Kizirnis has been the sole presenter at the events. Topics have included AI in music, streaming for independent musicians, and social media strategies.
The upcoming meetup will feature two guest speakers, WYSO’s music director Juliet Fromholt and assistant music director Evan Miller. The presentation and subsequent discussion will focus on what radio can do for independent musicians, and the larger state of commercial versus non-commercial broadcasting.
The next monthly musician’s meet-up is 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 24 at Yellow Cab Tavern. The events are free, but a donation is suggested at the door.
During the pandemic, Kizirnis released his solo album, “The Distance.” Considering live shows weren’t an option at the time, the album wasn’t going anywhere. But a little encouragement from Tim Anderl, of Sweet Cheetah PR, pushed Kizirnis to learn online marketing skills, which gave “The Distance” more traction.
Kizirnis always booked and promoted his various bands throughout the years, but the push to use social media as a viable marketing platform was new to him. As he developed those skills for his music, he wanted to share what he learned to people interested in promoting their own work.
“I want to give people the right information, and just help them feel empowered and like they’re part of something,” Kizirnis said. “I think people enjoy that community sense of connecting with each other. I’m looking at a bunch of people who don’t know each other, having beers. And they continue to talk about music when they’re hanging out.”
The communal aspect, along with the beneficial information, is part of what draws some musicians to the events. Mike Bankhead, a bassist from Fairborn, has attended all of the meet-ups Kizirnis has hosted. He’s also a frequent attendee of music conferences across the country.
“You can’t possibly learn too much about the business if you want to be in the business,” Bankhead said. “I can’t say that I have known everything he’s been talking about each week, but the opportunity to meet other musicians in our community in a social setting is indispensable. Building community is something that’s very important to me.”
Both Bankhead and Kizirnis have stayed up-to-date in an ever-changing musical landscape, critically following bands, labels, press, and radio trends as they shift.
While there are no “success stories” thus far in the four months of meet-ups, the attending musicians and producers have made steps in the direction of progress, by building mailing lists, updating Spotify profiles, and stepping onto open-mic stages for the first time.
“For things like that,” Kizirnis said, “we always try to do a little celebration.”
Encouragement is paramount for independent musicians trying to get heard above the noise. And having guest speakers like Juliet Fromholt and Evan Miller is imperative for unsigned artists wanting tips on getting their music on the radio.
“Of course I want our local artists to share their music with us,” Fromholt said. “But there are also plenty of other independent radio stations, both in the Midwest and around the country, that I think our artists would fit wonderfully on. I would love to see our local folks getting air play beyond our local community.”
Some of the radio-centric tips at the next musician’s meet-up will include following submission guidelines, writing bios, and sending in radio edits.
For a couple of months, Fromholt and Miller had the idea of getting people in a room to talk about best practices for submitting. It just so happened that Kizirnis also had the idea of sharing his research. The collaboration made sense.
“Making music is not some elite club. Making music and doing it well should be something that is accessible to everybody,” Fromholt said. “Success in music can look a lot of different ways for a lot of people. We need to be sharing with each other. There’s so much knowledge in our community.”
When you get people in a room like this, you hear different methods of how to approach being a musician; it’s as much about understanding what you want as understanding what you don’t want. But with the right information, presented in a communal setting, you can decide for yourself as an artist.
Brandon Berry covers the music and arts scene in Dayton and Southwest Ohio, spotlighting local musicians, underground and touring bands, cultural events, fringe phenomena and creative spaces. Reach him at branberry100@gmail.com.
HOW TO GO
What: Monthly musician’s meet-up
When: 7 p.m. Aug. 24
Where: Yellow Cab Tavern, 700 E. 4th St., Dayton
Cost: Free
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