Staff Infection: Best of 2010 SXSW Revisted

As I was going through my top bands of the year, I was reminded why I fell in love with these bands and records all over again. Many of them became obsessive listening experiences to the upteenth degree. As we approach SXSW 2011, I'm reminded of bands like Frightened Rabbit, Fanfarlo, Midlake and Local Natives who blew me away at SXSW 2010. I do realize that Fanfarlo's record was released in 2009but it was new to me in 2010 so it made the list. And as a little side note, our very own Michael J. Epstein, from Michael J. Epstein Memorial Libary shot the Frightened Rabbit SXSW live video you'll see below.

I'm always a bit surprised to find I gravitate toward a very distinct sound, great pop melody, full sound, an underlying strength behind the song. It's no different this year.

So without further adieu, these are the ones that made the list in all their obsess filled glory.

Local Natives, Gorilla Manor


Naked Hearts, Mass Hysteria (Mass Hysteria free mp3)

Midlake, The Courage of Others


Ra Ra Riot, The Orchard (Live on KEXP)


Sara Radle, Four


Sufjan Stevens, All Delighted People EP (Live at the Music Hall in Williamsburg NY)


Yeasayer, Odd Blood


Frightened Rabbit, The Winter of Mixed Drinks (Live at SXSW 2010)


Fanfarlo, Reservoir



Each Monday a different Green Light Go staff member will let you in on what songs have infected their ears for the week, while giving you the opportunity to share in the experience yourself.


This week: Janelle Rogers, Green Light Go Owner and Publicist Extraordinaire Click Here to Read More..

The Other Side with Windish Agency Booking Agent Sam Hunt

Having worked at a record store, a concert venue, and a record label before settling down as a booking agent at The Windish Agency in Chicago, it's safe to say that Sam Hunt is a man of many talents. As a high school student, he even picked up a bass guitar and toyed with the idea of becoming a musician, but after his band Think Tank fizzled out when the members left for college, Hunt quickly realized that he preferred to be behind the scenes rather than on center stage. He explains, “I wasn’t good at playing bass and I really didn’t enjoy doing it, so rather than playing music, I decided I was better off helping others [with their music careers].” These days, Sam Hunt “helps” a number of famous friends, including Best Coast, The xx, Chromeo, Girl Talk, King Kahn & the Shrines, Low, Ra Ra Riot, GZA, Unkle, and CMJ Music Marathon returnees, School of Seven Bells, by booking their U.S. and international tours.

In between checking e-mails around the clock, booking shows, and seeing The Windish Agency's artists in concert, Sam Hunt (pictured above, working hard as usual) managed to squeeze in a little time for Green Light Go, to tell us what it’s like to be on the other side:

Green Light Go: How long have been a booking agent and what inspired you to get into this field?

Sam Hunt: Music is something I have always loved. I worked at a record store, a label, and a venue, [before becoming] an agent. I’ve been working at The Windish Agency for about 6 years, where I started out as an assistant. I can’t really imagine working in any other field. I still get excited about going to concerts and I still can’t believe people let me backstage…working [in the music industry] rules.

GLG: What is the day-to-day like as a booker?

SH: I check my email from the moment I wake up until the moment I go to sleep. If someone gets an email from me at 8am, it’s likely that I just woke up and am laying in bed, going through the messages that I missed while I was asleep. I spend most of the day emailing and talking on the phone. When I leave the office, I go to the gym, eat dinner, and then get back to work (ideally while watching baseball). I also go to shows 1-3 times a week and I travel 2-4 times a month to attend bigger shows or festivals.

GLG: What are some of the most noteworthy artists you've worked with in the past or are currently working with?

SH: All of the artists [I work with] are noteworthy in their own right, including: Animal Collective, Atlas Sound, Best Coast, Black Kids, Chairlift, Chromeo, Dan Deacon, Death Vessel, Deerhunter, Dirty Projectors, F**k Buttons, Girl Talk, GZA, King Khan & the Shrines, Lightning Bolt, Major Lazer, Matt & Kim, Panda Bear, Rjd2, and Yeasayer.

I work with bands that I think are awesome; that comes first. If I really love an artist, there’s a good chance I’ll want to work with them. My clients come from all around the world and play different types of music, so I don’t really specialize in any one [genre].

GLG: As a booking agent, how do you know that you are a good match for a band? What things do you have to keep in mind before agreeing to work with an artist?

SH: I work hard and so do my bands. [The artists I work with] like to make music and play it live, so I aim to help them [be successful]. If a band has totally unrealistic expectations, I will probably not work with them, because I’d be setting myself up for failure. I find it appealing when a [band is made up of] good people with good intentions, because I work closely with all of my clients and have a good relationship with many of them. It’s a lot more fun to work with people who I like personally and consider friends, as well as clients.

GLG: What is the best piece of advice you’d give a band that thinks they are ready to head out on the road for a tour?

SH: Figure out a budget before saying “yes” [to a tour] and keep expectations reasonable.

GLG: What is your favorite thing about booking bands?

SH: Seeing how bands grow and develop. It’s amazing to watch a band play before a huge, enraptured audience and remember seeing them for the first time in a basement to 15 people. It’s a very satisfying, exciting feeling.

GLG: What’s your least favorite thing about your profession?

SH: [My job] is difficult to get away from. Time is always passing and emails are always flying in. I start to feel like I’m falling behind the moment I step away from my computer…as a result, I rarely do!

GLG: In addition to the music you are working on, what current albums have you been listening to lately?

