Where Are All My Friends | Discovering Creative Careers with Inspiring Entrepreneurs

Mt. Joy’s manager, Jack Gallagher joins us this week to talk about a specific subject. How he and Mt. Joy made the best of 2020 and stayed proactive even when they were thrown every curveball you can imagine. They had an album coming out, they had festivals lined up, they were on tour with the Lumineers and it all fell apart . But! Every time a new obstacle came up they stayed positive and proactive then adapted. This is their story of exactly that.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

3:56 - How’d you get your start working in music?

10:30 - Starting to manage Mt. Joy

15:30 - Did you have a moment where you really knew this was going to be your career?

18:20 - Making the best of 2020 against all odds

25:10 - Changing all of Mt. Joy’s plans for 2020, and being extremely proactive // Taking care of people and fans before anything else

32:30 - Releasing an album at the worst possible time and figuring out what to do

37:20 - How did you stay sane and centered while working through this year?

39:20 - Safely and successfully doing drive-in shows

47:40 - Being proactive, not reactive

49:00 - The future of shows and music

60:00 - How to support bands you care about right now

1:03:00 - How do you get out of a bad headspace when things feel heavy

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National Independent Venue Association: https://www.nivassoc.org/

Jack Gallagher: @yackogallagher

Mt. Joy: @mtjoyband

Andrew Cramb: @andrew_ftw

If you’re finding this podcast for the first time and you like this episode, please subscribe and tell a friend about it! The more the podcast grows, the more cool guests like Jack I can have on the show!

I wanted to do something a little different this week and give you a podcast update! So here we are, a short check-in with your pal Andrew. 

On the update list: 

1) YouTube. Let me know what you want to see more of. I've been thinking some best of clips would be cool. 

2) Because I've been doing the podcast over Zoom lately, it's opened it up for me to talk to people outside of LA. Who do you want to hear from? 

3) I'm trying to give back to everyone supporting the show and do some rad stuff for y'all. What would make your day? 

4) I've been thinking about doing a Q&A kinda episode. Would y'all be into that? 

TL;DR - I'm always trying to improve the podcast. And listener feedback is everything! So... LMK! 

Me:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrew_ftw/

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/andrew_ftw/ 

Where Are All My Friends Podcast: 

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NOVUL is an independent female pop artist with a super fun take on her branding and sound. I really like what she’s doing and figured she’d have a great story behind it all. Turns out, she did! 

She talks about her early days of growing up in a super small town in Canada, working with Poet Name Life of The Black Eyed Peas, how she’s used TikTok and YouTube to market her project and much much more. Hope you enjoy!

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

6:16 - Starting as an entertainer at a very young age

11:11 - Previous projects before perfecting her sound and becoming NOVUL

13:01 - Knowing when to rebrand as an artist

17:19 - Moving to LA and her first impressions of living in a big city

23:11 - Finding a great manager (Gary Bowen) and producers

28:38 - The pros and cons of staying on top of social media

32:56 - What’s next for you as an artist?

34:06 - The story behind “Runaway Baby’

41:03 - How to stay motivated (Setting small goals and stacking them)

41:14 thru 42:00 (Promo clip) (Minus time of intro video)

45:11 - Where can people find you?

NOVUL:

Instagram: @itsnovul

Andrew Cramb: 

Instagram: @andrew_ftw

If you liked this episode, the biggest favor you can do is subscribing to the podcast and telling your friends about it!

Johnny Minardi is the VP of A&R at Elektra Music Group, Fueled By Ramen and Roadrunner Records. He came on the podcast last year and had one of the most popular episodes to date! This is a “Best Of” version of that episode filled with his craziest stories, and most inspirational quotes.

If you aren’t familiar with his work, he’s signed Tones and I, grandson, nothing, nowhere., The Band CAMINO, FEVER 333, AND works on DTA records with Travis Barker from Blink-182.

In addition, he’s become one of my closest friends, and my mentor in music. It was an honor to have him share SO much of his wisdom in this episode. If you like it, make sure to go back to Ep. 11 to hear the full version!

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

2:12 - Who you are and what you do. Early days summarization.

4:27 - Going to his first show.

5:45 - Finding club shows and buying CDs from every band he could.

6:50 - High school and becoming engulfed in the Chicago music scene

12:45 - Starting a record label (LLR Records) with Tony Marino

15:30 - Shadowing Drive Thru Records

17:02 - Putting out the first The Academy Is… album

19:10 - Fueled By Ramen taking interest in The Academy Is… and John Janick coming to see them

21:18 - John Janick offering Johnny and Tony jobs at Fueled By Ramen

23:08 - Starting at FBR doing retail

24:15 - Learning as much as he could from John Janick

26:34 - Working retail for the first week of Panic! At The Disco’s first album, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out and a career defining moment

32:31 - Randomly getting laid off and starting Self Titled MGMT

38:40 - Minardi and I meeting and us working together at Equal Vision Records

42:48 - Signing nothing, nowhere to EVR with the help of Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy and DCD2

46:40 - Going back to Fueled By Ramen

50:04 - Coming back strong and signing grandson, The Band CAMINO and FEVER 333

54:04 - Becoming a huge piece of Elektra Music Group with Gregg Nadel & Mike Easterlin

55:20 - Advice to artists looking to get signed // what does a good record deal look like?

