I started out in the music business in Aug 2003; a friend approached me to manage his metal rock band. Thinking he was just kidding around, I said “Ok, whatever”. Much to my surprise, when he called me the next day with a list of things to do like sponsorship, contracts, music lyrics, venues, contacts, etc, I realized there was no kidding involved here. After about an hour in a panic mode, I started on the list he gave me and I instantly grew to love the adventures of the music business. The more I learned about the business the more excited and more determined that this is what I wanted to do.

I managed the Guttapunkz rock band for approximately eleven months before its break up with their brother band Deep South VooDoo. With many musicians coming and going, I learned that the business wasn’t always as easy and fun as it seemed. But never the less – the whole thing intrigued me.

Still determined this was something I wanted to do and when I missed it tremendously after the band dissolved, I kept my fingers in the business on a very low key. After my boyfriend at the time and now my husband, realized actually how much I missed all the excitement of the band – he suggested we “just find another band”. Being a little skeptical – I thought about it a while and thought another try wouldn’t hurt.

A band that contacted me at the time I was managing the Guttapunkz – and I loved their music and tried to talk them out of their vocals for a year, contacted me shortly after I brought Confused Illusion Artist & Music Management from a dream to a reality. They were looking for management. That band was The Karmatics. The Karmatics was my first real band.

My husband, Jessie Jones, owner of Big D Music Promotions and I have gone from one band in September 2004 to having as many as 30 bands on our Confused Illusion/Big D rosters at one time. Jessie’s intuition has yet to fail us in our business ventures, so if a band approached us we picked them up.

In 2006, with my time very constrained, I dropped all my bands but three. The Maybe’s, a spin-off band from now de-funked The Karmatics, Avalanche and RYLE. Currently, Confused Illusion works solely with RYLE out of Cove City, NC which is of the heavy metal persuasion.

We manage, promote, book and are the biggest fans to our band. We have big plans for them!

Another aspect of the business that I have gotten into on a whim and enjoy very much is doing reviews for local bands. Being a manager and knowing how press articles, performance reviews and CD reviews round out a bands promo/press kit, I started writing for bands I liked. Now bands needing reviews are approaching me. To date, I’ve written seven performance reviews and two CD reviews.

On Oct 10, 2007, I orchestrated the signing of a Song Transfer Contract with Teletunez Inc. and the five musicians from The Karmatics. Warner Brothers has chosen their song “There’s a Time For This” to go into their music library for future use. The guys were really excited to learn they share that “status” with only 299 other songs. What an honor! Not to say all the ROYALTIES for the rest of their life.

With this transaction, I've proven myself and I am now an independent agent shopping music to Teletunez, Inc. This is really exciting because now I can give a little recognition to those North Carolina and east coast bands that show the potential and drive and have some awesome music. I know they are out there – I’ve been witness to many of them!

I never see me getting rich doing this (but ya never know!), but I enjoy what I do and doing what I love. It brings out the best in me; my drive, my passion, my loyalty, my determination and my love for the musicians I work with and the music they produce. Meeting all the wonderful industry people that I have and making friends along the way; what more could I ask for?