Staff Bios

Andy Hudson
Chief Editor / WebDaddy
andy@scenepensacola.com

Growing up an Air Force brat, Andy spent his formative years traveling to all four corners of the globe, experiencing the diversity of popular culture around the world. In the early 2000's he started his own booking and talent management agency in the Washington D.C. region, and was deeply embedded in the local music scene working with numerous bands, promoters and venues - primarily in the punk, emo and indie scenes. He has happily called Pensacola home since 2013.

✎ List Of Andy's Published Posts

Moth Edge
Co-Editor / Band Wrangler
moth@scenepensacola.com

I'm a Milton native who's been wandering since diapers but somehow ended up back here. My parents' music collection was like a eclectic to say the least. Let's just say I knew the words to every Nine Inch Nails track on Downward Spiral at age four – talk about an early education! Music discovery has been my ride-or-die, and I took it to another level in 6th grade, sneaking into shows by bands like Supreme Dispassion and Half Wit at the Imogene Theater, back when it was still the punk hotspot for Santa Rosa. The Daily Grind, Sluggos, and End of The Line cafe – I practically lived there during my youth, chasing the next big sound every Friday and Saturday night. I dabbled in ska, punk, indie folk, and screamo bands, rocked every venue and house party. Nowadays, I may not make music, but supporting this scene is in my blood. So, hit me up with tunes! I'm running out of musical frontiers to conquer!

✎ List Of Moth's Published Posts

Tandra Smith
Social Media Manager
tandra@scenepensacola.com

Tandra loves music. Though currently a Mobile resident and an Atlanta native, she can often be found quite literally anywhere else but home, hanging on to the barricade for dear life in some nondescript bar, theatre or arena. The proud owner of a journalism degree, DSLR and determination, she is in charge of Scene Pensacola's social media pages and along with the great work of her colleagues, is probably why you landed on this page to read these staff bios. She's a fan of pop, metalcore and everything in between and when she's not at a show (which is rare), she can be found grabbing boba, thrifting and planning her next show.

✎ List Of Tandra's Published Posts

Richard 'The Beatman' NaVarre
Man About Town
beatman@scenepensacola.com

Rich "Beatman" NaVarre began his interest in all things music at the age of 13, when a neighbor put a bass guitar in his hands and said "now pick that E string boy!" Needless to say, the bass wouldn't be his instrument of choice. Drums would be what young Richard would lean toward with a natural ability not at all found while attempting the bass. Over the course of his teen years "Rich" developed his skill, formed musical relationships and rubbed elbows with some of Detroits finest blues and rock musicians. Out of high school Rich joined the USAF and spent the next 4 years working on fighter aircraft. During that time he also joined the drum and bugle core as a snare player and had the honor of playing for President Jimmy Carter at Shepard AFB in Texas. After the service, Rich started a family, raised 2 beautiful daughters and joined corporate America...all the while playing music at regular jam parties with neighbors and artists rolling through from time to time. Rich moved his family to Texas in the mid 90s to chase a job opportunity. Shortly after moving, Rich met the Krieger brothers...Chris, and David. Together, they formed " THE FORTY BOYS" performing classic rock covers and some originals all over Houston and surrounding area. As time progressed, kids grew up, moved out, had their own and Rich continued to play and develop new skills. When covid raised its ugly head and killed the entertainment industry in Texas in 2020 Rich moved with his wife Denise to Pensacola Florida. Rich jumped into what was a lean music "scene" and began to attend what open mics still existed. Making contacts and playing put Rich in a position to see how the music scene was in Pensacola, what the musicians were getting paid and what the crowds...be they out of towners or off season locals wanted to hear. Something appeared off...something was needed to bring the entertainment community together...something to ignite a "spark" in Pensacola. Well the rest, is history in the making now that Rich is part of SCENE PENSACOLA. You'll see him out and about town and surrounding environs interviewing people, live streaming shows and of course writing reviews and articles of interest. "It's an honor and a privilege to be a part of this most exciting and prestigious medium. I'm looking forward to writing new an interesting pieces that will inform and educate the arts community in Pensacola!"

