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It's All Happening! Hosted by Nia Robinson is a show that talks in depth with some of the most elusive artists in the business. Nia dives deep into the underbelly of the music business with behind the scenes Interviews and music with up-and-coming alternative artists from around the world. That's pretty slayy! We also air on 91.5FM KUNV :)
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You're listening to local programming produced in K, u and v studios.
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The content of this program does not reflect the views or opinions of 91.5 Jazz and more the University of Nevada Las Vegas or the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education.
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Hey homies you are listening to it's all happening with me your host, DJ Robin. This is a show where we speak with artists, bands and students about genre defined music being a music enthusiast and the history of music and you're listening to it's all happening with me your host, DJ Robin. On today's episode, I spoke with Tori Kravitz, who is a rock'n'roll journalist and publicist. What's going on? How have you been?
Unknown Speaker 0:51
Yeah, I'm great. I'm great. It's a kill Sunday for once. So glad I could make some time and chat with you, for sure. How are you?
Unknown Speaker 0:59
I'm good. Thank you so much for asking. So you have a quite extensive record on you. So you've been interviewing bands since you were a teenager? You now work for Knotfest and Adam splitter PR, how is that going? How's everything over there?
Unknown Speaker 1:13
It's been really good. I am. Yeah, like, I've definitely been in the industry for a really long time. And it was about 2019 2020, where I took a break. And I ended up kind of going in a different direction of my career for a while. And those two years. I missed it the entire time. So I think now coming back into it with Knotfest and Adam splitter, I have such a new appreciation for it, because I know what it's like to not be in the industry. So now being here. It's it reignited like a whole new fire in me where I feel really like rejuvenated and inspired. And I never take a single moment for granted. So yeah, it's been great.
Unknown Speaker 1:49
That's awesome. You were a teenager when you started. Why did you decide to start writing about music artists and like what got you into the whole journalism aspect?
Unknown Speaker 1:59
Yeah. It wasn't something I intentionally thought it was gonna be my career. When I started, I was in high school. And I was just, I loved music, I was obsessed with it, I was obsessed with going to shows and learning about artists and always had a curiosity for like the story behind the music I loved and watching interviews and all of that. And I also was like a total outcast in high school, like I was bullied relentlessly for liking alternative music and having red streaks in my hair. And so I was quite lonely in high school, which I guess worked out in my favor, because it meant I had a lot of time on my hands. You know, it wasn't hanging out or going to parties or anything. So I would sit in study hall at lunchtime and, and just started blogging and realized that I could actually meet the bands that I love to doing interviews and like it was when I was like 14, it was almost like a loophole of the meet and greet. Like, I could just go and interview them and actually, like said, have a conversation with these people, which was like, wild to my teenage brain. And then, you know, I had I have a mom who knows a lot about public speaking and, and I think she kind of started to help like really supporting me in this and gave me so much advice where I was like, oh, like I'm actually getting better at this. Maybe I've got a shot at like legitimately doing this. So I just kept going kept practicing. And it became a weekly YouTube channel and just kind of organically grown over time, but through the discipline of doing it regularly all the time. And then so yeah, I ran that channels called Rock forever magazine for five years. And then that led me onto Warped Tour.
Unknown Speaker 3:37
So, okay, that's what I want to get into now. Warped Tour. Wow. Okay, that was a whole era within itself. I actually tried to go to warp tour three times, I made three attempts to go this is in high school and I like like, try to beg my friends and like Guys, please like we should just go and they're like, no, we want to go see Drake. Drake, Rob cool. Love rap. But I'm like, wait, no, like, we should just go to more of like, we can leave and like, you know, like I tend to ride them on like, like, let's say like we go and then we hate it. We can just go home because it's like super cheap. Like the tickets aren't that much. And they're like no have to drive there. I'm like, Okay, what we can take the trade
Unknown Speaker 4:13
way to handle every single objection that came your way you were ready. Yeah,
Unknown Speaker 4:17
but no, they they went saw Drake and I did not go to work. That week, that weekend, so it was chill. But um, I never went and I like regretted but I'm like, you know, it's okay. Because there's like other festivals, like when we're young and stuff like that. And like other pop up festivals that come up to you and like a lot of bands. They still tour on their own, which is pretty sad because I'm like, you know, it's okay. It wasn't meant
Unknown Speaker 4:44
to be I suppose. Yeah.
