Combining equal parts heartache and hopefulness, the enchanting new EP from Best Ex will make you dance and cry, possibly at the same time.
Oh, to be young and finding yourself under the (pre-COVID) lights of New York City. It sounds like a fantasy to many, one that movies and books explore repeatedly, but for Mariel Loveland, it’s a real-life experience. She’s overcoming heartache and learning what matters most to her in a place where the possibilities are endless, and she captures every sensation on Good At Feeling Bad, the latest EP from Best Ex.
Not one to fall into the tropes of Bukowski or Salinger that entangle many of her musical peers, Loveland’s style of storytelling is one of wide-eyed optimism presented in the face of uncertainty with unabashed honesty. She’s neither the hero nor the villain in her journey. Her perspective is that of a world traveler that has felt the overwhelming joy of mass acceptance and the cold chill of failure. Good At Feeling Bad is about what comes after all that, which is where the real adventure begins. Loveland knows anything is possible, and she’s open to whatever the next chapter entails.
“Gap Tooth (On My Mind),” the opening track and recent single, places the notion of caring for one’s self front and center. It begins as any breakup song would, with an evident longing for a connection that has recently severed, but as the first verse gives way to the chorus, a more grounded and rational way of thinking emerges. Loveland’s broken heart is begging for something immediate to soothe the wound, such as a kiss from a stranger or a night lived with reckless abandon, but her mind knows better. Life has taught her that trying to fill the void the exists when someone you love leaves with anything less than a more significant emotional connection will ultimately lead to a pang of more profound sadness. A wild night might be fun, but the next day she will wake with the same longing in her soul, so what is the point?
Later, on “Lemons,” Loveland breaks from the adage of making lemonade to suggest biting the lemons life serves instead. That message, which is mirrored on the track “Bad Love,” perfectly encapsulates how age and experience are informing her perspective on life. You can go through your time on this planet sugar-coating reality to make it more palatable, or you can face challenges head-on and learn from them. The music of Best Ex tells us that running from the truth never gets you very far and that real growth stems from putting in the work to be the person you are to become.
But Loveland isn’t foolish enough to believe such decisions are easy. “Feed The Sharks,” for example, ruminates on the feelings of regret and unease that follow difficult choices. She understands that knowing what you should be doing and following through with it are two different things. Personal development is not a straight path. It’s a complex web of choices and feelings that rage like tornadoes in our chest, and even when we do what is best for us, we often feel bad. Luckily, she’s getting good at living with that feeling.
Haulix Recommends is a recurring feature where the Haulix staff chooses one or more recent releases from their clients. Click here to discover more great music being promoted through Haulix.
On “Gap Tooth (On My Mind),” Best Ex provides listeners a space to escape their worries and discover emotional catharsis in the wake of heartbreak.
It’s unclear who was the first artist to realize the best cure for sadness is movement. There were probably generations of musicians who understood this simple fact long before recorded music existed. People would gather in concert halls or theaters or around fires burning as high as the materials would allow, and they would dance while music played. They danced to shake off the worries of the world, to free themselves from the concerns of the day or what may lie ahead in the future. They did whatever they could to be fully present in the moment, and in doing so, reconnect with their souls.
Mariel Loveland, otherwise known to the world as the face and voice of Best Ex, is the latest in a line of musicians stretching back centuries to provide that excuse for escapism we so desperately crave. What sets her apart, however, is that she seeks freedom through processing emotions rather than running away from them. Her music creates a space where listeners can work through complicated feelings of love and loss while simultaneously giving them an excuse to move their bodies. It’s a fine line to walk, and it requires surgeon-like precision to master, but Loveland and her musical cohorts do so in a manner that makes such artistic expression seem easy.
“Gap Tooth (On My Mind),” the latest single from Best Ex, places the notion of caring for one’s self front and center. The track begins as any breakup song would, with an evident longing for a connection that has recently been severed, but as the first verse gives way to the chorus, a more grounded and rational way of thinking emerges. Loveland’s broken heart is begging for something immediate to soothe the wound, such as a kiss from a stranger or a night lived with reckless abandon, but her mind knows better. Life has taught her that trying to fill the void the exists when someone you love leaves with anything less than a more significant emotional connection will ultimately lead to a pang of more profound sadness. A wild night might be fun, but the next day she will wake with the same longing in her soul, so what is the point?
