Monthly Archives

April 2021

Apr 28
Love1

Nate Deaton

By Music No Comments

Nate Deaton

KRTY VP/General Manager         

Key Takeaways From Episode:

  • Nate’s Thoughts After Getting the Johnson and Johnson COVID Shot
  • New COVID Safety Precautions For Music Events
  • The Difference Between the CMA and the ACMs
  • Why Nate Thinks the ACMs Are Making a Political Statement
  • What Keith Urban Said To Nate
  • Why Don Felder Got Fired From the Eagles
  • Thoughts On Why Don Henley Is an Ass and Chris Stapleton Is a Jerk

Quotations:

“If you’ve had a vaccination and you have a vaccination card, it’s about the easiest thing in the world to forge.” – Nate Deaton

“I have a Johnson and Johnson with no reaction.” – Nate Deaton

“One of my issues in the past has been that when songs were nominated for Single of the Year, they weren’t number one songs.” – Nate Deaton

“I’m not really quite sure why Jimmie Allen isn’t hosting instead of Mickey Guyton.” – Nate Deaton 

 “Steven Tyler was in fact in his bathrobe.” – Nate Deaton

“Chris Stapleton is just not a nice man and Chris Stapleton is a bitter man about just making hundreds of millions of dollars from being a songwriter for years and not having any radio airplay.” – Nate Deaton

Guest’s Bio:

I have been living in San Jose since I was 12 in 1973 when it was just a small suburb of San Francisco in those days known mostly for fruit tree orchards and great climate.  I graduated High School here and San Jose State during which my love for radio was born. I worked  in the promotions department at Rock Legend KSJO from 1984-1986 and then started booking headline entertainment and grounds attractions for the Santa Clara County Fair from 1987-1992. It was there I met and married my wife of 33 years Judy.

I started as the promotion director at KRTY in 1994, rose to marketing director in 1998 and was named General Manager in 2006.  My role really has not changed much over the years, as a locally owned and operated station all of our staff are involved in every aspect of the station. Picking songs, coordinating promos and making our clients money.

The growth of Silicon Valley in my years here is echoed in the philosophy of the radio station. To stay alive you have to innovate. We are in the innovation capitol of the world and our residents build tomorrow.  If we are not the most forward thinking radio station in terms of new music, new artists and new types of ways to introduce it, someone in our own market will invent something that does just that. Music discovery and artist development is what we do. We play new music and bring those artists to the market to make our fans their fans. 

We book and produce over 50 shows a year at the Rodeo Club and through our one of a kind Songwriters Series at Clos La Chance Winery.  It is the next step in music innovation with live performance.

In my spare time I play a lot of golf and umpire little league games.  Judy and I have one son, Drew, a graduate of University of Arizona who is a Territory Rep for Milwaukee Tools.

Guest’s Contact Info:

Instagram @Ndeatonkrty

https://www.krty.com/

Apr 21
Love0

Jason Minsky

By Personal Growth No Comments

In This Episode:

  • A Job Jason Absolutely Hated Doing
  • The Pointlessness of Folding Underwear and Socks
  • The Story of the Scam That Jason Saw Happen First Hand
  • How Christmas in the Park Was Changed By the Pandemic

Quotations:

“If I’m doing the laundry, you’re dealing with the inside-out pile.” ~Jason Minsky

“I bought my mom a $76 wrist watch and I paid in $1 bills.” ~Jason Minsky

“They were getting ready to cancel Christmas in the Park and, you know, what we had was this group of volunteers that were amazing people that kept it going.” ~Jason Minsky

“They lost in the second round and what happened? The city threw them a parade.” ~Jason Minsky

“To make the decision to let somebody go, it’s not cut and dry.” ~Jason Minsky

Guest’s Bio:

Jason Minsky has been involved with the San Jose community since 1993 when he was working in the Community Development department for the San Jose Sharks. Originally from South San Francisco, Minsky is a graduate of San Francisco State University and attended Serra High School in San Mateo. Having previously served on the Board of Directors for Christmas in the Park, he became the non-profit’s first Executive Director in 2012. Prior to that he served as a Vice President for the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce (now the SVO) and was also Chairman for the Silicon Valley Invitational and Courageous Kids Programs for the American Cancer Society. Jason is married and has a daughter studying in college.