Unknown Speaker 4:46
Yeah. So how many bands do you think that you've interviewed like at Warped Tour and who were the bands that stuck out to you the most what were your favorite?
Unknown Speaker 4:55
Gosh, to try to put a number on that is there Very scary behavior. During the PIP logs, I would interview or at least feature every single band in the PIP logs. So say there were 100 I don't know if that's even accurate. Maybe like 100 bands on the lineup through the whole planet torque, you know, bad came in and out throughout the whole summer. We could easily put it at 300 because I well, maybe like 250. But that's just work tour alone. That's not even counting anything I did prior after like, it's, yeah, it's a crazy number. As far as stand out, there was kind of a running joke because my first year Warped Tour, I was like, really obsessed with AFI Alexandria, and I would watch them every single day. It just became almost a problem. Like I'm getting teased for it. Because if anybody needed to find me, if asked Alexandria was playing, they knew they could find me side stage for them every single day. Even the band kind of like oh, you're always here. Um, so that was a big standout for me just from like a fan perspective, because they were one of the bands that got me into like metal core, so that toured with them was really surreal. I ended up becoming good friends with waterparks the first year that we were on the tour together I think that was 2016. Austin is couldn't keep it orange juice in our fridge and my best because he didn't ever met him. But to the amount of orange juice he was drinking like he would be why was he drinking so much orange juice? I don't know. I really don't have an answer. But I think it was the Wawa orange juice if I recall that he was like obsessed with it. I don't know the story. I just know that he needed a friend to offer up some fridge space and I obliged. So I don't know I just it's hard to say a standout because worked for it really was like a family atmosphere out there. So everyone ended up crossing paths and and I have so many good friends that were out there bands and non bands. So yeah. And also my now partner playing about the manner so that ended up being like a funny connection. So we were on the tour together. But
Unknown Speaker 7:04
yeah, oh my god, that's so cool. So now I kind of want to segue to something different now you've been in this industry for a while you you've been around. And now you're also a woman in this industry, which is heavily dominated by sis white men stating the obvious. How are you able to hold your ground and basically be like, you know, I'm tough enough. I can hang with y'all. I know my you know, I know my facts. I know what's up and I can do this. How do you stand your ground and an environment like this?
Unknown Speaker 7:32
That's a really great question. I'm so glad you asked that. Because when I was a teenager, I had like everything against me. It wasn't just that I was a woman. It's that I was really young. And I looked like all of the fans. So I was immediately written off and underestimated. So I just never let that get to my head. And even when I wasn't quite confident yet at all, or thought I shouldn't be there had crazy impostor syndrome. It was a fake it till you make it situation. So I would put my chin up, chest up. Be confident, even if you don't feel it, you have to fake it. Totally. Yeah. And I just think no one will take you seriously unless you take yourself seriously. Unless you are focused and you can stand your ground is like knowing that you belong there. Even if you don't think you do, like people will believe you if you portray that in yourself. So when I was really young, it was a big fake it till you make it situation. Over time, I would have a lot of artists that were really kind to me and giving me compliments saying I'm doing a good job. And so even I think like that's advice for other women too, is like if you see someone doing a good job, give them the compliment, because you might not know they're faking it and something like that can help them to make it
Unknown Speaker 8:40
Oh, yeah, that vaguer yet. Yeah. And I think
Unknown Speaker 8:44
now, I don't care because I used to really also have like that very serious space. Like I looked like I was always kind of angry because I just felt like I had to have such a tough exterior. Because that's kind of especially in rock and metal. That's just how you're expected to be. But I think now because I feel I've legitimately earned my stripes and I am confident in what I do. I can be kind and be smiling and be bubbly. And I don't really care that anybody may perceive that as weakness or anything else because I know it's not so now it's morphed into legitimate. I know my place here and people respect me because I stand my ground and I've earned my place but it took a long time.