But there’s another problem, and it’s the key to what makes “Gap Tooth (On My Mind)” a compelling song. The recognition of what you should and shouldn’t do when soothing a broken heart does not help with the healing process. Loveland doesn’t want to find someone else, nor does she wish to forget everything she shared with this other person. What she wants more than anything, for better and worse, is the other person in the story. Loveland’s built her life around someone she wants to be with, and knowing that cannot continue has left her at a loss. The only thing she can do is work through the pain, and “Gap Tooth (On My Mind)” provides the perfect song foundation to do that through dance.
The beauty of dance is that it has no rules. We’ve all seen the reality competitions and social media clips of people moving their bodies in jaw-dropping ways, but those individuals are outliers in the world of dance. Most people, including myself, don’t move like that. I don’t know what I look like dancing, but graceful is not a word I associate with how I move to the music I enjoy. What I do know, however, is that allowing myself to get lost in sound and movement is the most freeing experience on Earth. With “Gap Tooth (On My Mind),” Best Ex provides everyone with the ability to shake off the pain and stresses of existence, and that is all any song can hope to offer.
In preparation of South By Southwest (SXSW), the music industry’s most epic and grueling music festival, I felt inclined to make a list of advice and suggestions that I wish that someone had told me in 2009, as I headed into the event. So to all of you SXSW rookies out there, read the following:
1. Drink water, not whiskey.
Since SXSW is unlike any other festival in the fact that it is a marathon, not a sprint, pacing yourself is key. With schedules spanning six days and shows popping up from breakfast to bar close, bracing your body is absolutely vital. With Texas heat and expecting to be able to push yourself to unrealistic limits, SXSW can break down even the toughest of ironmen. Therefore, logistically speaking, drinking your lunch might not be the best plan for success. Picture the festival as a week-long season of Survivor. You have to be smart to stay alive, stay on top of the scene and maximize the shows you attend. Otherwise, you’re just another piss-stained pair of skinny jeans passed out on the sidewalk of Sixth Street that Nick Cave has to step over on the way to his next gig. Don’t be that guy.
2. RSVP for everything.
Sure, it seems like a waste of time now as you sit on your couch eating corn chips and watching Scrubs. Also, I understand that you have no intention of attending all of the 650 parties that I am currently asking you to plop your email address into. “It won’t hurt to skip just this one,” you tell yourself as you make a b-line for the events featuring your favorite new band. Yet, if you fast forward to the festival’s third day of bands, you’ll find yourself having drinks with a beautiful redhead named Zooey, who happens to work for Columbia Records. She has chatted you up through the whole of the last set, flirting and charming you into a state of complete smitten and butterflies. You stop for Tito Tequila shots on the way to her next assignment as a talent scout. She is on her way to analyze the talent at the “Next Big Thing” party at Emo’s in 20 minutes. She asks you to join, claiming ‘she doesn’t want the conversation to end.’ You’re in, man, hardcore. You, however, didn’t RSVP for that party because you didn’t know any of the bands on the list.
Long story short, don’t cock block yourself personally or professionally by being lazy.
3. Bring a power strip.
We live in a time where it is impossible to exist without our cellphones. I mean, how the hell do you expect to check into every bar on 4square, keep in the SXSW know through Twitter and update your Facebook status if your iPhone runs out of juice? Obviously at some point during the course of your 18-hour day, you will need a jump. You will also quickly discover that as everyone in the modern world (and some bands from the dark-age countries) descends into the Texas state capitol, power outlets become scarce. You’re doing everyone a favor by packing a power strip. You’ll be a hero at the convention center when you add five new ports to the mix. Additionally, you be forced to socialize as people ask you permission to plug into your device. Phone-addicted application junkies will unite as one and the world will bond over the experience.
