There isn't a party that The Pink Logs miss and this year's St. Patrick's Day celebration was no different. This year, The Pink Logs turned green and had the time of their lives with Metal Skool and Ryan Cabrera in Hollywood. Even our very own Little Sara was dressed festively, although she was mistaken for the Lucky Charms leprechaun all day.

Michael Steele

Describe how you got into the business.

I grew up in a very small town in South Dakota called Vermillion.  We had one little mom & pop AM/FM combo radio station.  When I walked home from high school at age 14, I had to walk across the radio station's parking lot.  In the spring of my freshman year I would see the afternoon DJ out back with the studio door propped open with a speaker. He'd be taking a smoke break and was always wearing shorts and a t-shirt.  I would think to myself, "That has got to be the ultimate job, playing music and not wearing a suit & tie to work."

I soon made friends with the DJ and started hanging around the studio after school putting away records and answering phones.  Soon they had an opening for janitor at KVRF and I jumped at the chance.  I would stock the soda machine, vacuum floors and clean the bathrooms.  I got $2/hour and free records.  I would have done it just for the free records.  I learned to "run the board" and soon a part-timer got sick and I got my chance behind the mic.  It was the weekend overnight shift and I was 15.  I never looked back.  I was on-air fulltime 10p to 2am by 16 and then did the "U-Haul tour of America" at age 18 working as on-air talent and Music Director and Program Director in markets such as Omaha, Charlotte, San Diego and Los Angeles.

In 1998 I got the call to come to the big time, KIIS-FM in LA, my dream job.  I was very fortunate to work with Roy Laughlin, Dan Kieley, and Von Freeman and of course the legendary Rick Dees. We had an incredible four year run winning both in the ratings and being the #1 billing radio station in the world!

In 2003 I got the opportunity to create and design a new radio station from the ground up. Entravision Communications took a shot on doing a highly niched and focused rock station catering to men 25-49.  Indie 103.1 was born.  I got to work some of my musical heroes as we put together an air staff of world class musicians to host.  The Sex Pistols' Steve Jones, Henry Rollins, Dave Navarro, Matt Sorum, The Crystal Method, Billy Morrison, Chris Chaney, Donovan Leitch, Dicky Barrett, Joe Escalante, and Brent Bolthouse & Danny Masterson.

In 2007 I connected with Uber.com and saw in the Internet and Uber the same exciting possibilities that broadcast radio used to offer.

How did you connect with Uber.com?

My colleague Darcy Fulmer who had been MD of KROQ when I was MD at KIIS-FM told me about Uber.com and introduced me to Uber President Glenn Kaino and CEO Scott Sassa.  I was blown away by the focus and direction of the company they were building.

Describe Uber.com for those who are unfamiliar.

Uber.Com is a site for self expression.  We like to call it DIY Web.  We give you all the tools to create real, live, robust web sites using drag and drop technology.  Uber enables anyone with a little bit of computer know-how to create a platform to show the world who they are.  And if you don't like what you create and design, crumple it up and throw it away.  It didn't cost you anything more than your time.  There aren't any setup and design fees, bandwidth costs, waiting for your webmaster to call you back and update your site.  DIY Web, It's free...It's better.

What sets Uber.com apart from other social networking sites?

One of our best features is unlimited storage; unlimited storage of audio, video and still shots.  If you are a band or musician, if you are a photographer, if you are a fashion designer, you can show the world your collections.  As much or as little as you like.  Your Uber page looks and feels like YOUR Uber page.  Uber allows you to keep your message and art "in brand".  The design possibilities are unlimited.  It won't be the hodge podge of content that MySpace ends up being and it certainly won't look anything like a Facebook page, unless you want it to.  And then, be our guest.  Uber also lets you put Google ads on your page if you wish...and YOU keep all the money.  When is the last time you made any money from your MySpace page?  Otherwise your Uber page is your Uber page.  And you can create multiple pages, blog, create slideshows, bookmarks and the list goes on.  And yes there is a social networking aspect to Uber and many users love that and use it heavily.  But if you just want to showcase you and your art, your fans can see and use your Uber page without signing up for ANOTHER site.  But we think once you see how good you look on Uber you and your fans will want your own pages.  It's free...it's better.

What are the details on the current contest Uber is conducting?

Uber and MUSEXPO are doing a band search contest called You Bring The Talent.  Sure, this is type of contest is nothing new especially in the on-line world.  However, You Bring The Talent's prize and design have never been done before as far as we know.  As most of us in the music industry know, getting signed to a record deal is actually pretty easy.  Of course it's seems like an impossible task if you are in the band or the manager.  But the reality is thousands of bands are signed every year to major and Indie labels.  And yet there is a 93% failure rate.  Getting signed and making a record is really the least of your worries.  It's what happens over next 6 months to a year after you deliver your album that counts.  