Unknown Speaker 9:25
No, definitely. Yeah, I'm really happy you brought that up. Especially because I know I'm in college still. And I go to like these shows or go to like music festivals and like, there's so much going on there. There's a lot happening and people think like, oh, you're just here to see the band. Just want to Mosh get drunk with your friends because you're a college girl, you know, just want to party. You want to hook up with the drummer or whatever. I'm like, No, dude, I'm here to work. Like, I do. Like I have like I have like a 2000 word paper do like they need it tomorrow. like nah, like that's like, and it's so crazy because I feel like me being a black woman. I always tell Obviously sounds good. And also, you've been with him as well, like, we definitely are able to challenge that status quo. And I feel like hopefully in the future, and I'm seeing that now more women in rock, that it's going somewhere, it's going somewhere really, really good. And I hope this energy that is happening in the music industry, with this woman just keeps going and going. Yeah,
Unknown Speaker 10:16
I think it's gonna take some time. But it's, I know, it may be cliche, but representation is everything. The more you're doing it even when it's scary. The more example there are of like, oh, maybe women are just trying to sleep with the drum, or maybe they're here to work, and they're seeing us doing the thing. And that's, it's just a stereotype that's gonna fade with time. Hopefully, fingers
Unknown Speaker 10:39
crossed, I believe in us. Yeah, no, because this, it reminds me a lot of like, the riot girl movement, like I just like, remember, like, all those bands like Bikini Kill, and you know, and all those girls back then and like, there's so many like, I'm trying to think of them as, like, when I get when I put myself on the spot. I'm like, Wait, who are like Sleater Kinney and everyone like that, like they definitely paved the way and I want to see more of that happening now and 2024 and beyond, especially with more women of color as well. And it's great to see it starting to change and also with like, you know, tick tock and everything. It's making things more accessible to people and people are finding out about more bands. And it's great. And that's also something I want to talk to you about. What are your thoughts on tick tock and alternative music artists using it?
Unknown Speaker 11:21
Yeah, well, funny enough, I don't have a tick tock, which I know is probably like a fatal mistake as somebody who's like an influencer and podcast. So silly thing. It's just an abyss that I know I'll never come out of if I go down it however, I'm very like active on Instagram and Instagram real. So I feel like I can somewhat speak on it. But I really get excited that music discovery so easy. Like, I just remember when I had to scroll through MySpace and the friends of my the bands that I liked on my face, trying to find music. And so now I think music discovery, like you're saying representation, it's so much easier to find all different kinds of artists online. And I think any way that artists are able to promote themselves and sustain a career DIY is awesome. Like, I mean, managers, publicists, all those things are great. But you know, when you're like a very tiny band just starting out, you may not have those resources available to you. So tick tock is a really great way to start building a fan base and credibility. I
Unknown Speaker 12:16
feel that too, it's so because I've discovered so many different artists on tick tock, and that actually led me to like, like, find out like, where they're going. It's like a like, versus like band going on tour. And like, there's like, a lot of fans out here in Vegas that I go and see locally. And like sometimes, like, I'll visit my homies out in LA, like, like, we'll make the drive and we'll go to LA. And it's really like support because you never know who like, the next big thing is gonna be and like or just like, where they're going in their career. And it's great to just support these local acts like now and just really support them and see where they're going. Like, I think that's just so amazing.
Unknown Speaker 12:48
Yeah, I agree. It's, um, it's a great way for also artists to be one on one hands on with fans and communicate and, and be able to speak for themselves and not their press releases. Like, again, the professional side of things had this play for a music industry, but I think it's really good for up and coming bands. 100% Yeah, then also the creativity is really fun to see out of that. Yeah,
Unknown Speaker 13:11
no, it definitely is. So now talking about professionalism, you are on the PR side of things, you know, you do journalism, how do you get like, how do you gauge that and then also have time to like go to shows and still be like, you know, a human and like live your life and also being a businesswoman and you're at every meeting on time and everything.
Unknown Speaker 13:30
I don't know that I do the best job because my work is kind of my life. But I think that's why it's okay, that you don't necessarily always have the best balance because I love what I do. And it doesn't necessarily feel like work all the time. But you know, I work I work remotely, I work from home. So I just kind of keep it structured as much of a nine to five as I possibly can even live music industries, all hours. You know, I go to gigs when I can I don't go as much as I did when I was younger, unfortunately. But I make the time whenever I can, especially the weekend. Yeah, I do my best. But to be honest, it's all I think about all the time.
Unknown Speaker 14:04
So that's great. So that means you love obviously that means you love it. Yeah. So now you've been at Adam splitter PR. How long have you been at home splitter for
Unknown Speaker 14:12
now? Yeah, so I actually just started with them in January. So it's only been almost three months. But I was with another PR firm for about two and a half years before that. More of an indie firm,
Unknown Speaker 14:22
and nd firm. Awesome. How long were you there for?