4. Be prepared to snack. A lot.
At some point you are going to find it impossible to eat at SXSW. This is not due to a lack of access to food—that actually couldn’t be any farther from the truth. Hell, everywhere you turn around in Austin there is a dining option. In reality, starving will come due to a lack of time. With bands starting sets more often than Taylor Swift starts relationships, there will too-often be no time to sit down and snarf a steak. It would be wise for you to pack a collection of “hiking food” in your bag. Power bars and granola are both light and take up very little space, yet leave you with plenty of energy in return. Shoving them in your face on the go leaves much reward for little effort.
5. See someone play in a church. Anyone.
The coolest thing about SXSW is getting to see bands play in places you’ll experience no place else. I’ve gotten to see Fiona Apple play in a Presbyterian church and Broken Belles rock a parking garage. Both experiences have pushed the boundaries of what I expected to experience in my music journalism career. They are unique and amazing stories I am blessed to have. Do yourself a favor and experience them too.
6. Leave your TOMS at home. Bring your Jordans.
At SXSW, you’re going to walk. A LOT. Wearing shoes that are made to comfort your feet is a stellar idea. Sure, it is important to look cool, but honestly how cool are you going to look as you limp around from the quarter-sized blister you gathered on your heel?
Think comfy, not cool.
7. Bring a hoodie, just in case.
Sure, Texas is hot. Texas is T-shirt and jorts (jean shorts) hot. Your shirts are going to pit stain and you’re going to want to change clothes a minimum of three times a day during the fest. Texas is this hot IN MARCH. However, fluke weather happens. I can remember standing in the photo pit of Auditorium Shores preparing to shoot She and Him a few years back, freezing to death. The weather had dropped from 75 and sunny the previous day to the 40s and rainy. Come prepared for everything.
8. If that secret show has been announced on Twitter, it isn’t secret anymore.
It is pretty badass that Green Day has decided to play their one and only show at SXSW in a tiny, hole-in-the-wall dive off the beaten path. The venue holds roughly 300 people. The event will be second to none and something that you will never get the chance to see again. It is something that you don’t want to miss. However, it is also something that hundreds of thousands of other people will not want to miss. You do the math. Do you want to stand in line nine hours early in order to get in the venue? Or would you rather see nine other bands play?
Seeing the big names are great, but you’re missing out on a lot.
9. Expect for your schedule to fall apart.
You can make as many spreadsheets, Google docs, to-do-lists and itineraries as you want, but at the end of the day all of them will fail you. SXSW is a clusterfuck, plain and simple. Bands are going to miss their sets. Shows are going to run late. Shows are going to hit capacity and you’re going to be left outside.
SXSW doesn’t give a shit about you or your spreadsheet. You have to adjust. If one bar is full, go next door and see what you find. You never know if the next band that you randomly walk into will turn out to be that band that changes your life.
Take a chance on a no-name or two.
10. Be polite.
You’re going to be tired and cranky throughout the week. Your feet are going to hurt and you’re going to be overwhelmed by the amount of people who are constantly in your face. Weather, delays, drunks and a gaggle of other obstacles are going to piss you off throughout your experience. You have to smile through them. It is understandable for you to be annoyed, but don’t be an asshole. Everyone else is just as fed up as you and it pays to have friends from all over and you never know who you’ll meet!
Josh Hammond is a music industry lifer. After years spent reviewing artists and discussing their ongoing activities as a music journalist, Josh now spends his time pitching talent as one member of Another Reybee Production PR. Follow him on Twitter to gain more insight on his life in the music business.
Hello, everyone. If this is your first time visiting our site then please know we are thrilled to have you join us. If you are a regular reader, we’re happy to have you back. We promised on Monday that this week would be jam packed with big features, and we hope to keep that trend going this afternoon with the second half of our interview with Rey Roldan. If you have any questions about the content of the blog, or if you would like more information regarding the distributional services offered by Haulix, please email james@haulix.com and share your thoughts. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
Today we are excited to unveil the second in a two-part interview feature with Rey Roldan, founder of Another Reybee Production (part 1 can be found here). We originally started working on this feature way back in August of 2013, but due to email troubles and scheduling troubles we had to start, stop, start, stop, and start all over again. It’s okay though, because we have finally had a chance to learn the story behind this powerful force in Music PR and are now prepared to present his journey to you.
