#25: Pt. 1: LIAM KILLEEN: Artist Manager, Former Top 10 Artist and Tour Manager
This is part 1 of 2 with Liam Killeen. Currently he manages USS (Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker), The Tea Party, Zubin Thakkar, and The Proud Sons.
This first half we go back to the beginning and talk about how he got his start in the industry and developed the fundamental skills and work ethic that have carried with him to this day.
From his time in the band, Not By Choice, he learned “this is what it’s like to work for something” and the difference between a professional band v.s. the local ones he had grown up with.
We hear about his band’s manager, Bernie Breen, and we learn a bit about how U.S. and Canadian record deals work. We also get some behind-the-scenes on Sum 41’s early start, as well as how his band got an opening spot with them when they were world famous.
He tells us the story of how he was finally able to quit his “regular” job and make a full-time income in the music industry, along with some reality-checks that most artists don’t think of, when they imagine being part of a band where things are starting to skyrocket.
We get a deep glimpse into the rise and fall of the band; the highest and the lowest points and the lessons learned along the way. No matter how tough the lessons may have been to learn, you’ll come to see how, as the conversation progresses, they came to help him later in his career.
He then takes us through his transition out of the band, to being a drummer-for-hire, then tour manager, working with such acts as Metric, Simple Plan, Thornley, April Wine, to name a few.
Finally, to wrap up part 1 of 2 episodes with Liam, he brings us to the career he is in today as a manager, how he launched and grew to the success he’s at now.
Aside from being a kickass manager, he’s also a great storyteller so this episode will not disappoint!
Thanks to Long & McQuade for the mic equipment!
