Today we’d like to introduce you to Sonny Reza.
Hi Sonny, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Thanks for having me! I am a music fan who became the co-owner of Dallas, TX based music publication, Interview Under Fire.
Just to give you a little bit of the history – Interview Under Fire started in 2016 with Dallas-based artist Cory Hodges and his long-time colleague, Antonio Suave. The goal was to attempt to help the local rap, hip-hop, and underground hard rock music scenes flourish through a news outlet. For two years, Cory and Antonio hosted some of the more popular artists like Claas, Mr. Pookie, SCUM, Alla Xul Elu, and Philip Anselmo & The Illegals, to name a few.
IUF’s most current format started in 2018 when Cory recruited me. Since then, we have gotten our hands into the heavy metal and contemporary hip-hop, alt-pop, rock genres, and more. Antonio Suave took over other duties within IUF as Cory and I built our brand with passion and determination for the last three years. We have established relationships with some prominent heavy metal labels such as Nuclear Blast, Metal Blade, and Napalm Records – and within that realm, we have been fortunate enough to host hundreds of globally recognized bands/artists/performers such as Lamb Of God, August Burns Red, Jinjer, Megadeth, Twiztid, Smashing Pumpkins, Max Cavalera, Devin Townsend, and Joanna Angel.
As our ambitions grew, so did our team. We went on to add local artist Tim Carson (moderator), Julie La Crout (photographer) from New York, and James Reza (media relations rep) from Oklahoma. Today, we continue to build on all aspects of our knowledge of the music industry.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
IUF has faced its share of challenges, and there are likely more to look forward to. The music industry is constantly evolving, especially in extreme and alternative genres like the ones we most often cover. We are really working hard to stay ahead of the curve. In addition, we’ve (so far) been 100% funded from our own pockets.
We also owe a lot to other Record Labels and different publications out there, ranging from Majik Ninja Entertainment and Faygoluvers to AtomSplitter and Nuclear Blast Records. Without them taking a chance on us, we would not be here today. They put a lot of faith in us, and we want to do our best to live up to that.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Thank you so much! If you can’t tell from the name, our main thing is interviews – but I’d like to think we are growing beyond that.
With Interview Under Fire, I took some skill sets that I built from over a decade of work in the business world and applied them to something that I’m truly passionate about. My main job at IUF is actually conducting the interviews, but I also do a lot of coordinating with managers and PR and label reps to line things out.
I studied PR in college, and that’s really where my heart is. I feel that my background puts me in a good spot for what I do with IUF. I am known for my dedication and reliability to every single artist. Every person I interview gets the same treatment, no matter how many Instagram followers they have. Also, I feel like I am a good representative for the fans – since I was and will always be a fan first. I feel like I have a knack for getting the artists to say what the fans want to hear. Besides what I do, IUF hinges on Cory’s amazing graphics design and episode editing. He has a signature style that is like no one else’s. And from our website, you can also find some of Julie’s masterful concert photography and (my brother) James’s really unique take on album reviews. We’re doing a lot, but I would like to think we’re just getting started.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Even though we’ve historically been a music publication, we are actually really hoping to branch out to other fields we’re interested in. We would love to have some professional athletes on the show, actors, writers, or maybe even other podcasters. IUF is really still finding its identity, and I really hope to build something that is inclusive of all of the types of people we admire.
Contact Info:
- Email: (Sonny) rezablade@interviewunderfire.com – (Cory) schwag@interviewunderfire.com
- Website: https://interviewunderfire.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/interviewunderfire/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/interviewunderfire
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/interviewunderfire
- Other: https://iuf.buzzsprout.com/
Image Credits
Main Shot – Susie Quiroz Sonny with Jinjer Band in trailer – Lina Glasir