It would be pretty difficult for you to find anyone working in music today who has not crossed paths with Rey Roldan at one point or another. From working with top 40 acts like Britney Spears and Duran Duran, to helping develop more buzzworthy alternative acts than I could possibly attempt to name here, Rey has spent the better part of the last two decades helping the world’s greatest talent find attention in the public eye. He started in the label world, but it’s when he decided to step out on his own that his career really began to take off.
I have known Rey for over half a decade at this point and can say beyond the shadow of a doubt he is one of the nicest, most professional, and often funniest people you will ever meet in the music industry. Everybody has a Rey Roldan story, and every single one makes him out to be someone you want as your new best friend. The insight he has to share is priceless, and we thank him for taking the time to share it with us.
The first part of this feature dealt mainly with Rey’s life before he started his own company, so this time around we are discussing the life of Another Reybee Production. If you would like to learn more about Rey and his efforts in music PR, please take a moment to follow him on Twitter. Additional questions and comments can be left at the end of this post.
H: Who was your first client?
R: At Reybee, my first clients were this Boston punk band called Lost City Angels and LA’s 50s-girl-group-combined-with-cowpunk Miss Derringer. I’m still friends with the members of both bands (Lost City Angels are on ‘hiatus’ but occasionally reunite for their legendary St. Valentine’s Day Massacre shows; Liz and Morgan from Miss Derringer had a baby and are hopefully working on new music… They’re so great).
H: You’ve worked with a wide range of names, including everyone from Britney Spears to Ryan Adams (during the ‘Heartbreaker’ years, no less). Have you found any genre of music to be particularly easier to work than another? Do you have any personal preference when it comes to the genres you work?
R: That’s a bit of a tough question because there are elements of each genre that are easier than others, but as a whole, each genre has its sweet spot. For example, we do a lot of industrial/synthpop/electro and I love how dedicated many of those writers are to the “scene”. There are about 20-25 writers who I know who I can assuredly go to and say, “Hey, [NAME], I have a brand new IAMX album… let’s go!” and it’ll connect. But on the flipside, working that kind of music to the bigger press outlets is a daunting task because it’s not as viable in the mainstream as a Top 40 act. When it comes to which genre is my favorite, I’d have to say that it’s not exactly a “genre” but I love working bands who are starting out (I would never call these kinds of artists “baby bands” except in a derogatory fashion… “Baby bands” is just so disrespectful of a term). I love being presented with a challenge and working my ass off to help these bands in their trajectory. I love the excitement getting a band their first good “look”… I love getting a band their first positive review, feature, cover, etc. Knowing that I helped a band in their strive to achieve their dream is one of the greatest satisfactions.
H: Without going too in-depth, please walk us through a typical work day:
R: Coffee… More coffee… and perhaps lunch at some point? Kidding aside, my mornings are the most hectic. Like most of us who are constantly jacked into our email, if I wake up in the middle of the night, I check email… mainly in preparation for the morning because I get anywhere between 400 to 1,500 emails overnight. Some of it is spam, but most of it is work-related, so my first hour or so of work is sifting through emails right away and answer as many of them immediately as I can. Then it’s pitching pitching pitching via email, phone, IM… and oddly, sometimes text. I always set a goal for myself every day as to how many interviews I set up, how many reviews I lock in, and how many calls I make. I’ve learned that setting goals every day makes me far more productive than doing it the standard PR strategy of letting things land where they fall. Publicity is far more effective when you’re proactive.
H: You were active in publicity before the rise of social media. Do you feel the digital age and abundant access to information has made your job as a publicist easier or more difficult?
R: Technology was a double-edged sword for publicity. In my early days of my career, I met a lot more journalists face-to-face. We met for lunch, drinks, concerts, even sometimes in the morning commute if we were heading in the same direction. Publicity was 60% social, 40% office. I had a group of friends who were a mix of publicists, journalists, TV bookers, and musicians. We’d hang out all the time (I’d say we were bar and/or concert hopping maybe four or five nights a week). Back then, we all had expense accounts (since I was at major labels, I had a huge one so I was usually Mr. Moneybags). Since we were all friends, it was easier to get our artists into Rolling Stone, Spin, and all the big mags… and the “friend of a friend” thing came in handy when pitching people who were in our little group but were associated with one of us. Pitching was done either in person, on the phone, through USPS mail, or… the modern day precursor to email, fax. There was answering machines to occasionally tend with but before caller-ID, people picked up their phone whenever it rang.
