So I thought a bullet point format might work well for this.  I may ad a few short comments, but most of them will speak for themselves:

• My first show as an AR rep was to visit Slaughter at park West in Chicago.  The band we’re nice guys, invited me right up onstage to see their gear.

• Taking a road trip to Summerfest in Milwaukee to visit Destiny’s Child.  I brought some Shure shirts with to swag the crew and Beyonce put one on when she arrive before soundcheck!

• Many nights of hanging with one of the best photographers in the industry – Paul Natkin (www.natkin.net)

• Attending many awards shows including The Grammy’s, the Academy of Country Music Awards, The Latin Grammy’s (the 2^nd Annual was supposed to happen on Sept 11, 2001), the Country Music Awards, The Gospel Music Awards and the American Country Awards over the last 16+ years.

• Traveling to Switzerland (my first time out of the US) for the Montreux Jazz Festival.

• Seeing and meeting so many artists at the NAMM show each year.

• Working with some artists since the beginning of their careers: Le Ann Rimes, Jo Dee Messina, Dierks Bentley, Korn and many more.

• Meeting and working with legendary artists like The Pretenders, Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, Slash, Natalie Cole, Alison Krauss & Union Staion and The Who, to name a few.

• Being tricked by Tony Iommi – I met him at a gig early on in my AR career with endorsement paperwork in hand.  After handing it to him he said “I need to look this over.” A half an hour later, he came back and said “I can’t sign this.”  My face went blank – I was speechless.  He said jokingly “You should see the look on your face…I signed it.”

• Lobbying congress and the FCC on behalf of Shure to protect wireless products and the frequency spectrum they operate in.

• Watching The Who do a 2 hour pre-show rehearsal at the Palace at Auburn Hills, MI a day before their show.  It was myself and 3 other people in an Arena.  Shortly after they finished we shot an ad with Pete and Roger.

• Co-producing a Shure show for the National Sound Contractors Convention with Ed Thigpen and friends plus a 20 minute Blue Man Group set in the middle.

• Many days and evenings of hanging/working with some of the best AR reps in the industry at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) and the Modern Drummer festivals over the last 16 years. (You all know who you are!)

• At one of my previous bosses’ request, shaking Elton John’s hand after a sound check and thanking him on his choice of microphone.

• Seeing and Meeting Cheap Trick for the first time (on the same night) at The Metro performing the album Heaven Tonight. Killer show!!

• Coming up with a plan to open an AR office in Nashville and having that plan be accepted, put into action, and succeed beyond my expectations.

• Visiting some amazing Nashville area studios like Dark Horse Recording, Blackbird Studios, and Ocean Way.

• Having artists and engineers play me songs before anyone else gets to hear them and see them become hits.

• Seeing Rufus & Chaka Khan in Nashville.  Great show – deepest groove/pocket I’ve ever heard live!

• Shaking B.B. King’s hand and wishing him a Happy Birthday before a show in Chicago at The Riviera.

• Working with drummers who I grew up following:  Dave Weckl, Peter Erskine, John “JR” Robinson, Simon Phillips, Ndugu Chancelor, and many more.

• Arranging a group photoshoot with all the drummers listed above and a few others like Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez, Rod Morgenstein, and Trilok Gurtu.

• Visiting the set of the movie “A Mighty Wind” to watch them shoot at scene that made it to the extra’s on the DVD. (it’s the music video scene with the large Lava Lamps)

• Taking the guys in Spinal Tap over to the NAMM show floor for a quick tour. Then watching them perform for what has been the hippest NAMM show performance since.

• Remembering several Grammy performances I saw on site: Aretha filling in for Andrea Bocelli singing a classical song, Alanis Morrisette signing “Uninvited” backed by a string orchestra, Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing”, several Lady Gaga performances, and The Beach Boys with Maroon 5 and Foster The People

• Remembering all the great crew people behind the scenes at all of the awards shows who pull off major accomplishments to make these shows happen every year.

• Right Place, Right time -Finding about The Civil Wars and reaching out to form a relationship. Seeing them rise to perform at The Grammy Awards in less than a year.

• Hearing stories everyday from artists and engineers on how using Shure products have helped their careers and in some cases, changed their lives.

