Today we’d like to introduce you to SuperFan Shannon.
SuperFan Shannon, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin? Well, I had this awesome post typed out and my PC closed the window and I lost everything… Oof. It wouldn’t be a Superfan Shannon show if we didn’t have technical difficulties. Let’s try this again! What’s my story? I always find this question so daunting and the pressure seems to set in, but I will give it a go!
I am a Jacksonville transplant that arrived fresh from the snow in 2016 after spending 32 years in Martinsburg West Virginia. Jacksonville checked a lot of boxes for me. 1) It doesn’t snow here and the winters still have sunshine. 2) There is incredible support for the arts. 3) I can be 30 minutes from the ocean. What I learned when I arrived is that Jacksonville, much like DC, is a mixing bowl of culture. Each burrow has its own aesthetic and if you look hard enough Jacksonville can deliver what you are looking for.
In October 2016, I was at The Hour Glass Pub downtown, it’s no longer there but it was next to the jail, to watch Mad Cow ford at a comedy night. Little did I know that this night would eventually lead to my future in Internet Radio. I met B.P. randomly that night and he told me all about the Internet Radio Station that he owned and managed called Rock 989. On the station, he was the LIVE host for Backyard Rock and the co-host of a syndicated show called Sonic Assault with his friend Shoeless Joe. I looked up the programming and would tune in on and off for the next two years.
Flash forward to May 2019 and I am at my second Welcome to Rockville, WHOOT, and sitting in the grass just living the dream with my group and I see a familiar face across the lawn, holy crap it’s BP! I very loudly shouted “Hey, I know you!” as I stood and dashed in their direction. This is the day that set it all into motion.
BP and Shoeless Joe invited me on their show, Sonic Assault, as a guest shortly after Welcome to Rockville. After Shoeless Joe had a meltdown that crashed the studio resulting in my being bashed in the head with a microphone, I was hooked. Three shows later I was asked to be a permanent co-host on their show. Unfortunately, Sonic Assault didn’t make it to 2020, but BP and I made it our mission to grow Rock 989 and make sure that independent artists had a space to be heard. Because I have a business background, my main focus was marketing and studying numbers. Identifying what was working and wasn’t, while being a sometime cohost for Backyard Rock.
Three months in and BOOM Covid… the world as we knew it was shutting down. How were we going to be able to get out there and see the bands, let alone talk to them when the world is in a shutdown? Luckily, for us, Jacksonville is full of people who love to network as much as I do, and we met Rob from Hit the Lights Productions. Rob allowed us the opportunity to Live Stream a show where people can tip the artists. Rob and John set up the Red Room for the first live stream and boy was it an experience. We safely for months conducted interviews live on air and had live performances, growing the platform of the already exploding music scene in Florida.
In October 2020, Rock 989 hosted an event at1904 Music Hall that really showed me what our scene was becoming in Jacksonville. Higher Ground, Divided Truth, and Out of Darkness tore the roof off of that venue. Out of Darkness was freshly signed with Curtain Call records at the time and had previously played at our Live Stream over the summer, but I don’t think anyone was prepared for Divided Truth and Higher Ground.
I had previously seen Divided Truth at their only pre-Covid show, Metal for Mutts hosted by Devan the now owner of Authentic Mosh Apparel, but nothing prepared me for the guitar riffs that Chuck Hilyard threw out that night. With Jerry Sible on vocals, Zakk Hillyard on Bass, and James Leopard on drums they gave me something that I had been missing since my days in the theatre. On this night they became my friends and I couldn’t be more thankful for their support during my journey the past year.
Jerry has been a true mentor and friend as my journey moved from part-time co-host to full-time host. I became the permanent host of Whiskey Wednesday’s edition of Backyard Rock in March 2021 where the boys from Divided Truth signed their contracts with Curtain Call records on LIVE air! Never in my life would I think I would be a part of something so cool. Watching your friends succeed because their hard work paid off is the best!
My friends from Higher Ground, the loudest cheerleaders for everyone, joined Curtain Call Records shortly thereafter. It has been incredible to see bands like Surviving September, M99, Clench fist, White Collar Sideshow, and many others join those ranks and get the recognition they desire. To add to that MVK Music Group in Orlando is another amazing company that backs bands such as The Dev, Vertebreaker, Soul Switch, Ventruss, Cold Subject, Seasons, and many others!! Independent Rock is KILLING IT, especially in Florida. Then this wonderful thing happened, we OPENED THE DOORS and BOOM the game changed again.
