Meet Rachel Brown, founder and owner of Northern Exposure

I had the pleasure to do my fifth interview for this blog with Rachel Brown, founder and owner of Northern Exposure. 

With her team of passionate people Rachel has set up one of the best platform there is for unsigned bands and their goal is simple, discovering new music and giving them the exposure they deserve which is something that musicians need in today's world.

The music industry has been in disarray for quite some time and that's why Northern Exposure is so important.

I've only done interviews with bands for this blog but I decided it was equally as important to ask Rachel a few questions as she would be full of useful advice and could help musicians out there by giving them some of her knowledge about the industry, and she has. So make sure you check it out, I have also discovered some of the best bands there are on the circuit thanks to Northern Exposure and Rachel was full of recommendations for new music. I think I will have a lot more interviews to come now thanks to that. Watch this space and if you want me to consider your band for an interview email me : wendymcguiree@gmail.com

1 - Could you tell me how Northern Exposure started and what inspired you to create it?  

Honestly, I had never in my life enjoyed any job I'd had, I was massively fed up and going through a painful divorce and I read an article about doing things in life that made you happy. The only thing apart from my children that has ever made me happy is music. I'd been doing some writing for another online magazine and that inspired me to just take the plunge and start Northern Exposure. It was initially called Northern Uproar but after an email from the band 'Northern Uproar' I changed it out of respect of their wishes.  

The inspiration behind it was I felt music was slowly dying a death, I never got that buzz that I got back in the nineties and I was fed up reading the same old shit about the same old bands. I wanted to be a voice for all that was up and coming on the unsigned scene, I wanted to find the next Ian Curtis, Kurt Cobain or Liam Gallagher. I can say I think I've found at least two maybe three people who have that potential to be someone iconic and I look forward to watching it develop.  

It's hard though because even if those qualities are there in this day and age creating that mythology that draws people to them is not only hard but it's rare. A lot of bands have their music and show together but it's also what's around that which creates the mystic. I find a lot of bands fail to recognize the importance of this and also their branding.  

2 - You have championed bands like False Heads which I had the pleasure to see and interview and Calva Louise. They are some of the best bands I've seen in a very long time. Every bands that is associated with you seem to be a winner. How do you find those bands and what do you look for in a band? 

It's all about the live show every single time. I make no judgement on a band until I've seen them live. False Heads, Calva Louise, Avalanche Party, Bang Bang Romeo, Strange Bones, Trampolene, The Surrenders, Himalayas, The Wholls, SONS and Hands off Gretel are phenomenal - although I didn’t start to get behind them just by listening to their music. I had it sent and I thought yeah, this is good I must get to see them live and when I did, they all gave me that feeling of excitement and intrigue that I'd been missing.  

What do I look for? Personally, for me I love a band who I cannot stand still to, I guess I'm a bit of a punk at heart, when I was younger I was always in the mosh pit with the lads getting battered and bruised or right at the front of the crowd much to my mate's dismay, I usually spent gigs with a bunch of strangers whilst my mates/fella stood at the back. There is no better feeling in the world to me than watching your favorite band and completely losing yourself in the music. If a band can take me away from reality then to me they are a winner. 

It's also about creating the intrigue, waltzing round a gig like Liam G is a massive turn off. There's only one space for him in this world, so yeah be inspired but do your own thing. 

There's a lot of young bands with potential and getting more recognition. I really like Dirty Laces from Manchester and The Attic Doctors have something special and different. The Superlatives put on a great show at Café Totem for us a few months ago too.  

3 - There are so many dodgy promoters around ripping bands off and calling themselves promoters when they're only really bookers, putting mismatched bands together and not caring about the music which is the complete opposite of the Northern Exposure's approach. The whole internet has also revolutionized the whole music scene for better or worse. What do you think about the current state of the music industry ? 

Hmm one thing that stands out there straight away there is the mis-matched bands thing and I have to say I'm on the fence with this. As with advice I give to bands, you’ve got to be innovative as a promoter, yes, there's like a promoter's code that everyone expects you to stick to but don’t be afraid to try new things out, no one ever made anything new successful by not risking things. I actually have really enjoyed nights with a multitude of genres yet I understand that this can impact other fans from the other bands staying at a gig. It all depends on why you are at the gig I guess and for me when I go to a gig it's about discovering new artists of various genres.  

The music industry is again, dying. If you aren't mainstream you are going to struggle –fact. Do dreams still happen? Yes, but it's getting rarer and rarer. Labels now sign bands not to sell records but to tour them and it's getting harder for everyone across the board to make a living from guitar bands and music. This is where the people who are in it for the money start to change direction and then there's us relentlessly plugging away regardless. The bands are in a catch twenty-two situation where they either put their music out free to get heard or don’t and risk no one hearing it at all. Bands need to focus on been desirable and not so accessible. The Mysterines are a good example of how to do this successfully – do they even have social media? No? Great. They are really risking things there but its working – they are brilliant by the way as well. I could write an essay on this highlighting all that’s wrong but we will be here all day and sometimes you’ve just got to focus on the positive, a lot of really good shit is happening right now.  

4 - What advice would you give to all the new bands out there? 

I could talk about this all week, so I'll narrow it down to 3 things:  

1. 
   
2. - Rehearse at least twice a week. At least. If you want it you'll work for it, if Tom wants to see his bird instead and continually make excuses, get a new drummer. You all need to be committed and on the same page. You ain't going nowhere if this early on members are more concerned about their social life than working hard.   

