Enjoy her Nasty Woman playlist here!

In this episode I got to talk with Bay Area music legend Chris Appelgren. We talked about many of his bands, including Bumblescrump (sadly not getting into exactly what this word means), The Potatomen, and The Peechees. We also discussed his rising through the ranks at Lookout Records, and even talked about its inevitable decline. And, of course, we talked about his time at Noise Pop, Bold Italic, and Ticketfly, as well as his return to the record business by helping Once And Future Band release their 2020 album Deleted Scenes. We never discussed on the podcast, but here is a link to Mouth Magazine & Records, another project Chris has been working on! And if you liked hearing Chris speak, you'll love to hear him and his friends sing! Here is a playlist of some select artists / songs we talked about on the podcast!

Mo Herms has done pretty much every job in music you can imagine... From record store clerk to radio programmer to journalist to licensing to, well, just imagine it and she's done it. Mo is currently the Music Editorial Lead at 1021 Creative, but we got to talk about all of it. From the first time she fixed a record her sister destroyed to getting hit on by, um, Ike Turner. It was a fun chat, and I think you'll enjoy it. You may also enjoy the playlist she made of important songs from throughout her career.  Oh! She also has a podcast of her own which we never brought up! It's fun- she talks about music with bartenders and it's called Music and Booze with Mo. If you don't feel like listening to my podcast, you should definitely listen to hers! Also, you can even befriend her on Facebook. 

In this edition of "How Did I Get Here?", I got to talk with stand-up comedy prodigy Liz Miele about her career, including getting started at 16 and continuing to nurture that career into adulthood. We discussed her first book, Why Cats Are Assholes, which of course digressed into talking about cat behavior. I even asked some specific questions about my own cat. We also talked about what it's like touring during a pandemic, and we had a TON of fun. For quick reference- Pasta is Liz's cat, Zoey and Ike are my cats.  We also talked a lot about influences, so Liz made me a list of important bits for her development as a comedian, giving you a companion playlist! We also talked about Miele's cat photoshoots, and those can be found on her Instagram! She also has a fantastic YouTube page where you can dig deep into her stand-up history. And she also has a podcast with Maria Shehata called 2 Non Doctors for your continued listening pleasure. 

Maggie Arthur is a Campaign Coordinator for Our Music My Body, an organization that works with music venues and festivals to raise awareness of sexual harassment in the music scene, as well as help work to make those spaces and the people that enjoy them safer. We talked about her early show-going days and the experiences that led to her involvement with OMMB. We also talked a bit about what we can do ourselves to make our scenes and spaces safer and more inclusive. I also learned a lot, and there were even moments in this conversation that were a little uncomfortable for me. But, really, getting to those uncomfortable moments is important.  April is also Sexual Assault Awareness Month. OMMB's parent organization, Our Resilience, has great resources to find out what you can do to help others, or if you have experienced sexual assault yourself, a place to find resources to get help. And please don't forget to follow Our Music My Body on Facebook and Instagram. 

Mickey Darius is the owner of Broken Clover Records, a wildly eclectic record label featuring acts like June of 44, Enablers, Danielle de Picciotto, and many more. He also is the booking agent for several bands, including The Detroit Cobras, Negativland, and others. He ALSO manages The Lost Church, a 50 person performing arts space in San Francisco. And in his limited free time, he even DJ's a bit. He has basically overtaken the role of "hardest working man in show business" from James Brown. We got to talk about his brief flirtation with the cello, coming of age during the 90's rave scene in SF, finding work in ticketing, finding yourself, teaching a toddler to appreciate vinyl, and much much more. Feel free to check out (and even purchase) some vinyl from Broken Clover's Bandcamp page. (Zones by Enablers is a personal favorite) Also, if you have some extra money and want to help keep some of your favorite Bay Area venues afloat, feel free to donate a few bucks to the Independent Venue Alliance! Lastly, The Detroit Cobras are coming to Bottom Of The Hill on September 17th and the Ivy Room on September 18th and Negativland will be coming to Gray Area on September 17th, which gives us something to look forward to after this is over.

