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Hello Mike how is your week going man?
Please tell the readers a little about
yourself.
Hi Patrick, I am a 35 year old Metal Head
and that is all anyone would really want to know. I have been working behind
the scenes for the Underground Metal Music label Abyss Records for the last
few years and now I am trying to start up my own PR business The Metal
Detector.
When did you first start listening to metal?
Who were some of the first bands you listened to? Who are some of your
"current" favorites?
I first got into Metal in 1994, I had heard
a few things before then, but only through the main stream and that did not
impress me, I guess at the time Metal was kind of going back underground and
I didn't stumble upon that until 1994. The first bands that really got my
attention were King Diamond / Mercyful Fate, Iron Maiden, Dark Tranquillity,
Edge of Sanity, Immortal, In Flames, etc... As far as what I get into now,
there is just too much stuff that gets thrown at me on a regular basis that
I get overwhelmed, so I tend to stick to the albums that I actually own
physical copies of. I have been on a big Entombed kick for the past few
months, all their albums are great to me. I listen to alot of the bands that
I promote for on a regular basis, especially have been into the new Septekh,
Bukowski Family and Nocturne albums lately. And I am always a sucker for
pretty much anything that Jorn Lande sings on.
I believe you started working for Abyss
Records a few yrs. ago how did you meet Dan {owner of Abyss}? what was your
job while working for Abyss for full-time?
Yes, I have known Dan for close to 20 years
now, we met through a mutual friend and then ended up working at a small
factory together for a few years... I still work for/with Abyss Records and
plan to continue to do so for as long as possible. Dan runs a great label
and distrubution and I like the work. I kind of keep some of the online
stuff in order, help run some of the miscellaneous web pages, post reviews,
make ads, flyers, promo videos, etc... and help out with whatever I can.
You started up "The Metal Detector Music
Promotions" about six months ago I believe. What gave you the idea to start
your own promotions business?
Pretty much came down to the opportunity was
there, Dan / Abyss Records needed someone to take over their PR
responsibilities and I had been working with him for a while and already
knew kind of how he likes to run things. It has been a great opportunity for
me and I have to thank Dan for suggesting the idea and giving me the
chance... After that it just made sense to try to do PR for other bands and
labels, so that is how things got started.
Are you happy with how everything is turning
out so far? I believe in all my years of doing zines you are the first
promotions person I have interviewed. So I was wondering what do you feel is
hardest and easiest part about your job? How many hours a day/week would you
say your working for your bands/labels?
So far so good, sure things could be going
better, but for the amount of time I have been doing this full time I am
happy so far. I would have to say that the hardest part is trying to stay on
the same page with everyone, I deal with alot of people that English is not
their first language and being an American myself I never learned a second
language, so I guess communication is the hardest part and the long hours.
It is kind of hard to say how many hours a day / week that I spend for each
individual band, but I work between 8-12 hours, 6 days a week at minimum.
The best thing so far has been that I have gotten to work with some good
people, most of the bands / labels / sites / zines / etc. have been very
helpful and eager to work with me.
Speaking of bands and labels Who are the
bands and labels currently working with The Metal Detector Promotions?
I of course work with Abyss Records, but am
also promoting for Do Or Die Records, they are a fairly new label out of
Chicago and then some other random bands, Bukowski Family and Eshtadur
(Colombia)
Are you currently looking for new bands and
labels to work with you and your promotions company? If yes how can the
interested bands or labels get in touch with you?
Yes, I am always looking for new bands or
labels to work with, anyone interested can email me (see contact info at the
end of the interview - Dale) or you can contact me through The Metal
Detector facebook page. I work for a fairly low rate for what I can provide
and you would be hard pressed to find anyone else that will put the hours
and effort in for the rate that I charge.
Mike you live in Indianapolis, IN have you
lived here most of your life? What is your opinion of the metal scene in
your town and state?
I have lived in or around Indianapolis my
entire life. I don't get out much anymore, so can't really comment on the
local scene too much, but from what I see online it seems to be a little
more active then say back 10 years ago.
Who are some of your all-time favorite bands
from Indiana? Are their any new upcoming bands you think the readers
should check out soon?
Like I said before I don't get out alot, so
don't even really know very many bands from Indiana, but here are some that
I do know and like: Radiation Sickness (Death Metal / Grindcore), Maax
(Blackened Thrash Metal), The Gates of Slumber (Doom Metal), Stone Magnum
(Doom Metal), Hordes of Nebulah (Black Metal), Bulletwolf (Heavy / Doom
Metal).
I believe you and I got into the underground
same time in late 80's/early 90's. So I was wondering what is your
opinion of the underground scene today compared to 20 or so years ago?
Just like most things in life there are
pluses and minuses. I like the fact that I can hear a track from a new album
by just jumping online and clicking a few buttons, but I don't like that it
seems a large portion of the Metal community is satisfied with crappy Mp3's,
which they probably didn't pay for to begin with. I liked back when I first
got into Metal you would hear about a new album a couple months before it
came out and you had to wait for it, not go online and try to find a pirated
copy of a less then satisfying Mp3. I think that Metal meant more back then.
I miss going to the used CD shop and digging through the used CD bin and
hoping to find some long lost gem you have been wanting for years. Now you
just jump on Ebay or Amazon and if you have enough cash you can find just
about anything. I guess being into Metal is just easier now...
In your opinion what is the best and worst
thing about the underground? And what does the term "underground metal"
mean to you?
The best thing about the underground is that
it will never go away, it will continue to evolve with the new generations
of Metal heads, just hope that I can continue to evolve with it. And the
worst is the bands / people that think they are underground but are not. If
you have no following it doesn't mean you are underground it probably means
you are not that good or that you haven't put out the proper effort to get
your name out to the right people.
Well Mike we have reached the end of the
interview thank you for taking the time to fill this out. Do you have any
final comments for the readers?
Thank you Patrick, I appreciate your
continued support... Any bands that are looking to promote for upcoming
albums get in touch... And finally want to say please go out and support
your favorite Metal bands by picking up physical copies of their albums, if
you don't support the bands / labels you like one day they won't be there
anymore. Music is a big part of most peoples lives and you should show the
bands your appreciation, respect and support them for what they do for you.
E-mail:
releasesfromtheabyss@hotmail.com
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/TheMetalDetectorMusicPromotions
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