Eric & Andy of TBMChicago.com - Interview

Valdyr interviews Eric and Andi, founders of TBMChicago.com
Valdyr: We'll start off first with having you guys just give us a brief introduction to who you are, what you do, and what the goals of your site are.
Eric: I'm Eric. I've been doing design on and off for about six years now. I just starting getting serious with VKX Design a year or so ago. As far as my work on TBMChicago goes, I guess I'm responsible for part of the design and maintenance work - and the cute little promo graphics.
Andi: I'm Andi. I've been doing design for a while now. It started off with doing some shitty local band sites, but it evolved into more graphic-oriented work. I started with Zamolxis Design about two years ago, and it's since gone through a few incarnations. My work with TBMChicago extends to flash, some of the design work, and collaborating on the content with Eric.
We started TBMChicago.com because TBM is obviously a great band that doesn't get all the recognition it deserves. We wanted to change that. We realized that with all the creative aspects that the band handles, they don't have all the time in the world to promote themselves. That's primarily why we started TBMChicago.com -- so they wouldn't have to worry about that as much.
Eric: I think we both recognized that there are a lot of Chicago kids into the band too, so we felt Chicago was a natural place to set up our home base.

Valdyr: How did you first become associated with TBM?
Eric: I found TBM back when I first started doing design work. I was in a band at the time, and we were making the mp3.com rounds. They were called Imagica then. I'm pretty sure the song was Happy Birthday, although then it was known as "The Birthday Massacre."
Andi: My friend, Ana, was talking in a chatroom one day, and someone in the room promoted the website. She thought it was awesome, so she told me about it. I was totally blown away by both the band and the website, even though it wasn't exactly the nothingandnowhere.com that we know now. It was still completely awesome. They were known as Imagica then too. I think another big factor in both Eric's and my interest in the band came from talking so much in high school. Ultimately, our common interest in the band heightened our individual interest in the band.

Valdyr: When did the idea for TBM Chicago first come about?
Eric: TBMChicago was something I've been kicking around for a long time. I've actually gotten different version of the site up from time to time, but they were always scrapped. TBM finally played their first US tour in late 2004, and I ended up meeting them at one of the shows. They were a really cool group of people, and after talking with them about the idea, it sorta became a reality. The more I thought about it, the bigger I wanted the project to be. I started talking with Andi about it, and it seemed obvious to me that she had a lot of great ideas. We began to throw ideas off one another, and the site was born of that.
Valdyr: Very cool. I saw them at one of the US shows, too; at the Jaxx in Springfield. It was an awesome show!
Eric: Awesome! I wanted to see them in Chicago, but the whole 21+ thing didn't pan out too well. I ended up seeing them in Michigan. Because of the age thing, a lot of Chicago kids went.
Andi: Except me. I tried to get Meghann to work something out, but the club was really strict.

Valdyr: What's been the most difficult aspect of creating and maintaining the site? The most rewarding?
Andi: The most difficult aspect is definitely keeping up with everything; from donations to stickers to just regular content.
Eric: And there was that whole poster fiasco...
Andi: We had a lot of problems with bandwidth because we got so many visitors, but that ended up being a good and bad thing. After some talk with CKVance, we got a server upgrade, so it all worked out. The most rewarding part is definitely going to sites like MySpace and seeing random Chicagoians put "TBM" in their interest page, whether that's our doing or not. Just last night, I saw a girl put TBM in their profile that goes to my high school. It was pretty damn awesome.

Valdyr: What are some of the current and upcoming promotional tools you are utilizing to get the word out about your site and TBM?
Eric: Well, we had a big fund raiser for stickers a while back. We ran into a bit of trouble, but we're actually expecting the shipment any time now. Literally. Like, USPS could be dropping them off at my door as we speak. As far as everything else, we've got a bunch of flyers and icons up. We actually get submissions for that stuff almost daily. We have few people who are constantly supplying us with new stuff (Joe of OG and Ashlie come to mind), and we're always out searching the web for new stuff.
Andi: Now that we're wrapping up stickers (I think they'll last for a bit), we're moving on to pins.

