In A State

Simply put, Stu Fine is a veteran of the music business. He is known for his decades developing artists within the A&R realm, having worked at RCA Records, Arista Records, K-tel and Polygram. He also founded the pioneering hip-hop label Wild Pitch Records; Complex ranked him as one of top 25 A&Rs within the history of hip-hop. In addition, Stu worked in management, handling the career of LL Cool J.

Porter Block spoke to Stu for In A State, covering all facets of his upstanding career within music. Among the artists Stu and Porter discuss, who Stu worked with, are Gang Starr, Steve Cropper, Boz Scaggs, and Patti Smith.

Mark Piro is the founder of Analog Spark, the audiophile imprint of Razor & Tie focused on the reissue of classic and acclaimed albums on 180-gram vinyl and SACD. The label insists on using the original master tapes, best mastering engineers and pressing plants to ensure that their releases are of the highest quality. In doing so, Analog Spark has established itself as one of the preeminent audiophile reissue labels in the country.

Recent releases have included Blind Melon’s Soup, Ben Folds Five’s The Unauthorized Biography Of Reinhold Messner, The Cranberries' Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We? and the 60th anniversary reissue of Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Cole Porter Song Book.

Also a musician in his own right, Mark Piro also regularly plays piano at New York City venue Sid Gold's Request Room.

Bar/None Records was founded in Hoboken, New Jersey in early 1986. In the 31 years since Glenn Morrow has been part of the Bar/None fold, the label has released titles by the likes of They Might Be Giants, Of Montreal, Alex Chilton, Yo La Tengo, and Puffy Amiyumi. Prior to owning Bar/None, Morrow was a musician, having been frontman of The Individuals and also Rage To Live.

Porter Block had the pleasure of speaking with Glenn Morrow for In A State, focusing on what it is like to run a record label in 2017. More on Morrow -- who released new music as the frontman of Glenn Morrow's Cry For Help earlier this year -- and Bar/None Records can be found at www.bar-none.com.

Marshall Crenshaw first achieved mainstream success with "Someday, Someway," a Top 40 hit in 1982. Success would continue with 1983's Field Day and 1985's Downtown albums. Crenshaw also turned heads on the big screen for his portrayal of Buddy Holly in the 1987 film La Bamba.

Even if you haven't heard one of Marshall Crenshaw's albums or seen him in concert, odds are that you know his music. He co-wrote the Golden Globe-nominated title track to the movie Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. The Gin Blossoms hit "Til I Hear It From You" -- as later covered by America -- is another key collaboration of his. "You're My Favorite Waste Of Time" has been sung by Bette Midler, Ronnie Spector, Freedy Johnston, and the duo of Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs. Spector has also performed "Communication," "Something's Gonna Happen," "For Her Love" and "Whenever You're On My Mind." S Club 7 recorded the aforementioned "Someday, Someday." Kelly Willis has interpreted "Whatever Way The Wind Blows."

Porter Block had the pleasure of interviewing Crenshaw for In A State, visiting the singer/songwriter at his home in Upstate New York. More on Marshall Crenshaw can be found at www.marshallcrenshaw.com.

Recognized as one of the world's Top 10 Most Innovative Companies Of 2015 In Music by Fast Company, PledgeMusic is the world's leading online, direct-to-fan music platform. Leigh Lust is the North American VP of A&R for PledgeMusic, having brought in artists like The Flaming Lips, Def Leppard, Lindsey Stirling and Missy Higgins for PledgeMusic campaigns.

Prior to landing at PledgeMusic, Lust had tenures in A&R at Atlantic Records, Capitol Records, Virgin Records and Elektra Records. He signed and/or worked with Jet, Halestorm, Blind Melon, Tally Hall and Stereolab. After leaving Atlantic, Lust moved onto artist management.

Both passionate about music and a pleasure to talk with, Lust caught up with Porter Block for an in-person chat at PledgeMusic HQ. He was candid about "the good old days" of the music business, while also optimistic about where the industry is going.

Jeff Kilgour is the Vice President of PR and Artist Development at The Syndicate. Based in New Jersey, previous campaigns of The Syndicate include Maroon 5, Daft Punk, The Killers, Kings of Leon and Pearl Jam.

Prior to joining the team of The Syndicate, Kilgour was the founder of Tijuana Gift Shop and an employee of both KOCH Records and Kayos Productions, leading to work with Dio, Alice Cooper, Peter Murphy, Luscious Jackson, KRS-ONE and Slash. Recent accounts of Kilgour's include Andrew W.K., Chicano Batman, Nothing But Thieves, POP Montreal, Comedy Central Records and Iceland Airwaves.