✎ List Of Richard's Published Posts

Tim Schaffer
Audio/Video Producer
timschaffer@scenepensacola.com

I’ve lived and traveled through most of the states in the U.S. and even traveled abroad though along Blackwater River in Milton Florida is where I was born and raised, and now currently reside. Skateboarding and punk music are my earliest memories and have been in my blood since I was a child. As I grew I also became fond of recording and editing audio clips and skits with friends while walking around with a camera trying to capture any moments of beauty I find in the world from people to events to nature.
When I became a teenager my previous pastimes of recording music off the radio with a boombox turned into obsessing over creating mixtapes and playlist with Napster/Limewire/Bearshare/Kazaa downloading music from a huge range of artist like AFI, Taking Back Sunday, The Used, Above and Beyond, American Football, Dilated Peoples, MxPx, and NOFX to name a few. A big core memory I hold during this time is burning music CDs and selling them to kids in school as a side hustle since I was already burning hundreds of CDs anyways.
I currently produce 2 podcasts, The Inside Byte (revolving around the video game industry) and Nerds on Tap (revolving around our love for beer and technology), and have been neck-deep in YouTube since 2007. I think my love of editing and producing content comes down to trying to share what I find to be wonderful in the world to others that may be unaware of how incredible different artists' creations can be, so trying to spotlight these artist is exactly why I’m excited to be a part of this Scene Pensacola crew.

✎ List Of Tim's Published Posts

CJ Rodriguez
Contributor
cj@scenepensacola.com

Living in Pensacola for a solid 25 years has practically turned me into a local, despite my non-native roots. Music and art have been constants in my life, those things that are always there for you when you need them the most. As a kid, my family's idea of quality time involved grilling me on music trivia, like, "Which album was this song from, and what year was it released?" or the timeless classic, "How many bells toll at the start of Hells Bells?" If it wasn't trivia, it was somehow knowing lyrics to songs before my family did—I was even dropping The Eagles' lyrics before my mom had a chance. Music got its hooks into me courtesy of my family, but it was my cousin Lin, a presence in the Memphis art scene, who ignited my passion for all things creative. Their artsy lifestyle and soulful vibes resonated with me from an early age and really shaped who I was as a person. Photography became my jam, and I rode that wave through high school and early college. While at PJC, I became the resident photography sorcerer (a.k.a. the darkroom lab technician), honing my skills in the vanishing arts of manual photography and darkroom wizardry (cue the obligatory pun—I developed my knowledge). Once I completed my Associates in Psychology, I transferred over to UWF, where I snagged two bachelor's degrees—one in IIT (Human and Computer Interaction) and the other in Psychology. Although my academic focus shifted, my extracurricular passions have held steady, dabbling in various art forms over the years while focusing on my career. Seeing the local art and music scene come back to life after we were all put on a life-altering hiatus, has been truly inspiring. I hope to heighten awareness around the fantastic local talent and continue to be a cheerleader for our underground communities!

✎ List Of CJ's Published Posts

Brian Butler
Contributor
brian@scenepensacola.com

I spend most of my days and nights making videos and shooting photos. Over the years, I’ve tinkered with images and words in a variety of formats and places. From tourism, concert, architectural, and portrait photography…to video production including commercial television, documentary film, motion graphics, voice overs, and educational classes for business and higher education… to decades of dabbling professionally and unprofessionally with the written word, including script writing, blogging, humorous musings and that unfinished novel that’s begging to be completed. (You’re NOT going to get to see that here:)

All that being said, my favorite place to be in the world is a photo pit. A sliver of space between a band blasting in front of me and a crowd roaring behind where I try to grab fractions of seconds that tell the story. I love music but I can’t play or sing, so I try to use the tools I have to capture the feeling of a live show.

