AMP – MEET THE STAFF AND CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
RALPH BEAUCHAMP – EDITOR
As editor of AMP, I must say that I work with some of the most talented and dedicated staff and writers around. Even though I started myampmusic.co four years ago as an outlet for my love of music, this is far from a one man show. Scott Steinberg, my I.T. manager and contributing writer has been with me from the very beginning. We have been through many trials and tribulations just to keep AMP afloat. Around every corner is a technical problem that has to be corrected and believe me there have been many nights of banging our heads against the wall.
I am also fortunate enough to have surrounded myself with writers and music industry executives that are determined to bring new music to the forefront. These scribes are in the trenches everyday looking for the freshest and most interesting talent to bring to our readers. In our short four year stint, we have had over 308,000 hits from 128,000 visitors from every corner of the earth. Hopefully some of the visitors enjoyed reading about the up and coming artists AMP has featured. Below is a short bio of each of the contributing writers.
SCOTT STEINBERG
As mentioned Scott has been part of this publication from the start. He has worked with me to constantly improve the graphics and look of AMP. His insights have been an integral component to AMP‘s steady upgrades and enhancements. Scott is a graduate of the University of Bridgeport and is always researching ways to improve the appearance of AMP. He is also one of my main compadres when it comes to checking out new talent live. Scott recently submitted his first review for AMP which received high praise and accolades. I know he has enjoyed writing the piece so I expect many more posts from him. In addition, the man is an awesome golf partner.
ANNE ESTELLA
As an acclaimed music journalist, Anne has gained international recognition as one of the UK’s most prominent supporter of the emerging Rock scene and is an ambassador for the Forge Ahead Initiative which helps fledgling bands find their feet in the industry.
Promoting up and coming, grassroots and unsigned bands through her writing, Anne has contributed music reviews, band interviews and features to several well known print publications and webzines in Britain and the U.S. and supports some of the UK’s most cuttings edge Rock festivals.
Anne also presents her own YouTube channel featuring face-to-face interviews with established and rising bands and artists, in an informal style that allows the audience to get to know the musicians on a more personal level
With her finger firmly on the racing pulse of the alternative scene, Anne is considered to be the go-to journalist and interviewer by musicians, industry professionals and music fans alike. AMP is blessed to be able to publish Anne’s monthly amazing interviews.
KATE CARROLL
As creator and administrator of the Facebook Rock ‘n Rhode group, Kate Carroll has a simple mission: to keep live local music alive and well in this digital world. To accomplish this she runs her Facebook group and page (both called Rock ‘n Rhode) and manages a yearly charity event, Rock ‘n Rhode Fest, which donates all the proceeds to local charities (The Tomorrow Fund, The Hope Foundation, Operation Stand Down R.I., Make A Wish and more to come).
She also cultivates contests to benefit local bands with prizes such as live feed concerts, radio station appearances and interviews and hopefully soon, recording studio sessions. Furthermore, Kate offers free promotion to local bands and musicians as well as the venues who allow them to perform.
Kate has always had an interest in local bands and musicians. This interest probably stemmed from her early friendships with many musicians during her high school years. After spending enough money on concert tickets for national bands during her teen years to finance a college education, Kate discovered the more economical, and in her opinion, more enjoyable option of seeing local talent perform as an adult. More enjoyable because smaller venues allow dancing and mingling. Plus, you don’t need a pricey VIP pass to meet and greet the band members. Many of these meetings have led to friendships. Something that never occurs when seeing national bands.
She live in Warwick, R.I. with her imaginary cats in her imaginary mansion dreaming about someday running a bed and breakfast (preferably haunted by some friendly ghosts) and perhaps owning a music venue of her own. AMP is lucky to have such a talented and committed contributor.
RICHARD DEMKO
Richard Demko is a classically trained pianist who started taking piano lessons at the age of 5. He went on to study drums, guitar, bass, and eventually, the art of production and engineering. Richard has played in various bands and has toured all over the Northeast with his primary project, Electric Mayhem. He has played as a session musician on countless songs and albums, most notably playing B3 tracks on two singles that feature Beach Boy, Blondie Chaplin (Release date TBA). He also plays and write songs in a studio project called “Demkovic” which is comprised of Demko and his long time band mate, vocalist Suzanne Vick.
Richard honed hi production and engineering skills with Vic Stevens of the Horizon Music Group in West haven, Ct. and has worked with numerous local, regional and national bands in the studio. Some of the more notable projects include working with Blondie Chaplin, Liberty Devitto, Kasim Sultan, Edwin Hawkins, Edwin Hawkins. Mickey Curry, Scott Spray, Bobby “T” Torello, Steve Gaspar and Christine Ohlman. Richard also had the opportunity to mix some of the nation’s biggest bands when he engineered for the legendary Toads Place in New Haven, Ct.
