Everybody Else

Eric McLellan is an artist advisor and founder of Yo Peep This, a music marketing and label services company based in New Jersey. He’s also an artist coach at Groover, where he serves the company’s US-based community. Previously, Eric served as an A&R at Warner Music Group working under Seymour Stein for over a decade and has also held roles at Sony Music and Breakr Biz Dev at Gathr.

Follow Eric: Instagram, LinkedIn
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Thank you to our episode sponsor, Groover, for working hard to build a great platform connecting artists with music pros and for believing in this show.

Groover is the global go-to platform for independent artists for all their promotional needs and artist services. It started with a simple but frustrating truth: talented artists weren’t getting heard. Emails went unanswered, demos got lost, and opportunities stayed out of reach. Insert Groover—a platform where artists could finally connect with industry pros, get real feedback, and unlock new career opportunities. Today, 3,000+ pros and curators listen to new tracks from over 500,000+ artists who use Groover to share their music, get feedback, and land real opportunities—over 5M pieces of feedback given, 1M+ shares, reviews, and playlist adds, and 1,500+ label signings.

Visit  https://groover.co/en/ to promote your next single and get 15% off your first campaign by using promo code EVERYBODYELSE (good for one campaign). Here's how it can be applied.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Everybody Else is a podcast dedicated to pulling back the curtain on the lives and work of the music people you don’t see. From producers and publicists to label execs, venue managers, and beyond, this show dives into the real stories, strategies, and lessons from those building and running the business of music. Whether you're an aspiring artist, a curious fan, or someone working behind the scenes yourself, Everybody Else offers a candid look into what it takes to build a meaningful, lasting career in the always-evolving world of music through engaging dialogue between host, Wes Luttrell, and a plethora of interesting guests.

Follow Wes: Main link
Music by Jim Noir
Artwork by Ethan Douglass
Distributed by Transistor 

Show host Wes Luttrell shares his unique experience as a stagehand for the local IATSE Union at a recent Jon Pardi concert at the Ford Center in Evansville, IN. In this short solo episode, he reflects on the camaraderie among crew members, the logistics of concert load-outs, and the insights gained about union work and the dedication required to make live music happen. 

Follow Wes: Instagram 
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Thank you to Chris Passage, Lora Melone, Scott VanMeter, and Steve VanMeter for providing me with a truly priceless experience." - Wes

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Everybody Else is a podcast dedicated to pulling back the curtain on the lives and work of the music people you don’t see. From producers and publicists to label execs, venue managers, and beyond, this show dives into the real stories, strategies, and lessons from those building and running the business of music. Whether you're an aspiring artist, a curious fan, or someone working behind the scenes yourself, Everybody Else offers a candid look into what it takes to build a meaningful, lasting career in the always-evolving world of music through engaging dialogue between host, Wes Luttrell, and a plethora of interesting guests.

Follow Wes: Main link
Music by Jim Noir
Artwork by Ethan Douglass
Distributed by Transistor 

“Uncle Dave” Kunkel is a retired Radio Personality and Disc Jockey. With a career spanning over 60 years in broadcast, he’s well known for hosting “The Going Home Show” on 98.1 WRAY in Princeton, Indiana. Aside from radio, Dave has guest-hosted The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville five times, DJ’d hundreds of events, and been a longtime volunteer at the Gibson County Fair where he once ran live sound for country music legends like Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and June Carter, Hank Williams Jr., and more.

Follow Dave: Facebook
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Thank you to our episode sponsor, Symphonic.

Founded in 2006 by former music producer Jorge Brea, Symphonic Distribution provides thousands of new and established record labels, managers, and artists with global digital music and video distribution to hundreds of retail and streaming platforms, playlist pitching, release promotion, and a comprehensive suite of label services.

A shortlist of Artists and Record Labels who have had their work distributed through Symphonic include: Sublime, Ok Go!, Jon Batiste, Doechii, Melissa Etheridge, Sean Paul, CloZee, Odesza, LS DREAM, Sarah McLachlan, Wally Opus Records, and many more incredibly talented creatives across various genres.

