Keepin' It Local Podcast

One of our favorite themes for Keepin’ It Local is the importance of broadening your horizons once in a while. Dan and Krista Stockman help people do just that for a living — by guiding them through the heady and thrilling world of wine.

The pair gained notoriety as connoisseurs through their “Uncorked” column in the Journal Gazette. From there, they branched out and started their own business, Cheers! Wine Consultants, whose tagline is “For those who want to love wine, but don’t know how.”

Now, they’re the Pros in the fundraising event Picked by the Pros, the proceeds from which go to Northeast Indiana Public Radio. The event begins with a wine tasting, and then proceeds to a six-course dinner, with Dan and Krista standing by to help you choose a vintage. Oh yeah, and you’ll be treated to some music as well, courtesy of Alicia.

The interview actually had us broadening our own horizons, as we usually talk to musicians or event coordinators. But, as you’ll hear, we managed to bring the new topic into some familiar territory at several points. We also had the privilege of Katy Anderson joining the conversation to talk about how the event will help our local NPR affiliate.

One of the things we discovered is just how charming and funny Dan and Krista are. (As listeners, we already knew how fun Katy is.) So take a listen, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

You can find Keepin’ It Local on iTunes and Stitcher. Or subscribe to the PyleStyle Newsletter by typing your email address into the box below.

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Alicia and Dennis talk to the Mad Scatter, Trinell Armour, about how she got into the jazz scene, the musical projects she’s working on, and the role music plays in her life.

Paul Kobylensky is a guitarist for the group Random Change. He performs with Strange Waters and Pink Droyd. And he’s the main force behind the Monthly Muso Nights at the Ruin Bar here in Fort Wayne.

Oh yeah, and he also does a little bit of writing for premier publications like PyleStyle’s From the Bandstand.

Mostly, though, we were eager to interview Paul because he shares our mission of building a community of artists and musicians to grow, celebrate, and support the local scene. Too many artists work their butts off on their projects only to get a lackluster reception. That’s because not enough of us are showing up to support our fellow community members. You want people to take an interest in what you’re doing, you have to pay it forward by attending your friends’ and colleagues’ shows.

In this episode, we talk to Paul about moving to Fort Wayne and how it compares to Seattle and Nashville. We talk about all his music projects and what he’s most excited about in the coming months and years. But we mainly focus on what it means to be part of a music community.

We knew Paul to be trenchant and eloquent, but we were caught off guard by just how funny and irreverent he is. The conversation makes for a great episode, and we’re already looking forward to working with him more in the future.

In the meantime, let us know what you think, on social media, in the comments below, or by email ([email protected]).

You can find Keepin’ It Local on iTunes and Stitcher. Or subscribe to the PyleStyle Newsletter by typing your email address into the box below.

And find Paul on Facebook. Go to the Random Change website. And then go Paul’s site for musicians, The New Rockstar - How to ‘Make It’ in Music.

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Nick Bowcott was a founder, “riff writer”, and lead guitarist for the rock band Grim Reaper. He’s toured all over the world and had monstrous success. Once asked if he’d like to be 25 again, he responded, “only if it was 1984 again.”

I was personally interested in talking to Nick about his writing and content marketing. He began writing about music, guitars, and amps for his fellow musicians back when print was the only available medium. So, I wasn’t disappointed when the conversation meandered onto the topic of social media and how it’s changed the industry—along with everything else—over the past couple of decades.

Nick is especially good on the topic of trolls and how young aspiring musicians can deal with them. And I was also delighted to discover he shares the view we have at PyleStyle that social media is best used not to drive any message but rather to amplify the efforts you make in real life. (See our recent articles—available on audio—on the topic of digital marketing for musicians.)

Nick is a treasure trove of great rock stories. But my personal favorite of his anecdotes comes at the very end of the episode, when he answers the question about who is the most successful musician he’s ever known.

We were privileged to have this chance to talk with Nick for so long. We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did.