I grew up in the Muscle Shoals area of North Alabama but I’ve called Pensacola home for 30 plus years now. There’s so much talent here and so much potential for the Pensacola music community. I’m excited to play a small part in shining a light on the scene.

✎ List Of Brian's Published Posts

Calla Phillips
Contributor
calla@scenepensacola.com

Calla, an Air Force brat, moved to Pensacola in 2021 to attend UWF. Before attending college there, she didn’t know what to expect from Pensacola; little did she know that the beach town she’d begin to call home had one of the best local music scenes she had ever encountered. Calla’s early musical interests began when she learned to play the piano and contrabass, as well as when she began obsessively listening to her parents’ iPod and CDs (she credits her taste in indie music to finding her dad’s old Coldplay CD collection and Smallville Vol. 2 during her formative years). Now, although she studies English, her love for music has only grown more intense. That love manifests itself in many ways, from initiating sporadic deep dives into bands’ histories and discographies, to making a plethora of hyper-specific playlists to match equally hyper-specific occasions, to deliberately taking the time to scour Spotify for new and upcoming artists. Needless to say, living around so many incredible artists has definitely fostered her love for music, so she is more than thankful to be able to work with Scene Pensacola to support the music community. When she isn’t obsessing over music, you can find her obsessing over other forms of media (films, anime, books, etc.), looking for new nature trails to get lost in, testing her hand at writing poetry, or spending hours wandering through local thrift/vintage stores.

✎ List Of Calla's Published Posts

Doug Stanford
Contributor
doug@scenepensacola.com

Doug Stanford is a cinematographer and writer/performer in the post-rock band YNICORNS. He’s participated in local music scenes from Virginia to Pensacola since 1998 as both a performer and recording engineer. In the early 2010s he produced an independent music show, Aux Send, which was his first foray into music journalism and gained traction online, in Apple Podcasts as a “New and Noteworthy” subscription for several weeks, and ultimately as a multi-state PBS broadcast show. Doug has a fascination with and passion for the people making music and the community they foster.

✎ List Of Doug's Published Posts

Deadly Jeffery
Contributor
Deadlyjeffery@scenepensacola.com

Alex Aternal was just your average mild mannered human when one day our unsuspecting hero was bitten by a radioactive gummy worm. As his flesh began to melt revealing neon pink bone and new horns he knew what his calling must be! Punk by day and punk by night. The hard hitting questions began to flood his donut obsessed brain. Now he prowls the streets for any artist or anyone willing to speak to him. Join me to learn if crabs think fish are birds or what everyone's favorite girl scout cookie is. If you’re into nonsensical, non-canonical and overall awkward interviews. Sit back and enjoy.

David Longval
Contributor
david@scenepensacola.com

David is originally from Boston MA, he has been a Florida resident for 3 years now. Before moving to Florida he was pursuing a music career as the lead vocalist of a band called Eyes On Satellites. Since the break up of his band, he has been trying to find a way to support musicians and help others make their dreams come true in the music industry. In the beginning of 2021 he started a management company called Silent Wave Management and has been mentoring bands and using his knowledge of the music industry to help develop artists. You can find him at most shows either taking photos, videos or just enjoying the show. Support your scene!

✎ List Of David's Published Posts

Jessica Sweetland
Contributor
jess@scenepensacola.com

Born and raised in the DC area, Jessica has called Pensacola home since 2013. Her immersion into music started before she was born, with her mother performing barbershop and teaching classical piano, and continued with family bluegrass jams and a constant background soundtrack at her grandfather’s house that included big-band jazz and popular music from the 1920’s-1940’s. Jessica leverages her backgrounds in corporate America and art/design to provide behind-the-scenes support, and takes great satisfaction in a well-written procedure, organized spreadsheet, or aesthetically-pleasing presentation deck.

In her oh-so-copious free time, Jessica enjoys home improvement projects, building furniture, cooking, and spoiling her menagerie of rescue pets.

✎ List Of Jessica's Published Posts