MYN Team

Meet the Music You Need Team!

Joshua Jacobs

Owner/Founder/Chief Writer

Writer Alias: jjacobsballer

Article(s): Moar Bass for Your Playlists, Welcome to the Underground, Friends of MYN

Joshua Jacobs has always been involved with music and is a huge music enthusiast. From playing the trumpet beginning at age 12 to attending shows all over California, he’s had an ear for what people want to hear. That is what inspired and motivated him to create Music You Need; his passion for music and a voice that he was determined to share with the world.

Joshua started the site by himself, in hopes he could reach many others with amazing music that he believes all should hear. He finds music for visitors of the site by reaching out to artists, record labels, and management companies, as well as attending live shows and getting some recommendations for many others around him who also love music. Joshua’s vision for the site is to have it continue to grow in reach and content, while continuing to develop it and provide visitors with new and exciting ways to listen to music.

When he’s not delving into the depths of amazing music all over the Internet, Joshua enjoys attending live shows all across California and beyond, is an avid runner, spends time with his black lab, hangs out on the beach, enjoys playing and watching sports, and eating great food. Look out for more from this budding entrepreneur and much more to come from the whole Music You Need team!

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Lyja Brown

Business Operations/Event Production 

Writer Alias: lyjarose

Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area and being raised by parents with a great appreciation for music, Lyja found her self at Grateful Dead shows as an infant and many festivals in Golden Gate Park as she grew up. Grade school was spent listening to classic rock, reggae, ska, hip-hop and rap; college introduced her to electronic music. Throughout her life she has attended countless shows (both live and DJ sets) as well as music festivals including: Outside Lands, Coachella, Electric Daisy Carnival, Lightning in a Bottle, High Sierra and Holy Ship. She loves anything with a good beat that makes you want to get up and dance and encourages everyone to come dance in the rainbows of the next festival with her!

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Shane Hanto

Editor in chief/Writer

Writer Alias: StayPositive

Article(s): Turn It Up Tuesdays

Shane Hanto is 27 years old, has a passion for music and believes it has taught him to be a more positive person in all aspects of life. He has attended hundreds of concerts, shows and festivals with all types of music throughout his life. Raised on everything from country to hip hop and classic rock to reggae, he has an appreciation for all music, but EDM has earned a special place in his heart. Besides music, he loves to travel, meet new people, go snowboarding, skating, camping, and to the beach. You can usually find Shane among family and friends, with a smile on his face, awaiting the next big adventure in pursuit of good times, great music, and fun people.

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Taylor Thomas

Chief of Media Relations/Photographer

Taylor Thomas’ heart has been with the arts from day one. Spanning not only from music to visual artistry, but also literature to poetry. A nomad at heart, she has lived in several major cities, spending most of her upbringing in Miami before relocating to the West Coast, and has been a fixture in each cities’ music scene. Starting out with punk, ska, and hardcore shows, Taylor’s taste in music has grown to encompass all genres, seeping into the electronic scene when she first wandered into Ultra at 14. Since then, she can be spotted at most major festivals, clad in face paint, butterfly wings, and dirt, dancing with her eyes closed and a smile on her face. If you spot this mass of brown hair with her hand stitched to a camera, she’ll probably take your photo and then babble about her love for the Universe (she will probably also make you thank it emphatically and ask for “more please!”).

Taylor is excited for the future of MYN and hopes to help it grow in any way she can.

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Brian Keem

Writer

Writer Alias: Fresh420

Articles: Mayhem Mondays

Brian Keem aka Fresh420, was born and raised in Atascadero, CA and also lived in Southern California for 5 years.  He is 27 years old and LOVES music! Ever since Brian was a little tyke he has always enjoyed jamming out to some good tunes.  He listens to all kinds of music, but for some reason can’t stand country (just sayin’).  Hip hop has always been his favorite genre and ever since he can remember, he always loved searching for new sounds to bump.  EDM is definitely a favorite of his especially house, electro, dubstep, tech house, crunk & glitch hop.  He says, “I am grateful to have this opportunity to share the music I love, every day”.

Brian started posting for Music You Need early March 2012.  He currently has a weekly post Mayhem Mondays and also posts on the daily for Music You Need.  Brian says that writing and posting for Music You Need has been such a pleasure for him and that he hopes all the viewers out there enjoy the posts and music as much as we do!

“Live it, Love it, Like it”

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Brooke Daly

Artist Liaison/Writer/Event Coverage

Writer Alias: RoboBrooke

Articles: Let’s Get Weird

Brooke was raised in sunny San Diego and moved all around the city until her early teens. From pre-school she got the nickname “sugarfreak,” which represented her unusually high energy and enthusiasm at such a young age. Needing an outlet to let go of all those wiggles, Brooke started taking piano lessons. Although the structured lessons weren’t her cup of tea, she still had an ear for music and a love for catchy melodies.

