Growing up in Dallas, John Thomasson found the bass guitar the same way many did - a friend started a band and no one else played bass. He attended the Booker T. Washington School for the Performing and Visual Arts, and then the University of North Texas, where he studied music. After that, he was part of a band called Little Sister (later changed to Sister 7) and had some minor radio hits in the 90s. After moving to Austin, John started playing with one of his heroes - Davíd Garza, playing on his first major label record called This Euphoria.
In 2000, John got married, quit playing music for the most part and went back to school to get a degree in Psychology and focused on musical cognition. After working some tech jobs at Apple and Hewlett Packard, he wanted to play a little bit more while preparing for grad school. He started recording and touring with Matt Nathanson in 2004, and one of Matt's songs that John played on was "Come on Get Higher", a double-platinum single. Working with Matt also gave him the chance to play on the original Conan O’Brien show and Late Night With David Letterman.
After the birth of his first son, John and his growing family moved to Nashville in the fall of 2009. There, he learned about the family-friendly way that Nashville acts toured and that sealed the deal for him. He landed the gig with Little Big Town in April of 2010 and has toured with them ever since. During that time, he also recorded with LBT on numerous successful records, including: Tornado (platinum album) which featured hit singles "Pontoon" and "Tornado", Pain Killer (Platinum album) which including the triple-platinum single "Girl Crush" and gold single "Day Drinking", The Breaker, Wanderlust (produced by Pharrell Williams), and most recently, Nightfall (Self Produced).
Spotify playlist of some of John's work:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0s9wubeza5T6XMKuZNyeED?si=vj4C1X7fTiWhrsQnU7E-Mw
John Thomasson on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/johnthom/
Little Big Town website:
http://www.littlebigtown.com/
Hey, everyone! Are you still out there? I've missed you!
Just a quick episode to update you on some things and let you know I'll be back with new episodes soon, as time permits.
Feel free to reach out with guest ideas or comments at beyondthespotlightpodcast@gmail.com
When Matthew Rifino picked up an acoustic guitar at 5, a 30 year love affair with music began. 3 years later, he convinced his grandfather to buy him a four-track cassette recorder and Matthew would sit for hours recording and overdubbing. He started recording his first band at their first rehearsal and honed his basic recording chops by trial and error. Matthew and his friends threw themselves into the NJ Hardcore and Punk scene of the mid 90's. Forming an indie label and throwing shows, Matthew wanted to be immersed in the music community.
Channel surfing after school, Matthew stumbled upon a show being filmed at a recording studio only one town over from his house! He showed up at their door and told them he wanted to learn how to record. Matthew lucked out and the owner Tee DiMura took him under his wing. It was an old school 16 track analog 70's studio with floor to ceiling shag carpet and the smell of cigarettes in the air. Matthew spent all four years of high school afternoons learning as much as he could about recording and mixing.
It was Avatar Studios (The Power Station) that gave Matthew his first real taste of what it’s like working with big names in the music industry. At 19-years-old, he scored a 3 month unpaid internship that turned into 4 years on staff at this legendary facility. Everyday, Matthew was in awe while learning from Grammy winning engineers and producers. Al Schmidt, Jack Joseph Puig, Michael Brauer, Jason Corsaro, Neil Dorfsman, and Rich Costey were some the greats he got to watch perform their craft. The years he spent at Avatar still influenced the rest of his life.
After 4 years, he wanted to make the move to freelance. Matthew had a couple of indie records lined up and then by a chance meeting he got a gig mixing monitors for the NBC Today Show. He had never mixed anything live before but got thrown right into the fire on his first show mixing Elvis Costello. At the same time with an inherent gravitational pull towards his recording studio roots he signed on as a staff engineer at Granite Alps Studios in NJ and later as Chief Engineer at Fenix Studios in Staten Island, NY. During that time, Matthew worked with Living Colour, James Blood Ulmer, Bernard Purdie (Steely Dan, Aretha Franklin, Hall and Oates), Wu Tang Clan, Wyclef Jean plus lots of independent rock and pop artists. While at Fenix, he also had the opportunity to mix jingles for television, radio, as well as tracks that would end up in major motion pictures.
