Roadie Free Radio

iTunes         Spotify         Youtube           Patreon Chris Scianni is guitarist and founding member of the NYC based Tangiers Blues Band. He is also known as a member of Echobrain (with Jason Newsted) and of Dangerman. Chris was born and raised on the lower East side of Manhattan. His father, Joseph Scianni, was a well-respected Jazz musician in his own right and a professor at NYU, who fostered and supported Chris’ love of music, particularly the blues. Early on he formed a band with classmates Amy Helm and Peter Levin called Big Blue Squid and his professional career thus began. Along the way he has played with John McEnore’s band, Huey and the New Yorkers, and the Howlin’ Volts. The Tangiers Blues Band can play a set including music by Lady Gaga, Elvis Costello, the Clash, Bob Dylan, Prince, Talking Heads that morph into blues classics that one could see being  performed by Junior Wells, Muddy Waters and Albert King. Today’s episode is sponsored by Boulevard Carroll, Lensrentals, Showpro Beard Co.,

iTunes         Spotify         Youtube           Patreon Graham Mellor is a Production Manager, Monitor Engineer, and Front of House Engineer currently based out of Rhode Island. He is also the owner of Sound Advice LLC, a small sound/production company in North Kingstown, RI, providing production, backline, and audio services to venues in the state, as well as tours such as last years’ The Last Waltz ft. Warren Haynes, Jamey Johnson, Don Was, Lukas Nelson, and John Medeski, as well as the Moe/Blues Traveler All Roads Run Around Tour last summer. Graham began his career in audio working for PMA Industries, a local sound company doing stage patching and backline for small festivals and legacy acts like 5th Dimension and The Temptations. After a short time, he moved into mixing monitors and stage managing. He also worked as an apprentice electrician, and would travel on the weekends to do shows in the Northeast for PMA and other bands, like Dennis Edwards’ Temptations Review. In 2011 he started working at FE

iTunes         Spotify         Youtube           Patreon Matt Boudreau is an Audio Engineer and host of the podcast Working Class Audio. He has been involved in audio and music professionally since 1987. He started out playing drums in the bands The Sextants (Imago) & Seven Day Diary (Reprise/Warner Bros.) in the days of six-figure record deals and tape-based recording. In 1994 he transitioned to the other side of the glass as an engineer & producer. His journey has taken him through studio ownership, numerous records, marriage, kids, failures, and victories. He currently mixes and masters out of his home, tracks at his favorite studios, and has sworn off studio ownership until he loses his mind again. He is also the creator and host of the Working Class Audio Podcast. Matt has recorded and mixed live performances of Death Cab for Cutie, Steve Earl, Robert Cray, Brandie Carlile, and Florence and The Machine. He's also made records with Portland's Tiger Touch, New Mexico hard rockers Cordova, and Sa

iTunes         Spotify         Youtube           Patreon Keith Knobler is the Head of Audio at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, CA. Over the last 30 years he has honed his skills as a monitor engineer at some of the areas preeminent venues such as Slim’s, the Great American Music Hall, Maritime Hall, Covered Wagon Saloon, and On Broadway. He grew up in Westhampton, Long Island but after high school decided to head west to see what opportunities existed for him. He used his interest in journalism to find work around town which helped him gain access to clubs and shows. On the advice of a friend at the Fillmore he started mixing bands in the small “poster” room upstairs and immediately a love affair with audio was born. The audio crew took him under their wing and over the next four years trained and mentored him. Eventually he started mixing monitors at the Fillmore and the rest as they say, is history. He’s been a member of IATSE local 16 since 2007 and has worked with thousands of artist

iTunes         Spotify         Youtube           Patreon Erik Samuelson is the owner of Three Crown Studio, LLC in Brooklyn, New York. Three Crown Studio is a full service music production studio that specializes in helping artists create and record their music and develop their careers. Erik grew up in the Midwest in a musically-inclined family. His mother was a singer in Stockholm, his father a Saxophone player and mechanical engineer, and one of his sisters is now a music teacher. From a young age, Erik was interested in music, jazz, engineering, and mechanics. Like his father, he also took up the saxophone and played in a variety of Jazz, Rock, Reggae, and Jam bands throughout his high school and college years. After winning the Cleveland High School Rock-Off, his band had the opportunity to record an album at Metro Sync Studios in Cleveland. As this was the first time he had stepped into a recording studio, it was an incredibly defining moment that offered perspective into an alternate way of making m