• Having a family, both at Shure and at home to share these moments with.

I know there are a few that I’m forgetting but these stick out.  I am so thankful everyday to be working and be allowed to visit with so many great people in this industry.   I hope to be doing this a long time as I feel I was meant to do it.  I move forward, with anticipation of the next great moments.

And now…back to work.  I have to come up with questions for my Jason Mraz video interview next week.

Calling all Artist Relations reps!  What are some of your memorable moments?

Ryan

Yup, my mom and dad come from classic Mexican families which are typically huge. Growing up I was told that it was because they needed farm hands and babysitters, but I think what my grandparents needed was a TV… My dad comes from a family of 10 and my dear mom comes from a family of 14. Minus my parents that’s 22 tias and tios (aunts and uncles), then you add their kids… I have first cousins old enough to be my parents and some young enough to be my children. We typically have to rent a hall for our Thanksgiving fiestas. Needless to say, with that amount of family, we pretty much have a reason to party all year long. Of course we always had a lot of greeeaaaat food and drinks, but one thing that always stood out for me was la musica…

The music was always blasting from the time you arrived to the moment you left. Sometimes it came from the instruments my uncles played or the mariachis or trios my family would hire, and sometimes it blasted from a grabadora (boom box). Of course it was mostly traditional Latin styles like Mariachi, Corridos, Quebradita, Cumbia, Merengue and Salsa, but my family was also fans of the American pop, rock and oldies… On any given moment Juan Gabriel would invite us off the dinner table to “Noa Noa”, we’d cha cha to La Sonora Santanera’s  “La Boa”, then Banda Machos would have us stomping “La Culebra (The Snake)”. Selena would make us shake our “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom”. Juan Luis Guerra turned us all into love hypochondriacs with “La Bilirrubina”. La Sonora Dinamita advised us against messing with their “Cucu”. Eddie Santiago would summon the “Lluvia (Rain)” then suddenly, we’d get real weird and “Wooly Bully”, dance “La Bamba”, do “The Twist”, and “Twist and Shout”.  Phewwww! And this was all pre-cake…

We all took turns playing DJ and danced and danced until someone ended up starting a chisme (rumor) or said something to offend someone in the family and a fight would break out. Yeah, that’s right, a fight. If you have ever seen a novela (Spanish soap opera) you’d understand we Latinos can be a bit dramatic sometimes. Ok, very, but it’s only because we’re sooo passionate. Anyways, after a few un-repeatable words and a couple of tears everyone would make up, and la fiesta would continue as if nothing ever happened. As the party progressed there would come a point where the music would be taken over by my older cousins who played American classic 80’s and 90’s hits. Latinos are usually no stranger to a dance floor, but I have to say it was pretty awkward to see our older cousins, aunts, and uncles dance to American music and try to “Walk Like An Egyptian”. It was also very awkward to translate the lyrics to Madonna’s “Like A Virgin” to my tias and tios who didn’t understand what she was saying. Especially when you’re 9…

We partied til the break of dawn until we could no longer dance. That’s when Mexican drinking music kings, Vicente Fernandez and Ramon Ayala, plus their good friend tequila, would join forces, ride into our party via the grabadora, and elevate everyone’s confidence to the level where no matter what happened, we will always be “El Rey (The King)”. Even if after this night we ended up in “Un Rinconcito en el Cielo (A Little Corner in the Sky)”, it didn’t sound half bad.

This relationship with music continued away from home throughout grammar school. I attended a predominately Irish Catholic Grammar school on the Northside of Chicago. Not only did I learn English here, but I also heard the bagpipes for the first time and learned to céilí. Yup that’s right, I river-danced like Billy Elliot every Saint Patrick’s Day. It was a very musical school. We had an amazing music teacher named Bernadette Nastali, who would come in once a week and teach us about music. I also took advantage of the music classes offered and took Saxophone and Piano lessons. I even received a gold medal for one of my piano recitals and was a member of the orchestra. I know right? My sister, who played the flute and cello beautifully, accuses me to this day of taking more than a few bars off here and there, but I will neither admit nor deny that.