At just 27, Matthew took on the role of Broadcast Music Mixer for the NBC TODAY SHOW. Mixing the 5.1 Surround Sound on air-mixes that millions watch daily along with millions of streams on the net. During his time at NBC, Matthew has worked with a cornucopia of artists such as Adele, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Dave Matthews Band, Robert Plant, Fleetwood Mac, Lady Gaga, Sting, Aretha Franklin, Taylor Swift, John Mellencamp, among many others.
After a few years away from the record business to focus on television, he could not resist the urge to get back into the studio. Having recently completed his personal mix room "Stone House Studios”, Matthew has started mixing records again. His goal is to be able to deliver high quality mixes to all his clients.
Guest Links:
https://www.mattrifinomusicmixer.com/
https://www.instagram.com/rifinomatthew/
Michael Jeffers is a life long music professional, performer and player. He started out in music performing with his father’s family band, then became a founding member of the critically acclaimed band Pinmonkey and got signed to RCA Records. Michael’s been traveling town to town on tour buses since 1999, loves to golf, and he is a lover of all things real.
Experience
Touring Bass player
Joe Nichols
Jan 2008 – Present
Founding member and bass player
Pinmonkey
Jan 1999 – Jan 2006
Doc Jeffers Band
Education
Middle Tennessee State University
Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc)
Field Of Study: Music Business
Guest Links:
https://www.instagram.com/michaeljeffers/
https://joenichols.com/
Mark Clark has worked in the touring industry for over 10 years. He got his start in his home state of Alabama, driving artists at music festivals, and is currently based in New Orleans. Mark has managed tours throughout North America, South America, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and Europe. In his day-to-day work, he oversees a 360-degree advanced process, from show advance, to tour accounting, to settlements, visas, production, logistics, press, and all the ins-and-outs of the vital show day process. Some of Mark’s notable previous clients include American Authors, Kayzo, TOKiMONSTA, NGHTMRE, Snails, Savoy, and Boombox.
Co Host, Tour Management 101
Mar 2020 – Present
Location New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Tour Management 101 is an educational resource for anyone learning the ropes in the live events industry. We host a weekly webinar on Zoom, and YouTube with industry pros and provide free material and templates on our website.
Tour Management / Production Management / Tour Accounting
Mark Clark Touring LLC Self-employed
Jan 2019 – Present
Location New Orleans, LA
Full 360 tour advance, management, and show execution. Domestic and Worldwide.
Freelance Professional
Tour Manager Sep 2013 – Present
Guest Links:
http://www.markclarktouring.com
https://www.tourmgmt.org/
https://www.instagram.com/markclarktm
https://www.instagram.com/tourmgmt101
Show Links:
http://www.beyondthespotlightpodcast.com/
https://www.facebook.com/BeyondtheSpotlightPodcast
https://www.instagram.com/BeyondtheSpotlightPodcast
Angelique Mark has amassed over two decades' experience traveling the globe, working with a variety of musical acts in rooms ranging from small clubs to stadiums. Her work focuses mainly in: logistics; immigration; accounting; and high-level time management, often under the most stressful of situations. Most recently, Angelique has been working as a mentor through Grammy U and the Well Dunn organization, helping young people learn about the world of live shows and touring.