Valdyr: The TBM vs. Kill Hannah remix you guys did is killer; any plans to do any more songs or other exclusives in the near future? Andi: Hahaha, the Alkaline Trio one!
Eric: Shhhhh!
Valdyr: LMAO!
Eric: The remix was one of the first things I had in mind with the site. Kill Hannah really embodies the more synthetic music scene in Chicago, so they were an obvious first choice. I also didn't have any direct support from either band when I did the remix, so I had to try to cut it up myself. It was kinda difficult, but I think it was well worth it. We've been kicking around other bands even before that mix was done. We thought about The Blank Theory, but they're not very big around here. Oh, and they just broke up. And then there was, yes, Alkaline Trio. Andi doesn't seem to be such a big fan of that idea, though. They're just a name to me. I've never really heard them. I guess that was a bad idea?
Andi: I still go to high school, so all those Alkaline Trio groupies are there. I gave the band a legit chance since they were so adamant about the band, but they just didn't do it for me.
Eric: We've gotten a lot of suggestions, but none from Chicago! We want to keep mixing bands that at least come from the City. We're always open to ideas.

Valdyr: What are you guys planning on doing to support the Blue video release that everyone's so excited about?
Eric: We have a few flyers up on the site, but we're keeping our bigger announcements hush hush. Andi and I are working with several other people (and yes, Simon is still one of those!) on the new VP.com. A large part of our focus regarding the video is going into that.

Valdyr: Well, you led right into the next question; I had heard that you were helping with the new Violet Prison. What can you tell us about that, or is it all a big secret?
Andi: We're keeping it under wraps right now, but trust me, it's going to be awesome.
Eric: We can't really say anything about. Just know it's going to be brutally awesome.

Valdyr: You guys do web and graphic design; are you offering services to other good bands looking for extra help?
Andi: Oh, definitely, I'm open to anything. So far, I've just done some small local bands, but anything bigger would be completely awesome. I offer both graphics and web work, so if a band would want just a CD layout or a full website, I can do both. Most of my portfolio is up on www.zamolxisdesign.com. Heh...I should update that soon.
Eric: She's modest, really. She's done all sorts of stuff. School sites . . . I think she even did a church website.
Andi: Yeah, the church was an...interesting experience.
Valdyr: I did a church website once, too. It was indeed interesting!
Eric: I stick mostly with bands. That just seems to be what allows me the most flexible artistic expression. VKX Design really started with the design for Dear Me Dear You's website. Since then, I've done flyers, artwork, stickers, all sorts of stuff. I just launched www.vkxdesign.com a few weeks ago with a portfolio and all that good stuff. Most recently, and this has been something of a secret until just now, I'll be doing the new Lunarclick.com.
Valdyr: Oh? Killer! I was wondering who was doing that site!
Eric: I've been talking with the band for a while about it, and it was just confirmed today - so you're the first to know about it.
Valdyr: Awesome!
Eric: Thanks! I think everyone was kinda wondering that. They're another really good band in the genre, and it'll be really cool to see them up and running online again.

Valdyr: What advice would you guys give to fansites, street teams, or bands looking to expand their promotional efforts?
And: I'm pretty sure TBM has a webkit out. That's what I started off of when I did my TBM Fansite, The Edge of Revelation. That's a really good resource. The only advice I can give is to let your creativity run wild -- that's what TBM is all about. Creativity. I remember one person did a website that wasn't purple and black, and Aslan commented on it (in a good way).

Valdyr: Well, cool! That's all the questions I had for you guys...is there anything else you'd like to say?
Andi: We definitely could not have gotten as far as we are now without all the support we've been getting. Seriously, everything's been awesome. Thanks to everyone who contributed!
Eric: Really quick, I wanted to plug the free stickers to anyone who is reading this! Go to the site and request a free pack. On a final note, Andi and I are big fans of Radio-Active-Music and everything it's doing for the scene. It's exactly the kind of effort these bands need to give them the recognition they deserve. I think it's great that so many people are so drawn in to TBM (and so many other bands in the genre). I've always said this, and I'll stick to it. I think TBM has the best fans in the world. You guys rock.
Valdyr: Thanks so much guys! You guys have one of the best band promotion sites I've seen, both in design and effectiveness. Let me know if there's anything we can do for you!