Switch to Symphonic to get your music onto all major platforms and utilize their growing tools and offerings with 25% off your first year of a Starter Package by visiting:  https://symphonic.com/starter/  and entering the promo code "everybodyelse" (case sensitive) at check out.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Everybody Else is a podcast dedicated to pulling back the curtain on the lives and work of the music people you don’t see. From producers and publicists to label execs, venue managers, and beyond, this show dives into the real stories, strategies, and lessons from those building and running the business of music. Whether you're an aspiring artist, a curious fan, or someone working behind the scenes yourself, Everybody Else offers a candid look into what it takes to build a meaningful, lasting career in the always-evolving world of music through engaging dialogue between host, Wes Luttrell, and a plethora of interesting guests.

Follow Wes: Main link
Music by Jim Noir
Artwork by Ethan Douglass
Distributed by Transistor 

Lora Melone is Director of the 1,950-seat Victory Theatre located in downtown Evansville, Indiana. Starting her career with Venuworks in Food and Beverage at the Ford Center, Lora gradually worked her way into her current role which includes the overseeing of day-to-day venue operations, staff management, and talent booking at the historic Victory where she's secured shows hosting Jason Isbell, Tom Segura, Deana Carter, Ben Folds, Brett Young, and countless others. 

Follow Lora: @lora.melone
Follow The Victory: @victory_theatre
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Thank you to our show sponsor, The Victory Theatre, for bringing great entertainment to our little city and for believing in this show.

Located in the heart of downtown Evansville, Indiana, The Victory Theatre is a historic 1,950-seat venue hosting world-class entertainment such as Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Louis C.K, Deana Carter, and Eddie Griffin, to name a few. Managed by Venuworks, the 124-year-old theatre is also home to the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra and Signature School, Indiana’s first charter school and a top-raked charter school in the nation.

Visit the Victory Theatre website to browse tickets: https://www.victorytheatre.com/home

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Everybody Else is a podcast dedicated to pulling back the curtain on the lives and work of the music people you don’t see. From producers and publicists to label execs, venue managers, and beyond, this show dives into the real stories, strategies, and lessons from those building and running the business of music. Whether you're an aspiring artist, a curious fan, or someone working behind the scenes yourself, Everybody Else offers a candid look into what it takes to build a meaningful, lasting career in the always-evolving world of music through engaging dialogue between host, Wes Luttrell, and a plethora of interesting guests.

Follow Wes: Main link
Music by Jim Noir
Artwork by Ethan Douglass
Distributed by Transistor 

Wyatt Mones is a producer, multi-instrumentalist, and live sound engineer who runs front of house for The Main Squeeze and the LA music venue/recording studio Gold-Diggers. As a producer & songwriter, Wyatt is credited with over 6 million streams having written and produced for Calica, Leo Lovechild, Sid Simons, and numerous others. He and his twin brother, Aaron Mones, release original music under their artist moniker, Spillway.

Follow Wyatt > https://www.instagram.com/ttayw/
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

This episode of Everybody Else is brought to you by Wally Opus.

Proudly based in Evansville, Indiana, Wally Opus is a record label and artist management company serving a handful of recording artists and bands with distribution, marketing, and management of their projects. With a roster stretching coast-to-coast including acts like The Chugs, Ghost Prom, Leo Lovechild, Spillway, Cathryn Lovett, and more, the small, spirited team of doers helps develop and advance artists in their work and lives through holistic, long term planning and common sense support of their creative endeavors.

Visit https://wallyopus.com/ to see all the fine details.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Everybody Else is a podcast that pulls back the curtain on the people behind the music industry—the ones you don’t see in the spotlight. From producers and publicists to label execs, venue managers, and beyond, this show dives into the real stories, strategies, and lessons from those building and running the business of music.Whether you're an aspiring artist, a curious fan, or someone working behind the scenes yourself, Everybody Else offers a candid look into what it takes to build a meaningful, lasting career in the always-evolving world of music through engaging dialogue between host, Wes Luttrell, and a plethora of interesting guests.

Follow Wes: Main link
Music by Jim Noir
Artwork by Ethan Douglass
Distributed by Transistor 

Jeri Gennaro is a tour manager and production manager who’s led planning, logistics, and more for such acts as Sleigh Bells, The Pretenders, Old Crow Medicine Show, Lee Ann Womack, Elle King, and more. Originally from New York and now based in Nashville, TN, Jeri recently took over as production manager of Brooklyn Bowl Nashville, a state-of-the-art 1200-capacity music venue which also holds 19 bowling lanes and a full-service restaurant by Blue Ribbon.

