The IndieCon Panels bring together professionals that have significant experience in the music industry and are cool enough to share it with us in a totally accessible, conversational setting. They're all here because they want to see independent-minded musicians succeed; they're here to help.

Expect each panelist to speak for about five minutes, telling you a little bit about their background and offering what they think might be the most helpful knowledge they can pass on as in 'insider' to their profession. Then as a group they'll answer questions from the audience.

For the schedule of panels, see the IndieCon home page.

introductons to the panelists are found below. Click a name to bounce to their bio:

BOOKING: CLUB & BAND SNOG
Bands want to play real stages. Nightclubs want to stay in business. Let’s put them both in a bottle and shake it. Be there to interact with a panel of club owners & bookers who care about your band, their industry, and our scene.

Damon Brink, Club Metronome & Nectar's; Joseph Beaulieu (802) Booking Collective; Kevin Hoskins, Middle East; Rik Palieri, global touring artist.

PRESS & AIRPLAY
Radio, newspapers and magazines eat music, but they're picky snackers. How do you make your band stand out and get through to the airwaves and print? Um, ask the pros:

Matt Grasso Programming Director WBTZ 99.9/WIZN 106.7; Pat Floyd, Music Director WRUV 90.1; Daniel Bolles, Seven Days; Brent Hallenbeck, Burlington Free Press; Rik Palieri, Songwriter's Notebook

INDEPENDENT PROMOTION
Thank goodness for geniuses who figure out the independent/DIY promotion thing so well they make a living at it AND have time to clue you to how its done:

Richard Matson, Matson Films (NYC); Spencer Crispe, My Revenge

LEGAL & BUSINESS ISSUES FOR MUSICIANS AND COMPOSERS
Kelly Kocinski from Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts make a generous special appearance to present about law issues in the music business. The panel covers the issues that affect all artists: intellectual property (copyright and trademark); contracts; and business structures for creative endeavors. The issues include when to set up a formal legal entity for your activities; for-profit vs. not-for-profit corporate models; and working with, and protecting, intellectual property assets; and understanding the contracts that define and organize your relationships with others whether or not you realize it. Participants' questions will be addressed.

Ask the Lawyer, Legal & Business Issues for Music: Kelly Kocinski, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts

MUSIC FOR PEACE
How can music transform conflict into peace? Musicians effectively promoting peace through their art and lives give their perspectives on the union of music and politics, then perform - during a community potluck dinner at Burlington's City Hall!

Mel & Vinnie, Rik Palieri, Joseph Gainza, Ingrid Heldt, Kenric Kite, Geert van der Velde

*Depending on availability.

