OVER 1 BILLION AUDIENCE REACHED GLOBALLY as seen in FORBES, ROLLING STONE, The GRAMMYs, and More!

0:04 Hi, you have done to censure wow for you your. This is the pipe Man here on the Adventures pipe Man W four c Y Radio. You know, I'm really excited about our next guest because I deal with them all the time. He basically does everything that has to do with the music industry and even stuff that's motivational. So that's both my personalities right there. So we're gonna talk about a bunch of what he does. He's a musician, but then he helps musicians and I love days on both sides of the fence. So let's welcome to the show.

0:50 Chris Bionkey, how are you. I'm doing great today and thank you again. It's awesome to pop back in with you and catch up. Hopefully you're having a great summer absolutely. You know, last time we talked was Ink last year, and Ink's coming up in a couple of weeks again this year. I love you. Going to prison right. The madness now. I look forward to it every year. I call it like our big family reunion. Just everybody comes together for a wild, fun weekend out there. I know, right, And I always joke that who wants to come to prison with me? Of course, of course I don't know with the ghosts. Yeah, I know, right, And I don't know if I told you this last year. I can't remember. But my youngest daughter, she always asked me before a festival. She'll be like, so, Dad, are you excited about this festival?

1:37 And I'll say to her, you know, I love doing it, but when you do it every weekend, is it exciting? But the first time I did INK many years ago, I called her up out like I'm standing in the prison yard of Shawshank Now I'm excited. Absolutely, No, it is. It's just an electrifying atmosphere there too. Just being somewhere at such unique grounds like that. It's really cool to get to see that and have that as your background too for your performance side of. Things, no doubt. Like I always say that, like how cool would be to be have that as your backdrop while you're playing the festival? And even more so, you have the new prison next door, so you're kind of like Johnny Cash because all the inmates will be out in the yard listening to you play, right.

2:24 Shaking up the fences and stuff, getting riled. Up out there exactly exactly. So you do a lot of things you handle artists you're a musician yourself, you're an author, So tell me how you've become so well rounded at doing all these different things and they're all connected, but most people don't do them all. That's a great question too, and I appreciate you touching on each of those topics. I mean, I think for myself, I've always loved the entertainment and other elements does a whole you know, I've never seen myself as a person is just kind of like a one sided, one trick pony, so to speak, type of a thing. So with that, just timing, you know, in luck of wanting to try something new, try something new, and kind of continue pushing myself as as an artist, as a professional, you know, as a human even to just want to keep learning.

3:20 I really enjoy learning and trying new things and kind of pushing myself out of the comfort zone as well with something like trying you know, writing a book or you know, public speaking or other things like that along the way. So it's just been timing and happens stance basically to like take a leap, and it's all naturally happened too. I would say, just of like this happened and inspired me to do this. This happened kind of inspired the you know, the course to do that to where we are today, and it's really fun. It's always something new and exciting, and I try to still stay moving forward, you know, and not looking kind of back or backpedaling where possible. No doubt. And I'm a firm believer so that everybody has like multiple facets to their personality. They're not just this whatever somebody labels them at. Yeah, And so that's what I love about you representing that that It's like you do have different facets of your personality, different interests, but they can all live in harmony certainly. Yeah.

4:23 And I think there's a lot of creatives you know that are that way too, whether it be maybe acting and performing or you know, writing and creating artworker, especially as a musician in today's world too, where you kind of have to naturally wear many hats as the creator, the designer, the editor, the author, you know, so to speak, and things like that too. So I guess that's been again my course of doing that so long, and just also add you know, I guess being a little bit silly with it though, but like again, creatives are myself, I'm always all over the place with thoughts too, so that that's. Part of it. Sometimes it's kind of hard to narrow it down or like you'll laugh at this because you're an artist and an author. You know, I wrote one song, but I presented it to so my head engineer. He's not with us anymore, but he was my head engineer here at the station for years. He was one of my best friends, and he was a musician, and like, so I went to him this one time, many years ago, I'm like, I have this song. I need your help. And he looks at it and he says, what the fuck is this?

5:28 Because I'm an author, so it was more like a book than a song. Okay, And then the fight part is is he's like, tell, can we cut this out? No? You know the deal, you know what I'm talking about. It's like yeah, he's like I definitely did need him because I wouldn't have taken anything out, you know. And and so it ended up turning out to be a good song after he like butchered it by like I don't know ninety percent of. Right everything you had to say, no, yeah, exactly, you know that's fine now that is fun, right, And.

