Martin Johannessen (Heavy Rock - the playlist! website/blog) interview
NashvilleCritter
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Thursday, January 26, 2012
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How old were you when you got into music?
I was about 10 years old when I bought my first KISS record, Dynasty. I am 42 now.
What were the first bands/artists that you really liked and why?
The very first band I became a fan of, was KISS. But I quickly expanded to almost any heavy metal band that was around. Although I focused on KISS and buying all their records, I also dug all the stuff from AC/DC, Motörhead, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy and Judas Priest. And plenty of others. I also had a band (Metal Rats) at the time. And a few years later (when I was 16), I started working at a record store. Then I seriously got into collecting music. And this was in the '80s, so the heavy metal scene was huge. I went to every concert I could! The first one was DIO with Queensrÿche as a support and the next was KISS with Bon Jovi supporting.
Discuss your website/blog, Heavy Rock - the playlist!
I figured that I needed to have some kind of focus. I already had the Heavy Rock page on Facebook and so I began posting my blog stuff there. It quickly gained a lot of traffic to the blog.
It`s a rather simple kind of blog. I post music that I like myself. That means hard rock and heavy metal from the '70s and the '80s. At first, I dug up documentaries and full concerts that I found on the web and posted them on my blog. After a while, I started to post news regarding the music. And as the blog's traffic grew, I posted more and more. Now the blog has about 600/800 visits a day.
What sort of criteria do you use when determining what's post-worthy and what's not post-worthy on your website?
First of all, the bands must have started recording music in the '70s or the '80s (plus some late '60s stuff, of course). I post when they release new stuff, if I find good live clips from recent tours or full concerts (old and new), interviews, classic stuff, etc. This means, for example, if I listen to a lot of Rainbow, I dig up some Rainbow concerts on YouTube and post it on my blog. It`s all about sharing music really.
Are there ever any instances where you post about music that is either pre '70s or post '80s? If so, discuss. If not, why not?
It has happened.
Are there ever any instances where you post about genres of music besides rock and metal (i.e. punk, hardcore, blues, rap/metal, etc.)? If so, discuss. If not, why not?
No, I don't. I do all this on my spare time. However, if you include Facebook, I post stuff there from time to time.
Discuss the rock and metal scene both in the 2010s and in Oslo, Norway.
Metal has always had a strong scene in Norway with magazines, venues, and record stores dedicated to the music.
Are you a fan of any of the more recent bands/artists? If so, discuss. If not, why not?
Well, at the moment, I only listen to old stuff. However, I do like all kinds of music (except techno).
What format (vinyl, CD, cassette or digital) do you most prefer to listen to music and why?
Now, it`s mostly digital, but CDs from time to time. I sold all of my vinyl years ago. I regret that.
I was about 10 years old when I bought my first KISS record, Dynasty. I am 42 now.
What were the first bands/artists that you really liked and why?
The very first band I became a fan of, was KISS. But I quickly expanded to almost any heavy metal band that was around. Although I focused on KISS and buying all their records, I also dug all the stuff from AC/DC, Motörhead, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy and Judas Priest. And plenty of others. I also had a band (Metal Rats) at the time. And a few years later (when I was 16), I started working at a record store. Then I seriously got into collecting music. And this was in the '80s, so the heavy metal scene was huge. I went to every concert I could! The first one was DIO with Queensrÿche as a support and the next was KISS with Bon Jovi supporting.
Discuss your website/blog, Heavy Rock - the playlist!
I figured that I needed to have some kind of focus. I already had the Heavy Rock page on Facebook and so I began posting my blog stuff there. It quickly gained a lot of traffic to the blog.
It`s a rather simple kind of blog. I post music that I like myself. That means hard rock and heavy metal from the '70s and the '80s. At first, I dug up documentaries and full concerts that I found on the web and posted them on my blog. After a while, I started to post news regarding the music. And as the blog's traffic grew, I posted more and more. Now the blog has about 600/800 visits a day.
What sort of criteria do you use when determining what's post-worthy and what's not post-worthy on your website?
First of all, the bands must have started recording music in the '70s or the '80s (plus some late '60s stuff, of course). I post when they release new stuff, if I find good live clips from recent tours or full concerts (old and new), interviews, classic stuff, etc. This means, for example, if I listen to a lot of Rainbow, I dig up some Rainbow concerts on YouTube and post it on my blog. It`s all about sharing music really.
Are there ever any instances where you post about music that is either pre '70s or post '80s? If so, discuss. If not, why not?
It has happened.
Are there ever any instances where you post about genres of music besides rock and metal (i.e. punk, hardcore, blues, rap/metal, etc.)? If so, discuss. If not, why not?
No, I don't. I do all this on my spare time. However, if you include Facebook, I post stuff there from time to time.
Discuss the rock and metal scene both in the 2010s and in Oslo, Norway.
Metal has always had a strong scene in Norway with magazines, venues, and record stores dedicated to the music.
Are you a fan of any of the more recent bands/artists? If so, discuss. If not, why not?
Well, at the moment, I only listen to old stuff. However, I do like all kinds of music (except techno).
What format (vinyl, CD, cassette or digital) do you most prefer to listen to music and why?
Now, it`s mostly digital, but CDs from time to time. I sold all of my vinyl years ago. I regret that.
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