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The IndieCon Panelists

	JOSEPH BEAULIEU, Proprietor, The (802) Booking Collective http://www.myspace.com/802bookingcollective/ Joseph Beaulieu - Long time supporter of Burlington's Underground Hardcore/Punk Music and Arts scenes. Decided to kick the ball instead of just merely start it rolling to revitalize the absence of innovative new music in the area. Started the 802 Booking / Empyreal Records Collective on August 13, 2006.
	DANIEL BOLLES, Music Editor, Seven Days Newspaper http://www.sevendaysvt.com http://www.clubmetronome.com/ Daniel Bolles has been intimately involved with the Vermont music scene for well over a decade as a performer, promoter and most importantly, a fan. The passion with which he approached his work with notable Burlington acts The Skamaphrodites and The Middle Eight now serves him well in his current role as the Music Editor for Vermont's independent voice, Seven Days Newspaper. Bolles lives in Burlington with a crazy half-pit bull named Buckley.
	DAMON BRINK, Owner, Club Metronome & Nectar's http://www.liveatnectars.com Damon Brink is a graduate of Jericho Center School, Mount Mansfield and UVM. He is a fan of live music and all forms of non-destructive expression. Local music is the cornerstone of a whole different music industry, one that is more dependent on relationships, effort and results. Nectar's mission is to nurture live music and expression; everything else is built from that premise. Musicians, fans and business people that work on the local level are the saviors and the truth of the entire music industry and because of that every local musician that plays on a Nectar's stage, or any stage for that matter, has a responsibility to the health and growth of the local music scene. There is nothing that makes Damon happier, in business, than when he sees someone accepting that responsibility.
	SPENCER CRISPE, My Revenge Spencer Crispe is 29 years old and lives in Southern Vermont with his wife Danielle and has been the vocalist for the hardcore punk band My Revenge for the past 7 years. He toured extensively with My Revenge including Mexico, The UK and Japan. He has also been a devoted skateboarder for the past 22 years and tries to skate every single day. Spencer collects vinyl records, mostly obscure hardcore and punk releases, but is an overall music lover.
	PAT FLOYD, Music Director, WRUV 90.1 (University of Vermont) http://wruv.org Pat Floyd has been the Music Director at WRUV FM Burlington for the past two years. He has long been involved in the Burlington music scene whether it be interning at Big Heavy World, playing in local bands, or controlling the airwaves on WRUV. His work at the UVM student and community member run station includes talking to national promotion companies and record labels and reporting to the College Music Journal charts.
	JOSEPH GAINZA, Vermont Program Coordinator, American Friends Service Committee http://www.afsc.org Joseph Gainza has been the Vermont Program Coordinator of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) since 1995. He has a BA in American History from St. Francis College in Brooklyn, NY, and a MA in Systematic Theology from St. Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont. In addition to teaching grade school in Brooklyn for seven years, Joseph has been a community organizer/outreach worker for Central Vermont Community Action Council where he initiated the organizing of the Vermont Food Bank. He was also an advocacy director for the rights of people with disabilities, and a program director and instructor of adults at Woodbury College in Montpelier. With the AFSC Joseph organizes opposition to war and the causes for war, and for social and economic injustice. His work includes organizing opposition to the reinstatement of the death penalty in Vermont. With his wife Sarah Norton, he manages a small homestead in Marshfield, Vermont.
	MATT GRASSO, Programming Director, WBTZ 99.9 'The Buzz' and WIZN 106.7 'The Wizard' http://www.999thebuzz.com Matt Grasso runs the programming and operations department for 106.7 WIZN and 99.9 the Buzz. The Buzz is the highest rated alternative station in the country and was nominated for station of the year by Radio and Records in 2006 and 2007. Matt also runs the radio station at Champlain College and will begin teaching Broadcast Programming and Management at Champlain in 2008. Matt will celebrate 10 years in Burlington this December and lives in Highgate with his wife and twin maniac daughters.
	BRENT HALLENBECK, Arts & Entertainment Reporter, The Burlington Free Press http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com Brent Hallenbeck has been covering arts and entertainment for The Burlington Free Press, with a focus on the local music scene, since early 2004. He covered news as well as entertainment for the Free Press starting in 1998, and before that did the same for several newspapers in New York state.
	INGRID HELDT http://www.ingridmusic.com Ingrid began performing long before she could read. Her father, a sound engineer, took her along to sporting, political and social events, where she'd always end up in front of the mike, singing. She wrote her first song, an early version of "Chrome, Crystal and Glass", in a songwriting workshop with Bob Gibson (1931-1996) whose songs have been covered by Simon & Garfunkel, Judy Collins and The Byrds and whose protégés included Joan Baez and Shel Silverstein. She has written and translated songs for other singers and commercials for companies such as Volkswagen. Ingrid’s voice has been described as "somewhere between Enya, Sarah McLachlan, Charlotte Church and Joan Baez." Photo: Carol Lavasseur