iTunes         Spotify         Youtube           Patreon Michael Alago is a photographer, and author, and former Record label executive. At age twenty-four, he began a storied career as an A&R executive at Elektra Records that started with signing Metallica in the summer of 1984, changing the entire landscape of rock 'n' roll and heavy metal. He also worked in A&R for both Palm Pictures and Geffen Records and was thrilled to executive-produce albums by Cyndi Lauper, Public Image Ltd, White Zombie, and Nina Simone. Alago grew up in Brooklyn, New York, in a large, spirited, and devoted Puerto Rican family. Through his early passion for music, art, theater, and photography, he soon found himself rubbing elbows with many downtown NYC scene makers, from Stiv Bators to Jean Michel Basquiat, Cherry Vanilla and Wayne County to Deborah Harry and Robert Mapplethorpe. As an underage teenager going to Max's Kansas City, CBGB, and various art galleries, Alago also began running The Dead Boys fan club. A few yea

iTunes         Spotify         Youtube           Patreon Claire Murphy is a Guitar Tech originally from Wales, and currently based out of Long Beach, CA. For the last four years she has been with Vance Joy as his tech over his last two album cycles. Through determination, perseverance, and plenty of hard work and luck, Claire has managed to turn her passion for music, and in particular, live music, into a professional career. A guitarist in her own right, she found anyone who would mentor her or teach her the skills she needed to find a tour and get on the road. Over the last decade, Claire has toured with Dum Dum Girls, Babes In Toyland, The Ravonettes, Elle King, and Tegan & Sarah. She is a member of Soundgirls.org, offering her time to young women seeking a path into the touring industry. Recently, Claire has launched a book of her own, Girl on the Road – How to Break into Touring from a Female Perspective. Today’s episode is sponsored by Soundgirls.org, Gig-Gear & Boulevard Carroll. Use the cod

iTunes         Spotify         Youtube           Patreon Austin Schroeder is a Monitor Engineer based out of San Diego, California, who is currently in rehearsals for the highly anticipated Rage Against the Machine tour. An Iowa native, Austin started on piano at a young age, setting the groundwork for a deep and lifelong understanding and appreciation of music. His teenage years saw him develop more into a bassist, which he played in several jazz bands before ultimately ending up at Full Sail University, hoping for a degree in music recording. After moving to Nashville to work at the famed Blackbird studios, Austin tired of studio life and decided that perhaps he was better suited to life on the road and the more spontaneous feel of live music. A misunderstanding during his interview process at Clair Bros led to an opportunity at a smaller Pennsylania-based company, Allusions Lighting and Sound Production. It was here, that Austin’s fate was set, and his career began to flourish. Among the artists that he

iTunes         Spotify         Youtube           Patreon Tana Douglas is widely acknowledged as rock’n’roll’s first female roadie. Her journey started in 1973 in Australia, where within a year she was working for AC/DC, first doing backline then F.O.H. Sound for the band. She then moved to lighting working for a Major Australian Promoter and completed in quick succession several tours with International acts such as: Santana, Suzi Quatro, Neil Diamond, David Essex and Leo Sayer and Status Quo all before she turned 18. After getting her Father to sign her passport so she could travel Internationally she ventured to London to start 3 years with Status Quo running their lighting rig. She then brought that rig to TASCO a major Production company in London that until that time had only supplied Sound for tours. A relationship developed there that would last several years and include working for such artists as: Status Quo, The WHO, Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, The Police, Elton John, Iggy Pop and Johnny Halliday

iTunes         Spotify         Youtube           Patreon Jeff Cardoni is a film & television composer based in Los Angeles, CA. His talents range from intimate independent fare to full orchestral majesty. With over 45 feature film scores and several network series to his credit, one can hear his work worldwide every day. His unique ability to cross genres has made him a powerful player in the film composing industry. Jeff originally studied classical piano, while playing percussion in school orchestra. But it would be rock and roll that would lead him to Los Angeles in 1997. After a brief stint as lead guitarist for the Warner Bros. band "Alien Crime Syndicate", Jeff left to pursue film scoring full time. He worked under several Hollywood composers including John Murphy (Snatch, 28 Days Later) while studying conducting and orchestration at UCLA. He was recently voted ASCAP 2019 TV Composer Of The Year, alongside such greats as John Debney, Bear McCreary, Nicholas Britell, and Daniel Pemberton. His body