Production Coordinator
The 1975
Jan 2020 – Present
Production Coordinator
Mumford & Sons - Delta Tour
Feb 2019 – Mar 2020
Production Coordinator
Il Divo - Timeless Tour
Aug 2018 – Dec 2018
Production Coordinator
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
Apr 2017 – Aug 2018
Artist Transportation Manager
Okeechobee Music Festival
Feb 2016 – Feb 2017
Production Coordinator
Il Divo - Amor y Pasion Tour
Sep 2016 – Nov 2016
Wardrobe Mistress
Culture Club - Tribes Tour
Jul 2015 – Jul 2016
Location US/CA/MX/JP/PH/AU
Staff Transportation Coordinator
Mysterland Music Festival
May 2015
Production Coordinator
Arcade Fire - Reflektor Tour
Oct 2013 – Aug 2014
Location US/UK/EU/S America/Australia/New Zealand/Japan
Assistant Tour Manager
My Morning Jacket - Bob Dylan Americanarama Tour
Jul 2013 – Aug 2013
Location North America
Production Coordinator
Florence and the Machine - Ceremonials Tour
Jun 2012 – Dec 2012
Location US/UK/Europe
Production Coordinator
The Black Keys - El Camino Tour
Oct 2012 – Nov 2012
Location New Zealand/Australia
Wardrobe Mistress
Erasure - Total Pop! and Tomorrow's World Tours
Mar 2011 – Oct 2011
Location US/UK/Europe/S. America
Additional Artists Toured with
2000 – 2011
Location US/UK/Europe
Cirque du Soleil - Kooza (Dresser 1)
Boy George/Culture Club (Tour Assistant)
Gavin Rossdale/Institute (Merchandise Manager)
Paul Oakenfold (Merchandise Manager)
Jewel (Merchandise Manager)Fuel (Merchandise Manager)
Cheetah Girls/Miley Cyrus (Merchandise)
Vanessa Hudgens (Merchandise Manager)
Corbin Bleu (Merchandise Manager)
Guest links:
Angelique on LinkedIn
Angelique on Instagram
TOUR EXPERIENCE
Present
ROLLING STONES – Tour Manager
1997 - Present
FLEETWOOD MAC – Tour Manager
1999 – Present
BARBRA STREISAND – Tour Director
January 24, 2020
MUSICARES PERSON OF THE YEAR HONORING DOLLY
PARTON - Co-Producer
2010 – Present
SHAKIRA – Tour Director
1997 - Present
STEVIE NICKS - Tour Manager
Dec ’15 – Nov ‘16
BEYONCE – Tour Director/Producer Formation Tour
2012 – Present
VAN HALEN TOUR 2012 & 2015 – Tour Manager
Feb '14 – Dec ‘15
LIONEL RICHIE - Tour Director
1997 - 2001
Jan 2013 – Dec 2013
ALICIA KEYS – Tour Director - World Tour 2010 & 2013
Aug ’02 – Jan 2010
BETTE MIDLER – General Manager “The Showgirl Must Go On”
Las Vegas Residency
Aug ’05 – May ‘07
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL DELIRIUM TOUR – Tour Manager
Dec ’00 – Dec ‘01
BACKSTREET BOYS – Tour Manager
Oct ’00 – Nov ’00
LENNY KRAVITZ – Tour Manager
Aug ’99 – Dec ‘99
RICKY MARTIN - Tour Manager
July '99 - Sept '99
BONNIE RAITT, JACKSON BROWNE, SHAWN COLVIN, BRUCE HORNSBY - Tour Manager
May '99 - Sept '99
BONNIE RAITT - Tour Manager/Accountant
Sept '98 – Aug ‘99
LIONEL RICHIE - Tour Manager/Accountant
April ‘95 - 2015
BOSTON - Tour Manager
October 1996
CHRIS ISAAK - Tour Manager/Accountant
August 1996
CELINE DION - Production Manager
April ‘96 - May ‘96
SHANIA TWAIN - Tour Manager
Apr ‘95 - May ‘95
JIMMY BUFFETT - Tour Accountant
Jan '93 - Sept '94
JANET JACKSON - Tour Manager
June ‘89 - Sept '92
PAULA ABDUL - Tour Manager
1985
BILL WITHERS- Tour Manager / Accountant
GUEST LINKS:
Musicares
NEWS ARTICLES / INTERVIEWS
ROLLING STONE
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/music-in-crisis-marty-horn-tour-manager-rolling-stones-stevie-nicks-995835/
BILLBOARD
https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/5915668/tour-managers-of-foo-fighters-the-rolling-stones-fleetwood-mac-swap-wild-tales
POLLSTAR
https://www.pollstar.com/toptourmanagers/marty-hom-141383
NEW YORK TIMES
https://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/17/archives/10-months-1-million-and-100-headaches.html
Aoife Ahern has a huge amount of Project Management experience, having been a Global Producer, Tour Manager, Production Coordinator, Advance Manager|Artist Relations and a Talent Booker. She has advanced many large scale festivals (80,000+ capacity) such as Oxegen Festival to Kaaboo Festival. She has also been a promoter's rep and a production manager for a huge number of shows, as well as promoting weekly shows of 2000+ capacity. Aoife has toured with artists such as Prince, Beyonce, Jay-Z, One Direction, Arcade Fire, Chris Brown, Gavin Friday, The Waterboys, Billy Ocean, Sting, Madonna plus many more. During this time, she has performed roles such as Tour Manager, Production Co-ordinator, and VIP Facilities Manager. Aoife manages and co-ordinates large volumes of information - from budgets, crew, travel, logistics, riders, content, schedules, visas, dressing rooms, ground transport, merchandise & VIP management. She has also worked with a vast array of international talent, promoters, founders, entrepreneurs, agents, TMs, suppliers, venues & crew over the years.