At the age of 13, Brooke was transplanted to Jacksonville, Florida and introduced to screamo, hardcore, indie, and alternative music during her high school years.  Slowly getting into artists like Modest Mouse, Sigur Rós, and Radiohead, she began expanding her love of music to different genres and styles. It wasn’t until 2008 that she went to her first festival at All Good. Tucked away in the misty rolling mountains of West Virginia, the eclectic range of music and impossibility of missing a set drew her to the scene. To this day, memories of Brazilian Girls, Tea Leaf Green, Bassnectar, and Widespread Panic from atop that mountainside still float through her mind. Since then Brooke has never looked back; going to festivals like Electric Forest, Blackwater, Camp Bisco, Treasure Island, and Earthdance, as well as a multitude of electronic shows along the California coast.

After graduating UCSC as a Banana Slug, Brooke now lives in Pacific Beach as a lover and advocate of new and interesting music. During the week you can find her behind her MacBook delving into the depths of music and writing about what makes her ears wiggle. When she ventures outside she likes practicing yoga, hula hooping, hiking, and going to the beach. On the weekends you will typically find her at a local electronic show getting weird to some dope fresh beats. Find her full of smiles at our next Music You Need show!

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Nicholas Cross

Writer

Writer Alias: NickCross

Article(s): Tipsy Tree Thursdays

Nick Cross is no stranger to the music scene.  Whether it was performing with bands in high school, DJing radio at KCPR during college, or DJing house parties or clubs, Nick is always fascinated with music and its effect on people.   He has been mixing for 3 years and held residencies at two clubs in San Luis Obispo.  After living in San Luis Obispo for 10 years, he now he lives in Sacramento.

He tends to focus more on the house-based electronic dance music scene because Nick loves the sidechain.  Nothing pumps him up more than a roaring melody over some house music that makes everyone jump. It’s also no secret that Nick loves trance too.  Trance was Nick’s first experience with EDM.  The Eurodance of the late 90’s and early 2000’s inspired him to look more into the EDM scene where he fell in love with trance.  DJ Doboy is one of Nick’s early inspirations about DJing in the EDM scene.  He saw how mixing really brings a new flavor to music, inspired by the tracks intertwining that he did not see during radio DJing.

Nick wrote his first Tipsy Tree Thursdays for MYN in the beginning of November 2011.  He showcases new producers and DJs once a week that he feels deserves more attention and awareness.    He is always on the search for new music, so please don’t hesitate to contact him to send your promotional material!

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Bret Contreras

Writer/Event Coverage

Writer Alias: Cigabrette

Article(s): Sunday Funday

Bret Contreras born and raised in the city of Long Beach, has always been close to the heart of what is a arguably one of the biggest hubs of EDM in the U.S., Los Angeles. Attending his first rave ever; Electric Daisy Carnival 2009 and only knowing David Guetta and Benny Bennassi, his love for any and all forms of EDM has grown to what can be considered something of an obsession.

After that first taste of what the EDM community had to offer he was hooked and hasn’t looked back. Attending EDC for the last 3 years, Hard Haunted for the last 2 years and really anything else he can afford in addition checking blogs on the daily his knowledge is pretty deep when it comes to this growing genre of music. You want to talk anything EDM and he’s your man.

He officially joined the MYN team in April 2012. When he’s able to pull himself away from the computer and isn’t raging face at the next event or festival he’s working on his degree in Event Planning in the hopes of doing what the likes of Pasquale Rotella and Gary Richards are doing now. Working hard to bring the music you all love to a venue near you!

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Pat Shannon

Writer/Fire Igniter/Event Coverer

Writer Alias: FlyByNight1212

Article(s): Where’s Your Head at Wednesdays

As a small munch growing up on the island of Oahu, Pat did a lot of singing and dancing. Just before he hit double digits, he was invited to sing with the Honolulu Boys Choir. Living in Hawaii, he also participated in the MayDay festivals every year; singing Hawaiian songs dancing the Hula and playing authentic hawaiian instruments. In high school, Patrick flirted with a few made for Public Access TV Movies. “I’m a SpaceAge SpaceShip Earth Child, I know I can save the world if I try,” was one of the many great songs from that period. Yes it’s true, the writer director and producer of that movie was as Hippie as you can guess. Once Patrick was in college he joined a song and dance music review, where he sang a few Elvis songs and danced for a couple hours a show.

Wanting a little more creative freedom Patrick started experimenting with backpack hip-hop. It is said, there are a couple songs that he did with Josh Martinez of the Chicharones that have yet to be released and are still hiding in some dark music vault in Central California.

“Plane, Train, or Automobile, let’s go to a show” There are way to many concerts to remember, but here was a few. it started with Lynyrd Skynyrd, Presidents of the United States, Cypress Hill, Outkast, The Roots, Jurrasic 5, Crown City Rockers, Dj Dan, John Digweed, Carl Cox, Aphrodite, Faith No More, Peeping Tom, Damien Marley, Stephen Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Nero, Borgore, Flux Pavillion, Doctor P, Michael Franti, Antiflag….. Ok This is gonna take hours, you get the picture.