1:00:56 - Advice to someone looking to work at a record label

1:05:20 - Why have you not started your project yet?

1:07:07 - What advice do you give your past self in the spot of most uncertainty?

1:08:30 - Shake the self doubt and don’t leave things to chance

1:11:11 - Where can everyone find you?

Andrew Cramb: @andrew_ftw

Johnny Minardi: @johnnyminardi

Podcast: www.whereareallmyfriends.com

If you’re finding this podcast for the first time and you like this episode, please do subscribe! The more the podcast grows, the more cool guests like Johnny I can have on the show!

This week Andrew Doyle joins the podcast to teach you everything you need to know about making high quality merch for your artist project. 

We get into all of the essentials like: estimating quantities, understanding different garments, what it should cost to get merch made, getting designs, different payment terms, and different fulfillment options, and how to make extremely custom clothing. 

Timestamps: 

3:50 - Who you are and what you do

4:52 - Growing up in Iowa and getting into the punk and hardcore scene

15:29 - Booking shows then having a life changing moment

22:00 - A rough start to Overcast (his merch company) and moving to Long Beach

28:00 - Finally making it! Having huge success with Overcast

34:40 - Practical tips on how to make merch

35:50 - Pros & Cons of online print on demand vs. using a proper merch company

40:45 - The Fundamentals: Estimating quantities, understanding different blanks, getting designs, different payment terms, and different fulfillment options.

45:35 - It’s not as hard as you think. Don’t worry and don’t get ahead of yourself!

47:05 - How much should a very basic t-shirt cost to make?

49:50 - Fulfillment: Should you be shipping merch out yourself, or using a company to do it for you?

55:35 - What does it cost for a company to run your merch store for you?

1:02:45 - Why do some merch companies make you sign contracts, and is it smart to take an advance?

1:05:35 - TL;DR - Andrew’s Merch 101 Summary

1:08:15 - Making super custom merch

1:14:55 - How many units do you have to order to make custom merch and have it be profitable?

1:21:05 - It’s not possibly without Bailey. Always appreciate Bailey. Forever.

1:29:05 - How do people get in touch with you?

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Andrew Doyle:

Instagram: @axxdoyle

Overcast Merchandise:

Website: overcastdesignandprint.com

Instagram: @overcastmerch

Andrew Cramb:

Instagram: @andrew_ftw

Twitter: @andrew_ftw

Where Are All My Friends Podcast:

Donate: whereareallmyfriends.com/donate

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2_TuYF3dJ0rF0L51_0DVaQ?sub_confirmation=1

Website: whereareallmyfriends.com

Lee Shaner is the host and creator of the Kinda Neat YouTube channel and podcast.  In addition he raps under the name of Intuition.

He's been involved with the the underground hip hop scene for the the better part of two decades. He's also grown several music podcasts and YouTube channels including SkullCandy's "You Feel Me Podcast" and KnockSteady's "KnockSteady Live". 

He joins us this week to bless us with his wisdom on growing podcasts and YouTube channels the right way in addition to telling his incredible come up story.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro / Who you are and what you do

5:28 - The early days of building KnockSteady

9:51 - Rapping as Intuition and building a career as an artist. 

18:25 - Do you regret not doubling down as an artist?

24:38 - Working in Photography with our mutual friend Dominic Cooley and starting KindaNeat

30:18 - The benefits of being a jack of all trades // Wanting to partake in a ton of creative outlets.

33:40 - How Lee grew KindaNeat to be what it is today

42:41 - The blessing and curse of chasing trends and “the algorithm” 

48:26 - Leaving a meaningful legacy

50:00 - Is Andrew Canadian?

51:03 - Breaking down the myths and numbers of huge YouTube channels

52:50 - Creating and hosting Skullcandy’s podcast “You Feel Me?”

56:04 - The importance of diversity

58:46 - Coming back to KindaNeat

1:09:05 - Advice to your past self at the hardest moments in life

1:11:50 - Where can people find you?

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Lee Shaner / Intuition 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ItsIntuition

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsintuition/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1KliMuvrUp7XhKu7vVeex3?si=mgDAkjhwTeuloCwrLwmrRA

Song I Freaked Out About (Weight Is Gone): https://youtu.be/bVUm4mpGC-Y 

Kinda Neat

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsNMZpZsyShyvgwR7jt405Q

Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/71A4nbeeMusQis1Ohb6EUh?si=QFH4QWvBQPSu3iC3ljp2Hw

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kindaneat/ 

Andrew Cramb: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrew_ftw/ 

Where Are All My Friends Podcast:

Donate: https://www.whereareallmyfriends.com/donate

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2_TuYF3dJ0rF0L51_0DVaQ?sub_confirmation=1

Website: https://www.whereareallmyfriends.com/

If you liked this episode and found it helpful, the biggest favor you can do is subscribing to the channel and telling your friends about the show. Thanks for listening!