High school and College introduced me to even more music, as I began to make friends from all over the country and around the world. It didn’t matter what it was or where it came from. I was already listening to music in more than one language, so why not listen to French or Portuguese music. Heck, why not check out some Arabic tunes. I didn’t understand the words, but it was beautiful and different, and I wanted to hear it and know it. That’s the beauty of growing up in a melting pot city like Chicago. You can meet people from all over the globe and if you’re open to it, you can learn about all kinds of different music and the cultures that created them. For me there is nothing like falling in love with a new melody for the first time. I even got a job at a local pro audio store to be around music freaks like myself. That’s where I blew my paychecks buying turntables and records in order to teach myself how to DJ.

At first I did it just for fun. But as I got better, it became my addiction. I’d spend hours practicing my blends and even more hours crate digging at the great records stores here in Chicago. Shortly after I mustered enough confidence, I  began DJing college parties. Then some of my DJ friends invited me to play a few guest spots at clubs and next thing I know, I was the resident DJ at various clubs around town working 3-4 nights a week. As the resident DJ, I was also responsible for promoting the night, setting the vibe, selecting the music, and booking guest DJs. The booking part was my first dive into artist relations. I had to negotiate my talent’s time, their fee, as well as their drink tickets. After some rough first negotiations, I quickly learned that booking the right talent, being polite, being honest, and professional went a long way. After getting the hang of it, I quickly built a reputation, not only as a pretty decent DJ, but as a respected booker/promoter as well.

When college graduation came, my and my parent’s investment could not go to waste. I found myself my first real gig and put the DJ thing on hold. It was an office job that was very exciting at first, but after a couple years there, I realized that something wasn’t right. I missed being around music. Obviously, I still heard it, but I wasn’t actively involved with it. I quit shortly thereafter and ended up back at the audio store while I figured out my next move. One day when I was in back counting stock, I realized I wanted to work for an audio manufacturer, but not just any company. I wanted to work for Shure. I’ve been dropping Shure’s M44-7 needles on my records and giving shout-outs from an SM58 this whole time as a DJ. And better yet, they are right here in my own backyard.

I applied for a job at Shure and didn’t hear back right away. Then one day out of the blue, I received a call from Shure’s HR department, and they informed me that they’d like me to come in. I was so excited to finally get my foot in the door. Shortly after, I was offered a job as a Marketing Coordinator and when the Artist Relations position opened up, I jumped on it. I’ve been here at Shure since January 2006 and I am very blessed to be able to spend my work days listening to music, talking about music and sharing it with my music-loving colleagues, identifying artists we should partner with, and building relationships with them for the best microphone company in the world. So how did I get into Artist Relations?

La musica brought me here, and I’m glad to be home.

Nelson

_______________

I am looking back over what has been and continues to be a wonderful career in an industry that I have loved since The Mama’s & The Papa’s harmonies found their way to my ears through speakers in my home growing up. My interest in music grew out of listening to what my parents listened to. Sammy Davis Jr., Fleetwood Mac, The Doobie Brothers, Simon & Garfunkel, John Denver, and so many more.  My parents also continue to have an incredible influence in my life as far as having a good work ethic.

As I grew up, REO Speedwagon, KISS, Gerry Rafferty, Boston and others found their way into my record collection.  My older brother started playing drums and I felt like I also had the rhythm in me to do that.  I joined band in 6^th grade and continued throughout High School.  I met friends who listened to Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and Rush. I practiced to those bands for hours which became my drum lessons. I also found myself paying close attention to lyrics, harmonies, and the interplay between musicians.  I did have other interests in life – space, computers, and cars but music was a huge part of me.

When I started at Joliet Junior College (JJC), my first intent was to study to become an Aerospace Engineer.  I wanted to be a Mission Specialist as part of the Space Shuttle program. I ambitiously tried to tackle College Algebra and Trigonometry IN THE SAME SEMESTER.  The result of that silly attempt was a change to Music as my major. I had also met a pair of brothers at JJC, one of which went on to work for Shure. As I worked my way through the educational system, the more people I met, the wider the breadth of music I was exposed to.  Chick Corea & The Elektric Band, Tony MacAlpine, Tony Williams, Take 6…I was getting blasted from so many angles with inspiration.  I loved it!

