About this interview
In a 2009 interview with Ryan Minic of Ryan’s Rock Show, Steven Bradley of Iwrestledabearonce shared outrageous stories about DIY touring, tricking promoters with a fake booking agency, and dodging sketchy Craigslist housing. He also touched on his background in economics, the oversaturation of the music industry, and why Best Buy is a terrible place to work.
Steven kicked things off by recalling wild house parties where the band unknowingly partied in vacant houses that people broke into, leading to chaotic late-night evictions. He also discussed the reality of touring, showing up to sketchy venues where most attendees were underage, making them question whether they’d end up in prison that night.
Surprisingly, Steven has a degree in economics, which he admitted had zero relevance to his career in music. However, studying economics did teach him to always ask who’s making money off of something, which he applies to the business side of the music industry. He bluntly stated that “the world is screwed”, a sentiment he reinforced when discussing the state of the economy and its impact on the industry.
Steven revealed a clever hustle the band used early on—they created a fake booking agency on MySpace to make their DIY tours look more legitimate. By designing a professional logo and email, they successfully tricked promoters into booking them, which, to this day, still lands him emails from real booking agencies mistaking them for industry professionals.
The conversation then shifted to the oversaturation of bands in the underground scene. While Steven acknowledged that there are way too many bands, he also argued that the internet has made it easier than ever for bands to succeed—if they actually put in the effort. He criticized bands that don’t engage with their fans and emphasized that being real and accessible was crucial to standing out.
Steven also shared the band’s early struggles, from balancing day jobs (including a nightmare stint at Best Buy) to making the decision to go all-in on touring once their MySpace following exploded. He stressed the importance of avoiding fake engagement tactics, noting that they built their fanbase by personally responding to every comment and message.
Another wild story involved their recording experience at Ross Robinson’s studio. While they didn’t work directly with Ross, his engineer was a fan of the band and helped them record. The experience took an unexpected turn when they rented an apartment off Craigslist, only to find a crackhead living there. They immediately ditched the place, leaving them homeless for a week before securing an apartment—30 miles from the studio—resulting in a nightmarish LA commute.