Remember January 2020? It was a time of magic and optimism. It was an election year, and our Democratic contenders were such a supergroup that whoever we ended up with was going to win. The economy was looking up, the music industry was about to have a record year for live performances. That's when Laura Wight and Tom Unish met at a rock club and started talking music. They connected pretty deeply and quickly started writing and recording together. Two months later, a global pandemic hits the US, and hits New York City particularly hard, where Wight & Unish live. So, what do you do? Do try to work remotely? Do you put everything on hold til it's over? Or do you roll the dice on this relationship and move in with each other two months after meeting? Well, Laura & Tom decided to take the gamble, and Yo Kinky was born! We talked about these logistics, music, and a lot more. (YG even comes up!) Enjoy the episode and don't forget to pick up their debut EP at yokinky.bandcamp.com! Note: This is episode 1 of season 2, and I haven't recorded one of these in a while. I made a few mistakes in terms of setting recording inputs, causing a handful of moments where the sound quality is less than great. I tried my best to reduce the noise, but I couldn't do it. I decided that the content was good enough that you, the listener, won't judge me too hastily here. Thank you for your support!

Remember how I said a few weeks ago that I'm the 1st season of "How Did I Get Here?" was over? Well, I lied. I didn't lie, but I had the opportunity to snag the very first interview with The Loyal Seas. Who are The Loyal Seas? They are a bit of a supergroup featuring Bay Area-based indie veteran and all-around really lovely person, Brian Sullivan, aka Dylan In The Movies and Tanya Donelly. Yes, the Grammy-nominated Tanya Donelly m. Founding member of not one, but THREE of the most groundbreaking bands in rock history: Throwing Muses, The Breeders, and Belly. We got to talk about friendship, struggling to get your music heard, the logistics of having a transcontinental band, and a lot more. I even asked a very specific question about a moment that happened at a Belly concert in 1993, and, sadly, that moment is missing from the internet. You can literally watch the whole show except the part we talked about.  The Loyal Seas first 7", Strange Mornings In The Garden, is coming out December 4th on American Laundromat. Pre-orders are happening NOW! A full-length is in the works, and we should be hearing that around Fall 2021. The best way to stay in the know there is to follow them on Instagram.  You can follow Tanya Donelly on Instagram and Bandcamp, and you can also pre-order the Belly rarities/b-sides compilation Bees, too! Brian Sullivan can be found on Instagram and Dylan In The Movies can be found on Bandcamp. Keep an eye out at American Laundromat for more Dylan In The Movies news soon!

Today's guest is rock photography extraordinaire, Paige Parsons! We talked her first shows, how she stumbled into rock photography, giving away ice cream at concerts, and her current photography project, the PPE Project, which is an effort to give a face to doctors working in PPE. We had a great conversation, that made me really sad that shows are off the table for the foreseeable future.  Paige can be found in Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. There is also a great documentary about her on YouTube.  Here's a quick list of links that were mentioned on our chat: https://icecreamman.com https://www.ellenby.com/ https://www.facebook.com/PPEPortraitProject https://ppeportrait.org/create https://www.kqed.org/news/11817046/from-ebola-to-coronavirus-a-simple-practice-of-sticker-photo-portraits-for-doctors If you have any feedback about this episode, feel free to email me at dakin@spinningplatters.com. If you like what you heard and want to help support this thing, feel free to Venmo me whatever tip you feel is adequate @Dakin-Hardwick.  And, most importantly, please go to SaveOurStages.com to find out what you can do to help independent promoters and venues weather this COVID crisis so we have shows to go back to when this pandemic is over. Thanks for listening!

