#309 - The Roadie Cartel

‘Watching Guns N’ Roses from the side of the stage in London, standing on the set of Saturday Night Live with Paul Simon, receiving a signed skateboard from Carrie Underwood, and mixing front-of-house sound for Kiss…’

These are just a handful of experiences in the rearview mirror of Phillip Kriz’s extraordinary journey in the music industry as a sought-after “roadie” tech, band assistant, and trusted tour confidant. Following nearly 15 years as a dependable road dog, he embarks on what might be his wildest trip yet, making his literary debut with the fictional novel, The Roadie Cartel, in 2023.

This action-packed thriller follows a family immersed in drug trafficking under the cover of the music business. It’s about what could go on behind backstage...

“It’s the struggle between good and evil set in a world I know very well,” he says. “It follows a character who believed one path was her destiny, only to find out where she was really meant to be all along.”

Born and raised in El Paso, TX, Phillip discovered music through his parents. Beyond spinning classics by Led Zeppelin and Bob Dylan, mom even played Howard Stern on their drive to school. Predestining a future in the business, she also brought Phillip to his first concert — U2 and Public Enemy at the Sun Bowl. Not to mention, he caught Robert Plant & Jimmy Page and Alan Jackson when they rolled through town. However, a Pink Floyd gig would be the point of no return for him. After a stint working in the food service industry in San Antonio, he attended and graduated from Full Sail University in Orlando FL where he also worked his first production gigs. Eventually, he landed his “dream job” at production powerhouse Clair Global. Coming full circle, his first assignment placed him on a jaunt with Guns N’ Roses in 2010. He hit the road for the better part of the next decade. Clients included Alicia Keys, The Scorpions, Justin Bieber, Florida Georgia Line, Paul Simon, Carrie Underwood, and Queen & Adam Lambert, to name a few. At the onset of the Global Pandemic, the business shutdown, and Phillip found himself at home in Nashville, where he found himself beginning the journey as an author.

www.phillipjkriz.com

• Creator and Executive Producer Emeritus: Tom Sabella

• Showrunner and Host (the guy who has a face for podcasting): Bob Bender

• Management Representation: Chuck Thompson for Thompson Entertainment Group, LLC

• Co-Producer - Audio/Video Editor (the man behind the curtain): Mark Sabella

• Director of Video and Continuity (the brains of the entire operation): Deborah Halle

• Marketing and Social Media (all knowing): Sarah Fleshner for 362 Entertainment

• All Around Problem Solver (and Mental Health Therapist for us): Connie Ribas

• Recorded inside what could be an old beat up Airstream Trailer located somewhere on what’s left of Music Row in Nashville TN (Man we sure do miss Noshville, and the Longhorn Steakhouse)

• Mixed and Mastered at Music Dog Studios in Nashville, TN

• Editing and Post at Midnight Express Studio located in Olian, NY

• Production Sound Design: Keith Stark

• Voice Over and Promo: Lisa Fuson

Special Thanks to the creator and founder of the podcast, Tom Sabella, along with Traci Snow for producing and hosting over 100 episodes of the original "Business Side of Music" podcast and trusting us to carry on their legacy.

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