Start The Beat With Sikes

I'm back in the heart of NYC this week for a HIGHLY requested follow up episode with my Uncle/Aunt Tina Benez! This time we dive deep into gender politics, taboo vocabulary and get a very unfiltered and unapologetic perspective on some of the experiences that made Tina who she is today. Sit back, relax and let's Start The Beat! SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW START THE BEAT ON THE FOLLOWING SERVICES! FACEBOOK: facebook.com/startthebeatpodcast  ITUNES: http://apple.co/1MXMNSGSTITCHER: http://tinyurl.com/stbstitcher GOOGLE PLAY: http://tinyurl.com/stbgoogleplay TUNEIN: http://tinyurl.com/stbtunein FOLLOW ME ON ALL SOCIAL MEDIA: @therealsikes  www.therealsikes.com Start The Beat is part of the Epicast family. Learn all about us at www.epicastnetwork.com

Who's got the bounce?!?! This week I sit down with singer/songwriter, visual artist & promoter Clara Kent for an inspiring talk about the productivity of teamwork, staying focused on your goals and having fun doing what you love. We also talk about anime because well… duh. Sit back, relax and let's Start The Beat! Clara Kent will be releasing her debut album "AURA" on December 21st. More info can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/clarakentaura SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW START THE BEAT ON THE FOLLOWING SERVICES! FACEBOOK: facebook.com/startthebeatpodcast  ITUNES: http://apple.co/1MXMNSGSTITCHER: http://tinyurl.com/stbstitcher GOOGLE PLAY: http://tinyurl.com/stbgoogleplay TUNEIN: http://tinyurl.com/stbtunein FOLLOW ME ON ALL SOCIAL MEDIA: @therealsikes  www.therealsikes.com Start The Beat is part of the Epicast family. Learn all about us at www.epicastnetwork.com

Some of my favorite conversations on this podcast are the ones where I meet somebody and have my first face to face conversation with them recorded for the whole world to hear. This week we add another one of these to the list as I sit down and get to know fellow PGH Hip-Hop artist Walkman. Sit back, relax and lets Start The Beat! SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW START THE BEAT ON THE FOLLOWING SERVICES! FACEBOOK: facebook.com/startthebeatpodcast  ITUNES: http://apple.co/1MXMNSGSTITCHER: http://tinyurl.com/stbstitcher GOOGLE PLAY: http://tinyurl.com/stbgoogleplay TUNEIN: http://tinyurl.com/stbtunein FOLLOW ME ON ALL SOCIAL MEDIA: @therealsikes  www.therealsikes.com Start The Beat is part of the Epicast family. Learn all about us at www.epicastnetwork.com

Run to the hills... Run for your lives!!! This week I sit down with Lee Prisby for a talk about playing in heavy metal bands, navigating social media and diving into the deep, dark abyss that is becoming a YouTube content creator. Lee plays in the band Klaymore and is one half of the video game based YouTube channel Halberd. Sit back, relax and lets Start The Beat!  SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW START THE BEAT ON THE FOLLOWING SERVICES! FACEBOOK: facebook.com/startthebeatpodcast  ITUNES: http://apple.co/1MXMNSGSTITCHER: http://tinyurl.com/stbstitcher GOOGLE PLAY: http://tinyurl.com/stbgoogleplay TUNEIN: http://tinyurl.com/stbtunein FOLLOW ME ON ALL SOCIAL MEDIA: @therealsikes  www.therealsikes.com Start The Beat is part of the Epicast family. Learn all about us at www.epicastnetwork.com

Two things I will never turn down are good brews and great conversations so when I got the opportunity to sit down with Day Bracey at Reclamation Brewing for a live episode I took full advantage of the opportunity! We discuss his come up in the world of stand up comedy, turning your personality into a brand and so much more. Also, beer. Sit back, relax and lets Start The Beat!  SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW START THE BEAT ON THE FOLLOWING SERVICES! FACEBOOK: facebook.com/startthebeatpodcast  ITUNES: http://apple.co/1MXMNSGSTITCHER: http://tinyurl.com/stbstitcher GOOGLE PLAY: http://tinyurl.com/stbgoogleplay TUNEIN: http://tinyurl.com/stbtunein FOLLOW ME ON ALL SOCIAL MEDIA: @therealsikes  www.therealsikes.com Start The Beat is part of the Epicast family. Learn all about us at www.epicastnetwork.com

