Due to popular demand along with ego, stubbornness and a full strip search by the FBI, hushhush ATTACK! is proud to announce our first ever mini-magazine. Now you don't have to print out our weekly newsletter and staple the pages together; you can have your very own 36 pages of entertainment. Some of that stunning entertainment includes a Q&A with globally respected radio tastemaker and KCRW Los Angeles MD Nic Harcourt, an Industry Knights Round Table, The Pink Logs Hollywood Tour, CD reviews, word searches and so much more! So you're probably asking, how can I get my hands on one of these magazines? Great question. They are available on a first-come first-served basis. Just email joe@hushhushattack.com for your copy and don't forget, we reserve the right to refuse service and all is subject to availability.

Erik Dennison

Give us a brief career synopsis.

Having a father in radio, my music education began early. I watched him spin 45's throughout the 70's, sat in on a few shows, and decided to take the plunge in 1992.  I started in sales at KTOZ "The Planet" in Springfield, MO, moved to news/public service director, to on-air/MD. Began working at WTKS "Real Radio" in February 1994. In the last 14 years I have worn several hats including producer, talk show host, production, and MD.  In addition to radio, I have been working in the programming department (music theming, fireworks show production, talent standards) at the Walt Disney Company for the last 7 years, and in my current role as Senior Music Programmer for the last two.  

Tell us how you ended up being the MD at Real Radio. 

Is there such a thing as a sympathy promotion?  My mentor and creative god, Rich Boerner, saw the AMD title as a way to legitimize my unhealthy obsession for listening to music.  As for MD, I used to make him mixed tapes of obscure new wave and underground club music...that landed me SNV, and opened the door to Music Director.  CBS radio snatched up Rich in the late 90's, and I have been putting my passion for the ultimate playlist to use ever since.

What are some of the daily roadblocks you come across while doing your job?  With all the changes in the industry, I'm finding it sometimes difficult to receive record service from the smaller labels.  It's not always an easy sell when your station is only playing music 50% of the time...even in a market of this size, with no competition for what we do.  Of course it should be noted that hushhush ATTACK! has been a big help in this area, and essential in connecting us to the European markets. (Editor's note, thanks Erik...we appreciate that!)

Name the one thing you love the most about your job. 

Real Radio: Free-form programming, walking into the show with nothing but three blank sheets of paper.  Disney: Taking theme concepts and finding the right music to achieve proper branding.

Where do you see music going in the future as far as trends? 

Hmmm, in my mind I would love to see another early '90's neo-psychedelic/shoe gaze movement a la the Happy Mondays, Stone Roses, and Ride.  Music tends to run on about a 20 year curve, so I may be a little early on this one.  A safer bet might be for the indie/garage/electronic sound to continue to push further into the commercial alternative charts.  There's no question that its influence has permeated the advertising world over the last few years.  Look for a strengthening of the format related to its broad platform of exposure.  Further down the road...I'm thinking the cross-pollination of Grunge and Polka.  Maybe Weird Al will team up with a forgotten Seattle icon to usher in 2010.  If this happens, look at it as a sign the world is ending.

Tell us about Sunday Night Vinyl. 

Began in 1994 as an outlet for the deeper cuts absent in our regular programming, now it's how I justify taking up the spare room with my music collection to my wife. SNV is a request driven show focusing on all styles within the classic alternative umbrella.  You'll hear the standards along with lesser known groups like Secession, Pale Fountains, and contemporary underground artists like Faith Assembly, and Wolfsheim.  In addition, I usually incorporate at least one new song an hour from either an established classic alternative artist (most recently Morrissey "That's How People Grow Up", and Siouxsie "About To Happen"), or any of the new indie and underground synth-pop artists with an 80's feel.

When you are preparing for your show, how do you decide what to play? 