SH: I’m listening to D-Lo (care of my little sister), La Roux, Soundgarden, Sharon Van Etten, Big Boi, Wavves, and Cartel Adams. As dorky as it sounds, I spend a lot of my time listening to the bands I work with. They make awesome music, I can’t help it!

GLG: What is one band that you’d love to work with and why?

SH: The Beatles. They were so good and seem like such nice dudes. [If I worked with The Beatles], I’d be the richest person alive…and I would have super powers.

The Other Side highlights the talented folks behind the scenes of the music we listen to. The Other Side features producers, engineers, booking agents, photographers, radio DJs, management teams, and label representatives.

This week’s The Other Side is brought to you by: Lauren Roberts

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Green Light GOals: What Makes a Music PR Firm Tick

We're big on GOals at Green Light Go. GOals, get it? Yeah, I may be stretching the cleverness on that one.

We also like working with smart bands with a clear vision of their future goals, which is why that's often one of the first questions we ask when a potential band approaches us. It's also why the tables get turned and they ask a few questions of their own.

Justin Jahnke of Flame Shark asked me some questions last week which have proven to be some of all my time favorites. So much so, that I'm sharing not only the questions, but the responses with you.

What past and current bands (beyond your client list) do you really enjoy listening to?

Currently I'm listening to Fanfarlo, Frightened Rabbits, Broken Bells, Local Natives, She & Him, Yeasayer, Okkervil River. Some of my all time favorites are Wilco (especially Summer Teeth), Kings of Leon, Tegan & Sara, Ray LaMontagne!, Rachael Yamagata, Old 97's, Metric, Liam Finn, Josh Rouse, Joe Pernice, Iron & Wine, The Frames, Fionn Regan, Elliott Smith, The Dears, David Gray, Catherine Wheel, Brandi Carlile, Bon Iver, Beth Orton, Ben Kweller, Belle Sebastian, The White Stripes, Elbow, Doves, Travis

What are some mistakes bands make after a publicity strategy has been put into play?

Asking me if I've heard from Pitchfork. :-) Just kidding. The biggest mistake is not planning a tour to coincide with the release or having other activity occurring while we are going after reviews. Basically what happens in that case, is the band becomes solely reliant on the reaction of media which can be a fickle beast at best. Also contacting media directly without having an existing relationship or telling me they are doing so. I'm a big believer in acting as a team, so if the band has an existing relationship with the media contact, by all means I'm on board with them contacting directly, because at the end of the day it is about getting results. There are other smaller mistakes that occur-hyped bios etc, but I take the approach of guiding along the way so those don't really make a difference.

What can we do, with our limited resources and time restraints, to maximize your efforts/gains once we agree on the strategy that is best for us?

Be active. Always have something going on with the band, whether it be a tour or some other newsworthy activity. Some examples include videos, covering another band's song (extremely effective for getting press), or other just creative out of the box ideas. Also, bring your ideas to us--whether it's seeing an article that you think would be a good pitch for Flame Shark. For instance, a former band, Canadian Invasion, saw Magnet was covering Philly bands and asked us to pitch. Not only did Magnet bite, they interviewed them and at the end of the year and named the album one of their top of 2009.

How can we follow your work and progress to know our investment is money well spent? 

I write bi-weekly reports that I send to you that shows a log of exactly what is going on. I believe in transparency, so the report shows who we've pitched and how, responses, and coverage. In your case, I'd actually recommend setting up a weekly call where we can go over ideas and make sure you know where everything stands. I also try to stay in contact at least 2-3 times per week via email and send new responses/coverage as they come in.

Can you tell me a bit about your staff, their backgrounds and who would be working with us?

I head the national campaigns, so I would be the one working with you. I run my campaigns a bit differently than other agencies I think, because I also rely on my two other staff members to assist me in what would be their strengths. I do all the pitching and am the main contact for media, Shannon writes all the bios, press releases and most of the blog posts (I write some as well), Kelly assists in coordinating interviews, setting up the media pages, blog posts, fan profiles and basic administrative duties.

My background-I've worked in the industry for 17 years. I have a degree in Music Video and Business from the Art Institute of Seattle and a Bachelors in Journalism from the University of Texas. I started out working at SXSW (5 years) and then worked for BMG Distribution (which became SonyBMG). There I was the Alternative Artist Development Rep for the eastern Mid-west region, so I was responsible for building marketing campaigns for up-and-coming bands that weren't yet on the radar--some of these included David Gray, Ray LaMontagne and Kings of Leon--these are the ones I’m most proud of because nobody knew who they were when we started. I did that for 10 years and then left three years ago to go full time with Green Light Go (I'm the owner). GLG has actually been in business since 2002, but that was when I made the leap without the safety net of BMG.

Shannon has been a journalist since 1999 and has written for major publications like Under the Radar, Venus Magazine and Devil in the Woods. She also worked as a publicist for a small Detroit record company called Gangplank.

Kelly's background is a little different. She is a big music gal and very tied into the Detroit scene. Her background is in the academic world with universities and libraries. Her organization and downright smarts are bar none which is why I brought her on. Plus she loves your sound.

Will you and your team come and rock out at our show if we play Detroit? :) 

 

Absolutely! I also feel like 1) we won't take on a band if we don’t actually want to see them play 2) it's respect, if you are willing to take a chance on my firm, the least I can do is make time for your show.  The only way it wouldn't happen for any of us is if there's already a scheduling conflict.

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