SHREDnews

Tell us a little about yourself

Yo! I’m Bekka and I’m sixteen (yes, I’m youngest on the staff!) and I’m from Newcastle, United Kingdom. I don’t like it because it rains a lot. I’m currently studying English Language, Psychology and French. I drink too many cups of tea, generally prefer smaller bands to bigger ones and my only political views consist of Barack Obama ruling the world.

How did you get started and how do you know the other staff members?

Basically i was posting on the Unofficial VersaEmerge Fan Club site and one of the guest writers for Shred, Pri, emailed me about answering a question. I asked what it was for and she told me if I was interested I should email Kayley about writing for Shred. I did this and thankfully she obviously thought I was good enough to be on staff (thank you ), and that’s basically how I met Kayley along with everyone else. Except from Poppy, who I talked to via Stickam and numerous other social networking sites for a few months before and she then joined the staff too.

First show & favorite show?

Um, the first show I ever went to was for a boy band called Blue, but I was pretty young then and I don’t really remember it all that well.  My first actual show, that I remember and took a great interest in was Panic! At The Disco which was in early May 2006. My favourite show probably has to be between Paramore in 2008 and Give It a Name 2009 with VersaEmerge, InnerPartySystem and Escape The Fate being the main bands that I traveled to see. They were both so different but probably the two shows I will never forget.

First record you ever purchased?

I can never actually recall what it was, it was either a Blue CD or Kylie-Lightyears. When I get asked this I normally change between the two, since I’m not a 100% certain.

Favorite part of your job?

I like interviews, even though I’ve only done one in person so far but I’ve done some cool email ones too. Besides those though, I really like just getting a chance to check out some new music especially since a lot of bands from my promotion MySpace have been in touch but I enjoy reading all the other writers work too. Especially when it comes to CD reviews I rely on them when it comes to the possibility of me buying a new CD.

What’s the most recent interview you’ve done?

The most recent interview I’ve done was an email interview with Alex Roots a seventeen year old singer from London. We had a lot of things in common!

Do you have a favorite interview?

Well the only interview I’ve done in person was with Go:Audio and that was a good laugh but want to don’t really feel like I have enough in person interviews to pick a favourite. My favourite email interview though was with My Lady Four who are a 5 piece Rock/Alternative band from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their manager Matt Nistler, was generally an awesome guy to talk with and the boys of My Lady Four came up with some amazing and detailed answers to the questions so it was great working with them, but in my opinion I haven’t had a bad interview yet.

Is it tough doing press in certain places? (Big venues, small venues, big tours, etc)

Well I’ve only done press in one place and that took a while to sort out as one of the employee’s that worked there presumed I was lying so I could get in early to meet the band, that wasn’t actually the case but it got sorted in the end. So based on that I presume that the venue isn’t actually an issue but the size of the tour/band is.

Do you have a favorite venue to do press at?

I liked doing press at the Newcastle 02 Academy, the staff were all nice once things were cleared out.

Where do you see Shred a year from now?

Hopefully just continuing to do what we’re doing now, but obviously gaining more recognition and maybe getting the chance to interview some bigger named bands. I’m thinking maybe Shred Clothing may get a few new cool sponsors who will help out a lot. But generally I think Shred will just keep moving forward and begin to accumulate a bigger fan base, if fan base is even the right word.

Most embarrassing song on your iPod?

I honestly have a really weird music taste, I guess right now the most embarrassing song or even album I can think of is the Camp Rock Soundtrack, yes the whole thing.

Most embarrassing moment?

One of my most embarrassing moments was during a drama performance with my best friend. We dressed in leopard print skirts and tops, on stage in front of an audience and were made to tell really cringe worthy jokes, that were never and never will be funny. Knowing that they weren’t funny we still have to laugh – might I add, snort also and try and get the audience to join in too. I’ve never felt more embarrassed.

Who is one musician, dead or alive, that you’d most like to meet?

That’s a tough question, but for now I think I would probably most like to meet Pink.

Give us a random interesting fact about yourself

I used to dance for about 5 years and ended up winning all sorts of examination awards for it but during one show we did i had to wear this dress and the only way I could get it to fit me was with one safety pin and six paper clips, let’s just say I was paranoid all the way through that show.

Anything else you’d like to add?

I really enjoy working for Shred News so I want to say thanks to Shred for the opportunity to do so and I’d love you forever if you read my articles.
Peace!