6:10 So as somebody as an artist manager and somebody that does all these things for artists, but you're also an artist too. How do you think the artists like it that you actually understand what they're going through, because not all artist managers or publicists do. Sure, sure, no, that's a great one too, And I think that's part of the reason that inspired me to want to start more on the business side of things. Again, it was more like my band was touring, nobody kind of took the reins of the day to day or you know, tour managing or even overall day to day management and stuff, So that kind of had fallen in my lap somewhat anyways, and from there it was that type of thing where, you know, it was just it was a natural progression to want to do that. So, I mean, it's where I can relate with artists and be like, listen, I'm out there doing it. I mean currently now, but in the past two when I was only business focused, I did have the experience and was able to do that out there and stuff. So I think it's a matter too of each artists is different on their goals and kind of what they're looking to do.

7:09 So that's how I'm able to kind of relate and then have conversations too with them on you know, if they want to bring me a ten minute song, that's fine. Be the artist, be yourself. You know. I can understand and relate to that. But if you want to be on the radio, I have to also be that guy too who can tell them and explain why I can't be ten minutes long, you know, take op of things. So I hope it's relatable though for them, seeing you know, I walk the path with them out there. I'm not just sitting in the office all day. You know. Well, that's why I think they trust your advice more than the average person, because, like they may think the average person that's doing that doesn't understand the creative side, but since you do, then they're more willing to listen, is what I would think.

7:52 Sure, and again I'd love to keep learning and staying relevant to what's current and happening or what might be coming in the future for artist, whether it be even adapting or interacting should I say with ai you know, and that's a touchy subject of course to artists, but just the generalization of what is it, what's it going to be? What could be the future, and. Just trying to stay current and relevant to help all of our artists as a whole, you know, to continue growing on their trajectory or their courses and things like that is important to myself too out there to be relatable and then help explain to them, you know, maybe break it down here's why this works or here's why this can happen type of things.

8:32 You know. I love that you brought up AI because I would like to know your spin on how it would be beneficial to artists without killing the creativity of an artist. Absolutely, yeah, And I think it's kind of like anything else. It can be used tastefully, right, same with auto tune or a billion other arguments. That's a random one off the top, but but I think it's just all on how you use it and how you want to present yourself. And I think I think people again like realness and they can see through too much of it. But I think it could be beneficial for something like maybe helping come up with some content ideas if you're a little bit stuck as an artist and you're like, we know we need to make content or we want to create content, but maybe give us some ideas of guidance on like what could react best to our fans type of thing, you know, asking some questions like that, helping do I hate to say simple task, but like simple day to day tasks even like keeping your fans up to data on email lists. You know, if you can maybe integrate that to where a human doesn't have to put as much time or cost or budget you know, into something like that where it's not taking away from an art design or taking away from your creativity, but it's able to you know, make the system quicker and easier for you.

9:43 Little things like that, I wouldn't see it, you know, being a problem versus more so like and again it's not a problem. But you know, if you're like fully creating, just putting it out creating aiar work, throwing it out there type of a thing and claiming it, you know, it's a different situation. Put again, everybody has a different goal in mind too. I guess I'm with what they're doing. So that's totally true. And and like even in my industry, you know, AI is the big talk at the conferences. Everybody's like using all of some of the times when people that I deal with on this end of it. I get annoyed of how much they use AI, but then there's other things that it's worth it. It's like, you know, something that would be one sentence, they send me like this long like a term paper, and then don't even proof that, don't even proof read it. So like sometimes for show notes for a podcast, as an example, there's some great AI tools that can create the show notes.

10:41 It doesn't mean you copy and paste them. I don't copy and paste them, but take the idea, get it, you know, and it'll notice things that maybe I don't even remember if I'm writing it after the fact, like maybe something cool came up in the conversation that I didn't think about that. And it also knows kind of it gives like a virality score, so it knows what the audience wants at times. Now does that mean that's fool proof, No, but nothing is. But it doesn't take away from the creativity of the actual podcast. Like you said, I think it's great for doing all the jobs you really don't want to do.

11:23 Yeah, yeah, absolutely, And I think that can help again alleviate like extra cost, extra hassle and stress along the way of certain things. And that's a great point like you had mentioned kind of with the clips, but similar to like music videos. You know, if you have a music video that you're the humans you're performing, it's your video. But if you maybe need some help guiding, I'm like, oh, what are the best clips or the you know something you can pop that into an AI and have that at least guide you. Oh, these clips we see you know as the computer or whatever, like you said, analyze it and do those type of things. And then from there it's up to you again to like do you want to post those, do you want to edit them, schedule them, you know, utilize those in any way that you might want to. But it could just help. I'll save some time. And I think for anybody, right, no matter who you are, what you're doing, time is like your most valuable resource.

