Matthew:
Give me a synopsis of this Academy of Shred Radio Show. Including
...What channel is it found on, what type of music do you play?
What time is it on? How far does the signal travel? Do you ever
have live guests play on the show? What about live interviews
with shredtastic serpents like Stump or Rizzo?
Steve: The Academy Of Shred is broadcast in Rochester, NY on 88.5
FM WRUR every Wednesday from 10 p.m.-12 a.m. and online at www.wrur.org.
Bob: We have a great broadcast range and often get calls from
as far as 50 - 60 miles away with our brand of rock, metal, and
shred. We try to cover it all and one minute you may hear some
obscure classic rock and then you may hear Arch Enemy or some
supreme instrumental shredder. There is definitely a little something
for everyone. We have a segment of extreme metal we like to call
the SONIC BLOCK as well.
Steve: I like to focus on the more obscure artists of the scene.
There are a lot of great players/ bands out there that people
don't know about. Al Estrada, Joe Nardulli, The Sean Baker Orchestra,
Crosseyed Mary, Magic Elf, etc. I could go on for days here. These
are the bands that need the exposure and I try to focus on them,
so they can gain some new fans.
Bob:
We have had a few guests on the show, including 17-year-old guitar
phenomenon, Randy McStine, and some great Rochester locals, including
Tony Vinci, Scattered Ink, Steel Kingdom, and Craig Snyder. These
were strictly interviews though as the studio is not equipped
for live performances. We are also unable to do phone interviews,
etc., which is kind of a drag, but maybe one day.
Matthew:
How long have you been holding these Shred Fest's in Rock'chester?
Describe each year who has attended, where have they been held,
and the growth of this overall event as well.
Bob: The Shredfests have been going since 2003 at Steel Music
Hall (www.steelmusichall.com). We have one in the summer (Shredfest)
and one in the fall (Holiday Shredfest). Joe Stump has been a
performer on every shredfest/ holiday shredfest since the first
and his crowd just multiplies every time he plays. We started
out doing around 100 people at the first shredfest and then the
one that happened in summer of 2005, had over 300 people. It was
packed.
Steve: Yeah I remember that ... Metal Mike's Painmuseum, Chris
Caffery, and Joe Stump all on the same bill. Unreal! It is great
to see such support of these events. We are really trying to do
these shows and the radio show to help the scene and make people
aware of the talent that is out there. I am sure you would agree
that the scene is coming back and people want to hear real music
with people who have real talent to play it.
Matthew: What are your future plans associated with this shredfest?
Any dreams of trying to make it significantly bigger by perhaps
trying to secure the hockey arena in Rochester where the Americans
play, then booking many more acts?
Steve:
We plan on continuing these events and would love to see them
get as big as possible. Unfortunately, when you live in a smaller
town like Rochester the chance of filling a venue bigger than
200-300 people is not possible with this type of music.
Bob: We just love doing these shows no matter where they are held.
We are fans and love this music as much as anyone who enjoys our
show. It is great to get together with fans of metal and shred
and just talk music and enjoy watching bands.
Matthew:
When and where is the next one of these events going to be held?
Bob: Steel Music Hall (www.steelmusichall.com) is where the Shredfests
are held. Randy Peck of Steel Music Hall has been instrumental
in allowing us to do these events over the years. It has been
a great partnership and we hope it will continue for years to
come.
Steve: We are doing a new show on April 8, 2006 called GUITAR
WARS, along the same lines of the Shredfests, but focusing on
more obscure players who really deserve more credit. This event
includes one of the hottest up and coming neo-classical shredders,
Matt Mills, as well as well as four other KILLER players that
anyone who enjoys rock/metal/shred will enjoy. We would not bring
these bands in if we did not feel strongly about them and what
they do.
Matthew: Do either of you play guitar, perhaps in the electric
shred metal style?
