Page 28 - ION Indie Magazine MayJune 2019

Kiki Plesha: New Music Food Truck is proudly a member of the ION Indie Magazine family and has
experienced phenomenal growth since its launch. Of course, NMFT is only as good as the guys who steer

it. Tell our readers a little bit about your backgrounds in radio.

Jim Edwards: I started radio in 1992 at the local community college station where I took broadcasting
classes. I've worked at many stations since from talk radio to Christian to hard rock. The last station I

was at was Alternative Rock. I absolutely fell in love with alt-rock and fresh new bands creating indie/alt
music. For the last 5+ years, that's the format I chose to work in.

Stac Edwards: Employed in radio

for 18 years, but I feel like I've
been ‘playing radio’ my whole life.

I've always been a music guy. I
love putting together playlists

and introducing new bands and
artists to people. Commercial

radio gave me the opportunity to
do that on a bigger scale. I loved

it, but I also realized that there
was so much more music out
gets the chance
there that never
to be heard. The New Music Food

Truck focuses on those
bands...mostly...lol!

KP: Can you describe the type of

music you seek for the show? Also,
what elements do you look for in a
New Music Food Truck Producer Jim Edwards great song?

JE: It needs to be alternative/indie. That's a big umbrella -- from country, blues, pop, and rock influences.

So, it gives us a lot to choose from. The key is it doesn't quite fit in a traditional genre, so it's alternative

to a genre. A song needs to captivate the listener in a few seconds and hold your attention to the
end. I tend to gravitate to up-tempo songs with a driving beat. I love to hear retro sounds in new music

as well.

SE: We focus on mostly the alt/indie stuff. Some rock, blues, and folk stuff, too. We've even featured an
alt/country artist once. Almost anything goes with the Food Truck!

KP: Each show features a spotlight interview that you call ‘Meet The Band.’ How do you procure your

guests and what is that criteria and process?

JE: It starts with a new song(s) that we want to play. After listening to other music that they have out,

we find out more about where it comes from and we ask them if they'd like to be featured. If they agree,
we email questions for them to record answers to. When we receive the recorded answers back, we mix

them with Stac asking the questions. When played back, it sounds live in the studio together!

SE: This is the most challenging segment on the show. Bands/artists are always up for it, but the follow-
through is the most difficult part. We typically reach out through the artist’s FB or Twitter pages to

gauge their interest. Jim works hard at communication with artists. I work with a lot of indie label reps
that are also eager to get their artists heard on all platforms. Finding a time that works for everybody
is the challenging part.