Unknown Speaker 14:25
Yeah, that was two and a half years. So yeah, it's been almost three years as a couple of things now. That's
Unknown Speaker 14:31
great. So when you were in college, did you know like what career you want to be like? I don't know. I'm just gonna see what happens. I'm gonna throw myself out there and just see what sticks. And also just because, you know, like a lot of college students listen to our show. So do you have any advice for them? Well,
Unknown Speaker 14:46
yeah, big question there. No, no, this isn't good stuff. I I knew sort of what I wanted to do, but so I was excited when he reached out to me because I Did broadcasting radio and television was like my overarching major with a focus in broadcast journalism. But at the time, I was mostly doing interviews on YouTube. And I had just gotten my work poor job my freshman year of college. Oh, that's awesome. It was, it was an interesting time, though, because my professors did not see any credibility in YouTube journalism, or music journalism, I was really looked down upon in my class, because I wasn't a local wanting to be a local broadcaster, like a news station or something I had a very like, especially in around 2016 2015, it was very unusual. And so I was studying journalism, but very quickly did not really affiliate with what they believed was the traditional form of broadcast journalism. So I really had to build my own path. And to be honest, like the YouTube thing, it was so much fun, and I was hoping that it would be kind of a leg up going into, I don't know, my dream of like MTV, if TR still existed or something. Yeah, it was very hard to turn that YouTube thing into a career for me, work tour was a really great opportunity. And I've done a lot of freelancing not festive, the first time where I feel like I genuinely have built like an actual full time job out of it. So it wasn't necessarily easy. But I think what's really important is to find what your skill sets are, and then any jobs that you think you would be good at with your certain skill sets. Like for me, I love writing a lot. I love writing about music even more. And I have a really great knowledge of music journalism. So although PR isn't necessarily being on the forefront, as a writer in journalism, to be a publicist, you have to have really great knowledge of it you have so I sort of understand it from the journalist side. So when I'm pitching stories, or pitching artists, to other writers, I know exactly how to talk to them. I know what they're looking for. And I really great knowledge of all the outlets, and you know, whether they're web magazines, or legit magazines, whatever it may be. So I guess that would be my advice is diversify your skill set. And any is in the realm of interests for you just just use college as a time to really hone in on those things like my minor within Writing and Rhetoric, which ended up being really valuable. Who knew I did not think I'm going to be a writer, but that was really exciting. So yeah, I don't know. Did I answer all the questions? I think I
Unknown Speaker 17:31
answered that phenomenally. Like, you literally, like nailed everything perfectly. Yeah.
Unknown Speaker 17:36
So so if you're if your professors are doubting whether your side hustles are real or not, don't listen to them. If I listened to my professors, when they told me my work, poor job was fake. Or like not real journalism, I wouldn't be where I am today, period.
Unknown Speaker 17:52
Yeah, no, and I definitely think I tell us, like a lot of like, my, my friends and stuff like that, like, if you like ever feel like oh, like I don't know, like what to do, or like, Oh, I just listen to my professor, take the safe route. The safe route is always there. But if you definitely feel like in your heart, like, hey, I want to do this, I think it's gonna go somewhere, then take a shot. I mean, we're young, we're in college, like, why not? You know, I always tell people don't like, you know, like, just try it out. Like you're in college. You know, you still have like your whole life ahead of you. If you feel it, trust your intuition. And just do it, while it's
Unknown Speaker 18:22
created by and even the things in college that you don't enjoy, are helping you towards your future because you're learning more about yourself and the things you maybe don't enjoy. Because when I first got into college, I was like, maybe I could be a local news anchor. And then I started putting news packages together and realize that was really not for me, but it took consuming it to know the right path for me too. So don't take it as like a failure if you do something in college that you don't love, because that's just a hint in the right direction
Unknown Speaker 18:48
still. Yeah, no, totally. Because I've you know, I remember when I started, I started informally doing artists interviews, like after shows On we go to very scrappy, very guerilla filming, you know, like people like drunk, like, you know, in the back, just like, hey, shout us out, shout us out. And then we're trying to interview the band. It was so scrappy and like, Oh my God, those videos, they were on my cousin and I, YouTube, those videos are gone. very chaotic, very funny. But now I like work with the collective and I work with my friend Sarah. And we just were able to just kind of build this team and work with our school as well. Like even like our school is like wait, what is this because they're like, You guys want to like interview these bands? Like just go in a mosh or like, what is it? Like no, no, I'm just going to Mosh we actually care about the music. And yeah, it's just it's been great. And so I just, you know, when I first started I was 2019 the pandemic happened in 2020. And I was like, scared like, I know if I can like do this anymore. And then my, my previous university University of San Francisco, I was like, you know, I'm gonna give it a shot like let's try doing radio maybe we're not cut out for YouTube just yet. Maybe. Let's go ahead and try it just on the radio. So I started that up, just started doing interviews trying to reach out to artists finding out where they like finding out like when where they were gonna be like in San Francisco or whatever, and just trying to make it work. And then a few years later, we're here expanding, trying to do more trying to give more content to people to try to educate people really on music as a whole. And yeah, just trying to create and just, you know, really spread love and like good vibes. Totally.
