Letter5 From A Tapehead (Happy Birthday)
May 8th, 2006, I typed my first letter as a Tapehead.
I had no readers at the time, no real idea for or understanding of self-promotion. Honestly, I didn't really understand how to "blog." I just knew I wanted to write about music I'd either purchased or heard about in as opinionated, appreciative and, at times, caustic a way as I could. I wanted a voice in the ever-widening world of music criticism, which meant having a very distinct moniker. My wife, (then-fiancee), came up with "Letters From A Tapehead," and I liked it because, in few words, the name conveyed who I was and what I wanted to do.
So, on May 8th, armed with a name and an idea, I pulled together a rather weak introduction. My first review was on Death By Sexy... by Eagles of Death Metal. There've been many since and I've hopefully improved.
A couple turning points ensued, the first of which was the PC Magazine article where I was featured as one of the best 100 blogs of 2007, (thank you always, Alan). Once this happened, I gained some notoriety amongst a couple PR companies who started sending me press clippings and promotional materials, which was overwhelming and something I wasn't at all used to. But, it provided me more insight into many avenues of music which might've stayed clear of my radar, otherwise.
Then, in 2008, I joined No Ripcord as a contributing music writer and managed to write my way into a music editor position. Through No Ripcord I was able to engage even more PR companies and record labels and was also suddenly able to review live concerts and interview musicians, breaching a gap I'd never thought possible.
From there, I was picked up by Stereokiller and Kicking Against The Pricks to contribute reviews and articles.
Five years later, Letters From A Tapehead is the outlet that offers me creative escape from my professional life, a life that sometimes knocks the wind out of outside interests or abilities, a life that sometimes too readily defines us as people and becomes more than just what we do for a living. With that in mind, I want to thank everyone who's helped me over the last five years, any and all readers I've gained, all the support I've received from the PR people and record labels with whom I've worked and the artists I've interviewed. Most of all, I want to thank my wife for her patience and support and my daughter for being a constant source of amusement, joy and inspiration.
Sincerely,
Letters From A Tapehead
I had no readers at the time, no real idea for or understanding of self-promotion. Honestly, I didn't really understand how to "blog." I just knew I wanted to write about music I'd either purchased or heard about in as opinionated, appreciative and, at times, caustic a way as I could. I wanted a voice in the ever-widening world of music criticism, which meant having a very distinct moniker. My wife, (then-fiancee), came up with "Letters From A Tapehead," and I liked it because, in few words, the name conveyed who I was and what I wanted to do.
A couple turning points ensued, the first of which was the PC Magazine article where I was featured as one of the best 100 blogs of 2007, (thank you always, Alan). Once this happened, I gained some notoriety amongst a couple PR companies who started sending me press clippings and promotional materials, which was overwhelming and something I wasn't at all used to. But, it provided me more insight into many avenues of music which might've stayed clear of my radar, otherwise.
Then, in 2008, I joined No Ripcord as a contributing music writer and managed to write my way into a music editor position. Through No Ripcord I was able to engage even more PR companies and record labels and was also suddenly able to review live concerts and interview musicians, breaching a gap I'd never thought possible.
From there, I was picked up by Stereokiller and Kicking Against The Pricks to contribute reviews and articles.
Five years later, Letters From A Tapehead is the outlet that offers me creative escape from my professional life, a life that sometimes knocks the wind out of outside interests or abilities, a life that sometimes too readily defines us as people and becomes more than just what we do for a living. With that in mind, I want to thank everyone who's helped me over the last five years, any and all readers I've gained, all the support I've received from the PR people and record labels with whom I've worked and the artists I've interviewed. Most of all, I want to thank my wife for her patience and support and my daughter for being a constant source of amusement, joy and inspiration.
Sincerely,
Letters From A Tapehead
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