12:06 That's a commod you know, you need that. So I mean saving where possible. Is huge, absolutely, and for you and CB Entertainment, I think it's important because in order to really benefit your clients, your artists, you have to be relevant with the times. And yes, some of the things and some of the technology we may not like. That's out there is what's necessary, very true, very true, And that's the kind of a same type of thing when I have conversations with artists about certain things, and it might be current or just in general, but that's where I'll be. The first to say, like, here's what I actually know, Here's what I can describe or bring to the table for us and that factor of what it is we're going for.

12:51 And if not, I'll be the first to say, Hey, maybe I'm not the best. Let's tag somebody else and who can't help us or who can bring something extra to the table where you know where I can't. Things like that too, So same kind of with an AI or a computer, you know, coming in to just help assist along the way. Totally. So now again back to you being the artist. You're launching a new single for how we feel and how do you feel about that? It feels good, you know. I mean, we had an action packed last year to be able to play Incarceration, open the brand new AEG venue here in Cleveland called Globron and kick that off was really exciting for us. Obviously to launch the debut album as well. It's just been a whirlwind of doing all that stuff. So with timing, we spend some time over winter, we have multiple new songs, you know, kind of there and demoed and put together, but we're just taking our time with things, not rushing. But we did drop a newest track a few weeks back. It's called Flatline.

13:51 We're still working on some extra things for that song, but it is out and available to stream. And the thing we did different with this one was we did track it at our home studio, which was exciting, but we were able to send it off to bring me to the Horizon studio actually in the United Kingdom. Their head engineer there is name Owen, so he became a good friend of ours, so we were able to send that off and actually work on production and some mixing and mastering with him at their home studio. So that's been really cool to cross the seas and. Kind of do that back and forth digitally and work on that new track as well as what we'll have coming up and kind of tag into that world as them being you know, a big influence and they just dropped new music that's amazing and a bunch of stuff like that too.

14:32 Yeah, you know, the new song, it's like going back to the beginning. It's like death core again, right, That's why I love about them and Ali is they switch it up instead of making the same album over and over again. Yeah, you know, and like even in the past few years when people gave him grief about you know, changing music up, He's like, why do I want to write the same song over and over again? No? So true. I think they've been a great pioneer for the modern I mean, they've been around a long time now, but for the modern leaders of kind of what comes next. And maybe it's just my personal opinion, but that's where I kind of see them being that front runner quite often, and then a lot of bands kind of following pretty closely behind. Again with no hate to anybody else, but noticing that for sure.

15:17 Yeah, And I think that that reason they're leaders is because they are mixing it up and showing their you know, creativity, musicianship and relevant Like obviously making music now should not be the same as when they started. Yeah, yeah, absolutely, And it's good to experiment as an artist too. I mean I feel that same way. That's kind of why we even named our band. How we feel was we didn't want to be quite limited to like, oh, we're just a metalcore band or we're just hard rock, or we're just this without being crazy. We're not jazz polka obviously, but like we didn't want to pigeonhole ourselves. You know. It's more kind of like an art expression or art experiment even more was kind of the goal with it, to like put out stuff depending on how we were feeling and building, and you know that can be a heavy mood and angry mood, a more catchy mood, and more dancing mood. There's even songs that's a little I call it sexy, you know, like with Dangerous on our first album. I mean it's still hard rock, but it still has kind of like a sexy edge to it, you know, for those late night type of vibes. So that's how we like to create too, without being like this has to be heavy.

16:20 This has to just have the breakdown that everybody wants and all that stuff. And I think there's two sides of that too. Being creative is like one side that can help you because you're not pigeonholed and you can continue, you know, growing and experimenting. The other side, it could maybe hurt because you know, fans know what they like or they want to hear this and they expect that out of you after a while and something like that too, So I mean, I think it's worth taking the leap though, as any creative to just do what you you know, enjoy. And I love that use the word, you know, experiment because that you know, I played drums, guitar, and sang thrash meow sucked at all three, but but the fun was experimenting. Like I talk about this a lot that my dad would yell from the other room, you should give that up, you suck, and I'd yell back, I'm just experimenting what song, what sounds I could make come out of a guitar, you know. And I think that is really what started metal to begin with way back when, and it is you take those early metal bands. None of them could you put in this in a formula like they could have been in the same genre, but they sounded completely different because, like you, they played how they felt.