With technology came the dying out of the “hang outs”. Email slowly crept in and then soon took over and phone calls stopped being de rigueur. And it all became too convenient. Sending an email was so much more passive than making a phone call or meeting for lunch or a drink. And bosses, knowing that these meetings weren’t that necessary anymore, made us work harder… and longer. Writers became savvy to avoidance and voicemail and caller-ID prevented many personal connections from happening.
It’s MUCH easier these days to reach a lot more people, but it’s also a lot more impersonal and unfriendly. I still try to make as many phone calls as I can to establish some sort of personal interaction and keep human contact, but almost 65% of my job now is digital communication. It may be more convenient and perhaps “easier”, but I really do miss that human interaction of the old days.
H: We ask journalists a lot about what up and coming bands can say to help them when networking for coverage. As a publicist, what advice would you offer writers hoping to work with your clients?
R: Courtesy and respect will get you everywhere… or at least help you get everywhere. There are so many emails and phone calls I get from writers who feel that the way to get what they want/need is to be demanding or entitled. That doesn’t fly in my book. I don’t care if you’re from the biggest publication or a blog with three readers, I’ll treat you the same way. I’m very karmic. If you barge through my door and demand, I’ll push right back. If you come in with respect and courtesy, I’ll return it in kind. I can’t fulfill every request I get, but if I can, I will. And please, if you’re going to use a template or a form letter, make sure all the details are correct. Sure, my name is oddly spelled so I’ll forgive you if you write “Ray” or “Mr. Roland”… but if you’re requesting an interview for “Yellowcard” and you forget to change “All Time Low” in your email, that’s going to send me a different signal than you originally intended.
H: Piracy is one of the most discussed topics in the industry today. Do you feel album leaks are preventable? If so, how would you advise an artist to keep their music safe while still getting the word out?
R: Leaks aren’t 100% preventable but there are ways to insuring you stop leaks from coming from you. I’m a big user and supporter of Haulix (and no, I’m not fishing for brownie points because you’re interviewing me). 90% of the writing world is familiar with Haulix and how it’s watermarked with each writer’s info. So that’s a good preventative. Most writers aren’t hip to streams but will deal if that’s the only alternative. But for me, one of the biggest ways I’ve learned to prevent leaks from my own dealings is through firm and honest trust. When I am working a very high-level record, I will connect with the writer first and make sure they are planning on covering it before I send it. And when I connect with the writer, if I don’t know them already, we establish a trust bond that will tell me if I feel it safe to send to them. There are bands where I’ll send downloads and streams in my first pitch, but I tailor my list to those people who have exhibited trust to me in the past. I don’t do big blasts of downloadable music to hundreds of people who I may or may not know… That’s just asking for a leak.
H: When it comes to working with your clients, how do you prefer to share their music with press? What is it about this method that appeals to you the most?
R: As I mentioned above, I’m a firm believer in Haulix. We put a good portion of our clients on Haulix. And it’s great too because you can run reports and see who has listened to albums and which songs the most to help tailor follow-up calls. But I also use Dropbox, mostly when a record has already been released and the fear of leaking is over.
H: Looking towards the future, what are the biggest challenges currently facing your company?
R: I’ll be honest. Reybee is at a VERY good place right now. Thankfully, I’ve really never had to actively pursue projects and I don’t mean that in an egotistical way. One thing I’ve always maintained is a great relationship with many of our clients both past and present. We get a lot of repeat business (and I hate to call it “business” but there’s a lack for a better term). We’ve worked every Yellowcard record since they came off of hiatus. With the exception of one Bayside record, we’ve been attached to their last handful of records. We work all of the high-level projects off of Metropolis Records. Chuck Ragan probably will stay with us forever (I hope). Because of our track record working with Chris Carrabba on Twin Forks, we are now working with Dashboard Confessional. The Architects have been with us forever. And the great thing is, these bands and their teams recommend us all the time to their friends. I take pride in being a faithful to bands. It’s a great feeling going to a show and meeting bands who I’ve always been a fan of and have them say, “Wait, YOU’RE Reybee? We need to talk.” That’s happened countless times and it feels awesome.
