An Interview With idobi Network’s EDDIE BARELLA On His Denver-Based Music and Talk Show!

idobi Network’s Eddie Jason & Chris is a 2 hour long Denver-based music and talk show. It’s hosted by high school buddies-turned-show hosts Eddie, Jason, and Chris!

As one of the premiere online radio stations, idobi prides itself on spotlighting “on the verge” indie rock artists.

Eddie Jason & Chris has been supporting indie rock artists since 2002 and regularly book bands months before they break. Host Eddie Barella has worked for companies such as iHeart, Cumulus, and WestwoodOne as an on-air personality and production director. Additionally, he currently serves as the music director for idobi Anthm, idobi’s indie station.

An interactive show in which audience members are able to call in via a toll-free number and Skype, Eddie Jason & Chris airs Monday at 8pm EST and Fridays at 9pm EST. Discussions include the hosts’ personal lives, current events, socials issues, and other lifestyle topics. Eddie Jason & Chris also features music and interviews with some of best in established and indie rock artists like All Time Low, Dark Waves, TEAM*, Taking Back Sunday, Frank Iero, Purple, I Fight Dragons, and more!

Learn more about idobi in the following All Access interview with Eddie Barella:

Thanks for your time today! So, tell me all about your music talk show? Where did the idea for it first come from?

Eddie Jason & Chis is a lifestyle and personality talk show with a focus on music, but not limited to music. Not only do we interview and feature musicians we love, but we also talk to filmmakers, newsmakers, bloggers, podcasters, and more. We’ll talk to anyone we deem to be interesting. Our interview style is conversational, we don’t like to ask the same boring questions everyone else is asking.

The idea of mixing personality and talk with interviews came about because I wanted to do a radio show unlike anything on FM radio. Fun, funny (hopefully), entertaining, unapologetic, raw, personal, informative, satirical, live, often times a bit crazy, and hopefully engaging. When EJC started there was nothing like it anywhere on the internet. This was more than 10-years ago, far before the podcasting boom.

Why do you think the idobi Network is the right place for the show? How did you hear about this network and get to be on it in the first place?

The idobi Network and idobi Radio have always allowed EJC to be EJC, and that’s why it’s a great fit. Having 100% creative control over the product, I feel, creates unique and powerful content. EJC could thrive in any environment but idobi Radio is very special to us. Not only is it the most listened to purelplay internet radio station (according to Triton Digital) it also has a young and rebellious spirit, much like EJC.

Back in 2002 or so, I found idobi by looking at Shoutcast.com and seeing that it was dominating the online radio market. I offered to do a show and EJC became one of the first, if not the first, weekly live show on idobi. This was another time in history when broadband internet was young, there were no smartphones, and getting people to tune in was a chore of an explanation. It has been beyond exciting to be on the forefront of digital music and live online streaming.

Your show regularly books indie rock artists before they really hit it big. Can you talk about that? Where do you usually find these musicians? Do you get submissions from them all the time?

We find these emerging artists by keeping up with the trends, by going to shows, and by being involved in the indie music scene as much as possible. We also receive numerous interview request submissions by very talented artists. I personally love it when we receive notes from artists saying they want to come on the show because it sounds like we’re having a lot of fun.

Can you talk about your musical background before joining this show and how do you think having such an extensive musical background has helped this show? 

My musical background before joining the show wasn’t that extensive. I was an 18-year old music fan and just wanted to get involved, so I did. The beautiful thing about the internet is that no one is stopping you from creating.

You are also currently the music director for idobi Anthm. What’s that experience been like for you? How long have you had that position?

We launched idobi Anthm about a year and a half ago. It’s The idobi Network’s resident hipster playing underground indie, indie hits, and mainstream alternative. The station’s playlist mirrors EJC’s.

Who have been some of your favorite guests on the show? Who would you love to have back?

The coolest recent guest moment was landing a chance conversation with Tony Cliffton, the alter ego of comedian Andy Kaufman. We were chatting with Dennis Hof of The Bunny Ranch as Tony happened to be sitting right next to him. Tony came on the air for a good ten minute or so and gave us a very rare appearance.

Who are you excited to have on the show later this year? Can you shout out a few names of musicians we should all keep our eyes out for?

We try not to book more than two or thee weeks out that way we can adapt and move with any unexpected trends. Some artists to look out for: Purple, Night Lights, Everywhere, The Wheel Workers, just to name a few. Tune in to find out about more!

Why do you think you, Jason and Chris get along so well and why are you able to host a show together?

When you listen to an average morning or afternoon show, there’s forced chemistry, and that comes across as phony to listeners. Some program director pieced together the situation by posting a job opening post on this website.

Jason, Chris and I were friends first and still genuinely enjoy spending time together off the show. That leads to more chemistry and content. The show feeds itself through the friendships we have.

What have been some of the unexpected challenges and surprises of hosting this kind of a show?

Back to when we first started, the biggest challenge was convincing publicists that online radio was a good platform to promote their artists. We’ve come a long way since then.

A recent challenge is standing out. Now everyone and their mother has a podcast and podcast discovery needs a lot of work.

What do you hope viewers [listeners, we’re a radio show] are taking away from this show?

At the very least, I hope listeners have a good time and we put a smile on their faces or we introduce them to something they’ve never heard of before.  On a deeper level, I hope listeners leave with friendship or connection. We talk to listeners when we’re not on air via social media. We’ve made a lot of really good friends out of listeners.

Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers about the Eddie, Jason and Chris show?

For the second year in a row, Denver’s influential alt-weekly, Westword, named us Best National Podcast Based in Denver. Woo hoo!