This week's guest is legendary Phoenix-based concert promoter Stephen Chilton, aka Psyko Steve. We talked about how he got his start putting on shows in high school, and how he turned that into a full time job. Or several full time jobs. We also talked about what it's like to open The Rebel Lounge. He is also the Board Vice President of NIVA - National Independent Venues Association, a coalition of over 3,000 venues, promoters, and festivals, working together to help keep each other afloat during this time when you can't run your business.  Recently NIVA hosted the SOS Fest: 35 artists performed short sets in empty venues across America over a weekend, all streamed on NIVA's YouTube page. This fest was to raise money for a fund to help keep our independent venues afloat until they can reopen. You can still watch every set here, donate to this worthy cause here, buy merch here, and, most importantly, press Congress to pass the Restart Act here! If you have any feedback about this episode, feel free to email me at dakin@spinningplatters.com. If you like what you heard and want to help support this thing, feel free to Venmo me whatever tip you feel is adequate @Dakin-Hardwick. Thanks for listening!

This episode features one of my earliest music industry mentors, Russell Gatewood. I met him while interning at UMGD while I was in college. We discussed his career as a DJ, how he fell into music marketing, working for the early music tech startup Music Buddha, starting your own business, and so much more. This was a really fun chat, and I hope you enjoy it! The World Famous Rick & Russ show can be found on the web at www.celebdjs.com, and every Friday from 12pm-4pm on Twitch! He can also be found in Instagram and Twitter as @bigggrusss, and, of course, LinkedIn! If you have any feedback about this episode, feel free to email me at dakin@spinningplatters.com. If you like what you heard and want to help support this thing, feel free to Venmo me whatever tip you feel is adequate @Dakin-Hardwick.  And, most importantly, please go to SaveOurStages.com to find out what you can do to help independent promoters and venues weather this COVID crisis so we have shows to go back to when this pandemic is over. Thanks for listening!

In this installment, I got to speak to SF Sketchfest co-founder David Owen about, well, how to put on an underground comedy festival, and what do you do when it's no longer underground. We talked about his first production, his first festival, how he met Cole Stratton and Janet Varney, the other two founders of the festival (SPOILER: It's Talking Heads related, just like the name of this podcast), and how they are handling things when it's entirely unknown when the festival will be safe to play out again.  SF Sketchfest is doing a virtual live read of Plan 9 From Outer Space just in time for Halloween. Well, just before Halloween. October 29th to be precise. Tickets can be purchased here! SF Sketchfest's archives have also been opened up for rental, and those shows can be found here! If you have any feedback about this episode, feel free to email me at dakin@spinningplatters.com. If you like what you heard and want to help support this thing, feel free to Venmo me whatever tip you feel is adequate @Dakin-Hardwick.  And, most importantly, please go to SaveOurStages.com to find out what you can do to help independent promoters and venues weather this COVID crisis so we have shows to go back to when this pandemic is over. Thanks for listening!

 Our guest this week is Lani Torres, co-owner of Ivy Room, a great 200 cap room in Albany, CA. We talked about her first show, how she fell into working in live music, we waxed nostalgic about the Bay Area show scene, and talked a bit about running a music venue.  Ivy Room is located at 860 San Pablo Ave. Sadly, they aren't doing live music right now due to COVID, but they are open for take out cocktails and food from 4-8 Thurs-Sat and 2-6 on Sundays. If you want to support the venue while it's shuttered, they have a GoFundMe and some lovely merch for sale. They also have BITCH from Bitch and Animal and the legendary Detroit Cobras booked for shows next September, and you'll probably see me at one or both of these. You can pick tickets up for those here.  If you have any feedback about this episode, feel free to email me at dakin@spinningplatters.com. If you like what you heard and want to help support this thing, feel free to Venmo me whatever tip you feel is adequate @Dakin-Hardwick.  And, most importantly, please go to SaveOurStages.com to find out what you can do to help independent promoters and venues weather this COVID crisis so we have shows to go back to when this pandemic is over. Thanks for listening!