  iTunes         Spotify         Youtube           Patreon In this special episode I’m joined by touring veteran Ryan Philip George and clinical psychologist Dr. Chayim Newman, core members of the team behind the Tour Health Research Initiative. Launched by a small team of psychologists, researchers, and touring professionals who work closely with and care deeply about the well-being of touring personnel, they are committed to the development of scientific, evidence-based strategies to improve the health and mental health of touring artists and crew members. The Tour Health Research Initiative is a comprehensive scientific study of health and mental health among touring professionals. In recent years, health and mental health issues in the music industry, and especially in the touring sector, have become a well-publicized topic. It has been addressed in panels at conferences, in industry magazine articles, and in countless blogs and posts on social media. This survey is the first phase of the Tour Health R

iTunes         Spotify         Youtube           Patreon Larry Martin is the founder and owner of Tour Supply Inc., accommodating touring professionals with the gear they need from locations in Los Angeles CA (Third Encore) and Nashville, TN (Soundcheck), a showroom location in Lititz, PA (Rock Lititz), and a shop in Manchester, UK. With over two decades of experience, Tour Supply has proven to be the one stop shop for touring professionals. You can trace the origins all the way back to a fortuitous meeting Larry had while he was trying to figure out the next steps of his young life. That chance meeting and job offer would change Larry’s life forever and create a network for him that would last almost 30 years. Today’s episode is sponsored by Stagehands Clothing, Boulevard Carroll, Gig-Gear. Use the code ROADIE to get great discounts when you check out. Special Mentions: Tour Supply Inc., How Live Nation exploits low-wage workers to stage its rock concerts, The Last Seat in the House: The Story of Hanley

iTunes         Spotify         Youtube           Patreon Here’s a replay from our panel at this year’s NAMM show: Join hosts from some of the top podcasts in the industry as they take you from inception to launch and beyond. Hear their personal journeys as they organically grew audiences and learned how to navigate the world of brands and sponsorships. The session will be moderated by Larry Milburn, host of Roadie Free Radio, and panelists include Fela Davis (The Art Of Music Tech Podcast), Lij Shaw (Recording Studio Rockstars), Chris Graham (The Six Figure Home Studio Podcast) and Matt Boudreau (Working Class Audio). Today’s episode is sponsored by showprobeardco.com. Use the code ROADIE to get great discounts when you check out! Special thanks to: Roswell Pro Audio, Presonus, Sound Devices for sponsoring our shows and lending us props! Special Mentions: The Power of Podcasting Panel at NAMM, Recording Studio Rockstars, The Six Figure Home Studio, Working Class Audio, The Art of Music Tech podcast, Soundg

  Jimmy Pettinato is a veteran Production Manager based in his hometown of Scranton, PA. In spite of his long resume marked by some of the biggest names in the music business, Jimmy has never strayed far from his family’s hard-working, no-nonsense, Italian-American roots. Born into a legacy of carpenters, day laborers, and mechanics, Jimmy’s career choices seemed predetermined. However, once he discovered he had a knack for lighting design, it was only a matter of time before a life on the road would change his fortunes for good. After several years as both Lighting Designer and Production Manager, Jimmy ultimately made the switch to focus solely on being the best Production Manger he could, and through his career he has worked with the likes of Trans Siberian Orchestra, No Doubt, Spin Doctors, PINK, New Kids On the Block, Backstreet Boys, Goo Goo Dolls, and many, many more. Sharing the ride with Jimmy is his wife, FOH Engineer Michelle Pettinato. Today’s episode is sponsored by Boulevardcarroll.com, showprob

iTunes         Spotify         Youtube           Patreon Jessica Sanders is a Lighting Designer/Tech currently based in Nashville, TN. Raised by music-loving parents in Macon, GA, and named after and Allman Brother’s song, Jessica and her family eventually settled in Houston where she ultimately got her start in the audio field. A graduate of Media Technical Institute, Jessica started working as a stagehand upon graduating. With no fear of rigging or climbing structures, Jessica always seemed to find herself with the lighting department even though she was always wanting to go hang with the audio crew. Before long, she worked her way up from being a lighting technician doing AV and one-offs for a few key companies in Florida and building a reputation there. After an opportunity to start doing more and more large one-offs, and smaller festivals, the work started coming as a touring technician. Jessica spent most of 2019 with pop sensation BTS. Ever passionate about her career, she is creating an online reso

