Nikki Benson – nikki@ssgmusic.com On Twitter at: @SSGNikkiB
I’m Nikki. I started SSG in December of 2008 wide-eyed and unaware of the adventure I was embarking upon. It’s a gift to be able to serve others in such a prolific capacity and a joy to do this work full-time. On top of that, being able to lead such a strong team of talent is a privilege–I don’t take it for granted. I’ve been playing music since I was 12. Also, I was a studio and performing artist from 2003-2005, so I know how much courage it takes to put art out in the world for others to critique. Fundamentally, music is my life, artists are my kin, Seattle is my home.
Justin Spicer - justin@ssgmusic.com On Twitter at: @justinbspicer
An egotistical grump, Justin Spicer hates everything, even when it brings him pleasure. He fancies himself wordly wise but chooses to bury any signs of intelligence in ill-spoken non-sequiters and the minutia of editing SSG. He has a lengthy resume including articles for KEXP, Tiny Mix Tapes, and print outlets and would love to tell you all about them, as long as you promise cash upfront.
Kisha-Marie Jones – kishamarie@ssgmusic.com
I stepped off a Greyhound bus in downtown Seattle in 2003. I was wide-eyed, bushy-haired, and have remained that way ever since. My earliest musical memories include jumping up and down on my parents’ bed singing Otis Redding into a hairbrush and playing my dad’s Led Zeppelin IV backwards because I swore I heard the lyric “the Devil eats at Dairy Queen.” I still carry the guilt from destroying that album. I love live music and vinyl. I despise bananas…and most pairs of pants.
Melissa Daniels – melissa@ssgmusic.com On Twitter at: @MellyMarieD
I’m Melissa, a five-foot tall ball of spice! Seattle’s been my home after moving from Monterey, CA six years ago. I have a degree in journalism from Seattle Pacific University. I’m a country girl at heart, but love all kinds of music. I can’t live without reality TV, wine & chocolate. I used to work for Q13 FOX News and had my own talk radio show for a few months. I watch way too much MTV, VH1, E! & Bravo for anybody’s good. SSG Music is my perfect storm of media & music, so I’m overjoyed to be a part of the team. Oh, and I start everyday with a dance party.
Tiffany Wan – tiffany@ssgmusic.com On Twitter at: @tiffwanee
I have a degree from the UW that tells me I’m a journalist, but who knows what that’s worth nowadays (aside from what my student loans tell me). Some of my work has shown up in SPIN.com, Seattle Weekly and Seattle Met magazine, among other local publications. When I’m not pounding my head against my laptop from writer’s block, I make coffee and teach little kids English to pay the bills, sing my heart out at karaoke, ride my bike, volunteer at the Grand Illusion Cinema, dream about living in Berlin, write short fiction, debate the merits of grad school, and go to shows.
Allen Huang – allen@ssgmusic.com
During the day I’m a professional nerd but at night I’m an album-reviewing, karaoke-pumping, meat-marinating hero. I liked Radiohead a lot (A LOT) in high school but now I think they’re “ok.” My first tape was the soundtrack to TMNT II: Secret of the Ooze. Currently obsessed with all things gloomy electronica, Korean pop music, and Terius Nash. My dream is to teach a 10 week course about R Kelly at a community college.
Daniel Ahrendt – daniel@ssgmusic.com On Twitter at: @fplusimages
I’m a recent graduate of Pacific Lutheran University with a bachelor’s degree in musical arts. I work in childcare, writing, photography, paper-pushing, and A/V environments to fund my habits in music/radio/sound worship, photography, writing/reading, comic illustration, traveling, and lounging. I’m quite happy to be a senior staff member for SSG Music and to further document the NW scene through visual and aural apparatuses. I can also teleport and shoot lasers out of my eyes.
Nick Hilden – nick@ssgmusic.com
I basically grew up listening to three tapes—Tom Waits’ Nighthawks at the Diner, Blondie’s Autoamerican, and Roy Orbison’s greatest hits. After graduating from that weird school in Olympia, the Evergreen State College, I roamed nomadically following bad but worthwhile impulses which took me from Paris to Spain to a tent in the middle of the desert in Eastern Washington, and eventually landed in Portland. I’ve written for a variety of publications, some more exciting than others. I am an unrepentant rock-and-roll obsessive and spend most of my time singing and playing bass in the rock band Objects In Space and managing the up-and-coming Dead Man’s Lamp record label.
Joseph Sannicandro - joseph@ssgmusic.com On Twitter at: @TheNewObjective
A New Yorker born and bred, I currently reside in Montreal where I am a graduate student at McGill University. One of the founding writers over at instrumental music hub www.thesilentballet.com, I am also a globe hopping traveler, writer, musician, and apparently sometimes a brooding ladies’ man. Though my favorite genres of music include jazz, bossa nova, and contemporary classical, I still think Morrissey is the perfect pop star.