Ashley Graham is the marketing director for The Fillmore and The Masonic. She's also the art director behind those amazing Fillmore posters. In her free time, she's also the advisor to Andrew St James. We talked about her career, of course, and what it's like to land a dream job where you actually get to work with Sammy Hagar. Yes, we talk about Sammy Hagar. We also talked about what it's like when you have a promo cycle plotted out for an artist, only to have it upended due to COVID and you have to get creative.  You can follow Ashley on Instagram here. And Andrew St James can be found here. His Fast Times project can be found here, and his new band, Juan Wayne, can be found here.  If you have any feedback about this episode, feel free to email me at dakin@spinningplatters.com. If you like what you heard and want to help support this thing, feel free to Venmo me whatever tip you feel is adequate @Dakin-Hardwick.  And, most importantly, please go to SaveOurStages.com to find out what you can do to help independent promoters and venues weather this COVID crisis so we have shows to go back to when this pandemic is over. Thanks for listening!

Amy Davidman is one of the partners of The TBA Agency, a booking agency that was formed by a team of booking agents that were all let go of Paradigm Agency due to COVID-19. We had a lovely chat about her start working at The Bowery Ballroom, the shock of being a major player in the NYC music scene in the 2000's but, somehow, not getting a mention in the book Meet Me In The Bathroom. We also talked a lot about what it's like to be a booking agent, and what it takes to help support each other during times of crisis. Oh yeah, and about starting a business in the middle of a pandemic!  If you have any feedback about this episode, feel free to email me at dakin@spinningplatters.com. If you like what you heard and want to help support this thing, feel free to Venmo me whatever tip you feel is adequate @Dakin-Hardwick.  And, most importantly, please go to SaveOurStages.com to find out what you can do to help independent promoters and venues weather this COVID crisis so we have shows to go back to when this pandemic is over. Thanks for listening!

This is an exciting episode... For the first time in the five episode run of this show, our guest is someone that I have never met before! It's Carlos Alazraqui! He's probably most famous for voicing the Taco Bell Chihuahua. Or Rocko, of Rocko's Modern Life. Or as Deputy Garcia on Reno 911. We had a great chat about the Bay Area stand up comedy scene of the late 80's / early 90's. We also talked about moving from stand up to voice over to live action acting, and a bit about what it's like to work in TV during COVID.  Carlos can be found in Twitter and Instagram! You can also check out the season 7 of Reno 911 on Quibi, and his latest film, Witness Infection, is coming out soon! If you have any feedback about this episode, feel free to email me at dakin@spinningplatters.com. If you like what you heard and want to help support this thing, feel free to Venmo me whatever tip you feel is adequate @Dakin-Hardwick.  And, most importantly, please go to SaveOurStages.com to find out what you can do to help independent promoters and venues weather this COVID crisis so we have shows to go back to when this pandemic is over. Thanks for listening!

Clare O'Kane is one of the finest stand up comics to come out of the 2010's SF stand up scene. She's been featured in Viceland's show Flop House, and is a writer on Hulu's Shrill. She's also one of my favorite people in the world to talk with. We had an excellent chat about her decade in stand up comedy, how she programmed her career, and how she fell into TV writing.  You can keep an eye on everything she's doing on her website, clareokane.com, and you can also find her as @babysfirstgun on Twitter and @clareisokane on Instagram.  If you have any feedback about this episode, feel free to email me at dakin@spinningplatters.com. If you like what you heard and want to help support this thing, feel free to Venmo me whatever tip you feel is adequate @Dakin-Hardwick.  And, most importantly, please go to SaveOurStages.com to find out what you can do to help independent promoters and venues weather this COVID crisis so we have shows to go back to when this pandemic is over. Thanks for listening!