The landscape of music has always been a perpetually shifting environment but never before have things been changing so rapidly and unexpectedly. Thanks to the modern accessibility of being able to do almost anything you'd want, any way you want, we're in a really exciting but simultaneously confusing time to be a musician. This week I sit down with Rachel & Billy from Little Good Bad and try to navigate the current landscape of music and dive into everything they are contributing to it. Sit back, relax and lets Start The Beat!  SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW START THE BEAT ON THE FOLLOWING SERVICES! FACEBOOK: facebook.com/startthebeatpodcast  ITUNES: http://apple.co/1MXMNSGSTITCHER: http://tinyurl.com/stbstitcher GOOGLE PLAY: http://tinyurl.com/stbgoogleplay TUNEIN: http://tinyurl.com/stbtunein FOLLOW ME ON ALL SOCIAL MEDIA: @therealsikes  www.therealsikes.com Start The Beat is part of the Epicast family. Learn all about us at www.epicastnetwork.com

Take a jump in the time machine back to December 2015 when I first sat down face to face with Steve LaRussa for Episode 071 of Start The Beat. It's been almost 2 years since we recorded this conversation but if you don't know already Steve, you should get to know him because if you follow Sikes at all you're going to be seeing him around a lot more... Click play for more details. ;-) Sit back, relax and lets Start The Beat!  SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW START THE BEAT ON THE FOLLOWING SERVICES! FACEBOOK: facebook.com/startthebeatpodcast  ITUNES: http://apple.co/1MXMNSGSTITCHER: http://tinyurl.com/stbstitcher GOOGLE PLAY: http://tinyurl.com/stbgoogleplay TUNEIN: http://tinyurl.com/stbtunein www.therealsikes.com Start The Beat is part of the Epicast family. Learn all about us at www.epicastnetwork.comFOLLOW ME ON ALL SOCIAL MEDIA: @therealsikes 

Grab your headphones, a cup of coffee, a shovel and drag yourself to the closet graveyard because we got some work to do. Today I sit down with Nathan King for a talk about putting yourself out there and developing creative relationships outside of the “basement”. Nathan is a composer, filmmaker, photographer, ghost, among other things and has just released a new album, a short film and has a portfolio of work 110% worth diving into. Sit back, relax and lets Start The Beat!  LISTEN TO MUSIC: https://nathanking1.bandcamp.com/ WATCH SOME VIDEOS: http://tinyurl.com/nathankingvideo BLUE MOUNTAIN MOTEL: http://www.thebluemountainmotel.com/ SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW START THE BEAT ON THE FOLLOWING SERVICES! FACEBOOK: facebook.com/startthebeatpodcast  ITUNES: http://apple.co/1MXMNSGSTITCHER: http://tinyurl.com/stbstitcher GOOGLE PLAY: http://tinyurl.com/stbgoogleplay TUNEIN: http://tinyurl.com/stbtunein FOLLOW ME ON ALL SOCIAL MEDIA: @therealsikes  www.therealsikes.com Start The Beat is part of the Epi

JOIN THE MOVEMENT! Today I sit down with Josh Corcoran from the web series Spare Change for a talk about utilizing your resources to make a change. No pun intended! HAH! If you don't know, Spare Change is a Pittsburgh-based web series documenting their journey playing music to raise money for those in need and it is real awesome. Sit back, relax and lets Start The Beat!  WATCH SPARE CHANGE: https://www.sparechange.tv/ FOLLOW ME ON ALL SOCIAL MEDIA: @therealsikes  FOLLOW START THE BEAT ON FACEBOOK: facebook.com/startthebeatpodcast  SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW ON ITUNES: http://apple.co/1MXMNSG SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW ON STITCHER: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/start-the-beat-with-sikes www.therealsikes.com Start The Beat is part of the Epicast family. Learn all about us at www.epicastnetwork.com