H: What are your current career goals, and how have they changed in recent years?
R: I don’t set goals too far into the future. I set benchmarks to help me get where I want to go. When I started out in publicity, my goal was to work at a label. When I got to a label, I wanted to build an artist from the ground up. When I did that, I wanted a platinum record. When I got that, I wanted to run the publicity department… etc… all the way up to running my own company. And I’m there now. I’m not one to be too open about my plans because I don’t want other people to see what I’m planning and beat me to the punch… but let’s just say that I have my eyes set on my next step… and if you look at my past record, I’ve achieved pretty much every career goal I had set for myself. Place your bets now!
H: If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
R: I don’t mean this in a “oooh, he’s asskissing”, but I want the music industry to go back to being about the artist and the album. I mean, I had a hand in propelling the idea further of a “singles-dominated industry” with my hand at being a teen pop publicist for Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, etc., but we lost sight of music as art. There are some really awesome artists who have amazing full “albums” but not many people today have the attention span to listen to albums in full. We forget just how deep some of these wells are that artists dig to write these songs. I still marvel at intricate musicianship that most people pass over in search of a hook. I still am amazed at lyrical word play and clever lyrics. And the industry tends to look for “hits” or whatever “fits” the current hot sound.
H: Your roster is as eclectic now as ever before. Do you have any plans or releases on the horizon you would like to bring to our attention?
R: We just signed three amazing artists that I’m floored by. SPEAK and Tinnarose both from Austin and Mustered Courage from Australia. SPEAK is this, for lack of a better genre, rockin’ synthpop band that wanders the line that Passion Pit, Phoenix and Kids of 88 traipsed. They’re very close to Tegan & Sara, Ra Ra Riot and RAC too, so they’re a band’s band as well which is awesome. Tinnarose is this brand new band with sublime boy/girl vocals like The Magic Numbers and The New Pornographers but with a rootsy twist. Mustered Courage is one of Australia’s biggest young bluegrass bands and are huge Down Under but the US isn’t hip to them… yet. They’re making a move toward being a string band for their next chapter but this album we’re going to be working is freakin’ phenomenal. You think you heard where the new generation of bluegrass-infused Americana a la Mumford and Sons and Avett Brothers? Just wait… just wait.
H: I think that covers everything. Before I let you go, are there any final thoughts or observations you care to share?
R: Best way to tackle publicity (or any music industry job) is with humor. Even when I get the most annoying requests or dealing with the most tyrannical managers, humor can disarm anyone. Plus, life’s too short to be humorless.
Hello and welcome to the official blog of Haulix. We are thrilled to have you join us, and whether this is your first time or ninety-second we certainly hope you find something in this post to love. We built this site to inspire and inform the future of the music business, which is a goal we shared with everyone who participates in our features. If you have any questions about the content of the blog, or if you would like more information regarding the distributional services offered by Haulix, please email james@haulix.com and share your thoughts. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
Today we are excited to unveil the first in a two-part interview feature with Rey Roldan, founder of Another Reybee Production. We originally started working on this feature way back in August of 2013, but due to email troubles and scheduling troubles we had to start, stop, start, stop, and start all over again. It’s okay though, because we have finally had a chance to learn the story behind this powerful force in Music PR and are now prepared to present his journey to you.
It would be pretty difficult for you to find anyone working in music today who has not crossed paths with Rey Roldan at one point or another. From working with top 40 acts like Britney Spears and Duran Duran, to helping develop more buzzworthy alternative acts than I could possibly attempt to name here, Rey has spent the better part of the last two decades helping the world’s greatest talent find attention in the public eye. He started in the label world, but it’s when he decided to step out on his own that his career really began to take off.
