articles
A Conversation with Tony Landa: South Florida Impresario
from volume 02 issue 01 // Marshall Dickson
Industry Profile
A Conversation with Tony Landa: South Florida Impresario
Words: Marshall Dickson
REAX: Tony, you have been an essential key player in the Miami / South Florida music scene for many moons now. What was your entry into the world of music, the inspiration to pick up an instrument?
Tony Landa: My older cousin had a Fender Strat and a Gibson Les Paul. I’d go to my aunt’s house and look around his room at the posters & records. Sometimes, if he wasn’t there I would touch the guitars, but not actually pick them up for fear I’d drop one and break it! As I got older, I discovered bands that my sister was into like Journey, Van Halen, Rush, AC/DC, REO Speedwagon, and yes… Billy Squier. Don’t Say No is one of the most underrated albums ever and I am not afraid to say it. When I finally tried to put a band together, I wanted to sound totally like Iron Maiden. They were the perfect band to me when I started learning how to play.
REAX: You’ve played shows with many great artists, from opening for Cheap Trick, Ween, & Guided By Voices to a string of guerilla shows & marketing events with your band Humbert at SXSW. What was your most memorable gig?
TL: There have been so many, though lately I have been thinking about one gig in particular. When Humbert performed the National Anthem before a Florida Marlins game on the 4th of July. It was nationally televised and the roar of applause when we finished felt great! The coolest thing about it, though, was that my mom, sister, niece & nephew were in the crowd. As I get older, when family’s involved, those are the experiences that end up being the most memorable.
REAX: As a Buyer for the world’s largest music distribution company, Alliance Entertainment Corporation (AEC), what is your role in helping developing artists, and can you give advice to a band looking for a distribution deal?
TL: I once managed to get Jason Flom, Senior VP of A&R for Atlantic to see (Miami band) The Goods in New York. He passed on them, but it’s a rare occasion to have someone that crucial come to your show. As for helping a band get distribution, I get some really weird calls from people who think they have a hit record. One lady, a stripper turned stand-up comic turned singer, had a song called “I Love Dick” and she thought the song was going to be a huge smash. She wrote me letters where she would write “cum” instead of “come” and she’d highlight the word in pink. I did actually try to help her, but we couldn’t give the thing away. When I finally called to tell her I was returning all of the product to her, she said “You know what Tony? You’re a real dick!” and she hung up the phone. I never heard from her again. My advice? If someone offers to help you, don’t call them a dick!
REAX: AEC publishes a weekly industry trade magazine, AMPED, that you frequently contribute articles and interviews to. Any interesting encounters that merit a telling?
TL: Several, but the best was when I interviewed Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips. I hadn’t had a formal sit down interview before, most are done over the phone, so having my interview cherry popped by Wayne at a hotel in Austin, TX during SXSW was pretty amazing. His wife demanded that they give us a conference room upstairs because some lady was playing bagpipes really loud in the lobby. When we got to the top floor, Wayne looked down at the lady in the lobby and said “That thing is really loud… you know… I’m sure you don’t, but if you WANTED to commit suicide…” he then points down at the lady in the lobby and says “jumping here… that would be a hell of a way to do it.” Oddly enough, I didn’t feel as nervous after that!
REAX: Your band, Humbert, operates The Shack North, a recording studio & practice space that has nurtured many bands from the South Florida scene. Who are some artists of note who have passed through your doors?
TL: Our original space in Hialeah, FL was The Shack. We used that space just for us, but sometimes other bands would rehearse and record there. A friend moved out of a bigger studio two blocks away, so we moved out of The Shack into what became The Shack North. Now the studio has a huge live room and a full Pro Tools set-up. We’ve recently added a new space just for rehearsing which is called The Shack Annex. Clients have mostly been local South Florida bands, but Rhett y Los Borrachos Empeñados recorded and mixed their album at Shack North, which was released nationally by Sony. Jorge Moreno, who was nominated for a Latin Grammy as Best New Artist has done some recording there. DJ Le Spam of The Spam All-Stars has done a few sessions there and he hooked us up with John Medeski, who booked some time. He ended up canceling due to a scheduling conflict, but hey, it’s the thought that counts!
