Heya! We’re Left of the Dial! Our site here started in early 2020, and our goal is to help promote independent artists and bring new music to new people. In particular, we want to build up queer artists, musicians of color, and basically any marginalized group that isn’t getting the recognition they deserve.
So far, we’ve been able to work with a ton of great bands for live sessions, podcast interviews, and more. It’s been an honor to work with so many talented artists and to shine a spotlight on some seriously great people. Oh, and if you’re interested in what we’ve been doing, please contact us! Share your music with us, pitch an article, or just say hello.
In the few years we’ve been operating, we’ve already grown quite a bit! We’ve brought new folks onto our team, and have been expanding our news coverage here on the blog. Now that we have a new roster of writers onboard, we thought it’d be a good idea to reintroduce ourselves. Here’s some of our crew!
Kitzy (they/them)
Hi, I’m Kitzy, and this whole thing is my fault. I do a lot of the behind the scenes work, as well as all of the audio engineering for our live sessions. Nothing in this world brings me more joy than live music, so I try to go to shows as much as my anxiety allows.
What I’ve Been Listening To: On any given day the answer to this question is probably whatever our most recent live session is, but lately I’ve also been really into Pronoun, Church Girls, Gully Boys, Screaming Females, Catbite, Riverby, The Lunar Year and Oceanator.
Who is the best dog? Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.
Andrea Quinn (she/her)
Hey all! I’m Andrea, resident Jersey rat and co-producer of this whole project! I do a little bit of just about everything, but my biggest responsibility is making sure our live sessions run smoothly. I send emails, stock our green room with soda and snacks, direct our videographers, and, most importantly, I’m responsible for making sure our most valuable employee, Pacey (pictured above), makes it to every session.
I’m also a semi-regular co-host for our podcast, and aside from Left of the Dial, I co-host a podcast with Chris Gethard over at New Jersey Is the World. If you live near Asbury Park, you can catch us causing trouble once a month at House of Independents. Otherwise, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram @aqandreaq.
What I’ve Been Listening To: This sounds fake, but I really do listen to our live sessions more than anything else. They’re just all so damn good. I’m a turn-of-the-century pop-punk ding-dong at heart though, so I’m never more than 30 seconds away from a song by Lifetime, The Ergs!, Midtown, and plenty of other bands that aren’t from Jersey, too, I swear.
The Most Important Contribution to the Modern World: This photoshoot.
Caleb Coy (he/him)
Hey, I’m Caleb. I’m a Co-Host of the Left of the Dial podcast and a few other Night Shift Radio originals. I’ve been a musician (off & on) for most of my life, and love using this platform to signal boost and celebrate artists.
What I’ve Been Listening To: Since we covered it on a recent episode, I’ve had Still Blooms by Church Girls on heavy rotation. As of moments before writing this, I’ve decided I need to spend more time with The Weeknd’s Dawn FM.
Who is the most powerful video game character of all time?: Kirby, obv.
Jenn Coulter (she/her)
Hi! I’m Jenn, and I’m the editor-in-chief of the blog! I also assist with videography on live sessions. I spend a lot of time watching horror movies and playing PlayStation 2 games. I’m over on Twitter as @spooky_coochie, and I think that the fact that I chose that for my public, official social media handle tells you all you really need to know.
What I’ve Been Listening To: I’m eternally listening to Xiu Xiu because I like music that hurts my feelings. But when I don’t feel like listening to depression music, I listen to Kate Bush. Also, don’t tell anyone but I still listen to crunkcore.
Favorite magical girl sequence: It’s gotta be when Utena turns into a car.
Leah Isobel (she/her)
Hiya! I’m Leah, a freelance contributor to the blog. I spend most of my free time watching RuPaul’s Drag Race, baking stuff, and petting my housemate’s cat.
What I’ve Been Listening To: Kate Bush, Torquil Campbell, Death Cab for Cutie, and Gaelle. Also the Mona Pizza theme song.
Most Cursed Concert Experience: Seeing a fight break out in the crowd while Charli XCX played “Boom Clap.” 2014 was a dark time.
Rob Moura (he/him)
Hallo! I’m Rob, resident of Seattle via Massachusetts, and I write!
I’m a little late to the party, didn’t start really paying attention to new music until college, but once it started I couldn’t stop. My favorite thing in the world is recommending new music to people who ask for it, so I’m excited to do it here! When I’m not writing, I sling lattes because that’s what you do in Seattle if you’re not writing code. I also play games, and I eat a lot of oatmeal.
What I’ve Been Listening To: So much! That Nala Sinephro record I slept on last year is amazing. My long-time friend is putting out their debut record on ANTI- and the lead single is killer. I just recently discovered The Sundays’ debut, so that’s been on repeat. Also I’ve discovered that old SONIC TEAM soundtracks are on streaming platforms, so I’ve been diving into those for nostalgia’s sake. Those Rouge stages are bops, all of them.
What I Do When I Can’t Fall Asleep: I like to put a fan on and pretend I’m on a big airship that’s moving across the sky but perfectly still. Gets me every time.
With all that being said, it’s nice to meet you (or re-meet you!) and we hope you’ll stick around and let us recommend some music to ya! <3