Hi Kyle. How’s it going. Thanks for doing the interview. We’re here to discuss the sublime work and support that you carry out within the Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal community that's mostly been through your superb reviews on the brilliant Stoner Hive Blog, Doom Charts and now your own kick-ass PR Firm - Good Boy PR. You've had quite the journey supporting the music you love within the scene. How did you become involved with Stoner Hive Blog and writing reviews in general.
Thanks for having me Steve, it’s an honor! I’m mentally switching gears to talking about myself for once ha ha. For a few years, when I first got into the stoner/sludge/doom scene as a fan, I was reading everything I could get my hands on from blogs like Stoner HiVe, The Obelisk, Desert Psychlist, yours, and plenty more. One day I noticed Joop (owner of Stoner HiVe) had a link on the side of his site for would-be writers to submit reviews. On a whim I sent him an email, and was shocked to get a response back within a day or two welcoming me aboard and giving me my first review assignment. Everything that followed can be traced back to that opportunity.
Did you write for anywhere else before joining Joop's team.
Technically no, though as a kid I did write an amateur review of Wolfmother’s self-titled (still love that album), for a buddy’s blog experiment that probably didn’t last for more than a few weeks. Other than that, writing for Joop was my first serious experience writing and publishing reviews.
Do you still contribute to Stoner Hive or have you been too busy with Good Boy PR.
Sadly, my contributions to Stoner HiVe have been a bit non-existent lately with all the time I’m sinking into Good Boy PR, but I’ll always be lurking to put out the odd review now and then!
What is the favourite genre of music do you like reviewing the most.
Oof that’s a tough one. It’s probably a tie between sludge and psych rock, sludge’s extremity and heavy psych’s bonkers moments really light a fire for me as a fan to try and put into words. Just thinking about it now gave me the itch. The same goes for death metal.
Did you ever think about branching out solo and starting your own review site doing what you do now.
Honestly no, Joop and Stoner HiVe are such a fun experience I’ve never had a gripe or real reason to want to write anywhere else. Maybe if I needed an outlet for my extreme metal tastes, but there’s only so much time in the day, and not enough at that!
You're also part of the Doom Charts. How did you become involved with the Doom Charts.
After writing for Joop for a while, Doom Charts was always on my radar, but I was still surprised when he let me know he was game to add me to the team. From there it was only deeper into the heavy underground rabbit hole.
Has it surprised you how well liked the Doom Charts have become and well respected by the Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal community in general.
A bit, if only because I’d never encountered anything like it before. The idea of writers, podcasters, etc. collaborating together outside of their own sites is pretty amazing, and I think the community it’s built across fans and bands alike is a testament to that vision.
You've taken more of an Admin Role with Doom Charts recently. I used to do that role from 2013 to 2016 now and again. It's a highly demanding role but also highly rewarding as well. How you finding that experience. Is there any aspect of that role you could do without.
Ha good question, I’m going to steal your answer for that. It’s certainly a lot of work and things to juggle, but the community’s response to a new chart getting published and a band getting stoked about seeing themselves on the site makes it more than worth it.
You're highly respected within the Doom/Stoner Metal community. What things do you like being involved with the community. Are there certain aspects you don't like when promoting bands across the entire scenes.
I was going to write some deflecting baloney, but as my wife would say, I should shut up and take the compliment. The perks of being involved in this community are too many to name, but one that stands out is the shared love of music, no matter who you are. Fan, band, writer, label head, it doesn’t matter, everyone’s here to enjoy and support the music, and it’s constantly impressive how much interaction and positivity is out there.
Certainly no scene’s perfect, but the drive and intent to improve, particularly in regards to inclusivity, seems healthy and only growing. I will say, the idea of negative reviews is something I never subscribed to, from even before I started reviewing and promoting. Music’s subjective at the end of the day, and time is better spent supporting the music you do like instead of tearing down music you don’t. If it’s not your cup of tea, it’s almost certainly someone else’s.
What people might not know is that you're also known as Shasta Beast when writing reviews and your extensive BandCamp Album Collection. Have you retired the Shasta Beast persona. As you were one of the main folks BandCamp collection I always lookout for. (Along with Frazer at Desert Psychlist, Joop, Mel Lie and Steve "God's Holy Trousers" Rodger amongst other great folks).
Ha ha yes, it’s safe to say I’ve retired that, which was born out of a fun name game that was played at Stoner HiVe when I first started. I had no idea my BandCamp was on your radar! Those are the same names I consider to be a quality seal of approval on anything I see on BandCamp.
You have around 4600 records within your BandCamp collection. WOW. How long has that took you to build up. And do you think BandCamp is still an important platform for Hard Rock and Heavy Metal bands to release their music upon.
