The Musical Hype Interviews THE Musical Hype

 

Toss out the normal ABOUT ME – let’s make things interesting with a self-interview essentially. Okay, first things first, the name of the blog/website is themusicalhype.com.  What’s your real name?  

Brent Faulkner.  Here’s a pic of me btw.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okay Brent Faulkner, what’s the premise of The Musical Hype?

I’ll post this pic and it tells you everything you need to know.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okay, so you write lots of different written media reacting to various styles of music.  So, what makes you qualified to write about music? 

Hmm, don’t doubt my skills, bruh!  I am a musician myself, specializing in piano, which I began studying at the age of seven, and trombone, which was my primary instrument in college.  In addition to piano and trombone, I also play the organ, flute, clarinet, saxophone, some percussion (mallets mostly), and dabble a bit with bass and guitar.  I also like to sing, compose and produce music, and I have a great ear.  To tell you the truth, I just assumed as youngster all musicians could name the key and pitches without the music in front of them.  ‘Course, it was pretty extreme that time I heard a squeaking music stand sound an ‘E.’

Also, I have two degrees in music.  My B.A. is in Music Education, meaning I’m a certified music educator, while my M.M. (Master of Music) is in Music Theory & Composition.  So, I can teach, analyze, and compose music. 

Okay, okay, so you’re qualified, though I don’t know how helpful picking out the pitches of a squeaking music stand is to The Musical Hype.  So we know you love music and are skilled in it, has your passion for writing been lifelong?

I’ve always enjoyed writing from childhood.  Throughout middle school and high school I was always in the honors language arts and English classes.  Being part of advanced courses definitely pushes you and by my senior year of high school in my AP English literature and composition class, I felt like I made ample strides as a writer.  I didn’t consider majoring in English in college mind you – music was my main passion and true love – but I always had a passion for writing and creation in general.

How did you get your start as a blogger?

During high school and even more so in college, I would review albums mostly for amazon.com.  These reviews catapulted me to being a Top 1000 reviewer at one point.  With such high visibility, it opened the door for bigger opportunities, moving me beyond merely being an Amazon reviewer.  I would say that my post-Amazon reviewer experiences with various music blogs and websites truly stretched my possibilities as a blogger/writer, even if it wasn’t my primary career.

What other sites have you written for in the past?  

My works have appeared on the following sites:

• TheUrbanMusicScene*
• Black Gospel (former Do Tell Gospel)
• Brent Music Reviews (my original, self-started, music blog)
• PopMatters
• Starpulse (some posts were penned under “Brent M Faulkner”)

 

*currently contributes 

 

Interesting.  Discuss the birth of The Musical Hype. 

After the end of my primary contributing site at the time, I knew I wanted to continue to publish my album reviews and various articles somewhere.  I had a WordPress.com blog, Brent Music Reviews that actually helped me earn a contributing spot elsewhere, but I wanted a fresh start.  I wanted to challenge myself to build my own site from scratch and see if people would actually read my works.  That meant not having the readymade audience of larger sites that had already paid their dues in establishing themselves.  With money earned from my side contributing job, I began my journey with The Musical Hype in June 2016.  Some of the articles I imported from Brent Music Reviews, hence why you see articles from several years earlier.

What’s your goals for The Musical Hype going forward?

Expand, expand, expand! I want to reach out to more readers, more artists of all genres, and become and even stronger blogger, editor, publisher, and writer. I want to incorporate more columns and types of pieces, inviting more interaction with artists, particularly up-and-coming artists, such as interviews. I also have a vision of expanding the site to include various media, whether that’s a podcast or potentially a YouTube channel.

Cool. Let’s say I’m an artist/band, and I’m trying to get my ‘shiz’ on your site. How do I submit my work for consideration?

 I’ll admit that I stay busy, but there’s a number of ways to reach me. (1) Email: brentmusicreviews@yahoo.com. (2) Twitter: @brenthemusicman (3) Facebook Page: facebook.com/themusicalhype.

Okay, so you say you’re pretty busy, right? So, do you welcome guest bloggers?

Yes, without a doubt. Feel free to ask – I won’t bite. I don’t pay nor charge for guest posts.  If you have something great to add to the site, I’m all ears… well likely electronic communication, so…

Okay, what else should people know about the self-described ‘eccentric, quirky freelance music blogger.’  

Hmm, that’s deep bruh – I’m pretty complex dude.  Here’s a list of things I enjoy BESIDES music (composing, listening, performing, producing, and teaching) and writing.

• Reading: I enjoy the informative, trivia, true crime
• Politics: Yes, I’m a lefty, but liberals and conservatives can be friends
• Religion: I’m personally a Christian, but I enjoy studying multiple perspectives
• Watching Sports: Basketball and football are my favorites; I’m a huge University of Kentucky fan
• Video Games: Sports, fantasy, role playing…
• Movies: Comedy, drama, musicals, Academy-Award winning

 

Thank you for taking the time to interview yourself.

Any time. Check out some of my socials:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themusicalhype/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/brenthemusicman

IG:  The Musical Hype: https://www.instagram.com/themusicalhype/ Personal:  https://www.instagram.com/brentamus10/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/savedamzk/

Tumblr: https://e-e-music-compendium.tumblr.com/

Flipboard: https://flipboard.com/@brentfaulkner/the-musical-hype-206k7ge1y

Google: The Musical Hype Community: https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/104030694815918582790