ID: Allan Kemler
Coordinates: Jenkintown, PA
Title: Editor of Rockpile Magazine
Mission Statement: Editing a magazine centering on independent music and culture is no way to pay the bills, but if you're dedicated music nerd with a degree in journalism you just might do it anyway. After flailing around partying way too much through his senior year, and fully six months after graduation, Allan Martin Kemler met his wife, Christine, and settled down. He has two daughters Autumn, 9, and Lily, 3, and a cat named Molly. The 34-year-old editor enjoys sauvignon blanc, brie, the beach and mad, mad bong hits.

BA: Allan, hi.
Allan: Hi.

BA: For those of us who haven't heard about Rockpile Magazine, tell us a bit about it...
Allan: Well, Rockpile had an interesting evolution. Joe Kirschen, our publisher, started a free local monthly music magazine in Philly focused on both local and national artists. It was called Philly Rockguide. It was cool.It used to have the most brutal demo reviews. Really catty. Anyway, that was in the late-'80s. Sometime around 1992 Joe began copublishing a little magazine
called Magnet with a guy named Eric Miller. After sixteen or seventeen issues they parted ways and Eric went off and did Magnet on his own. Around 1995 Joe changed the name from Rockguide to Rockpile and went national with our distribution. The biggest difference between Rockpile in '95 and now is that we've grown up a bit so we're more sophisticated in our presentation and the bands we're into. Or, at least we like to think so. There are four of us full-time: Me and Joe and Matt McGlynn our art director and Mike McKee our managing editor. Our office is located ten minutes from Philly in the burbs, but Matt, Mike and I live in town.

BA: How did you get involved in this publication?
Allan: I interned at Magnet briefly in 1993, and through that started writing for the Rockguide. Then I lost touch with Joe for awhile. In late 2001 I started freelancing for the magazine again, so when I got laid off/fired from my job in late 2002 I volunteered to sell some ads while collecting unemployment. That lead to me working full-time selling ads and proofreading and working on our distribution and a thousand and one other things.

BA: So you wake up every day and work as an editor of an indie magazine in some place called Jenkintown, PA. That would be about half of our readers dream come true! Just humor and tease us by telling us what an average day in the life of Allan Kemler is like from morning till night...
Allan: Well, like I said, I do a shitload of proofreading and managerial-type stuff. It varies everyday. Today I came in and we had a two hour meeting about plans for the new year, distribution, how the current issue is shaping up. We discussed the artwork for the cover story (Le Tigre) and how we wanted to use it style-wise. We discussed and debated cover and feature ideas for the next issue. Then I grabbed lunch and answered a bunch of emails. I find myself searching the mail bins for interesting new releases
an awful lot, which is awesome. It's like Christmas because it comes in a package and its like record shopping because there's dozens of records pouring in every day to choose from. In short, it rules!

BA: Oh cool we hate you then. Anyways, your magazine deals with not just indie music, but everything underground including art,
culture, fashion and sports. In what ways do you feel all of these things can mesh so seamlessly into one single magazine?
Allan: Well, our feeling is that everyone seems to be a bass player/grafitti artist/vegan baker/skater or some shit like that, so fashion design, music, sports and all forms of art all just go together these days. I think the Internet makes cultural connoisseurs  of us all, especially anyone 35 and under.

BA: As editor of Rockpile, you've probably seen the rise and fall of many bands and artists. In your opinion, what is the key ingredient to being a sucessful musician? Is there one?
Allan: If I knew maybe one of my bands would get somewhere. I dunno. I think the band's that are succesful are the ones who have fun and enjoy themselves. At this point recording gear is so cheap, who needs a record label? You can record a record and release it on CDR, like people used to with cassettes. There's no law that says what you're doing isn't valid if it isn't sanctioned by a record label or a promoter or a magazine. That's the beauty of all this cheap technology these days. Making money in the music business is really tough. Most bands that we cover aren't making bank. They're still working at day jobs. However, I think the most successful bands make music like painters paint: because they have to. It's not about selling tons of records or making the scene or boasting about who or where you've played, it's about making music. I think if you make rock 'n roll too much of a business you risk killing its essence: spontanaiety. So it's a balance.

BA: Just out of curiosity, between just you and I, and the rest of the world, what is your favorite not so famous band? How about favorite all time band?
Allan: Um, I guess Slade, maybe. Can? I dunno if they're well known or not. David Bowie is definitely my all-time favorite. Well, up to Let's Dance. "I'm Afraid of Americans" is all right,  but that's it.