Follow Jeri: @rebelofnyc
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Thank you to our show sponsor, The Victory Theatre, for bringing great entertainment to our little city and for believing in this show.

Located in the heart of downtown Evansville, Indiana, The Victory Theatre is a historic 1,950-seat venue hosting world-class entertainment such as upcoming shows with Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Louis C.K, Danae Hays, and Brad Williams, to name a few. Managed by Venuworks, the 124-year-old theatre is also home to the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra and Signature School, Indiana’s first charter school and a top-raked charter school in the nation.

Visit the Victory Theatre website to browse tickets: https://www.victorytheatre.com/home

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Everybody Else is a podcast that pulls back the curtain on the people behind the music industry—the ones you don’t see in the spotlight. From producers and publicists to label execs, venue managers, and beyond, this show dives into the real stories, strategies, and lessons from those building and running the business of music.Whether you're an aspiring artist, a curious fan, or someone working behind the scenes yourself, Everybody Else offers a candid look into what it takes to build a meaningful, lasting career in the always-evolving world of music through engaging dialogue between host, Wes Luttrell, and a plethora of interesting guests.

Follow Wes: Main link
Music by Jim Noir
Artwork by Ethan Douglass
Distributed by Transistor 

Aaron Tanner is a creative director, author, and musician who’s created award-winning artwork and coffee table books for bands including Ween, Pixies, Face-To-Face, and more. His works have been featured in Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, SPIN, and others while his books have found permanent homes in the collections of MoMA, The Smithsonian, and The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Based in Evansville, Indiana, Aaron’s design clients range from Azzip Pizza to Secretly Canadian and Exit/In to Pangea Kitchen.

See it all on his website: https://aarontanner.com/
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

This episode of Everybody Else is brought to you by Wally Opus.

Proudly based in Evansville, Indiana, Wally Opus is a record label and artist management company serving a handful of recording artists and bands with distribution, marketing, and management of their projects. With a roster stretching Coast-to-Coast including acts like The Chugs, Ghost Prom, Leo Lovechild, Spillway, Cathryn Lovett, and more, the small, spirited team of doers helps develop and advance artists in their work and lives through holistic, long term planning and common sense support of their creative endeavors.

Visit https://wallyopus.com/ to see all the fine details.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Everybody Else is a podcast that pulls back the curtain on the people behind the music industry—the ones you don’t see in the spotlight. From producers and publicists to label execs, venue managers, and beyond, this show dives into the real stories, strategies, and lessons from those building and running the business of music.Whether you're an aspiring artist, a curious fan, or someone working behind the scenes yourself, Everybody Else offers a candid look into what it takes to build a meaningful, lasting career in the always-evolving world of music through engaging dialogue between host, Wes Luttrell, and a plethora of interesting guests.

Follow Wes: Main link
Music by Jim Noir
Artwork by Ethan Douglass
Distributed by Transistor 

Jelmer Rotteveel is a serial entrepreneur and the founder of Soar Music Group, a multifaceted music promotion company based in the Netherlands. With a career history that encompasses blogging, interning at records labels like Spinnin’ and Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak Records, and starting his own live events company, Run The Trap, Jelmer launched Soar Music in 2020 to offer artists and labels a full suite of services like editorial and independent playlisting, press, sync-licensing, booking, and more.

Website: https://soarmusicgroup.com/
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Thank you to our show sponsor, The Victory Theatre, for bringing great entertainment to our little city and for believing in this show.

Located in the heart of downtown Evansville, Indiana, The Victory Theatre is a historic 1,950-seat venue hosting world-class entertainment such as upcoming shows with Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Louis C.K, Danae Hays, and Brad Williams, to name a few. Managed by Venuworks, the 124-year-old theatre is also home to the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra and Signature School, Indiana’s first charter school and a top-raked charter school in the nation.

Visit the Victory Theatre website to browse tickets: https://www.victorytheatre.com/home

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Everybody Else is a podcast that pulls back the curtain on the people behind the music industry—the ones you don’t see in the spotlight. From producers and publicists to label execs, venue managers, and beyond, this show dives into the real stories, strategies, and lessons from those building and running the business of music.Whether you're an aspiring artist, a curious fan, or someone working behind the scenes yourself, Everybody Else offers a candid look into what it takes to build a meaningful, lasting career in the always-evolving world of music through engaging dialogue between host, Wes Luttrell, and a plethora of interesting guests.