I have known Rey for over half a decade at this point and can say beyond the shadow of a doubt he is one of the nicest, most professional, and often funniest people you will ever meet in the music industry. Everybody has a Rey Roldan story, and every single one makes him out to be someone you want as your new best friend. The insight he has to share is priceless, and we thank him for taking the time to share it with us.
As we mentioned above, due to the length of this feature we have decided to cut the final interview into two chunks, starting below with Rey’s life before launching his own PR firm. We will bring you the second half, which focuses on Another Reybee Production and the possibilities that lie on the horizon, later this week. If you would like to learn more about Rey and his efforts in music PR, please take a moment to follow him on Twitter. Additional questions and comments can be left at the end of this post.
H: For those unaware, please state your name, the company you work for, and your role at that business:
R: I’m Rey Roldan of Another Reybee Productions, Inc… or Reybee Prods, for short… or Reybee, even shorter. I’m the Prez guy at the company. I founded in back in the Fall of 2004… and ten years later, we’re still going strong!
H: Let’s start at the beginning. When you think of your earliest interactions with music, what comes to mind?
R: I think of sitting on the stairs of the home I grew up in with my sister Joy. I’m gonna date myself here, but we were listening to a radio broadcast on an old radio/cassette player… and I remember hearing the radio DJ say that Elvis Presley has died. I know I was aware of music before then, but when I think of my most vivid memory concerning music, that comes to mind. I was still a wee lad, but for some reason, that sticks out.
H: What was your first concert experience like, and who took you to the show?
R: You know, it’s funny… I kinda don’t exactly remember my first concert. I remember going to tons of concerts before the age of ten, but was my “first concert” when I went to Disney World and saw a live cover band do disco classics? Was it when I went to see U2 in a tiny little club before they even had a full-length album out? Was it seeing Bruce Springsteen with my brothers and sister when we tailgated in the parking lot? I can’t remember. I was going to live shows even before my age hit the second digits.
H: How about the first album you purchased with your own money? (Bonus points if you remember the format)
R: The very first album I purchased… well, there were two. Sex Pistols “Never Mind the Bollocks” and Meat Loaf “Bat Out of Hell”. I bought them on vinyl for $2.77 at a local grocery store where I grew up in Parsippany, NJ (interesting trivia: Meat Loaf’s “Bat Out of Hell” was also one half of my very first two CDs I ever purchased. The other was Psychedelic Furs “Mirror Moves”). I’d spend hours in that store, flipping through the six racks of vinyl. At that age (8? 9?), I didn’t know what I was looking for… I just picked up records because I liked the band names or titles. My dad gave me a great allowance the time ($20 a week!) and I spent most of it on vinyl and at the arcade. I remember seeing Sex Pistols and it screamed “buy me”. I didn’t know anything about them. But I liked the cover and it just reeked of debauchery. It had “sex” in the name, and that just made it “feel” naughty. Meat Loaf’s album… well, my older sibs liked it and I wanted a copy of my own.
H: Thinking back on your life now, are you able to pinpoint any pivotal moments or experiences that steered you toward the career you have today?
R: I used to read music magazines ALL the time… I remember reading this magazine “Song Hits” and watching videos of New Wave bands like Missing Persons, Duran Duran, Romeovoid, Devo, etc. on a local channel called U-68 (pre-MTV) and thinking that I wanted to be surrounded by music all the time. But what made me want to be on the “other” side (instead of being just a listener) was when my brother Rex brought be backstage to a Paul Young concert when he played at Boston College’s student center. I remember walking back there and meeting Paul, and seeing how much fun it was backstage, and thinking that I wanted to be backstage all the time. I had been backstage lots of time before then, but this time, I felt like I wasn’t just a fan taking up space but part of an elite group since my brother helped put on the show.
H: I know you studied creative writing in college. Are there any long lost Rey Roldan manuscripts sitting in your closet/attic that may one day see the light of day?
R: There are TONS… I have two novels written, one screenplay done, a whole slew of short stories, and my memoirs that are still being written. They’re all on 3 ¼” floppy disc though… Hmmm.
H: Was publicity the first thing you wanted to do in the music industry? If not, can you tell us what initially sparked your interest in the world of PR?
