Radio Station of the week : Kimmi and The Metal Deli serve up the rock! By JMack

1.) How long have you been on the air and where are you located?

Can you describe your first broadcast. 

I've been on the air for ten years and I'm located in Chicago. I hadn't really learned to use the software -- I had only watched over someone's shoulder twice as he used it, so I sat down to do my first show totally blind. I figured the worst that could happen was I could totally screw it up. At that time The Metal Deli was only one hour and it took me about 8 hours to do it. In the ten years since I have gone to a 2-hour format and it only takes 4 hours, so I think that's a pretty good growth!  The first show turned out great (in my humble opinion) -- for a first show -- and I was so excited to do the next one!

2.) What's your favorite part of hosting a radio show?

Letting the show take me away.   Seriously -- after my intro music I usually do a short monologue. That monologue starts my "feel" for the show and that's the vibe the show follows. That moment when I get into that vibe and realize how the show is going to go -- it's an amazing feeling. Of course I have a little plan for how the show will go but if it changes in the monologue I go with that over my plan.   

3.) Can you tell us about some bands that you have played as "underground" that went really big?  

 LOL.....  No.  :)   Define "really big".   Fozzy, Chris Jericho is a wrestler, actor, podcaster, etc. has been on my show.  But only once or twice.   

4.) What are you looking for in new music?

I love when a band is SO different that it makes me listen once or twice or three times almost in disbelief. I want different, new, out of the box. That kind of music is always hard for audiences to accept but it's also what gets attention.

5.) What's your average audience?

 I honestly have no clue.   I think all that info was lost when my domain name expired and I lost it. 

6.) What's your plans for the future? 

I'm SO excited -- I just announced that within the next two months I will be debuting The Metal Deli LIVE and IN YOUR FACE --  a video version of The Metal Deli, featuring underground and independent metal band's VIDEOS. For now it will be twice a month and about one hour. This idea has been in the back of my mind for a long time so finally being able to go ahead with it is just incredibly cool. Since I ad lib everything it will be a little different with the camera catching me but I'm up for the challenge. The shows will be available to watch both on my website and youtube and hopefully other places, just not sure where yet. It's really ALL NEW to me.  I have a nephew majoring in film so he's going to be helping me.  

7.) Can you describe to us your relationship with Wes of Metal Coffee PR?

Wes is awesome. He has such passion for what he does and that's exactly the kind of person I want to know and work with because that's exactly how I am.  Just recently I asked him if he had any new music and literally half an hour later he had sent me music from no less than THIRTY bands. That kind of response is UNREAL. I've played half of them already. That amount of music is, to a podcaster, a gift of gold. I have Wes' back and he has mine. I don't even know how many years we've known each other now. I'm very thankful for his friendship.

8.) Can you tell us a funny / interesting story about your radio station.

Oh I could tell you TONS. My favorite is about the band Snew, from Los Angeles.  They were the first band I had interviewed ever. What I had been unprepared for was how funny they are.  The interview was an hour long and in that hour they did not answer one single question. Not one. They just made jokes back and forth and I laughed the entire time. I think it was about halfway through I stopped trying to get the interview under control and let them have total freedom and just hilariousness all around. But that's not the best part. The best part was about a year or two later. Snew was playing in Janesville, WI, the closest to me they would ever play. I was supposed to go but broke my right ankle and couldn't make the drive. So that night I'm sitting at home and Curtis Don Vito, the lead singer, calls and he says, "Hey, there's no way we could be this close and not see you, so we're coming over. We're going to cook you dinner!"  I didn't even know what to say!  This wasn't in the podcast rules book!  :)  Mark Ohrenberger, the drummer, had recently gone fishing in Lake Michigan and caught a ton of fish, so the whole band was coming to cook me a fish dinner. The fish, a huge salad and I forget what else. They got there, sat me down in the kitchen and wouldn't let me help at all. Dinner was amazing, they guys were hilarious and SO sweet and we had a great time. None of my family was home so I called my next-door neighbor to have him come take a picture. I was SO sad when the guys had to hit the road. Such an amazing experience. Snew rocks -- all of the guys are amazing.

9.)  How do bands submit their music to you?

Bands should send me MP3s to themetaldeli@gmail.com -- preferably with their band name in the subject line.  And they should be sure to tell me they read about me here -- so I know to thank Wes!