Chul Gugich – chul@ssgmusic.com on twitter at: @206UpBlog
I’m thirty-three, Korean and a hip-hop aficionado which means by this time in my life, I should have now tried my hand at emceeing, break-dancing or graf writing. Sadly, I’ve done none of those. (Unless rapping along enthusiastically to Blue Scholars counts as “emceeing.”) I love to critique and be critiqued, thus my current stint at SSG. I encourage you to tell me why I’m wrong. Ready?…Go!
Gabriel Arguelles – gabe@ssgmusic.com
I moved to Seattle from Miami two years ago. I love Blue Sky Natural Soda, other peoples’ pets, and the occasional comic book. I over-use dashes and commas in my writing, and for that fact, I’m super-content. I was brought up with hardcore and metal and some of that remains with me and informs some of my choices. I write a lot of previews for SSG Music, and I go to a lot of shows.
Levi Fuller
I make and compile music in Seattle. I’ve released three solo albums and many volumes of the compilation seriesBall of Wax Audio Quarterly, and play in a myriad of bands. I enjoy being the lead copyeditor for SSG Music, the editor of the Ball of Wax, have a regular column on KEXP’s blog, and over the years have written for various web sites here and there. I have a day job at a fantastic non-profit organization and design, print the occasional album cover or rock show poster. Sometimes I sleep.
Kat Taylor – kat@ssgmusic.com On Twitter at: @BBDreamHearse
I love the Seattle music community—there’s always something to see! I began my career as a dance music junkie in the 90s Chicago rave scene. Eventually I grew up and got tired of fleeing warehouses, so I took my action to the clubs and spent several years as the editor of an electronic music magazine in Austin, Texas. When I’m not out on the dance floor, I’m barreling through town in my mobile barrage of heavy bass and flashing lights, the Barbie Dream Hearse.
Bertie Magit – birtie@ssgmusic.com
I know what you are thinking, yes, Bertie is my real name and no my parents were not hippies nor bird enthusiasts. I am an avid concert attendee and music is like water for me, entirely necessary. This leads to the question: is music the fountain of youth we have all been searching for? It has worked pretty well for Iggy Pop and Mick Jagger.
Suzi Pratt – suzi@ssgmusic.com On twitter at: @Suzi123
I am a Seattleite via Hawaii who was first introduced to the Seattle music scene in 2008. Prior to that, I was submerged in the pop music world, and that remains my area of music expertise today, although I am by all means an eclectic music listener (jazz is by far my favorite genre). When I’m not at a show, chances are I’m out running, eating my way around Seattle, or traveling the world in search of adventure. (Photo by: Alex Crick)
Bebe Besch – On twitter at: @Bebelabree
A Seattle native, I’ve found myself privy to the rich musical scene here, and for that, I am incredibly grateful. The talent in Seattle and music in general has inspired and influenced my creative outlets in life. I’m a graphic designer, photographer, eco-activist, and massive concert goer. Taking photos and writing for SSG Music is the next step for me to express my passion for music, and I couldn’t be more excited to be part of their team!
Timothy Radar - On twitter at: @TimothyRadar
When not writing articles and blurbs, or taking photographs, for everything from People Magazine to Maximum Rock N Roll, Timothy Radar play guitar in the punk infused indie band Happy Noose. The NYU film-school alumnus also runs his-own boutique record label, and makes short films and informational videos for public and private non-profit organizations. Timothy Radar, of course, is not his real name.
Rob Herdberg
When I was in Chicago, I frequented their small dirty jazz and blues bars like Lula’s in Humboldt Park, witnessing incredible musicians who would perform funky renditions of songs like “At The Car Wash” that would end forty minutes after it began. This gave way to my infatuation with the beat culture of 1920s, and had me longing to experience other major cities after hearing friends stories of hitching freights and rides across the U.S. After dropping out of Shimer College I made my way from Chicago to Portland with a burlesque dancer I had met only months before the move, and began my adventure of attempting to get published. As for Music, I have had an obsession with The Stooges for quite sometime, and contemplate dressing up like Jim Morrison for halloween each year.
Ashleen Aguilar
I have musical ADD, and it’s my family’s fault. When I was itty-bitty, my dad serenaded me with Wilson Phillips songs and had me bouncing on his knee while he pounded his drum kit to Rush albums. Both of my grandfathers crooned to Ol’ Blue Eyes and other old school legends, and my cousins and friends inundated me with slick underground hip-hop and R&B. They all still do that. Well, now I’m too big to bounce on Dad’s knee; I jam with him instead. Music and words are my heart, and I love sharing them.
Dustin Verburg
I live in Boise, work in public radio and watch Star Trek with my cat. Beyond that, I play in an endearingly sloppy punk rock band, consume reading material at an unhealthy pace and obsess over Marvel Comics. On the day I bought my first Ramones record, I knew that my infatuation with music would fit perfectly into my despicably nerdy lifestyle. I like rock music even more than I enjoy much more sophisticated, socially acceptable pursuits such as malt liquor and Tetris. Someday I will own an impenetrable survivalist compound in the Montana wilderness
Naomi Falk – naomi@ssgmusic.com
Hey, my name is Naomi, but I go by Nay. If stranded in some post-apocalyptic world, I would need only my spitfire typewriter, the complete works of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and my piano.