Mazie is an independent artist with a rad story. She came up in Baltimore with a close circle of friends in music and continued to grow from there. She’s proof that you don’t need to conform to the typical path or standards of the music industry to have success. Stories like hers are truly my favorite and she joins us this week to tell it in detail and share some great advice as well!

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

2:40 - Growing up and getting into music

8:18 - Her previous artist projects before getting to the final form of Mazie

11:47 - Strategically planning out a vision for the project and putting out honest music

15:20 - Working with Elie Rizk (Producer) and getting really into The Beatles

16:32 - Her song “no friends” getting a ton of press and exposure and elevating her career

18:40 - Making music for the right reasons

21:20 - The making of “i think i wanna be alone”

26:10 - Making a music video for $134 dollars

32:18 - Intentionally staying indie and building something special with her closest friends

34:12 - Holding out on labels etc

35:28 - Releasing music through her own label

36:40 - The incredible feeling of coming up with your friends

40:42 - What’s next for mazie?

42:16 - Advice to anyone chasing a similar path or career

45:04 - Where can everyone find you?

If you liked this episode and found it helpful, the biggest favor you can do is sharing it on social media and telling your friends about it! I'm @andrew_ftw and she's @heyymazie

Part 2 of the epic tale of Chris Georggin and Blink-182 is here!

The first episode tells the story of how his friendship with the band and how that grew to him working with them and Rick DeVoe. Him experiencing the band blowing up in real time with Enema of the State coming out, and a ton of stories about these incredible pranks the band would play on him.

This episode we get into the next chapters. He shares his personal thoughts on why the band broke up for the first time. Him and Rick managing Angels & Airwaves. A tragic event bringing Blink-182 back together.

The back half of the episode is full of his incredible perspective and personal take on the whole experience. All of the most valuable life and industry lessons he learned along the way while working with Blink-182. If that’s not a good episode, I don’t know what is!

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

2:00 - Blink-182 breaking up and managing Angels & Airwaves with Rick DeVoe

5:30 - Keeping his head down and learning from the pros around him

8:13 - Tour managing Angels & Airwaves

10:42 - A tragic event bringing Blink-182 back together

15:07 - Leaving Blink-182 and Going on to work with Pat Magnarella

26:26 - Putting himself and his mental health first

28:03 - What he learned from working with Blink-182

30:10 - The evolution of the music industry

31:23 - Doing it for the right reasons

35:00 - Timeless lessons in success

If you liked this one, do me the biggest favor and share it with a friend! I'm @andrew_ftw and he's @chrisgeorggin

Chris Georggin managed Blink-182 with Rick DeVoe during the golden era of the band’s career. From Enema Of The State, Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, Self Titled, and Neighborhoods.

He joins us this week to share some INCREDIBLE never before told Blink-182 stories, and talk about the beginning of his career in the music industry.

The conversation was so good, it ended up being over 2 hours long. This is the first half, part 2 will be out next week!

0:00 - Intro

3:51 - The early days. Growing up in Southern California.

6:43 - Working at a movie theatre and becoming close friends with Mark Hoppus

8:25 - Discovering Fenix TX, selling their CDs at school, and working with Drive Thru records

13:55 - Trying to figure out what to do for a career and meeting Rick DeVoe

17:30 - A crash course on the music industry with Rick DeVoe

26:18 - Enema Of The State coming out, Blink-182 winning a VMA for “All The Small Things” and everything changing

28:58 - Starting to officially manage Blink-182 with Rick DeVoe

29:43 - Managing New Found Glory and Fenix TX in addition to Blink-182

34:22 - Was there a holy crap moment when it was all happening for you?

37:48 - Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge playing insane pranks on Chris

If you liked this episode and found it helpful, the biggest favor you can do is sharing it on social media and telling your friends about it! I'm @andrew_ftw and he's @chrisgeorggin

Pritty is a songwriter from St. Louis now living in LA. He’s come up and worked with some incredible producers including Dylan Brady, Judge, and Yung Skrrt. He’s having a crazy amount of success lately and joins us this week to tell the story of how it all began, starting from the early days of sleeping in cars and grinding to make it happen at any cost.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

2:44 - Who you are and what you do

4:50 - Growing up in St. Louis and making music with Dylan Brady, Ravenna Golden, and other friends

9:26 - Taking a break from music and considering becoming a chef

14:10 - Coming back to music. Moving to LA, sleeping in his car, and doing anything possible to make it happen

21:00 - How long did it take for things to get better?

23:40 - Working with Judge and putting out the gator EP

26:00 - Having success and being pushed to work even harder

28:38 - Where did the certainty of being an incredible songwriter come from?

32:00 - What have you been inspired by lately?

33:09 - What do you want to accomplish next?

35:00 - If you could go back to the lowest point in your career, what advice would you give yourself now?

38:20 - Where can people find you?

If you liked this episode, do us the biggest favor and share it on social media or with a friend! I'm @andrew_ftw and he's @prittyxiii