Start The Beat With Sikes

For the 75th episode I got to sit down with Brian Urban for a talk about playing in bands, playing video games, being goofy on camera, being on tour, being an adult and drinking boooooooooooze. Care to join? Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT!  LINKS RELATED TO THIS CONVERSATION: https://supervoid.bandcamp.com/ https://www.facebook.com/SuperVoid.PGH/ //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// SIKES TWITTER: twitter.com/therealsikesSIKES INSTAGRAM:instagram.com/therealsikesSIKES FACEBOOK: facebook.com/therealsikes START THE BEAT FACEBOOK: facebook.com/startthebeatpodcast RATE & REVIEW ON ITUNES: http://apple.co/1MXMNSG www.therealsikes.com Start The Beat is part of the Epicast family. www.epicastnetwork.com

For the 74th episode I got to sit down with Justin Nixon for another conversation about his recently released animated stop motion film Battery Life. The last time he was on the show things were still in the earlier stages of production. Now that the film has been completed and released to the public, I wanted to sit down with him again to catch up and pick his brain about everything. Care to join? Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT!  LINKS RELATED TO THIS CONVERSATION: Watch the film here: https://vimeo.com/153864294 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/batterylifefilm Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batterylifefilm/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BatteryLifeFilm #batterylifefilm //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// SIKES TWITTER: twitter.com/therealsikesSIKES INSTAGRAM:instagram.com/therealsikesSIKES FACEBOOK: facebook.com/therealsikes START THE BEAT FACEBOOK: facebook.com/startthebeatpodcast RATE & REVIEW ON ITUNES: http://apple.co/1MXMNSG www.therealsikes

For the 73rd episode I got to sit down with an awesome panel of guests for a conversation that was recorded live at Maggie's Farm Rum Room as part of the Strip District Music Festival last month on January 16, 2016! My guests were Drew Donegan (Gene The Werewolf), Palermo Stone (Rare Nation), Dan Rock (World's Scariest Police Chases), Max Kovalchuk (Nevada Color), Abby Krizner (Fist Fight In The Parking Lot) and Todd Porter (The Cheats). Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT!  LINKS RELATED TO THIS CONVERSATION: https://www.facebook.com/genethewerewolf https://www.facebook.com/PalermoStone https://www.facebook.com/policechasespgh https://www.facebook.com/NevadaColorMusic https://www.facebook.com/fistfightintheparkinglot https://www.facebook.com/thecheatspgh https://www.facebook.com/stripdistrictmusicfest https://www.facebook.com/maggiesfarmrum SPECIAL THANKS TO MAGGIE'S FARM RUM ROOM, THE EPICAST FAM & JOSH BAKAITUS! //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// SIKES

For the 72nd episode I sat down with Brett and Nate from DON'T LET THE SCENE GO DOWN ON ME! for a talk about promoting shows, playing music and the Pittsburgh D.I.Y. music scene as a whole. Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT!  LINKS RELATED TO THIS CONVERSATION: www.facebook.com/dltsgdom //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// SIKES TWITTER: twitter.com/therealsikesSIKES INSTAGRAM:instagram.com/therealsikesSIKES FACEBOOK: facebook.com/therealsikes START THE BEAT FACEBOOK: facebook.com/startthebeatpodcast RATE & REVIEW ON ITUNES: http://apple.co/1MXMNSG www.therealsikes.com Start The Beat is part of the Epicast family. www.epicastnetwork.com

For the 71st episode I sat down with Steve LaRussa for a talk about his experiences finding music, playing in bands, being on the road and traveling all over the world. Steve plays drums in the bands Mace Ballard & Young Lungs. He is also a Drum Tech for Anti-Flag. He is also a really cool dude. Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT!  LINKS RELATED TO THIS CONVERSATION: https://www.facebook.com/MaceBallard https://maceballard.bandcamp.comhttps://www.facebook.com/YoungLungs https://younglungsofficial.bandcamp.com SIKES TWITTER: twitter.com/therealsikesSIKES INSTAGRAM:instagram.com/therealsikesSIKES FACEBOOK: facebook.com/therealsikes START THE BEAT FACEBOOK: facebook.com/startthebeatpodcast RATE & REVIEW ON ITUNES: http://apple.co/1MXMNSG www.therealsikes.com Start The Beat is part of the Epicast family. www.epicastnetwork.com