Unknown Speaker 20:19
And what you're doing is so good. And that's like such an important thing for anyone in college too is well yes. If you're wanting to get into music journalism, the most important thing is putting yourself out there. Yeah, it take networking and and building up even like a hosting real, if that's the direction you want to go. So you're doing it totally right.
Unknown Speaker 20:38
Oh, my God. Thank you. Sarah will be happy to hear that because she's also the editor for it's all happening as well, too. So she's gonna be super stoked to hear that. Yeah. Oh, my God. So oh, I'm like running out of questions. I'm just like, looking at my notes and everything. Because you've answered everything. So well. Is there anything that you would like to tell the viewers or just anybody who's in college or anything, you just want to let like know, any cool things happening at Knotfest?
Unknown Speaker 21:07
Cool things happening at Knotfest? I mean, I'll be as we're recording this, I'm going out to LA tomorrow in filming a boatload of episodes that she's with the band, like probably way too much content. So she's the band is growing, it's diversifying. That's really exciting. So you know, if anybody is rock or metal, female artists or you know, even transgender women, non binary artists, totally inclusive, please send them to me, my Instagram story, Kravitz, if you want to send me suggestions or new bands, you want to shout out. She's in the bands every other week on Knotfest. And yeah, if you're a music journalist and want to chat about bands, hit me up Adam splitter PR. I mean, that's, that's really there is going to be I'm working on kind of like a top secret project with that as well, that I'm hoping comes out in the next month or two. And that's by far the biggest thing that I've ever done in my career, I think. Yeah, I think so. Wow, that there's really cool stuff on the way it's only going up.
Unknown Speaker 22:02
Yeah, I'm super excited for that. Oh, and then I want to actually, sorry, it's on the other page. I want to actually ask you about she's with the band. How long have you been filming? She's with the band for?
Unknown Speaker 22:11
Yeah, so I pitched that idea to an office. Oh, gosh, maybe two years ago now to the day and it took about six months to actually get it in motion. So it took a lot of persistence. That's another thing like yes, it on the outside it looks like this podcast just popped out of nowhere and immediately successful but it took about six months of perseverance to actually go from an idea into a full fledged podcast so we actually started recording it in November of 2022. Yes. And then it started coming out in December 2022. So it's been a year and some change now we started weekly and then moved to to bi weekly episode just so that we can focus more on quality over quantity and started over zoom now everything's in person and podcast Studios, which has been a really fun change and I think it's only improved the quality of the conversations like I think I leave every episode feeling like the artist that's been on there as my new best friend and legitimately they are kept in touch with almost everybody has been on the podcast so
Unknown Speaker 23:14
yeah, it's been awesome. Thank you so so much story for coming on. It's all happening. You have been amazing and also just because it's all happening there's a lot of great things happening soon. A lot of exciting things specially here in Vegas. I can't wait to talk about it. Yeah, thank you so much
Unknown Speaker 23:45
that's what says thank you to God on the songs you really want my same shirt?
Unknown Speaker 24:28
You're so irrelevancies on the same thing
Unknown Speaker 25:00
Hi really need your mom
Unknown Speaker 25:37
Oh
Unknown Speaker 26:30
when go wherever you want
Unknown Speaker 26:47
you can find it's no wonder if you want to Bilbao was magic
Unknown Speaker 27:36
back though Katie
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God's song
Unknown Speaker 28:07
stop feels like going
Unknown Speaker 28:23
stop Calling
Unknown Speaker 29:21
bad bad bad bad bad bad, Bad bad
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