R: God no… I wanted to be a journalist. And for a while, I was. I was a staff writer for my college newspaper (as well as the weekly cartoonist about a drunken, lazy rabbit named “Chester”… Yeah, he was modeled after myself). I was writing record reviews, interviewing artists, going to concerts, hanging out backstage, etc. When I graduated from Boston College, I joined a group of five people who were starting up a brand new entertainment biweekly newspaper in Boston called The Improper Bostonian (it still exists). I zoomed up the ranks from Staff Writer to Music Editor in a few months. But I was far too impatient to write for just one media outlet, so I started writing for magazines across the US like Meanstreet (in Los Angeles), QRM (in New Orleans), Cake Magazine (Minneapolis), ROCKRGRL (Seattle), among many others. I started a bunch of magazines in Boston too, but I wasn’t making enough money to make a living, so I decided it was time for me to grow up and get a real job. Since I dealt with publicists all the time and learned the tools and tricks of the trade from my friends in the industry (I’ve always been REALLY observant and inquisitive), I set my sights on a job in the industry… I moved out of Boston and back home to Jersey, and started my trajectory as a publicist.
H: Your first role in PR came from I.R.S. Records. What do you recall about the application process, as well as the world of music PR in general at the time?
R: Getting that job at I.R.S. was the easiest thing ever. I didn’t even have to apply. The head of publicity at the time, Steve Karas, was one of my mentors. He told me about a potential job opening up there… and so I set up a visit to the office. What he didn’t tell me was that he was quitting I.R.S. and moving to A&M, and there would be a new head of publicity that I’d be meeting instead. I walked in and the new head of publicity basically asked me, “What can you start?” The new guy didn’t really know what he was doing (I think it was one of his first jobs running a press department)… so I basically taught myself how to do everything. I basically had to train myself how to set up press days, how to organize press campaigns, how to pitch. Luckily, I.R.S. had a great roster and a great history, so nearly every call I made (again, this was pre-internet, so emails didn’t exist yet) was returned. Among the first projects I spearheaded was The Go-Go’s greatest hits double disc set and a new album by late 80s legend Kirsty MacColl. It was amazing… but again, since it was pre-internet, there was a LOT of phone calls to make… I even remember having to pitch via fax machine. Each pitch had to be personal because of that… Unlike today where there are tools that can send emails in bulk, I had to make each phone call individually… It was a very hands-on experience back then… and there was a LOT of real, human interaction.
H: From this point you begin a decade-long run of publicity gigs, switching labels/companies every few years. You are now your own boss, so I do not want to dwell on the past too much, but what can you tell us about those experiences and how you eventually settled on stepping out with a company of your own?
R: I don’t mean this is any negative way, but when I worked for people, I was more interested in learning what NOT to do… My previous bosses were all good at their jobs, and while I paid attention to how they landed press, I was more interested in what made them fail. I worked for mean bosses (who would yell and scream all day), “too nice” bosses (who would let their artists and press walk all over them), pretentious bosses (who were too concerned with their own careers and not their artists’ lives), and bosses who were too scattered (and never could run a solid campaign). So, when I felt confident enough in my own abilities and learned how NOT to do publicity, I set out on my own… It was scary but it all worked out perfectly. I won’t say that I didn’t have any rough patches, but truthfully, I’ve been very lucky.
H: Before we get any further, what was the first Reybee Production (as this is ‘Another’)? As a follow-up, where does the name ‘Reybee’ come from?
R: Haha… You’re the first person to ever ask that. When I was a kid, my nickname was “Reybee”. I’ve always had an active imagination… One of my lifelong hobbies is painting… I paint “portraits” of cheeses and bees. For the longest time, I would sign my paintings “A Reybee Production”… I’m also a writer/author/journalist and some of my short stories were published as “A Reybee Production”. So when it came time for me to come up with the name of my PR firm, I decided to refer back to that and coin it “Another Reybee Production”. Since I’m so creatively restless, I didn’t want to limit my company to be JUST about Public Relations, so when I’m ready to branch off into another direction, the name “Another Reybee Production” can encompass that too. It’s very open-ended.