You can find Keepin’ It Local on iTunes and Stitcher. Or subscribe to the PyleStyle Newsletter by typing your email address into the box below.

Nick’s tattoo of Jim Marshall

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For this episode of Keepin’ It Local, we’re bringing you another audio article, this one about social media marketing. Once again, our goal is to help local musicians promote their work by sharing what we know about the various elements of digital marketing strategy.

Now, if you’re hoping to hear about my true feelings about our president, I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. The article is about how too many artists, musicians, and small businesses focus on clever or high-tech social media posts, not realizing that without building a following first, they’re wasting their time and resources. Trump’s tweets are simple, emotive, and low-tech, and yet he has a presence any artist should envy.

How does he do it? Take a listen and find out. And then—as always—let us know what you think.

You can find Keepin’ It Local on iTunes and Stitcher. Or subscribe to the PyleStyle Newsletter by typing your email address into the box below.

https://businessesgrow.com/2019/02/18/come-together/

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The title of this episode comes from Damon Mitchell’s response to Alicia’s question about why he always has a smile on his face. His answer (at around the 5-minute mark) has a few parts, but they all emphasize the universality and sheer magic of music. This captures something of what it’s like talking to Damon. He has a contagious sense of wonderment and gratitude for the art the works with. On top of that, he’s incredibly talented. His music has been characterized as "A well-crafted cross between The Beatles and Death Cab for Cutie."

Damon strikes another chord (excuse the pun) with us when he talks about how “You make fans one at a time” through personal connections and shared experiences, not through cracking some mysterious marketing code. And he’s putting this insight into practice this Saturday (March 2nd) at C2G for his album release party. (For a preview, check out the video for his single “Elise.”)

It was a real delight talking to this young man—he just makes you want to go out and attend more live music performances. We’ll definitely be keeping an eye on him to see how his career unfolds.

In the meantime, let us know what you think, on social media, in the comments below, or by email ([email protected]).

You can find Keepin’ It Local on iTunes and Stitcher. Or subscribe to the PyleStyle Newsletter by typing your email address into the box below.

Get our bimonthly newsletter delivered to your email inbox and never miss a blog post, podcast episode, or event date.

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This episode of Keepin’ It Local is very different. The first reason for this is simple necessity. The polar vortex and heavy snows have forced us to keep rescheduling interviews. But the other reason is simply that one of our goals for 2019 is to start helping local musicians with various aspects of outreach and promotion.

My original idea was to write an overview of how I applied my marketing training to PyleStyle Events. But then I decided to take a different tack. I wrote an article that’s basically what I wish someone had taken me aside to tell me when I was a young aspiring novelist. Back then, I hated the idea of marketing my work too. And I still do. But that’s only when I’m thinking of marketing the way it’s conventionally thought of.

Fortunately, I’ve learned a thing or two since then. It may all be old hat to you, but I hope you find something worthwhile in it. Anyway, the length got to be a little unwieldy, so I figured I’d record an audio version. And, since we needed a podcast episode, well… two birds.

If you’d prefer the written version, I’ve posted it on From the Bandstand. As always, let us know what you think.

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You can find Keepin’ It Local on iTunes and Stitcher. Or subscribe to the PyleStyle Newsletter by typing your email address into the box below.

I’ve been trying to get Alicia to sit down with me to record an interview since New Year’s.

Well, I’ve finally succeeded.

Alicia has been performing and booking musicians for events for a long time. But it was just back in September of 2017 that we officially launched PyleStyle Events. Our goal was to bring the best local musicians together to help event coordinators, venue owners, or anyone else make their events fun, memorable, and successful.

Now that it’s been over a year, I thought it was a good time to reflect on what we’ve accomplished, how far we’ve progressed toward our vision, and where we might be headed. It’s been a whirlwind of a year, and Alicia has been working ridiculously hard in each of her myriad roles, so I also throw in a question about how she manages to balance everything.

