How did you get started doing this show?
I have always been a rabid guitar music fan—
mainly rock, fusion, and quality metal. My passion
for seeking out new music has led me to discover
many obscure guitar talents from all over the
world. When I started graduate school in 1999,
I interned and made a demo tape for the local
college station, 88.5 WRUR, which they liked
enough to give me a show. In 2003, I invited my
good friend Bob Stewie, aka Heavy Metal Bob,
who owns a local CD shop in upstate New York
that specializes in all genres of metal and hard
rock from around the world, to join
me. Since we started the show,
WRUR expanded by hooking up
with local PBS station WXXI, giving
us an even wider audience.
What sort of music do you play?
It’s all about the underground
with a little variety thrown in for good measure.
Most radio shows that play metal or guitaroriented
rock are very rigid with their formats,
focusing only on the well-known artists of the
genres. The Academy of Shred is a format for
listeners to learn about the many lesser-known,
high-quality players and bands that would never
get airplay anywhere else. There are a lot of
bands we were playing back in their demo days
that have record deals now. We are focused on
seeking out the best of the best, no matter how
obscure, and we guarantee that anyone who listens
to the show will discover a new killer player
or band each week. Anyone who would like to
submit music for airplay can do so by contacting
us at myspace.com/academyofshred. We
listen to everything we get thoroughly, and we
crank it loud and proud.