Throughout High School and College, I was also part of group of musicians who got together to play for productions like Guys and Dolls, Hello Dolly!, South Pacific, and a string of other musicals I had never heard off.  We also formed an AMAZING 16 piece Big Band and did a USO type show.  As a musician, these were some of the best times I’ve ever had. The group was a blast to hang with, the music was all of the best standards, and the singers were top notch.  I hope I get to do this again someday.

After completing my Associates degree at JJC, I found a Music Business program at Southern Illinois University.  I attended SIU for 2 years, during which I played in Symphonic Winds, the Jazz Band, and found my way into a Metal band, which was also a great time.  My double bass chops were pretty good as we played Metallica, Megadeth, Iron Maiden, Rush, Anthrax, and so much more.  The guitarist in the group worked for the local newspaper, Carbondale Nightlife.  He was responsible for interviewing various artists that performed in town.  When Chick Corea & The Elektric band came across his desk, he called me and asked if I wanted to take the interview.  I had never interview anyone in my life and now I was about to interview Chick, an icon in Jazz. I could get used to this!  Little did I know that later in life, I would be! I still get excited before each interview.

One of the classes at SIU was called Music Business and the class would take a bus to Nashville about 6 times during the semester to meet with various industry people like singer/songwriters, lawyers, label execs, and studio engineers.  This peaked my interest in the Nashville area.

After graduating, I returned to the Chicago area and got an internship with an event planning company that had some major clients.  One of my jobs was to draft floor plans via computer so that the event planners could lay in elements for the events. I then updated my resume and sent it into Shure as well as any other music related jobs I could think of.  I received a call from Shure, interviewed for a Customer Service position and became the first Rush Order Expediter for that department.  After about a year and a half, I was promoted to Customer Service Rep and took calls from a variety of dealers in different states over the next year an a half. During that time, I made many friends within Shure, and when the time came that the Artist Relations Manager needed assistance, I was right there to apply for the position.  It has been 16 years since I joined the AR team and I have made so many friends in this industry and been blessed to a part of some amazing experiences.

All of those experiences have revealed to me the central core of how I feel I’ve lasted this long in this position.  My advice to others: Be a team player and represent your company to the highest of standards by doing a good job, going above and beyond.  Finally and most importantly, treat others with respect and it will come back to you in so many ways. My father always told me “Your attitude determines your altitude.”

Ryan

Just last week, I sat down in front of my laptop on a quiet Monday morning, intent on getting through some of the things that have lingered on my “to do” list, when I heard from Brian French, Smokey Robinson’s production manager. Brian sent an email to let me know that Smokey was in town to perform with members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Hall that evening. He invited us to come down for rehearsal and to stay for the show later as well.

Hmmm… plow through some emails in my stuffy office or go hang with a Motown legend? Guess which one we picked? Actually, read all about it in our Summer Intern’s recent blog post here: http://blog.shure.com/mic-check/smokey-robinson-at-symphony-center/

So, this week’s random-ness brought us to a really cool rehearsal facility in the Fulton Market area of Chicago called the Music Garage. The place is owned and operated by a guy named Scott Spector, and it is state-of-the-art when in comes to a practice space or small studio. Oh, and there’s this AMAZING drum shop called Vic’s that lives in the same building… it’s your heaven if you’re a drummer, trust me. Check it out here: www.musicgarage.com

No, we were not looking for a place to rehearse with our artist relations band… we do have cool names if we ever do go down that questionable path. We were actually there to drop off some mics and listen to a little of the the Chris Robinson Brotherhood band while they prepped for their tour. Chris (yes, that guy from The Black Crowes) and his band just released an album entitled Big Moon Ritual, very cool stuff and different from the Crowes. The band is comprised of all of the same members that appear on the album, so these guys know each other and the material very well.

During our visit, they were actually working on a new song Chris wrote, trying to put everything in its right place. It’s always cool to see a band working on a new idea that evolves into a song… and sometimes it happens pretty quickly when the musicians know each other and their instruments that well. Aside from the musical aspect of our visit, the witty banter in between was just as enjoyable.

Be sure to check out the new album and catch the guys on tour! They’re playing this weekend in Chicago if you’re around. I’ll be sure to write you next week about something random in my week. Although next week is gonna be completely bananas… I already know it.

-Cory