I usually pull a few things in several different styles to keep the music rotated, but SNV has always worked best as a free-form show.  I'm fortunate to have a good base of progressive minded listeners here in Central Florida that reminds me weekly of great lost tracks.  I wasn't lucky enough to grow up with KROQ, WFNX, CFNY, or WLIR, but many of my P1's did, and that definitely helps with going deep while remaining accessible to the "Greatest Hits" crowd.  Ultimately, it comes down to feel.  I approach the show as if everyone was sitting in my living room...only a few of them have diaries, and may or may not be a Program Director...keeps me in line.

What's the most requested band/song on Sunday Night Vinyl? 

It changes depending on what's happening in pop culture.  About a year ago it was The Police thanks to the reunion tour.  The countless numbers of new indie bands citing Joy Division as an influence, as well as the release of the Anton Corbijn film "Control", has kept them on the mind of my listeners, and in the playlist.  Probably the all-time most requested artist would have to be Depeche Mode, with Front 242's "Headhunter" pulling in top song.

Has there ever been a song that someone requested that you couldn't find?  Usually it's something ultra obscure by some post-punk band out of Belgium or France that only released one 7" on an independent label in their hometown.  Last Sunday it was for anything off of the untitled album by JFA.  It would have been ok if we were in 1992...that was the last time that I saw my CD copy of it.

Besides being obsessed with music, what else do you do in your spare time? 

Chase after my three women, Aspacia (37) Miccah (2 1/2) and Rylee (12 months).  That, and catching waves has been a passion of mine since the early eighties as well.  Still trying to figure out how I can get work done, while I am surfing.  I'm waiting for the waterproof I-Phone that can be worn like a wristwatch to be invented.

Any future goals?

Station: Get the awareness to the point that it is all I hear at the stoplight, in Best Buy, the beach, basically everywhere.  Career: Work with Walt Disney Imagineering on all music theming aspects for current and future projects/music placement for TV and films, and programming for a major music video channel are all on my radar.  Personal: Fit into my bikini before swimsuit season. 

Quick Question Time

Butter or Parkay: Butter...mainly because I have an aversion to talking tubs of hydrogenated oil.

Go Go's or Goo Goo Dolls: Go Go's and Goo Goo Clusters, but not at the same time...sugar overload!

Favorite snack: Klondike Bar...what would you do for one?

Last movie you saw:  Sweeney Todd...filled my blood quota for 2008!
I would pay $5 for...about a thimbles' worth of water after a day of walking around a Disney theme park during the summer months.

This week we have not one, not two, but three new discs headed to the desks of Specialty programmers everywhere. You should have received the manila envelope filled with greatness by now, but if you haven't, let us know and we will send you a manila envelope of your very own...and we might even put the music in there, too!

The Vibrants - Incoming EP

Recommended if you like Elvis Costello & The Kinks

Already on MotorFM Germany, Indie 103.1 Los Angeles, KNRK Portland & more.

UK quintet performing at MUSEXPO 2008 & NXNE 2008

MUSEXPO - unearthed Compilation

Featuring some of the best music the world has to offer, including:

The Coshercot Honeys (New Zealand) "We're All Lions", Karoshi Bros (UK) "Love Da World", Bassboosa (UK) "Succumb", Hypernova (Iran) "Fairytales", Ejectorseat (UK) "My Girl" and Johnossi (Sweden) "Execution Song"

Phase Five NZ Music - Pt. 11

Featuring: The Datsuns "Highschool Hoodlums" (2:39) who are releasing their new album and launching a US tour this summer and Opshop "Maybe" (3:27). The NZ Herald raves, "Opshop is our answer to Coldplay and U2."