Tour Management
Tame Impala
Jul 2019 – Present
Facilities Manager | One Direction | Chris Brown | Beyonce | Jay-Z | Sting | Madonna
Live Nation | VIP Nation
2015 – Present
Duties Include:Facilities Manager for all VIPs daily.Coordinating all Early Entry Tickets daily.Coordinating all Hot Tickets Entries daily.Liaising and managing security and queuing systems.Managing all signage for Early Entries & Hot Tickets.Managing of all ticket booths, ticketing, wristbands and staff.Daily brief with security, venue and Live NationManaging of all VIP Merchandise.Daily reports for Live/VIP Nation.Setting & Running of office.Troubleshooting, managing all issues that arose.
Tour Manager
Gavin Friday
Jul 2011 – Present
Managing budgets based on fee for each show.Booking and managing logistics, such as travel, accommodation, ground transport. Coordinating with press department and accompanying artist to all press calls. Drawing up of all riders based on requirement of traveling party and foreseeing their implementation at each show. Managing of all crew and touring party.Arranging work permits for non EU band members in relevant country. Coordinating all aspects of production.Dealing with cash and payment. Liaising between management, agent, promoter and band to make sure that everyone has information required to make each show a successful event.Liaising with Event Control to ensure that all health and safety matters are adhered to for safety of band and audience.
Production Coordinator
Prince
May 2014 – Present
Location European / Canadian & American Tour
Booking of hotels, flights & ground transport for all Crew.Arranging Visa for all Crew.Managing and organising of artist catering.Designing daily menu for artist.Managing of Dressing Rooms & Riders on a daily basis.Signage for Backstage Area.Assisting TM/PM with production requirements.Running & assisting in production office.Dealing with crew, suppliers, management, venues and artists needs on a daily basis.
Senior VIP Nation Event Manager | International Tours
VIP Nation Europe | Live Nation
Oct 2018 – Sep 2019
London, United Kingdom
Michelle Obama, Mumford & Sons, Blackpink, BTS, Phil Collins, Fleetwood Mac, Billy Joel.
Guest links:
https://www.facebook.com/aoife.ahern
https://www.instagram.com/aoifelike/
Passionate and extroverted, Rayna’s varied background gives her a unique perspective as well as an ability to engage people from all walks of life. Before graduating with a degree in Political Science from the University of Vermont, Rayna grew up at the intersection of multiple cultures.
As a child, Rayna was raised between three worlds - She could be found at a Baptist church in Camden, New Jersey with her grandmother, at synagogue in Philadelphia with her mother’s family of Jewish academics, or at St. Columba’s episcopal church in Washington D.C. Rayna decided to pursue a career in the music industry and moved to Los Angeles, where she eventually ended up working in the touring industry as a playback engineer with artists such as Logic, Pentatonix, Due Lipa, Iggy Azalea, Hailee Steinfeld, The Lonely Island, Lana Del Rey, DJ Khaled, and more.
Additionally, she is a music composer who's work has been featured in over 75 television shows, movies, and commercials. The events of 2020 led her to pursue her passion for documentary photography. Rayna has documented over 50 protests in the Los Angeles area, her work and efforts are featured in the short film “We Can’t Breathe”.