Take a listen and let us know what you think. If you have suggestions for us on who to interview, what questions to ask, or anything else, just leave them in the comment section below or email me at [email protected].

You can find Keepin’ It Local on iTunes and Stitcher. Or subscribe to the PyleStyle Newsletter by typing your email address into the box below.

Get our bimonthly newsletter delivered to your email inbox and never miss a blog post, podcast episode, or event date.

Don’t worry, we’ll never share your info with anyone.

Thank you for subscribing to the PyleStyle Newsletter!

If you’re interested in being featured on the Keepin’ It Local Podcast, just fill out the form below. We can’t guarantee everyone a spot, but we’d love to hear what you’re up to.

Thank you for your interest in Keepin’ It Local! We’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Night to Remember has stellar reviews on both Wedding Wire and The Knot. So we thought we’d look for some inspiration from the man behind the band, Jon Durnell, who not only performs but books musicians for events, much the way we do at PyleStyle.

Jon tells the story of how he got into performing for weddings and how he started his business, NTR Entertainment. Along the way, we discuss the community spirit infusing our local scene and how Fort Wayne compares to other cities’ music markets.

The funnest part for me, though, was hearing Jon and Alicia share their thoughts on the best and most frustrating parts of performing for weddings and other events. Then they compare notes on what goes into booking musicians and helping clients have a wonderful time on what is, hopefully, the best day of their lives.

But something really interesting comes up in this interview when we turn to the topic of what distinguishes Fort Wayne from places like Nashville. I ask for the first time (of both Alicia and Jon) whether our city has its own sound—or if it’s something else that sets us apart. You’ll want to hear what they have to say.

It’s easy to see why Jon is so successful. He’s personable, engaging, charming, and funny. I’m hoping we get lots of opportunities to work with him in the future. So take a listen and enjoy. And when you’re done, head over to the NTR Entertainment website. Or check out Jon’s site for his own music.

You can find Keepin’ It Local on iTunes and Stitcher. Or subscribe to the PyleStyle Newsletter by typing your email address into the box below.

Get our bimonthly newsletter delivered to your email inbox and never miss a blog post, podcast episode, or event date.

Don’t worry, we’ll never share your email with anyone.

Thank you for subscribing to the PyleStyle Newsletter!

If you’re interested in being featured in the Keepin’ It Local Podcast, just fill out the form below. We can’t guarantee everyone a spot, but we’d love to hear what you’re up to.

Thank you for your interest in Keepin’ It Local! We’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

For this episode, we thought we’d do something different. We usually interview seasoned musicians, but this time we invited a guest who’s on the rise.

And what a rise it’s going to be.

Any description of a white high school sophomore that includes the word rapper is going to come freighted with certain images. But no one is more aware of these preconceptions than Neso, who in fact happens to be a sophomore at Homestead High School, and who in fact happens to have just released his first rap album.

But trust me when I say your expectations are about to be dashed.

Long before he was Neso, Colin Mick came to Alicia for piano lessons, and she just didn’t know what to do with him. He already knew more about music technology than she did, and he picked up any elements of music theory she tried to teach him before she could even get done explaining them.

That’s why when Colin reached out to her saying he’d just released a self-produced album she was eager to get him on the podcast. And he doesn’t disappoint. I had to keep reminding myself that I was talking to a 15-year-old. Take a listen for yourself and you’ll see why it’s so hard to believe.

We talk about his early influences, the journey he’s taken to reach his current style and genre, and what he hopes for in the years to come. Listening to him talk about the songs on his album, you’ll be amazed at the precocity that fuels his creative drive. And, if you’re like us, you’ll be eager to take a listen to the songs.

Here he is on Spotify. And here’s the link to 9th Life on Amazon. He’s also on Apple Music.

You can find Keepin’ It Local on iTunes and Stitcher. Or subscribe to the PyleStyle Newsletter by typing your email address into the box below.

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Check out some past episodes of Keepin’ It Local.