#129 Stephen Chilton “Psyko Steve Presents" - Music is Life. Humility and Curiosity

Psyko Steve Presents began producing concerts in Arizona in 2000. For over two decades, Psyko Steve Presents has developed new artists and continued supporting them as they grew into globally celebrated acts including Frank Turner, Ghost, Bleachers, Thrice, Future Islands, and Jimmy Eat World. In 2019, Psyko Steve Presents was named “Best Promoter” by the Phoenix New Times in their annual Best Of Phoenix issue. In 2024 the Aspen Live Conference recognized PSP Owner Stephen Chilton with the “Armand Sadlier Award for Independent Of The Year.” Today, Psyko Steve Presents is a full team producing over 700 concerts a year across Arizona, from local shows to festivals like 2022’s ZONA Music Festival, 2025’s edition of the M3F Festival and 8123 Fest curated by The Maine. PSP produces concerts in various venues of all sizes throughout Arizona, ranging from their own space The Rebel Lounge, Valley Bar and Crescent Ballroom, to venues like The Van Buren, Marquee Theatre, Arizona Financial Theatre, and Mesa Amphitheater. Today, PSP produces events for artists like Mitski, Charley Crockett, TV Girl, Alkaline Trio, Say Anything, Men I Trust, and many more. Psyko Steve Presents was created by Stephen Chilton, who promoted small club shows and local events while in high school and college. While working for Stateside Presents in the years that followed, Chilton was part of the team that opened Crescent Ballroom in Downtown Phoenix 2011. In 2015, after leaving Stateside Presents, Chilton opened The Rebel Lounge with partner Chuckie Duff, a concert venue in Central Phoenix in the building that once housed long-standing rock venue The Mason Jar. In March 2020, Stephen Chilton co-founded the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), a trade association representing over 3000 of the best independent venues and promoters in all 50 states. Chilton was one of the original board members, and the organization’s first Vice President. Chilton helped create and lead he organization’s public campaign #SaveOurStages. The #SaveOurStages campaign directly led to Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) authoring and passing the Save Our Stages Act, a truly bi-partisan bill that created the $16.25 billion Shuttered Venue Operators Grants (SVOG) crafted by the SBA to rescue venues and promoters nationwide during the Covid-19 pandemic.  summary   Stephen Chilton “Psyko Steve”  shares his 26-year journey in the music industry, from punk rock roots to opening Phoenix's Rebel Lounge. He shares lessons on artist discovery, the impact of technology on the music industry and on humanity as a whole. During the pandemic, Stephen helped create and lead the organization’s public campaign #SaveOurStages. This conversation explores the profound topics of life, death, the impact of music, and the future of technology. He shares personal stories, insights on the music industry, and thoughts on societal changes, emphasizing humility and curiosity.    resources   Rebel Lounge - https://rebellounge.com National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) - https://www.saveourstages.com Save Our Stages Act - https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/7015 8123 Fest - https://8123fest.com Hello Merch (Sam Means) - https://hellomerch.com Ticket Masters Book - https://www.amazon.com/Ticket-Masters-History-Industry-ebook/dp/B09V4V7V4X Rosie's House - https://www.rosieshouse.org/ Jimmy Eat World - Phoenix Rock Lottery - https://www.rosieshouse.org/     https://psykosteve.com/ https://www.instagram.com/psykosteve   Music for episode Renick Turley SedonaFilm | Musician . Cinematographer. Editor  https://www.instagram.com/sedona_film/ https://vimeo.com/renickdp   Connect with Ryan Anderson Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awonderjunkie/ awonderjunkie.com Breathe4Flow.com Rumble https://rumble.com/user/awonderjunkie Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@awonderjunkie iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-wondejunkie/id1739838765 Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1CcQXpxfV9P89IrKmtV2hS?si=6519a88aef444ba0   Incandescent lighting https://strainlesslighting.com/ 10% off use the code “WONDER” at checkout.  keywords   music in