2. - Bands who are on social media and that aren't social media savvy... Look at your page, shitty logos, no bios, no content, struggling to engage people. How on earth is anyone going to take you seriously if your socials look half arsed. Am I having a dig here? No, but what I am saying is this is all paramount to any potential success. If you are serious about your band you need to be serious about how its portrayed out there. Set roles within the band, so someone who is responsible for getting gigs, someone for social medias, someone contacting press for interviews and reviews. Don’t let it sit all on one person. I see that a lot and it winds me up. If your struggling, get help in and listen to their advice especially when releasing singles ! The internet is also full of help and resources – read them. 

3. - This industry is 99% full of arseholes, people who will mock you, look down at you and think they know it all, so don’t be like them, be polite, nice and don’t be a dick. Support and help other bands out, go see their shows when they are in your town then when you visit theirs they may repay the favor. Thank promoters if they treat you well, be that band everyone says is sound not the band who people think are a bunch of arrogant pricks. There is a huge difference in being rock 'n ' roll and being a twat and that goes for everyone in the signed or unsigned industry. Never forget where you started and always make time for your fans, because without them you are nothing.  

5 - Could you tell us a bit more about your background, were you always a music lover even as a kid/teenager and what is the first gig you ever went to? 

I was brought up in a musical family, my nan and granddad worked in the industry and I spent my youth on club back rests with a bag of crisp, poppets and a coke. They also took bands abroad as well as they also ran a travel agency so I was abroad a hell of lot travelling the world, spending most of the time in Cuba - I had a wide range of different music around me. They were very political and raised loads of money for children in Cuba, they had regular house parties to fund raise with bands on in the back garden as they had a really nice big house. It's quite surreal actually now thinking about it, I remember pigs on spit-roasts, my dad's golden eagles on his arms walking around the guests and me running the bar at 12 with my mate and ending up plastered ha! They worked really hard for it all though and they met some really famous people including The Beatles and Jerry & the Pacemakers. I reckon that’s where I get it all from, the difference is though there was money in it back then. My first gig I was probably about two ha. When music really took a hold of me was when I discovered grunge and Nirvana. I knocked about with all the 'popular' girls in school but I always dressed completely differently usually in black with multicolored hair and ripped jeans. My friend at school Keith played the drums and was in a band and I was absolutely besotted with him. I used to go watch him practice in his garage on our school dinner. He moved to London in year 10 and I was devastated. After that Oasis hit the scene and that’s a whole other story...  

6 - What's your top three favourite albums? 

This is really hard because I love loads of different music but here goes. This list would be a lot easier if it was top 20! 

Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures (My favourite band – a lyrical genius and anyone who says it's too depressing doesn’t appreciate the unique gift of been able to successfully expresses deep feeling or emotion through music. Ian Curtis is the man) 

Oasis – Be Here Now (Their worst album some say... Ridiculous, Magic Pie is a bit pants but my two favourite tracks of Oasis on this are Girl in the Dirty Shirt and I Hope, I Think, I Know – funeral songs please kid's, now how's that for depressing)  

Red Hot Chilli Peppers – Blood Sugar Sex Magik (When they were really good, reminds me of been on a school trip and me and Keith arguing with the whole form to play it at Crow den – it was on cassette too!) 

Nirvana would be in here but I'd rather make my own album from a collection of their singles. Frances Farmer will have her Revenge on Seattle is phenomenal. I'd also sit Courtney Love in there somewhere 'Pacific Coast Highway' is such a beautifully honest track. I love and admire people who are brutally honest. It's cool to be open and a bit different - its shit to be a sheep.  

7 - What are you the most looking forward to this year? 

Focusing. Lots to come, watch this space.  

8 - If you weren't doing what you are doing now what would it be? Ever wanted to be a musician? 

I tried to play guitar but it made my fingers bleed so I pissed it off. Tried playing drums but I've got no rhythm. What would I be doing now? Hmm I've a very addictive personality so for pleasure I'd either be climbing mountains religiously every weekend, biking long distances or doing some other activity I couldn’t stop! I miss having time for myself and doing stuff like that. Work wise ? God knows I've done everything from office management to cleaning bogs. I know that if I worked as hard as I do now in sales I could probably be very rich.  

 9 - Where do you want to be same time next year? 

Bigger and better than ever. It's hard been a one-woman band, I don’t think people realize how much I actually do and admittedly some things suffer. I'm not a natural writer that can put stuff out in half an hour and I'm extremely self-critical. I'm not a professional photographer either, that's my hobby, so it's going to be nice to have people in doing that role. Finding reliable people who are insanely passionate about this as I am has been a struggle, because at the end of the day Northern Exposure is my baby and its reputation and progress all lies with me. 

In the past I have had the tendency to take on too much and struggled to say no to people and opportunities, whereas this next year will be spent doing less but doing it better. Like bands should, I am learning to take advice on what would work better.   

10 - Have you ever met any of your heroes and who are the ones that you would like to meet? 

I met Liam Gallagher in Leeds a long time ago. I was at the front and he spoke to me off the stage and I nearly died. Met him afterwards and had a chat – told him he needed to take me for a pint! I then walked off and cried (not because he'd not took me for a pint but because I'd met my hero ha). True story.  

Ready for some cheese? I meet my hero every time I go to a gig, the bands, promoters, writers, bloggers all championing guitar music! They are the real heroes - I just hope they get the recognition they all deserve!  

Make sure you check out Northern Exposure :

http://northern-exposure.co/