For the 70th episode I sat down for my first conversation ever with Harrison Thurman. We get to know each other a bit over some discussion about our backgrounds in music, the local music scene and the artists outside of our scene that we listen to and look up to. Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT!  LINKS RELATED TO THIS CONVERSATION: https://www.facebook.com/salvagethetongue/?fref=ts https://www.facebook.com/Highwayyys-37312843063/?fref=ts https://www.facebook.com/LawnCareMusic/?fref=ts https://www.facebook.com/bugbitespgh/?fref=ts https://www.facebook.com/Spider-House-Shows-and-Booking-110779115720326/?fref=ts SIKES TWITTER: twitter.com/therealsikesSIKES INSTAGRAM:instagram.com/therealsikesSIKES FACEBOOK: facebook.com/therealsikes START THE BEAT FACEBOOK: facebook.com/startthebeatpodcast RATE & REVIEW ON ITUNES: http://apple.co/1MXMNSG www.therealsikes.com Start The Beat is part of the Epicast family. www.epicastnetwork.com

For the 69th episode I sit down with Dan Palermo for one of the most off the wall talks I have had to date and I don't even know how to put it all into words. To be honest, It may be best if you're as blind going into this as I was when I sat down with Dan to record this episode. All I knew about him before we met this on this day was that he was the brother of my friend Joe and also that he used to work in the adult film industry. Turns out this guy has lived quite the life and it's a really entertaining conversation. Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT!    SIKES TWITTER: twitter.com/therealsikesSIKES INSTAGRAM:instagram.com/therealsikesSIKES FACEBOOK: facebook.com/therealsikes START THE BEAT FACEBOOK: facebook.com/startthebeatpodcast RATE & REVIEW ON ITUNES: http://apple.co/1MXMNSG www.therealsikes.com Start The Beat is part of the Epicast family. www.epicastnetwork.com

For the 68th episode I sat down with Josh Bakaitus and chances are if you are involved in the Pittsburgh music scene you already know who Josh is but for those of you who don’t Josh is a local concert promoter who has been putting events together for over 15 years including the Strip District Music Fest which is coming up on Saturday January 16th. If you don’t know what theStrip District Music Fest is don’t worry because me and Josh are going to talk a lot about it a lot today… as well as diving into some history lessons about his origins as a show promoter and a lot, lot more. Much like myself, Josh is really passionate person when it comes to his job and the local music scene and this is a great conversation. Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT!    LINKS RELATED TO THIS CONVERSATION: SDMF WBSITE: stripdistrictmusicfest.comSDMF EVENT PAGE: facebook.com/events/888264744583346SDMF ON FACEBOOK: facebook.com/stripdistrictmusicfestSDMF ON TWITTER: twitter.com/stripmusicfest SIKES TWITTER: twitter.com/thereals

For the 67th episode I sat down with musician, film director & author Jason Martinko for a talk about his love of music, horror and old-school adult films! We discuss the various projects he has worked on over the years, his experiences being such a diverse content creator as well as what lies on the horizon for this man of many, many hats. Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT!    LINKS RELATED TO THIS CONVERSATION: https://www.facebook.com/The-XXX-Filmography-1968-1988-1375263219361112/?fref=ts https://www.facebook.com/gonethewayofflesh/?fref=ts https://www.facebook.com/braddockbrothers/ https://www.facebook.com/thejasonmartinkorevue/ Start The Beat is part of the Epicast family. http://epicast.tv

For the 66th episode I sat down with Aleksander Pihl  from the bands Grey. & 156/Silence for a lengthy talk about his love for creating music and the everyday struggle of getting that music heard. Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT!    LINKS RELATED TO THIS CONVERSATION: https://www.facebook.com/156Silence https://www.facebook.com/StacheandOveralls Start The Beat is part of the Epicast family. http://epicast.tv/

