Roadie Free Radio

As I looked through Joel Lonky's resume, one thing became very clear; there's a lot of black ink on the page. That only means one thing: the dude has worked his ass off for a long time, and the list of artists and experiences he's had have made him one of the most in-demand House Engineers in the business. It was also clear in our interview that Joel is a no-nonsense professional, who's passion fo...

Wow! Episode 80!! Today's guest is Systems Tech Hank Fury, no stranger to the road and the perils that exist out there. This episode has all the elements of a great story; love, passion, sacrifice, and of course, redemption. A New York native and current Brooklyn resident, Hank's baptism into the world of Rock 'n Roll started at one of the most famous clubs in Manhattan's lower east side; the fame...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! To help kick this year off our first guest is Cleveland native Lauren Crowley, Monitor Engineer for such artists as Ryan Adams, Eminem, Tyler the Creator, A$AP Rocky, Kurt Vile, and Jenny Lewis. Crowley cut her teeth in the Punk Rock clubs of Cleveland before eventually moving on to Full Sail University, and ultimately honing her skills at Eighth Day Sound. From there, it's been a...

Merry Christmas!! I am so excited about today's episode, you know I'm a sucker for a good story and this one certainly does not disappoint. For the last two years, Richard Bennett has bet on himself and made it his life's mission as Editor-In Chief of Load-In International magazine to bring the touring community together in an honest and visually dynamic way, month after month. But as any entrepre...

Sue Anello CCH is a board certified homeopathic practitioner and educator based in New York City, who's found a unique way to combine her love of Rock & Roll and healing over the last two decades. Trained in the United Kingdom, Sue Anello's background originally was in the music business where she worked for CBS Records and then EMI in both New York and London. After leaving EMI, Sue spent 5 years...

I decided to take this week to fill you guys in on a few things coming up, some new music I picked-up in Mississippi, and the general state of affairs. Oh yeah, and I did the whole thing from the front seat of my car! Plus, we have a new SALE going on!

After thirty days on the road in Mississippi I'm happy to say I'm home and back in the studio! To help celebrate our 75th episode I sat down with Andrew Ratcliffe of Tweed Recording in Oxford, MS. Andrew has been producing and engineering bands for over twenty years and has carved out an incredible career in an area rich in musical history and heritage. His list of clients includes The Black Crowe...

In the late '70's and into the '80's Hollywood and the Sunset Strip played host to the hair bands and spandex superstars that rocked clubs like the Whiskey and the Roxy night after night. But several miles down the coast, a new sound was emerging; raw, impatient, and not satisfied with the Status Quo. It was in this world that Dave Rat of Rat Sound Systems carved his place as a trusted engineer, w...

I can't tell you how incredible it was to sit with Phil Dudderidge at my first AES show, and listen to him reflect on his career. Today, Phil is the Chairman of Focusrite Audio Engineering, a highly successful company known for its audio interfaces, preamps, and consoles, but at seventeen, he was just a kid in North London with a van, and a willingness to seize every opportunity that came his way....

For close to thirty years, Jay Blakesberg has photographed and befriended the most incredible roster of artists, musicians, tech giants, hippies, rockers, punkers, and concert-goers. He's published close to 15 books, runs his own publishing company, gives back to his community, and generally leads a pretty cool life. Being in the moment and in the music is what keeps Jay on his toes from night to...

Hello from Oxford, Mississippi! I'm very happy to bring you my latest episode from North Mississippi while I'm on location during my current gig. This week's guest is guitar/bass tech Aron Michalski, a New England native who has toured the world a few times over with the likes of Paul Simon, Metallica, the Indigo Girls, Norah Jones, Babyface, Bruce Springsteen, Weezer, and Little Feat, just to nam...

One could argue that if it were not for an unfortunate mishap at Joni Mitchell's home studio, Toni Fishman may never have had the opportunity to re-launch the Telefunken brand. By reverse-engineering the guts of a badly burned microphone from Mitchell's home studio, Toni was able to not only bring the mic back to life, but realized there was a market for people who owned the same microphones and n...