Humbert: http://humbert.net
The Shack North: http://shacknorth.com
A Conversation with Tony Landa: South Florida Impresario
Words: Marshall Dickson
REAX: Tony, you have been an essential key player in the Miami / South Florida music scene for many moons now. What was your entry into the world of music, the inspiration to pick up an instrument?
Tony Landa: My older cousin had a Fender Strat and a Gibson Les Paul. I’d go to my aunt’s house and look around his room at the posters & records. Sometimes, if he wasn’t there I would touch the guitars, but not actually pick them up for fear I’d drop one and break it! As I got older, I discovered bands that my sister was into like Journey, Van Halen, Rush, AC/DC, REO Speedwagon, and yes… Billy Squier. Don’t Say No is one of the most underrated albums ever and I am not afraid to say it. When I finally tried to put a band together, I wanted to sound totally like Iron Maiden. They were the perfect band to me when I started learning how to play.
REAX: You’ve played shows with many great artists, from opening for Cheap Trick, Ween, & Guided By Voices to a string of guerilla shows & marketing events with your band Humbert at SXSW. What was your most memorable gig?
TL: There have been so many, though lately I have been thinking about one gig in particular. When Humbert performed the National Anthem before a Florida Marlins game on the 4th of July. It was nationally televised and the roar of applause when we finished felt great! The coolest thing about it, though, was that my mom, sister, niece & nephew were in the crowd. As I get older, when family’s involved, those are the experiences that end up being the most memorable.
REAX: As a Buyer for the world’s largest music distribution company, Alliance Entertainment Corporation (AEC), what is your role in helping developing artists, and can you give advice to a band looking for a distribution deal?
TL: I once managed to get Jason Flom, Senior VP of A&R for Atlantic to see (Miami band) The Goods in New York. He passed on them, but it’s a rare occasion to have someone that crucial come to your show. As for helping a band get distribution, I get some really weird calls from people who think they have a hit record. One lady, a stripper turned stand-up comic turned singer, had a song called “I Love Dick” and she thought the song was going to be a huge smash. She wrote me letters where she would write “cum” instead of “come” and she’d highlight the word in pink. I did actually try to help her, but we couldn’t give the thing away. When I finally called to tell her I was returning all of the product to her, she said “You know what Tony? You’re a real dick!” and she hung up the phone. I never heard from her again. My advice? If someone offers to help you, don’t call them a dick!
REAX: AEC publishes a weekly industry trade magazine, AMPED, that you frequently contribute articles and interviews to. Any interesting encounters that merit a telling?
TL: Several, but the best was when I interviewed Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips. I hadn’t had a formal sit down interview before, most are done over the phone, so having my interview cherry popped by Wayne at a hotel in Austin, TX during SXSW was pretty amazing. His wife demanded that they give us a conference room upstairs because some lady was playing bagpipes really loud in the lobby. When we got to the top floor, Wayne looked down at the lady in the lobby and said “That thing is really loud… you know… I’m sure you don’t, but if you WANTED to commit suicide…” he then points down at the lady in the lobby and says “jumping here… that would be a hell of a way to do it.” Oddly enough, I didn’t feel as nervous after that!
REAX: Your band, Humbert, operates The Shack North, a recording studio & practice space that has nurtured many bands from the South Florida scene. Who are some artists of note who have passed through your doors?
TL: Our original space in Hialeah, FL was The Shack. We used that space just for us, but sometimes other bands would rehearse and record there. A friend moved out of a bigger studio two blocks away, so we moved out of The Shack into what became The Shack North. Now the studio has a huge live room and a full Pro Tools set-up. We’ve recently added a new space just for rehearsing which is called The Shack Annex. Clients have mostly been local South Florida bands, but Rhett y Los Borrachos Empeñados recorded and mixed their album at Shack North, which was released nationally by Sony. Jorge Moreno, who was nominated for a Latin Grammy as Best New Artist has done some recording there. DJ Le Spam of The Spam All-Stars has done a few sessions there and he hooked us up with John Medeski, who booked some time. He ended up canceling due to a scheduling conflict, but hey, it’s the thought that counts!
Humbert: http://humbert.net
The Shack North: http://shacknorth.com
Add a comment...
more from this issue