17:40 Yeah, yeah, absolutely, And I think that's an important thing too. And everybody has their own reasoning behind why they're creating or why they're writing. Maybe some people do want to just create hits only you know, and that can be their thing, but I think that's the exciting part of painting your canvas, you know, is putting that together and seeing what comes out of it ultimately. Absolutely, so tell us a little bit about what CB Entertainment does for its artists and any of its other clients. Sure, certainly. Well. I mean we started at first as just an artist. Management and development company, and that was kind of just a happenstance thing of after I stopped touring as much with my initial band that was called.

18:20 Forever in Terror. Sorry, I had to get a quick adjustment. I feel like that name would be perfect in two thousand twenties. You know, absolutely absolutely, and we put out an album on Metal Blade Records and got to tour all over. But that's kind of what led me into learning the management side of things again. When we were still in high school. Our album came out in stores, our video was on MTV and Headbangers Ball and stuff like that, and it was kind of like, go out on the road and sell this album. Figure it out. So that's where I learned the hard way, sleeping in the van for about three years, eating gas station food, you know, making it figuring things out out there. But that's what got me started into starting CB Entertainment. And kind of getting into artist management side was touring myself and all of that stuff. But over the years there was just more things that kind of fell into place. So we had an opportunity to end up partnering and co owning a merchandise printing shop, so we kind of fell into a merchandise side of things, and over the last almost ten years now we actually fell into the production side of things as well, where we have numerous stages that go out led walls, different speaker systems and things like that, liner ray systems, and then we'll help do production for things anything like Incarceration. All the way to a new partnership is like Zach Wilde's new festival that's coming up, the Berzerkis Festival, things with Red Bull, Harley Davidson, all that type of stuff. So while I stay mainly focused on kind of the day to day of all that the artist management organizing, making sure the production side is

19:51 just moving and operating, I still like to get out there in the field too, get my hands dirty a little bit, go to the events, do all those type of things as well. There's time pop in and play a show or two with you know, with our own project there. Nice. That's the fun part, right. Yeah, totally, It definitely is. And I'm always like, I tell our band, so I'm like, I'm not that guy. I'm not trying to like take the timing and the opportunities, but there's every once in a while where I have to pop in and at least absorb get that experience too, you know. And I'm right there with you guys wherever we're at her in the trenches. So, and you've made amazing You've achieved amazing results, over one billion audience reach globally. You've been seen on Forbes, Rolling Stone, the Grammys. You have clients that have been nominated for two Grammy Awards, sold over twenty five million albums.

20:41 That that's some pretty serious stuff right there. It's been fun, you know along the way. Actually in we're doing a partnership even with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. So this Friday we're doing that. They're actually opening this really cool exhibit called the Women in Metal Exhibit and doing a big concert. So we're doing some some. Stuff out there with them that's gonna have Like Lizzyhill's coming out from Hailstorm, I think Courtney from Spirit Box donated some items a bunch. Of the cool ladies that are coming up with that. So yeah, I mean I try to find ways that we can collaborate across the board. If it's not for artists, management, it's production or the marketing side of things, stuff like that along the way. Absolutely, And you know, since you brought up to women, man, I gotta tell you, I don't know what people were thinking back in the seventies and eighties, because women, I think are the most badass in metal. Like yes, like you just mentioned Courtney. Sometimes when I see her play, okay, I just watch your mouth in awe of the technique, like the technique that what comes out of there, it just blows my mind. And you know, any of those women.

21:50 What I really love about it too, is people they've really brought to the public that just because you scream and growl doesn't mean you don't know how to thing. Absolutely true too, And I mean it's been so exciting to see over the last I mean they've they've always been there and should be respected of course with their talents and skills, but lately too, just seeing so many incredible ones finally getting more spotlight, you know, in metal and hard rock and things like that, and again across the board, whether it's vocalists or guitar players, drummers, bass players, you know, you name it. The ladies are really rocking it. So it's exciting to see that. And I love watching the stuff too, I mean, of anybody, but it's really cool to see like the sickest new you know, female drummer taking off because I'm a drummer myself too and stuff like that.

22:35 I love just watching. So it's very neat. Yeah, and like you take like I'm wearing this shirt today, you take Beta Strauss's. She's like one of the best shredders ever, Like yeah, yeah, absolutely. So what else do you have going on throughout the rest of twenty twenty six that you want the listeners to know about? Totally? I mean, I think we're trying to keep our been coming artists that are out there busy. You know, We've been doing a lot of awesome stuff with Alex for example, and thanks again for having her on, but she's about to be playing Upheaval Festival in a few weeks as well. Stoping by incarceration. Are guys done for out of Florida have been killing it. They just got back from a headline tour. We're going to continue pushing and growing with those guys. We have a new artist to announce coming soon, and a new record label and partnerships and things like that coming out, So that's gonna be fun. With this awesome video that'll be dropping two weeks give or take.

