At Broowaha we want to recognize the people that make this site tick...and that's you! Here's an interview with January's featured contributor Gary Schwind.

Gary Schwind is a natural choice for our first featured contributor interview. He has contributed 17 articles so far and some of them have been absolutely fantastic interviews. If you want to know what the music scene is like in Orange County, follow Gary and he'll keep you up to date. With all the interviews coming in I wanted to get to know a bit more about Gary and how he approaches being a Broowaha contributor. If you are curious as well, keep reading

How does where you live influence who/what you write about and how you go about doing it?

I guess Orange County influences me because there are so many good bands (and other entertainers) that aren’t getting any attention but should be. On my site, I mention that I am seeking people with interesting stories to tell. I haven’t found a shortage of that yet. How I go about it is very basic. I find a band (or comedian, or roller derby team) that interests me and I ask if they’d like to be featured. Then I do a little research and come up with my questions.

Your Broowaha logo, is there a story behind it?

I use Brutus Buckeye as my logo because he is the mascot for The Ohio State University, of which I am a proud alumnus and football fanatic.

In the time you've been part of Broowaha, how have you grown as a writer or interviewer? Maybe you can tell us about your first article, your favorite article to write and your most recent.

I would say I’ve learned two very important things that have helped me grow. First, I learned that a good interviewer asks good questions and then gets out of the way. In other words, I just let the subject run with the question however he or she chooses to. The other very important thing I’ve learned is that each interview is a different entity and must be approached differently. I can’t take the same set of questions to each interview subject. Each subject is distinct, so each interview should be too.

My first interview was with San Clemente singer-songwriter John Sotter on his front patio. He was very thoughtful and told a lot of good stories, and he invited me to stay for dinner prepared by his girlfriend, which I thought was real nice. [Editor's note: you can see all of Gary's interviews at the bottom of his profile page]

My favorite interview was with RyThoJo of Überband. I asked twice as many questions as I normally do, but I was thoroughly entertained the entire time I spoke to him. It was a very funny and unusual piece.

Most recently, I interviewed Zhanine of CONJOB. She was very thoughtful and entertaining as well. Apparently in CONJOB, they like to talk smack to each other. Zhanine told me she always wins. Somehow, I believe her.

If you could get could write about anyone or any situation, what would it be?

I have two possible answers to this question. If we’re talking an absolute dream gig in which reality doesn’t have to play a part, my answer is I would love to interview Emmylou Harris. I think she is phenomenal. I love the fact that she can harmonize with anyone.

The other answer is that I would love to go on the road with a blue-collar band (like Two Cow Garage, for instance) and document a month or two on the road with them. I’m intrigued by that life on the road in which bands make only enough money to get to the next town and have to scratch and claw for everything.

What artist (musician, author, painter etc) inspires you?

I’m inspired by writers like Tom Robbins, Hunter S. Thompson, and Carl Hiaasen. I love their quirky humor and slanted perspective on things. As for musicians, I find inspiration from Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Two Cow Garage Tom Waits, Kris Kristofferson, Burce Springsteen. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Norma Jean Riddick. She’s an actor and comedian here in southern California and she works harder than anyone I’ve ever met.

Of our topics (city life, night life, culture, sports, etc) what is your favorite? Is there a reason why you tend to write/read more articles in that section?

Culture is definitely my favorite, simply because I am a music fiend.