Sean Lovelace needs your charts! No, seriously. Since the inception of his idea, charting has sort of taken on a life of its own. The P.A.N.D.A Top 20 charts are now featured in Exotic Dancer magazine and will soon be featured in more industry magazines across the country. The show, as hosted by Sean, Danny Meyers and this author, has even had WWE Legend and Fozzy frontman Chris Jericho retweeting about his song hitting the countdown. So Sean’s hard work is definitely starting to pay off. In addition to the charts, Sean recently became the lead D.J. at his club, Papermoon Southside in Richmond, VA. The club is now under new management by industry leader and P.A.N.D.A. supporter James Ritter and they are looking to make a splash in the market with some fresh ideas. Expect to hear big things soon out of this club chain. And as much as Sean is growing into his new role, there’s definitely more to him than first meets the eye.
When it comes down to it, Sean’s pride and joy is, well…his cats. Right after that, it’s his records. And when I say records, I mean actual records made of vinyl. He’s always digging, trying to find something old that he can make new again. This passion for music eventually led him to his own radio show on the local independent radio station, WRIR 97.3 FM Richmond Independent Radio. While I was in Virginia seeing some Sean and some other friends, he took time out of his schedule to bring me in to meet his extended family. As we were walking around the station, you could see his excitement. The station, a community funded radio station settled above a trendy restaurant in downtown, is all abuzz over the current fundraiser for the station. He introduces me around and I get to meet some of his fellow D.J.s. who are all as enthusiastic about music as he is. The studio breathes. Everyone here is passionate about what they have to share with the world, be it their world views or the music that runs in their veins. This was also my first chance to be in a REAL radio station and I can say now that I totally get it. I always imagined it to be a boring situation where one sat in a dark room. That was not the case here. Vinyl lined the walls, as music played softly in the background. A lively conversation was taking place in the studio discussing upcoming events, with an occasional inside joke to lighten the mood. These were people on a mission to get things done. This place is magic and you can see it all over Sean’s face.
When he’s not at the studio or spending time with his wonderful girlfriend Erin, he’s putting in time at his club. With the recent management change, he’s spent much of his time adapting and learning new skills to bring a better show every night at work. Sean has something that we should ALL have, the willingness to learn every single day. He’s not too proud to take constructive criticism and he’s a quick study. During the transition, I was able to sit in on a few shifts with Sean and he was thrilled to have a team in place that was willing to make the changes to move the club forward. He’s nothing if not a team player and I can’t wait to see what they are able to do with this club in the future.
As one of the top volunteers in P.A.N.D.A, you can’t help but love his enthusiasm. The time-consuming effort it takes to put together a thousand songs a month into a Top 20 chart isn’t easy and he’s constantly asking for MORE work to do. You have to admire that. He’s one of the best, up-and-coming D.J.s in the business with a bright future ahead. Be sure to send him your charts on this part of the website, as well listen to his radio show Sunday Nights on WRIR.org! As always, thanks for reading.