Producer / Music Director
Winters Rock Entertainment
Sep 2018 – Present
Business development, talent scouting, on-site photographer, and post-production audio mixing. Producer: “We Can’t Breathe” (2020)Composer: “We Can’t Breath” (2020) Producer: “Storm” (2020) Composer: “Beyond the Edge”(2020) Composer: “Letters to Liam” (2019) Music Supervisor: “Letters to Liam” (2019)
Playback Engineer
Pentatonix Inc
Jan 2020 – Present
Playback Engineer
DUA LIPA LIVE LLP
Nov 2019 – Jan 2020
Playback Engineer / Programmer
Hailee Steinfeld
Aug 2019 – Nov 2019
Playback Engineer & MIDI Tech
Lana Del Rey
Mar 2019 – Nov 2019
Pro Tools Playback Engineer
The Lonely Island
May 2019 – Jun 2019
Ableton Programmer / Playback Engineer
Dua Lipa
Apr 2019
Ableton Programmer / Playback Engineer
Gunnar Gehl
Oct 2018 – Dec 2018
Ableton Programmer / Playback Engineer
PRETTYMUCH
Jul 2018 – Sep 2018
Ableton Programmer / Playback
Jun 2017 – Aug 2018
Ableton Playback / Programming
Troye Sivan
Mar 2018 – Apr 2018
Ableton Playback Operator
Lil’ Wayne
Sep 2017
Playback Designer & Programmer
Saint Motel
Dec 2016
Director of Vibes | Producer | Mixer
Math Club Music
Jun 2016 – Oct 2016
Electronic Creatives
Feb 2016 – Mar 2016
Ableton playback for Iggy Azalea.
Electronic Creatives
Title Tour Manager / Production Manager
Niykee Heaton "The Bedroom Tour" 2015
Oct 2015 – Dec 2015
Tour Manager Production Manager
Ableton Playback Operator: Kiesza
Jan 2015 – Oct 2015
Product Ambassador / Tester
Livid Instruments
Nov 2014 – Jan 2015
Guitar Wing MIDI Controller Product Ambassador for the Greater Los Angeles Area.
Recording Arts Instructor
The Los Angeles Film School
Jul 2011 – Sep 2014
Instructor - Beginning and Advanced Music production in Pro Tools, Ableton, and Logic.
Producer/Engineer
Kops & Robbers
Jan 2010 – Jan 2012
Guest Links:
https://raynazemel.com/
https://www.instagram.com/rayzemel/
https://www.twitter.com/rayzemel/
https://www.wintersrockentertainment.com/
Sai Hanif has been working in the music industry for over sixteen years. In addition to live event production, he founded and continues to run a successful musical instrument brand. Sai has taken his business acumen and applied it to the artists he works with throughout his career. He specializes in scaling artists by implementing processes to create efficient workflows with respect to the creative process. Specialties: Tour Direction, Production Management, Design, Budgeting, Travel, Logistics, Business Strategy, and Artist Development.
Founder and CEO
Masters of Maple Drums
Established in 2002 Masters of maple is one of the leading boutique drum manufacturers in the world. The brand produces high quality instruments with a limited distribution model, and is one of the few manufacturers to make their ply drum shells in house.
Tour Director, Production Manager
Gabriel " Fluffy" Iglesias
May 2019 – Present
Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias is an acclaimed stand up comedian with multiple Netflix specials, and storied career in entertainment.
Production Manager, Technical Director
X ambassadors Contract
Oct 2019 – Present
Production management for the “Orion” world tour album campaign. X ambassadors are a Grammy award winning alternative band from Ithaca, New York. I oversaw design and fabrication of the new stage production, which incorporated video elements utilizing the new disguise D3 media server.
Production Consultant, Drum Technician [Joshua Homme]
Eagles of Death Metal
Dates Employed Apr 2015 – Present
Eagles of Death Metal are a rock band from Palm Desert, California. I served as drum technician for Mr. Homme when he would play drums live with the band.
Tour Manager, Production Manager, Creative Director
Jakob Dylan
Jul 2014 – Present
Jakob Dylan is a Grammy award winning and lead singer of The Wallflowers. I have been responsible for all special projects in many capacities. Mr. Dylan is involved in many charities at the forefront of health and world issues.