	KEVIN HOSKINS, National Talent Buyer/Booking Agent, The Middle East (Boston) http://www.mideastclub.com While earning his B.A. at the University of Vermont, Kevin served as Station Manager and host of the new music show at UVM's radio station, WRUV. Upon graduation, he worked for Gadfly Records and Big Top Records. He briefly handled radio promotions and publicity for American International Artists' record label before becoming the Assistant Director of Publicity at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. After moving to Boston in 2000, he worked as a Tour Manager, Manager, Publicist, and Booking Agent for a few different bands. In between tours, he began working at The Middle East, handling hospitality for touring bands and eventually managing some shows. He also did some freelance writing and worked briefly for Concerted Efforts, a booking agency. In 2004, he became the National Booking Agent for The Middle East. He also heads up Middle East Presents, which promotes shows outside of The Middle East at venues like The Sommerville Theatre, The Regent Theatre, The Roxy, and soon, The Armory. The Middle East has won Best Rock Club awards in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 from both The Boston Phoenix and Boston's Weekly Dig.
	KENRIC KITE, Director, ORCA Media http://www.orcamedia.net Kenric’s first big introduction to Peace activism was in 1983, when he was among fifty or so Burlingtonians who marched on Washington for “Jobs, Peace and Freedom” to honor Martin Luther King’s “Dream” speech twenty years before. In 1997, he spent three months in Bosnia volunteering for Conflict Resolution Catalysts, a grassroots-driven organization that worked with people to develop creative solutions to war-driven ethnic strife. His recent effort is to create the Vermont Peace Song Contest, which encourages ordinary people to write new peace songs for our times. The contest, recently held for the second time, is recorded for public access television by Montpelier’s ORCA Media, of which he is the Director. A part-time musician, he has a peace song or two up his sleeve as well.
	KELLY KOCINSKI, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts http://www.vlany.org Kelly Kocinski is the Director of Development at Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts and is a law school graduate. The area of law that will be the focus of her practice is intellectual property and nonprofit entity formation, governance and operation. Ms. Kocinski has considerable arts administration experience with dance and theater companies, having served as Development Associate for Doug Varone and Dancers; Stage and Production Manager for Ariane Anthony and Company and Company Reindfleisch; and Company Manager for Ballet Tech. Ms. Kocinski is a modern dancer. In New York, she has studied with Mary Anthony, in the professional training program at the Merce Cunningham Studio and at The Limon Studio, among others. She has performed and taught across the country and internationally as both an independent artist and as a company member. She is currently in her sixth year of performing with Racoco Productions, for which she also serves as Rehearsal Director. Additionally, Ms. Kocinski is a certified Pilates instructor. Ms. Kocinski received her BA magna cum laude with distinction in Literature from Boston University in 1998. She received a Fellowship from the Kosciuszko Foundation to study at the Jagellonian University in Krakow, Poland in 1999. She received her JD, along with the Ortner Prize for Achievement in Entertainment Law, from Brooklyn Law School in 2007.
	RICHARD MATSON, President, Matson Films (NYC) http://matsonfilms.com As the founder of Matson Films, a feature film distributor, and as President of Transmission Films and Palisades Pictures over the last 10 years, Mr. Matson has overseen the delivery, marketing and international sales for 8 films in theatres and on video (including 'It's All Gone Pete Tong' and 'Restaurant') and over 75 movies online. Richard has produced four feature films (including 'Towncraft' and 'The World's Best Prom,' several award-winning short films, commercials and multiple web-based projects. His companies have been innovators in web-based film marketing and event-based movie distribution. They combine a DIY grassroots approach to traditional movie marketing to expand the awareness of their movies in a changing entertainment landscape. Richard is a regular festival panelist and film school lecturer on the subject of film distribution. He attended Hampshire College, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and graduated from Columbia College.
	MEL & VINNIE http://www.homepage.mac.com/maryellenhealy http://www.myspace.com/melandvinnie http://www.melandvinnie.blogspot.com Mel & Vinnie collaborate in a diverse array of projects from family life to fundraising. As Mel and Vinnie, they have appeared countless times at Clearwater's Great Hudson River Revival; Pumpkin Sail venues up and down the river, Ferry Sloops fundraisers and sloop club festivals in NY and NJ. They provide a Circle of Song on the Beacon shore for the annual Newburgh to Beacon Swim across the River to benefit River Pool at Beacon. In February, 2007 they went to Louisiana to bring instruments and music to children and adults post Katrina.
	RIK PALIERI, The Songwriter's Notebook http://www.banjo.net "Totem Pole" Rik Palieri makes his home in Vermont's mountains. He has recorded six CD's, hosts "The Song Writer's Notebook", and has just published his first book "The Road Is My Mistress, Tales Of A Roustabout Songster." On the road Rik has played 1,000 schools and at some of the largest Folk Festivals in the world. He plays a wide array of instruments - banjo and guitar, Native American love flute, Ozark mouth bow and Polish bagpipes. Rik delights in sharing his love for songs and stories, old and new, traditional and contemporary. He has worked with legendary American folkies such as Pete Seeger, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Jimmie Driftwood, Utah Phillips, Ralph Stanley, and with rocker Bruce Springsteen.
	GEERT VAN DER VELDE, The Black Atlantic, ex Shai Hulud http://www.myspace.com/theblackatlantic

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