Jason is a member of the San Jose Rotary Club where he not only has chaired their annual gala but is also involved in the Enterprise Leadership Program which teaches high school juniors about creating business plans and entrepreneurism. Jason is also a graduate of the Center for Excellence in Nonprofits (CEN) Leaders Institute and has previously been part of Community Leadership San Jose. Most recently Jason completed the Stanford Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders and the Disney Institute on Customer Service.
Little Known Fact: Jason has previously performed as the San Jose Sharks (1993-1998) and San Francisco 49ers (1993, 2006-2010) mascot characters S.J. Sharkie and Sourdough Sam.

Contact:

Twitter Username
@BostonRedSox27

Instagram username
@Jasonminsky53

Apr 14
Love0

Barron Ryan

By Comedian, Music No Comments

In This Episode:

  • Why Barron Has His Own Trailer
  • What It’s Like Having Interracial Parents and a Very Musically Inclined Family
  • The Application Process For Getting Into Major Music Universities
  • Writing Songs Making Fun of What Hip Hop Artists Brag About
  • The Joy of Creating Beauty In Music Rather Than Music Of One Kind
  • Why Doing Online Performances Is a Lot More Work

Quotations:

“When they got married in 1975, that was not an acceptable thing for a lot of people.” – Barron Ryan

“I knew I wanted to be a performer from the get go, but being willing to put in the work to be impressive enough to be a performer took a little while.” – Barron Ryan

“I thought, ‘I’m gunna make songs that make fun of the common tropes in hip hop music. So instead of rapping about how amazing I was as a rapper, I made a song called ‘Not That Bad.” – Barron Ryan

“My philosophy is that as an artist I want to be known more for who I am than for what I do.” – Barron Ryan

“When you go into an organization and try to be accepted by that organization, whether that be a TV show or a school, you have to realize that that’s not your ultimate customer.” – Barron Ryan

Guest’s Bio:

Barron Ryan’s love for music has always been divided. The son of two musicians, he grew up in a house filled with the sounds of artists ranging from Mozart to Michael Jackson. So when it comes to his own performing, he’s not content drawing on just one influence. He combines them all into a musical adventure that’s vintage yet fresh, historical yet hip, classic yet cool.

After beginning piano lessons at age four with his father, Barron seemed destined for a career in music. He excelled in performing throughout his middle and high school years in Tulsa, OK, then continued to impress his peers and instructors as a piano performance major at The University of Oklahoma.

Everything did not come up roses, however, as Barron was then rejected from all the music conservatories you might be impressed by. Disheartened and a little annoyed, he briefly gave up on the piano in pursuit of a satirical hip-hop career. But due to a favorable result in a piano competition that sent its winner to perform in Israel, that project was graciously short-lived.

Thanks to that Israel concert tour, Barron found his artistic voice. He discovered the joy of jazz- and ragtime-inspired concert music (found on his debut album, Classical with Attitude), and learned from great jazz pianists by replaying their solos (found on his latest album, The Masters’ Apprentice).

In 2019, Barron noticed a shocking lack of funk-, pop-, and country-inspired classical music. Realizing he could fill that void, he composed the “Magic City” Sonata and a dance suite called Suite Thing. Those works are now published and recorded on his third solo record, First of Its Kind. 

Barron is following in his favorite composers’ footsteps by publishing his original works in the public domain. He offers his work as a gift to the world, and as a chance to collaborate with artists from around the globe.

What’s next? You’ll have to wait to find out, but rest assured that in all Barron Ryan’s music, Classic Meets Cool.