Founder and CEO
Ghost Tech Touring Full-time
Mar 2012 – Present
Ghost Tech Touring is a full service production company. We specialize in all aspects of touring operations such as but not limited to: bus rental, insurance, crew management, budget control, audio visual services, backline, logistics, expendable management. Typically clients save between 4-19% on gross revenue touring expenses.
Production Manager
Walk The Moon
May 2016 – Present
Production management for the “What if Nothing” album campaign. Walk the Moon are a rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio.
Tour Manager, Production Manager, Management
The Wallflowers
Jan 2011 – Present
Tour Manager | Production Manager [2013- Present]Stage Manager | Backline Crew Chief | Drum Technician | Keyboard Technician [2011-2013] The Wallflowers are a two-time Grammy award winning rock band from Los Angeles, California.
Tour Director, Technical Director, Band Liaison, Production Accountant
Echo in the Canyon
Dates Employed 2018 – 2019
Echo In The Canyon is a 2018 film paying homage to the music of the sixties and the cultural revolution surrounding Laurel Canyon. It was released in theaters May 24, 2019.
https://Mdrums.com/
https://myghosttech.com/
https://www.instagram.com/ladrumguy/
https://www.instagram.com/mastersofmaple
Al Schmitt video referenced in interview
Innovator, digital marketer, brand positioning expert, data geek, and even musician, are just some of the ways that Cherise P has been described. These words have been applied whether from the halls of Coca-Cola where she served as Senior Marketing Manager of Shopper Marketing Innovation and Senior Customer Marketing Manager (partnership marketing) to the Washington D.C. offices of the U.S. President appointed Election Assistance Commission where she negotiated over $100K in funding for her client over MTV’s Rock The Vote.
Her career has been expansive and blessed with achievement. At Coca- Cola, Cherise was also Sales Executive leading national account teams, Community Leadership Chair, women’s LINC Board Member for Coca- Cola’s International Business Resource Group, Essence Festival Team member, Brand Positioning Subject Matter Expert for the entire East
Division of Coca-Cola Foodservice, and was awarded as one of Coca-Cola North America’s only four annual Corporate Women of Achievement and more –all through working for marketing excellence through innovation. Cherise consistently exceeds deadlines and business plan targets on paper. She has led marketing, digital marketing, mobile marketing, consumer research, brand activation, experiential marketing, multicultural marketing work and campaigns for partnerships with brands like Live Nation, American Music Awards, Popeyes, NASCAR, Burger King, McDonald’s, Roc-A-Wear, Bigg Snoop Dogg Jeans, Ruff Ryders Dirty Denim, BET, Six Flags, and so many more leading her to work to be awarded American Marketing Association’s American Marketer of the Year for Consumer Engagement and American Marketer of the Year in Interactive Marketing in Georgia – she’s been told it’s like winning the Grammy’s for Marketing! Now as CEO of Eckspansion Marketing, managing partner of FanGage Nation and The Culture Pushers with artist manager Eli Davis and proud mom of the kidpreneurs behind celebrity interviewing, STEM ed. Leadership pushing duo, ‘Kidz Mic’ with husband Eric. Cherise uses her experience to expand revenue streams and drive business results for artists and entertainment pros by leveraging experience as a Fortune 100 insider, fan data, real digital marketing, endorsements + innovation.
Overall, Cherise has rocked her Hampton University Marketing Degree from Fortune 500 Board Rooms to leading within Grammy Award Winning Artist Management. Teams, like the creative trained drummer she is. You read right, she’s a drummer and a poet too but with a dad playing drums in The Isley Brothers band + aunt original P-Funk, she was born for in to that part!
Eckspansion Marketing
CEO
Special Brand Artist Mgmt. & Entertainment
Chief Marketing Officer
May 2018 - present
FanGage Nation
Managing Partner
Multiple Companies
Sales & Marketing Executive
June 1990 - December 2019
The Coca-Cola Company
Various Marketing Management positions
Guest Links:
https://www.instagram.com/cherisep1908/
http://www.brandsarespecial.com
http://www.fangagenation.com
http://www.Musicleaderz.com
https://www.instagram.com/anthonyhamiltonofficial/
https://www.instagram.com/9thwonder/
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