23:31 We'll be doing the announcement with the video and a bunch of stuff like that. So just keep it moving, trying to create opportunities anywhere possible for our artists first and foremost, and for the company as a whole secondly. And then to round it off, we're going to drop some more music with How We Feel, play a few more shows, and then see where next year will take us. Nice and speaking of Alex and badass women, gee, we became friendly. But I think I've almost made her cry during the interview because I was comparing her to Courtney and tak Tianna, and because she does she has that range where she's got this beautiful, you know, melodic voice, but then she can go into that scream and growl and go yeah. I'm always in awe when people can go back and forth like that, because it sometimes I think it takes switching something in your brain to go back and forth like that. You know, it's like you have to switch for melodic and the switch for the scream and growling.

24:32 No, it is very true. I mean, she's definitely you know, her talent is amazing. I mean, it's awesome to see how she continues to grow and connect with fans all over the world. So that's awesome stuff. And the scream too, is great that she's incorporating that more, taking that next step too, and I think the new music will have even more awesome things you know, to come with that too on that side of things. So that's really exciting. So let's also talk about your books, because yeah, I'm totally into books too, and I love you got the music books, but then you had one that was motivational book too, that was like, now, that's really cool, so let's talk about them. Sure, So the motivational one was you know, I guess over COVID.

25:14 But even prior to that, I mean, I spent a lot of time kind of doing as many people probably did, but like self reflecting, kind of studying, researching, just doing my own personal deep dive of things and wanted to figure out kind of my path too, of like how did that all make sense? How did it work? How did anything happen? And I just kind of figured out for myself. I'm always a very visual learner and a visual type of person and things like that. So long story some short is kind of visualizing and seeing it as what I often found when I would talk to like friends and ask them what were their goals or other people and things like, they kind of knew what they maybe wanted or could say it, but they never projected or solid in their mind of like how do I actually get from here to there to actually make that a reality? Right?

25:56 It's like, oh, I want to do this, but not thinking of point A to be. So that's where I kind of connected the dots and that's what I had found had worked for me, was actually finding how do you take those steps and again on whatever it might be that you are. So that's what the dream Believe, visualized achieve method kind of came together for myself. Again without selling it as like a hypnosisy guru type of shit or whatever, if we can swear sorry. But that's just what worked for me, and I swear all you want awesome, awesome, but. Just wanted to share what worked for me and maybe it could help others that like, cause again, being a dreamer and a creative, I'm always like, oh, this would be cool, or I'd like to do this, or I want to do this, but it's always hard to bring it to fruition and actually take the steps or to do it or and then so many lost ideas. So there's ones that are worth trying. I thought that can be an helpful guide to kind of Okay, so you have the thought, here's how you could do this, this this, you know, break it down for yourself, figure out what works.

26:53 And again it might not even just be a vision or an idea, but just even in life of like how you can help take steps you know, for orizing yourself, your life, your thoughts, any of that. So that's what seemed to work for me, and it's been really cool to have out there and share and get into a few people's hands along the way. Yeah, I dig it because that's my other side of me, is motivational speaker me and like, since I'm eleven years old, man, like that's how I got through childhood was motivational stuff and self help stuff and yeah, you know, yeah, that's my book right there, Mike. It's getting blocked by. The Oh shoot, there we go it is. Yeah, that's awesome.

27:34 And so my grandmother always used to say life doesn't come with an owner's manual. So I wrote the owner's manual. I love that. I'll have to read it. You'll have to send me a link and I'll grab that and would love to read it. Yeah, no doubt, no doubt. And uh so tell everybody how they can reach out to you for all the things that you do on the web, on socials, all that good stuff. Sure, yeah, I mean you can find me. I guess a quick Google if you type in like Chris Yankee music, I'll pop up easily, or just chrispyank the number one dot com Instagram. It's the same thing, chrisp Byankee number one pretty much anywhere. I think it's the same handle across the board. And hopefully we'll be easily able to connect on there. So always love meeting new people, to collaborating, chatting, hearing music, you know, feedback, any of that kind of stuff along the way.

28:26 Very cool. Any final words for our listeners, I just. Hope everybody has a great summer and a great rest of your year, and keep inspiring, keep dreaming out there. You know that's all you can do in this crazy world. So just have fun and you keep rocking with your music and helping all those artists because they need it nowadays, because you know there's a lot of them out there. And thanks for being on the Adventures of Pipemin. Thank you for listening to the Adventures of Pipemin. I'm w for s you on Light Radio.