Music, Love, Life

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Alicia Ness

Writer/Event Coverage/Promoter

Writer Alias: Me Ow

Alicia Ness grew up in Southern California and has made her way up the coast to San Francisco, to the Central Coast to San Luis Obispo, and now resides in the Los Angeles area. Her life is based around art and and music, working in graphic design and attending events and festivals whenever possible. She enjoys all genres of music growing up on classic rock and reggae and now her heart is set in EDM. You can find her at most events sporting a onesie, and dancing nonstop. She is always laughing and really really enjoys cats.

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Dylan Kinney

Writer/Event Coverage

Writer Alias: kinneyb3t

Article(s): Progressive Saturdays

Dylan Kinney will be bringing you your weekly dose of Trance and Progressive here on MYN with Progressive Saturdays. Since 2006 Dylan has been listening to all forms of EDM from Minimal to Hardstyle and everything in between. While listening to EDM for quite some time Dylan has also actively participated in the Dance Music community, attending many events, clubs, and massives over the years. Trance is what this writer knows and loves the most and he is very excited to have the opportunity to share some massive tunes with you all!

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Les Tidwell

Writer/Event Coverage

Writer Alias: LessIsMore

LessIsMore aka Les Tidwell was born in Bakersfield, CA and raised on the central coast. Music has always played a big part in his life, even from a young age. He attended various rap, and reggae shows throughout the years, and his passion for music was always present. There were a number of years he felt the music industry was stale, but in reality he just wasn’t looking hard enough. As time went on he tried to broaden his horizons and explore new genres and artists.

In 2010, he was properly introduced to EDM, attending festivals and giving the whole scene a chance. The creativity and endless possibilities of EDM really blew him away. This trend has continued to this day and 2012 has been a monumental year for him in terms of really exploring what the world of EDM has to offer having attended Coachella, EDC, soon to be Burning Man, and numerous shows in between. “From here it looks to only be getting better for me in regards to the creativity and the breaking of barriers in the music industry. I am genuinely excited to have this opportunity to share the music I love, and the Music that You Need with everybody out there. Music affects how we live our lives, and as such I recommend exploring what the world has out there for you. You never know, unless you take a look for yourself.”

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Bryce Nice

Finance/Outreach

Bryce is Nice started with Music You Need after an epically random Marty Party Show in OB. Met the boss and knew he had a fantastic idea with music, so of course he had to jump on board. When he is not out raging and music-hopping with the boss he can be found relaxing on the beach and surfing in his backyard. With several years of music festival attendance including TAO, LIB, EDC, and Love Fest, Bryce has enjoyed finding a reliable source of good music that he can listen to at all times. From listening to amazing tunes and getting silly, Bryce hopes that people will relax and have a good time. Enjoy the music and see you at the next show.

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“Everything in your life has lead to your experience right now. Love it, learn from it, embrace it, enjoy it!”

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Christine Morrison

Photographer (Xtine’s Photography)

Christine grew up in the suburbs outside Los Angeles, she then moved to Huntington Beach and now resides just outside of Venice, CA.  From a young age she claims that she had music flowing through her veins.  Her father was in a rock band and her brother dabbled in the rap scene for a few years before moving onto the next big venture. From Vans Warped Tour, Electric Daisy Carnival, Together as One, Beyond Wonderland, Coachella, Paid Dues, Rock the Bells, KROQ Weenie Roast, Leave NO Trace Events, Stagecoach, and L.A. Rising she has done everything in her power to capture the true emotion that is music.  She will tell you how music speaks to the soul and is the only language that everyone can enjoy together.

She first picked up a camera when she was 10 and realized that she could capture all the beauty that is everyday life.  She loves being behind the camera at shows and festivals because she loves being able to capture the raw emotion of the crowd and performers.  If you see her out and about at a show or festival be sure to say hello, she loves meeting new people and talking all things music.

When she isn’t working as an administrative assistant for a law firm in Los Angeles, she loves rock climbing, playing with her puppy, going out with friends, and of course, dancing, singing, and raging it at all things music.  You could see her additional photography work at www.facebook.com/xtinesphotos.

Christine has recently joined the MYN team and is excited for the adventure ahead.

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Travis Henning

Writer/Event Coverage

Writer Alias: SeeSharp

Article(s): Take a Break

Travis is originally from the emerald coast! Destin, Florida that is. He was born and raised in a small town called Niceville just 15 minutes from the beautiful beaches of the Gulf of Mexico. He moved to Indiana when he was just seven years old and has been there ever since. Music has been a huge part of his life ever since he began playing saxophone for his school band in sixth grade. He has taught himself a variety of instruments including guitar, piano, and bass among others, and is currently learning to play the violin! Needless to say, music and music performance have and always will be one of his major passions.

For several years spanning 2009 to mid 2012, Travis was a part of a band called Covington. Shortly after recording their first EP in the summer of 2011, the band discovered Music You Need and contacted Josh about a review of their new music. Travis became friends with Josh on Facebook, and then late in 2012 became a part of the Music You Need team.

He enjoys many different styles of music with a strong preference for Indie and anything chill when it comes to EDM. His band Covington has since disbanded, but he still plays sax for one of the jazz bands at Purdue University where he is currently enrolled as a full-time student.