Damn that is a lot, I haven’t actually checked the number til now. Years of digging through releases and buying albums and merch went into it, and it’s still going strong. It’s an obsession at this point. I do think BandCamp is vital for music releases, especially in a less mainstream scene like ours. Other platforms may get larger audiences and more streams, but BandCamp’s community and discovery features, fan reviews, and the ability to sell merch and music and get most of that money directly to the artist is unmatched.
We're now going to talk about Good Boy PR. So when did you get an idea to start a PR Firm.
Doing PR was something I toyed with for a while after writing reviews and working with the Doom Charts, and seeing the work other PR companies put into promoting and supporting artists. The fact they were able to help artists get well-deserved support and attention was admirable.
What are the main aims for PR Company.
I consider Good Boy PR to be a “professional” way for me to be a fan of the music. My goal is to help bands get their music out there that, in my opinion, deserves to be heard and spread as far as it can go. If I can help a band gain new fans, get media attention, and generally get their music into more ears, then as a fan first and foremost I’ve done my job and supported the music in one of the best ways I can.
Did you seek out any helpful advice from some of the awesome PR Firms currently out there.
So much advice! I spent a long time picking the brains of people who were kind enough to take time out of their day to share their own knowledge and experience with me. Big thanks go to Leanne Ridgeway of Mettle Media, James Sweetlove of Cave Dweller and Shred Storm, Shy Kennedy of Horehound and Blackseed Services, of course Joop, Matt Bacon, and many more.
Have you done PR work in the past.
I haven’t done formal PR work before, but in a past life as a consultant there was plenty of communication and marketing I found myself doing that’s certainly helped.
Why did you call the PR Firm - Good Boy PR.
As a dog dad completely obsessed with my pup, Roscoe, I couldn’t resist making him the namesake and face of the company (little does he know). I also wanted the company to feel a little fun and clearly not be a case of self-serious metalheads, I’m just a dude who loves dogs and heavy music. Roscoe and I are very cat-forward too, I promise.
Do you have a set of rules, ideals and beliefs for taking bands and artists on as a client.
My basic rule is that I’ll take a client if I enjoy the music, and believe I can actually help get them the attention and fans they deserve. The two go hand in hand, as I’d be doing myself and the band a disservice trying to promote something I wasn’t personally behind.
What have been your biggest challenges and rewarding experiences so far with Good Boy PR.
The biggest challenge so far has definitely been diving into the wild world of running a small business and the fun paperwork that goes with that. The most rewarding experiences are no doubt bands telling me I’ve made a real impact on their releases, and that they’re in a better spot than they were before. That’s the highest form of praise and validation I could hope for.
Who has been your favourite band that you've represented so far.
Ha ha well I don’t think I could pick a favorite, but I will say it’s been a very special pleasure working with Martin Kennedy of Observers and All India Radio. Observers was his first foray into the world of doom and metal, and I was honored to be trusted with helping him navigate that. Plus he’s just a wildly creative and prolific dude musically, and if you haven’t checked out his sci fi art accounts, they’re treasure troves of awesome artwork (FB ObserversBand, Insta @scifi_art). Plugs!
Which band, artist or album got you involved with the Doom/Sludge/Stoner scene.
Oh man these are deep cuts. Through the blogs I mentioned and Bandcamp rabbit holes, I think a few of the earliest that got me into the scene were American Sharks, Mad God from South Africa, and of course Red Fang.
What are your favourite bands from within the scene itself. Any great bands that folks should know about.
In proper PR fashion, of course there’s everyone I work with, who you can check out here. I could write an essay about everyone I’m digging, but additional favorites include Pharm, whose 2023 album “The Tower” blew my mind, Sky Pig, Loma Baja, and Burner.
You have a wide range of musical tastes across different genres. What are your favourite genres of music and why do they appeal to you.
I don’t know if I could put a name to why they all appeal to me, but in addition to doom/stoner/sludge I’m a big fan of heavy psych, death metal, black metal, thrash, grindcore, hardcore, powerviolence, and jazz (but not smooth jazz). Anything that grabs my attention and makes me feel something on a gut level.
Which physical media do you prefer – Cassette, CD or Vinyl.
I’m going to say cassette, there’s something really fun and tactile about how bands are designing their cassette releases and working all three dimensions into the packaging.
How do you relax away from the crazy world of music. As we all need time away to chill out.
Hanging with my dog and wife, getting my daily dose of Jeopardy, biking, boardgames, and playing ultimate frisbee pretty much sum up my life outside of music.
Thanks for doing this interview Kyle. Do you have any final words of wisdom you would like to share with us all.
Thanks for having me! This was a seriously fun experience, and I’ll say go support your local venue and bands. Buy tickets, buy merch, start a pit, anything to give back to the music and people behind it. Oh, and if you’re in a heavy band looking for PR or just a great dog pic, check out my site ;) good-boy-pr.com
Words by Steve Howe and Kyle SB
Thanks to Kyle for taking the time out into doing this interview.
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