Ariel Publicity

http://mikeshotdish.com
http://www.myspace.com/mikeshotdish
 

Are you sick of hearing the same songs day in and day out on the radio? Do you find yourself listening more and more to your existing music collection? Do you wonder where you can find more great music like what’s already in your music collection? There are literally hundreds of independent bands that you have never heard of that would drastically expand your music collection, and Mike’s Hotdish is here to help. Mike looks for music from the hottest heavy metal to the mild (but flavorful) rock and pop. Each show will bring you something new that you can add to your music collection. The best part is, if you loved the song, you can rewind and listen again. If you hate the song, fast forward to the next song. You control what you hear and you can tell us what you like.
 

Q: What is your favorite band and why?
 

A: While grew up with mostly country music, I always liked the music that was a bit heavier. Garth Brooks really filled that ticket real well. Now after listening to all of the independent music I play on my show, I can’t just really pick one. It really depends on my mood. Matthew Ebel is one that really enjoy listening to. His music allows my mind to wander and build my own story with his lyrics. On the hard rock side, I have been enjoying Nick Black and Clawfinger lately.
 

Q: What do you think artists can do to prevent themselves from becoming ‘One-hit-wonders.’
 

A: Don’t release all of your music at once and don’t focus solely on the single, a well done album could be full of great singles. You need to stay in touch with your fans and those that play your music and inform them of your new single. Maybe create a new song that isn’t on any album or send a station ID to shows that have played your music in the past and introduce a new single. Nothing is cooler than a band sending a station ID to a show without having to ask for one.
 

Q: Is there a reason why you tried to incorporate the idea of food with your blog and podcast? If so why?
 

A: I first started out with a different show. Being inexperienced at the time, I branched that show off so quickly that I didn’t have time to focus on them all. I threw that whole concept out the window. When coming up with a new name, I wanted something that reflected the variety of different things that I would have in the show and have a simple name so it would be easy to remember. But I also wanted something fun and something that would make a person do a double take and came up with the name “Mike’s Hotdish”. Hot dish is a term in the Upper Midwest for a dish that contains some sort of combination of meat, sauce, noodles, vegetables, and cheese. I believe it is also known as casserole in some areas. That really fits my show. It is a combination of various types of music and other things. Whatever appeals to my “taste buds” for that show is what you get. To add to the fun factor, I like to make use of the many puns available to me.
 

Q: What inspired you to become a music critic?
 

A :I don’t think I am much of a critic. I usually play only what I like to listen to. I have little musical background but have always loved music. I usually don’t pay much attention to the details of the band or who is in what band. If I like their music, I listen to it and play it on my show.
 

Q: What do you think is the number one mistake artists make?
 

A: Marketing. Either they are doing it the wrong way, or they aren’t doing it at all. Many times I have had a band just send a message saying something like “Hi, could you play my music?” They don’t make any sort of effort to make it look personalized, even if it is a mass mailing. More often than not, those emails get deleted because I have access to so much music and get so many emails that I don’t have the time to play it all or listen to it all. Make your email catch my eye somehow and I’ll definitely look more into your band. Many times that includes mentioning my show by name or my name. Another part of that is if all they have is a MySpace page, what will happen when MySpace closes up shop? They need their own website with some way to reach out to their fans and it needs to be something they have more control over. I don’t think the band has to have a degree in marketing by any means, but they should invest at least some time in learning some of the methods that work or find some people or fans willing to help them out.

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Man Behind the Monitor: Jason “Macedonia” Smith

Radio BSOTS : Both Sides of the Surface

http://www.bsots.com
 

BSOTS: A cyberspace archive of life commentaries and music reviews written between 1999-2005, as well as a portal to artist and record label sites and online music stores, also the home base for the Radio BSOTS podcast playing electronic soul, funk, and hip-hop.
 

Q: What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a podcaster?
 
A:  My biggest challenge is (and continues to be) successfully navigating my way through this world of new media and social networking.  I consider myself an old head using new technologies in order to express my love for music and support for its artists.  I am flesh, blood, and bone, but to be a part of the podcasting game you must learn the language of ones and zeros to some degree, whether it’s RSS feeds, tagging blog posts, search engine optimization, or whatever new social platform will premiere in the next five minutes.  All of these things fight for my attention; as a result, time management and prioritizing become rather challenging.  Never mind that real life demands that you go to your day job, make sure your child gets to day care, etc.  I can only speak for myself:  I do not have a mind for marketing or metrics.  I do, however, have a mind for music.  My passion for music drove me headfirst into podcasting.
 

