Kelley...

[spiffyone]

I am curious about your job. I don't know anyone else who has a job like yours in the music industry. Please feel free to refuse to answer my questions if I am being too nosy...but can you tell me:

- How did you get into this? Have you always been with one band or have you done your job for multiple different bands at different times?

- When you guys travel, does EVERYONE fly? I thought tour buses were the way to go. Does it mean a band is doing well financially if they fly everywhere?

- Do you go to EVERY concert they do, or do they ever play somewhere without you?

- and what exactly do you do? Is it PR and booking type stuff or more manager/boy scout troop leader kind of stuff?

You can tell I know almost nothing about this. I'm endlessly fascinated by other people's jobs.

spiffy

[noflyingfan]

Kelley, I'm also interested in this, partly for selfish reasons, because as a writer, I'm always looking for interesting freelance things to do, and maybe if I have an "in" with a band, I could write about that band.

[WillFlyToDisney2]

Well I am totally flattered that you would want to know about my job. It sounds quite glamorous (and sure can be) but it is something that just has to be "in your blood" because it is quite all-consuming.

Erika - flattery will get you everywhere. Press is always a good thing (sometimes even bad press generates much needed publicity!). ;) We're not quite famous enough yet to need the bad press though.... Come shadow me for a day, girl. You would have a blast!

Spiffy - I'll do my best to answer these.

- How did you get into this? Have you always been with one band or have you done your job for multiple different bands at different times?

My background is mainly film and tv but quite honestly the entertainment biz is pretty much the same in any division. I worked on a show called the Mickey Mouse Club for a few years back in the late 80's/early 90's for Disney. 2 of the Mouseketeers are now members of Shiloh. I had taken several years off from the biz when my kids were little and I was itching to get back in so when I heard the boys were in the new group I emailed one of them and begged for a job. It worked! It is kind of strange working for these guys again since I have known them since they were 13 and 14 and they are now grown men! I very briefly talked to other artists about working with them as well but Shiloh takes up all of my time and I really have no desire to spread out right now (unless Ray decides to embark on a singing career...).

- When you guys travel, does EVERYONE fly? I thought tour buses were the way to go. Does it mean a band is doing well financially if they fly everywhere?

The tour travel depends on the dates. California is obviously a fly date from Nashville since it would take 2 days of driving to get there and 2 more days of driving to get back on a tour bus (and we would have to pay the musicians salaries for sitting on the bus). It all comes down to budget really. If we can get cheap airfare then we fly. If we are going somewhere that we will NEED the bus then we drive. I always fly now - since the puking trip to FL. 12 guys and 6 x-boxes in cramped quarters... Need I say more? I usually arrive first and check everyone in and make sure we have all we need then I either meet the bus at the hotel or pick up one of our rented Suburbans with tinted windows and go pick everyone up from the airport. Actually it is usually much cheaper to fly sometimes than it is to take the bus out. 12 plane tickets at $200 vs $5K to take the bus out... well you do the math.

- Do you go to EVERY concert they do, or do they ever play somewhere without you?

Yep. Every single one. In the past 4 years I have missed one show and it was only an hour set at a local club but it KILLED me not to be there. I'm sure some days they would LOVE to play somewhere without me but I'm there anyway. LOL

- and what exactly do you do? Is it PR and booking type stuff or more manager/boy scout troop leader kind of stuff?

One of the former Mouseketeer Dads calls me the "Mother Hen" so that is the most accurate title. Yes to PR, booking and everything else from start to finish (negotiating rates for shows, setting up all travel and promo, etc...). Kenny and I work closely together as a team (he calls it "playing good cop/bad cop" when we have to deal with problems) to make sure that Shiloh runs as smoothly as it does. I am there to troubleshoot and make sure my guys have everything they need to put on the best show that they can - that can involve everything from changing microphone batteries, taping set lists to the floor, updating the web schedule, bailing wayward musicians out of jail at 3am to yelling at the venue owner who tries to not pay us after we have played. It is never the same day twice - not even close!

All of us are very close - which you have to be when you work and travel so much together - which makes the job that much more fun. I cant imagine doing anything else.

:)
Kelley

[beaugest]

And Kelley is being modest by not mentioning that she gets to interact with famous people,has great connections and is wonderful about sharing them.
My daughter is still trying to get adoption proceedings started...Kelley rates high on the cool person scale.