Technology is nuts and maybe kids spending their time on computers isn't always such a bad thing. Today I sit down with songwriter/producer Lili Traviato for a talk about her humble beginnings using Garage Band to record songs at the age of 8 and how her work has evolved over the past 10 years of learning, creating and finding her way on this wacky planet. Sit back, relax and lets Start The Beat!  LISTEN TO LILI TRAVIATO ON SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/lili-traviato FOLLOW ME ON ALL SOCIAL MEDIA: @therealsikes  FOLLOW START THE BEAT ON FACEBOOK: facebook.com/startthebeatpodcast  SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW ON ITUNES: http://apple.co/1MXMNSG SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW ON STITCHER: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/start-the-beat-with-sikes www.therealsikes.com Start The Beat is part of the Epicast family. Learn all about us at www.epicastnetwork.com

Support Local Talent! Get involved with your community! Make new friends! This week I sit down with Lauren Stein of the blog PUNKSBURGH.COM for a talk about shining light on the local community. Sit back, relax and lets Start The Beat!  FOLLOW ME ON ALL SOCIAL MEDIA: @therealsikes  FOLLOW START THE BEAT ON FACEBOOK: facebook.com/startthebeatpodcast  SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW ON ITUNES: http://apple.co/1MXMNSG SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW ON STITCHER: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/start-the-beat-with-sikes www.therealsikes.com Start The Beat is part of the Epicast family. Learn all about us at www.epicastnetwork.com

It's been a little while but Amuck is back and gearing up to release a new album so we sat down to talk about getting a little older, growing a little wiser and creating art for a reason bigger than yourself. Sit back, relax and lets Start The Beat!  FOLLOW ME ON ALL SOCIAL MEDIA: @therealsikes  FOLLOW START THE BEAT ON FACEBOOK: facebook.com/startthebeatpodcast  SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW ON ITUNES: http://apple.co/1MXMNSG SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW ON STITCHER: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/start-the-beat-with-sikes www.therealsikes.com Start The Beat is part of the Epicast family. Learn all about us at www.epicastnetwork.com

This week I sit down with AJ Worrell of Preserving Silence Records to discuss running an independent music label & distro, DIY merchandising and the work ethics of underground musicians in the digital age. We also talk a bit about our shared struggles that stem from our "collectors mentalities" and coming up in a generation when all media was physical media. Solid dude. Great talk. Sit back, relax and lets Start The Beat!  BUY SOME MUSIC: http://preservingsilence.limitedrun.com/ FOLLOW ME ON ALL SOCIAL MEDIA: @therealsikes  FOLLOW START THE BEAT ON FACEBOOK: facebook.com/startthebeatpodcast  SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW ON ITUNES: http://apple.co/1MXMNSG SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW ON STITCHER: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/start-the-beat-with-sikes www.therealsikes.com Start The Beat is part of the Epicast family. Learn all about us at www.epicastnetwork.com

This week I sit down with Tim Indyk of Moshpit to talk DIY show promotion, self discovery and taking the jump to pursue your passions full-time. Sit back, relax and lets Start The Beat!  FOLLOW ME ON ALL SOCIAL MEDIA: @therealsikes  FOLLOW START THE BEAT ON FACEBOOK: facebook.com/startthebeatpodcast  SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW ON ITUNES: http://apple.co/1MXMNSG SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW ON STITCHER: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/start-the-beat-with-sikes www.therealsikes.com Start The Beat is part of the Epicast family. Learn all about us at www.epicastnetwork.com

*To the tune of the 1960's Spider-Man theme song* Raymond Strife. Raymond Strife. Does whatever a Raymond Likes. Does a tour - Any size. Dropping Beats - Spitting rhymes. Look out! Here comes the Raymond Strife! This week I sit down with the superhero Raymond Strife for a talk about the DIY Hip Hop scene, touring and figuring out how to be a better human being. Sit back, relax and lets Start The Beat!  Raymond Strife was recently on an episode of The Throw Away Days which is an awesome podcast hosted by Cody Jones. It's a great conversation and if you're interested you can listen to the full thing here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxqhNmYr-lU FOLLOW ME ON ALL SOCIAL MEDIA: @therealsikes  FOLLOW START THE BEAT ON FACEBOOK: facebook.com/startthebeatpodcast  SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW ON ITUNES: http://apple.co/1MXMNSG SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW ON STITCHER: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/start-the-beat-with-sikes www.therealsikes.com Start The Beat is part of the Epicast family. Learn all about us at

