WAIM #062 - Brad Kyle

I first got to know Brad Kyle when friend of WAIM, Kevin Alexander took part in a game called Tune Tag. The game was hosted by Brad at his Front Row & Backstage substack. The game involves linking songs through the artists that played on them, places where they were recorded, who produced and various other factors. It’s nerdery at a very high level and I immediately fell in love with the concept. Thankfully, Brad was down and we had a terrific exchange that encompassed Bowie, Spoon, Alejandro Escovedo, and more. When Brad and I got the chance to sit down in late January (took a minute for this one to hit the streets) we started with the oh so familiar many origin storiy; The Beatles on Ed Sullivan. Brad shares how he chucked the accordion immediately upon seeing the Fab Four and has been head over heels in love with rock and roll ever since. We get a front row seat (pun intended) to radio in the 60’s and 70’s as we are regaled with stories of Brad’s father working as an ad-man in the Houston radio market. Brad talks about the crates of promos that became his own personal collection, and the hundreds of artists who almost made it, but ended up completely forgotten. It’s these artists that most fascinate Brad Kyle.While Brad has long been in love with rock and roll, he only started writing about it very recently. In fact, writing for an audience came late to Brad. He first took his pen public in 2014 when he began a long stint as a beat writer for the Houston Astros for a sports blog. When the blog closed up shop, Brad with no editor, switched horses completely and began writing about music full-time. He has never looked back. During his time on Substack, Brad has forged a friendship with singer, songwriter, and actor Steven Michael Scwartz who was an up and coming star in the 70’s that never made it big. Schwartz and Kyle have worked together to help tell that story, and to carve out an example of artistic resilience. It’s a fascinating relationship that has led to more than twenty articles by Schwartz for Front Row & Backstage. There is also talk of the big bands not needing any more help, Brad’s days of working at a massive Houston record store in the golden era of vinyl, and we learn about Brad’s fascination with the minutiae of the music industry. This is a great chat with a hardcore fan and a man spreading the gospel of rock and roll each and every day. Cheers,Matty C Get full access to What Am I Making at whatamimaking.substack.com/subscribe