So Uber has teamed up with MUSEXPO to find a new artist that will get a jump start to their career way beyond any BS "Battle Of The Bands" contest.  The chosen artist will be signing a deal with Atlantic Records at the hands of Craig Kallman and Andy Karp.  The artist will also get a music publishing deal with Sam Kling at Peer Music Pub.  Val Wolfe will oversee touring in the US and The Rebel Group will do a guaranteed physical distribution thru ADA.  

All the elements will in place for the best chance at success for our newfound artist.  Now all the musician has to do is "Bring The Talent!"

Random Question Time

First band you ever met backstage: Huey Lewis & The News in Rapid City, South Dakota. 

Last famous person you had dinner with: The Olsen twins & Adrian Grenier from Entourage were sitting at the table next to me at lunch today, does that count?

Water or Kool-Aid: Water

Beef or chicken: Chicken

A E I O U or sometimes Y: Actually, always Y

The Small Hours - "Owner of My Honour" (The Small Hours Music)

Formed in Manchester by three Englishmen, lead singer Robin Goodchild says of his band, "We're an English/American crossbreed - a hybrid if you will. We're good for the environment." Goodchild, along with fellow countrymen Edward Shiers (drums) and Rob Pierce (guitar) made the move to the States where they found like-minded musician John Tucker (bass) and "The chemistry between the four of us was unlike anything we'd experienced before, it's what we'd been searching for." recalls Shiers. The new band disappeared into a broken down rehearsal space to emerge several months later with a sound of their own, a catalogue of new music and a self-titled EP. The sound? Alternative but accessible, melodic and emotional, ethereal yet aggressive. Tucker explains; "Our influences on both sides of the Atlantic set us apart from many of our British and American counterparts" With regular air-play on major taste-maker radio stations such as KDLD Indie 103.1 (Los Angeles), KNRK (Portland, OR), WBTZ (Burlington, VT), WEQX (Albany, NY), WXPN (Philadelphia), live performances on MTV and licensing to Network Television; the speed at which the band has garnered interest has been outstanding. According to Pierce, their 'grassroots' approach to promoting the band has been very successful. "We're developing an organic following of dedicated music fans, who love what we're doing, and are encouraging and supporting us as we do it." From The Small Hours EP, listen to "Owner of My Honour" and get more details on the band at www.thesmallhoursmusic.com.

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The Ting Tings "Great DJ" (Columbia)

Picture the White Stripes reversed: Jules De Martino, the male Ting, plays drums, while Katie White--no relation to Jack and Meg, we presume--handles guitar, vocals and bass drum. Birthed in the Islington Mill section of Manchester, an artistic enclave, the Ting Tings started off simply playing house parties for friends just two short years ago...yet within four months, DJs on national station Xfm were talking up the parties and no less a personage than Rick Rubin was emailing the group and trying to sign them to Columbia. Their music has drawn comparisons to everyone from Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club to Bananarama, The B-52s and Toni Basil, with Pure Groove magazine describing the Ting Tings as, "One part Shangri-Las, one part White Stripes, one part Girls Aloud, this is wonderful stuff, both massively commercial and totally lovable at the same time."

2007 treated The Ting Tings very well. Their first independent single "That's Not My Name" was released and was an underground anthem. The song was in high rotation in the British airwaves and even got some spins in the U.S. from Indie 103.1 Los Angeles, KCRW Los Angeles, KNRK Portland, KNDD Seattle and WTMD Baltimore to name a few. Later that year, they performed at the Glastonbury Festival and signed with Columbia Records-not bad for only being together in one year. The new single "Great DJ" is their first major label release and is already getting airplay from KBZT San Diego and KUPD Phoenix. The song already has over 250,000 hits on their MySpace and shows no signs of slowing down. The band just got done performing at SXSW this past weekend. Check out the video for "Great DJ" here.

"STRANGE TIMES" TWICE AS NICE: For indie duo The Black Keys, that is, as "Strange Times," the propulsive first single from the forthcoming album Attack and Release (Nonesuch), tops the Mediaguide Alternative Specialty Song chart for the second consecutive week. The duo of Daniel Auerbach (vocals, guitar) and Patrick Carney (drums) wrap up a triumphant tour of the UK with a sold-out show at Wilton's Music Hall in London on Thursday, March 20. Then, after taking an entire week off, they hit the road again for an American jaunt commencing in Arizona and criss-crossing the country 'til mid-May. Top debut honors on the Song side this week go to LCD Soundsystem with "Big Ideas" (Columbia), which bows at #2. Meanwhile, Domino Records' Clinic jump 6-3 with "The Witch," which secures enough airplay to also rank at #9 on the Album endÉjust ahead of the single from Atlantic's hotly tipped Carolina Liar, "I'm Not Over," which also checks in at #6 on the Song chart. The full album from Max Martin's latest protégé, Coming to Terms, hits retail on June 3^rd. Side One Dummy artists Flogging Molly enjoy a nice bump in the week leading up to Saint Patrick's Day: "Requiem for a Dying Song" nabs the #4 slot on the Song side, while full-length Float rises to #5 on the Album end. Also enjoying a Top 10 debut on the Song chart this week are Sub Pop act Foals--the self-described "snotty art school dropouts hungry for a dollar" bow at #8 with the bouncy "Balloons." Finally, despite the lack of any single song cracking the Top 20, UK duo The Kills are #1 on the Album end with Midnight Boom (Domino). Check out their fashion spread in the latest issue of Rolling Stone, with Barack Obama on the cover.