In 2019, Richard went on to form NeuroTronix Records which is a full service independent record label located in Seymour, Ct. As the President and Senior A&R for the label, he actively scouts bands and artists to help promote, record and release music utilizing his knowledge and expertise that he has gained throughout his 20+ year career in the industry. With an amazing team of dedicated professionals who help him run the daily operations, NeuroTronix Records has become one of the fastest growing and most reputable indie labels in Connecticut.
Richard is also a major booking agent in the area handling various major venues in the tri-state including 10Selden and Stella Blues. His commitment to local artists in invaluable. He is an essential component in the the world of AMP as his knowledge of the regional music scene is beyond compare.
MANDY REID
Mandy Reid is AMP‘s newest contributing writer and she brings a completely different flavor to the website. Nurse by day, rocker by night, Mandy Reid is an accomplished healthcare executive with a demonstrated history of leading complex hospital systems and multiple specialty services within healthcare to optimize performance. Her written work has been mainly in research and programmatic development.
She has recently come out of her comfort zone and has branched out to writing music reviews and musician bios. As wife of the incredible shredder and Autograph guitarist, Jimi Bell, her steadfast friendships puts her in the ideal position to create intimate and personal interviews with some of the top musicians in the country. Whether you live in the c-suite or found front and center on stage, Mandy can create the perfect write up. AMP is extremely fortunate to count Mandy as one of our own.
DONNA ERIQUEZZO
Concert and landscape photographer, Donna is currently a full time student at Paier College getting her bachelors degree in photography. She also have an associates degree in fashion merchandising from the Art Institute of Dallas where she won a full tuition scholarship .Donna is also a certified makeup artist from John Robert Powers Modeling School .
Shannon Wilk is a young woman emerging in the Connecticut metal scene and beyond. She has been a music journalist and photographer since she was just 12 years old with her own publication. She has seen all sides of rock and heavy metal through working as a bassist, guitarist, social media manager, PR agent, journalist, photographer, graphic designer, and more! From KISS to Foo Fighters to Foreigner, the list of legendary artists she has worked with is astounding for her young age. Shannon is the future of rock n’ roll, so watch out!
Holly is a concert photographer who’s been in the business for 20+ yrs now. She started out photographing local bands in CT & MA.Her photos have been used by regional music magazines, websites and radio stations. After taking a break from the scene for a bit, Holly returned last year rediscovering her passion and consistently has musicians feature her photos on their social media pages.Her web portfolios can be found on Facebook & Instagram as Holly Roy Photography.
High school drone teacher by day, avid concert goer by night. Enjoy all types of music but lean towards rock and alternative. First concert was AC DC in 1981. Fell in love with seeing live music and have been attending shows since. Proud dad of 3. Garrett, Jagger and Kassi.
ERIC RAUERT
Eric Rauert is an engineer by trade who catches every act he can when not travelling for work. Never one to miss a Sunday show, Eric picked up a deep passion for live recordings and vinyl over Covid that has evolved into an addiction for attending artists of all kinds. Find him writing about every genre from ambient to zamrock and everything in between. Eric tends to focus on bands trying to innovate and subvert the norm, hoping to elevate original and weird musical acts through his coverage. Currently, he has a passion for jam and psychedelic rock bands (as well as post-punk and metal), closely following the local, national, and international talent that comes through the Rust Belt
KAT GULLAGE
Kat is a seasoned virgo concert junkie. She has been collecting live music experiences up & down the East Coast for over three decades. A chance meeting with talented photographer Holly Borden, at a show of course, led to the opportunity for Kat to spread her wings as a writer here at AMP. Her enthusiasm and attention to detail conveys in her honest reviews. A lifetime devoted Cincinnati Bengals fan, she also writes for the team on the fan based Thirteenth Sports. She is able to pursue her passion for writing about music and sports with the support of her devoted family & friends. Kat is a UCF – Daytona Beach graduate and currently resides in Central CT.
KERRI NELSON
Kerri began her career as a local news photojournalist in the New England area back in 2006. She has built her career around telling people’s stories through her lens. An avid concert-goer since the age of 10, live music has been in her blood. There is a special energy that comes with concerts, and for Kerri, capturing that energy is the best part of photojournalism. Being able to convey emotion and energy in a single shot, and having viewers feel that emotion, is so much fun and a pretty cool task to be asked to create.
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