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2008 08 01

Random Rippling

Converted from paper version of the Broad Ripple Gazette (v05n16)

A Squared - local music productions - By Ashley Plummer

posted: Aug. 01, 2008

by Ashley Plummer

Andy Skinner has a little brother attending Harvard Law School. He has a sister who went to the University of Michigan and makes six figures at a "real" job. At a recent interview, he mentioned a moment of melancholy he had when playing catch with his father awhile back. It was actually his father who put everything in perspective for him, when he asked him, "which one of you three is doing what they want to do when they want to do it on any given day?"

"And then I thought," Andy said, "he's right!"

His father was right-Andy and his wife, Annie Skinner, are the brains, brawn and creativity behind the up and coming local music production company A Squared Enterprises-a company that they run entirely on their own in their "spare time."

"When we started, we did not want to be forced into doing anything, and we knew that would be a luxury. We realized that more often than not, Indianapolis was being overlooked as a destination for bands, and we wanted to bring them here," Andy said.

"However, we do this for fun, not for financial gains. This is definitely a hobby."

The couple's "hobby" is the city's gain. A Squared has been the force behind bringing some of the most diverse and creative musical acts to the circle city in years, including the Hives, Spiritualized, She Wants Revenge and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.

While the duo's company may have appeared to come out of nowhere this past year, the skills the two have acquired over time fall only short of having the actual Jurist Doctorate it takes to be a music lawyer.

Annie is originally from Salt Lake City, Utah, where she worked at the SLC version of Broad Ripple's own Indy CD and Vinyl. After living in Indianapolis for some time, she began working in promotions for Sony Music-which was right around the time she met Andy.

Andy's background works more as a list: music journalist, band manager, teacher, as well as one of the main guys behind the now defunct Kulture Entertainment, which also brought numerous bands to the circle city who may not have originally seen it as a destination location.

The two started out slow while they were both still working for their other companies-working by booking bands that would come across Andy's desk at Kulture that weren't exactly right for the company to book.

When Andy decided to leave Kulture, he said he swore off being involved in a record label.

"That lasted about two days," he said.

He and Annie had already been working overtime booking and promoting bands as A Squared, but like many entrepreneurs, the two were still motivated to do more-and expanding the promotions and booking company by including a record label on their resume seemed to be "the next logical step."

"I was suddenly faced with the idea, do I go get said 'real job,' or keep doing what I am doing and expand A Squared?"

The answer was obvious. Enter local Indie rock quartet Thunders (formally known as Sisters).

Thunders is a stellar example of why Andy and Annie are so good at what they do: numerous people had already heard of the band and were planning to attend their CD release show in June before they had actually heard the band.

However, the work to create the hype had begun back in January when Thunders started practicing and their demo recordings found their way into Annie's hands.

Ryan Reidy, the lead singer-songwriter for Thunders, said that he remembers cutting vegetables and doing dishes at a former job and imagining how cool it would be if Andy and Annie would ever be interested in working with him musically.

"It was good feeling when we found out they wanted us on their record label," he said. "They did so much for us before we even played a show, it felt like a whirlwind of activity.

"They are really good people and they work very well together as a team. We really enjoy working with them."

The Skinners also commented on how great of an experience it was to work with the guys in Thunders.

"We had a two hour conversation with them the night we first met all of them," Andy said. "At the end of it, we just gave them a checklist and were like: 'Here's ten things you have to do.'"

"They were so excited and passionate," Annie said. "Sitting down with them I had goose bumps, not to mention the fact that they got everything on the list we gave them done in a day."

The Skinners and the band were all obviously doing something right. When Thunders held their album release show on June 17, 2008, for their CD Sympathetic Oscillations they packed Spin Nightclub, and the buzz for the band still hasn't died-the CD was Indy CD and Vinyl's top seller for the month of June and the band was named "Coolest band of 2008" in Indy.com Magazine.

"Andy and Annie are good people, and they are finally giving Indiana more than just that 'backwoods' feel for it's music," Reidy said.

Although both Skinners have had opportunities to leave Indianapolis, their love for the city and its opportunities are easily displayed when they start talking music.

"We both see a HUGE amount of possibility for this city, whereas in big cities, certain opportunities to us as bookers would not be available," Annie said.

"Seventy-five percent of the music industry is made up of non-musicians," she continued. "Working behind the scenes, you get to see exactly why it's all so amazing, or why an album is so amazing, right down to the artwork for the cover and the production. Doing this work, you get to see all the elements that make music the powerful and incredible industry it is."

As for future plans, the couple DOES plan to run an all-ages venue in the city, with A Squared as the booking entity, but plans are still in the works and yet to be set in stone. If you're interested in consulting with the couple or seeing what they are up to next, you can check out their website at asquaredonline.com or their myspace, www.myspace.com/thereturnofa2.

And if you ever run into one of them, be sure to ask them how important the song "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell was in the creation of A Squared Enterprises.

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