Steve: I dabble a bit in guitar, but more for fun. I also sang
on a couple demos a friend of mine was working on. Again, just
for fun. I tend to enjoy the more melodic stuff and dabble in
bands similar in sound to the band King's X. I enjoy anything
progressive with good musicianship and melody.
Bob: I play drums, again for fun.
Matthew: This summer I published an article with our Web site
detailing the top 25 guitarists of the past 25 years. The list
encompassed all styles of guitar rock/shred/death metal ... I
have attached the list for you to analyze. What is your take on
my rankings? Be candid about any major discrepancies on my list,
such as major omissions or errors in the placements of guitarists
in the rankings. I would love your feedback.
Bob: I thought it was a great list, but there are some guys I
felt should've been on there. Most importantly, Tracy G, Tracy
G's work with WWIII and Dio, not to mention his solo stuff is
some of my all-time favorite. I have also felt that he has never
gotten the credit he deserved.
Steve: I thought you did a great job man. Probably a lot of the
guys I would've liked to add to the list nobody out there would've
heard of.
Matthew:
Who are your favorite current axe men? Any up and comers our readers
should know about from the Upstate New York/Canada region?
Steve: There are some really killer players out there for sure.
I tend to like a lot of the more obscure guys, who are more satisfied
doing what they do because they enjoy it. They aren't doing this
to make tons of money, etc.. A few players to check out are Takahiro
Hashimoto (K.O.D. from Japan), Magic Elf (Long Island), Randy
McStine (17 year old prodigy from N.Y.), David Spann (from Austin,
Texas), Andy James (from England), Sean Baker (from Detroit, Mich.).
I could go on and on! Chris Poland is probably my favorite though
and I am lucky enough to manage a player who really can create
order from chaos with his playing no matter the style.
Bob: Johan Reinholz (from Sweden), Tracy G (WWIII, DIO, Driven),
Gus G, the list goes on and on... ;0)
Matthew: Steven, I know you represent Chris Poland (OHM, Megadeth),
do you rep anyone else I might know? And Bob are you involved
in management as well?
Steve: I have been managing Chris since 1999 and I must say it
is a pleasure. Chris is one of the most talented players on the
planet and I feel never got the credit he deserved. I am doing
my best to try and change that. Chris and his band OHM is my number
one priority, but I help out any band I believe in. We got to
stick together to keep the music alive.
Bob: I would like to get into management one day. Since 1982 I
have owned and operated Heavy Metal Records (75 West Main Street,
Webster, N.Y.). As a fan of the music for all my life I enjoy
having my store, which specializes in rock/ metal/ shred from
around the world. It has been a labor of love and I feel privileged
to have been in business selling this type of music for this long.
My customers are great and I enjoy having the opportunity to spread
the music to the people of Rochester and beyond.
Matthew: Finally please let me know anything else that’s
important for you two to get out to our readers. The floor is
yours!
Steve:
Keep supporting the scene in your area! Go to shows and buy CDs!
If the scene is to stay alive, this is the way to do it. Heck,
if you want to learn about the latest and greatest, not to mention
discover a lot of artists you may have never heard of check out
The Academy Of Shred on Wednesday nights 10 p.m.-12 a.m. Eastern
time online at www.wrur.org. We'll do our best to school ya and
if you have requests just call them in. I also want to thank all
the people in Rochester and beyond for their support. Without
them and the support of WRUR we could not have our show.
Bob: I agree with Steve. Get out there to shows and support the
artists by picking up their discs. Also for the shameless plug,
GUITAR WARS on April 8 here at Steel Music Hall in Rochester,
N.Y. will be a great opportunity to support some great bands that
deserve the scene's support. It is all about the music and keeping
the scene alive. I am glad Steve and I have the opportunities
we have to do this.
Matthew: Thanks boys, I appreciate your time. And keep shred alive.
Steve: Thank you Matt for allowing us this opportunity. You and
Hardrock Haven are doing a stellar job at keeping the scene alive
as well!
Bob: Thank you. We are all brothers in this war on the commercial
music corporate scene.