8MM "Stunning" (Curb Appeal)

Like many of the world's best music acts, 8mm was born by chance and the fickle finger of fate. Renowned producer Sean Beavan (NIN, Marilyn Manson, No Doubt, System of a Down) was in the studio with the group Kill Hannah when a request came in on the last day of recording to add some female backing vocals to a chorus. He asked the lovely Juliette to comply...and was so enchanted by her ethereal voice that he immediately put together some music for her, asking her to supply lyrics and vocals. The resulting confessional story, featuring the plaintive refrain, "I'll never be enough for you," set the blueprint for the tapestry of sorrow and beauty in the works that followed. The duo added drummer Jon Nicholson and teamed up with Shannon O'Shea, the innovative founding manager of Garbage, to independently release an EP and full-length album, while their music has been featured on "Grey's Anatomy," "One Tree Hill," "Cold Case," "Shark" and "Dirt," among others. Their sultry live show has attracted a fervent following, while their music has been described as the "glamorous, neo-noir lovechild of David Lynch, Portishead and Aimee Mann." For tour dates, more music and news on 8mm log on to http://www.myspace.com/8mm.

Area 51 Did You Know Facts

Kill The Young "We Are The Birds" (Discograph)

Hailing from the fertile musical environs of Manchester, England, Kill The Young is comprised of the three brothers Gorman--Tom (vocals, guitar), Dylan (bass) and Olly (drums/piano/backing vocals), who are all in their early twenties. Despite their relative youth, they're considered one of the hardest-working bands in the UK, having played over 350 shows during their short career. The trio was discovered at the famed "In The City" music seminar by the French label Discograph, which promptly signed the fledgling act and placed them in the studio with acclaimed producer Dimitri Tikovi (Placebo, Goldfrapp, John Cale), where they recorded their eponymous debut in a mere three weeks. The album was then mixed and mastered by a couple of legendary figures: Youth (U2, Nine Inch Nails, Smashing Pumpkins, Depeche Mode) handled the former duties, while the latter fell under the watchful ears of Howie Weinberg (Nirvana, Beastie Boys, Björk). In 2007 they released their sophomore effort on Discograph, the wryly titled Proud Sponsors of Boredom, which has helped Kill The Young gain even further acclaim: the website Manchester Online noted, "The nagging feeling that this isn't the finished article simply makes their future seem even more exciting."

THEY WILL POSSESS YOUR CHART, PART DEUX: After two weeks away, Seattle-spawned quartet Death Cab for Cutie reclaims the No.1 position on the Mediaguide Alternative Specialty Song chart with "I Will Possess Your Heart," which previously topped the index during the last week of March. Perhaps the release of a video for the eight-minute epic pushed it back to the forefront of the panel's consciousness...but more likely, it was the receipt of the forthcoming full-length, Narrow Stairs (Atlantic), which bows at #3 on the Album end this week and hits stores May 13. Right behind Death Cab for Cutie on both charts is an act bearing one of our favorite names of the new millennium: Does It Offend You, Yeah? jumps 8-2 on the Song side with "We Are Rockstars" (Almost Gold), helping propel full-length You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into 11-4 on the Album index. Top debut on the Song side belongs to New Zealand export Flight of the Conchords, who play off the success of their HBO series of the same name to release their first album through Sub Pop. Initial single "Ladies of the World" debuts on the Song side at No.3, while the self-titled full-length bows at No.6 on the Album end. The No.1 album this week belongs to Tokyo Police Club with Elephant Shell (Saddle Creek), helped in no small part by the No.4 showing on the Song chart for "Tessellate." Coming in right behind TPC on the Album end are Liverpool natives Clinic, whose Do It! debuts at No.2 and continues Domino Records' hot streak thanks in part to a No.7 showing on the Song side for "The Witch (Made to Measure)." Another notable debut on both charts this week belongs to French act M83 (a.k.a. Anthony Gonzalez)--Saturdays=Youth (Mute) bows at No.5 on the Album end, with the majority of airplay being received by "Graveyard Girl," which comes in at No.9 on the Song side.

Three men met at a party, and it wasn't long until the conversation
got around to their line of work and what kind of cars they drove.
"I own a sign company," the first man said. "So naturally, I have a purple Neon."
The other two men nodded.
"I'm a veterinarian," said the second fellow. "I have a white `Vet."
The third guy was quiet for a minute.
"Well," he finally said, "I'm a proctologist. I have a brown Probe."