Chris Green
I’ve lived many places, but have called the Pacific Northwest my home since 2004. I spend my days creating video games, my nights enjoying the great live music scene and everything else the greater Seattle area has to offer. I’m not a particularly big fan of recorded “music,” but greatly enjoy all genres of live music. I especially like high-energy performers who blend scummy punk rock with blues, country, and Americana.
My name is James and I am one of the younger members here at SSG Music. My music tastes span everything from indie and post-rock to jazz and folk. I am a large supporter of all-ages music and I volunteer at The Vera Project when I can. I enjoy photography, golf, math, and playing the guitar. I’m graduating this year and I hope to study Physics at either the University of Washington or MIT.
My name is Andrew Ryan Cassin. I like the formality of a full name, imagining myself to be a brilliant, reclusive, author. I write and perform songs, which my mom calls “sad,” under the name The Swoon. For the past 7 years, I have lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, yet I still refer to myself as a Chicagoan. I collect LPs and maps; love modernism and minimalism; drink whiskey and smoke cigars.
I have never owned a car.
Julie Cochran – julie@ssgmusic.com
Hi I’m Julie Cochran. I have lived in Seattle all my life and wanted to write about music since High School. I have always been a fan of garage rock and enjoy reading text books about the girl group era. More recently, I have become a Karaoke enthusiast and can nail Patsy Cline’s “Crazy” like nobody’s business.
Myles Cordova – myles@ssgmusic.com
I hail from the land of Texas. If you’re into Mark E. Smith and fine single malt scotch, I will be your best friend. At my house, music is always on, and after years of seeing mind-blowing shows night after night, I decided it would be best to remember these events with words. I am a baker by trade, and a noise-guitar noodler by night. Seattle is my new home and SSG Music is my new crew.
Kevin N. Murphy – kevin@ssgmusic.com
My name is Kevin. I make photos and videos. I sure do like music.
Guy Keltner – guy@ssgmusic.com
Its hard for me to separate music from anything I do in my life. Like all the other dudes my age in Seattle, I play guitar and I am in a band. I graduated from UW a while back with a degree in economics, and while there, I wrote for the Daily. Right now I am interning at KEXP for the Audioasis program, and I’m also a contract writer. I spend most nights of the week in a dingy venue somewhere around town, but every now and then I find time to read and watch Woody Allen movies.
It’s my dream to be the tambourine girl in a rock ‘n’ roll band. No, I did not say I had any rhythm. But I do like to shake it. Until then, SSG Music is one more awesome outlet for me to live and breathe music, without actually being able to sing a note. I am a music enthusiast down to my core, and a former newspaper journalist now happy to work as a freelance writer and photographer in Seattle.
Megan Mericle – megan@ssgmusic.com
I grew up in Alberta, Canada and moved to Montreal, Canada in 2009 to work on my MA in Art History at McGill. I spend the majority of my free time looking for new music, checking out shows, and taking pictures. Working for SSG allows me to explore music, writing and photography, which is pretty darn rad. Some of my favorite genres include electro-funk, dubstep, hip-hop, garage, indie, punk, jazz, soul and 60s girl groups.
Luca Fantigrossi - luca@ssgmusic.com
For the past 15 years, I’ve played in bands such as General Rudie, The Broken Hearted, Broadcast Radio and currently Desert Owls, in varied genres from folk to jazz to ska to rock. I studied music at Vanier College in Montreal and had the great fortune to tour across Canada, the US and the UK. For the past little while I started taking up freelance writing on the side and I am happy to be currently writing for SSG Music, Montreal.
Kelly Alexander – kelly@ssgmusic.com
Hi, my name is Kelly and I’m a musicholic. I blame/thank my hippie parents for that. My first concert was Chicago 17 in 1987 and I’ve been hooked on live shows ever since. I love genres from metal to hip-hop and everything in-between. Lately I’ve turned my obsession to our awesome local music scene. I will do everything humanly possible to help promote our local artists. Besides music I’m also into being in the outdoors every chance I get.
Robert Hanna
A native of Colorado, I have lived in Seattle since moving here in 1997. I received a BA in Creative Writing from Seattle University and an Associates in Graphic Design/Photography from Shoreline CC. I currently work as Marketing and Communications Manager for a non-profit organization that provides employment opportunities for people who are blind. I’ve been a musician most of my life and play guitar in various bands, as well as run a vinyl-positive independent hardcore punk label. Outside of SSG Music, I’ve scribbled for publications including Tablet and Profane Existence Magazine. I jam cassette tapes in my Volvo and never have time to sleep.