Follow Wes: Main link
Music by Jim Noir
Artwork by Ethan Douglass
Distributed by Transistor 

Cassidy Frost is a writer, educator, and founder of Dedicate Your Life to Music, a music career incubator for women and one of the most-popular music education channels on Substack. Previously, Cassidy fronted the critically-acclaimed, Portland-based slow-fi indie band, bed., and co-founded the indie music publicity firm, Public Display PR, in San Fransisco in 2013.

Website: https://substack.com/@dedicateyourlifetomusic
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Thank you to our show sponsor, Groover.

Join Wes and Groover Artist Coach, Eric McLellan, for a Groover Club masterclass on holistic artist development next month, July 16, 2025. The webinar is focused on taking consistent, intentional action in your work in music to create meaningful, long-term results - based on your specific goals and aspirations for a unique life in modern music. *The class is exclusive to Groover Club members.* Visit https://groover.co/en/lp/groover-club/ to see all available plans. 

Groover is the global go-to platform for independent artists for all their promotional needs and artist services. It started with a simple but frustrating truth: talented artists weren’t getting heard. Emails went unanswered, demos got lost, and opportunities stayed out of reach. Insert Groover—a platform where artists could finally connect with industry pros, get real feedback, and unlock new career opportunities. Today, 3,000+ pros and curators listen to new tracks from over 500,000+ artists who use Groover to share their music, get feedback, and land real opportunities—over 5M pieces of feedback given, 1M+ shares, reviews, and playlist adds, and 1,500+ label signings.

Visit  https://groover.co/en/ to promote your next single and get 15% off your first campaign by using promo code EVERYBODYELSE (good for one campaign). Here's how it can be applied.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Everybody Else is a podcast that pulls back the curtain on the people behind the music industry—the ones you don’t see in the spotlight. From producers and publicists to label execs, venue managers, and beyond, this show dives into the real stories, strategies, and lessons from those building and running the business of music.Whether you're an aspiring artist, a curious fan, or someone working behind the scenes yourself, Everybody Else offers a candid look into what it takes to build a meaningful, lasting career in the always-evolving world of music through engaging dialogue between host, Wes Luttrell, and a plethora of interesting guests.

Follow Wes: Main link
Music by Jim Noir
Artwork by Ethan Douglass
Distributed by Transistor 

Lee Griffin is a Client Manager at the independent music distributor, Symphonic, where he represents the digital distribution of such acts as Sublime, CloZee, Big Gigantic, and Wally Opus Records. As a DJ, Lee has signed deals with Ram Records and Play Me Records. He resides in Nashville, Tennessee.

Follow Lee: https://www.instagram.com/lee_griffin/
Follow Symphonic: https://www.instagram.com/symphonicdistro/
Visit Website: https://symphonic.com/
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Thank you to our episode sponsor, Symphonic, for working hard to get the music of independent artists and labels heard and for believing in this show in the early days.

Founded in 2006 by former music producer Jorge Brea, Symphonic Distribution provides thousands of new and established record labels, managers, and artists with global digital music and video distribution to hundreds of retail and streaming platforms, playlist pitching, release promotion, and a comprehensive suite of label services.

A shortlist of Artists and Record Labels who have had their work distributed through Symphonic include: Sublime, Ok Go!, Jon Batiste, Doechii, Melissa Etheridge, Sean Paul, CloZee, Odesza, LS DREAM, Sarah McLachlan, Wally Opus Records, and many more incredibly talented creatives across various genres.

Switch to Symphonic to get your music onto all major platforms and utilize their growing tools and offerings with 25% off your first year of a Starter Package by visiting:  https://symphonic.com/starter/  and entering the promo code everybodyelse (case sensitive) at check out.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Everybody Else is a podcast that pulls back the curtain on the people behind the music industry—the ones you don’t see in the spotlight. From producers and publicists to label execs, venue managers, and beyond, this show dives into the real stories, strategies, and lessons from those building and running the business of music.Whether you're an aspiring artist, a curious fan, or someone working behind the scenes yourself, Everybody Else offers a candid look into what it takes to build a meaningful, lasting career in the always-evolving world of music through engaging dialogue between host, Wes Luttrell, and a plethora of interesting guests.

Follow Wes: Main link
Music by Jim Noir
Artwork by Ethan Douglass
Distributed by Transistor