PopWreck(oning) celebrates second birthday
Melissa Cowan
Issue date: 10/19/09 Section: Culture
Creating PopWreckoning.com in 2007 turned out to be "a happy accident" for the site's Managing Editor Joshua Hammond.
PopWreck(oning), an online music magazine with reviews, contests, interviews and more, celebrated its second birthday Oct. 12 with a concert at Davey's Uptown Rambler's Club, featuring both local and national bands.
The Epilogues and The Photo Atlas (both from Denver and touring together) opened the show for The Yellow Walrus and headliner, Life In Jersey (both from Kansas City).
PopWreck(oning) began as a blog that made fun of TV shows. Jessica McGinley and Hammond created the site.
"The co-owner, Jessica and I … we'd just rip on things and post our text conversations back and forth," Hammond said. "It was really started just for our friends to read and laugh."
But Hammond wanted more out of the site.
"I got the idea to start asking for stuff to review," Hammond said. "To our surprise, CDs started coming. We also started getting tickets to shows. … We never thought anyone would read it."
Hammond played in the Kansas City music scene for a few years.
He was the drummer and pianist for The Waiting List.
But after moving to "the middle of nowhere" (Iola, Kan.) to be close to his grandparents, he realized making music was no longer an option.
"Basically, [the site] was formed to relieve that empty feeling I had in my stomach I was getting from missing being on stage," Hammond said.
The site has really taken off since its formation two years ago.
They went from ranting about TV shows to reviewing major music festivals and interviewing musicians such as Tegan and Sarah, Tori Amos and The Flaming Lips, Hammond said.
But one of Hammond's main goals is to help local bands get exposure.
"We have a lot of pretty talented bands here that are often overlooked," Hammond said. "They're never going to have a draw if someone doesn't give them a start. I've seen way too many talented bands quit because they were stuck in first gear by no fault of their own."
PopWreck(oning), an online music magazine with reviews, contests, interviews and more, celebrated its second birthday Oct. 12 with a concert at Davey's Uptown Rambler's Club, featuring both local and national bands.
The Epilogues and The Photo Atlas (both from Denver and touring together) opened the show for The Yellow Walrus and headliner, Life In Jersey (both from Kansas City).
PopWreck(oning) began as a blog that made fun of TV shows. Jessica McGinley and Hammond created the site.
"The co-owner, Jessica and I … we'd just rip on things and post our text conversations back and forth," Hammond said. "It was really started just for our friends to read and laugh."
But Hammond wanted more out of the site.
"I got the idea to start asking for stuff to review," Hammond said. "To our surprise, CDs started coming. We also started getting tickets to shows. … We never thought anyone would read it."
Hammond played in the Kansas City music scene for a few years.
He was the drummer and pianist for The Waiting List.
But after moving to "the middle of nowhere" (Iola, Kan.) to be close to his grandparents, he realized making music was no longer an option.
"Basically, [the site] was formed to relieve that empty feeling I had in my stomach I was getting from missing being on stage," Hammond said.
The site has really taken off since its formation two years ago.
They went from ranting about TV shows to reviewing major music festivals and interviewing musicians such as Tegan and Sarah, Tori Amos and The Flaming Lips, Hammond said.
But one of Hammond's main goals is to help local bands get exposure.
"We have a lot of pretty talented bands here that are often overlooked," Hammond said. "They're never going to have a draw if someone doesn't give them a start. I've seen way too many talented bands quit because they were stuck in first gear by no fault of their own."
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