Stefan Aronsen is the creator of Balanced Breakfast, which is a group of musicians and music industry professionals that get together for breakfast to discuss how to best help each other reach the widest audience. There are chapters all around the world, and they are meeting online during the pandemic. We talked about how he got his start in the music business and how to Balanced Breakfast managed to grow quickly and how to manage that. We even discussed the annual Balanced Breakfast Summit, mostly about how magical it was that they managed to get in a 2020 edition before the world closed.  Feel free to follow Stefan and Balanced Breakfast around everywhere:  Web: http://balanced-breakfast.com/ http://stefanaronsen.com/ Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/blncdbrkfst Instagram: @blncdbrkfst  https://www.instagram.com/blncdbrkfst @stefanaronsen  https://www.instagram.com/stefanaronsen Twitter: https://twitter.com/blncdbrkfst/ Twitter:  @stefanaronsen https://twitter.com/StefanAronsen Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/Blncdbrkfst https://www.youtube.com/user/sfintercom If you have any feedback about this episode, feel free to email me at dakin@spinningplatters.com. If you like what you heard and want to help support this thing, feel free to Venmo me whatever tip you feel is adequate @Dakin-Hardwick.  And, most importantly, please go to SaveOurStages.com to find out what you can do to help independent promoters and venues weather this COVID crisis so we have shows to go back to when this pandemic is over. Thanks for listening!

Vickki Acuna has been working in music for years, putting on shows before she was old enough to drive, street teaming for Part Time Punks, running the Box Office at The Echo in LA, and working as the Digital Coordinator for Goldenvoice Festivals in LA, including Coachella & Stagecoach. Now she runs General Election LA, an organization leveraging our darkened venues to help get out the vote!  Vickki is active on social media as herself, in addition to General Election LA. To follow: Vickki Acuna Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vickkiacuna/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vickki-acuna-09a168a3/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/123679209?si=M51PfEu8Qte1Xo7TWi8w8Q General Election Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/generalelectionla/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/genelectionla Website: https://generalelectionla.com/  General Election has a slew of resources for driving the vote, too! Here are a few of those: Are You Registered to Vote Voting Registration Deadlines Mail-In Ballot Sooner Than Later Post August Primary Dates First Time Voter Guide How to Register Guide If you have any feedback about this episode, feel free to email me at dakin@spinningplatters.com. If you like what you heard and want to help support this thing, feel free to Venmo me whatever tip you feel is adequate @Dakin-Hardwick.  And, most importantly, please go to SaveOurStages.com to find out what you can do to help independent promoters and venues weather this COVID crisis so we have shows to go back to when this pandemic is over. Thanks for listening!

Mike Ziemer is the founder of Third String Productions, a popular concert promoter based in Texas. He spoke to us about his humble beginnings as a concert promoter, how, 15 years ago, he learned how to leverage MySpace to help promote your shows and bands, and how he got to where he is today- a social media expert, concert promoter, band manager, record label owner, and owner of a recording studio.  If you have any feedback about this episode, feel free to email me at dakin@spinningplatters.com. If you like what you heard and want to help support this thing, feel free to Venmo me whatever tip you feel is adequate @Dakin-Hardwick.  And, most importantly, please go to SaveOurStages.com to find out what you can do to help independent promoters and venues weather this COVID crisis so we have shows to go back to when this pandemic is over. Thanks for listening!

In our first episode, I ask burlesque dancer and mastermind behind the "Kind Of Blue Revue" about her path, taking us from her beginnings in burlesque, and through her development of the "Kind Of Blue Revue."  You can find Clara at her website, ClaraBodacious.com, and you can follow her on Instagram @clarabodacious. If you want to learn burlesque, Red Hots Burlesque's School Of Shimmy is currently on hiatus, but keep an eye out here for classes resuming. If you want to support the venue that hosted Clara's first time on stage, El Rio is selling t-shirts designed by local artists to help get them through the pandemic-related closure.  If you have any feedback about this episode, feel free to email me at dakin@spinningplatters.com. If you like what you heard and want to help support this thing, feel free to Venmo me whatever tip you feel is adequate @Dakin-Hardwick.  Thanks for listening!