BA: Taking a stroll off the beaten path for a moment here, your magazine deals with politics on a level that our culture can actually understand and care about. What is the importance of kids getting out there and voting in this year's presidential election?  Do
you feel this election has the general feeling of more youth interest? Why or why not?
Allan: It's always important to get kids to vote. I think it's hard for kids to grasp why the douchebag on the commercial should be listened to let alone voted for, though. To care about voting you kind of have to know what's going on. Most of us don't know shit about what's going on, of all ages. I'm not sure any more kids are voting this year. If there are, it's probably not that significant. Only about 50 or 60 percent of Americans vote in the presidential election and the numbers go down as you go from federal to
state to local elections, then divide by two. Clearly, then, there's never a mandate for change. We need more than two legitimate parties. I'm voting for Kerry, but after this I think I'm done. I can't keep supporting these assholes.

BA: Just for kicks, who do you think would make the best president? Don't limit yourself to the current canidates.
Allan: Jeez, uh, Bernie Sanders from Vermont. I don't know. He's a socialist.

BA: Back to the issue at hand, when a musician is strolling through BandAttack desperately looking for ways to get their band heard, are they wasting their time?  Is the music industry about hustle and hard work or is it about luck and valuable contacts?
Allan: Every label I deal with talks about a willingness to tour incessantly being a must. So I think it's better to focus on playing shows and building a fanbase. Self-finance everything, don't bother with managers, do it all yourselves. If you can't, then you kinda don't deserve to "make it" in any capacity. It's hard, but it's much easier than being "discovered." I don't think that happens all that much anymore. Art is fucking hard work. Don't let anybody tell you different. It's just also more rewarding.

BA: Have you ever been in a band?
Allan: My last band was my first band other than some pick-up band action at parties and stuff. We were called Mile High. We opend for Rye Coalition once on Friday the 13th. We also opened for the Photon Band, AtombombPocketknife and a band from Japan called  Electric Eel Shock. I played guitar and sang. I'm in a new band with my old bass player but we don't have a name.

BA: Your business calls for much interaction with bands and artists from all over the spectrum of genres and popularity. What is your favorite band to have ever worked with? Why?
Allan: When I was freelancing for Rockpile once I had an interview with Andrew WK. The interview was set to go down at 12:00 PM. I was supposed to call the publicist and she'd patch me in to Andrew via cell phone from his tour bus in Switzerland. Well, the same week there was a crisis at work (my day job) and the entire editorial staff had to pitch in everyday and do a shitload of
data entry to save some project we were working on. To do this we were all moved out of our normal cubicle worlds into a shared office where all the data entry shit happens. The other variable is that lunch is normally at 12:30 not 12:00. So around 12 I wander back down to my cubicle for the interview. It's going along, and then the VP of the entire company comes in looking for my boss and giving me the stink eye for not being with the rest of the staff. Meanwhile, Andrew's going off like Tony Robbins on speed and
I'm trying to play the whole thing off like it was business-related call. So I'm sitting there saying loud enough for the VP to hear, "So what did you do then to ensure the quality of the product?" refering to Andrew's new album. ha! Neither my boss or the VP or Andrew were any the wiser and I got my story in and everything was cool. That was fun.


BA: Where do you see the music industry as a whole in ten years compared to how it is now?
Allan: Totally sucking. No, seriously, I think it's going to be turned upside down. The dynamics, where sound files have replaced albums or CDs, are totally different now. Plus, the way the industry only rewards instant global success isn't helping either. I don't know how it'll turn out, though. The era of the superstar looks to be waning. Nobody can sell out stadiums any more. Records sales are down, yet the diversity of music available is increasing...what does it all mean?

BA: Will this be advantageous for independent bands or no?
Allan: I think if you're savvy and engage all the technology you can to give yourself an edge, it can be great for independent bands. DIY is still the name of the game. Don't wait for the labels, do it yourself. As it turns out, that's what attracts labels: self-sufficient, self-starting bands.

BA: Allan, let's leave this interview with your offering of one single piece of advice for aspiring musicians reading this...
Allan: Take lessons and learn how to type. Two things I never did.

BA: Brilliant! Thank you very much for your time.
Allan: Thanks



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