How does Janice like being pregnant?" Bob asked his friend John.

"Oh, she's not pregnant," John replied, "she's expecting."

"What's the difference?" Bob pressed.

"Well, John explained, "She's expecting me to cook dinner, she's expecting me to do the housework, she's expecting me to rub her feet . . ."

Rather than bore you with our thoughts on SXSW we thought we'd ask some industry friends what they thought about it...We asked them to give their thoughts in 5 words or less, but obviously some of them can't count very well!  Make sure to check out next week's newsletter where we will have posted dozens of video clips taken in/around SXSW, we will also post "Part 2" of our industry feedback portion.  Enjoy!

THE GOOD:
"My party was the best!" - Perez Hilton
"still indie, still fun, worthwhile" - Daniel Werner, Columbia Records
"BBQ, Bands, Beer...AMAZING!" - Caitlin Roffman, United Talent Agency
"A good excuse to go to a great town!" - Jon Phillips, Silverback Management
"beautiful city and great music" - Kiley Kmiec. Electronic Arts
"faderblendernylonfilterpurevolumeplayboyredbull....bro" - Tim Carhart, Warner Bros
"The Ting Tings for President" - Jonathan Palmer, Columbia Records
"Crowded, Corporate, Sweaty, Nauseating FUN!" - Eric Hunter, Glassnote Music

THE BAD:
"thought this year was weaaaaaak" - Mollie Moore, Atlantic Records
"Enslaved, need seat, gross pizza" - Angela Poe, Eenie Meenie Records
"my feet are screaming" - Nancy Scibilia, Gold Mountain Entertainment
"laminate lineups, what the f@#k?" - Brandon Friesen, Arbor Records Ltd.
"I honestly damaged my eardrums." - Paul Tao, IAMSOUND Records

THE IN BETWEEN:
"shook too many hands, got the flu." - Katie Daryl, TMZ/HDNet
"Played shows.  Got sick.  Balls." - Meiko
"music.beer.music.beer.walk" - Dean Raissen, Raise Up Music
"Renting a house next year" - Brandon Fuller, hushhush ATTACK!
"How do you cure laryngitis?" - Mike Savage, Manager of Meiko
"not sure who i saw play or where i was!" Kaytea McIntosh, XO Publicity

Last week we asked you what tour you were looking forward to seeing the most and the results ended up in a two-way tie. The Police Reunion Tour along with Radiohead were the top choices and the details (at press time) of both tours are listed below.

THE POLICE REUNION TOUR

Tour Dates:

05/28/08 Los Angeles, CA, USA, The Hollywood Bowl

05/27/08 Los Angeles, CA, USA, The Hollywood Bowl

05/26/08 San Diego, CA, USA, Coors Amphitheatre

05/24/08 Phoenix, AZ, USA, Cricket Wireless Pavilion

05/23/08 Las Vegas, NV, USA, MGM Grand Hotel & Arena

05/21/08 Dallas, TX, USA, Superpages.com Center

05/20/08 Houston, TX, USA, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

05/17/08 W. Palm Beach, FL, USA, Cruzan Amphitheatre

05/16/08 Orlando, FL, USA, Amway Center

05/14/08 Omaha, NE, USA, Qwest Center

05/13/08 Kansas City, MO, USA, Sprint Center

05/11/08 Grand Rapids, MI, USA, Van Andel Arena

05/10/08 Chicago, IL, USA, Allstate Arena

05/04/08 Columbus, OH, USA, Nationwide Arena

05/03/08 Buffalo, NY, USA, HSBC Arena

05/01/08 Ottawa, ON, USA, Scotiabank Place

RADIOHEAD

Tour Dates:

05/05 - West Palm Beach, FL @ Cruzan Ampitheatre

05/06 - Tampa, FL @ Ford Ampitheatre

05/08 - Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Ampitheatre

05/09 - Charlotte, NC @ Verizon Wireless Ampitheatre

05/11 - Bristow, VA @ Nissan Pavilion Ampitheatre

05/14 - St. Louis, MO @ Verizon Wireless Ampitheatre

05/17 - Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavillion

05/18 - Dallas, TX @ Superpages.com Center

Want to be famous? Want to show your Mom and your high school friends you met someone from The Real World or Flavor of Love? Send your picture with your favorite band or celebrity and we'll post it. Send to joe@hushhushattack.com right now.