About Lets Talk About The Music
LTATM’s MISSION
“Let’s Talk About The Music” was as created on 2015. LTATM’s mission is to promote and support independent musicians and highlight the music they produce in their communities.
Sting; “If you play music with passion and love and honesty, then it will nourish your soul, heal your wounds and make your life worth living. Music is its own reward.”
It Started as an Idea
Let’s Talk About the Music (LTATM) was established on January 1, 2015, to give independent musicians a platform where they could speak their minds freely and without judgment. LTATM also offered a network of connections to help the independent music industry unite as a community. Let’s Talk About the Music welcomed all independent music industry band promoters, radio stations, podcasts, and other businesses that help musicians achieve their dreams. In addition, nonmusicians had an opportunity to gain an understanding of the music industry and to witness the work that goes into writing, promoting, touring, and attracting an audience.
The Hiatus
Let’s Talk About the Music went on a six-year hiatus from 2019 to 2024 when the founder decided to go back to college. She was determined to learn how to build a professional community radio station for independent musicians and also how to rebrand the entire LTATM project. A third—and very important—reason was to focus on improving her mental health, something that the founder is passionate about promoting for others.
The Blogs
In September 2015, Music Video Pick was released to help promote independent music videos. Some music videos were already available on YouTube, while a few were created on the spot just for the MVP. It also helped promote the upcoming LTATM podcast that followed in December 2015.
Now in 2024, Music Video Pick has been rebranded as a review to help promote independent musicians, festivals, concerts, venues, and other related subjects. Included with these reviews are music videos, social media links, and other promotional materials to elevate the industry.
The Talk Show Podcast Timeline
The original Let’s Talk About the Music podcast ran from December 2015– April 2019 for three and a half seasons, producing a total of 164 episodes. The LTATM podcast was a humorous, conversational, and sometimes controversial talk show that featured both local and global independent musicians. The live format featured an open chatroom and offered an unfiltered three-hour show with two top hosts from different parts of the world and with varied backgrounds, both of whom made an impact in the music industry: Pixi Shels from Tacoma, WA, and Spider (aka “Spiderinthehall”) from Canton, OH.
How Was This Show Different?
Guests of the LTATM podcast were not coming onto the show to be interviewed but were “guest hosts.” Each guest host could pick their own topic or topics to discuss, whether controversial or not. The whole point of coming onto the show was to have an open conversation with new friends from all over the world, interspersed with independent music every 30 minutes.
Other features included: the worldwide popular demand drinking game, the “Music History Calendar,” and LTATM Music News and Trivia. You could have checked them out every Wednesday from 7 pm to 10 pm PST (10 pm to 1 am EST). Live was available only on Spreaker, but archived episodes are on demand at Iheartradio, Stretcher, Spotify, and more. “Just Google it!”
The Reboot
The reboot of Let’s Talk About The Music in 2020 only produced ten episodes. The founder struggled to incorporate her hard-earned experience and college education and bring about a totally new LTATM. Although some of the reboot was successful initially, the show eventually returned to its original format. The founder realized that she was not quite ready to come back after parting with her five-year co-host. LTATM needed to be different and not “same-ish.” There was also a need to focus on the business side of the project.
The New, Rebranded “Let’s Talk About the Music, Because Music is Everywhere”: 2024 and into the future
In order for Lets Talk About The Music to embark on an exciting fresh start, it is essential to have an updated version of the logo, as well as a captivating new theme song. The new theme song has been thoughtfully created by the talented duo, Papa Satch and Shelly Honeysuckle, both of whom are integral members of the Lets Talk About The Music team.
The newly rebranded LTATM is handcrafted, written, and polished at Green River College’s KGRG station. The new show will stay true to the original idea but will shine the spotlight on those who do the work to bring the spotlight onto others. We will conduct interviews (one-on-one and round-table style) with music industry promoters, labels, and backstage staff to tell the story of what goes into making the music industry run.
LTATM Values
The new Let’s Talk About the Music will maintain the same guiding principles that shaped the former conversational talk show idea: to discover and highlight different cultures, behaviors, and industry decisions and focus the spotlight on all varieties of independent musicians. LTATM will accomplish this through music review blogs, podcast series, and/or radio station productions, utilizing both audio and video components. We are committed to producing fun and engaging talk shows related to the music industry. The podcast is planned to start soon!
Let’s Talk About the Music is on an exciting adventure — who knows what is next? Join the free newsletter to keep up with our latest developments!
The Original Talk Show logo 2016 - 2018
New Logo Design 2023 - present
LTATM TIMELINE
Jan 1, 2015 - "Let's Talk About The Music" was initially to be named "Let's Talk All About the Music" for about 5 minutes. Then it was renamed to "Let's Talk About The Music” and trademarked.
Sept 2015 - The music video pick started.
December 2015 - Original "Let's Talk About The Music" aired.
December - April 20, 2016 - Shels hosted the show solo.
April 20, 2016 - Craig Huston, aka “Spider” from Spiderinthehall, joined LTATM Original staff as a co-host.
April 27, 2016 - LTATM Radio was created.
June 10, 2016 - Lets Talk About The Music domain name was brought
June 11, 2016 - LTATM domain name was brought and trademarked
April 20 - April 24, 2019 - Shels, Spider, and the original team collaborated on 163 episodes..
April 2019 - The show was temporarily placed on hold for a much-needed rebranding, as Shels decided to return to college at Green River College to further her studies in Radio Journalism at KGRG, which is now known as 89.9 The Current. In addition to her journalism coursework, she is also taking business classes aimed at revitalizing and rebuilding LTATM and Lets Talk About The Music as a thriving business entity in the competitive music industry.
2019 - 2020 - Built LTATM Radio thanks to the support and resources provided by KGRG. Shels initially aimed to create a sound that mirrored the professionalism and polish of mainstream radio, but ultimately made the difficult decision to shut it down due to ongoing challenges with securing adequate funding.
2020 - Shels restarted the series "Let's Talk About The Music" for 10 episodes but paused it again, feeling it wasn't ready to return fully. She used the old theme song “The Gift: Let's Talk About The Music," by Spiderinthehall, as a heartfelt tribute to listeners. However, he requested that the song not be used in future episodes.
2021 - Shels ended the use of “the Gift: Lets Talk About The Music” by "Spiderinthehall." Shels then requested Papa Satch to write a new theme song for the rebranded “Lets Talk About The Music” platform. The new song is now copyrighted by Papa Satch, showcasing their collaboration.
2023 - 2024 - Collaborated closely with the newly appointed management team at KGRG to successfully rebrand the initiative "Let's Talk About The Music.” Focus on showcasing and promoting what is currently being produced in the vibrant music scene.
Oct 5, 2024 - The highly anticipated "Let's Talk About The Music" has officially launched, bringing exciting new content to music enthusiasts everywhere.
December 2024 - Shels will finish her studies at Green River College, which she felt more than ready to do, and she is excited to bring “Lets Talk About The Music” back into the spotlight once again.
September 2025 - Shels moves the LTATM project to Ellensburg, WA, for Central Washington University..