iTunes         Spotify         Youtube           Patreon Michelle Sabolchick Pettinato is a professional live sound engineer currently mixing FOH for Elvis Costello. Over the last thirty years, Michelle has worked with/for some of the most recognizable names in music including: the Spin Doctors, Styx, Gwen Stefani, Goo Goo Dolls, Melissa Etheridge, Indigo Girls, Mr. Big, Big Time Rush, Ke$ha, Jewel, Adam Lambert, and more. She has participated as a panelist and speaker at industry conferences and various universities, and has also written numerous articles and blogs about industry topics ranging from live sound techniques and career development to life on the road. Mentoring audio students and young professionals is also extremely important to Michelle and in 2013 she co-founded soundgirls.org to create a supportive community for women working in professional audio, while also inspiring and empowering the next generation. In 2015 Michelle was inducted into Full Sail University’s Hall of Fame. Most recently

To the entire extended Roadie Free Radio Family, we wish you the merriest of holidays and lot's of good health! In this quick episode I recap the last few months and give some ideas of things to come in the future. Come along for the ride! Special Mentions: Namm – The Power of Podcasting Panel, Ian S. Port: The Birth of Loud, Carla Jean Whitley: Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, Roswell Pro Audio Mini K87, A Life On the Road, Filming Great Concert Footage, Roadie Short Film, Roadie: A True Story (at least the parts I remember), John Kane: Pilgrims of Woodstock, The Last Seat in the House, David Dann: "Guitar King: Michael Bloomfield's Life in the Blues", Roadie Free Radio Merch

iTunes         Spotify         Youtube           Patreon Born in Chicago: The Blues of Michael Bloomfield and Paul Butterfield, is book signing, film clip viewing and panel discussion on the lives and artistry of guitarist Michael Bloomfield and harmonica player Paul Butterfield. From the late 1950s when, as teenagers, Bloomfield and Butterfield ventured into the black blues clubs on the South Side of Chicago to play with masters like Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf, both men were dedicated to the blues. With the formation of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band featuring the leader’s brilliant harp work and Bloomfield’s searing guitar sorties in the mid-1960s, the sound of raw, muscular electric blues reached a vast new audience and created a blues-rock revolution in American popular music. The induction of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2015 recognized the game-changing music of these two Chicago innovators and their bandmates, Sam Lay, Jerome Arnold and Mark Naftalin. In

iTunes         Spotify         Youtube           Patreon  Thank you all so much for joining me on this incredible journey!  TJ’s story originally started in the late 1980’s as a roadie for several New Jersey club bands. After a brief time at New Jersey’s legendary Trax East Recording studio, he spent most of the 1990’s and 2000’s crisscrossing the planet with bands like M.O.D, Agnostic Front, Ignite and many more. Along the way, he formalized his work with the creation Iron Sound Productions; a company providing back line, sound re-enforcement and tour logistics. By 2000, he was pulling triple duty as Tour Manager, Drum Tech and Guitar Tech for Skid Row, who was opening on the legendary KISS Farewell Tour (last tour with the original members of the band), and included a set by Ted Nugent. As the miles and years on the road continued to stack up, he further earned the respect and trust of peers in the industry. Coming off his last tour, after spending over 20 years on the road, was a time of reflection for

iTunes         Spotify         Youtube           Patreon Ian Campbell is a multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter who grew up in Connecticut with seventeen entertaining and musical brothers and sisters. Outrageous family dinner time jam sessions, with instruments like "salt shaker" and "nose" gave Ian a love for music and performance. After spending five years in the military, Ian drove around the country, adjusting back to civilian life. It was in these travels that Ian cracked open and found the songwriter within.   Ian is the quintessential singer/songwriter; and with his heart on his sleeve, he walks the line between spirituality and humanity... His honest and vulnerable lyrics, decorated with intricate finger-style guitar, open tunings, and powerful piano, blends so well with his soothing voice, and welcoming presence. His music explores the deeper places that make you laugh, cry, hurt, and heal; and always... always looking for the light. As an endorsed clinician for Ovation guitar, A director