For over 30 years, multi-instrumentalist Michael Lardie has traveled the world and rocked stage after stage as the keyboardist and guitarist for the band Great White. He's ridden every high and low that comes with rock stardom, and through it all he's kept the same passion and love for music that prompted him to move to Southern California in the late '70's. Michael started out in recording studio...

Singer-songwriter Jeff Slate is an internationally recognized recording artist and music journalist. He co-founded the band the Mindless Thinkers, founded The Badge and has performed and worked with countless other rock luminaries, including Pete Townshend of The Who, Sheryl Crow and others. His band with David Bowie sideman Earl Slick, and his current band Jeff Slate & Friends, are both mainstays...

Robert Compton is no stranger to life-changing events. As you'll hear in our interview, he's had quite a few. In fact, Compton's knack for surviving a few of those events is what's led him to focus his passion and channel his creativity into building guitars out of his home in New Jersey. Redemption, a love of music, and a rekindling of childhood dreams is what helped turn this veteran of corporat...

With twenty-five years of touring experience under his belt, Production manager/Tour Manager Chris Wrightsman certainly know his way around a venue or two. The Cleveland native is also not afraid to mix FOH, monitors, or even lend his hand as a lighting Designer. At the end of the day, it's about putting on a great show, keeping a level head, and getting to the next gig. I spoke with Chris backsta...

Welcome to our 65th episode! In this special installment I thought I would honor famed booking agent Ian Copeland, who not only changed my life, but changed the lives of countless artists and musicians, and forever left his imprint on the music industry. Ian's story is nothing short of fascinating. He was a rebel, a pilot, an innovator, a club owner, and a highly decorated Vietnam veteran. He also...

There are many mantras to help you survive life on the road. For Stage Manager Bobby Carroll, there is only one that counts, and that is the Golden of the Road: "Do Unto Roadies, As You Would Have Them Do Unto You." For him, being nice isn't a tactic simply to get the job done, but rather, a way of life impressed upon him by those that taught him the ropes. Bobby has traveled the globe in vans, bu...

Greg Howard's first tour on the road started a little later than most, but it certainly hasn't stopped him from making up time along the way. A Florida native, Greg has called Raleigh, N.C. his home for most of his adult life, and it's where he started working in a music store, fresh out of college, never imagining he'd have the career he does now. Along with being one of the most in-demand guitar...

I've used the word passion many times to describe several of my previous guests. Some are passionate about their careers, others about their instruments, and still others care deeply about doing the best that they can at any given moment to achieve the absolute best outcome. Production Manager & Front of House Engineer Brian Speiser fits most comfortably in this last category. A long-time member o...

Music journalist Katherine Turman has certainly earned her stripes in the industry, documenting and sharing the stories and profiles of countless artists, in a long list of magazines, newspapers, and radio shows, such as Rockline, and Nights with Alice Cooper. She landed her first writing job at the age of sixteen and went off to receive a BA in Journalism from USC. It was there she started writin...

Michael Musburger knows what it's like to be at the epicenter of something incredible. As a Seattle native, he not only witnessed the rise of the Grunge scene, but as a member of the Posies, and subsequent Production and Stage Manager for the Presidents of the United States of America, he was one of the scene's first ambassadors. Michael's dedication and passion for the industry has led him on a j...

For over fifty years Chris Adamson has led the kind of career most people would dream of. As one of the most sought after Production Manager's in the business, he's the guy who makes sure every piece of gear and all personnel gets from one part of the world to the other safely, on time, and that the show will certainly go on. Having spent considerable time with Pink Floyd, he has the distinction o...

Fresh from graduating from the University of Hartford, Alan Venitosh promptly landed a job at Telefunken Elektroakustik in South Windsor, CT. A touring musician with a degree in music production and a keen interest in recording techniques, Alan joined owner Toni Fishman in their modest office space, never imagining where this turn of events would lead him. Fifteen years later, Alan is now the Dire...

Parnelli award-winning monitor engineer Greg Looper knows firsthand the role fate can play in a career. For the last several years he has been with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, first as a systems tech for FOH engineer Robert Scovill, but eventually stepping-in at monitors, where he has proven to be an invaluable asset. A chance encounter with an old friend at the age of twenty-one led to a car...