Q: I’ve noticed you tend to feature on your podcast more unknown and indie hip hop artists what’s your reasoning behind that?
 

A: Radio BSOTS was created because I had so many friends that were making great music – MCs, DJs, producers, and beatboxers.  I just wanted to be a platform for them, an avenue for them to get some exposure.  So right from the beginning, championing the unknown and independent artists was key to the show.  In my opinion, their efforts can stand alongside and even outshine so much of what’s being released within mainstream circles.  Soul, funk, and electronic sounds add to the musical makeup of the show, but hip-hop remains at its core.  To be honest, I didn’t even realize how much of a hip-hop head I was until I started doing this podcast.
 

Q: Any words of wisdom … anything you’ve learned so far in podcasting that you’d care to share?
 

A: What’s true for an artist goes for a podcaster:  this has got to feel good to YOU, first and foremost.  Podcasting is too much work for it not to be fun, so what got you excited about it in the first place has to remain present in order for you to continue doing it.  All artists go through their creative slumps or feeling of apathy about their craft.  However, if those times start to outweigh the good times, you seriously need to reassess your situation.  Beyond that, there is no “right” way of doing this.  Since August of 2005, I’ve been podcasting on a dial-up modem and a computer that still had Windows Millennium Edition on it.  I just got a new computer in the past month, but the dial-up situation remains.  I didn’t let that stop me, though.  When you have something that you’re passionate about, you find ways to make it work.
 

Q: I see you are very active in the Twitter world. Why do you think Twitter is important for a Podcaster, Internet Radio Station, etc.?
 

A: Honestly, it was the simplicity of Twitter that got me hooked.  It’s a microblogging tool that’s perfect for a person like me who’s constantly on the losing side of time.  With Twitter, you’re forced to get your point across quickly and in a limited number of characters.  Somewhere along the way, I started notifying people whenever a new episode was posted.  A number of my followers tend to go check it out within minutes after that.  For a musician, blogger, or podcaster, that’s valuable real-time feedback from people who have a vested interest in your content.  And if you’re involved with communicating with your followers, it’s only a matter of time before relationships build into something more tangible.  What you have is a potential community.
 

Q: What’s next for Radio BSOTS?
 

A: Right now, I just want to continue putting together the best shows possible.  There’s so much incredible music out there it’s almost overwhelming.  As much as I like putting together freeform shows, I see more genre-specific episodes in the future, as well as shows dedicated to one record label’s output.  With the summer coming up, it’s a great excuse to put more continuous mixes together as well.  The month of August will mark the third-year anniversary of Radio BSOTS and I’ve been trying to figure out how to celebrate.  Maybe I’ll unveil some “behind the scenes” recordings or audio collage craziness from my college days, who knows?  What’s next is more music, more episodes, and more reasons to spend your cold hard cash in support of talented artists so that they can continue doing what they love.

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This week’s newsletter Q&A features Cyber PR artist Jaik Milller from the Jaik Miller Band, who got the chance to interview Bill Prevost of RIF Radio.
 

Jaik Miller Band Genre: Rock, Americana, Soul http://www.arielpublicity.net/clients/2195
 
Guitarist and songwriter/singer Jaik Miller had a major presence in the 1990′s New York rock scene. His “wusscore” band XANAX 25 played with everyone from Son Volt and Me’Shell Nd’geocello to King Crimson and Dave Matthews Band. Jaik has written with Warren Haynes, Barry Reynolds, Oliver Ray [Patti Smith Band], Elijah Blue Allman’s DEADSY and Sabina Sciubba (Brazilian Girls).
 

RIF Radio http://www.rifradio.net
 
A radio station dedicated to all of the Men and Women serving our great nation. This station plays a great assortment of Rock and Roll.
 

Q: What made you want to start your own radio staion?
 
A: I got fed up with the “mainstreet media” bashing the very people that protect them and nake it possible for them to use their First Amendment Rights all for the sake of an agenda. When I started rifRadio it was to give our troops around the world a little taste of home via the internet, (w/o the commercials). When they visited the website, they saw that I would report their accomplishments, (infrastructure, education, welfare, etc. that they supplied to the people of Iraq). It’s faded from that now because of the great success there. But I still take the time to thank and acknowledge them every chance I get. we owe a lot to these people, your relatives or neighbors, everyday people that chose to put their lives on the line for something that they belived in. I admire them for that.
 
Q: Why R.I.F. radio?
 
A: This is easy if you haven’t figured it out yet. The rif in rifRadio stands for Radio Iraqi Freedom.
 
Q: What kind of reception did you get from the folks at armed forces radio?
 
