So this is my baby. I admit it: I'm the boss, and I'm bossy. That does not mean that I do not love every one of these effers who helps me keep this site afloat. They rule the school. They're my posse! I cannot tell a lie, this site is pure therapy for me. Thanks to everyone who makes it happen from the teacher all the way down to your best girlfriend (oops)..I mean...from the staff to the contributers to the loyal visitors to all of the bands..you rock!!! Sure I often bitch and complain about how much time this site takes, but hey, it keeps me off of the street, and who wants to see a pasty faced white girl on the streets!!
I've been a music slut since the day I was born and I give music full credit for getting me this far in life. Not quite sure what I'd do without it and I hope I never have to find out!
When I was eleven, I sat in front of my brother's stereo with a cassette recorder, taping his Police LPs as they played. Sure, the recordings from my little music pirating operation sounded a bit scratchy, but to me, they were absolute perfection. A few years later, as a high school freshman, I told my guidance counselor that my career goal was to be a keyboardist. "You mean like a classical pianist?" she asked. "No, like a keyboardist in a band." "Oh," she said quietly, "I see." Of course, that plan didn't quite work out. I hated practicing, and the closest I ever got to songwriting was composing a brief pre-teen ode to Duran Duran's John Taylor. Thankfully, though, I never lost my love of music. And I'm fortunate enough to combine it with my other great joy, writing. I'm also happy that these days, the sound quality of my music collection is much improved. Reggatta De Blanc sounds a hell of a lot better on my iPod than it did on my old Casio recorder.
Music is my life. Whether writing, recording, performing, or just simply listening, I constantly have a song in my head. I remember singing Poison's "I Want Action" quietly to myself during church when I was 8 years old. I had just seen the video the night before on "Headbanger's Ball" (back when MTV gave a shit about music) and that band was the soundtrack to my pre-teen years. I've always had a soft spot for hair metal, but enjoy a wide range of genres, from singer/songwriters like Jeff Buckley and Elliott Smith (both gone, but in no way forgotten) to pioneers like Elvis Costello and Led Zeppelin to pop punk acts like New Found Glory and Fall Out Boy. Ok, my ipod play list sometimes looks like that of a 15 year old girl's, but music is music and you can't always control what strikes a chord. My current faves include Butch Walker (and any band he's in past or present), Faith No More and Self, one of the most amazing bands you'll probably never hear about. I also love writing (English major!) so being a staff member on this site is the perfect marriage of my two passions.
First of all I have GREAT taste. Music, movies, men...I also have a bit of an obsessive/addictive streak which makes me very dedicated and committed to what and who I believe in (and very protective). Luckily I've had enough common sense to stay away from things that might get me into trouble with a personality such as mine.
I love that 'cloud 9' feeling and I can usually be found floating on it while listening to some of my favorite music and I THANK GOD for all the musicians that have kept it coming year after year despite the ups and downs and the disgusting, sickening nature of the music 'business' that has tried to keep many of the worlds BEST musicians and songwriters down.
Faves: Slaughter, Firehouse, Winger, Jani Lane/Warrant, Queen, Elvis
TheyWillRockYou was started a few years ago with the help of some good friends. We were all big music fans looking for an outlet to share what we were most passionate about. A few years later, the song remains the same and we are at it again.
The great part about it is, that as much as we all love music, our backgrounds and musical tastes are as diverse as they come. The staff spans from California to Boston in the US and as far away as Australia. The one tie that binds? You guessed it - music.
On a personal note, I've been obsessed with music since I was very young. I remember stealing my mom's Simon & Garfunkel records and listening to The Boxer over and over for hours. That was just the beginning. Music was my salvation in a world that was not always kind. When people let me down, music never did. It provided an unconditional solace and a place to escape to that was always open-24 hours a day.
As I grew older, my love for music overwhelmed me and I started looking for any way possible to be involved. I didn't really fancy myself as much of a musician, (my brief relationship with the clarinet ended in what could only be described as a third-grade disaster), so I sought out other outlets.
After befriending every rock n roll pen-pal within a 3000 mile radius and 7 continents (thank you Metal Edge) I started realizing the magic of networking and the power that it had. I started a few grassroots campaigns for bands I followed religiously, promoting their music in any way possible with many of my friends. (Flyers, newsletters, cassette singles). This led to a small promotion company for local bands, the publication of my first fanzine (Fantasia), followed by my second fanzine (Face The Music) and my love for concerts and road trips. I learned the hard way to love the music and not the musician. (Okay fine, maybe that's one lesson I still haven't learned.)
Print Fanzines come at a price (literally!!) and as I grew older, I had to weigh the odds. We decided to retire our fanzine and work on loftier goals in life. Soon after, the internet revolution was underway, I realized what a powerful tool it could be for new bands, unsigned bands, or bands that were making a second go at it.
So, in summary, that was really my goal for the site. That's what we are about. Promoting music. Helping great bands be heard and seen by people that may not ever hear or see them without our help. This is not our day job for any of us. This is our hobby. We do this because we want to, not because we have to. Sound like something you might be interested in?
We are always looking for creative, passionate, writers to contribute to our site. If this is something that interests you, send your submissions to us at staff@theywillrockyou.com. What should you submit? You can submit a CD review, a concert review, or if you have an interview that you think will fit our format, contact us. All interviewees will need to verify the authenticity of the interview before we publish it on the site. Basically, anything you write that is related to the music world we will look at with an open mind.
Site Contributors:
Current:
Chris Cactus
Roger Scales
Alicia Sparks
Samantha Schipman
Annamarya Scaccia
Sherry Thomas
Greg Morris
Past:
Billie Jo Sheehan
Keith Ryan Cartwright
Antonio Marino, Jr.
Joe Dolan
Scotty Rock
To be considered for the site, please send us a press kit either via email or to the PO Box listed above. We select an unsigned band each week to profile and if we select your band we will contact you for additional information.
Record labels and publicists please send all press releases and press kits to our P.O. Box for CD Reviews and possible follow up interview.
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