Nite Owls

It was only a matter of time until Brandi Thompson, the singer, and songwriter for Brandi and the Alexanders came onto Nite Owls. In addition to leading the band that Eric play drums in, Brandi has sung and toured across the country (and a few other countries) as a professional singer and backup vocalist.

Nite Owls chats with Brandi about drinking and Zoom karaoke with her Mom, Chicagoland, her journey to becoming a professional vocalist and songwriter, Brandi and the Alexanders, how bands work, plus where she wants to play when this all ends. Eric and Brandi also share some urban apocalypse prepper tips.   

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And follow Brandi herself, too.
 
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A lot going on this week besides this little podcast and I was in a jam, but my friend and fellow podcaster, MK Burnell, came through for a fun chat on Nite Owls about this thing we've been doing. A broadcaster and musician in her own right, MK's podcast, More Music Please! talks with artists, managers, venue owners, booking agents, independent promoters about what they're up music-wise in the time of Corona. You can get it wherever you get your podcasts at!

MK and I chatted about Connecticut, people being displaced and bougie gentrification, her time at WDST in Woodstock, comic book stores, Brooklyn drama, and what it's like doing a podcast from background noises to listening to your own voice.

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Two Guests for the Price of One! It's a jam-packed record biz episode of Nite Owls with Erik Olesen, Head of Pop Radio Promotion and Strategy at Crush Music, and Lee Leipsner, head of Pop Radio Promotions at S-Curve Records/BMG.

So the three of us got right to it about "mailroom days" for the record business, radio during COVID-19, what artists and managers are trying to figure out, missed opportunities with Napster, Metallica fans, TikTok, plus leather pants and The Scorpions. Eric shares a St. Vincent story, too. Great talk, great dudes. Could have talked for another hour!


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Hudson Valley by way of Baltimore, singer-songwriter Al Olender is on her own musical journey, debuting her heartfelt and earnest songs later this month.

Nite Owls chats with Al about living in the mythic musical grounds of the Hudson Valley, moving around, the writing process, and the process of letting go, plus we get real about what touring in a band is like as well as her time spent in folk-rock band Upstate. There’s also some light Satan worship and you’ll hear Al perform one of her wonderful songs.

Check out Al Olender online:
On Instagram and Facebook and  Twitter
Her Youtube (Tiny Desk Concert Entry)
Her music debuting August 29th on Soundcloud
and her Merch.

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Sam Sumpter is the brains behind Bands do BK; A roundup of some of the best spots in the borough, based on the recs of the indie artists who live it and love it. A combination of music journalism, insider's guide, and backstage pass to the many, many, many bands all vying to get your attention in their home borough.

Nite Owls chats with Sam about growing up in Texas, the allure of New York City, making big moves, Bands do BK, her forthcoming book, and what constitutes an actual music scene. Also, the tables are turned to find out what some of Sam's favorite spots are like The Crown Inn.

Check out Bands do BK online 
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Quinn McCarthy is a producer and engineer, and part of the creation of The Creamery Studio in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. With an education in bass and composition and some big dreams, he moved to NYC, and built and opened The Creamery as a space for co-creating great music with great musicians. He also engineered, mixed, and provided the creative canvas for Brandi and the Alexanders to record their 2018 debut, How Do You Like It.

Nite Owls catches up with Quinn about growing up Pan-South Western, Tucson venue goals, producing albums, bougie music studios, hip-hop legend Madlib, plus the story of how The Creamery was built and established, and playing the parent to bands recording music.

Show notes:
Check out The Creamery online for recording information.
Follow The Creamery on Instagram
Follow Brandi and the Alexanders on Spotify
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It's a pal from another era! Theodora Karatzas is a UX writer, researcher, currently completing a master's degree at The New School in media studies, focusing on digital media theory, death and technology, and interaction design. Before that, Eric knew Theo in the music industry as a jack of all trades and master of a few too.

Eric and Theodora talk about losing loved ones, junior high libraries, philosophy, record labels, social justice, and her research on digital memorialization and how social media companies manage death on their platforms.

Show notes:
Theodora's website
Reference for our discussion on Elie Wiesel's Night

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Anthony Caporale is an award-winning producer for live theatre, including The Imbible, his online series like The Art of The Drink, and Director of Spirits at the Institute of Culinary Education. Anthony is also well-known for his long career in restaurant management, consulting, and education, specializing in beverage programming and training.

Eric and Anthony chat about culinary and beverage education, how bars will (or won't) survive COVID-19 and the ripple effects on big cities, making moonshine on-stage, Budweiser, Maker's Mark, and changing careers. But mostly, this is a conversation about why we drink, how we drink and what we drink...and how this time is both unprecedented for the beverage industry and also a repeat of the past.

Additional information:
Latest on bars in NYC
The Imbible: https://imbible.com/
The Art of The Drink
Anthony Caporale's website: https://anthonycaporale.com/
Follow Anthony on Twitter and Instagram

Radha Mistry is a leader of Strategic Foresight at Auto Desk, where she explores the impact of emerging technologies for the future of architecture, engineering, construction (AEC), and manufacturing, and media & entertainment.

Eric and Radha chat about her family legacy, what Foresight is, and how it applies to navigating technological, environmental, economic, and political domains. Plus, America's housing crisis, homogeneity crisis, William Gibson, and their shared love of New Orleans. Plus, Eric shares a proposal story.

Additional information:
Radha Mistry https://www.radhamistry.com/
Radha's TEDx Talk "Our Tangible Future".
Follow Radha on Twitter.

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Bill Burrs is SVP of Artist Development and Global Commerce at entertainment marketing agency  The Syndicate, and a friend of Nite Owl's host Eric Gottlieb. Bill's a true music industry character, a bon vivant, and witness to several epochs of rock and roll.
Eric chats with Bill on what the hell bands can do during COVID-19, what the future of the music business could be, what growing up around Minneapolis and trying his hand at comedy was like, plus his time at RCA and 300 Entertainment and what it was like seeing, signing, and working with The Strokes at their start.

Eric also makes a weak apology for dissing a well-known band who's career Bill was responsible.