10 Questions with ... Michelle Feghali

1. What was your favorite station to listen to when you were a kid?

WFUV! I grew up in Stamford, CT and have always been so pleased that the station airs all the way out there. My sister and I would always get into arguments on the way to high school over changing the channel from Z100 to 90.7 so I could listen to "better music".

2. What got you interested in the record business?

I initially went to college at Michigan State University to study Psychology and Modern Dance. I had plans to be a Dance Therapist. After not doing so hot in my psych classes (I hated math) and realizing my love for music was driving my dance choreographing, I decided to switch my major to Media Arts with a focus in Film, TV, and Radio. This was at the same time that I discovered the college radio station, WDBM - Impact89FM, one of thee best college radio stations out there! I quickly became involved in filming and editing in-studio sessions with touring bands, putting together world news pieces, and reviewing new music that was sent to the station. It wasn't until 2013 when I went to the CMJ festival in New York that I realized I could actually have a career in the music industry. Seeing so many eager new bands and meeting all of the cool label/promoter folks kind of flipped my world upside down. Once I returned from that trip I did everything in my power to become the Music Director at WDBM and somehow I succeeded! The role forced me to learn about record labels, a faction of the music world that I hadn't really delved into before. As MD, I got to keep up with record promoters from labels and indies every week and because of those relationships I ended up landing a gig at the music and marketing agency, The Syndicate right out of college. Shout out to The Syn for getting me my start in this wild industry!

3. What's it like to work at a company like Sub Pop?

In my humble opinion, Sub Pop is one of the *coolest* most authentic record labels to exist, hands down. During my final interview with the company, CEO Megan Jasper told me (and I'm paraphrasing here) that Sub Pop's main goal is to work with amazing artists that we believe in and help get them to where they want to go. That's it… and I fucking loved that! With a simple and respectable mission like that (along with all of the awesome historical moments the label has created and been a part of) I knew that Sub Pop was different from all the rest and it's been a pleasure to come to learn that from firsthand experience over my 5+ years I've worked with the company. Throughout my time, I've gotten to work with the BEST artists in the biz and with some of the best coworkers as well. And I sincerely mean that! There are several employees that have been with the company for over 10, some even 20 years and that just goes to show how great our #specialworkplace really is! I can't wait until we get more of us back to working in the office so we can start blaring great music, pulling pranks, creating dog meet ups, hosting photoshoots, hanging with artists, and drinking coffee together.

4. You are in the home office in Seattle. How has work shifted since the pandemic?

Most of us at a Sub Pop are still working remotely from home, which at times can be really nice, but I do miss being in the office with everyone. I've actually been trying to go work from the office more and convince my coworkers to do the same since it used to be so much fun. Sub Pop HQ is kind of known for having some wild shenanigans go down including hilarious pranks, birthday parties, games of dice, and band visits. I miss that environment and hope we can return to it at some point in the future, but who knows. We're doing our best!

5. How do you split your responsibilities between promotion and A&R?

Truth be told, if I'm not on the phone with a radio station or in an internal strategizing meeting I'm almost definitely listening to new music. I'm trying to hear everything from band submissions, random Spotify playlists, songs I found in a Bandcamp rabbit hole, a new release that we just scheduled… if it's close to the indie world, chances are I've listened to it or it's scheduled to get queued up on my speakers or headphones for sometime soon. It's never easy keeping up with everything and sometimes I have to force myself to take a walk with nothing in my ears just to give my brain a palate cleanser, but I'd never complain. Doing A&R in today's music world is always going to be overwhelming, no doubt, but that's what makes it exciting too. So many bands, who will find the best ones first (hopefully us!!!). What's great about doing radio promotions and A&R at the same time is that in the times that I'm not searching for music I'm talking to involved radio station reps who have impeccable taste of their own! It's been fun to share my findings with the radio community and learn from them as well. Sometimes it almost feels like I have a leg up from the rest who are searching for new talent just because my work focuses in another facet of the industry that's also thriving to cultivate and prop up new artists that we love.

6. Speaking of A&R, what sources do you use to find new talent?

I just have really cool friends who tell me about things to listen to and shows to go to…. where else do you find new music? 😬

7. What criteria do you use to determine which Sub Pop projects go to radio?

The standard, ideal "radio song" should be catchy, hooky, cut to the lyrics quickly, and end before the four-minute mark… but I'm definitely starting to see this shift in the NonComm radio world especially. Music and Program Directors aren't as concerned with specific criteria and are starting to branch outside the norm just because they want to take a chance on a song they love. At the end of last year we serviced a Weyes Blood song that was over six minutes long and even though we've moved on to the three minute single now, folks are STILL talking to me about that 6 minute 13 second one because it's just THAT good. Generally, we'll try to cater to the format as much as possible, but sometimes our artists make such astounding pieces of work that we just have to go for it and hope at least some of the audience gets on board.

8. What's the one project that got away?

I have a private list of every band I've ever pitched to the Sub Pop A&R group that we haven't signed. It's a bit of a lengthy list, but I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. We put out 60-90 releases a year, so there's only so much room on our schedule. There are so many bands that I'd love to work with, but at the end of the day we're just trying our hardest to work with the best of the best and also keep our heads on straight. So, I'm not really sure if anyone's really gotten away… I guess if it's meant to be, it'll happen?

9. What is it like to work with my favorite human and friend Scott Perlewitz? Aka Lambie Pie!

Oh, what to say about Scott… Mr. Scott Perlewitz, the Master of Radio, the Minister of Truth, the Director to my Manager position… From day one of getting to know each other over the phone before I had even left Brooklyn I knew that Scott was going to be a hoot. He's funny, charismatic, sarcastic, super well-informed… I'm sure many of you know Scott, but having the pleasure of working and learning from him over the past several years has really been a treat. From his name drops of working with My Chemical Romance, Disturbed, and Enya to his quirky little emoji or meme sign-offs - Scott is always one to make me smile while making sure I stay on task. Shout out to a legend in the flesh, y'all! Bless his heart for dealing with me for all these years!!!

10. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without ...

My Frankie Bean. That's my 20lb chihuahua/dachshund/terrier loaf that cuddles near me while I get my work done. Yes, she's a loaf, and yes, I accidentally named her after Kurt Cobain's daughter… I swear this was an accident, but I'm not mad about it.

Last non-industry job:

Radio Promo at The Syndicate

First record ever purchased:

Outcast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below on CD

First concert:

The Fall of Troy w/ Foxy Shazaam at Toad's place in northern Connecticut

Favorite band of all-time:

If I say Nirvana that's cheesy right? Honestly, it's difficult for me to pick just one! Maybe of all time… David Bowie? I'm also a huge fan of Sharon Van Etten, Beirut, Frank Ocean, and Alex G.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time away from work?

I'm a big film and TV nerd. Maybe not as intensely as some of my peers, but I love my AMC A List membership!