Contact:

https://barronryan.com

Instagram & Twitter: @barroncp

Apr 07
Love1

Grace Leer

By Music No Comments

In This Episode:

  • The Immense Pressures of Being on American Idol and the Girl Who Fainted on Stage
  • How To Focus On Controlling What You Can Control and Not Stressing Over What You Can’t Control
  • Justin Bieber Has More Country Grammy Awards Than Eric Church, Blurring the Country Genre Lines
  • How Grace Differiencates Herself in Music and Why Writing Past the Surface Level and Getting Personal is Important for Her
  • What a Group Nashville Songwriting Session is Like and the Struggles of Learning To Write Alone
  • Pandemic Dating, the Challenge of Finding a Man Who Supports Your Career and Doesn’t Just View It As a Hobby, and an Interesting Moment Grace Had on a Date That Didn’t End Well

Quotations:

“Then he didn’t ask me out again, I don’t know why. I will never know why, I guess maybe it was a little too much for him.” – Grace Leer

“I cried the entire write, like not just like cried, I was bawling.” – Grace Leer

“My parents divorced when I was really little and I tried to write that song, but I still don’t feel like I’ve really written it in the right way.” – Grace Leer

“Something I’m trying to get better at is writing alone. I feel like it’s very hard for me, that’s something I’m really trying to work on.” – Grace Leer

“I remember talking to my dad and him saying, ‘Grace, if this is what you want, you better suck it up.” – Grace Leer

“If you can’t do anything about it, what’s the point of getting so stressed over it.” – Grace Leer

“I don’t think I’m one thing, which is fun, but it’s hard to show that with also the pressure of people asking ‘who are you?” – Grace Leer

Guest’s Bio:

“She literally came out here and made everyone else look like they were on a talent show.” ~Katy Perry

This reaction from Katy Perry on Grace Leer’s performance of “Natural Woman” during American Idol’s Top 40 Showcase Season 18 quickly made headlines, as it led to a head to head voting competition against another country contestant. The winner of this competition would advance that country artist to the Top 20 of American Idol.

Grace won fans over and not only sailed into the Top 20 but then onto Top 10 with live performances from her own backyard in California. Due to the COVID-19 “stay at home” order, Grace took on the challenge of performing to millions through an iPhone. Grace proved her talent, whether live or uploaded by phone, could entertain and wholly captivate her audience. This was not the first time Grace had to rise to the occasion as competition has always been part of her life. Grace earned a scholarship to play Division 1 soccer at the University of California- Berkeley where she not only was voted Captain of the team her senior year but led the Bears to numerous victories with her skills and strong work ethic. After graduating from Berkeley, Grace headed to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue her dream of becoming a country music singer. Not long after her move, she formed The Grace Leer Band and became not only the lead singer, but a booking agent, manager, songwriter, and public relations/social media manager as well. Grace collaborated with songwriter, Kyle Clouse, to create a 90’s throw-back country sound and successfully released three singles. Their music was influenced and inspired by older country music, especially 90’s female powerhouses such as Shania Twain, the Dixie Chicks, LeAnn Rimes, and Martina McBride. And it is this style of country music Grace is determined to bring back into the spotlight with her strong and colorful vocals. As the iconic Gladys Knight praised Grace with having “a richness to her voice,” she also adds to that with an undeniable stage presence. Whether on stage or through a phone, her performances are captivating and her audience is mesmerized and glued to her presence. Whatever the venue, in her backyard performing for 10 million American Idol viewers, in a bar, or in a professional sports stadium singing the National Anthem, Grace brings authenticity and genuine emotion to the songs she sings. Grace truly is a role model and inspiration to others, which can be seen by her massive “Team Grace” following on social media. She possesses a positive outlook and determination to do whatever it takes to fulfill her musical dreams. And, as Luke Bryan complimented her after a tremendous performance, saying “she checks all the boxes..” There is no doubt that Grace is well on her way to creating memorable country music and ultimately selling out stadiums and arenas around the world.

Contact:

https://www.graceleer.com/en/

Instagram: @graceleermusic