For the 65th episode I sat down with Clarissa Badini from the band Tartarus for an awesome talk about our experiences being both avid fans and creators of heavy metal along with some personal stories about her musical background, role models and how she grew into becoming a strong, independent female force in the DIY music community. Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT!    LINKS RELATED TO THIS CONVERSATION: https://tartarus1.bandcamp.com https://www.facebook.com/Tartarus-580145275413584 SEE TARTARUS LIVE FRIDAY NOVEMBER 13TH @ CATTIVO w/ DETHLEHEM & VICTIMS OF CONTAGION  https://www.facebook.com/events/979626215435203/ Start The Beat is part of the Epicast family. http://epicast.tv/

For the 64th episode I sat down with Alfonso Civlle from the band Heartsick (FKA Know Lyfe) for a solid conversation about his long history in the DIY music world and the non-stop grind of being an independent musician. Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT!    LINKS RELATED TO THIS CONVERSATION: www.heartsickband.com www.facebook.com/heartsickband heartsickband.bandcamp.com/ Start The Beat is part of the Epicast family. http://epicast.tv/

For the 63rd episode I sat down with Andy Marrapode for a nostalgic talk about how we got into creating music, how we met each other and the give an overview of the projects we have worked on both together and separately over the years. Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT!  LINKS RELATED TO THIS CONVERSATION: www.facebook.com/plutocratnoose Casanova Sparks - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lCy_OQE-CQ Start The Beat is part of the Epicast family. http://epicast.tv/

For the 62nd episode I sat down with Scott Massie of the Innervenus Music Collective and Black Yoga for a talk about pursuing your creative passions against all odds. Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT!  LINKS RELATED TO THIS CONVERSATION: https://www.facebook.com/theinnervenusmusiccollective https://www.facebook.com/BlackYoga1 https://www.facebook.com/events/1613061185612192/ Start The Beat is part of the Epicast family. http://epicast.tv/

For the 61st episode I sat down with Pete Finnigan of Kid Durango for a conversation about his experiences living in Pittsburgh, living in New Orleans, living with the paranormal, learning to understand/ embrace different cultures and balancing his "professional" career alongside his music career. Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT!  LINKS RELATED TO THIS CONVERSATION: https://kiddurango.bandcamp.com/ https://www.facebook.com/KidDurangoPA https://www.facebook.com/events/1620951954860486/ Start The Beat is part of the Epicast family. http://epicast.tv/

For the 60th episode I sat down with Chris Stowe of A-F Records, White Wives & Worlds Scariest Police Chases for a conversation about his experiences as an underground musician and working for an independent record label. Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT!  LINKS RELATED TO THIS CONVERSATION: https://chrisstowe.bandcamp.com/ www.a-frecords.com Start The Beat is part of the Epicast family. http://epicast.tv/

For the 59th episode I sat down with Jackson, John Paul, Ben and Trevor of THE SICKHOUSE (A DIY concert venue and recording studio ran out of a house in Homestead, PA) for a talk about the "scene", DIY show spaces, recording music and pursuing your passions at any cost! This is a great conversation for anyone involved in the underground music scene or DIY community. Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT!  LINKS RELATED TO THIS CONVERSATION: https://www.facebook.com/thesickhousehomestead https://www.facebook.com/HradioSignal https://www.facebook.com/hdmath https://www.facebook.com/pages/Luminaire/846742645365574 https://www.facebook.com/LamanteMusic https://www.facebook.com/blackgiravves https://www.facebook.com/staticdeathpgh Start The Beat is part of the Epicast family. http://epicast.tv/

For the 58th episode I sat down with the dude Neal Dudash for a pretty long talk about music, playing in bands, food, fashion, coffee, things we love, things we hate and everything in between! The conversation goes all over the place but it's rad and Neal is a rad dude. Good times. Good talk. Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT! 

For the 57th episode of #startthebeat I sat down with Harrison of BADBOXES for a talk about discovering music, creating music, producing music and overall just being completely consumed by everything that is "music". Really cool dude. The conversation gets a little technical and nerdy at some points but I personally like that and it's my show so deal with it. Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT!  Links relevant to this conversation:  badboxes.com  facebook.com/badboxes  badboxes.bandcamp.com 

For the 56th episode of #startthebeat I sat down with my friend Paul about the discovery of electronic music and the sometimes overlooked and misunderstood craft of producing it. Sit back, relax and lets START THE BEAT!  Links relevant to this conversation:  facebook.com/paulthomaszito  paulthomaszito.bandcamp.com