A: It took about a year, but I have been told that I am one of the few, if not only in some cases, internet station allowed on the bases.
 
Q: The F.C.C.?
 
A: Nothing from the FCC. I lke it that way.
 
Q: I think podcasting is awesome. I am constantly finding out about new music through this medium. A recent study found blogs to be more effective than myspace in generating album sales; do you feel that podcasts have the same power?
 
A: The closest I’ve come so far is offering the rifRadio shows on the new website, www.128thnote.com . Although I believe that my streamer, Live365 is making it possible now with Radio365 Mobile and TIVO access. That will be a matter of economics. Right now I do this solely out-of-pocket. I am, however, working on a way to make the station self-supportive. I do like the concept of “mobile” because of the new technology available. This will give me more exposure.
 
Q: You told me about an article in wired magazine a while back about how artists like Radiohead and David Byrne are creating a new paradigm in the music industry. Will you talk about that a little bit?
 
A: David Byrne, (Talking Heads), and Thom Yorke (Radiohead) have brought to the forefront the “unspeakable”. The fact that, in the real world, the majority of the artists that you’ve heard through the years didn’t make much from their talent. To get a contract they would sign away their rights to their own music and settle for minute royalties. I think that Thom had a great example of this. Radiohead released their last album themselves over the internet. They offered it for whatever people felt they should pay for it. Their response was that around 40% paid for it, an average of around $6 each. They still made more on that one album than all of their previous albums combined that were under recording company contracts. Technology today is incredible. It’s possible for bands to do it all themselves. It takes a small chunk to start, but the benefits, if they do it correctly, are incredible. for too long the record company execs have been more concerned about lining their pockets at the expense of the artists and consumers. they made the money off of the artists talent and hard work, and forced, yes forced, the consumer to buy no-talent crap by sexing it up and flooding the market. With people like Byrne and Yorke letting the proverbial “cat” out of the bag, I see a chance to revolutionize the entire industry.
 
Q : Since you started rifradio, what changes in content laws, broadcasting rights, et cetera have affected you most?
 
A: You’re just baitin’ me on this, aren’t you? Well here goes. The new digital copyright act is going to change a lot, including rifRadio. To a point. I am going to have to move away from the “whole album” format. The new laws won’t allow it. However, I will be able to play 3 songs by one artist in a certian time frame. This means that rifRadio will no longer be an “Album” station. Instead we will become a “block” station. Just means more work for me until I find a new software that will make it easier. The record company lobbyists managed to buy enough of our honorable politicians to get this through, so we just comply as we must. But we can push the envelope. These stations are for the artists and the listeners.
 
Q: How has the project evolved since its inception and where do you plan to take it in the near future?
 
A: We’ve gotten away from the news format and to some extent, the military format. Still there are many good military links and blogs on the site. Because the big record companies have taken it upon themselves to decide that we don’t know what they like, and they do, I’ve chosen to go into a dynamic support process for the Independent Artists that want to actually make a living from their talents. Music is making that cycle again back to it’s roots. Alternative, even Rock, is starting to sound like it should and I want to be there to support this. You don’t need to have music with dancing babes, shaking their…… Anyway, I’m a red-blooded American male, but when I listen to music, I do just that, listen. Even Country music has gotten away from it’s roots. When Country singers start doing Rap, something is definately wrong.
 
My goal is to eventually build a studio that Indie Artist can rent, cut their albums, reproduce their albums, promote them through my site, podcasts, and many other sources at a reasonable price. And they don’t sign away anything.
 
Q: Alvin Lee or Warren Haynes?
 
A: That’s tough. but of course I’m going with Alvin Lee. The guy has two arms, two legs, and a guitar. I’ve never heard anyone that can make the transition to so many genres. Rock, Pop, Rockabilly, Blues (I love blues), even some Gospel. I eventually want to learn to play for myself. when I do it will be on a big red Gibson.
 
Q: If you walked into your studio and found a mother badger nesting amongst your hard drives, which one would you try to save before she ripped your face off?
 
A: LOL! Been there, done that. Neither! I run like hell! (Good one Jaik)
 
Q: Where do you find the music for your programs?
 
A: I have over 700 albums, CDs, and tapes that I’ve converted to several hard drives. Backups and backups of backups, etc. Took me two years to get ready for the station. I guess you could say I’m committed, (or at least should be).
 
Q: Other than rifradio, what do you think is the best podcast and/or internet radio station out there?
 
A: I refuse to answer on the grounds that someone else may go listen to it. The “broadcasting fifth amendment.”

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