It’s a Half Juggalo, Half Ric Flair party on this weeks NU episode of Start The Beat! I pour a couple beers and sit down with fellow musician/air horn enthusiast, Jesse Turnball for an introspective conversation about the how the bar for talent continues to keep getting higher and higher in modern “extreme” music. We also discuss some of the crazy talent we’ve seen come out of this scene over past decade and learn about the history of his band, Nephele. Sit back, relax and lets Start The Beat!  FOLLOW ME ON ALL SOCIAL MEDIA: @therealsikes  FOLLOW START THE BEAT ON FACEBOOK: facebook.com/startthebeatpodcast  SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW ON ITUNES: http://apple.co/1MXMNSG SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW ON STITCHER: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/start-the-beat-with-sikes www.therealsikes.com Start The Beat is part of the Epicast family. Learn all about us at www.epicastnetwork.com

Who wants to make something beautiful and awesome happen? This week I sit down with two individuals at the forefront of something very beautiful that's starting to blossom in the Pittsburgh music scene. Matthew Seibel & Sūgga of LIB.CO aka the Library Collective. On the surface LIB.CO is functioning as a independent recording studio & label but there's so much more going on behind the scenes and we're going to talk all about it. Sit back, relax and lets Start The Beat!  FOLLOW ME ON ALL SOCIAL MEDIA: @therealsikes  FOLLOW START THE BEAT ON FACEBOOK: facebook.com/startthebeatpodcast  SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW ON ITUNES: http://apple.co/1MXMNSG SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW ON STITCHER: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/start-the-beat-with-sikes www.therealsikes.com Start The Beat is part of the Epicast family. Learn all about us at www.epicastnetwork.com

I’M ON A BOAT! This week I sit down with my friend Issac Holeva as he takes me for a little cruise down the Allegheny and we chat about how the Pittsburgh scene has developed over the past decade. Issac is involved with A LOT. Faded Industry Entertainment, Premier Innovations Group & Pittsburgh Norml just to name a few and this is an awesome talk with an experienced business mind that has plenty of experience under his belt. Sit back, relax and lets Start The Beat!  FOLLOW ME ON ALL SOCIAL MEDIA: @therealsikes  FOLLOW START THE BEAT ON FACEBOOK: facebook.com/startthebeatpodcast  SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW ON ITUNES: http://apple.co/1MXMNSG SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW ON STITCHER: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/start-the-beat-with-sikes www.therealsikes.com Start The Beat is part of the Epicast family. Learn all about us at www.epicastnetwork.com

You wanna talk about recording music, growing up and reminisce about the "scene" days of the scene? You're in luck! This week I sit down with long time pal Brad Brunazzi of the band Arcane Haven for a talk about all of this and more. Sit back, relax and lets Start The Beat!  FOLLOW ME ON ALL SOCIAL MEDIA: @therealsikes FOLLOW START THE BEAT ON FACEBOOK: facebook.com/startthebeatpodcast SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW ON ITUNES: http://apple.co/1MXMNSGSUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW ON STITCHER: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/start-the-beat-with-sikes www.therealsikes.com Start The Beat is part of the Epicast family. Learn all about us at www.epicastnetwork.com

Hey! Do you enjoy craft beers and underground music? This week I crack open a couple cold ones with Tony "T-Funk" Thomas from the band Solarburn & Full Pint Brewing Company to discuss our interests in the wide world of beer and his experiences being a independent musician with a history longer and more diverse than most. Sit back, relax and lets Start The Beat!  FOLLOW ME ON ALL SOCIAL MEDIA: @therealsikes FOLLOW START THE BEAT ON FACEBOOK: facebook.com/startthebeatpodcast  SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW ON ITUNES: http://apple.co/1MXMNSGSUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW ON STITCHER: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/start-the-beat-with-sikes Start The Beat is part of the Epicast family. Learn all about us at www.epicastnetwork.com.