As the music scene was allowed to do its thing towards the end of 2020 everyone decided we weren’t going back inside and I couldn’t agree more. As the Host of Whiskey Wednesday now I felt it was my responsibility to not only talk about the scene, but actually be in it, I LOVE a good show, but now I have the platform to help my peers. This really is what it is about for me, creating a safe space to get to know these artists, play their music, and have an amazing time. This is what I get out of it, memories and so much astounding music.
Over the two years, I have made so many friends, interviewed people in Florida, New York, New Jersey, Texas the list continues. I get to hear music before everyone else and my show is kind of funny. I am getting joy out doing what I am. I actively help coach people in public speaking, how to interview, how to treat their band as a business (because that is what it is), and just being there to be an ear.
I have been able to travel to Tallahassee and hear about the great work that the Tallahassee Local Music Community Charity Group and Warrior on the River are up to and how they help Title One Students find the arts programs that are being cut from their schools. To Orlando going through my right of passage at the Haven. Jacksonville is the best though (insert meme with the guy at the table with the white sign that says something about changing my mind).
Seeing your friends take the stage at Welcome to Rockville in 2021 was AMAZING. The Twitch Stage really gave these local artists a platform that wasn’t available to them until now. Go check out that lineup.
Today, I am still on Wednesday night, but the platform has changed. Rock989 closed its doors in November 2021 and as sad as it was that wasn’t the end for the team. Lee and Rob, fellow hosts on Rock 989, opened mtrsradio.com and invited me along for the ride. What a ride it has been in these few short months. Through the Drinking Glass has been a great opportunity to really own my show and my content. I am still interviewing artists, featuring new music with reviews, and supporting the INDEPENDENT ARTISTS!
Couldn’t be happier with how this adventure is going and I don’t plan on letting up anytime soon, my show is currently looking for sponsors to help keep this machine running, think about it as supporting your kid’s little league team. We will flood you with love and get your name shown, but we can’t promise a return.
*Fingers Crossed one day Toyota in Arlington will listen to my 303,000 11-year stories and help out this show… And I’m in there every 3 months*
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Well damn, I feel like I shouldn’t have written that paragraph now without reading head… hahaha. Yes, there have been an insane number of challenges. Learning the Facebook Algorithm, making our station stand out from the thousands of other Internet stations.
It’s insanely easy to get a Live365 account and start a station. I really feel that if people stopped competing with each other and started working together we could get a lot more finished. I know in the time I have been doing this at least 6-12 more “stations” or “podcasts” have popped up around music in Florida and beyond. I am a firm believer that I want everyone to win and if we worked together we can do it better.
One of the biggest struggles is getting people to understand that we are not FM Radio. Another struggle is making people want to not use their other apps. Like traditional radio, our station is not interactive like Spotify. You can definitely send us requests, but it won’t auto-update the playlist. Make sense?
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Definitely should have rad ahead… I did not understand the assignment here hahaha — see what I did there? I am not too old for TikTok… no I don’t have one.
I provide a platform for artists to be heard and seen. I specifically focus on Punk, Rock, Screams and Cleans, and Heavy Metal. There are so many bands in Jax to shout out to, but I will instead encourage you to visit my page and check out my show notes… I list all of the bands I play so that you can add them to your playlists.
What sets me apart from what others are doing? This isn’t about me. This is about drawing light to the Scene and giving these artists a chance to be heard. I tell people all the time people don’t want to listen to me talk, they want to learn about you. Give them the old cassette cover bio and let’s have fun.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
Oh goodness… Definitely should have read ahead! LOL. I love the arts scene in Jax. Between the murals everywhere, RAM, Art Walk, the music venues, the live theatres, and museums, Oh and the FOOD. Jax has something for every craving.
My dislikes are small. Duval’s chant is the worst. Absolutely hate it and I am sure now everyone hates me for saying it. I also dislike how much people don’t know about their town. I can’t tell you how many locals I know that you will ask about something like RAM and they have zero clue.
Get out in your city peo0ple! So many free things here and affordable adventures1
Pricing:
- Small Sponsorship – $50 monthly
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
- Website: www.mtrsradio.com
- Instagram: @SuperFanShannon
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SuperFanShannon/
Image Credits
Welcome to Rockville 2021, Authentic Mosh Apparel, Christian – Legions, and Warrior on the River Raymond
